Ichiro, CC Sabathia, Billy Wagner elected to Baseball Hall of Fame; Suns gearing up for Jimmy Butler trade?

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

⚾ Good morning to all, but especially to …

THE NEWEST BASEBALL HALL OF FAMERS: ICHIRO SUZUKI, CC SABATHIA AND BILLY WAGNER

The wait is over. For two of the three newest members, it was the shortest wait possible. For the third, the longest. Ichiro Suzuki, CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner are officially Hall of Fame-bound, with Ichiro and Sabathia as first-ballot selections and Wagner in on his 10th and final chance.

• Ichiro, a 10-time All-Star and 10-time Gold Glover and the 2001 AL MVP, was a no-brainer. The only controversy over his selection is that it wasn’t unanimous: He came up one vote short (99.7%). Ichiro is the first Japanese player inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.
• Sabathia, a six-time All-Star, the 2006 AL Cy Young winner with Cleveland and a 2009 World Series champion with the Yankees, received 86.8% of the vote (players need at least 75%). Beyond the numbers, he was a wonderful teammate. Sabathia will have a Yankees cap on in his plaque, and here’s how Hall of Famers choose that.
• Wagner, meanwhile, was overcome with emotion when he received the call. The seven-time All-Star’s 422 career saves rank eighth all-time, and after a near miss (73.8%) last year, he received 82.5% in his final go ’round. CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder and Mike Axisa both explained why they voted for him.
• Here’s how all three inductees reacted.
• Classic Baseball Era committee selections Dick Allen and Dave Parker join Ichiro, Sabathia and Wagner in the 2025 class.

Carlos Beltrán (70.3%, third year) and Andruw Jones (66.2%, eighth year) were the only other players to receive even 40% of the vote. Here are the full results.

Ichiro is the headliner, with a truly legendary journey to superstardom filled with signature moments. Dayn Perry writes in appreciation of a singular all-time great, a story full of so many amazing anecdotes it’s hard to choose a single one. If you’re a fan of baseball, of Ichiro or of great writing, please do yourself a favor and read this story.

Here’s more:

👍 Honorable mentions

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏀 Suns acquire three first-round picks from Jazz, potentially clearing way for Jimmy Butler trade

We’re officially on trade alert regarding Jimmy Butler — who just so happened to be rocking kicks with Phoenix’s colors Tuesday night — thanks to a trade that involves zero players. The Suns acquired three first-round picks from the Jazz and sent Utah one first-round pick. If that leaves you scratching your head, 1) I understand, and 2) let me explain.

Here are the picks Phoenix acquired:

• 2025 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah’s protected)
• 2027 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota or Utah)
• 2029 least favorable first-round pick (Cleveland, Minnesota’s protected or Utah)

Here’s the first-round pick Utah acquired:

• Phoenix’s 2031 unprotected first-round pick

Basically, the Suns got three picks projected to be very late in the first round; Cleveland has the best record in the NBA, for example, and there’s a good chance one of Cleveland, Minnesota, or Utah is good in 2027 and/or 2029.

There’s also a good chance the Suns are not good in 2031 — Kevin Durant is 36, Butler (if they get him) 35, Bradley Beal 31 and Devin Booker 28 — meaning that unprotected first-round pick will be valuable, either for Utah or for another team. The Suns are very much in win-now mode. The Jazz, who still own 11 first-round picks over the next seven drafts thanks to the Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert trades, are not.

So the trade, theoretically, makes sense. A potential Butler deal could be convoluted and require several teams — maybe Beal heads to Milwaukee, attached with a pick — so Phoenix needed all the draft ammunition it could get. It’s not worried about 2031. But as Sam Quinn writes in his trade grades, just because the logic is there doesn’t mean results will follow.

• Quinn: “Suns: C | The upgrade itself is not a guarantee. But even if the Suns can make it, it’s worth asking how much they really stand to gain by doing so. Phoenix is a .500 team (21-21) … This is a team with several holes: perimeter defense, rim-protection, play-making, rim-gravity. It’s hard to imagine a single trade solving all of those problems.”

🏈 How Ryan Day, Chip Kelly led Ohio State to championship, plus big question for next season

All right, it’s time to put a bow on the college football season, and who better to do that than Brandon Marcello and John Talty, who were on the scene in Atlanta for the national championship?

History is written by the victors, and Ohio State‘s Ryan Day and Chip Kelly are among the biggest winners from the Buckeyes’ triumph. For Day, it’s the incredible end to a trying season, Brandon writes, and for Kelly, it’s validation his move from UCLA head coach to Ohio State offensive coordinator worked, John writes.

From coaches to players and everyone else involved, this team was built for the 12-team playoff, Tom Fornelli adds.

• Fornelli: “Ohio State didn’t win a national title this season by hitting the portal. It won a national title by making sure its best players returned. Players like Jack Sawyer, J.T. Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams, Emeka Egbuka and plenty of others could have left for the NFL last season. Others could have entered their names in the portal to search for greener pastures elsewhere. … That culture word you’re always hearing coaches throw around? That’s what it is.”

Here’s what else we learned from the expanded playoff, as well as our All-CFP team and Shehan Jeyarajah’s thoughts on why the seeding format must change.

Speaking of seedings and rankings, the battle for preseason No. 1 for 2025 will define this offseason, Shehan writes.

🏀 NBA Eastern Conference midseason grades: 76ers get ‘F’ as spiral continues

There were legitimate reasons to be excited about the 76ers this year, to believe they could finally get over the hump. With All-Star wing Paul George and a bevy of supporting players joining Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia earned an “A” in Sam’s offseason grades and looked like a potential East contender alongside the cohesive Celtics, the new-look Knicks and others.

But after that just about whatever could have gone wrong did go wrong. The Sixers are a dreadful 15-27, and they’re not only out of the playoff picture — but they’re even outside the play-in picture. Embiid has played in 13 games. George, who has played in just 28, said he’s “bored” guarding centers. Seemingly the only positive, rookie Jared McCain, is out for the season. The vibes are bad. Really bad.

So after getting an “A” for their offseason, the 76ers earned an “F” in our Eastern Conference midseason grades. They’re so bad it’s sad. Jack Maloney couldn’t even find a reason for optimism, something we found for every other team, no matter the record.

On the other end of the spectrum (IYKYK), two Eastern Conference teams — the Cavaliers (NBA-best 36-6) with an “A+” and the Pistons (22-21) with an “A” — have reasons to feel good. Jasmyn Wimbish explains why for both.

⚽ UEFA Champions League: Barcelona wins nine-goal thriller

If you needed even more reasons to watch the UEFA Champions League, Barcelona and Benfica provided them. Nine of them, to be exact. Barcelona won an absolutely bonkers 5-4 game that included ridiculous goalkeeper errors, a hat trick, a controversial penalty and Raphinha dramatics and heroics. Chuck Booth ranked the five craziest moments, though this list could have been 10 or 15 items long.

Barcelona and Liverpool, which beat Lille, 2-1, clinched spots in the round of 16, while Monaco (1-0 over Aston Villa) continued a strong showing for France. Here are Tuesday’s results.

The one French team that isn’t doing well is the most surprising. PSG is struggling, but so is Manchester City. The two giants meet today in a crucial fixture, the latest chapter in a storied rivalry. Here are our expert picks for today’s matches.

📺 What we’re watching Wednesday

⚽ We’re watching the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
⚽ USMNT vs. Costa Rica, 7 p.m. on TNT/truTV
🏀 Timberwolves at Mavericks, 7:30 p.m. on ESPN
🏀 No. 13 Texas A&M at No. 16 Ole Miss (M), 9 p.m. on ESPN2
🏀 Warriors at Kings, 10 p.m. on ESPN
🏒 Panthers at Kings, 10 p.m. on TNT/truTV