TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Tampa Bay Buccaneers left tackle Tristan Wirfs was a no-show Tuesday for the start of the club’s voluntary organized team activities.
An All-Pro at right tackle two years ago, Wirfs made a smooth transition to left tackle last season and is scheduled to earn $18.24 million this fall under the fifth-year option of the rookie contract he signed as the 13th overall pick in the 2020 draft.
Coach Todd Bowles, who watched Tuesday’s OTA workout from a golf cart as he recovers from left knee replacement surgery, did not directly answer a question about whether Wirfs’ absence was related to the status of talks aimed at a contract extension.
“I’m aware that it’s voluntary and me and Tristan had a conversation, we’ve had plenty of conversations,” Bowles said. “He’s been here all offseason, so I’m comfortable with that.”
The Bucs have had a busy offseason, focusing on retaining the core of a roster that’s won three straight NFC South championships and made four consecutive playoff appearances.
In addition to re-signing quarterback Baker Mayfield, franchise career receiving leader Mike Evans and long-time defensive standout Lavonte David in March, general manager Jason Licht last week made All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. the highest-paid defensive back (four years, $84 million) in NFL history.
Licht reiterated this week that the Bucs remain committed to rewarding Wirfs, a Pro Bowl selection in his first season as a left tackle, with a long-term extension.
“It was a big puzzle this year of how to fit it all in,” Licht said Monday during a news conference to announce Winfield’s new contract. “Hopefully we can finish this off.”
Winfield was a second-round draft pick in 2020, when he and Wirfs became immediate starters and helped Tampa Bay win the Super Bowl as rookies.
The 25-year-old safety is excited about the prospect of Wirfs becoming the next key component of the team to land a new deal.
“I texted Tristan the other day like: ‘It’s coming bro, I already know it.’ It’s been amazing to play with him,” Winfield said.
“Coming out of the same class, I feel like once we got in here, you know, we’ve both worked extremely hard. We both just wanted to come in here and just do great things,” Winfield added. “So far to this point, I feel like we’ve both had great careers and I hope that continues down the line as we continue to grow and lead this team.”
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield runs during an NFL football organized team activity Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles walks with a cane as he watches during an NFL football organized team activity Tuesday, May 21, 2024, in Tampa, Fla. Bowles had minor knee surgery earlier this week. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
CHICAGO (AP) — Clarke Schmidt and Nestor Cortes combined on a four-hitter, and the New York Yankees clinched their 32nd straight winning season by blanking the Chicago Cubs 2-0 on Saturday.
Schmidt pitched 4 2/3 innings of four-hit ball in his first big league game since May 26. Cortes (9-10) closed it out in his first relief appearance since 2021.
Coupled with Baltimore's 7-1 loss to Tampa Bay, New York moved back into first in the AL East. The Yankees (82-60) lead the Orioles by a half-game.
Cortes admitted he was upset when he learned he was going to pitch in relief.
“I’m never going to back down from a challenge,” Cortes said. “I’m never going to leave my teammates out to dry. You’re always going to get my best effort no matter if I’m happy or not. That’s what I did today. I came out there and proved I can be put in any situation. From here on out, if that’s my role, I’ll accept it.”
Schmidt had been sidelined by a right lat strain. He threw 75 pitches, 44 for strikes.
"I felt like I still had a lot of strength and I wasn’t fatiguing at all,” Schmidt said.
New York posted its second straight shutout to secure its first series win since it took two of three against Colorado from Aug. 23-25. The 32 straight seasons with a winning record is the second-longest such period in major league history, trailing a run of 39 consecutive seasons for the Yankees from 1926-64.
Chicago (72-70) has lost four of five on a crucial homestand as it tries to rally in the race for the third NL wild card. It beat Pittsburgh 12-0 on Wednesday, but it has managed a total of three other runs in its last five games, getting shut out three times.
“We feel like we have a good enough ballclub to be in the playoffs and in the picture, but we’re going to have to play a little bit better and keep pushing here,” left fielder Ian Happ said.
Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (7-5) allowed one earned run and three hits in 5 2/3 innings.
New York scored its first run when Austin Wells drove in Gleyber Torres with a groundout in the first. The Yankees made it 2-0 in the sixth when Aaron Judge swiped third as part of a double steal and scampered home on catcher Christian Bethancourt’s throwing error.
Judge, who leads the majors with 51 homers, went 0 for 3 with a walk. He hasn’t homered in 11 games in his longest streak of the season.
The Cubs had their best scoring opportunity in the fifth. Pete Crow-Armstrong singled with one out, but was caught stealing. Patrick Wisdom then tripled to right, but he was stranded when Cortes got Bethancourt to foul out.
“He handled it really well, came into a high-leverage situation with a runner on third and got the job done,” Wells said of Cortes. “From there, cruised.”
Yankees first baseman Anthony Rizzo heard more cheers in his second game back at Wrigley Field since he was traded by Chicago to New York in July 2021. He tipped his cap before his first at-bat and reached second on Crow-Armstrong’s dropped catch in center.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Yankees: Schmidt and RHP Ian Hamilton (right lat strain) were reinstated from the 60-day injured list before the game. RHPs Phil Bickford and Nick Burdi were designated for assignment.
Cubs: LHP Justin Steele (left elbow tendinitis) was scheduled to play catch Saturday. He went on the 15-day IL on Wednesday. ... RHP Hayden Wesneski (right forearm strain) threw an inning at Triple-A Iowa.
UP NEXT
RHP Gerrit Cole (6-3, 3.65 ERA) is slated to start for New York on Sunday on his 34th birthday. RHP Jameson Taillon (9-8, 3.66 ERA) takes the mound for Chicago in the finale of the weekend set. Taillon went 22-11 with a 4.08 ERA with the Yankees in 2021 and 2022.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb
New York Yankees starting pitcher Clarke Schmidt reacts in the dugout after being pulled during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
New York Yankees' Giancarlo Stanton, right, celebrates with teammate Gleyber Torres (25) after Torres scored on an Austin Wells ground out during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
Chicago Cubs starter Javier Assad delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
New York Yankees' Aaron Judge celebrates with teammates in the dugout after scoring on a throwing error by the catcher during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
New York Yankees starter Clarke Schmidt delivers a pitch during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago Cubs in Chicago, Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Beaty)
