BY JEFF YODER

DEC. 8, 2022 | SUBSCRIBE | REFER | WEB VIEW

Good Morning,

The dominoes are falling on MLB free agency, and the biggest one fell in New York. Aaron Judge is staying in the Bronx (breathe, Yankee fans). We're also re-ranking the World Cup field, and two teams from Boston are leading the NBA and NHL. Full speed ahead toward the weekend...

🎥 Highlight of the Night: Sabres’ Tage Thompson Scores 5 Goals

Enjoy!

THE SPORTSLETTER'S 2022 AWARDS

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MLB

Bronx Bag 💰

Image: Jim McIsaac / Getty Images

Aaron Judge Sweepstakes Ends With Superstar Staying in New York on 9-Year, $360 Million Deal

What a way to end the year for Aaron Judge… The Yankees outfielder capped off a historic 2022 campaign with a record-setting 62 home runs in a contract year, and as Jerry McGuire once said: “Show me the money!” Judge was the big ticket in this year’s free agent market, garnering deals around $400 million from the Giants and Padres, but he opted to stay in New York on a nine-year, $360 million contract that will keep him in the Bronx through his 30s. The contract is the third largest in baseball behind Mike Trout ($426.5M) and Mookie Betts ($365M). The Yankees fell short of their goal after getting ousted the Astros in the postseason, but Judge’s season was one to remember.

Aaron Judge’s 2022 Season Stats

.311 Batting Avg. | 62 Home Runs | 131 RBIs

Other MLB Free-Agent News

SS Xander Bogaerts (Padres): 11 Years, $280 Million

OF Masataka Yoshida (Red Sox): 5 Years, $90 Million

C Willson Contreras (Cardinals): 5 Years, $87.5 Million

P Kenley Jansen (Red Sox): 2 Years, $32 Million

P Jose Quintana (Mets): 2 Years, $26 Million

Additional Storylines

NY Times: The Yankees Got Their Man & Judge Got His Money

SI: Padres Made Last-Ditch Effort to Land Aaron Judge

MLB: 5 Big Questions Raised by Judge’s Massive Deal

FOX: Aaron Judge Turned Down Much Larger Offer to Return to Yankees

WORLD CUP

Re-Ranking the World Cup

Image: NurPhoto / Getty Images

Ranking the Remaining 8 Teams in the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup is ready to kick off the quarterfinals on Friday, but we’re dong a re-rank of the teams involved. Of the eight countries still in the field, seven are ranked in the top-12 FIFA rankings with Morocco (No. 22) as the outlier. The top six teams in our re-rank are all legitimate contenders to win the tournament, and we’ve reseeded them based on their performances so far. Croatia did reach the finals in 2018, so don’t forget about them. Morocco is still kicking after knocking out Spain, but those top-6 juggernauts all have the best odds from here on out.

Quarterfinals Rankings

1. Brazil

2. France

3. Argentina

4. England

5. Portugal

6. Netherlands

7. Croatia

8. Morocco

Quarterfinals Schedule

Croatia vs. Brazil (Fri. 10:00 am ET)

Netherlands vs. Argentina (Fri. 2:00 pm ET)

Morocco vs. Portugal (Sat. 10:00 am ET)

England vs. France (Sat. 2:00 pm ET)

Additional Storylines

NY Times: Every Team Left in Qatar Is A Contender

SI: World Cup 2022 Power Rankings: Evaluating Every Quarterfinalist

NBA

Celtics Stay Hot 🔥

Image: Christian Peterson / Getty Images

Celtics Outshine Suns (125-98) in Battle of Top East & West Teams

A busy Wednesday in the NBA concluded out west with the top two teams in each conference, but it was anything but a close game. The Celtics rocked the Suns by 27 in Chris Paul’s return, but they led by as many as 45 in a game that was never in doubt. Boston got 25 points each from Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum en route to their third straight win. They’re now a league-best 21-5 after winning eight of their last nine as the Suns fell to 16-9 with their third loss in the last four outings. In the NBA early-season standings, it’s the Celtics at No. 1 and then everyone else.

Watch: Celtics def. Suns (125-98)

NBA Scoreboard

Pelicans def. Pistons (104-98)

Timberwolves def. Pacers (121-115)

Bucks def. Kings (126-113)

Grizzlies def. Thunder (123-102)

Bulls def. Wizards (115-111)

Raptors def. Lakers (126-113)

Nets def. Hornets (122-116)

Magic def. Clippers (116-111, OT)

Warriors def. Jazz (122-119)

Top Performers

G. Antetokounmpo (MIL): 35 points, 6 rebounds, 7 assists

J. Poole (GSW): 35 points, 8 assists

J. Randle (NYK): 34 points, 17 rebounds

K. Irving (BKN): 33 points, 9 assists, 4 blocks

Z. Williamson (NOP): 29 points, 10 rebounds

J. Morant (MEM): 26 points, 13 rebounds, 11 assists

NHL

NHL Standings: Bruins Make History

Image: Michael Martin / Getty Images

Boston Gets 21st Win, Ties for Most in 1st 25 Games of Season in NHL History

The Celtics weren’t the only team in Boston to hit 21 wins on Wednesday. The Bruins shut out the Avalanche (4-0) thanks to Taylor Hall’s two goals and an assist, and they tied an NHL record in the process. Boston (21-3-1) tied the NHL mark for the most wins in the first 25 games of a season. They’re plus-47 on goals and unbeaten at home this year (14-0-1). Believe it or not, they’re not alone atop the league standings.

Watch: Bruins Shut Out Avalanche (4-0)

NHL Standings

Atlantic Division

1. Bruins (43 points)

2. Maple Leafs (38 points)

3. Red Wings (31 points)

4. Lightning (31 points)

Metropolitan Division

1. Devils (43 points)

2. Hurricanes (34 points)

3. Penguins (32 points)

4. Islanders (32 points)

Central Division

1. Jets (33 points)

2. Stars (33 points)

3. Wild (28 points)

4. Avalanche (27 points)

Pacific Division

1. Golden Knights (39 points)

2. Kraken (33 points)

3. Kings (32 points)

4. Oilers (30 points)

Full NHL Standings

NCAA

NCAA Scoreboard

NCAA Men’s Basketball

#4 Purdue def. Hofstra (85-66)

#5 UConn def. Florida (75-54)

#7 Tennessee def. Eastern Kentucky (84-49)

#14 Indiana def. Nebraska (81-65)

NCAA Women’s Basketball

#7 Virginia Tech def. Boston College (73-58)

#8 North Carolina def. UNC Wilmington (64-42)

THE STORYLINES

🏈 College Football All-American Teams

The end of the 2022 season is a bittersweet moment. But a season's worth of excellent work always deserves recognition, and All-American teams do just that. (Bleacher Report)

⚽️ The End of Ronaldo As We Know Him

A new normal has arrived for Ronaldo. Astonishing as it sounds, he's surplus to requirements. Not wanted, at least not how he wants to be wanted. (FOX Sports)

🏀 NBA Power Rankings Week 8

As Boston dominates the Eastern Conference, the West seems to get a new potential frontrunner every week. The Suns, Grizzlies and Pelicans are all within a game of the top spot. (ESPN)

📰 THE HEADLINES

Bills’ Von Miller Out for Season With Torn ACL (B/R)
Louisville Finalizing Deal to Hire Purdue’s Jeff Brohm as Next Head Coach (ESPN)
Herschel Walker Loses Runoff to Georgia Senator Raphael Warnock (SI)
Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe Launch Production Company (USA Today)
MLB Reportedly Used 3 Baseballs During 2022 Season (Yahoo! Sports)
Texas A&M Flips Nation’s Top Running Back Recruit From Louisville (CBS Sports)

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Writer & Editor: Jeff Yoder

Product Manager: Matthew Cahill

Lead Designer: Joe Stella

Technical Lead: Kevin Lonergan

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