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In an apparent attempt to remake their bullpen midseason, the New York Mets have reportedly added a pitcher with an All-Star pedigree.

The Mets are acquiring relief pitcher Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to a Wednesday evening report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. They will reportedly send pitcher Frank Elissalt, pitcher Nate Dohm and infielder Jesus Baez to Missouri in return.

Helsley, 31, has spent his entire seven-year career with the Cardinals. He has 105 saves with the club, ranking sixth in the history of the franchise.

In 2024, he led MLB with 49 saves in a National League-best 62 games finished. In 2025, he has a 3.00 ERA, a 3-1 record, 21 saves and 41 strikeouts in 36 innings. His acquisition comes hours after New York traded for San Francisco Giants pitcher Tyler Rogers.

The Mets, after a protracted slump, have been playing much better of late. They are 7-3 in their last 10 games, though they remain an eyelash (.001 in winning percentage) back of the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL East race.

It's been eight years, but the Houston Astros can't rid themselves from their sign-stealing scandal that swept across baseball.

The Astros mashed the Los Angeles Dodgers 18–1 on Friday at Dodger Stadium, tagging starter Ben Casparius for six runs on nine hits in three innings—and blowing up reliever Noah Davis's ERA with 10 runs in 1 1/3 innings of work.

In the third inning of that offensive masterclass, Astros rookie Cam Smith hammered a double off the wall in center field. At the time, the Astros led 4–1 and had been raking against Casparius all afternoon. SportsNet LA analyst Orel Hershiser couldn't help himself but mention the trash-banging scandal of 2017.

"I don't want to open an old wound," Hershiser said. "But in some ways, they're swinging at these breaking balls like they know what is coming."

Hershiser, of course, is referencing the Astros' scandal during their championship season in 2017 when the team was found to have illegally used video cameras to steal signs from opponents during games. Houston used a camera in center field to view the sign from the opposing catcher, and a player or team staffer would give an audio cue—like banging a trash can—to tell the batter which pitch was coming next.

Only two players remain on the Astros from that '17 squad—Jose Altuve and right-handed pitcher Lance McCullers Jr.

Since the news story broke in 2019 about Houston's cheating scandal, MLB has cracked down on video usage in dugouts. But the scars from that incident remain, especially among the Dodgers faithful, who watched their team lose the 2017 World Series to the Astros in seven games.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka has slammed the club's critics for constantly changing their opinion on the Premier League title race. Mikel Arteta's side have made a dream start to the 2025-26 campaign and they find themselves four points clear at the top of the table after 11 matches, but Saka has dismissed the favourites tag been placed upon the Gunners at this early stage.

• Arsenal eyeing first title in over two decades

  It has been 22 years since Arsenal last won the Premier League title under Arsene Wenger's tutelage. After decades of disappointment, Arteta is finally making the Gunners dream again to become the champions of England. The Spanish manager has transformed Arsenal back into title challengers over the last few seasons with three successive runners-up finishes.

  They looked well placed to go one better this term, having lost just just one out of their first 11 matches in the Premier League to move four points clear of Manchester City at the summit. Arsenal have remained unbeaten across all competitions since losing against Liverpool in August, and enjoyed a ten-game winning run before drawing 2-2 with Sunderland on Saturday.

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  Saka refuse to accept favourites tag

  Speaking to talkSPORT about Arsenal's chances of winning the league this season, Saka said: "That’s for other people to say. We just have to win every game, that’s the mentality we go into the games with. See where it leaves us, we can’t get carried away with what people are saying. Because one day they’ll say something, the next day they’ll say something different. It’s exactly what I said, people’s opinions and thoughts about us change like the weather. The most important thing is the changing room, how solid we are, the foundation we have, the belief we have in ourselves. How we stick together, through the good and bad, that’s the most important. We can’t pay attention to the external noise because it’s always fluctuating. We’re good, we’re in a good place, and now it’s time to focus on international duty."

• Neville backing Arsenal to win the league

  In October, after Arsenal's win over Crystal Palace, Manchester United legend and pundit Gary Neville said on the : "This has got to be them, hasn't it? This has got to be their year. This is the fourth season on the bounce that I've had them to win the league, but they're not necessarily miles better, they're repeating their levels of consistency, and that's all they're going to have to do this year to win the league. They're not going to have to go and get 100 points, they're not going to have to get even 90 or 95 points to win the league, mid-80s, high 80s will win them this title, and they can do that. I mentioned before about the other teams [being] inconsistent and unreliable, that's not this Arsenal team. They're very reliable. You can trust them. The way in which they defend is fantastic. 

  "They're all around each other. They don't concede goals. They've got a threat up front in multiple areas. They've not got a sensational centre-forward, but they've got a battering ram up there as honest as a day's long, and that can work for them. They've got [Eberechi] Eze, they've got so they've got [Noni] Madueke, [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Leandro] Trossard, lots of players who can contribute goals. They've got [Declan] Rice who can obviously deliver in set-pieces. They've got four fantastic full-backs and three excellent centre-backs."

  He added: "So there are a lot of very good things going for Arsenal. It's about making sure now they don't get carried away. It's about making sure they just keep doing the same things. They don't need to do anything spectacular here. Just keep doing your jobs. Keep doing what you do, and you will win this league. It's yours to win. This is your title, Arsenal. I've never really felt that sure before. It's so early in the season, it's madness for someone with the experience that I've got of winning titles to say that 'it's yours', but it really is. They must feel it themselves. The Arsenal fans must feel it. They must know that this is the moment that Arsenal can get back on top. This is a moment for Mikel Arteta, for these players, for Arsenal to represent themselves as being the best in the country. The chance and the opportunity is there for them, they've got to go and take it."

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  Is this finally Arsenal's year?

  It is too early to predict the outcome of a fiercely competitive competition like the Premier League, with a hectic festive period now looming large. However, Arsenal's squad depth and their consistency are giving hope to the fans that the club might finally get job done this season. Arteta's side will next face rivals Tottenham in the north London derby on November 23.

With the WPL auction, and before that retention day, coming up, some of these cricketers are likely to create interest following their World Cup performances

S Sudarshanan04-Nov-2025

Nadine de Klerk was at her absolute best in the league-phase win over India•ICC/Getty Images

Nadine de Klerk

A pace-bowling allrounder who can nail the yorkers and whack more than just a few at the death? Yes, please! De Klerk is one of those whose stocks would have risen big time ahead of the WPL auction. In Indian conditions, she put up quite a show with the bat – against India, no less – rescuing South Africa from a seemingly impossible situation in a chase in the league stage. Her strike rate of 131.64 in the World Cup was second only to Richa Ghosh’s 133.52 (minimum 20 balls faced). She also picked up nine wickets, the third-most for South Africa. That she can keep her calm at the death was evident in the final, where she gave away just six singles bowling the 50th. She was with Mumbai Indians (MI) in WPL 2025 but did not get a single game. If they retain her, it will be tough not to give her a spot in the XI?Amanjot Kaur made big contributions at crucial moments at the World Cup•Getty Images

Amanjot Kaur

The start of WPL 2025 and the recent World Cup was similar for Amanjot – she was returning from a stress fracture of the back earlier this year, for MI, and she was out with niggle for two months before the World Cup. Both the competitions ended with her team winning the trophy. The World Cup would have given a massive boost to MI, who can now retain her as the Indian seam-bowling allrounder ahead of Pooja Vastrakar, who has had a long injury layoff. Amanjot has shown she could be the second seamer, she can float in the batting order, and that she is a gun fielder is no secret.Annabel Sutherland emerged from a brief run of low scores•ICC/Getty Images

Annabel Sutherland and Marizanne Kapp

Even though Australia were knocked out in the semi-final, Sutherland had a memorable World Cup, outshining the likes of Ellyse Perry and Tahlia McGrath. Only Deepti Sharma (22) had more wickets than Sutherland’s 17 in the competition. Her death-over exploits often helped Australia rein opponents in.Related

• WPL 2026: Harmanpreet, Mandhana, Rodrigues among players retained; Healy, Lanning released

• Team of the tournament: Mandhana, Wolvaardt, Gardner, Ecclestone and…?

Her Delhi Capitals (DC) team-mate Kapp had a relatively sedate World Cup, where she finished with 12 wickets but went wicketless in four of the nine outings including the final. Her five-wicket haul against England in the semi-final proved she still has it in her to deliver when the stakes are high.In WPL 2025, Sutherland was the third-highest wicket-taker for DC with nine wickets, one more than Kapp’s eight. This is why DC could face a tricky choice if they have to retain one of them. Both of them have shown at the World Cup that they can rescue their teams from tricky situations with the bat, too. Whoever finds themselves in the auction is likely to trigger a bidding war.N Shree Charani was the point of difference in the games against Australia•BCCI

N Shree Charani

She played only two games for DC in WPL 2025 but that was enough for India to get her into the World Cup squad. Her ability to vary her pace, get some drift as well as enough bite from the surface makes her stand out from some of the other left-arm spinners. That made India prefer her over the more experienced Radha Yadav, and she delivered with 14 wickets, the second-most for them. She was the best bowler on show in both of India’s matches against Australia, and a prime reason why the defending champions were kept to a lower-than-par total in the semi-final. If she is not retained by DC, expect her to make a splash at the auction.Laura Wolvaardt raised her game to a higher level at the World Cup•ICC/Getty Images

Laura Wolvaardt

For three World Cups in a row, across ODIs and T20Is, Wolvaardt has topped the run chart. In this tournament, her evolution and growth were visible. She opened up scoring areas that she hadn’t accessed before, batted at a higher gear and hit seven of her 18 ODI sixes in the last four weeks. No one doubts Wolvaardt’s ability to score runs even in T20 cricket. The fact she features in our list is because she played only three matches in WPL 2025, where her team Gujarat Giants (GG) used five opening combinations in nine matches. If GG do not retain her – but why wouldn’t they? – there are a few teams who could do with a versatile batter, and leader, like Wolvaardt.

India lost four wickets for six runs before the England openers tore into the bowling

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2025

Akash Deep put his arms around Ben Duckett’s shoulder after dismissing him•Getty Images

Lunch England have grabbed the fifth Test with both hands. In the space of 21.4 overs on day two, Gus Atkinson’s fourth five-wicket haul snuffed out India’s first innings for 224, before a bombastic opening stand between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett propelled England to 109 for 1 at lunch, trailing by just 115.England’s openers were boundary happy, smoking 92 off just 77 deliveries, punishing India for every slight error in line or length. Duckett was the main driver, reverse-pulling Akash Deep over the cordon, then “conventionally” ramping Mohammed Siraj into the sponge for the first two sixes of the match.Duckett fell to Akash Deep attempting a third, departing for 43 with the bowler putting his arm around the left-hander, as much in jest as respect.Crawley was no slouch either, motoring on to a third half-century of the series in 42 deliveries, and second in a row after a tidy 84 in the fourth Test. His 24th score of fifty or more featured just four singles, with 12 fours, some along the ground, and three lifted serenely over cover.Zak Crawley raced to a fifty•PA Photos/Getty Images

Teeing up England’s speed run through to the break was Atkinson’s 5 for 33 upon his return to the side after two months out. He made light work of what remained of India’s first innings when they arrived on Friday morning on 204 for 6.It was all the more important after news this morning that Chris Woakes would play no further part in the match after a suspected dislocated shoulder sustained in the field last night. And the Surrey quick, on his home ground, took three of the remaining four wickets that India had up their sleeve.It was Josh Tongue who made the first key incision, albeit with a choatic approach that would get any surgeon struck off. His first over, opening from the Vauxhall End, went for nine, but he was able to remove Karun Nair for 57 in his second. A sharp delivery that nipped into the stumps – Nair no doubt expected something short and wide either side of them – pinned the right-hander on the back leg. Plumb in front, Nair took one of India’s three reviews with him.Washington Sundar should have assumed the responsibility at that point as an elongated tail became exposed, but he fell five deliveries later, waltzing into a short ball trap, heaving Atkinson to deep square leg, where Jamie Overton sprinted in to take a smart catch.Atkinson would then skittle Siraj before Prasidh Krishna felt for a delivery outside off, completing a collapse of four for six in 18 balls. It also leaves Atkinson with an average of 21, the fourth best for an England seamer with fifty or more dismissals, and the second best strike rate, ever, at 34.9, for those who have taken 60 wickets.

Already, Nuno Espirito Santo feels as if he is deep in must-win territory occupying the West Ham United hot seat.

The Hammers’ fortunes have not turned around since ditching Graham Potter, with the East Londoners yet to pick up a win since the former Wolverhampton Wanderers boss took over the reins.

As ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie O’Hara put it after the dismal 2-0 defeat at the hands of Brentford, they’re “sleepwalking” towards relegation, with a concerning seven defeats picked up from nine Premier League clashes this season, three of which have come under the new management.

Nuno will be scratching his head as to what could spur his dire side into improving, as they face off against Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon, with the 51-year-old now potentially weighing up the prospect of getting rid of Lucas Paqueta up top as one major alteration.

Paqueta's decline at West Ham under Nuno Santo

When Potter was still holding onto the West Ham post precariously, at least Paqueta was shining bright in spurts.

Indeed, a penalty kick put away coolly by the enigmatic Brazilian at the City Ground in late August handed Potter a much-needed 3-0 win, while Paqueta also raised a rare smile among the London Stadium masses the match before, as he hammered home a delightful effort amid a 5-1 drubbing to Chelsea.

Unfortunately for Nuno, though, West Ham’s usual star man has become awfully quiet under the new tenure to date, with a worrying zero goals or assists collected from four games under the ex-Nottingham Forest manager’s guidance.

He did win a lively 12 duels against Leeds United last time out, but Nuno will want far more from Paqueta in an attacking sense. He registered just one shot at Lucas Perri’s goal during the 2-1 loss in West Yorkshire.

With reports also now stating that Paqueta wants to leave West Ham behind in January for pastures new, it could be time for Nuno to look at what other limited options he has to lead the line, having even praised reserve striker Callum Marshall for his “energy”, while lamenting Niclas Fullkrug being sidelined.

The out-of-sorts number 10 isn’t the only senior Hammers figure who will be worrying about his short-term future in the starting XI, though.

West Ham's other big change

Despite spending £124m in the summer on new recruits, West Ham are now starting Andy Irving week in, week out, who was never getting a look in under previous regimes.

The Scotsman is very clearly out of his depth in the bright lights of the Premier League, with just one paltry duel won against Leeds not exactly making him a feared opponent to come up against on the night.

But, alongside him for the clash at Elland Road, Tomas Soucek also looked noticeably weak.

Obviously, Soucek is still regarded as a modern-day hero at the London Stadium for his past exploits from the centre of the park, with the Czech enforcer now up to a mighty 42 goals for the Hammers, having made a colossal 252 appearances.

However, putting sentiment to one side, it’s also clear that the 30-year-old is declining in front of everyone’s eyes at the moment, with his lacklustre performances across October not too dissimilar to that of Irving’s no-shows, which have garnered the 25-year-old a lot of stick.

The once energetic “machine” – as he was previously labelled by ex-West Ham teammate Darren Randolph – has now left the building, with just nine of his 19 duels being successfully won against Brentford and Leeds.

On top of that, Soucek also only managed to fire a limp two shots at either goal, despite previously being seen as a saviour in the attacking areas when West Ham were in spots of bother.

For his sake, the West Ham midfield department needs a refresh and soon, with youthful faces such as Mateus Fernandes and Freddie Potts potentially being given the nod over the 30-year-old shortly, as Irving also ponders whether he will be axed, too.

It will be very intriguing to see what side takes to the field against the Magpies, with a selection surprise here and there perhaps catching Newcastle out, as Nuno still hunts down his first victory at West Ham.

Nuno must unleash "exceptional" West Ham star who can finally revive Paqueta

The incredible West Ham ace could form as close a relationship with Paqueta as Guimaraes.

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Nov 1, 2025