SPORTS+

Francisco Lindor at bat for the Mets; Brandon Nimmo scores; Carlos Mendoza

How the Mets' new batting order has altered Francisco Lindor's routine and sparked their offense

  • By Mike Puma

Maybe Lindor needed the switch — he previously had been hitting in the No. 3 hole — to get him on track. He isn’t so sure.

Ben Rice during batting practice with the Yankees; insets: with the Worcester Bravehearts in the Futures League in 2020

Ben Rice's crazy, do-it-yourself path onto Yankees scouts' radars: pickup games, home run derbies and batting practice against dad

  • By Greg Joyce

The Ivy League canceled the 2021 baseball season, too, forcing Rice to get creative in how he got scouts’ attention.

Bronny James at a press conference; LeBron James plays for the Lakers; Bronny and LeBron

What to make of the Bronny James draft intrigue and another NBA offseason all about LeBron

  • By Howie Kussoy

His father’s current contract includes an opt-out clause that coincides with Bronny entering the draft.

The Knicks' Isaiah Hartenstein and OG Anunoby wrestle with Joel Embiid for the ball; insets: the Thunder's Chet Holmgren, the Pistons' Cade Cunningham

The teams that could give the Knicks the biggest headaches in free agency

  • By Stefan Bondy

That brings us to the point of this piece: the competition.

Newsletters

The Latest

Daniel Jones throws at Giants practice; insets: Kayvon Thibodeaux, Malik Nabers

The Giants are lacking star power — what it means and who could step up

  • By Paul Schwartz
  • June 19, 2024
  • 8:20am
  • 2

Quarterbacks routinely fill these lists, and the Giants were not going to gain any traction with Daniel Jones.

Willie Mays seen with the Giants, circa 1967, and the Mets, circa 1973.

How we'll remember the great Willie Mays

  • By Peter Botte
  • June 19, 2024
  • 7:50am

Among my favorite childhood memories was listening to my dad and my uncles talk about baseball in New York early in the 1950s.

The Rangers after their elimination from the 2024 NHL playoffs; insets: the Oilers' Connor McDavid, the Panthers' Sam Bennett

What the Panthers-Oilers series has revealed about the Rangers' shortcomings

  • By Larry Brooks
  • June 18, 2024
  • 8:20am
  • 16

I wouldn’t compare the Rangers to the Oilers. One team has Igor Shesterkin and the other has Stuart Skinner, but one of the teams has Connor McDavid and the other does not.

The Yankees' Juan Soto celebrates; insets: the Orioles' Gunnar Henderson, the Yankees' Gerrit Cole

We can see what the Yankees are really made of as the Orioles come to town

  • By Zach Braziller
  • June 18, 2024
  • 7:45am
  • 1

This is one of those moments for the Yankees.

The Mets' Francisco Lindor trots after a home run; J.D. Martinez at the plate; Brandon Nimmo and Tyrone Taylor celebrate in the outfield.

The biggest reason why the Mets are stoking credible playoff hopes

  • By Joel Sherman
  • June 18, 2024
  • 6:15am

The Mets have slowly evolved into something that resembles a strength or actually might be one: They should score.

Francisco Lindor gets high fives in the Mets dugout; insets: Pete Alonso, Edwin Diaz

This tantalizing Mets surge sets up a classic dilemma

  • By Jared Schwartz
  • June 17, 2024
  • 7:40am

They’re up against the clock to prove the team shouldn’t be aggressive sellers at the trade deadline.

Nic Claxton, Jordi Fernandez, Sean Marks, Mikal Bridges

The Nic Claxton question that will test the Nets' vision of the future

  • By Brian Lewis
  • June 15, 2024
  • 8:40am

Re-signing Nic Claxton is arguably Brooklyn’s top offseason priority, but it won’t be their only one.

New York Mets player Dedniel Nunez throwing a pitch at a game against Philadelphia Phillies, London Stadium, Britain, June 9, 2024

The Mets' 'big win' in patiently turning Dedniel Núñez into a bullpen keeper

  • By Mike Puma
  • June 14, 2024
  • 8:40am

Dedniel Núñez has become not only a dependable Mets reliever, he’s bringing the kind of electricity that largely has been lacking from the bullpen.