Cubs legend Ryne Sandberg dies at 65; Guardians All-Star closer embroiled in MLB betting investigation

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🏈 Good morning to all but especially to …

COURTLAND SUTTON AND THE DENVER BRONCOS

The Broncos signed Courtland Sutton to a four-year, $92 million extension that includes $41 million guaranteed, a nice pay raise for Bo Nix‘s top target.

• Sutton, 29, was entering the final year of a four-year, $60.8 million deal. His new $23-million-per-year deal puts him in the top 20 among all wide receivers.
• Sutton had a career-high 81 catches last season for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns, his first 1,000-yard season since 2019. His 18 receiving touchdowns over the past two seasons are tied for sixth-most in the NFL.
• Sutton had been practicing in training camp but hadn’t appeared much in team drills. That won’t be the case any more.

Long story short, Sutton gets paid, and Nix gets to develop more chemistry with his top target as the Broncos enter the 2025 season with their highest expectations in years. It’s a win-win for team and player.

Bernhard Raimann (four years, $100 million) also got paid.

😃 Honorable mentions

⚾ And not such a good morning for …

EMMANUEL CLASE AND THE CLEVELAND GUARDIANS

MLB placed Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on non-disciplinary paid leave as part of the league’s investigation into sports betting.

• Cleveland starter Luis Ortiz was placed on leave earlier this month as part of the same investigation, though it’s unclear if the two cases are related.
• Neither MLB nor the Guardians had any further comment. The Guardians did say no other players on the team will be placed on leave.
• Clase, 27, has led the AL in saves each of the last three years and been an All-Star in all three of those campaigns as well. He posted an absurd 0.61 ERA and converted 47 of 50 save opportunities last season, when he finished third in AL Cy Young voting.
• Clase hasn’t been quite as dominant this year, with a 3.23 ERA and only 24 of 29 save opportunities converted.

Ortiz’s investigation stemmed from a sports betting integrity company flagging increased betting on the particular outcome of two pitches. The pitches in question were balls nowhere near the strike zone, and both led off the inning (one on June 15, the other on June 27).

Last year, Tucupita Marcano received a lifetime ban for gambling on his own team (the Pirates at the time), and four others were banned one year for betting on games not involving their teams. 

😒 Not so honorable mentions

Ryne Sandberg, Baseball Hall of Famer and Cubs legend, dies at 65

Ryne Sandberg, the iconic Cubs second baseman who spent 15 of his 16 MLB seasons in Chicago, died Monday at the age of 65. Sandberg announced in January 2023 that he had metastatic prostate cancer. He was declared cancer-free by August of that year, but the disease returned and spread shortly thereafter.

• After coming up and making his MLB debut with the Phillies, Sandberg got traded to the Cubs in 1982.
• He’d become an absolute legend: a 10-time All Star, a nine-time Gold Glove winner — only Roberto Alomar has more among second basemen — a seven-time Silver Slugger and the 1984 NL MVP. He’s one of 10 players in MLB history with 2,300 hits, 300 stolen bases and 275 home runs.
• Sandberg entered the Hall of Fame in 2005 — his third time on the ballot — and the Cubs retired his No. 23 jersey weeks later. He managed the Phillies from 2013-15.
• “Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball,” Manfred said as part of a statement. “He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic.”

Sandberg transcended numbers, though. As Matt Snyder writes, an entire generation of Cubs fans lost its favorite player.

• Snyder: “So many of us can still picture him wearing his flip-down sunglasses at second base on a sunny day in Wrigley. We can see him making a tough play on a grounder up the middle look routine. We can envision him taking the first pitch of an at-bat and smoothing the dirt in front of him with one foot and then the other, ritually. We can picture his unassuming trot around the bases, acting as if he’s homered a million times and it’s no big deal. He was our guy.”

⚾ MLB trade deadline: Who’s buying, who’s selling?

With the MLB trade deadline Thursday, we’re tracking every rumor and every major move. On Monday, that included the Tigers acquiring Chris Paddack from the Twins, one of what could be several sales by Minnesota, per Julian McWilliams’ trade deadline notes. Detroit also put Reese Olson (shoulder strain) on the 60-day IL.

So, who else is buying and selling, and who could go either way? Mike Axisa’s trade deadline primer has the answers. Among the most obvious buyers are …

• Axisa: “Cubs — Even before the Brewers ran them down in the NL Central, the Cubs were firmly in the buyers category. This is their only guaranteed season with outfielder Kyle Tucker and that means urgency. Expect the Cubbies to import a starting pitcher, bullpen help, and ideally a third baseman before Thursday.”

For that first and third groups, perhaps they’ll link up with an obvious seller …

• Axisa: “Diamondbacks — The D-backs were on the buy/sell fence up until they got swept by the Astros last week. Since then they’ve traded Josh Naylor and Randal Grichuk. The smart money is on righties Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, and especially third baseman Eugenio Suárez, becoming former D-backs before long.”

Suárez left last night’s game after getting hit on the hand. X-rays were negative.

🏈 Deion Sanders reveals he battled bladder cancer this offseason

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders revealed he battled bladder cancer earlier this offseason, which caused his absence for much of the past several months. Sanders had surgery to remove his bladder, and doctors have declared him cancer-free.

Sanders participated in Big 12 media days — albeit far from the entire circuit — earlier in July. He has battled a litany of health issues recently, including emergency surgery for blood clots in his legs in 2023. He also lost two toes due to blood clots in 2021.

However, Sanders expressed plenty of confidence that he’s back and ready to go, even if he’s down 25 pounds.

Colorado is coming off a 9-4 season, its best since 2016, and faces a key year ahead after losing Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and Sanders’ sons, quarterback Shedeur Sanders and defensive back Shilo Sanders, among others, to the NFL.

Boxing Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi dies at 72

International Boxing Hall of Famer Dwight Muhammad Qawi, a former two-division world champion, died Sunday at 72 years old after a five-year battle with dementia.

• Qawi held the WBC light heavyweight title from December 1981 to March 1983 and the WBA cruiserweight title from July 1985 to July 1986. He finished his career with a 41-11-1 record and was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 2004.
• Nicknamed “The Camden Buzzsaw,” Qawi (born Dwight Braxton) learned to box in Rahway State Prison, where he was serving time for armed robbery. He turned pro shortly after being released.
• After his boxing career ended, Qawi coached youth boxers and became a youth drug/alcohol counselor.

Tulane basketball player Gregg Glenn III dies at 22

Tulane standout forward Gregg Glenn III died in a “tragic accident” over the weekend, the school announced Monday. No further details on the cause of death were released. Glenn was 22 years old.

• Glenn transferred to Tulane in 2023 after spending his freshman year at Michigan. He averaged 10.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 3.1 assists last season for the Green Wave, starting all 34 games.
• “He was a talented student-athlete who enriched our lives with his spirit, dedication, and passion for both sports and academics,” vice president of student affairs Sarah Cunningham wrote as part of a statement. “Gregg was an outstanding athlete on our men’s basketball team and an individual who brought joy and light to those around him.”

📺 What we’re watching Tuesday

⚾ Blue Jays at Orioles, 12:35 p.m. on MLB Network
⚾ Rays at Yankees, 7:05 p.m. on TBS
⚾ Mets at Padres wwww Pirates at Giants, 9:40 p.m. on MLB Network
🏀 Aces at Sparks, 10 p.m. on NBA TV