By JOSHUA HELLER
Staff Writer
1. Oh, The Ag(g)ony
Following their top-four ranking this week, Texas A&M immediately hurt their playoff chances, taking a 35-28 fall to Mississippi State.
Coming into the matchup, Mississippi State had three wins on the season. The Aggies (one loss before this week) were, to the surprise of many, ranked one spot ahead of undefeated Washington.
The game started with a bang. On the first play, Nick Fitzgerald ran the ball 74 yards to score for the Bulldogs. From there, it was a game of catch-up for the Aggies.
With the loss, any hope of a playoff game for Texas A&M have all but disappeared, with their current record at 7-2. Meanwhile, while the Bulldogs got off to their sluggish start, there is now hope for a bowl game, as they sit at 4-5.
There will definitely be a shakeup in next week’s rankings, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Washington crack the top four.
2. Cameron to Consider Retirement
After a recent concussion, one of the biggernames amongst tight ends might hang up the cleats.
In his Week 3 matchup against his former team, the Browns, tight end Jordan Cameron sustained a concussion, and has not suited up since. Last Saturday, the Dolphins placed Cameron on Injured Reserve, and the player may now call it quits.
Cameron is best known for his Pro Bowl year with the Browns in 2013, with a timeshare at quarterback consisting of Jason Campbell, Brandon Weeden and Brian Hoyer. The Browns were 4-12 that season, but Cameron did not disappoint, totaling 917 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.
Cameron wouldn’t hit close to that in his next next four seasons, as his best yardage total was 424 with Cleveland in 2014, and three touchdowns with Miami in 2015. Cameron was expected to post similar numbers this season, but could only amass 60 yards and one touchdown in three games this year.
3. Big Names Made Available in Baseball
Now that the curse has been broken, and the Cubs are once again world champions of baseball, we get into the fun stuff: player contract options!
Let’s start with your new world champion. Dexter Fowler, the Cubs’ center fielder who hit a leadoff home run in Game 7, told media that he plans to decline his option for the 2017 season, and will test free agency. Fowler’s .393 on-base-percentage was good enough for sixth in the National League last season, and he also sported a 4.7 Wins Above Replacement (WAR), good enough for 12th in the NL. Fowler nearly signed with the Baltimore Orioles last offseason, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him go elsewhere this winter.
Speaking of postseason heroes, 2015 Mets playoff hero Yoenis Cespedes denied his option for 2017, but hope remains that the Mets will sign him. Cespedes smashed 31 home runs last season, ranking him eighth in the NL, while also garnering a .530 slugging percentage (ninth in the NL).
After spending what seems like an eternity in the Phillies’ organization, the Phillies did not exercise the option for first baseman Ryan Howard, making him a free agent. Howard hit 33 home runs with a .333 average in 2011, but it’s been downhill since. In 2012 and 2013, Howard played less than half the season, and while hitting 20-plus home runs from 2014-2016, his average has been below .230 in each season (including an abysmal .196 last season). Howard was slated to earn $23 million next season, but instead the Phillies spent $10 million to buy him out.
Lastly, a pair of good relief pitchers have been made available, as the Marlins will not bring back All-Star Fernando Rodney and the Royals have made Luke Hochevar available. Hochevar is most known for his performance with fellow relievers injured in the 2015 World Series run, including the decisive win in Game 5 versus the Mets. Rodney was dealt from San Diego to Miami before the trade deadline, and was made setup man for the Marlins. Rodney, 39, would have made just $2 million next season.
4. Nets Taking Calls on Lopez
Following plenty of trade speculation last season, many executives around the league believe that Nets’ center Brook Lopez could be available for the right price.
Reports from ESPN reporter Marc Stein say that the team is listening to any offers on Lopez, but are not desperate to move him. The same thing happened last February before the deadline, as the Nets listened to offers on Lopez, but nothing came of those.
Lopez is penciled in to earn a combined nearly $44 million this season and next, and then his contract expires. Lopez was an All-Star in 2012-13, where he averaged 19.4 points-per-game, and 6.9 rebounds-per-game. The next season, Lopez appeared in just 17 games. But so far this season, Lopez has been strong, averaging 19.4 PPG, and 5.2 RPG.
With Lopez at such a high level, and the Nets headed in the opposite direction, this will be a storyline that could last all the way to the deadline, but it would not be a surprise to see him dealt out of Brooklyn.
5. Big Name Defensemen Available
Two big name defensemen in the NFL are rumored to be available, and it’s going to cost a pretty penny to get them.
Jacob Trouba announced back in late September that he wanted to be traded out of Winnipeg. Trouba has been holding out since then, not signing a deal with the Jets, and not suiting up for action. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Nick Kypreos report that the Jets could facilitate a sign-and-trade with Trouba.
A 22-year-old right-handed defenseman, Trouba is looking for a deal north of $5 million per year for at least six years. Trouba must sign a deal with the Jets by Dec. 1, or else he won’t be able to suit up all season. The Rangers are rumored to be at the top of the list of teams interested in Trouba, but any offers they have made have not impressed Jets’ GM Kevin Cheveldayoff, per TSN’s Bob McKenzie.
In St. Louis, meanwhile, defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk has been playing under a looming cloud of trade speculation since last season. Shattenkirk, 27, grew up in New Rochelle, and has been linked to the Rangers in the past.
Shattenkirk’s contract expires after this season, and ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Blues have not yet tried to sign Shattenkirk to an extension, and that they may just prefer Shattenkirk to play out the rest of his contract, and possibly hit the free agent market next summer. Should that happen, expect the Rangers and Bruins (Shattenkirk played at Boston University) to be at the top of a list of suitors.
Of course, no move is imminent with these two defensemen, but with teams’ paths unfolding little-by-little, we could see some moves sooner or later. Keep an eye out for the Rangers, as they have one of the strongest forward cores in the league, but could really use a defenseman. They could make a move for one of these guys, or just go with what they have. Only time will tell.
