MLB

Reds sign SP Chase Burns to seven-year, $105 million contract extension

In a season lacking much joy, yesterday was a day to celebrate for the Reds. Burns, 23, is one of MLB’s best young starters, and he’s now tied to Cincinnati through 2033. The right-hander was previously controlled through 2031, so this extension buys out two years of free agency.

Assuming he stays healthy — a difficult thing to do regarding pitchers in the modern era — Burns will be exorbitantly expensive once he hits the free market. As such, the Reds are receiving a sizeable bargain in securing him early. Of course, Burns is gaining security in exchange for the discount.

Burns showed promise last year as a rookie, pitching to a 4.57 ERA across 43.1 innings. His biggest strength was striking out opposing batters, as he fanned 67 of them against just 16 walks. Those indicators advanced his performance this season, with Burns starting 11-1. His ERA (2.54) has progressed, too, giving Cincinnati another true ace behind — or even ahead of — Hunter Greene.

Cincinnati has numerous short- and long-term questions to answer, but its rotation is stacked for years to come. This is a seismic victory for the club.

Mets 4, Phillies 1

With air quality concerns sweeping many northern states, the start time for this game was pushed up by one hour. I fear that several contests today will be postponed. Fortunately, these issues should subside by the end of the weekend, at the latest.

It’s been a horrific campaign for the 41-57 Mets. A highly-priced roster has failed to deliver in the biggest way possible, prompting the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza and questions surrounding countless others in the organization.

One bright spot, however, has been right-hander Christian Scott. The 27-year-old debuted for New York in 2024, though it was mostly a cup of coffee that produced mediocre results. This season, though, Scott is establishing himself as a future rotation linchpin for the Mets. We’ll see if he can deliver results for the next two months, keeping his ERA near his current mark of 2.87.

Scott pitched 5.2 scoreless innings yesterday, earning his third win.

The Phillies simply couldn’t get their bats going against Scott & Co., needing an eight-inning home run by Trea Turner to get on the board. Turner himself had an error, his 13th of the year.