Donovan Mitchell traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers

The trade package

The Cleveland Cavaliers receive:

• Donovan Mitchell

• First-round pick swaps in 2026 and 2028

The Utah Jazz receive:

• Collin Sexton

• Ochai Agbaji

• Lauri Markkanen

• Unprotected first-round picks in 2025, 2027, and 2029

• First-round pick swaps in 2026 and 2028

Where the Cavaliers are headed

The Cavaliers are officially a contender. They have three current all-stars in Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Donovan Mitchell, who are all 26 and under, and locked in for at least the next three seasons. The Cavs also have a promising Evan Mobley, who is coming off of a strong All-Rookie First Team appearance. This team has a very promising young core, and don't be surprised if you see them competing with some top teams in the East in the upcoming playoffs.

Where the Jazz are headed

We've known this since the Gobert trade, but the Jazz are in full rebuild mode. They have come out of this offseason with a Presti-like amount of picks. The Utah Jazz own FOURTEEN guaranteed first-round picks in the next 7 drafts! I wouldn't be shocked to see more trades over the upcoming months. Utah has dumped Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Patrick Beverly for some solid role players and a load of picks, so this team may take some time to come back to the playoff team they have been recently.

Where will the Cleveland Cavaliers place in the East next season?

Lonzo Ball is doubtful to start the season

Injury details

Lonzo Ball is coming off of his first season with the Chicago Bulls, which was cut short after only 35 games due to a meniscus tear in his right knee. He has reported pain in his left knee following surgery in January. Ball is not expected to play at training camp, and is doubtful to begin the season.

Injury history

Lonzo Ball is no stranger to injuries. He hasn't played a full season in the five years that he's been in the league, and this upcoming season is looking to be more of the same. He started only 50 games in his rookie season also because of a torn meniscus in his left knee with the Lakers. The most games that Lonzo has started in a season is 55 with the Pelicans in 2021, and the Bulls are definitely hoping to get him back as soon as possible, as he is a core part of their playoff team.

Can Albert Pujols reach 700 home runs?

The Albert Pujols storyline

Albert Pujols is 42 years old and in his 21st and final season, according to himself. He has 695 career home runs, and he needs only 5 more in the Cardinals' final 25 games of the season (he hit his latest homer as I was writing this). There is no reason that someone at this stage in their career should hit anywhere within a mile of what Pujols is doing right now, but here we are. He may be the greatest hitter-off-left-handed-pitchers of all time, and he's seemed to return to the Albert of old in his return with the Cardinals. When Pujols is facing a left-handed pitcher this season, he has an OPS of 1.191, but when he's facing a right-handed pitcher this season, he has an OPS of 0.609. The chances of Albert reaching 700 greatly depend on how often the Cardinals face lefties.

If Albert Pujols reaches this milestone of 700 home runs (more specifically 697), he will pass Alex Rodriguez for fourth all-time in home runs. Along the way, Pujols has broken and climbed the rankings in many records, such as the record for "Most Home Runs Off Of Different MLB Pitchers." Albert hit his 450th home run off of different pitchers on the 29th of August, passing Barry Bonds for the record. I don't think anyone (including myself, a lifelong Cardinals fan) believed he would even get close to this milestone at the start of the season, but Pujols has proven himself once again. As much as people want to doubt him because of his age, his recent seasons, or any other reason, The Machine is here to prove you wrong.

Who is the AL's Most Valuable Player?

It's down to two, and it has been for most of the season: Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani. The pair are each having historically great seasons, and it will come down to who has the more historically great season. We are truly in a great era of baseball.

Aaron Judge's case

Aaron Judge is leading the MLB by 18 home runs, having 54 55 of his own. Judge is on pace for 65 home runs, which would shatter Roger Maris' AL record of 61. Aaron Judge probably (definitely) is the best hitter of baseballs in the world. Aaron's MVP case seems to be more story-line based than Ohtani's, but I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing, especially when he has the  stats to back it up.

Shohei Ohtani's case

For Shohei Ohtani, this season has been more of the same. Luckily for Ohtani, more of the same means being the best all-around baseball player in the world. He's a very good hitter and an extremely high-level and skilled pitcher, and that puts him at the top tier of players where I believe he stands alone. A below average season for a player like Shohei (where there are no other players) is a season where they don't finish as at least a finalist in MVP voting.

Football is here!

First game of the season: Bills at Rams

Kickoff is tonight at 8:20 PM EST, with the Buffalo Bills heading to Los Angeles to face the reigning champion Rams. These are two of the best teams in the league, so could this be a possible Super Bowl match-up?

Who will win this game?

My season predictions

AFC playoff picture

• 1. Chiefs

• 2. Bengals

• 3. Bills

• 4. Titans

• 5. Chargers

• 6. Dolphins

• 7. Ravens

NFC playoff picture

• 1. Buccaneers

• 2. Packers

• 3. Rams

• 4. Cowboys

• 5. Cardinals

• 6. Saints

• 7. 49ers

Thank you all so much for reading this, it took me a while to write but I'm really proud of it and I can't wait to do more with this project in the future! Let me know what you thought of this, and if you have any feedback, send me a message on Twitter at @Big4_Show.