Passion MLB Roster Update: Week 15

As a sign that the 2026 Major League Baseball season has already passed the halfway mark, we're just a few days away from the MLB All-Star Game.
So without further ado, here's the latest edition of Passion MLB's power rankings. Last week's rankings are shown in parentheses.
1 – Los Angeles Dodgers (1)
2 – Milwaukee Brewers (2)
3 – Atlanta Braves (3)
4 – Tampa Bay Rays (4)
5 – Chicago Cubs (7)
6 – Philadelphia Phillies (5)
7 – New York Yankees (6)
He's th

Statistically speaking, we're halfway through the 2026 Major League Baseball season. However, the All-Star Game is considered the unofficial midseason break.
And with just a few days to go before the All-Star Game, now is the perfect time to look back on the first half of this season by examining the biggest disappointments of the past few months in MLB.
First things first, let's start with Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With a $500 million contract in hand, Vladdy is going through the worst stretch of h

We were all waiting to see how that matter would turn out.
Now we have the answer.
The Ducks have finally decided to match the Flyers' hostile offer sheet for Leo Carlsson. Remember, we're talking about a five-year contract that will pay the Swede $18 million per season…The Ducks have matched the Leo Carlsson offer sheet
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 9, 2026In a statement, the Ducks' owners (Henry and Susan Samueli) said they were thrilled with Pat Verbeek's decision.
But

The trend is Canadian authors and their books being adapted into successful streaming series. It hasn’t even been a year and already there are three high-profile shows that have taken up a lot of cultural space. Of course the loudest among them is Heated Rivalry, which premiered last November on Crave and then HBO in the US, based on Rachel Reid’s books. Filming for season two starts very soon. Then this summer it was Elle Kennedy’s Off Campus on Prime, with production already

Mike Commodore isn’t one to mince words.
And that's nothing new.
The former NHL defenseman was known as a player who ruffled feathers on the ice. And even though he's 46 now, that doesn't seem to have changed…
On X, Commodore posted something last night that's got people talking. He says he received a “threatening” email from the Oilers… and I think I might know the reason behind it all.Evening, folks… hey @EdmontonOilers… thanks for the threatening

Martin St-Louis will have a new assistant coach behind the Canadiens’ bench next season: Derek Lalonde.
Lalonde will replace Trevor Letowski, whose contract expired on July 1.
The Habs are expected to make the announcement in the coming hours. Officially, the organization will say that Trevor Letowski wanted to spend more time with his family and that a hiring process began once Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton learned of Letowski's intention.
Is that really what happened? Honestly, I don't kno

If you gather together all the rumours about Jack Antonoff, the reputational portrait that can be pieced together by Lena Dunham’s anecdotes and, of course, the social media projections that have infested our timelines, Taylor Swift’s “tolerate it” from the evermore album might work as the soundtrack for Margaret Qualley’s decision to leave.This is conjecture. What’s confirmed is that Margaret and Jack are indeed separated. Shortly after my post about the onli

The Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup a few weeks ago.
And as usual, members of the organization had their names engraved on the coveted trophy, which is always special.
Because it's true that it must be pretty crazy, having your name engraved on the Stanley Cup…
But this year, the whole thing is causing a stir for… different reasons.
In fact, Tom Dundon, the team's owner, also decided to have his family's names (his wife and children) engraved on the Stanley Cup… and let's jus

We continue toward the “Dunesday” apocalypse absolutely no one asked for, with Dune: Part Three and Avengers: Doomsday opening on the same day in December. I feel intense dread about this. You know me, I want to check the f-ck out in December, not deal with two of the biggest movies of the year at the same damn time. Alas. Between the two of them, I am more excited for Dune: Part Three, which isn’t saying the most because I am fairly neutral on Denis Villeneuve’s Dune fra

Dear Gossips,It won’t just be Madonna, Shakira, BTS, and Justin Bieber on stage for the first-ever FIFA World Cup halftime show. They will also be joined by Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel, the PS 22 Chorus featuring Coldplay …and the Muppets. Also the performance is supposed to be a mere 11 minutes. Which is why the immediate reaction after the announcement yesterday was… howww? But also it might explain why BTS doesn’t need that much rehearsal time since they’re on t

‘Play loud, Celebrate proud — Together We Are Stronger’ is the tagline for the 2026 Vancouver Carnaval del Sol. But anyone who has attended Latincouver’s annual celebration of the city’s vibrant Latin American communities knows there should be on more part to that slogan:‘Come hungry.’From July 10 to 12, the familiar green space at Jonathan Rogers Park will transform into a multicultural summer fiesta with music from across the Caribbean, Central, North

Brandon Aiyuk’s future in the NFL seems increasingly uncertain.While several observers are speculating about the possibility of him leaving the San Francisco 49ers, the star wide receiver has been posting a string of controversial messages on social media—a behavior that could put off several teams, including the Washington Commanders.
For several weeks now, the 28-year-old has been making a series of scathing statements on Instagram. In particular, he has lashed out at his current t

Last night, Eric Engels announced that Derek Lalonde had been hired as Martin St-Louis's assistant.
This wasn't news we were expecting, given that we didn't really know Trevor Letowski was going to step down from his position to spend more time with his family.
It surprised a lot of people, of course. But the addition of an experienced coach is not to be underestimated with the Habs.
The question is, what does this mean for the rest of the Canadiens' coaching staff in terms of their contracts mo

Summer is now truly here, thanks to the mild weather we've had over the past few days, and our sport is the big winner when it comes to this factor, which is so important for its smooth operation.
So let's start with some news from the Bas-Saint-Laurent region in the Puribec League. As a reminder, this league has been providing quality baseball to the region's residents since 1978. With the season already halfway through, the Kamouraska and Rivière-du-Loup teams are standing out at the to

Yesterday, the Utah Mammoth announced that Barrett Hayton would remain in Salt Lake City for the upcoming season. The Western Conference team matched the Devils' hostile offer.
And of course, on the other side, we're also waiting to see if the Ducks will choose to keep Leo Carlsson at $18 million per season, following the Flyers' hostile offer.
The answer will come tomorrow, at the latest.
The fact that hostile bids are becoming commonplace (not to mention the threats of hostile bids that shake

When it comes to teams with a unclear direction, the Pittsburgh Penguins have to be at the top of the list. For several years now, we've been waiting for the much-talked-about rebuild, but it never seems to happen.Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang aren't getting any younger and can no longer carry the team on their own. This year, despite making the playoffs, the Pennsylvania team was eliminated by the Philadelphia Flyers in six games in the first round.
Despite all this, it appears

Félix Forget and Charles-Alexis Brisebois discussed the Blue Jays’ offensive resurgence, the All-Star Game, and Justin Verlander’s career.
Enjoy the show.We'd like to remind you that anyone who wants to listen to us live can do so every Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Facebook, X, and YouTube. We record live to answer everyone's questions.
However, those who prefer to listen in a more traditional podcast format can also do so at any time on all major podcast platforms.Spotify
YouTube
A

On Wednesday evening, the Canadiens surprised their fans with the announcement that Derek Lalonde would be taking over as head coach.
We wish Trevor Letowski all the best as he spends more time with his family. In the meantime, there are several implications.
First, Martin St-Louis will finally have an assistant coach with extensive NHL experience.
Lalonde served as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings and won two Stanley Cups as an assistant coach in Tampa Bay. He just wrapped up last season wit

There will be a change behind the bench for the Canadiens next season.
According to Eric Engels, Derek Lalonde is set to join the team as an assistant coach.
He is expected to take over for Trevor Letowski, who has reportedly decided to step down from his position to spend more time with his family.The Montreal Canadiens are hiring Derek Lalonde to join their coaching staff as an assistant. He will be replacing Trevor Letowski, who has decided to step down from his role to spend more time with h

Rumors of a trade involving Matthew Knies have been swirling everywhere since the trade deadline, as he was among the players suspected of being the “mystery player” in the Canadiens' trade that fell through.
It's curious, however, to think that the Maple Leafs would want to trade a young player of Knies' caliber.
Nick Kypreos shared his take on the situation during the July 1 taping of the show “Real Kyper & Bourne.” According to him, Toronto doesn't see the same pot

This morning, the big story surrounding the Blue Jays was the famous dragon. After all, last night it helped the offense get back on track.
And today, in San Francisco, it made a difference on offense as well. It even allowed Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to hit a home run. Yes, yes!
But that's not the story of today's game. Nor is it the five-run first inning, where Kazuma Okamoto hit a grand slam. Nor is it Daulton Varsho's superb catch in the eighth.
The story is what Varsho helped preserve.
Dylan Ce

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about Gleb Pugachyov is his imposing physique. We've all seen the footage of him crushing his opponents during games in Russia, but physicality can't be a hockey player's only strength.
Pugachyov is still developing and will continue to do so for a few more years. However, he's trying to model his game after one of his childhood idols: Alexander Radulov.
Oren Weizman of HabsWorld.net wrote a list of interesting facts about the Canadiens' first-roun

The nominees for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Wednesday. And there weren’t many nods on the list for local productions and talent.The only nominee from a Hollywood North production to appear in the major award categories was actor Sally Field, nominated for her role in the Vancouver-filmed Netflix feature Remarkably Bright Creatures . The multiple Oscar and Golden Globe-winning star is nominated in the lead actress, limited series, anthology or movie category.Based on

The nominees for the 2026 Primetime Emmy Awards were announced on Wednesday. And there weren’t many nods on the list for local productions and talent.The only nominee from a Hollywood North production to appear in the major award categories was actor Sally Field, nominated for her role in the Vancouver-filmed Netflix feature Remarkably Bright Creatures . The multiple Oscar and Golden Globe-winning star is nominated in the lead actress, limited series, anthology or movie category.Based on

Jac Caglianone and Willson Contreras at the home run derby
Junior Caminero and Ben Rice will be there too.
Jac Caglianone has announced he will participate in the T-Mobile Home Run Derby! pic.twitter.com/xaG82mSkNn
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 8, 2026
Willson Contreras announced on Instagram that he'll participate in the Home Run Derby!
(Via: WillsonContreras40/IG) pic.twitter.com/Kr383BjmXZ
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) July 8, 2026
Alex Cora's Generosity
H

I know we should never talk about Rihanna in terms of “just like us” but seeing these pictures of her heading to CVS with all three of her babies in New York when she could have totally asked a member of her team to go get whatever it was that she needed… is maybe more “us” than so many other celebrities? Sort of?She has security with her, I know, and that’s not how civilian parents roll and she certainly doesn’t have to worry about what’s on sale

For several weeks now, speculation has been circulating about Shedeur Sanders’ future with the Cleveland Browns.
Some NFL observers have raised the possibility of a trade involving the young quarterback, but all signs point to the organization having no intention of letting him go.
According to reports by analyst James Palmer, Browns management remains fully committed to Sanders and has no plans to trade him, despite the numerous rumors fueling discussions during the offseason.
The team st

Bad news for the Chicago Blackhawks.
Last week, Connor Bedard was injured during an on-ice practice. He was seen in a lot of pain after suffering an injury to his left shoulder.
Remember that last season, he also injured his shoulder… except that time it was his right shoulder.
And now, just minutes ago, the Blackhawks confirmed that Bedard will need surgery to repair his shoulder. And we're talking about a recovery period that will last… four months.
He'll therefore miss the start

I’ve been following the Emmys since I can remember and writing about them for almost as long. But I have to say this is the first year I, a Canadian who is not a Television Academy voter, have felt like there’s really some impact we can have on the results.Am I delusional? Is this just copium*? I feel as though in previous years, I might have been shouting into the wind about how certain nominations meant you should care about the show, but those shouts would be drowned out by fully

Over the past few days, it has emerged that the CH has been strongly linked to defenseman Reilly Walsh. According to reports, Walsh—who had been playing in Russia—was on the verge of reaching an agreement with the Habs.
While not a blockbuster signing, he had the profile to bring some interesting depth to the organization.
And now, just minutes ago, the Canadiens confirmed the rumors: Reilly Walsh has joined the organization.
The right-handed defenseman has signed a one-year contract