Viktor Hovland and Matthew Wolff are about to team up again.

No, they aren't donning the orange and black they wore while guiding Oklahoma State to a national championship in 2018. Instead the two fledgling pros will join forces at next month's QBE Shootout, where they will comprise one of the 12 two-person teams competing in Naples, Fla.

Wolff broke into the winner's circle shortly after turning pro at the 3M Open this summer, while Hovland was low amateur at both the Masters and U.S. Open before earning his PGA Tour card at Korn Ferry Tour Finals. They'll play together Dec. 13-15 in the 54-hole, unofficial event which features scramble, modified alternate shot and fourball formats.

Other teams include former Ryder Cup teammates Graeme McDowell and Ian Poulter, fellow FedExCup champs Billy Horschel and Brandt Snedeker, and tournament defending champs Patton Kizzire and Brian Harman. LPGA star Lexi Thompson returns for the fourth straight year, this time pairing with veteran Sean O'Hair.

Kevin Kisner will team up with Charley Hoffman, although with the event played at the same time as the Presidents Cup there could potentially be a lineup change if Kisner is chosen as an injury replacement for world No. 1 Brooks Koepka. Two-time Masters champ Bubba Watson will play alongside Charles Howell III.

Other teams include Corey Conners and Andrew Putnam, Rory Sabbatini and Kevin Tway, Ryan Palmer and Harold Varner III, Jason Kokrak and J.T. Poston, and Chez Reavie and Kevin Chappell.

Hosted by Greg Norman, the tournament will be played at the Tiburon Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort in Naples.

Tiger Woods has committed to play in the 2020 Genesis Invitational, where he will serve as tournament host for an event with newfound status.

Woods made his PGA Tour debut at Riviera Country Club as a 16-year-old amateur in 1992, and in February he'll return to headline the field for what was formerly known as the Genesis Open. Last year the PGA Tour granted the event elevated status, meaning the field will be trimmed from 144 to 120 players, the purse will jump from $7.4 million to $9.3 million and the winner will receive a three-year Tour exemption rather than the two-year exemption that most other tournament winners get.

It's the same status afforded two other Tour stops tied to greats of the game, the Arnold Palmer Invitational and Memorial Tournament.

"It's an honor for us to be in the same category as Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer," Woods said in a release. "Those are two legends of the game. For us to have that type of elevation, all the things we want to have happen for the tournament are going to happen."

A native of Southern California, Woods did not play the Tour's annual Los Angeles-area event from 2007-2017. But he returned last year, missing the cut, and tied for 15th earlier this year. His 13 tournament appearances are the most of any Tour event he has never won.

Woods won twice this year, including a 15th major title at the Masters and a victory last month at the Zozo Championship that tied him with Sam Snead for the Tour's all-time wins record. He is expected to make his next start at the unofficial Hero World Challenge before serving as a playing captain at the Presidents Cup.

The Genesis Invitational will take place Feb. 13-16 in Pacific Palisades, Calif.

U.S. Soccer Federation sporting director Earnie Stewart indicated that Gregg Berhalter's job as men's national team manager is safe, no matter what the results are in the upcoming Concacaf Nations League matches against Canada and Cuba.

Berhalter has come under fire recently for some poor results, namely a 3-0 friendly defeat to rivals Mexico back in September in which the U.S. was thoroughly outplayed, as well as a 2-0 loss to Canada in the Nations League last month. The latter defeat makes Friday's rematch against the Reds in Orlando a must-win if the U.S. is to progress in the competition.

- Watch U.S. vs. Canada live at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2
- CONCACAF Nations League: All you need to know

Speaking on a conference with reporters, Stewart was asked directly if Berhalter's job was safe, no matter what the results are against Canada and Cuba, Stewart said, "We're looking at the future, so yeah. When I evaluate Gregg and the coaching staff, and what I've seen today, I'm a pleased man. An individual result is not going to change that. I think that answers the question in itself."

Stewart admitted that the performance against Canada "wasn't good enough", but he believes the U.S. men have made progress in the last year.

"I do think there's been progress, I really do," he said. "What we've seen in the Gold Cup is that in Concacaf we have a really good level, and that we can play the game we want to play. Getting to a place where we can do that over 90 minutes, that's the place we need to get to. That progression is there, except against teams like a very good team in Mexico and a very good team like Uruguay, it becomes a little bit more difficult."

Berhalter has also come under criticism for implementing a possession-based, play-out-of-the-back style. The U.S. has at times struggled to implement this approach, leading to concerns that it doesn't necessarily fit the collective skillset of the player pool. Stewart believes he seen enough positive moments that the approach is the right one.

"Our players showed that they can perform at a really, really high level. The question is not so much, can these players do that, because they've already shown that they can. What I would say is we need to do that over 90 minutes, and that's something that we're constantly talking about. How can we get there? How can we progress to have enough players to keep that and maintain that for 90 minutes."

Stewart's optimistic outlook extends to qualification for the 2022 World Cup.

"I have no fear that we're not going to qualify for the World Cup," he said. "I'm very, very confident about that."

Stewart also hit back against what he called "conspiracy theories" about the process in which Berhalter was hired. Berhalter's brother Jay is currently the USSF Chief Commercial Officer, and there have been suggestions that he had an unhealthy influence on Stewart during the coaching search, especially given the fact that just two candidates were interviewed.

Well, that was fun. The 2019 Major League Soccer season finished Sunday afternoon with a comprehensive 3-1 Seattle Sounders win over Toronto FC in front of nearly 70,000 fans at CenturyLink Field. Another year gone. Sad face. But also: Happy face, because it's never too early to start thinking about 2020. The transfers! The trades! The youth movement! The coming collective bargaining chaos!

Here are 10 things that definitely, 100%, bet-your-condo-on-them will happen next year.

Miami or Nashville wins a playoff game

Making the playoffs as an expansion franchise is a relatively common occurrence in modern MLS. FC Cincinnati was an apocalyptic nightmare in 2019, but LAFC made the postseason in 2018 and Atlanta United accomplished the mission in 2017. Winning an opening-round match, however, hasn't happened since the expansion Los Angeles Galaxy ran the table in 2005. (The Houston Dynamo prevailed in their first playoff match of 2006 but they were relocating from San Jose, so they don't count.)

That will change in 2020, with high-powered, pink-clad Inter Miami CF (that name!), linked with every remotely available superstar, and Nashville, backed by two years of planning, taking the field. While neither will be in MLS's top tier, bank on the fact that one of them will make some noise in the postseason.

FC Cincinnati remains the league's worst team ... and that's OK

Speaking of expansion teams, the Orange and Blue finished 2019 on 24 points, 10 back of Vancouver Whitecaps in 23rd place overall. They boasted a remarkable -44 goal differential, double the next worst goal differential (Vancouver with -22). It's not good even for an expansion franchise that had less than a year between getting awarded a team and kicking off in MLS. At the end of the season, the team restructured its technical staff with an eye on the future. This will help, but FCC remains a long way from a competitive squad.

The good news is that MLS is a forgiving league and Minnesota United, a group with two bad seasons before a breakout third one in its new stadium, offers a strong example of how the slow play can work.

Michael Bradley announces his retirement ...

Call it a hunch. Bradley missed out on the $6.5 million option that would have been triggered if he led his club to the 2019 MLS Cup. TFC still holds his option for 2020, and while details are scarce, he'll certainly make less than his current salary, which puts him as one of the highest-paid players in the league. Bradley turned 32 in July, still loves the game and can still contribute. Maybe he won't retire this offseason, but I can't help but feeling like he'll walk away sooner than most people anticipate.

... and so does Don Garber

The MLS commissioner will start his third decade in charge next season, though he's been hinting at retirement for some time now. And why not? Under Garber's tenure, MLS expanded dramatically, increased its investment in the domestic game and moved from being a league on the brink to a thriving organization backed by Soccer United Marketing. That's some good work. But as MLS tries to move into the next phase, the commissioner faces more challenges of trying to compete on an international level. That's an enormous project, and one that might benefit from new leadership and vision.

Here's saying that the 2022 season, which leads into what will hopefully be a strong U.S. performance at the World Cup, is Garber's last.

CBA Negotiations get contentious

The CBA expires following the 2019 season, so players and management will meet over the winter months to hammer out a new one. It could get ugly, uglier than the 2014-2015 battle that nearly saw the league miss the first week of games. The MLS Players Association seems better prepared this time out with MLSPA executive director Bob Foose openly threatening a work stoppage. (Then again, it was Foose blinking in 2015 that led the players to cave.) But it sure does feel like the experienced players learned from last time around, seeing team valuations spiking leaguewide and wondering out loud why they aren't exactly getting theirs.

Bye bye, TAM

While we're on the issue of negotiations, one of the biggest issues is Targeted Allocation Money. TAM, a net benefit to the league in terms of supercharging overall investment, hasn't done much for domestics. Both the MLSPA and many people on the technical side of teams appear ready for TAM to disappear in favor of more flexible spending. It should go the way of the early penalty shootout: fun while it lasted, destined to die a quick and painless death.

Efraín Álvarez becomes a star, and U.S. Soccer supporters have a collective meltdown

The teenage Mexican-American sensation balled out at the U-17 World Cup in Brazil, playing for El Tri after spending some time with the U.S. U-15s in 2016. The slick midfielder appeared in 14 matches (four starts) for the Los Angeles Galaxy in 2019, tallying three assists in 518 minutes. He'll play a larger role in 2020 and is poised for a breakout season with eventual designs on European football. While Álvarez could still return to the Stars and Stripes, his path looks set.

- Replay 2019 MLS Cup: Seattle Sounders 3, Toronto FC 1 (U.S. only)

The Chicago Fire make the conference final

The MLS franchise with the least juice on Google missed the playoffs for the second straight season and the eighth time this decade. But the Fire tied for the third-best goal differential in the Eastern Conference and the fifth-best league-wide. It's a time of transition for a team that's lost its way, with a new majority owner in Joe Mansueto and a home venue switch to Soldier Field.

The Fire have maximum roster flexibility entering the offseason with the contracts of their three designated players expiring, plus a plan set in place by general manager Nelson Rodriguez and returning coach Veljko Paunović. If they can get the signings right -- a big if, given their track record -- the Fire will be a hot postseason ticket.

We start talking about a decline in attendance

MLS attendance in 2019 features some excellent stories. More than 52,000 fans per game in Atlanta, over 40,000 in Seattle, 27,336 for FC Cincinnati's inaugural season and 25,000-plus at an expanded Portland Timbers stadium and in Toronto. In total, the league had over 21,000 per game, good enough for ninth in world soccer and nearly 4,000 more fans than the NBA and the NHL. And yet average attendance fell for the second straight season, down 2.7% from 2018, when it was already down 1.1%. Ten squads averaged below 18,000 fans a fixture, with three others under 19,000.

Is attendance a major issue? Not yet. Could it become one soon? Absolutely.

Bob Bradley loses Coach of the Year but wins MLS Cup

LAFC posted a ridiculous 72-point, +48 goal differential season but ran into a charmed Seattle Sounders team that was better on the night of the Western Conference final. In 2020, Bradley's squad will look different -- Diego Rossi isn't long for the league, for starters -- but could/should be even stronger. In 2019, teenage Uruguayan starlet Brian Rodríguez served as an awkward midseason acquisition. Next season, Bradley will figure out ways to unleash the eight-figure transfer in tandem with MVP Carlos Vela, who is happy, healthy and deadly.

Would LAFC winning the treble really be a surprise?

Lionel Messi still doesn't come to MLS

Well, maybe in 2021.

Science tells us that nature abhors a vacuum and will always rush to fill it. Perhaps that's why as soon as the eternal Cristiano Ronaldo vs. Lionel Messi head-to-head withered away when CR7 left Spain, Sergio Ramos stepped up to the plate?

Right now we are witnessing a kind of dead-ball shootout between someone who's developing into one of the greatest-ever free-kick takers and Ramos, who's suddenly become an assassin from the penalty spot.

Messi is a metronome. The vogue phrase these days is that a free kick from anywhere up to 30 metres away from the goal is "like a penalty to him." Fair enough, too. Meanwhile Ramos has developed an eccentric but specialised technique from 12 yards out, slotting his last 16 of 16 spot-kicks for club and country and notching nine from the spot so far in the 2019/20 season despite gifting away at least two penalty opportunities to Karim Benzema.

It's a dead-ball exhibition contest of immense proportions. The Argentinian rattles home a couple of free-kick goals across two or three games and the defender from Andalusia will answer with one "Panenka" penalty after another, lofted haughtily and nervelessly over despairing keepers to the tune of "anything you can do, I can do better...!" (It's kind of a special move for him.)

Neither man is the all-time standard for their respective art. Not yet. Messi, for example, hasn't yet overtaken Cristiano Ronaldo (that's imminent) and can only dream of the totals Juninho Pernambucano, Zico, Pele, David Beckham and Ronaldinho scored. For the moment at least. But he and Ramos are on extraordinarily rich seams of nerveless form. They are turning their cold-blooded conversion of these opportunities, the kind that can make other players quake and that can expose the moments when ambition greatly outstrips ability, into match-winning assets.

For Ramos and Messi, their current excellence can be regarded as something of a "second summer." For example, it wasn't until exactly four years after his competitive debut for Barcelona that Messi scored his first direct free kick, against Atleti in a 6-1 win during Pep Guardiola's treble-winning season.

Do you recall it? It was an extraordinary way to open a free-kick account but was typical Messi. It's October 2008, Atleti are already 2-0 down in the eighth minute and Messi is fouled well outside the box. Los Rojiblancos not only argue the toss with referee Iturralde Gonzalez, but Raul Garcia stands about 3 feet from the ball so that it can't be taken quickly. Yeah right.

Over the ball are Xavi, the referee and Messi. Messi gives Iturralde a little nudge to get out of the way, asks him "can I take this" and the ref says "yes." Xavi, realising what the little imp is up to, just edges out of Messi's path and with Atleti keeper Gregory Coupet fooled by the fact that Raul Garcia seems to be standing too close to the ball either for play to start or for Barça to be able to imagine scoring, is standing at his left-hand post trying to organise their wall.

Messi scuds the ball into a 99% open net. It's the same kind of "find the dope" moment that Messi and Barcelona will suffer from years later, at Anfield last season, when Trent Alexander-Arnold caught them taking a breather at the corner from which Divock Origi scored the winner in the Champions League semifinal. Anyway, back to 2008: Atleti were outraged, the ref told them that it was their own fault for protesting and standing over the ball, he claimed to have blown his whistle and the goal stood.

By February 2012, again against Atleti and nearly eight years after his debut, Messi had hit the unremarkable total of five goals from direct free kicks. In other words, he's 24 years old, a treble Champions League winner, garlanded by Ballons d'Or and regarded as truly exceptional, but not notably either a regular free-kick taker or scorer. Fast-forward to Saturday and the brace of stunning goals Messi hit, with insouciant ease on a night when he wasn't playing particularly well, from huge range against Celta Vigo. They meant Messi has now scored 52 times for club and country from free kicks, a remarkable acceleration into what is, now, not just admirable but awesome.

What about "Planet Ramos?" Given his unerring, unforgiving aptitude from the spot, the fact that he's scored 125 senior goals for club and country plus the fact that he's converted a grand total of nine spot kicks in this calendar year alone, it might surprise you to know that it was only last year, February 2018, that this uber-confident, buccaneering Madridista was tucking away only his second successful La Liga penalty.

Mad, right? These days he'd kidney-punch a teammate who tried to take the ball off him once the ref's pointed to the spot. And then, without fail, he'd take five or six steps back, a couple of long strides towards the ball, drag the toe of his right boot along the grass and then, most likely, dink the ball over the diving, despairing frame of a 6-foot-2 keeper.

Like Messi, Ramos made his senior debut in 2004, for Sevilla, but didn't slot his first competitive penalty for nearly seven years. The reason behind that wasn't him being scarred by a horrible miss in the Confederations Cup final of 2013, when Brazil were monstering Spain in Rio, dragging the ball wide of Julio Cesar's goal (et tu, Sergio!). It even had nothing to do with the horrors of the 2012 Champions League semifinal when, at 2-1 down in the shoot-out against Bayern Munich, he skied his effort dreadfully so that the next conversion, by Bastian Schweinsteiger, was the winner.

Not at all. Part of Ramos' ferocious need to take, and score, penalties right now has to do with the impatient wait he's endured to get rid of all his spot-kick rivals. Since Ramos joined Madrid in 2005, his coaches have preferred Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Zinedine Zidane, Robinho, Raul, Gonzalo Higuain, Kaka, Xabi Alonso, Emmanuel Adebayor, Karim Benzema, Angel Di Maria, Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo over him. When he converted just his second Madrid penalty last year, it was because Ronaldo was rested away to Leganes; not until the Portuguese left the club and Ramos, as captain, permanently took over penalty duty did his extraordinary current form become such a weapon for Los Blancos.

And my, what they've been missing!

Occasionally, if Madrid get a second penalty just after Ramos has scored, he'll cede to Benzema -- not necessarily out of friendship, but with the objective of keeping the goalkeeper guessing and trying to ensure that the win, and three points, is more assured. But last week, when Rodrygo erupted with two goals in seven minutes against Galatasaray and a penalty was awarded, we saw the hard "it's my turn and nobody's taking it away from me" side of Madrid's captain.

Some parts of the crowd chanted for Rodrygo as they yearned to see an 18-year-old kid on his Champions League home debut score a hat trick in record-breaking time. As Ramos was putting the ball on the spot, Marcelo trotted up to him and, I'll bet, put in a word for his junior countryman. Ramos expelled him from the penalty box. Then, when Ramos scored, he pointed to the back of his shirt, Ronaldo-style, as if to say: "I'm as good at this as he was." The Madrid captain's face was a stone mask, no joy.

My interpretation is that Ramos didn't like the Bernabeu chanting for some upstart kid who's been at the club for the blink of an eye and forgetting that he, "Don Sergio," has had to wait for the 12-yard spotlight to fall on him. Now he's centre stage and intends to stay there.

Messi's case is a little similar. During his reign as Barcelona's greatest-ever player, he's also had to wait his turn. Initially it was Xavi and Rafa Marquez from dead balls: free kicks were their territory. Then Andres Iniesta and Thierry Henry would pop up occasionally. However, like Ramos, Messi knew he wasn't a natural killer from dead ball situations. Like Ramos with his penalties, he thought long and hard about how to score relentlessly. Good as he was, Barcelona's No10 needed to master his technique.

Practise is the cornerstone, but Messi concedes that he initially didn't strike free kicks powerfully enough. His coach with Argentina from 2006 to '08, Alfio Basile, used to dig him out that it was "like he was crossing the ball into the keeper's hands." Diego Maradona, also Argentina coach, advised him about precisely where on the ball to make contact, Messi studied Juan Roman Riquelme's technique and also worked hard in training. Now it's as natural as breathing. He's astonishing.

Of course both Ramos and Messi dabble in each other's art. Messi's taken 112 penalties in senior football, scoring 87. Sometimes it looks as natural as Ramos' technique, a guaranteed goal. Sometimes he seems unsure, nervous. He once told me, after scoring a big penalty against Milan in the Champions League back in 2012, that as he was about to take it all he could think about was how big, agile and athletic Christian Abbiati was, how he seemed to fill the goal. The power of the mind, whether it's in a good mood or messing with you, is everything in that situation.

One penalty stat for Messi I find interesting is that he's never lost a Liga or Champions League game during which he's failed from the penalty spot, usually adding a goal, goals or a goal assist having fluffed. That said, hitting the crossbar from 11 metres against Chelsea in 2012 arguably cost Barcelona a place in the final for the second consecutive year.

As for Ramos? He's scored just one free-kick for Madrid so, knowing our Sergio, he'll be taking more of them soon. And probably scoring them too.

Some guys these two are.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Running back Saquon Barkley isn't 100 percent. He's still not going to accept being shut down with the New York Giants at 2-8 and the need to eventually focus on the future.

Barkley had an X-ray on his shoulder after Sunday's 34-27 loss to the New York Jets, a source told ESPN. The shoulder is expected to be fine.

He's also still trying to get back to 100 percent from the high ankle sprain that forced him to miss three games last month. Barkley is averaging just 2.6 yards per carry in the four games since coming back, after averaging 6.4 yards over the first three weeks of the season when he was healthy.

At least there is time for him to recover with the Giants on their bye week. Players will be off from Thursday until Monday. Barkley won't even consider shutting it down when they return.

"The mindset of sitting me out and resting me for the rest of the season is beyond me," Barkley said. "I do not agree with it. It won't happen. I'm going to keep going until I can't go no more. That's the player I am and I'm going to do it for my teammates."

Barkley is coming off a career-low one yard on 13 carries against the Jets. He also struggled in pass protection, allowing a pair of sack/fumbles to safety Jamal Adams, one of which was returned for a touchdown.

The Pro Bowl running back is not about to blame it on his health.

"What's not being myself? Yes, I do feel like myself," Barkley said. "I would love to go for 100 yards every game. I would love to be doing the things I was doing last year. Trust me. I don't like the fact I was able to have one yard against a great team -- respect to them -- but I feel if you see me get into open space I was still making people miss.

Sitting Barkley over the final six games of the season in order to limit the toll on his body and ensure he's healthy for the future isn't something the Giants are considering. It would strongly conflict with the organization's desire to do everything in its power to win games now.

"Absolutely not," coach Pat Shurmur said of the idea on Monday.

Barkley also seemed to dispute the idea that a running back has only so many carries in his body. He mentioned the workloads that players such as Walter Payton, Emmitt Smith, Barry Sanders, Thomas Jones and Curtis Martin had during their careers. It was much greater -- and with more runs and less action as a receiver -- than anything that Barkley is likely to endure.

Barkley did note that it's easy to see that defenses are keying on the Giants' top weapon. That's just something he's going to have to deal with long term. He dealt with it last year as well, on his way to earning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors after compiling 2,028 total yards.

"The opportunities, I just have to take advantage of the opportunities I get," Barkley said. "But to say I'm not healthy and this and that, those are just excuses. Everybody is banged up. Everyone is going through something. I'm not going to let that be an excuse for why I'm not having a successful season. The reason why I'm not having a successful season is because I'm not making enough plays for my team. And that's just it."

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon will have knee surgery and will be out six weeks, coach Mike D'Antoni said Tuesday.

Gordon had an MRI on Tuesday morning that showed "significant" debris and he opted for the procedure, which will take place Wednesday, D'Antoni said.

"It's been bothering him, actually, from the middle of last year," D'Antoni said. "I think he's probably relieved that he can clean it up, get it going, so he can come as back strong as ever."

Gordon is off to a slow start for the 7-3 Rockets, averaging 10.9 points in 29.4 minutes per game. He's averaging more turnovers (1.3) than assists (.08).

D'Antoni said Chris Clemons will fill in for Gordon when Russell Westbrook is not playing, and that Ben McLemore and Austin Rivers will help out.

David Levy is out as the CEO of the Brooklyn Nets less than two months after being hired by new team owner Joe Tsai.

The Nets announced Tuesday that Levy, a former president at Turner Broadcasting, and the organization "mutually agreed to part ways."

Oliver Weisberg has been named interim CEO.

"As we enter an exciting next chapter of our organization, it's important that ownership and management are completely aligned on our go forward plan," Weisberg said in a statement. "We are proud of the culture of the Brooklyn Nets under the leadership of General Manager Sean Marks and Head Coach Kenny Atkinson, and we look forward to continue bringing the best experience to our fans."

Levy was hired by the Nets on Sept. 18, the same day Tsai completed his purchase of the franchise and Barclays Center.

David Levy is a respected media executive and a friend. Truly appreciate his efforts in the past few months. I wish him well in his next endeavors.

— Joe Tsai (@joetsai1999) November 12, 2019

Levy worked closely with the NBA while at Turner and was tasked with overseeing all business, revenue, strategy and operations for the Nets.

HOUSTON -- All-Star swingman Paul George is leaning toward making his LA Clippers debut on the road against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, league sources told ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

The Clippers have back-to-back road games against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and the Pelicans on Thursday.

George went through his first full live contact practice of the season Saturday, and coach Doc Rivers said the Clippers pushed him in the practice to ramp up his conditioning.

George, 29, underwent rotator cuff surgery to repair a partially torn tendon in his right shoulder in May, and a minor surgery to repair a partial tear of his left labrum in June. The Clippers traded for the perennial All-Star in July with the expectation he'd miss training camp and potentially the start of the season as he recovered from his injuries.

He averaged a career-best 28 points for the Oklahoma City Thunder last season and was a finalist for both NBA MVP and Defensive Player of the Year. He led the league with 2.21 steals per contest.

Meanwhile, an MRI performed on Clippers guard Landry Shamet's left ankle showed he suffered a Grade 2 high sprain, league sources tell ESPN. A timeline for his return is still to be determined.

With free agency underway, the offseason is going to pick up steam. What are the big questions facing all 30 teams?

Here's a look at the NL East, which features four potential contenders, including the World Series champs.

NL Central team-by-team previews

Atlanta Braves: Will Gerrit Cole, Madison Bumgarner or any other star pitcher be in a Braves uniform next season?

2019 record: 97-65
2020 World Series odds: 10-1

General manager Alex Anthopoulos was as patient as anyone last season as he methodically built a division winner -- not just in the winter but during the season as well. In fact, some of his best work came after April 1, including the acquisitions of Dallas Keuchel, Mark Melancon and Shane Greene. But it's a new year, and it might call for a new strategy.

With a dynamic offense in place, combined with young starters such as Max Fried and Mike Soroka, it's time for the Braves to put the finishing touches on their rotation. Keuchel was a nice stopgap, but the Braves came up short in the postseason in part because Keuchel pitched on short rest and Fried threw in four of the five games in the division series against the Cardinals. The Braves' needs this offseason scream "veteran, front-of-the-rotation guy," and there are some options on the free-agent market in Gerrit Cole, Madison Bumgarner and Stephen Strasburg. -- Jesse Rogers

Washington Nationals: What happens if the Nationals lose Stephen Strasburg and/or Anthony Rendon?

2019 record: 93-69
2020 World Series odds: 14-1

Beginning with what we know: The Nationals want to keep Stephen Strasburg and Anthony Rendon, two of their title-winning pillars. Their situations entering free agency were different. Strasburg chose to opt out of his contract, a decision that didn't feel like a foregone conclusion until his remarkable postseason run reached its apex. Rendon was headed to the open market all along after negotiations on an extension didn't connect. But Washington has the flexibility -- especially considering what you figure will be a post-title revenue boost -- to re-sign both stars and still have a little wiggle room under the luxury tax threshold to play with.

But if either or both depart, what's the pivot? Does GM Mike Rizzo pursue star-level players on multiyear deals to replace them? Or does he go for shorter-term solutions? And does he spread the payroll around to build depth in lieu of the lost star power?

Losing Strasburg creates the more urgent short-term problem since there simply aren't many starting pitchers at his level and the Nats lack internal options. One of the other elite hurlers -- Gerrit Cole -- is a free agent. Barring that unlikely pursuit, Rizzo could target a couple of next-tier starters on two- or three-year deals. After all, he still has Max Scherzer and Patrick Corbin to head up the starting staff. As for Rendon, losing him would be a bummer, of course, but Washington still has a young infield prospect ready to ascend in Carter Kieboom and could turn to a short-term third baseman -- Josh Donaldson? -- to help fill the void.

There are a lot of ways this offseason could play out for the champs. But the preferred path is the simplest: Strasburg and Rendon returning to defend the franchise's first title. -- Bradford Doolittle

New York Mets: Is Carlos Beltran the missing ingredient?

2019 record: 86-76
2020 World Series odds: 22-1

The Mets went 40-50 in the first half before finishing strong with a 46-26 record in the second half -- the second-best record in the National League after the break. In two seasons under Mickey Callaway, the Mets improved from 70 to 77 to 86 wins -- even though the moves his general manager made last offseason failed miserably (trading for Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz, signing Jed Lowrie and Jeurys Familia). Maybe Callaway wasn't the answer as manager, but there isn't much evidence he was the problem, either. In other words: Maybe rookie manager Carlos Beltran will be the right guy at the right time, the next Alex Cora who comes in and wins a World Series in his first season.

More likely, the Mets will have to upgrade the roster. But will Brodie Van Wagenen be aggressive again this winter after last year's misfires? The four areas to address: 1. Who plays third base? This could be J.D. Davis, who was forced into left field last year (he's not a left fielder), or it could be Lowrie or even Cano; 2. Who plays center field? Juan Lagares is a free agent, so Brandon Nimmo is the only possibility on the current 40-man roster. An outfield of Michael Conforto, Nimmo and Jeff McNeil will work, with Yoenis Cespedes still hanging around if he's healthy; 3. How do you fix the bullpen? Realistically, the best option is for Diaz and Familia to simply pitch better; 4. Who replaces Zack Wheeler? You have Marcus Stroman for a full season but no strong candidate for the No. 5 starter (let alone depth after that).

Cot's Contracts says the Mets are just $20 million under the luxury tax threshold -- they have never gone over. As much as Mets fans might dream about signing Anthony Rendon, don't count on it. I'd suggest going after another starter, such as Hyun-Jin Ryu, and adding a bullpen piece while rolling the dice on Diaz. I suspect that whatever the Mets do will be more surprising than that. -- David Schoenfield

Philadelphia Phillies: How do you get this team above .500 and into the playoffs?

2019 record: 81-81
2020 World Series odds: 16-1

After a busy and expensive 2018-19 offseason that saw the Phillies add Bryce Harper, J.T. Realmuto, Jean Segura, Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson, the Phillies improved from 80 wins all the way to ... 81. It cost manager Gabe Kapler his job -- a second straight September fade was the final straw -- with Joe Girardi replacing him. The Phillies haven't finished above .500 since 2011. Only the Padres and Marlins have gone longer without a winning season. All those veterans are back, as well as the cast of starting pitchers who failed to improve in 2019 -- Zach Eflin, Vince Velasquez, Nick Pivetta. The Phillies were eighth in the NL in runs and 12th in runs allowed. What to do?

The payroll right now reads $155 million, with an estimated luxury tax total of $179 million (according to Cot's Contracts). That gives them about $28 million to spend to avoid going over the tax threshold, which they have never done. They could go after a premium free agent such as Anthony Rendon or Josh Donaldson to play third base instead of Maikel Franco (minus-0.8 WAR in 2019). Franco is probably a nontender candidate, which would save the Phillies another $5.5 million or so.

If more depth and the rotation are the priorities, they could go after a couple of second-tier free agents, say Mike Moustakas or Didi Gregorius to play third base, and a pitcher like Dallas Keuchel, Rick Porcello or Wade Miley. If they think prospect Alec Bohm is ready to take over at third -- he reached Double-A but might also be a first baseman -- maybe they pour everything into pitching and hope for better seasons at the plate from Realmuto, Segura and Rhys Hoskins and a healthy McCutchen. -- Schoenfield

Miami Marlins: Are the Marlins still in flip mode?

2019 record: 57-105
2020 World Series odds: 1,000-1

In February, the Marlins shipped All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto to the Phillies, bringing back a new regular backstop in Jorge Alfaro and, among others, a top pitching prospect in Sixto Sanchez. That was arguably the last headline-grabbing veteran-for-prospects trade in Miami's current rebuild.

Smaller-scale deals followed during the season: Sergio Romo, sent to the Twins for Lewin Diaz; Trevor Richards and Nick Anderson, sent to Tampa Bay for Ryne Stanek and Jesus Sanchez. Miami still has to run out the clock on the last season of Wei-Yin Chen's contract, but given the lack of pre-Derek Jeter veterans remaining, one might think that the Marlins have exhausted their options for these kinds of trades.

Obviously, that can change by next season's deadline, as the Marlins fill in their 40-man roster this winter, but what about hot stove trades? Is there anything to be done in the trade market? The answer to that might reveal something about how lead exec Jeter and GM Michael Hill view their timeline. When you look at some of the most productive Marlins from last season -- Brian Anderson, Caleb Smith, Jarlin Garcia, Richards, Alfaro, etc. -- they are at those in-between ages (26, 27 years old) where you have to decide whether you're going to move into contention in time to capitalize on their remaining controllable seasons.

If the answer is no -- that Miami still needs a couple of more seasons of incubation -- moving some of the older controllable players sooner than later might make the most sense. Alas, it would also signal another 105-plus-loss season for a franchise that has barely cracked 800,000 in attendance in each of the past two seasons. Tough call. -- Doolittle