17+ hour, 9+ min ago (232+ words) A 17-year-old Middlesex High School baseball player died after being seriously injured in a crash. It wasn't immediately clear when or where the crash involving James Matula took place, but in a letter to the community school officials confirmed a student's death. Middlesex High School baseball coach Blaze Iannetti said Matula was returning from a trip out of state when the crash occurred, but didn't have additional details. Iannetti said Matula was both well-liked in school and among his teammates. "James was a type of kid who, who lit up the room, " Iannetti said. "As a kid around the building, he was always smiling. He was the type of kid who it seemed got along with everybody." Matula hit .263 as a junior in 2025 for Middlesex, which went 23-5 and won the Group I state title in June. Others sports organizations in…...

10+ hour, 57+ min ago (1336+ words) There's been speculation that Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner plans to drop payroll to under $300 million next year instead of spending whatever it takes to build a roster best suited to finally end a franchise championship drought that now is up to 16 seasons. There's been speculation that the Yankees' three-fold offseason plan is: A. Try to go into 2026 with the same lineup nucleus that was good enough to lead the AL in runs and homers last year by re-signing free agent outfielder Cody Bellinger after overpaying to keep center fielder Trent Grisham. B. Add bullpen arms but not necessarily spend for one of the pricy free agent closers because David Bednar is perfectly fine in that role. C. Redo the bench to give manager Aaron Boone platoon options similarly to what was accomplished at last summer's trade deadline. All of that and a lot…...

11+ hour, 4+ min ago (948+ words) For the Mets and president of baseball operations David Stearns, trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for Marcus Semien wasn't easy. Nimmo was more than a fan favorite in a Mets uniform. He was beloved by teammates, coaches, members of the front office and more, a leader in the clubhouse and a homegrown player who had spent 14 years with the organization. But, Stearns said, it was the right move. "In order to create the type of sustainable championship caliber play that we seek to have here, at times these types of decisions are necessary," Stearns said on Zoom call with reporters Monday. "I think it's a recognition that what we did last year wasn't good enough and running back the exact same group wasn't the right thing to do," Stearns said. "So as went into this, we believed and still…...

16+ hour, 44+ min ago (541+ words) Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns isn't letting emotion stand between him and his biggest offseason priority. By trading Brandon Nimmo to the Rangers for second baseman Marcus Semien on Sunday, Stearns parted ways with the Mets' longest-tenured player, one who was drafted in 2011 and under contract through 2030. He also took an important step to improve the Mets' defense, while creating more flexibility to continue shaking up a flawed roster that failed to make the postseason in 2025. Statistically, Nimmo is a better hitter than Semien. The outfielder is coming off a season in which he swatted a career-best 25 home runs and slashed .262/.324/.436 over a career-high 155 games. Semien, meanwhile, has been in decline over the past two seasons; he posted a .230/.305/.364 line with 15 home runs and 62 RBIs in 127 games last year. But Nimmo's defense has declined as he's entered his…...