Baseball Wiretap

In an interview on WEEI on Thursday, Boston Red Sox president Sam Kennedy called the team's play this season "embarrassing and unacceptable," but said there's been no consideration of removing Craig Breslow from his role as chief baseball officer.

The Red Sox have been mired in a season-long slump. They fired Alex Cora on April 25 but that's done little to jolt the team, which entered Thursday 27-39, in last place in the AL East and 5.5 games out of the final wild card spot.

The White Sox traded veteran outfielder Derek Hill to the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday in a swap between contending teams.

The White Sox also sent $250,000 in international bonus pool money to the Phillies for minor league outfielder Dylan Campbell and minor league infielder José Colmenares.

Hill, 30, is batting .213 with four homers, eight RBIs and seven steals in 50 games this season. He was claimed off waivers by the White Sox in September.

Aroldis Chapman and the Boston Red Sox are on opposite paths this season, making it easy to predict that the veteran Cuban reliever could end the summer wearing another uniform after the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Among the teams that would greatly improve their postseason chances by acquiring Chapman are the New York Yankees, where he saved 146 games and was a three-time All-Star from 2016 to 2022.

If the Red Sox decide to trade Chapman, it's unlikely they'll send him within their own division, especially to the rival Yankees. But if it were to happen, Chapman knows what would have to happen for him to feel comfortable returning to New York.

Two-time American League Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal will return from the injured list Saturday against the Cleveland Guardians, Detroit Tigers manager A.J. Hinch announced Thursday. Skubal has not pitched in the majors since April 29.

The left-hander underwent surgery on May 6 to remove a loose body from his left elbow. Initial projections called for a two-to-three month absence, but Dr. Neal ElAttrache employed the NanoNeedle Scope 2.0, a smaller arthroscope never previously used on a major league pitcher. The less invasive procedure allowed Skubal to resume throwing within days and advance rapidly to full bullpen sessions.

"I don't know if it will be a normal start or if it will be abbreviated," said Hinch. "But just getting him back into the routine and into the fold is a tremendous boost for this team and this rotation and our organization."

Skubal tuned up Sunday on a rehab assignment at High-A West Michigan, throwing five scoreless innings on 54 pitches. His fastball reached 99 mph, and he threw an estimated 15 additional pitches in the bullpen afterward.

"If anything, we're being conservative," said Skubal. "Four weeks after surgery was four or five days ago. Technically, if we wanted to, I could have been back then. I think we've taken this with the right approach. Not aggressive. If anything, we're being conservative."

Skubal's return carries significant implications beyond the mound. The Tigers sit 12 games below .500 following a 6-22 May, though Detroit has won six of its past eight. If the club cannot climb back into contention, Skubal could emerge as the top available asset ahead of the August 3 trade deadline. He is also in a contract year and widely expected to command a record-setting payday this offseason.

"I'm obviously happy with modern technology, modern medicine and the ability for him to do his work step by step," said Hinch. "I'm thrilled this was on the best-case scenario side of things, getting him back so quickly."

MLB's salary cap proposal shares elements with all three major North American sports leagues but mirrors the NHL most closely, while introducing an escrow system that has become a central point of conflict in ongoing collective bargaining negotiations with the MLB Players Association.

Here is how the existing cap structures in the NFL, NBA and NHL currently operate.

The NFL operates under a hard cap tied directly to league revenue, with players receiving between 48.5% and 48.8% of gross revenue. Teams must stay under the ceiling at all times, with no escrow system. The floor requires each team to spend at least 90% of the cap over rolling multi-year periods. The 2026 cap stands at $301.2 million per team.

The NBA uses a soft cap with a 51/49 revenue split favoring players. Teams can exceed the cap but face escalating luxury tax penalties and roster-building restrictions at the first and second apron thresholds. There is no hard ceiling, though the apron system limits flexibility for the highest-spending clubs. The NBA withholds 10% of player salaries in escrow annually, a mechanism that cost players $480 million last season.

The NHL operates under a hard cap set at $104 million for 2026-27, with players and owners splitting hockey-related revenue 50/50. The salary floor sits at $76.9 million. Teams must be cap-compliant at the season's start, though long-term injured reserve exceptions provide limited flexibility. There is also an escrow system in place.

MLB's proposal features a $243.5 million ceiling and a $171.2 million floor with a 50/50 revenue split, a hard cap structure and an escrow holdback of up to 10%. The MLBPA has resisted all three elements, arguing the combination produces the least favorable cap arrangement of any major professional sport.

With the first round of proposals exchanged, the MLBPA is seeking a competitive-integrity tax targeting low-spending teams, a rise in the base competitive-balance tax threshold from $244 million to $300 million, and hundreds of millions more directed toward players through the pre-arbitration bonus pool and higher minimum salaries. Talks are expected to continue over the coming months, with neither side showing signs of movement from its current stance.

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be without starter Jameson Taillon until after the All-Star break due to a strained left hamstring.

The right-hander exited Sunday's game against San Francisco in the second inning. He was placed on the 15-day injury list Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the Colorado Rockies.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo went to bat for Ketel Marte on Tuesday, saying any idea that the star second baseman is fracturing the Arizona clubhouse "couldn't be further from the truth."

Lovullo's comments came in the wake of a USA Today report over the weekend that Marte is again frustrating some members of the organization by taking days off.

But Lovullo said that was untrue.

The White Sox called up outfielder Braden Montgomery, their top hitting prospect, prior to Tuesday's game against the Atlanta Braves.

Montgomery is in the starting lineup, playing right field, and will hit sixth against the Braves as he becomes the 12th player to make his MLB debut for Chicago this season.

Outfield prospect Luis Lara and the Milwaukee Brewers have agreed to a seven-year, $31 million contract extension that includes three club options, sources told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Tuesday.

The deal for the 21-year-old Lara, who has dominated at Triple-A Nashville this season, maxes out at $79 million, sources told ESPN.

Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal pitched five scoreless innings Sunday in the two-time Cy Young Award winner's first minor league rehabilitation appearance since undergoing elbow surgery last month.

Skubal struck out six and allowed two hits for High-A West Michigan against Dayton. Forty-four of his 54 pitches were strikes, with his fastball reaching 98 mph.

"Velocity was good," Skubal told reporters. "Execution was good. I feel like I threw a ton of strikes. I was in the zone a lot today. Good day."