It’s that time of year again. The excitement of All-Star weekend and the Homerun Derby are behind us, and it’s on to the second half of the MLB season. This is the time where the great teams separate themselves from the good teams. It’s the time for teams to show whether they should be considered contenders or pretenders. And with this time of the year, of course, comes the MLB trade deadline. Arguably the most intriguing trade deadline of all the major sports. Fringe teams will have to decide whether to be buyers or sellers, and the great teams will mortgage their futures for one player they believe will take them to the promise land. Now, as out of left-field as the ending to this year’s All-Star weekend was (raise your hand if you also weren’t aware that swing offs were a thing), the MLB trade deadline features something much more curious. The Player to Be Named Later. You see, as most of us know, it’s extremely common in Major League Baseball for a team like the Padres, for example, to sell off a handful of their top prospects at the trade deadline for a lefty reliever they hope will help them navigate the difficult waters that is the postseason. But what some people aren’t aware of (outside of us baseball nerds of course) is the use of something, or someone more specifically, called the “Player to Be Named Later (PTBNL)” in these trade scenarios. For those of you who don’t know, here’s a quick explanation of what exactly the phrase “Player to Be Named Later” means. In baseball, when a team isn’t sure exactly which prospect they want in return or when they are trying to finesse the roster management rules, they will accept a “Player to Be Named Later” in return in a trade. This gives that team the opportunity to further evaluate players and choose who they want in return at a later date. This doesn’t mean that the team will just be able to choose a superstar down the road, there are limitations placed on who can be chosen, and most of the time the player ends up being just another player lost in baseball lore. However, sometimes these PTBNL turn out to be more than just a journeyman or even lead to oddities that only baseball can provide. So, what are the most famous cases of Players to Be Named Later? Well, I’m glad you asked. Let’s start with the not so unexpected scenario that actually led to the PTBNL rules to be changed. Trea Turner Before 2015, there was a rule in place in the MLB in which prevented players from being traded for a year after being drafted. Trea Turner was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the first round of the 2014 Draft which meant, you guessed it, he wasn’t eligible to be traded until the following year. However, in December of 2014 the Padres, Nationals, and Rays agreed to mega-deal that involved 11 players AND a Player to Be Named Later. So, what does this have to do with Turner? Well, everyone was aware of who that PTBNL would be. Trea Turner. But as I mentioned before, he wasn’t allowed to be traded yet. So Turner had to spend the beginning of the next season playing for the Padres who had already traded him. This led to a rule change in MLB before the next draft to avoid this situation ever playing out again. But where is Trea Turner now? He’s certainly no journeyman. He had an incredible start to his career with the Nationals, before being traded (again) to the Dodgers with Max Scherzer in 2021. He eventually signed a $300 million deal with the Phillies where he still plays and remains one of the best players in Major League Baseball. But is he the best PTBNL of all time? Not quite. David Ortiz Big Papi. Ever heard of him? Sure you have. But did you know he wasn’t always the mashing lefty for the Red Sox that we know and love? That’s right. Early on in David Ortiz’s career he actually struggled to find a place in the league; and at one point, was even a Player to Be Named Later in a trade. He actually started his career with the Seattle Mariners, but he doesn’t mean much to the Mariners franchise outside of being a PTBNL in a trade in 1996 with the Minnesota Twins for Dave Hollins. As a matter of fact, not only was Ortiz not the player we know on the field, he wasn’t even David Ortiz on paper. At the time, he was actually known as David Arias. You might be thinking, “Wow. The Mariners really traded BIG PAPI.” Trust me when I tell that the Twins feel even worse. Ortiz would play a handful of seasons for the Twins from 1997-2002; however, even after a solid season in 2002 with the Twins, they would go on to RELEASE Ortiz. That’s right. Even one of the greatest players to ever step foot on a baseball diamond was not only traded as PTBNL but was also outright released. Of course in 2003, David Ortiz would go on to join the Boston Red Sox. Ten All-Star games, 3 World Series Championships, a World Series MVP, and a Hall of Fame selection later, David Ortiz would go down in baseball history as one of the most feared batters of all time, and the legend we know him as today Big Papi. What is the oddest Player to Be Named Later situation? There is a rare, but always delightfully bizarre situation in which a player is traded for himself as a Player to Be Named Later. This hilariously absurd scenario is so rare that it has only happened four times in the history of Major League Baseball. Harry Chiti – traded from the then Cleveland Indians to the Mets in 1962 for a PTBNL. However, he was so bad that the Mets decided trade him back to Cleveland as the PTBNL Brad Gulden – traded (with $100,000) from the Yankees to the Mariners for Larry Milbourne and a PTBNL in 1980. Once again, he performed so poorly that the Mariners traded him back to New York as the PTBNL in the original trade. Are you sensing a theme? Dickie Noles – In 1987 the Cubs traded him to the Tigers for a Player to Be Named Later. Sadly, he didn’t do enough during the Tigers playoff run that year for them to want to keep him around. So, they shipped back to the Windy City to complete the trade as the PTBNL. John McDonald – The most recent example. He was acquired by Detroit, who clearly didn’t learn anything in 1987, from the Blue Jays in 2005 for, that’s right, a PTBNL. Later that year, he was sent back to Canada for cash considerations. There you go. Next time you’re hanging out with your buddies on the back porch naming random athletes from your pass, feel free to drop in a “Dickie Noles” reference and explain the wonderful scenario of him being traded for himself. Baseball is such a beautiful sport in so many ways. For many of us, it’s the first sport we play as children, or the sport we remember watching with our grandparents on the living room floor. It has such an iconic and rich history. It’s known as “America’s past time” for a reason. But throughout that history, there are so many things that have happened that can only be described as strange and uniquely baseball. And that’s why we love it. So, when you’re scrolling social media or watching ESPN this trade deadline season and see that stud middle reliever traded for nothing but a Player to Be Named Later, maybe you won’t just brush it off this time around. Maybe you’ll wait to see who that player becomes, and maybe they’ll end up being another great piece of baseball trivia.

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The New Orleans Pelicans Land Jordan Poole, Saddiq Bey & The 40th pick in the 2025 NBA Draft.

"Are the New Orleans Pelicans the most interesting team of the summer?"

NOLA Gold Rugby returns to the Shrine on Airline this Saturday, June 7, for an end-of-season showdown against the New England Free Jacks. Kickoff is set for 6:00 PM CT, with gates opening at 5:00 PM. Saturday’s match is the final home match of the season. Don’t miss your chance to cheer on NOLA Gold one last time in 2025 as they battle for a win and finish strong in front of the home crowd! The Free Jacks bring a well-balanced attack and disciplined defense, but NOLA is determined to defend home turf and feed off the energy of the Gold faithful. Expect an intense matchup for the end of the season. Fans can look forward to live music, food, and an electric game-night atmosphere unique to New Orleans rugby. The match will be broadcast live on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network (Cox Cable Channel 10) and streamed on ESPN+. Follow live updates, exclusive content, and player features across NOLA Gold Rugby’s social media platforms and official website. Tickets for the match and ticket packages are available now at nolagoldrugby.com or by calling 504-507-8429 (504-50-RUGBY). Matchday tickets start at just $25.

Kade Anderson, the star left-handed pitcher for LSU, has been selected as May’s Allstate Sugar Bowl Athlete of the Month presented by LCMC Health. Athletes of the month have been selected by the New Orleans Sports Awards Committee since 1957. The athlete must be a native of the greater New Orleans area or must compete for a team in the metropolitan region to be eligible. Anderson, a sophomore from Madisonville who graduated from St. Paul’s School, posted a 4-1 record in May as he helped the Tigers to the No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament. In his five May starts, he recorded a 2.30 ERA, allowing 22 hits and eight runs in 31.1 innings to go with 54 strikeouts. He had double digits in strikeouts in four of his five appearances to give him ten 10-plus K performances on the season. His 12 strikeouts in the win over Texas A&M (5/3) are the school record for punch-outs in an SEC Tournament effort. In his NCAA Regional appearance against Dallas Baptist (5/31), he tossed seven innings of four-hit, shutout ball while striking out 11 to key the Tigers’ victory. “And Kade, as Kade has been all year, was the best pitcher on the planet tonight. And executed at a high level,” LSU head coach Jay Johnson said after the Dallas Baptist victory. Anderson is expected to get the start on Saturday in the first game of LSU’s NCAA Super Regional against West Virginia. The game is slated for a 1 p.m. start from Alex Box Stadium. It will be televised live on ESPN. The second game is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Sunday on ESPN2. For the year, the southpaw has a 9-1 record with a 3.28 ERA and 156 strikeouts (No. 1 in the nation, as of 6/1) in 96 innings (tops in the SEC). Opponents are hitting just .216 against him and he has walked just 26 batters.

NOLA Gold Rugby hits the road for a late-season clash as they take on the Chicago Hounds this Saturday, May 31, 2025, at 6:00 PM CT. With the regular season entering its final stretch, every point matters in the tight Eastern Conference race and this matchup promises to deliver high stakes. Coming off a gritty performance last week, NOLA Gold is hungry for a win. Saturday’s battle against the Hounds offers the perfect proving ground as the Gold looks to bounce back and finish the season strong. The last meeting between these two squads was a close match, and you can expect another fierce contest as NOLA seeks to tame the Hounds on their home turf. Fans can watch the match live on the Gulf Coast Sports and Entertainment Network (Cox Cable Channel 10) and ESPN+ or follow play-by-play updates through NOLA Gold Rugby’s official website and social media channels, NOLA Gold. Following their trip to Chicago, NOLA Gold will return home to The Shrine on Airline for a can't-miss matchup against the New England Free Jacks on Saturday, June 7, at 6:00 PM CT. Tickets for their last home match, including ticket packages and individual tickets are available now at nolagoldrugby.com or by calling 504-507-8429 (504-50-RUGBY). Matchday tickets start at just $25.