Brady’s reported 10-year, $375 million deal won’t be paid by the Buccaneers, the Patriots or any other NFL franchise hoping to have the seven-time Super Bowl champion under center.

He’ll instead earn the money broadcasting for FOX after his playing career ends.

In a league that has introduced dramatic shifts in extra points, overtime and the schedule itself (Hello, 17-game regular season), perhaps the greatest change has taken place in the broadcast booth, where exorbitant media rights deals and broadcasting contracts have altered the fan experience and made the rich even richer.

When teams take the field this fall, here are some of the changes you can expect.

Monday Night Football

Two of the most notable offseason acquisitions in the NFL this year belong to ESPN, which signed former FOX partners Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to serve as the play-by-play voice and color commentators on Monday Night Football.

For the second straight year, the NFL will have one wild-card round playoff matchup take place on Monday Night Football.

Thursday Night Football

After airing on FOX and Amazon Prime Video from 2018-2021, Thursday Night Football will now be exclusive to Amazon’s streaming platform. The service went on a massive hiring spree this spring, luring Al Michaels away from NBC and Sunday Night Football to work alongside former ESPN college football color commentator Kirk Herbstreit in the booth.

Amazon has also hired former NFL stars such as Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and others to work on studio shows and live productions.

Sundays on FOX

With Buck and Aikman headed to ESPN, FOX elevated Kevin Burkhardt and former NFL tight end Greg Olsen to its top play-by-play and color commentator positions. Burkhardt and Olsen will be joined by sideline reporters Erin Andrews and Tom Rinaldi on FOX’s biggest game each week.

Olsen’s time in FOX’s No. 1 booth could be short-lived, and he knows it. Brady is already paid nearly twice as much as the next highest-earning analyst in football (Tony Romo), and FOX isn’t going to relegate him to the bench when his time comes.

Sunday Night Football

After Michaels departed for Amazon, NBC named Mike Tirico as the play-by-play voice of Sunday Night Football. Tirico will work alongside Michaels’ former partner, Cris Collinsworth, and new sideline reporter Melissa Stark, who replaces Michele Tafoya after Tafoya changed careers to become a political advisor and commentator.

Overtime

Following one of the most thrilling overtime finishes in NFL postseason history, the league amended playoff overtime rules to allow both teams an opportunity to possess the football.

After the Chiefs scored a touchdown on the first possession of their AFC Divisional Round matchup to cap off a 42-36 win over the Bills in January, the Colts and Eagles proposed a rule change that was adopted that requires both teams to possess the ball.

If the score is tied after each team has one possession, the next team to score wins the game. If the score remains tied at the end of an initial 15-minute overtime period, play will resume following a two-minute intermission, and teams will continue playing until a winner is determined.

NFL expands the Rooney Rule

In March, the NFL announced changes to the Rooney Rule which now requires all teams to interview at least two women and/or persons of color when filling prominent positions in an organization.

All teams must also have at least one woman or person of color on staff as an offensive assistant, which is designed to expand the head coaching pipeline in a league in which head coaches now predominantly come from an offensive background.

Practice squads grow

NFL teams were permitted to carry 12 players on their practice squads in 2020 and 2021, but that number is increasing to 16 players in 2022. A team is now allowed to elevate a player from the practice squad to the active roster three times per season before needing to place a player on waivers, which should help teams such as the 49ers that often look to fill the back-end of their depth charts with players who have been practicing in their system throughout the regular season.

Of the 16 players on the practice squad, a maximum of six can be veterans with any number of years of experience in the NFL.

Injured reserve rules change

In each of the last two years, a player could be placed on the injured reserve list and had to remain inactive for three weeks before returning to the active roster. Entering 2022, the NFL has tightened restrictions on injured reserve lists, as players must spend a minimum of four weeks on the IR while teams are also limited in the number of players they can activate from IR over the course of a season.

Last year, the number of players allowed to return after spending their three weeks on IR was unlimited. Going forward, teams will be permitted to reactivate only eight from the list.

Jimmy Garoppolo won’t play against the Packers on Friday –he may not even be at Levi’s Stadium– but it’s possible the 30-year-old signal-caller could be back on the field soon.

With Trey Lance preparing to go under center against Green Bay, here are three factors that could lead to the long-awaited resolution between the 49ers and Garoppolo that could finally send the former starter elsewhere.

1. Deshaun Watson’s suspension

As the Browns brace for Deshaun Watson’s current six-game suspension to be extended upon an appeal, Cleveland is likely evaluating options for a variety of scenarios including one that would keep Watson out for the duration of the 2022 season.

The Browns announced Watson is slated to start Friday’s preseason opener against Jacksonville, but there’s speculation league commissioner Roger Goodell wants the updated suspension announced before Watson takes the field.

Cleveland has publicly committed to tabbing Watson’s backup, Jacoby Brissett, to start during Watson’s absence, yet it seems unlikely a Browns team that has its sights set on a playoff berth would push forward with Brissett when a more accomplished option is available.

On Thursday, Cleveland.com reported the Browns will consider acquiring Garoppolo if and when Watson’s suspension is extended.

Whether Cleveland is comfortable parting with a draft pick for Garoppolo –or paying his $24 million-plus salary– remains to be seen, but an extension of Watson’s suspension appears to be the quickest and most likely path to Garoppolo finding a new home.

2. Concerns about Matthew Stafford’s elbow

The Rams have one of the most aggressive front offices in the league and are determined to avoid a Super Bowl hangover.

Los Angeles general manager Les Snead and head coach Sean McVay have all the personnel in place to challenge for another Lombardi Trophy, but in recent days, there’s been concern over the health of quarterback Matt Stafford’s throwing elbow. Stafford has done his best to quiet any fear with his public comments, but McVay said the elbow injury is a “tricky deal,” “abnormal for a quarterback” and similar to the type of pain a pitcher deals with.

If the 49ers release Garoppolo, which likely wouldn’t happen until the end of August, would the Rams be interested? At a significantly reduced salary, Garoppolo could become a prime insurance option for a Los Angeles team that doesn’t want its title hopes derailed by any injuries that could hold Stafford out or limit the starting quarterback’s ability to run the offense.

3. The Seahawks’ preseason slate is about to begin

The Seahawks can’t be serious, can they?

Adamant that Drew Lock and Geno Smith will be able to replace Russell Wilson, the Seahawks appear content to finish in fourth place in the NFC West and cash in by drafting a quarterback in the first round of next year’s NFL Draft.

If the Seahawks, who open the preseason Saturday against Pittsburgh, recognize that neither Lock nor Smith is well-equipped to lead their offense, it’s possible Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider could pursue Garoppolo if the 49ers choose to release the signal-caller at the end of the month.

The Seahawks sound optimistic that Lock and Smith are up to the task, but Garoppolo is clearly a superior option and Seattle may end up pursuing the veteran if he hits the open market.

Other situations to watch

–Tampa Bay head coach Todd Bowles announced Thursday that Tom Brady would be taking a leave of absence from the team ‘to deal with some personal things’ and won’t return until after the Bucs’ second preseason game. If Brady’s leave must be extended, Tampa Bay could become a potential destination for Brady’s former backup, Garoppolo.

–Much like the Seahawks, the Steelers and Falcons have been questioned for their approach to the quarterback position this offseason. If Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett struggle in Pittsburgh or Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder fail to take control of the offense in Atlanta, those teams could be looking at external options such as Garoppolo in the near future.

–With preseason games starting, any team with playoff hopes that deals with a significant injury at the quarterback position will immediately be viewed as a possible landing spot for Garoppolo.

Waldichuk, who pitched in college at Saint Mary’s in Moraga, was the headliner of the prospect package the A’s received in return for sending starter Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino to the Yankees Monday.

After dealing two veteran pitchers Monday, Tuesday was quiet for an A’s team that now has a big hole to fill in its rotation the rest of the way. It’s possible two of the prospects acquired Monday –Waldichuk and fellow lefty JP Sears– could provide help sooner rather than later.

Since being selected in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB amateur draft by the Yankees, Waldichuk’s stock has risen dramatically thanks to eye-popping strikeout totals and a three-pitch mix (fastball, curveball, changeup) that has neutralized minor league foes.

Ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system, Waldichuk was one of three pitching prospects Oakland added in a deal that also brought  Sears, right-hander Luis Medina and infielder Cooper Bowman to an A’s farm system that has been replenished in a significant way over the last six months.

With 116 strikeouts over 76 1/3 innings across two minor league levels this season, Waldichuk has demonstrated frontline starter potential and could make his major league debut later this month. For now, Waldichuk is expected to begin his A’s tenure at Triple-A Las Vegas, where he’ll join Sears, a 26-year-old southpaw who made his debut earlier this season with the Yankees.

Together, the lefties could find themselves in the middle of a 2023 A’s rotation that may still be waiting on reinforcements from trades executives Billy Beane and David Forst made during spring training. In deals that sent Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea and Chris Bassitt elsewhere, Oakland loaded up on starting pitching prospects, acquiring former first-round draft picks Gunnar Hoglund, JT Ginn and Ryan Cusick, who all need more minor league seasoning before they’ll receive a chance to help form the A’s next homegrown core.

With Waldichuk and Sears on the verge of receiving consistent opportunities in Oakland, the other prospects the A’s acquired Monday are farther away from helping the major league club. Medina might have the highest ceiling of any of the players added thanks to a fastball that has reportedly touched 103 miles per hour on the radar gun, but he’s walked 40 batters in 72 innings this year and will likely need to develop better control before jumping from Double-A to Triple-A.

As for Bowman, he’s the least exciting prospect the A’s acquired in the deal with New York in part because he has hit just .217 with a .698 OPS at High-A this season. The Louisville product has stolen 35 bases this season, but has also struck out in nearly one-third of his at-bats this year.

If the A’s set out at the beginning of their latest rebuilding process to develop a homegrown starting rotation, they’ve added an impressive mix of pitchers who should give Oakland the chance to have a solid group of young arms by 2024 at the latest. What the A’s front office has not done, however, is find the type of high-upside position players who could have seemingly been available in trades for controllable talent such as Chapman, Olson and Montas.

In the Montas deal, the A’s were unable to pry either of the Yankees’ top shortstop prospects, Anthony Volpe or Oswald Peraza, who would have instantly become the best position players in Oakland’s farm system. That might not be a major issue if 2021 first-round draft choice Max Muncy develops into a star, but Muncy has struggled at the plate in each of his first two minor league seasons.

Even with the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the process of restocking the farm system will likely continue into the offseason. Oakland didn’t trade catcher Sean Murphy or outfielder Ramón Laureano on Tuesday, but both players (especially Murphy) could be coveted by contenders in offseason trades that would enable the A’s to address more pressing areas of need around the diamond.

With catching prospect Shea Langeliers, who was acquired in the Olson deal with Atlanta, on the cusp of his big league debut and recent first-round draft picks Tyler Soderstrom (2020) and Daniel Susac (2022) expected to follow within the next few years, trading a Gold Glove Award winner in Murphy for multiple players in return appears to be the next domino to fall if the A’s hope to have a chance of contending by 2024 or 2025.

Ahead of Tuesday’s MLB trade deadline, Montas’ time has arrived.

The A’s sent Montas and right-handed reliever Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees in exchange for four prospects in what’s expected to be one of the biggest trades of the summer, sources confirm to this news organization. The A’s acquired pitching prospect JP Sears, left-handed pitching prospect Ken Waldichuk, infield prospect Cooper Bowman and right-handed pitching prospect Luis Medina.

“Trading two guys who have been in the organization for a long time was not easy,” A’s general manger David Forst said. “But we knew leading up to the deadline that this was likely the direction we were going to go in.”

Montas, a right-handed starter with an elite fastball-splitter combination, posted a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts for the A’s this season while striking out more than a batter per inning. He’ll be immediately counted on to slot in a Yankees rotation featuring Gerrit Cole and Nestor Cortes. The Yankees are in first place in the American League East, 11.5 games up on the Toronto Blue Jays. Montas will hope to build upon a postseason résumé that includes just two playoff appearances, both of which came in 2020 against the Chicago White Sox and Houston Astros.

According to MLB.com, Waldichuk — who played college ball at Saint Mary’s in Moraga — is the top prospect the A’s added in the deal and was ranked as the No. 5 prospect in the Yankees’ farm system. Per MLB Pipeline rankings, Medina was the Yankees’ No. 10 prospect, Sears was the No. 20 prospect and Bowman was the No. 21 prospect.

Sears and Waldichuk will go to Las Vegas to play for the Triple-A affiliate. Medina will go to Double-A Midland and Bowman to High-A Lansing.

A trade between the Mariners and Reds that sent Luis Castillo to Seattle for three of Seattle’s top five prospects raised the bar for the starting pitching market at the deadline. But the A’s were in the market for high-ceiling pitchers who could slide into the A’s high-minor league teams, all of which have a dearth in pitching depth. All three pitchers acquired can fill that role, and Waldichuk comes with plenty of upside. He has a 13.5 strikeouts per nine innings over the last two seasons — in plain terms, he’s struck out 280 batters over 186 innings pitched.

Sears could join the big league team sometime this season. He pitched three games with the Yankees this year, including two starts. He has a 2.05 ERA over 22 innings in those three appearances with 15 strikeouts and five walks.

Montas was considered one of the top starters available at this year’s trade deadline because he won’t become a free agent until after the 2023 season, giving him two opportunities to help his new team in playoff pushes. After the Reds and Mariners helped set the trade market for starting pitchers in a deal last week that sent right-hander Luis Castillo from Cincinnati to Seattle for three top prospects, there was little doubt the A’s would be motivated to move Montas for a prospect haul that should inject more life into a rebuilding process that began at the beginning of last offseason when Oakland allowed manager Bob Melvin to leave town for the same job with the San Diego Padres.

Trivino, 30, will move after a difficult few seasons in which he could never regain his rookie year form. After striking out 82 batters in 2018, Trivino battled injuries and struggling to find his devastating cutter again. Trivino signed for $3 million this year and has two years of team control remaining before he is a free agent in 2025.

The move further depletes an A’s rotation that has fared better than expected thanks to a breakout season from All-Star Paul Blackburn and consistent performances from lefty Cole Irvin. But without Bassitt, Manaea and Montas, the last-place A’s are a shell of the 2021 team that narrowly missed a fourth consecutive playoff berth.

In dealing Montas, who was acquired by Oakland in a 2016 deal that sent Rich Hill and Josh Reddick to the Los Angeles Dodgers, the A’s are losing their longest-tenured pitcher and a starter who finished sixth in 2021 American League Cy Young Award voting.

The trade also saves the A’s around $2 million, which is significant for a franchise led by owner John Fisher that will stop at nothing to cut costs. Montas, who is in the second of three arbitration years, is earning $5.025 million this season and is due a significant raise in 2023.

With Montas’ salary off the books, the A’s have slashed more than a projected $40 million from their payroll as arbitration-eligible starters Manaea ($9.75 million) and Bassitt ($8.8 million) agreed to salary figures with their new clubs while corner infielders Chapman (two years, $25 million) and Olson (eight years, $168 million) both signed extensions with their respective teams.

After Payton parlayed a strong training camp with Golden State into a crucial spot in the rotation during the regular season and playoffs, the Warriors are again seeking to build competition at the back end of their roster this year.

Trevion Williams, a forward who appeared on the Celtics’ Summer League team, and Pat Spencer, a guard who played for the Wizards’ Summer League squad, have reportedly agreed to Exhibit 10 contracts that will allow them to compete for jobs during training camp.

Williams’ deal was first reported by Shams Charania of The Athletic while JD Shaw of Hoops Rumors said Spencer’s agents confirmed the news of his contract with Golden State.

Williams averaged 7.4 points and 6.6 rebounds during Summer League play following an interesting college career at Purdue where he was a First Team All-Big Ten player as a junior before coming off the bench and winning the conference’s Sixth Man of the Year Award as a senior.

Spencer averaged 6.5 points and 4.0 assists per game with the Wizards’ Summer League team after spending part of 2020 in Germany and last season with the Wizards’ G-League affiliate. Spencer only played one season of college basketball at Northwestern as he started for the Wildcats after enjoying a prolific lacrosse career at Loyola University in Maryland.

The duo joins guard Mac McClung, who became the first of a handful of players to agree to a non-guaranteed contract that will give him a chance to secure a spot with a Warriors team that’s filled with some of the most accomplished players in the NBA in Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green and some of the most league’s most intriguing recent lottery picks in James Wiseman, Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody.

Players who sign Exhibit 10 contracts can have their one-year deals converted into two-way contracts that don’t count against the league’s 15-man regular season roster limit, but the Warriors have already signed guards Lester Quiñones and Quinndary Weatherspoon to two-way deals for the upcoming season.

It’s possible Williams or Spencer could win a job with the Warriors during a camp competition this fall, but it’s more likely both players end up with Golden State’s G-League affiliate in Santa Cruz. McClung, the G League Rookie of the Year last season, might have the best shot at securing a full-time roster spot out of training camp, in part because the Warriors lack depth at the point guard position and second-round draft pick Ryan Rollins is still recovering from a foot injury that sidelined him during Summer League play.

From Mel Ott to Willie McCovey to Barry Bonds, the Giants have cornered the market on elite left-handed power hitters for nearly a century.

The gap from Ott’s last homer (April 16, 1946) to McCovey’s first (Aug. 2, 1959) was 13 years. The time between McCovey’s last game in San Francisco (July 6, 1980) to Bonds’ first (April 6, 1993) was also 13 years.

Now, 15 seasons after Bonds last donned the orange and black, the Giants have an opportunity to add one of the few players ever born with the ability to threaten his all-time home run record.

Washington Nationals star Juan Soto is reportedly available via trade. It’s time for the Giants to make a deal.

With less than two weeks remaining until the Aug. 2 trade deadline, MLB Network reporter Jon Morosi said Thursday that one team he’s watching closely in the Soto sweepstakes is the Giants.

Why?

“Because they have been involved in different pursuits, they were in on (Bryce) Harper, years ago they tried to trade for (Giancarlo) Stanton,” Morosi said. “There’s no more (Buster) Posey. (Brandon) Crawford and (Brandon) Belt are nearing the ends of their contracts and in the next couple of years, there’s a space in this team’s payroll.”

From Brian Sabean and Bobby Evans to Farhan Zaidi and Scott Harris, the Giants have tried (and failed) to lure top sluggers to San Francisco. The Giants can’t afford to miss again.

As the Dodgers have surrounded their core with stars from Mookie Betts and Trea Turner via trades and Freddie Freeman through a long-term free-agent deal, the Padres have worked diligently to bring Manny Machado, Yu Darvish, Joe Musgrove and others to San Diego.

The result? Compelling teams in Southern California are in prime position to make the playoffs while the Giants, following Buster Posey’s retirement in November, start the second half needing to gain ground to slot into a wild card position in an expanded postseason field.

What might it take to add Soto?

“They have (Marco) Luciano as a top-100 prospect, as is (Kyle) Harrison, as is (Luis) Matos,” Morosi said on MLB Network. “I believe they have the financial resources to bring him in and pay him, and they have the prospects to make this deal happen.”

Wouldn’t the Nationals want more? An established major leaguer such as Logan Webb?

“I don’t think you need to (include Webb),” Morosi added when discussing a prospective trade. “This is a longer-term deal. This is where the Nationals, they benefit from a couple of things here. Having won the World Series a couple of years ago, they don’t have to make a hasty decision and speed up the rebuild.”

To anyone questioning the wisdom of trading away the team’s top three prospects in Luciano, Harrison and Matos, consider what the Giants’ farm system has produced over the last decade.

First-round draft picks Chris Stratton (2012), Christian Arroyo (2013), Tyler Beede (2014), Phil Bickford (2015) and Chris Shaw (2015) all reached the major leagues, but none established themselves as mainstays. If the Nationals wanted the Giants’ five most recent first-round draft picks eligible to be traded, Heliot Ramos (2017), Joey Bart (2018), Hunter Bishop (2019), Patrick Bailey (2020) and Will Bednar (2021), the Giants would make the deal in an instant.

For a chance to acquire Soto, no player should be considered off limits. The 23-year-old is younger than Bart, Bishop and closer Camilo Doval, and already has 118 home runs and three top-10 finishes in National League MVP voting under his belt.

The only player that should Zaidi should be concerned about parting with in a potential blockbuster trade is Logan Webb, the Giants’ first homegrown ace since the farm system produced Matt Cain, Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner. But as Morosi pointed out, there are no guarantees Webb is an ideal fit for a rebuilding Nationals team.

The right-hander is on track to earn significant salaries in arbitration in each of the next three years before becoming a free agent following the 2025 season. Would the Nationals, in the midst of a multi-year rebuild, really covet paying top dollar for a starter who is poised to leave them as soon as they become competitive again?

Giants players with far less service time –think Doval, LaMonte Wade Jr., and David Villar– would almost assuredly be better fits for this type of a deal. And if the Nationals come calling for Luciano, Harrison, Matos, Doval, Wade and Villar, the Giants should agree to a trade.

If the Giants don’t make this move now, the next time a player of Soto’s caliber is expected to be available is the winter of 2025, when –you guessed it– Soto is set to enter free agency. By that time, a team that makes the most aggressive move to acquire him now (think the Dodgers or Padres) may have already convinced him to sign a 12-year, $500 million deal.

There’s only one Juan Soto, and for the rest of his career, there might be only one time the Giants can acquire him.

They must do it right now.

An A’s team that has played its best ball since the opening week of the regular season could be eager to return to the field after taking two of three from the Astros and winning two of their last three series. But even with the last-place Tigers coming to town, the A’s are preparing to face a new set of challenges during the second half of the season.

Here’s a look at the most pressing questions surrounding the A’s and what to expect during a pivotal stretch for a rebuilding club.

1. How will Frankie Montas bounce back?

Montas, the ace of Oakland’s staff, hasn’t pitched since shoulder inflammation forced him to leave his July 1 start against the Mariners after just one inning. The right-hander avoided a trip to the injured list, but was unable to pitch in Houston last weekend as the A’s wanted to make sure Montas received extra rest before he likely returns to the mound in one of the club’s two games against Detroit on Thursday.

A healthy, productive return for Montas is key for both the pitcher and the team. Considered one of the top starters expected to be dealt this summer, Montas will surely attract interest from contending teams with strong performances prior to the Aug. 2 trade deadline. Strong performances will help the A’s, too, who are looking to maximize a potential return and secure a haul of prospects for a pitcher who is under team control through the 2023 season.

2. Who stays and who goes?

Outfielder Ramón Laureano, catcher Sean Murphy and reliever Lou Trivino could all find themselves the subject of trade speculation in the coming weeks. Each player could make a contending team better, but Oakland may not be compelled to move any member of the trio if a potential return isn’t going to make future A’s teams better.

After trading four fan favorites –Chris Bassitt, Sean Manaea, Matt Chapman and Matt Olson– ahead of Opening Day, it’s possible there could be a fire sale in Oakland at the deadline. Yet aside from Montas, there aren’t any players who are considered “likely” to be traded. It could be a tense few weeks for a team with a first-year manager in Mark Kotsay who knows players are looking for certainty about their future.

3. How does Kotsay handle the post-deadline A’s?

Considering the circumstances –Oakland is a last-place team in the early stages of a potentially lengthy rebuild– Kotsay has a tough situation. After the dust settles following the deadline, there will be players who likely wanted the opportunity to play for a contending club who are still in Oakland and players who could see their roles change depending on who the A’s acquire in deals or promote from the minor leagues.

The final two months of the season offer a chance for Kotsay to build his credibility with the front office, his players and an A’s fan base that wants to see the team improve during the second half, regardless of which veterans are left on the roster.

4. How will the A’s find playing time for young players and prospects?

After an impressive first half at Triple-A Las Vegas, it’s increasingly clear Futures Game MVP Shea Langeliers is deserving of a big league opportunity. Whether the A’s trade Murphy or not, Oakland should seriously consider creating a pathway for playing time for Langeliers, a 2019 first-round draft pick who was acquired in the trade that sent Olson to Atlanta.

The A’s might also be ready to give outfielder Cristian Pache another look at the big league level after he followed a disappointing stretch in the majors by hitting .327 with a .985 OPS in his first 49 at-bats back at Triple-A. Will infielders Nick Allen and Jonah Bride feature more prominently in Oakland’s second-half plans? How about starter Adrián Martinez, who has struggled at Triple-A but could be needed in the majors again if Montas is traded?

Creating consistent opportunities for young players should be a priority for the A’s, even if Oakland doesn’t make many trades.

5. Will the A’s challenge records for futility?

Even after posting a 7-8 record to start the month, the A’s (32-61) are still playing at a 56-win pace. This group is nowhere near as bad as the 1916 Philadelphia A’s who finished 36-117-1 or the 1919 team that went 36-104, but there’s concern that transactions that could potentially weaken an already overmatched roster will put the A’s in jeopardy of challenging the 1979 team (54-108) for the worst club Oakland has ever seen.

Aside from all the losing, this year’s A’s team has a historically inept offense that could wind up in all of the wrong places in the franchise record book. Their .211 batting average is 12 points below the worst mark in franchise history set by the 1908 A’s while the 3.29 runs per game scored by the 2022 squad is the lowest total since the 1978 team scored 3.28 runs per game, a low water mark for any A’s club since the franchise moved to Oakland in 1968.

Shams Charania of The Athletic first reported the agreement.

McClung, the 2021-2022 G League Rookie of the Year with the South Bay Lakers, played two Summer League games with the Los Angeles Lakers before joining Golden State following an injury that sidelined second round draft pick Ryan Rollins.

The 6-foot-2 guard made the most of his opportunity, impressing the Warriors’ brass with his play-making abilities on offense and forcing his way into a conversation for a roster spot. That conversation will continue into training camp, as Charania reported McClung’s contract will give him an opportunity to win a job this fall.

McClung is hoping to author a success story similar to Payton’s, but he’ll likely face tough competition for a roster spot and Wednesday’s reported agreement does not guarantee he’ll eventually see playing time for Golden State.

Following the addition of Green and the signing of McClung, the Warriors still have one open roster spot that could belong to veteran Andre Iguodala if he elects to return to Golden State for a 19th NBA season.

After initially being charged with seven earned runs in his last start on June 26 against the Reds, a scoring changed an infield hit for Cincinnati center fielder Nick Senzel to an error on Giants third baseman Evan Longoria. The play, which took place with the bases empty and no one out in the third inning, led to a nightmare frame for DeSclafani who is out for the season after undergoing ankle surgery.

The change brought DeSclafani’s ERA down from a career-worst 9.95 mark to a still-abysmal 6.65 and provided an unexpected break for the pitcher, who signed a three-year, $36 million deal with the Giants this offseason after posting a career-best 3.17 ERA in 31 starts last year.

SCORING CHANGE 132

7/20 @Reds at @SFGiants

T3 Nick Senzel reaches on a throwing error by third baseman Evan Longoria, instead of reaching on an infield single. All seven runs in the inning are now unearned to Anthony DeSclafani

Change No. 3 for SF#ATOBTTR #SFGameUp pic.twitter.com/l23pj3aHDt

— MLB Scoring Changes (@ScoringChanges) July 20, 2022

The Giants entered the 2022 season optimistic hopeful DeSclafani would regain the form he showed for much of last season, but an ankle injury that first sent him to the injured list last August continued to hamper the veteran starter at the beginning of this year.

After making three starts in April, the 32-year-old right-hander landed on the injured list with ankle inflammation before he returned to the mound on June 21 to face the Braves. DeSclafani gave up five earned runs in Atlanta before facing the Reds at home on June 26.

Even though the scoring change takes seven earned runs away from DeSclafani, his 2022 season will still go down as one to forget.

His COVID shot.

At the beginning of the 2021-2022 season, a San Francisco health order required Warriors players to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to be eligible to participate in home games at Chase Center. Wiggins said in September he preferred not to get vaccinated, telling reporters at a press conference the decision was “none of your business is what it comes down to.”

Wiggins ultimately chose to comply with the health order and get the vaccine, but even after the best season of his professional career and his first NBA title, the forward said he regrets the decision.

“I still wish I didn’t get (the vaccine) to be honest with you,” Wiggins told FanSided in an interview Monday. “But you’ve got to do what you’ve got to do.”

The sentiment echoes comments Wiggins made in March, after he was named an All-Star for the first time in his eight-year NBA career.

“I still wish I hadn’t gotten it,” Wiggins told the Bay Area News Group at the time. “Bigger picture, it all worked out for the best. I’m here on the most exciting team in the league. I’m an All-Star. So I feel like I made the right choice at the end of the day.”

An iconic poster dunk over Luka Dončić in the Western Conference Finals and a résumé-padding effort on both ends of the floor in the NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics weren’t enough to change Wiggins’ tune. In his interview with FanSided, Wiggins added he was happy he didn’t miss out on the triumphs of a career year, but was frustrated by having to make a choice he felt was out of his hands.

“I did it and I was an All-Star this year and a champion, so that was the good part. Just not missing out on the year, the best year of my career,” he said. “But for my body, I don’t like putting all of that stuff in my body so I didn’t like that and I didn’t like that it wasn’t my choice. I didn’t like that it was either get this or don’t play.”

Had Wiggins elected not to get the vaccine, he would not have been paid for any game missed this season. The 27-year-old earned $31.6 million this year and is set to make more than $33 million as he enters the last season of a five-year, $147 million extension he signed with the Timberwolves before the 2018 season.