The Cubs desperately needed pitching help to make up innings in their oft-injured rotation

Scott White and Chris Towers break down all the deadline moves as they happen

Johnson says Burden has a desire to be great

The New York Mets have traded starting pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor to the Chicago Cubs, per ESPNs Jeff Passan. New York will receive infielder Jefferson Rojas. Holmes has been on the 60-day IL since May 15 due to a fractured right fibula. Players on the IL are allowed to be traded, but must pass a physical with their new team for the trade to become official. The pitcher has been working his way back from his injury and recently had a rehab start with New York's Single-A affiliate in St. Lucie. It was his second rehab start, and he was permitted to throw 59 pitches. According to MLB.com, Holmes is expected to throw around 75 pitches in his next start as he continues to ramp up. Holmes is currently in the second year of a three-year deal he signed ahead of the 2025 season. The pitcher can opt out after this season, but it would force him to forgo his $12 million salary for 2027. Before getting hurt, Holmes had made nine starts. He was pitching well, tallying a 2.39 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings of work. Holmes has been in the league since 2018. He came up with the Pittsburgh Pirates, pitching 11 games in 2018. Most of his career has come out of the bullpen. When Holmes became a free agent ahead of the 2025 season, he was adamant that he wanted to sign with a team that would allow him to be a starter. He landed with the Mets and made 33 appearances last season, with 31 starts. Holmes had a 12-8 record with a 3.53 ERA over the course of the season.New York trading Holmes is a result of how much the franchise has underperformed this season. The Mets were expected to be a contender for the division title with hopes of a deep playoff run, but instead find themselves in last place in the NL East ahead of the trade deadline. Taylor has played in 67 games this season for New York and is slashing .241/.290/.503 with 10 home runs and 28 RBI. Rojas, 21, has been with Chicagos Double-A affiliate all year. He has played in 91 games and is hitting .270 with 15 home runs and 57 RBI.

A giant of the DeKalb County community passed away over the weekend. Coach William Buck Godfrey has died at the age of 83.Channel 2s Lori Wilson spoke with the coachs daughter on Monday about the legacy that her father leaves behind. I think when youve been loved so well, its really hard to sit in sadness, daughter Rashan Ali said. In his 30 years at Southwest DeKalb High School, Godfrey won 273 games, 13 regional championships and a state 4-A title, making him the winningest football coach in DeKalb County history.Godfrey passed away on Aug. 1. Im getting all these text messages, people saying, Thank you for sharing your father with us, and It was never about just my brother and I, and making sure we were good kids. It was about making sure the community was good kids as well, Ali said. TRENDING STORIES:Love & Hip Hop star charged with sex assault involving a minor arrested in metro AtlantaDelta is stopping service to this Caribbean islandMax prison release date set for Apalachee school shooters fatherCoach Buck, as he was affectionately called, was inducted into four sports halls of fame. He was an author and English teacher who helped some 300 students get scholarships for higher education.Ali said growing up, service was the standard.I grew up around greatness. I grew up around someone whose impact was never about them, Ali said. When you can serve others, that is the greatest commitment you can give on this side of the earth -- serving others. And he did just that, Ali told Wilson. The other standard: being kind to everyone.Not just football players. Were talking lunch ladies, were talking janitors. My daddy had a love for everybody. He did it in his own way, but he just loved people, and he wanted to see the best out of young people, Ali said. And as a testament to what Coach Buck meant, not just to his school, but to the entire community, in 2015, Panthersville Stadium was renamed William Buck Godfrey Stadium.It was an honor that Ali said she had to push her dad to accept.I had to be the one to say, Daddy, please. Please let these people honor you in this way. Because when I tell you he was humble to a fault Almost like you have to let people love on you, Ali said. Buck Godfrey Stadium is used by area high schools for football and track, a recognition that will live on.Im gonna miss those text messages. That would brighten my day, Ali said. It was just... It was just an honor to be his daughter. Absolutely an honor to be his daughter. No other way to say it, Ali said. I was Coach Godfreys daughter before I was ever Rashan Ali, and you see my smile because when you have been loved this well, you cant sit in sadness.Ali said they are planning a public memorial service for her father. That date has not been set yet.

On Friday, Colorado district court judge Charlotte Sweeney ruled that the NCAA could not prevent athletes from using a fifth year of eligibility if they enrolled in college in 2022, even if they had already competed for four years.Front Office SportsThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Several 2026 draft picks eligible to return to NCAA after court ruling

The decision leaves a handful of players who were drafted in the second round of Junes NBA draft with the potential option to return to school. Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel (No. 47 overall to the Knicks), Purdue guard Braden Smith (No. 38 by the Bulls), St. Johns guard Dillion Mitchell (No. 40 to the Celtics) and Florida States Lajae Jones (No. 54 to the Warriors) are all apparently eligible to play college basketball next year.Front Office SportsThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: Vanderbilt wing Tyler Nickel (No. 47 overall to the

Smith will not explore a return to college basketball, a league source confirmed to FOS, but remains unsigned by the Pacers, who acquired him from the Bulls on draft night. The Pacers are close to the first apron and the franchise has historically avoided the luxury tax, which is why it has yet to fill its final roster spot as it seeks a team-friendly contract. If Smith returned to college basketball, the Pacers would retain his NBA rights as long as the team tenders him a contract by Aug. 5. The same goes for Nickel, Mitchell, and Jones with their respective teams.Front Office SportsThis article originally appeared on Hoops Hype: If Smith returned to college basketball, the Pacers