Defector

2 days ago | defector.com | Maitreyi Anantharaman

Soon after Javier Báez signed a six-year, $140 million contract with the Detroit Tigers, he began the least productive stretch of his MLB career, and I began my new life as the world’s No. 1 Javy Báez apologist. Javy hatred, I thought, was the sign of a dull mind.

2 days ago | defector.com | Ray Ratto

There has been a spirited race toward Major League Baseball's Dumpster of Distinction all season, with a number of candidates trying to join the increasingly popular 100-loss club. But there are ways to fail, and then there are stylish ways to fail. Miami and Baltimore are failing, but it's pretty boilerplate stuff—the Marlins don't pitch, the Orioles don't hit. Nothing especially novel there, give or take Baltimore's 192 wins over the previous two seasons.

2 days ago | defector.com | Maitreyi Anantharaman

Take a shot at our Monday crossword! This week's puzzle was constructed by Kate Chin Park and edited by Hoang-Kim Vu. Kate is a puzzle editor and constructor who hopes that if you enjoy crosswords, you'll consider signing up for Westwords, which will take place both virtually and in Berkeley, Calif., on Sunday, June 22! Visit the website to learn more. Defector crosswords, launched in partnership with our friends at AVCX, run every Monday.

3 days ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

Rafael Devers did what his bosses wanted. The Red Sox went out and grabbed a big-time addition over the winter, but to maximize their investment they needed Devers to shift away from his preferred position—the one he's been playing his entire career, and the one the Red Sox extended him a nine-figure contract to continue playing off into the future. Devers wasn't happy about the request and resisted for a while.

3 days ago | defector.com | Chris Thompson

The Boston Celtics and New York Knicks have played 149 minutes across three games of their second-round playoff series. The Celtics—the higher seeded team and the defending NBA champions—have led outright for about 128 minutes of that time, and the teams have spent about another 11 minutes tied, meaning the Knicks have led in this series for a little over 10 total minutes.