Once upon a time, Philadelphia Phillies shortstop and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Max Scherzer were teammates rather than adversaries—first on the Washington Nationals from 2015 to '21, and then on the Los Angeles Dodgers late in '21.

The distance separating them now, however, doesn't mean one can't have a little fun with the other from time to time—as Turner did with Scherzer Sunday.

Stepping in to take the first at-bat of the Phillies' eventual 5–4 loss to the Blue Jays, Turner used MLB's automated ball-strike system to challenge a crystal-clear strike thrown by Scherzer (Scherzer recently criticized the much-ballyhooed experimental technology).

“I don’t think he realized that I challenged it,” Turner said via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. “And then we were just laughing. It was good. In the regular season, it would really piss him off. But now he's kind of faking his little act. But I knew. I just wanted to see his eyes roll. That's what I was going for.”

In a sense, Scherzer had the last laugh; Turner finished 0-for-3 in defeat.

The MLB offseason is in its final stages as pitchers and catchers report for spring training this week.

There have been plenty of big signings throughout the winter, including the mega-deal Juan Soto inked to swap allegiances from the New York Yankees to the New York Mets, and the plethora of top-tier free agents that agreed to join the superteam that is the Los Angeles Dodgers on deferred contracts.

Despite the abundance of offseason movement, there are still some notable free agents who remain unsigned. Whether they're hoping to see a more lucrative offer come through or they're working to identify the best opportunity, plenty of quality players remain available on the open market.

The first spring training games get underway Feb. 20, so time is running out for those unsigned free agents if they want to spend the full spring with a team to get back into the swing of things. As the end of the offseason approaches and teams report to camps in Arizona and Florida, here's a look at the top five remaining free agents.

Alex Bregman, 3B

Everton are reportedly pushing hard to complete the signing of Sevilla right-back Juanlu Sanchez, but there is more Premier League interest in him, too.

The 22-year-old is an exciting young talent who has already won an Olympic gold medal with Spain, winning a total of four caps for his country and hoping to be a part of their 2026 World Cup squad.

Juanlu emerged as a target for Wolves during the summer transfer window, with talks opening at one point and a move to Molineux potentially looking on the cards.

In the end, he rejected their advances, however, and decided to remain at Sevilla for the time being, continuing to be an influential player for the Spanish giants this season.

Juanlu has made 10 La Liga appearances in 2025/26 to date, assisting once in the competition, but it looks as though his long-term future may lie away from the club, with Everton seemingly in the mix to acquire his signature.

Everton applying "strong pressure" to sign Juanlu

According to Diario de Sevilla [via Sport Witness], Everton are putting “strong pressure” on to sign Juanlu from Sevilla, with Crystal Palace also in the same boat.

Sevilla’s financial issues could see them forced into selling the wide man, with as much as £17.6m possibly needed to prise him away from Spain.

Juanlu looks like such a shrewd target for Everton, with the Spain international possessing the versatility to add so much depth to David Moyes’ squad, being able to thrive on the wing and even in midfield alongside his natural right-back role.

Still only 22, his best years are ahead of him, with former manager Xavier Garcia Pimienta heaping praise on his qualities as a player in the past.

“He has played as an inside midfielder [before], we were short on space in midfield due to Saul’s [Niguez] suspension and [Albert Sambi] Lokonga’s injury. I spoke to him, I knew he could do well in that position. Juanlu has an incredible present and a better future.”

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The lure of Palace may be big, given their status as reigning FA Cup holders, but Everton are enjoying life in their sparkly new stadium, with Jack Grealish a big-name loan signing, and Juanlu will hopefully see them as the more exciting proposition.

Everton enter race to sign £88m South American "machine" with Newcastle

One of the biggest troubles for Leeds United this season is how poorly they have performed in front of goal. Daniel Farke’s side find themselves in a relegation battle, which many people expected would be the case. ESPN journalist Bill Connelly said they need “random bursts of quality attacking” to help them stay up.

Well, things haven’t worked out that way so far for the Whites. They’ve found the back of the net just nine times, better than just two sides, including bottom of the league Wolverhampton Wanderers. Leeds’ expected goals tally is just 12.94xG, the 12th best in the top flight.

One man who has struggled for his best goalscoring form is Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Calvert-Lewin’s struggles in front of goal

Leeds secured the signing of Calvert-Lewin in the summer on a free transfer, after his contract at Everton expired. He was brought in with the aim of bolstering their Premier League goalscoring stocks, although it hasn’t really worked out that well so far.

The experienced 28-year-old, who has 11 caps and four goals for England, has not quite hit the ground running in a Leeds shirt.

In nine games for the club so far, Calvert-Lewin has only found the back of the net once, against fellow strugglers Wolves.

It was a good finish, too, from the new Leeds number nine. He got on the end of a loopy cross from Jayden Bogle, finding space between the Wolves defenders and heading home. That is the kind of striking instinct Leeds fans may have expected.

However, it hasn’t really worked out for Calvert-Lewin, aside from that goal. His underlying numbers are surprisingly low, averaging just 2.8 shots per 90 minutes, with an expected goals per game of 0.33xG. That places him in the 25th percentile for Premier League strikers.

With a huge game against Nottingham Forest next up, Farke may decide to rotate the striker out of the side in favour of a man who knows where the back of the net is.

Leeds’ Calvert-Lewin alternative

Ultimately, Leeds need to start finding the back of the net more consistently soon. Goals win you football matches, and right now, they could do with a few victories to help propel them up the table.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

Well, Farke could well make the decision to axe Calvert-Lewin against Forest this weekend, and bring in Joel Piroe.

The Dutchman is someone who knows where the back of the net is, and Farke even called him the “best finisher” he’s ever seen as a manager.

With strikes like this one against Bristol City in the Championship last season, it is easy to see where the Whites’ boss is coming from.

Piroe bagged from quite a tight angle outside of the area, which takes some doing.

Indeed, he has put up some impressive numbers in a Leeds shirt so far. In 102 games for the club, the striker has 33 goals and ten assists. Last term in the Championship, Piroe was the main man up front and bagged 19 goals with seven assists in 46 games.

His underlying stats showcase how deadly he can be, too. During the league-winning 2024/25 season, the Dutch striker averaged 0.56 goals per 90 minutes, with an expected goals tally of 0.49xG. Both of those stats placed him in the top 5% of Championship strikers.

Bringing Piroe into the side for the trip to the City Ground could be a stroke of genius from Farke. He has a point to prove, having fallen out of favour this season. He’s only played 164 top-flight minutes, but would surely love to get more regular game time.

Calvert-Lewin has been out of form this season. With someone who Farke himself has admitted is a deadly finisher waiting in the wings, he could be the difference in helping find the back of the net more often.

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By
Kelan Sarson

Nov 6, 2025

Manager Enzo Maresca believes Chelsea’s loss of injured talisman Cole Palmer is equivalent to Manchester City and Liverpool facing life without star forwards Erling Haaland and Mohamed Salah. The Blues have not been able to call upon their main man since September, with his return from injury having now been delayed following a freak accident at home.

Palmer was set to resume first-team training before freak incident

Chelsea have been forced to cope without Palmer after he sustained a groin injury in the 2-1 loss at Manchester United on 20 September. The England international was set to resume first-team training this week, but his long-awaited return has been pushed back by an extra seven days after he stubbed his toe on a door.

Palmer will subsequently miss Chelsea’s next three games – Saturday's trip to Burnley in the Premier League, Tuesday's home fixture against Barcelona in the Champions League and next weekend's league match at home to leaders Arsenal.

Confirming the incident in his pre-match press conference ahead of the Burnley game, Maresca said: “He [Palmer] is probably not available for Saturday for sure, Barcelona for sure or Arsenal for sure.

“Unfortunately, he had an accident at home where he hit his toe. It is nothing important, but he won't be back in the next week. I wake up many times during the night – I hit my head, my legs, my everything – so it can happen.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportMaresca compares Palmer to Haaland & Salah as injury woes continue

Palmer has become Chelsea’s leader since his arrival from City in 2023. The 23-year-old has scored 45 goals in 101 appearances for the west Londoners, winning both the Conference League and the FIFA Club World Cup.

And such is Palmer’s influence on Chelsea that head coach Maresca has compared his absence to rivals City and Liverpool trying to win games without Haaland and Salah, who are also among the league’s best players.

The Italian told the club’s official website: “I’m very proud because for us Cole is like [Erling] Haaland for [Manchester] City, like [Mohamed] Salah for Liverpool. If Haaland doesn’t play for City or Salah doesn’t play for Liverpool, they are not the same team.

“So I’m very proud, but especially very proud of the players, because it is a difficult moment without Cole. They showed they are good players and they all want the best for this club.”

Chelsea head coach will be able to call upon fit-again striker Delap

One player Maresca will be able to turn to against Burnley is Liam Delap, who recently made his return from a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s 3-0 league win over struggling Wolves before the international break.

Delap moved to Stamford Bridge from relegated Ipswich Town in the summer, scoring his first goal for his new side against Tunisian outfit Esperance Tunis in the Club World Cup in June. The 22-year-old is still looking for his first Chelsea goal in domestic football.

“For sure Liam is part of our learning process,” Maresca said. “I know Liam very well from years ago and Liam is a fantastic player, especially when there are spaces to attack.

“He struggles a little bit more when there is no space, in the way he is. So in games like Wolves and probably today, he is going to struggle a bit more because there is no space to attack.

“Against teams that we can attack in behind with space he is a top player, he is fantastic. But in the same moment it is a learning process for him, how to play against these teams, how to be better, how we can help him to be better, to play against teams that wait for us and sit back.”

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Getty Images SportIn-form Blues looking to close gap on leaders Arsenal in Burnley clash

It remains to be seen whether Delap will start when Chelsea make the trip to Burnley on Saturday. Maresca’s side can move just three points behind Arsenal with a victory at Turf Moor, with Mikel Arteta’s Gunners set to renew hostilities with Tottenham in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Chelsea have lost just once in their last five games in all competitions, against high-flying Sunderland on 25 October, having recorded wins over Tottenham and Wolves in the league. They also defeated Wolves in the Carabao Cup on 29 October, before drawing with Azerbaijani side Qarabag in the Champions League on 5 November.

The governing body stated that the use of a mobile phone to record the meeting was a breach of PMOA protocol

ESPNcricinfo staff and PTI19-Sep-2025The ICC has taken exception to the PCB having recorded on video the meeting between match referee Andy Pycroft and the Pakistan team management ahead of their Asia Cup game against UAE on September 17 in Dubai.In a strongly-worded email sent on Thursday, according to PTI, ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta informed the PCB that the use of a mobile phone to film the conversation was a breach of protocol in the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA), where the meeting took place. Apart from Pycroft, the meeting was attended by Pakistan captain Salman Agha, head coach Mike Hesson, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema and media manager Naeem Gillani. The ICC general manager of cricket Wasim Khan was also present.When Gillani attempted to film the meeting, he was told that according to the anti-corruption code mobile phones were not allowed inside the PMOA. The PCB was insistent on filming the meeting, though, saying Pakistan would not play the match against UAE otherwise. A compromise was reached and Gillani was allowed to record the meeting without audio.Related

Pakistan cancel pre-match press conference before India game

Pycroft given just a few minutes' notice ahead of India-Pakistan handshake-gate

PCB clears Pakistan to play UAE; says Pycroft apologised

In his email, Gupta called out such action as misconduct and said the PCB had committed “multiple violations” of the PMOA protocol. At the meeting, Pycroft told the Pakistan management that he was merely the messenger of the instruction that India captain Suryakumar Yadav would not shake hands with Agha, and not the issuer of the directive. While he expressed “regret over the miscommunication and misunderstanding” around the situation, shortly after the meeting the PCB issued a statement claiming Pycroft had “apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”.The ICC disagreed with this version and Gupta reiterated in his email to the PCB that Pycroft had expressed regret for the miscommunication.The match between Pakistan and UAE on Wednesday eventually began after an hour’s delay, and only after the PCB agreed to a meeting between Pycroft and the team management ahead of the game to try and resolve issues around the handshake-gate incident that had occurred at the toss of the India-Pakistan game on Sunday. Until then, there had been a stalemate between the PCB, who wanted Pycroft removed from the remainder of the Asia Cup, and the ICC, who refused such a demand.The PCB’s claim was that Pycroft had violated the code of conduct and the MCC’s spirit of cricket in telling Agha not to shake hands with Suryakumar, an instruction he only received from the venue manager in Dubai minutes before the toss. The ICC said it had conducted an inquiry into the incident and cleared Pycroft’s handling of the situation.The PCB even threatened to pull the Pakistan team out of the Asia Cup, and for some time it looked like that could turn into reality when, on the day of their clash against UAE, the board told the players team to stay at the hotel beyond their scheduled departure time after learning that Pycroft was going to officiate the match. During calls between the ICC and PCB at this time, the meeting between Pycroft and the Pakistan team management was suggested, which eventually paved the way for the match to proceed.

Durham 450 for 6 (Gay 161, Rhodes , Bedingham 58) drew with Worcestershire 591 for 9 dec (Roderick 151, Brookes 100, D’Oliveira 84, Taylor 66*, Edavalath 61)Centuries from Emilio Gay and Will Rhodes helped Durham pick up five crucial batting bonus points as they drew their Rothesay County Championship clash with already relegated Worcestershire.In the morning the Pears picked up a couple of Durham scalps to halt their quest for batting bonus points, but Gay and David Bedingham (58) combined for a partnership worth 122 to help Durham’s cause.Gay then reached three figures, while Rhodes scored his maiden first-class hundred for Durham to get them to 450 for six, securing the maximum number of batting points available ahead of a potential relegation decider against Yorkshire next week.Worcestershire declared overnight on 591 for nine, leaving Durham with the task of getting batting bonus points to boost their chances of staying in Division One.Opener Alex Lees carved a Tom Taylor delivery through the covers to the boundary, but Taylor got Lees next ball as he was caught behind for eight.The Pears were testing Durham in the early stages, but Gay relieved the pressure as he produced a great straight drive off Taylor which went for four.Durham’s pursuit stalled as Ben McKinney then departed for 16 at the hands of Matthew Waite as he edged one to Ben Gibbon at slip.That brought David Bedingham to the crease and the batter managed to find the boundary with ease in the early stages of his innings.Pears skipper Brett D’Oliveira came into the attack, but on his follow through he went over on his right ankle, which prompted concerns from the dressing room given they have the Metro Bank One Day Cup final on Saturday.Gay continued to tick along nicely and got his fifty from 71 balls, while taking his side to 100 before lunch.Bedingham continued to attack the bowlers after the lunch interval as he clipped one on the onside for four and he played another excellent shot, this time carving a Taylor delivery through the covers for four.Gay was almost heading back to the pavilion on 72, as he edged an Allison delivery but Gibbon couldn’t cling on to it with an outstretched hand.Bedingham then brought up his second fifty of the season from 79 balls and smashed a six off the bowling of Waite next ball. However, he went for one hit too many as Waite got him for 58 after he didn’t get enough on a pull shot, which Allison caught on the boundary.Gay continued to motor, now alongside Will Rhodes, and he picked up his fourth century of the season from 127 balls.The opener continued to play fluently after reaching the milestone, picking up three boundaries in a Brookes over, and Durham reached their first batting point in the 53rd over.Gay passed the milestone of 150 for the third time this campaign after tea and Rhodes, who has struggled for First Class runs this season, played nicely and found the boundary with a tidy glance off the legs from a Gibbon ball.Rhodes then reached fifty for the first time in Durham whites from 72 deliveries and he picked up another boundary straight after. Gay then went for an excellent 161, his highest Durham score, as he chopped a Gibbon delivery onto his leg stump.Rhodes continued Durham’s swashbuckling approach as he heaved a Dan Lategan to the boundary, but Ollie Robinson fell soon after for four as he was bowled by the part-time off spin of Jake Libby.Rhodes continued his charge as he smashed Lategan for a six down the ground and then reached three figures for the first time this season, coming from 121 balls.Graham Clark produced a quick 29 to speed things up, but Libby got his second of the day as he got the Durham man caught and bowled.Rhodes then got his 150 and guided his side to 450, the magic number for five batting points, and the two sides shook hands just after 5pm.

India wristspinner overtakes New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy following his performances in two Asia Cup matches

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Sep-2025

India wristspinner Varun Chakravarthy has become the top-ranked bowler in the ICC’s men’s T20I rankings following his performances of 1 for 4 against UAE and 1 for 24 against Pakistan in the ongoing Asia Cup in the UAE. He is the third Indian bowler to achieve the No. 1 ranking after Jasprit Bumrah and legspinner Ravi Bishnoi.Chakravarthy, 34, overtook New Zealand fast bowler Jacob Duffy, who had been at No. 1 since March. Sri Lanka quick Nuwan Thushara also rose six places to sixth place after taking one wicket in his first two Asia Cup matches.Pakistan’s left-arm wristspinner Sufiyan Muqeem has moved up four spots to 11th, India’s left-arm spinner Axar Patel is up one rank to 12th, Pakistan legspinner Abrar Ahmed jumped 11 places to 16th and Kuldeep Yadav has made up 16 spots to finish 23rd, and Afghanistan’s Noor Ahmad is 25th after the ICC’s weekly update of the rankings.India opener Abhishek Sharma has strengthened his grip on the No. 1 ranking for T20I batters by blitzing 30 off 16 balls against UAE and 31 off 13 balls against Pakistan at the Asia Cup.England’s openers Phil Salt and Jos Buttler have both moved up a spot to second and third place. Salt scored 141 not out off 60 balls – England’s highest T20I score and fastest century – and Buttler 83 off 30 balls as England smashed 304 for 2 in the second T20I against South Africa at Old Trafford. It’s the first time Buttler has broken into the top three in the ICC’s T20I batting rankings.

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A Argentina venceu o Peru por 2 a 0 na 2ª rodada do Torneio Pré-Olímpico, nesta quarta-feira (24). Thiago Almada, que esteve presente no elenco que conquistou a Copa do Mundo com a Albiceleste, e Gondou foram os autores dos gols do triunfo.

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Por outro lado, o Uruguai vacilou na competição e estreou com derrota para o Paraguai por 4 a 3 em um duelo emocionante. O centroavante Luciano Rodríguez foi o grande destaque da Celeste com três gols anotados, mas sua equipe sofreu a virada na segunda etapa após ir para o intervalo com 3 a 2 a favor.

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Com o triunfo, a Argentina lidera o Grupo B com a mesma pontuação do Paraguai, mas com um saldo melhor em relação ao adversário. Nesse momento, a Albiceleste está se classificando para a próxima fase em busca de uma vaga nos Jogos Olímpicos.

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Por outro lado, o Uruguai não começou bem, mas tem a chance de se redimir e buscas a primeira vitória na competição contra o Chile, no sábado (27). Apenas os dois primeiros colocados de cada grupo se classificam para a próxima fase.

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ArgentinaPré-OlímpicoUruguai

Are Rangers heading in the right direction?

On Sunday, Danny Röhl’s perfect start to life in the Premiership continued, making it three league wins out of three, with goals from Nicolas Raskin, Mikey Moore and then Djeidi Gassama downing Dundee at Dens.

Despite this, the Gers remain fourth in the table, level on points with Hibs, five points below fierce rivals Celtic and a whopping 12 adrift surprise leaders Hearts.

Goals though remain a problem for this team, having bagged only 15 in 11 Premiership outings to date, netting just 31 times in 24 fixtures across all competitions, with Sunday only the fourth time they’ve scored three or more in a match, despite doing so on 21 occasions last season.

Strikers Danilo, Bojan Miovski and Youssef Chermiti continue to be, at best, inconsistent, but could Rangers’ youngster with “huge potential” solve this attacking issue?

Rangers' recent loan stars

While Rangers’ recent recruit has rightly come under scrutiny, with serious questions being asked of sporting director Kevin Thelwell, the club remain excellent in one particular area; identifying attackers on loan.

In the last four seasons, Rangers have signed a high-quality attacker on loan each time, as the table below documents.

52

18

9

39

16

2

43

12

5

13

3

Zero

As the table highlights, in each of the last four seasons, Rangers have brought in a high-class attacker on a season-long loan.

Amad is probably the outlier on this list, making little impact during his six months in Glasgow, albeit he’s since become a key figure for Rúben Amorim at Manchester United.

Since, Malik Tillman, Abdallah Sima and Václav Černý have all registered at least 17 combined goals and assists during one season at Ibrox, with the latter the most productive of the lot, starring during a season on loan from Wolfsburg, a major loss having joined Beşiktaş instead of returning this summer.

Now, could a current member of the Rangers squad keep the streak of outstanding attackers on loan going?

Rangers' latest loan star

Of course, the entire Rangers team has improved since Röhl replaced Russell Martin last month, an admittedly low bar, but the player who has thrived the most is Mikey Moore.

The teenager scored his first goal for the club at Dens on Sunday, doubling the Gers lead with this strike which flew into Jon McCracken’s bottom corner.

Even before opening his account, the Englishman had looked sharper since Röhl’s arrival in Glasgow.

Speaking during Sky Sports’ Coverage, Chris Sutton asserted that he is “flourishing” into his full potential under Röhl, while James McFadden notes that he is enjoying a lot more freedom with the German coach at the helm, forecasting that he will only continue to get better in the coming weeks.

When the 18-year-old arrived from Tottenham Hotspur in August, he did so with a massive reputation for someone who had only played 815 minutes at senior level.

Upon joining, then manager Martin praised his “huge potential”, while Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labelled him “the English Neymar”.

Despite his slow start to life at Ibrox, only two Rangers players, namely Gassama and Thelo Aasgard, have registered more successful dribbles on a per 90 basis in the Premiership, early signs that he is ready to make a significant impact.

As already alluded to, scoring goals is one of this team’s primary issues.

Across all competitions, only captain James Tavernier, Gassama, Danilo and youngster Findlay Curtis have bagged more than two goals thus far, with that strike against Dundee the first of Moore’s campaign.

Thus, there is a spot up for grabs for the 18-year-old to take responsibility and become a truly integral figure in this team’s attack, following in the footsteps of Sima, Tillman and Černý, the other high-class loan attackers who have come before.

Move over Moore: Rangers star proved why he's their "best player" vs Dundee

Rangers demolished Dundee 3-0 at Dens on Sunday and Danny Röhl’s “sensational” star was as key as Mikey Moore in this Scottish Premiership victory.

Nov 9, 2025