The lead story: The Knicks are still looking for their superstar. Donovan Mitchell will not be coming home after the Jazz traded him to the Cavaliers on Thursday in a blockbuster deal. The move came after the Knicks balked at Utah’s steep demands.
The sidebars: The Giants dumped linebacker Blake Martinez in a surprise move. The Mets took two out of three from the Dodgers after rallying in a getaway game. And the Yankees will try to avoid letting the AL East fall into complete chaos this weekend at the Rays.
The standings: The Mets (84-48) have a three-game lead on the Braves atop the NL East (standings and loss column). Their lead on the Cardinals for the No. 2 seed in the NL is 7.5 games (seven in the loss column). And they trail the Dodgers for the NL’s top seed by seven games (eight in the loss column).
The Yankees (79-52) have a six-game lead on the Rays for first place in the AL East. The loss column edge is five games. They also have a 10-game lead on the Guardians for the No. 2 seed in the AL (nine in the loss column). They are five games back of the Astros for home field advantage in the AL (standings and loss column).
The schedule: The Yankees are at the Rays at 7:10 p.m. And the Mets will host the Nationals at 7:10 p.m.
More on ESNY:
• Here are some potential Jacob deGrom Mets contract numbers
• Yankees may finally see if Harrison Bader trade pays off
• How New York legend Regis Philbin befuddled McDonald’s employees
• Craig Carton’s new FS1 show has name, start date
• Should Giants have kept Tom Coughlin? Mike Francesa weighs in
• Aaron Donald radio interview goes hilariously awry
• Giants’ Graham Gano is good fantasy pick, MAGA Twitter guy says
James Kratch can be reached at james.kratch@xlmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @JamesKratch.
