ClubSocial

BBC NEWS : Trump targets foreign workers with new visa freeze

Foreign tech workers, non-agricultural seasonal helpers, au pairs and executives will be affected.

June 23, 2020 at 05:53AM

from BBC News - Business
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53145317

'Serious disorder': UK finances were close to collapse, says Bank of England governor

The Bank of England was forced to save the British Government from potential financial collapse as markets seized up at the height of the coronavirus crisis, says governor Andrew Bailey

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/2ASNRto
Read More

Woolworths underpayments blow out to $390 million, flags redundancies

Woolworths has revealed the total cost of its worker underpayment scandal has increased by $75 million and the company has also flagged job redundancies.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/3fU970J
Read More

Tablet interactive: Coronavirus outbreak

Follow news and events as they happen.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/2VpjiTd
Read More

'Nowhere near the end': Virus surge jolts prospects for world economy

The global economy's fragile recovery is facing a fresh hurdle as the latest surge in COVID-19 cases around the world threatens to keep businesses closed and consumers on edge.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/2Nm0nUK
Read More

Tech stocks, miners fire as ASX rises on Wall St lead

The Australian sharemarket has opened higher, with the heavyweight miners strong and the local tech sector mirroring the fortunes of the NASDAQ.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/3esy4jj
Read More

New on Sports Illustrated: COVID-19 Is Having an Impact on the Market for Veteran Contract Extensions

While Jamal Adams and Dak Prescott in the news, it's worth noting that uncertainty over the salary cap is clogging up the market. Plus, notes on Day 1 of the NFL's Quarterback Coaching Summit.

It’s Monday afternoon, let’s go …

• With Jamal Adams’s contract situation in the news, it’s certainly worth looking into how slow the pace of veteran extensions has been in general this offseason. Digging through it, I could find just three examples of guys getting big-time extensions with years left on their deals since America went into lockdown, without a trade being part of it (DeForest Buckner and Darius Slay got paid as part of trades). One was Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey, another was Texans OT Laremy Tunsil and a third was Bills S Jordan Poyer (whose deal was done before things went really crazy). Meanwhile, contract-year stars like Joey Bosa, Jalen Ramsey, Ronnie Stanley, Ryan Kelly, Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook, Chris Godwin, George Kittle, Keenan Allen, Patrick Peterson, Von Miller, and, yes, Adams are waiting for theirs. So the natural question: Is this COVID-related? And the answer is yes. The looming revenue shortfall doesn’t just make cash an issue for some teams, it also makes projecting the cap a problem. If there are big losses in 2020, that means the league and union will have to borrow from future years to keep the 2021 cap level to this year, which could mean ramifications reaching into 2022 and ’23. You may remember back in 2010 and early ’11, teams were hesitant do long-term deals for guys because of salary cap uncertainty. Same thing, to a degree, this year. Which might mean a lot of guys waiting a while for deals. And that could add an interesting twist to the seasons of some teams.

• And that brings us to Dak Prescott, and how the uncertainty over the cap might make it tough to project how a deal at $40 million per season will be accounted for in the coming years. Let’s say he does a deal with flat cap numbers. And let’s say, absent the pandemic, the cap was going to be around $270 million in 2023, which may be conservative based on the expected influx of TV and broadcast money. Under those conditions, Prescott’s deal, then in its fourth year, would account for 14.8% of Dallas’s cap. Now, let’s say, the coronavirus impact knocks the cap number in 2023 down to $220 million. In that case, Prescott’s deal is accounting for 18.2% of the team’s cap. That’s a pretty massive difference, when you consider this is one of 53 contracts. And it doesn’t mean the Joneses won’t get Prescott done. But it does explain why it could complicate things for him, and the other 13 guys who are currently franchised.

• Speaking of that, Prescott became the ninth franchised player (and 10th tagged player, if you count Cardinals transitioned RB Kenyan Drake) to sign his tender. That leaves five guys unsigned in the group: Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett, Bengals WR A.J. Green, Chiefs DT Chris Jones, Jaguars DE Yannick Ngaukoe and Broncos S Justin Simmons. All the tagged guys have until July 15 to do deals. So what’s the difference for these five? They can wait until Week 1 to sign, if they’d like, without losing a dime, because they’re not under contract.

• I really enjoyed Day 1 of the NFL Quarterback Coaching Summit (a joint venture by the Black College Football Hall of the Fame and the NFL), which I wrote about in last week’s GamePlan, so here are some good tidbits. Titans coach Mike Vrabel was the first speaker, and he dove into his philosophy on leadership (“We will treat you the same as you treat the team”), and how to interview (he passed out iPads on his interviews, rather the traditional “book” that coaches keep) before explaining keys in assembling a staff. I thought maybe the most interesting part was how he said having diversity of race and background on hand was important, to give a staff the best chance of reaching every individual player on the roster. Also, he mentioned how it was important to support the ambitions of assistants, and that losing them to promotion “means you’re hiring the right people,” and he listed the trainer with the GM and owner among the most important relationships a head coach has. There was also this, on the idea of culture: “When you’re winning, culture is easy. … Culture is what you look like at the worst moment. I hope everyone has a good culture at 7-1, but what does it look like at 2-5?”

• Also great was a panel hosted by my buddy Steve Wyche of NFL Network, one that included Steelers owner Art Rooney II, Giants owner John Mara, former Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome, Bucs coach Bruce Arians and Texans limited partner Javier Loya. Both owners acknowledged the trend toward offensive coaches, and it was interesting to hear Mara admit that he’d fallen victim to those sorts of things in the past. “A lot of us have fallen into that trap, looking at the Sean McVay, the Kyle Shanahan, and you think you’re just going to get the next one,” Mara said. “I look at the head coach now as more of a CEO. I don’t care if he’s an offensive play-caller or a defensive play-caller.” Rooney echoed the point, saying that looking at the Steelers’ stability, from Chuck Noll to Bill Cowher and now to Mike Tomlin, there has been a common thread. “The most important thing all three of them had in common, they’re all great communicators,” Rooney said. “If there was one thing we were always looking for in a head coach, it would be that.” Rooney also advocated for finding a way to slow down the process of coach hiring (it’s how he found Tomlin, even with legit candidates in house), though he added that he understood how competition for guys makes that idea difficult to implement.

• Arians, for his part, was passionate on the call. He said doing your job well, whatever that job might be at the moment, should come first, because that’s how you build respect among your peers. “Respect among your peers is the most important thing,” he continued. “I had respect among my peers, I didn’t give a damn if I got a job.” So what difference can that respect make? Arians recalled telling anyone who’d listen, on Vic Fangio, “If he’s not at the top of your list, you’re missing the boat.” Arians also pointed out how his very diverse staff is made up of a lot of guys he identified as potential coaches when he had them as players, which is something he hopes coaches get more aggressive doing. “These guys all played for me, so I had a long pool of guys I worked with,” Arians said. “You don’t hire strangers in my office, you hire guys I trust.”

• Another point of discussion was how narratives (i.e. hot candidates) can drive coaching searches. That’s where Newsome jumped in, explaining that the Ravens always keep lists of coaches of interest. “We create our own lists,” Newsome said. “We come to a collective agreement on the people we want to interview, and that’s based on the information we get when we talk to our area scouts, and our coaches and people around the league.” That, he mentioned, is how they found an Eagles special teams coach to be particularly intriguing. John Harbaugh’s been a pretty good hire.

• Sorry to sink the whole column into this—but it really was a pretty awesome deal, and there’s more coming Tuesday. Among the other parts of Monday’s festivities: Ex-Browns coach Hue Jackson with a detailed breakdown on the first 30 days on the job for a head coach; Saints assistant D.J. Williams on being a quality control coach; Stanford OC Tavita Pritchard on QB drill work; and Maryland OC Scottie Montgormery and Bucs OC Byron Leftwich on staff/coordinator dynamics. (I’ll try and get you some more info Tuesday on Twitter.)

• One thing from Falcons coach Dan Quinn, left over from this morning’s column, that I found particularly fascinating: He’s going to build all the possibilities he can think of for the fall of 2020 into his training camp schedule, and that means all of them. “What I do know is the teams that adjust the best are gonna be the ones that preform the best. Because what we’ve all seen is there’s been a lot of moving parts and things have changed, so there’s gonna be change during the season—players out due to COVID and all that,” Quinn said. “So during camp, when we do get together, we’ll have time where, and I’ll do it for myself first, OK, I’m out, or the playcaller’s out, where we keep showing them, here’s where adjustments have to take place, and we’re able to hit them, so we have contingency plans.” Pretty smart thinking there, and it’s not exactly hard to conjure a scenario where such a contingency plan might have to be enacted.

• The NFL re-opened its New York office on Monday. So if you want some good news on where all this is headed, there’s some for you. And, by the way, the Raiders opened their facility in Nevada, too, which means they’ve officially left California after spending their first 60 seasons in the nation’s most populous state.

• Question or comment? Email us.

June 23, 2020 at 05:12AM
COVID-19 Is Having an Impact on the Market for Veteran Contract Extensions

New on Sports Illustrated: NBA Futures: Fade the Favorite for Sixth Man of the Year

SI Gambling analyst Corey Parson states his case for two intriguing underdog candidates for the 2020 NBA Sixth Man of the Year.

The NBA Sixth-Man of the Year award might as well be named the Lou Williams Award, as the longtime sharpshooter, Williams, is once again of the top candidates again this year.

Over at FanDuel Sportsbook, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Dennis Schröder is the betting favorite at -190. Schroder has been having a great season averaging 19 points per game, with four assists and three rebounds per game, Schröder is playing 30 minutes a night for a Thunder team that could actually end up being the third seed in the East.

I think Schröder deserves to be in the conversation for Sixth Man of the Year, but not the favorite.

The Thunder are a great team with no one piece of the puzzle greater than the other. I even think Billy Donovan has a great case for Coach of the Year.

Yet when it comes to Sixth Man of the Year, I would put my money on Williams (+420) because winning this award is simply what he does.

Williams has taken it home three times in the last five years, but as AllClippers Insider Farbod Esnaashari reminds us, Williams may actually sit out the rest of the season and not participate in the bubble in Orlando.

“Finding that balance is the hardest part of an NBA return. The difficulty in finding that balance is why it's so difficult for Lou Williams to commit to a decision. In the upcoming days, he'll be figuring out ways to maximize his voice as an NBA player.”

If Williams sits out, that leaves his teammate Montrezl Harrell in the driver’s seat for the award. Harrell is having a career season averaging 18 points per night for the team with the third-best record in the league.

With voters potentially focusing on his career year, the +210 value for Harrell could be the extra boost to get bettors on-board.

June 23, 2020 at 05:07AM
NBA Futures: Fade the Favorite for Sixth Man of the Year

New on Sports Illustrated: Mystics Guard Natasha Cloud to Forego Season, Work on Social Justice Reform

Cloud: "I have a responsibility to myself, to my community, and to my future children to fight for something that is much bigger than myself."

Mystics guard Natasha Cloud announced on Monday she will forego the 2020 WNBA season in order to pursue social justice reform.

"I will be foregoing the 2020 WNBA season," Cloud wrote on Instagram. "There's a lot of factors that led to this decision, but the biggest being that I am more than an athlete. I have a responsibility to myself, to my community, and to my future children to fight for something that is much bigger than myself and the game of basketball."

"I will instead, continue the fight on the front lines for social reform, because until black lives matter, all lives can't matter."

Cloud is the latest WNBA player to announce she is skipping the 2020 season in favor of social justice work. Dream guard Renee Montgomery announced her decision to forego the 2020 season on June 18, noting, "there's work to be done off the court in so many areas in our community."

Cloud participated in a march on Washington alongside Wizards guards Bradley Beal and John Wall on June 19. She has played with the Mystics for all five seasons of her career after being selected in the second round of the 2015 WNBA Draft.

The 2020 WNBA season will resume on July 24. There will be a 22-game regular season, with the playoffs expected to end in October.

Players will be permitted to forego the 2020 season and still receive their full salary.

June 23, 2020 at 04:49AM
Mystics Guard Natasha Cloud to Forego Season, Work on Social Justice Reform

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Players Association Rejects MLB's 60-Game Proposal

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred can now "unilaterally implement a schedule of his choosing," per ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers.

The Major League Baseball Players Association rejected MLB's proposal for a 60-game season on Monday, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan and Jesse Rogers.

The MLBPA reportedly voted 33-5 to reject MLB's proposal. Commissioner Rob Manfred can now implement a schedule for the 2020 season, which will "likely be between 50 to 60 games."

Owners across MLB could still vote to cancel the 2020 season, per Passan and Rogers. It would take eight "no" votes from the owners in order to cancel the 2020 season.

"Earlier this evening, the full Board reaffirmed the players' eagerness to return to work as soon and as safely as possible." The MLBPA said in a statement on Monday. "While we had hoped to reach a revised back to work agreement with the league, the Players remain fully committed to proceeding under our current agreement and getting back on the field for the fans, for the game, and for each other."

The 2020 season could also be canceled due to an increase in COVID-19 cases across the country. MLB closed all spring training facilities on June 19 following positive tests at Phillies' camp in Clearwater, Fla.

The Blue Jays also closed their spring training facility on June 19 after a player showed symptoms of COVID-19, according to Passan. Toronto's facility is five minutes from Philadelphia's.

June 23, 2020 at 04:11AM
Report: Players Association Rejects MLB's 60-Game Proposal

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: Trevor Ariza Opts Out of NBA Restart to Spend Time With Son

Ariza will spend a month with his 12 year-old son as the Blazers seek their seventh straight playoff appearance.

Trail Blazers forward Trevor Ariza is opting-out of the NBA's resumption of the 2019-20 season, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Ariza will reportedly spend the season's restart spending a one-month visitation with his son. He is "involved in a custody case over his 12-year old son," which involves a court-ordered one month visitation, per Wojnarowski.

The 34-year-old forward has started 21 games with Portland in 2019-20, averaging 33.4 minutes and 11 points per game. Ariza has played for nine teams across 16 seasons, winning the NBA Finals with the Lakers in 2009.

Ariza is the second player to opt out of the NBA's restart. Wizards forward Davis Bertans will join Ariza in skipping the season's resumption, choosing to do so before he enters free agency in the 2020 offseason. Bertans is having a career year in his first season with Washington, averaging 15.4 points per game on 42.4% from three.

The Blazers are seeking their seventh straight playoff appearance in 2019-20. They currently sit No. 9 in the Western Conference at 29–37.

June 23, 2020 at 04:02AM
Report: Trevor Ariza Opts Out of NBA Restart to Spend Time With Son

New on Sports Illustrated: Where Should Bettors Expect Jamal Adams to Play in 2020?

With Jets safety Jamal Adams demanding a trade out of New York, SI Gambling insider Frankie Taddeo evaluates the trade market, along with his next landing spot from a betting perspective.

One of the biggest news items around the NFL was that one of the best young defensive players in the league has demanded a trade.

According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, New York Jets star safety Jamal Adams wants out of Gotham.

The former sixth overall pick in the 2017 Draft, and face of the Jets defense, has reportedly told team brass that he has a list of teams he wants to be traded to. Adams is seeking a new contract despite having potentially two years left on his current rookie deal (2020 final year with a club option for 2021).

During the 2019 NFL season, the Jets reportedly considered trading the star safety to Dallas. Since those rumors, reporters like CowboyMaven’s Mike Fisher have stoked the fire attempting to link Adams with an eventual move to Jerry’s World, going as far as to highlight Adams playing golf close to Dallas’ headquarters.

Adams’ hometown is Lewisville, Texas. My take at that moment was that Adams playing offseason golf in his native state translates to “nothing see here.”

Regardless, his name has come up many times, including the weeks leading up to the 2020 NFL draft in April. The Jets decided at the time that no offer was worthy of them parting with arguably the heart and soul of the franchise.

As Fisher reported late Sunday, a video has now surfaced of Adams interacting with a fan in Lewisville where he states, “He is trying” (to become a member of the Dallas Cowboys). This comes on the heels of Fisher reporting that there are no legs to the rumors that Adams is demanding a contract extension at $20 million per season.

“The Jamal Adams camp vehemently denies an ESPN report that the disgruntled All-Pro safety is asking for "$20 million per year'', a source told CowboysSI.com.

With the team failing to offer a new contract, Adams has decided to take the negotiations to social media, prompting BetOnline Sportsbook to release odds for which team could potentially land Adams via trade.

The Baltimore Ravens (+250), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3/1) and Dallas Cowboys (4/1) are the frontrunners according to the oddsmakers.

JetsCountryMaven Kristian Dyer recently spoke with former Jets General Manager Mike Tannenbaum who proclaimed, “the best thing for the New York Jets is to re-sign Jamal Adams. But if that doesn’t happen, things could accelerate towards the player possibly being traded.”

Here’s the most important thing bettors should take away from Tannenbaum’s interview with Dyer:

“I would wait till much closer to training camp. I would try to get together with him and his agent and try to be a good listener, figure out the issues from an economic standpoint, a non-economic standpoint.”

That leads me to the “other” market involving Adams currently being offered by BetOnline:

I believe this market speaks volumes with the “No” being such a prohibitive favorite at odds of -600. I am willing to bet that Jets General Manager Joe Douglas will not be as foolish as Tannebaum was when he traded future Hall of Fame shutdown cornerback Darrelle Revis during his prime in the midst of a contract dispute.

Current Jets play-by-play radio announcer Bob Wischusen nailed it best on Twitter:

I hate to disappoint Cowboys fans, but unless Dallas is willing to part with a package of a first-round pick, wide receiver Michael Gallup or Cee Dee Lamb AND a starting offensive lineman or a second-round draft pick---there is simply no way the Jets will move their star safety, especially while holding all the power with up to two potential years left on his rookie contract, plus another year if he gets the franchise tag.

The animosity developed between the Jets and Cowboys over the past year or so has not only driven up the demands from Florham Park, but it has most likely taken the Cowboys out of any consideration should the Jets decide to move on from their disgruntled star safety.

Furthermore, Jamal Adams has shown himself to be a leader both on and off the field.

The Jets appear reluctant to talk about a contract because they own his rights for another two years, plus a potential franchise tag in 2022. Adams is on record as wanting to become the NFL's highest-paid safety and deservedly so. He has out-performed his rookie deal and is the best player at his position.

As Teddy “KGB” famously said in the movie Rounders: “Pay him. Pay that man his money.”

Douglas and the Jets’ front office will eventually repeat those words because of the business side of the NFL. Both camps will ultimately take their time in getting the best deal they can, likely keeping the first-rounder with the Jets for years to come.

June 23, 2020 at 04:00AM
Where Should Bettors Expect Jamal Adams to Play in 2020?

New on Sports Illustrated: With Coronavirus Surging, MLB's Return Plan Doesn't Matter

As COVID-19 cases continue rising, baseball would be better off with no season.

The 30 Major League Baseball owners want to play 60 games this year. The players want to play 70. Here’s a better idea: How about 0?

On Monday afternoon, the players voted against the owners’ most recent proposal, leaving it to commissioner Rob Manfred to mandate a season. He will likely try to set a schedule of 50 or so games. It doesn’t matter. This isn’t safe anymore. It probably never was.

Many of us have been distracted in recent days by calculating teams’ EBITDA when we should have been calculating states’ coronavirus case rates. I wrote last week that the owners are being intransigent. They are. But the news on Friday of COVID-19 outbreaks in Phillies camp, in Clearwater, Fla.; and in Blue Jays camp, in Dunedin, Fla.; and in Giants camp, in Scottsdale, Ariz., have made it clear: The labor issue is not the problem. The virus is.

This was supposed to be the easy part. Only a handful of players have reported to spring training facilities, and they are not yet playing games. All the teams had to do was test players and staff a few times upon arrival and then keep them isolated. And yet here we are, with all 30 camps shut down as the league tries to formulate a consistent testing protocol. That’s right: The league and the union have spent three months arguing over money. The teams have opened their facilities. And yet they still lack a consistent testing protocol.

Sports are a treat you get when you live in a functioning society. We do not live in a functioning society. We live in a society in which more than 118,000 people have died of COVID-19, the curves are pointed upward … and states are responding by reopening.

One of MLB’s early plans called for it to stage the season in a quarantine bubble of sorts—with teams either clustered in Arizona or split among Arizona, Florida and Texas. That option might have kept everyone safe. But it evaporated when players scoffed at the idea of months locked in hotels and owners decried the loss of stadium sponsorships. So they settled on the more dangerous plan of playing in their home ballparks, flying from state to state and then returning to their families—and to their local grocery stores.

Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, Texas and Washington all reported record highs in cases in the last two weeks. Those seven states represent the homes of 14 MLB teams—15 if the Blue Jays are unable to travel from Toronto and need to play at their spring training site in Dunedin, Fla. As bars and restaurants welcome back customers, young people have found themselves disproportionately stricken. And scientists continue to caution that we do not know what the long-term effects of this disease will be. Even people who recover are often left with lung damage, hardly ideal for a professional athlete.

The virus is not going anywhere. The discussions between the owners and the players aren’t, either. So how about this? Manfred and union head Tony Clark should cancel the season, take two weeks off and then spend the next nine months negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement to replace the one that is due to expire in December 2021. At this point, after all the leaks and counter-leaks, proposals and counter-proposals, statements and counter-statements, the sides distrust each other as much as they ever have. It’s hard to see how they will avoid a work stoppage in ’22.

Even if they scrape together a season this year, it will not feel legitimate. Some players will opt out entirely, focusing on their own health or those of their high-risk family members. Many of those who remain, especially pitchers, will be forced to decide whether to risk injury in pursuit of a World Series that will always have an asterisk attached. The joy we usually associate with the sport—the high fives after home runs, the dogpiles after walk-offs—will be banned in an attempt to keep the players safe. They won’t even be allowed to spit. And a flare-up could scuttle the whole thing at any point.

Almost no one in baseball truly believes that the players will be able to stick to a strict quarantine. The belief that you are invincible allows you to stand in the box and face 99 mph on the black. It also makes you likely to go to a bar during a pandemic. And then what? If the Phillies and the Blue Jays and the Giants are any indication, it will be nearly impossible to contain an outbreak. For months people around the sport have asked: What happens when a player tests positive? A better question would be: What happens when half a dozen players test positive?

A canceled season would affect thousands of team employees who make their livelihoods from the sport. Most of the major league players should be able to survive on the $170 million salary advance the league doled out in March. The owners, most of them billionaires, claim they would lose $640,000 for each regular season game played without fans. In that case, they can take the money they will save on major league salaries and pay everyone else.

For a few weeks in April, people in baseball were captivated by the idea of being the first sport to return. That did not happen. Maybe that was for the best. Now baseball has a chance to be the first sport to do the right thing: not play at all.

June 23, 2020 at 03:54AM
With Coronavirus Surging, MLB's Return Plan Doesn't Matter

New on Sports Illustrated: Luis Castillo Fantasy Outlook: Budding Ace With Attainable Areas of Growth

A lights-out changeup is the elite pitch carrying Cincinnati Reds pitcher Luis Castillo. SI Fantasy's Shawn Childs believes an improved command of his fastball would take him to new heights.

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Luis Castillo pushed forward on his promising upside in 2019. He set career-highs and played his way into the hearts and minds of fantasy fans. While he had a jump in wins (15), ERA (3.40), and strikeouts (226), Castillo still left something to be desired.

His walk rate (3.7) inflated when considering his prior success (2.6) in 2018. Most disappointment should’ve been offset by a dramatic increase in his strikeout rate (10.7 – 8.8).

In his first 24 appearances, Castillo posted an 11-4 record with a 2.69 ERA, .192 BAA, and 172 strikeouts over 143.2 innings. He gave up two or fewer runs in 19 of those starts. Over his final eight starts, he shot himself in the foot with three blow-up games (18 runs and 27 baserunners over 15.1 innings and a 5.55 ERA), yet batters only hit .230 in those games.

He did improve his HR/9 rate (1.5 to 1.0 in 2019), and the damage in home runs (13 over 358 at-bats) mostly came from lefty hitters. Castillo provided an edge against right-handed hitters (.194) and lefties (.209). His average fastball (96.5) held firm between his last two seasons.

Castillo’s strength came from a near-unhittable changeup (.129 BAA and 153 Ks over 295 at-bats) and a plus slider (.195 BAA). He mixes in a four-seam (.272 BAA) and sinker (.289 BA) and any improvement in those two pitches will yield huge results. His use of his fastball and sinker needs better location in the strike zone. A contributing factor with his struggle with command started with a decline in his first-pitch strike rate (56).

With improvement in walk rate and avoiding the big inning, Castillo should continue to round into an elite pitcher. He is on the verge of something special, especially if he can deliver 65-percent strikes. Better location with his fastball is key. Castillo is at his best when forcing hitters into grounders (55.2 percent – 52.0 in his career), yet his HR/FB rate (17.9) is a clear weakness and holding him back. A tempting ace with an ADP of 44. I’m projecting a sub-2.50 ERA with about 250 strikeouts.

Latest SI Fantasy Baseball

June 23, 2020 at 03:43AM
Luis Castillo Fantasy Outlook: Budding Ace With Attainable Areas of Growth

Multimillion-dollar grant for Queensland research into superbug drugs

A UQ research team will get $16 million to develop a new antibiotic, as the global fight against superbugs becomes more urgent.

from Sydney Morning Herald - National
Read More

'Serious disorder': UK finances were close to collapse, says Bank of England governor

Woolworths underpayments blow out to $390 million, flags redundancies

Tablet interactive: Coronavirus outbreak

Follow news and events as they happen.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Shorten says Dyson Heydon should be stripped of Australian honours

Former Labor leader Bill Shorten has called for former High Court judge Dyson Heydon to be stripped of his Australian honours after an independent investigation found he sexually harassed six junior court staff.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

'Nowhere near the end': Virus surge jolts prospects for world economy

Only one other Bomber deemed close contact of McKenna, players told

Essendon players have been told that only one player has been deemed a close contact of Conor McKenna following a Department of Health and Human Services investigation.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Multimillion-dollar grant for Queensland research into superbug drugs

A UQ research team will get $16 million to develop a new antibiotic, as the global fight against superbugs becomes more urgent.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Japanese supercomputer Fugaku crowned the world's most powerful

China and the United States are locked in a contest to develop the world's most powerful computers. Now a massive machine in Japan has topped them both.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

'Very different than in March': Sebastian Kurz, Morrison's unlikely new ally, looks to second wave

A world leader working closely with Scott Morrison on the coronavirus outbreak has cast doubt on using nationwide lockdowns to combat a second wave.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Greenwood's all-round impact boosts Suns

But for all his good work on the field against former club Adelaide on Sunday, it's behind the scenes that Greenwood has truly impressed coach Stuart Dew.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Low rates for years as economy meanders: Lowe

Record low interest rates will remain for years, according to RBA governor Philip Lowe, to deal with the shadow cast by the coronavirus pandemic

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Travel bubble on the cards for Queensland after Victorian spike

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is open to the idea of creating a travel bubble with neighbouring New South Wales following an alarming spike in coronavirus cases in Victoria.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Royal family photos proof they're winning 'quarantine style'

As unofficial family photographer, Duchess Catherine wasn't in the snaps but her handprints were all over the fashion choices of the family.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

Where to get tested for coronavirus in Queensland

Coronavirus assessment centres have been established across Queensland.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

'I won't judge anyone': Harris says some Warriors may skip Storm clash

Warriors second-rower Tohu Harris has shone a light on the crucial role Kearney played as a father figure during the New Zealand side's time away from family.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

BBC NEWS - Panama exhumes remains of 19 victims from 1989 US invasion

The remains of 19 people are removed from a cemetery in a fresh bid to identify all the victims.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53132497

BBC NEWS : Coronavirus: Poorer households funding lockdown with debt, says think tank

Lower-income households 'twice as likely than richer ones' to have increased debts during the crisis.

June 22, 2020 at 06:44AM

from BBC News - Business
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-53131643

Stockland cuts distribution as values fall, CEO to retire

Stockland is revising its distribution at the same time as chief executive and managing director Mark Steinert is retiring after seven and half years on the job.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/2Nfk7cA
Read More

FOX NEWS:- Political fallout from Trump's controversial Tulsa rally continues

Political fallout from Trump's controversial Tulsa rally continues

Casey Stegall reports with the latest.

via FOX NEWS http://video.foxnews.com/v/6166213635001

New on Sports Illustrated: Report: 40 MLB Players, Staff Tested Positive for COVID-19 in Past Week, 'Sense of Urgency' in Negotiations

The recent COVID-19 test results in MLB have reportedly created a "sense of urgency" in negotiations on the 2020 season.

Recent COVID-19 testing results have reportedly played a factor in MLB's ongoing negotiations to hold a 2020 season.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, 40 MLB players and staff members tested positive for the coronavirus in the past week. The recent surge of positive tests has reportedly created a "sense of urgency" among league owners and players in negotiations to come to an agreement.

The MLB Players Association reportedly delayed its vote on the league's proposal for a 60-game season with full prorated salaries on Sunday after union executive director Tony Clark received a letter from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. In the letter, Manfred proposed that the league's offer would amend previous agreements and remove expanded playoffs and the universal designated hitter rule from the 2021 season, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Under the latest proposals between MLB and the players' union, both parties agreed that a shortened 2020 season would start on July 19. That target date is now unlikely to be met with the latest coronavirus tests, per Nightengale.

With the rise in positive COVID-19 results among MLB, players are reportedly concerned that the coronavirus could shorten the season to fewer than the proposed 60 games and further reduce pay. The players' union had previously countered the league's offer with a 70-game proposal, but MLB is unwilling to go beyond its current offer.

MLB has reportedly closed all Spring Training facilities in Arizona and Florida for sanitation after individuals from multiple teams tested positive for COVID-19. The Philadelphia Phillies, Toronto Blue Jays, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels have all had players or visitors that either tested positive or showed symptoms of coronavirus in recent days at their respective training facilities, according to multiple reports.

If the MLBPA board denies the league's 60-game proposal, Manfred will reportedly set the season between 54 and 60 games, as outlined in the March 26 agreement between the league and union. There is "little to no appetite" for MLB to cancel the 2020 season, with COVID-19 being the "bigger threat" to the year, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.

June 22, 2020 at 06:30AM
Report: 40 MLB Players, Staff Tested Positive for COVID-19 in Past Week, 'Sense of Urgency' in Negotiations

Stockland cuts distribution as values fall, CEO to retire

Flush with cash, Chinese tech giants are scouring the globe for bargains

For many businesses, the two-pronged threat of a pandemic and recession is enough of a reason to be conservative on spending. But not for China's cash-rich tech giants.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Latest News
Read More

BBC NEWS - Coronavirus: Brazil becomes second country to pass 50,000 deaths

The grim milestone comes days after Brazil confirmed more than one million Covid-19 cases.

https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

from BBC News - World https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-53132225

Flush with cash, Chinese tech giants are scouring the globe for bargains

'A fateful week': Billionaire mogul could scupper Lufthansa's $15b rescue

Lufthansa faces one of the most momentous weeks in a near 70-year history, with a clash between its biggest investor and the German government threatening to scupper a $15 billion bailout.

from Sydney Morning Herald - Business https://ift.tt/3dn0jif
Read More

Pages

Total Pageviews

Latest SI Fantasy Baseball

Highlights Today !

Most viewed post