Joe Cool

Atlanta Dream re-signing Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon, AP source says

· Yahoo Sports

The Atlanta Dream are bringing back Allisha Gray, Brionna Jones and Naz Hillmon, all of whom have agreed to deals, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

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The person spoke to The Associated Press Friday night on condition of anonymity because contracts can't be signed until Saturday.

Gray averaged 18.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists to earn first team all-WNBA honors last season for the first time in her career. She finished fourth in MVP voting.

The 31-year-old Gray was the Rookie of the Year in 2017 and is a three-time All-Star.

Jones averaged 12.8 points and 7.3 rebounds last year in her first season with the Dream after playing her first eight years with Connecticut. The 30-year-old suffered a meniscus tear in late January while playing for a club in the Czech Republic, but is expected to be back in time for the start of the season.

Hillmon earned Sixth Woman of the Year honors last season after she averaged a career-best 8.6 pints, 6.2 rebounds and 2.4 assists.

ESPN was the first to report the deals.

It's been a productive week for the Dream, who acquired young star Angel Reese from the Chicago Sky on Monday. The team is also expected to re-sign Rhyne Howard and Jordin Canada.

This has been a busy offseason since the league and the players’ union signed a transformational labor deal that saw average salaries rise nearly fourfold. Players can earn over $1 million annually for the first time in league history, which is more than four times the previous maximum salary. More than 80% of players in the league are free agents.

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AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-basketball

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নতুন দায়িত্ব পেলেন প্রণয় ভার্মা

· Kaler Kantho

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Up-and-down prospect Keider Montero pitching to earn Tigers' rotation spot

· Yahoo Sports

Up-and-down prospect Keider Montero pitching to earn Tigers' rotation spot originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Keider Montero's first MLB job has centered on serving as a secondhand rotational player with the Detroit Tigers.

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Six times last season, Montero was called up by the Tigers. Twice, he was summoned for a doubleheader spot start.

Six times, he made the nearly one-hour drive back to Toledo, Ohio, returning to the Triple-A Mud Hens to wait for his next opportunity.

"The message (to him) has really been to control what he can and continue to push forward in the areas where we want him to get better," Tigers manager A.J. Hinch said, as reported by MLB.com. "He takes everything in stride. He trusts himself. He trusts us.

"He knows he's going to be part of this. He clearly wants to be a regular with us and he will be. I don't know when and I don't know how long or how much."

In short, Montero shouldn't get comfortable in Detroit.

Not yet, anyway.

Tigers' Keider Montero seeks long-term MLB role 

The Tigers entered the regular season with what appeared to be a deep starting staff, headlined by two-time AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal. High-profile free-agent acquisition Framber Valdez, veteran Jack Flaherty, potential Hall of Famer Justin Verlander and Casey Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, broke camp as the initial rotation.

Before Valdez and Verlander signed prior to the start of spring training, however, Montero trained as if a starting spot was available to earn. The third-year professional lost the numbers game -- again.    

And once again, when the Tigers faced a rotational void with Verlander's injury, Hinch reached out to Montero, who started Friday's 2-0 victory over the hard-running Miami Marlins (8-6) at Comerica Park. Making his second start, Montero (1-1) yielded zero runs on two hits, striking out seven and walking one. 

The velocity on his fastballs averaged 96.3 mph, up from 93.9 mph last season.

Over the past three seasons, he made 40 appearances (29 starts), posting an 11-10 record with a 4.56 earned-run average.

Are the Tigers showcasing Montero for a possible trade?

Should Montero ever get comfortable in Detroit?

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