Arizona
Cardinals’ Budda Baker Reacts to Massive Contract Extension
ARIZONA — When Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker got news that his three-year, $54 million extension with the organization was finalized – he didn’t run around the house. He didn’t pop champagne bottles immediately.
It was spaghetti time.
“I was holding my baby at the time. She’s six months [old], so I was just holding her and having my daughter eating spaghetti for dinner. So it’s kind of just – you’re excited, they don’t of course know what you’re excited about,” Baker told reporters when asked what his initial reaction to getting a deal done was.
“Right after that, it’s like, ‘Daddy, I’m done eating!’ so it’s like, alright, clean the spaghetti off her face, get ready for bath, and then I would say putting the kids down for bed. Just had a special moment with my lady and my sister was home at the time. Giving them high fives, listening to some good music and smiles – it was definitely something special that we’ll remember forever, for sure.”
After getting paid handsomely, Baker knows it’s time to eat on the field.
Baker is sticking around the desert for at least the next three seasons after striking a deal to land with Arizona rather than testing the open market.
For months, the rumor mill has run rampant on Baker’s future with the Cardinals. Free agency was a possibility after this season, but for a player that means so much to the fan base for the last eight seasons, remaining home to potentially spend his entire career in the same uniform was a priority for Baker.
“That would be special. Not a lot of players can say that they’ve done that. And for me that would definitely be special. At the end of the day we’re trying to win and I want to be that building block or that factor of helping the Arizona Cardinals win. That’s what I’ve stuck my mind on to, and that’s what I’m going to continue to stick my mind into,” said Baker.
“Just having that belief factor – I know a lot of Arizonans are from other places – at the end of the day for us it’s just a matter of the respect factor of the bird gang and the Cardinal fans. It’s definitely special coming into the stadium and seeing those fans come out and cheer us on, it’s definitely something special for me.”
Baker said he could tell things were changing for the better after his very first meeting with Jonathan Gannon after the Cardinals hired him as head coach following a disaster 2022 season.
Contract negotiations for his new deal (which also shows a reported $30 million guaranteed) were primarily handled by his agent, though Baker said the two would meet maybe once a week to discuss how things were progressing.
Baker has been adamant from the start that he didn’t want to get caught up in the noise of negotiations – mission accomplished.
Inking a deal of that magnitude is a dream for anybody.
Now, Baker has dreams of having a championship parade in Arizona – though hopefully that doesn’t stay a dream for long.
“To be able to try and get better as a player, but get better as a group, and to win games ultimately, and hopefully go to the playoffs. My main goal is getting a Super Bowl here in Arizona, and that’s what I’ve stuck my mind to,” said Baker.
“I’m going to continue to work hard and train and try to lead the players and team to get to that point. But till then, we’re going to take it one day at a time and we’re going to grind. We’re going to live throughout the process, live in the present and let everything else take care of itself.”
Believe it or not, the 2026 All-Star Game voting process has already begun, as of Wednesday. Fans who want to see their favorite members of the Arizona Diamondbacks take the field in the midsummer classic this season can begin voting for their stars.
There are certainly some deserving players on this Diamondbacks club, which is currently 32-28 and occupying the third Wild Card sport in the National League.
Here’s how and where you can vote for your hometown heroes:
How to vote for Diamondbacks players to make All-Star Game
Fans can utilize the following link to vote for members of their team on dbacks.com. Fans are permitted to fill out and submit as many as five ballots per day, selecting as many or as few players as they choose.
This period of the fan vote constitutes Phase 1 of All-Star voting, which will run from Wednesday, June 3 through Thursday, June 25 at 9:00 a.m. Arizona time (12:00 p.m. Eastern time).
Following Phase 1, the two overall top vote-getters will receive automatic berths into the All-Star lineups. If those two are not Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge once again, that would be an upset.
When and where is the 2026 All-Star Game?
The 2026 All-Star Game will take place at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies in Philadelphia. All-Star week begins on June 10, with a full slate of activities, before the game is played on Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time (5:00 p.m. Arizona time).
The full schedule of events are as follows:
- Friday, July 10: HBCU Swingman Classic
- Saturday, July 11: 2026 MLB Draft
- Sunday, July 12: All-Star Sunday, MLB Futures Game, MLBx All-Star 3-on-3
- Monday, July 13: T-Mobile Home Run Derby (8:00 p.m. ET)
- Tuesday, July 14: All-Star Red Carpet, All-Star Game
Which Diamondbacks are deserving All-Stars?
| Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
So, who should Diamondbacks fans vote for? Obviously, you may fill out the ballot however you choose. That can include a full roster of Diamondbacks, regardless of their stats or notoriety this season.
Still, here are some of the top performing D-backs who might have a leg up on an All-Star berth:
OF Corbin Carroll
Corbin Carroll is having another All-Star worthy season. He’s hitting .289/.380/.545 with a .925 OPS and eight home runs, while playing good right field defense. He has the eighth-most bWAR (2.7) among position players, fifth-most in the National League, and third-most among all pure outfielders.
2B Ketel Marte
If Marte wins the NL second base fan vote, it will be his third straight season starting the All-Star game. Despite such a slow start to the year, that feels possible again. Marte is hitting .259/.315/.456 with 10 homers and is playing the best defense of his career.
3B Nolan Arenado
Nolan Arenado is quietly putting together one of his better seasons of the 2020s, slashing .269/.351/.467 with eight homers and flashing his elite third base glove at nearly as good a pace as ever. His name still carries a lot of weight in third base conversations; he’ll get some votes, no matter what.
1B Ildemaro Vargas
Vargas’ bat has cooled down quite a bit since his historic start to 2026. He’s still hitting a sturdy .290/.318/.454, but feels more likely to be considered as a reserve selection than a leading vote-getter.
Honorable Mention: LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
Pitchers are not selected by the fan vote. They are selected by player ballots and the All-Star Game managers. The National League’s manager will be Dave Roberts of the Dodgers, again.
The National League has quite a few talented pitchers, but Eduardo Rodriguez currently holds the fifth-best starting pitcher ERA (2.24) among NL hurlers. It’s going to be difficult to dethrone Christopher Sanchez or Jacob Misiorowski, but Rodriguez could find his way into the pitching pool, especially after his WBC heroics for Team Venezuela.
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Arizona State has added Michael White to its coaching staff for the upcoming 2026-2027 season. White will join the program as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator.
“I am incredibly honored to return to my home state and join this elite program,” White said. “I’m proud to say that I am coming home. I can’t thank Coach Herbie enough for the opportunity to join his incredible staff and help these young athletes grow and develop into the best individuals they can be. There are so many friends and mentors who have left their mark on this program, and I’m excited for the opportunity to leave mine and help take this program to new heights. Go Devils!”
White arrives with the Sun Devils after most recently spending the last three seasons with Alabama as an assistant. The Alabama women finished 11th at the 2026 NCAA Championships while the men were 24th.
Prior to arriving at Alabama, White spent the 2022-2023 season as a volunteer assistant at Wisconsin. He primarily coached the freestyle, breaststroke and distance groups for the Badgers. In addition to coaching the Badgers, he also was an assistant senior coach with the Madison Aquatics Club for the year. He began his coaching career at Juniata College in Pennsylvania as a volunteer assistant from 2019-2021.
White spent his collegiate career at St. Bonaventure in New York. There he was a 7x individual Atlantic-10 champion and swam to three school records as a senior with a 1:47.30 200 IM, 3:52.18 400 IM, and a 1:47.70 200 fly. He also was team captain for two season and helped the team capture the 2014 A-10 team title.
The Scottsdale, Arizona native will return to his home state. He was a 2012 AIA Division I state champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM as a senior for Dobson High School.
White joins the coaching staff led by head coach Herbie Behm, who is already known to be an innovative coach. Behm spoke of White’s innovation as well saying, “Mike is one of the best young coaches in the NCAA. His interview blew me away with the innovative ideas he presented. I can’t wait to start implementing those ideas and continue our growth at ASU.”
Arizona State swept the 2026 Big 12 team titles, and the men went on to finish 4th at 2026 NCAAs while the women were 37th. Rising senior Ilya Kharun captured the NCAA title in the 200 fly with a 1:37.66.
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