Gage Ziehl, a dominant pitcher while at Penfield and now early in his professional baseball career, has been swept up in the activity near the Major League Baseball deadline.

The New York Yankees need an outfielder or two, especially with home run hitter Aaron Judge injured and at best, limited to the role of designated hitter. The Chicago White Sox had one for the right price July 30: Ziehl.

Chicago traded left fielder Austin Slater in exchange for Ziehl, a right-handed starting pitcher who has pitched at Single-A, High A and Double-AA in the Yankees organization this season.

Ziehl was with the Hudson Valley Renegades in the High-A South Atlantic league when he was traded for the first time in his career. The Yankees drafted Ziehl, who pitched at University of Miami, in the fourth round of the 2024 MLB draft.

Gage Ziehl statistics

Combine all of Ziehl’s 16 appearances in 2025, including 15 as a starting pitcher, and his record is 5-4 with a 4.15 earned run average, 70 strikeouts and 14 walks.

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MLB.com had Ziehl at No. 18 in its Yankees prospects rankings. It noted that the six-foot tall, 225-pounder would report to Winston-Salem (N.C.), home of the White Sox High-A team after the trade.

Former Greece Athena standout Casey Saucke is an outfielder at Single-A in the White Sox organization. Section V coaches named Saucke, who played at Virginia after graduating from Athena, to the 2019 Democrat and Chronicle All-Greater Rochester Baseball Team.

Ziehl was a three-time AGR team member 2018-2021. He was named player of the year at the end of his senior year season at Penfield.

James Johnson, who grew up in the city of Rochester, has worked as a full-time journalist covering high school sports for the Democrat and Chronicle since 1996.

The Bills signed first-round pick Maxwell Hairston and fourth-round pick Deone Walker to rookie contracts on Friday, leaving just one unsigned selection from Buffalo’s 2025 nine-player draft class.

Hairston, a cornerback from Kentucky taken with the No. 30 overall pick, is expected to compete for a starting job. The All-SEC second-team selection tied a school record with three interceptions returned for touchdowns during his collegiate career. He is projected to sign a four-year, $15.3 million deal with a $7.7 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac.

Buffalo’s top pick sat out the final day of minicamp with a minor hamstring injury, general manager Brandon Beane said the issue isn’t expected to linger.

“A little tweak. Tweaked his hammy area. He should be fine,” Beane said Thursday. “ He’s getting treatment. Should be good to go. He’ll rehab it and be ready to go for camp.”

Walker, Hairston’s teammate at Kentucky, was selected No. 109 overall in the fourth round. The defensive tackle was named to the All-SEC first team in 2023 and second team in 2024. A two-time team captain, he started 36 of 37 career games for the Wildcats. His rookie deal is expected to be worth about $5.2 million over four years, including a $1 million signing bonus.

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The lone unsigned player is second-round defensive tackle T.J. Sanders, one of 30 second-round picks still without a deal. Sanders is one of the biggest Bills picks by stature and draft capital. Buffalo traded up to No. 41 to select the 6-foot-4, 297-pounder out South Carolina. Sanders has participated in Buffalo’s offseason workouts.

The second round has seen delays across the league after the top two picks in that round, Carson Schwesinger (Cleveland Browns) and Jayden Higgins (Houston Texans), secured unprecedented contracts. They’re the first two second-round picks ever to get fully guaranteed deals. The other second-rounders are hoping to follow suit.

Hairston’s signing leaves three first-round picks from the 2025 draft class still unsigned: No. 2 overall pick Travis Hunter (Jacksonville Jaguars), No. 17 Shemar Stewart (Cincinnati Bengals), and No. 20 Jahdae Barron (Denver Broncos). Stewart left Cincinnati’s mandatory minicamp on Thursday amid the contract dispute.

Rookie salaries are fixed within a pre-determined pay scale based on when a player is selected in the draft. Teams get a fifth-year option on first-round picks.

Buffalo signed six of their nine draft picks, along with 12 undrafted free agents, on May 9.

The Bills open training camp next month at St. John Fisher University.

National Doughnut Day is Friday, June 6, and several Rochester doughnut shops will mark the day with freebies and other specials.

The holiday dates back to World War I, when The Salvation Army sent women bearing coffee and baked goods to areas near the front lines in France to boost the morale of the troops. In 1938, The Salvation Army honored those women by declaring the first Friday of June to be National Doughnut Day.

The specials are generally available while supplies last, so it’s a good idea to head out early.

Schutt’s Apple Mill

For the second year running, Schutt’s Apple Mill is offering a fried cake ice cream sandwich for $1 on National Doughnut Day. Choose from a cinnamon sugar or glazed donut filled with vanilla soft serve ice cream. Last year the longtime Penfield institution prepared 700 and sold out in the early afternoon. This year they’ve made 1,100. There’s a limit of one per customer. At 1063 Plank Road in Penfield, Schutt’s is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Ridge Donut Café

Ridge Donut Café will offer one free fried cake to each customer, while supplies last. It will also bake up a special salted caramel fry cake as its National Donut Day special. A magician will be on hand to entertain the line. At 1600 Portland Ave., Ridge Donut Café opens at 6 a.m.

Donuts Delite

Donuts Delite will offer a free mini apple fritter a la mode with any purchase, while supplies last. Donuts Delite, at 1700 Culver Road at Empire Boulevard, opens at 6 a.m.

The Red Fern

Every Friday is doughnut day at The Red Fern. This year’s Donut Day creation will be Bubblegum Ice Cream Cone, which is vegan, gluten free, nut free and soy free. Owner Andrea Parros points out that they are baked instead of fried, so some consider them healthier than traditional donuts. They will be available while supplies last. The Red Fern, at 283 Oxford St. near Park Avenue, will open at 11 a.m.

Sunny’s Donuts

Sunny’s Donuts will offer a free fried cake with the purchase of a beverage (excludes fritters and cannoli donuts). The shop is at 3885 Route 104 in Williamson, opens at 5 a.m.

Dell’s Sweets & Treats

Dell’s Sweets & Treat, 610 N. Greece Road in Greece, is offering a buy one donut, get one free special from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. June 6. Limit one special per person, while donuts last.

Wegmans

All Rochester Wegmans stores will be offer an expanded variety of flavored doughnuts; the selection will vary by store.

Dunkin’

Get a free classic donut with any beverage purchase at participating Dunkin’ locations nationwide.

In addition, limited-edition Dunkin’ merchandise created with Stoney Clover Lane will be available on the Stoney Clover website starting at 10 a.m. June 6. The merch includes a double-sided pouch ($78), two bag charms ($48 each) and four patches ($18 each). Beginning in early June, participating locations will have Dunkin’/Stoney Clover Lane merchandise including acrylic and stainless-steel tumblers ($16.99 and $24.99, respectively), straw toppers ($6.99) and cup sleeves ($6.99) at participating Dunkin’ locations for a limited time.

Tracy Schuhmacher is food and drink reporter for the D&C. Email her at TracyS@Gannett.com. Follow her on Instagram.

ORCHARD PARK – In a move that seemed somewhat unlikely only a month ago, the Buffalo Bills have re-signed running back James Cook to a big-money contract extension.

Several reports indicate the deal is for four years and a potential $48 million, with a whopping $30 million guaranteed which is a crazy high figure for a running back.

Cook, is not exactly the most talkative player on the team, did sit down in front of reporters after practice wearing a big smile for most of the session.

Regarding his mindset during his hold in, and the negotiations that took place, Cook said, “I was really just chilling, I wasn’t really thinking about it. Just being me. We got it done, so let’s go play football.”

Among current contracts, Cook’s $30 million guaranteed at signing is third-highest for the position according to sports contract website Spotrac, behind Saquon Barkley of the Eagles ($36 million) and Raiders rookie Ashton Jeanty ($35.8 million).

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Cook becomes the fourth member of the Bills’ 2022 draft class to get a contract extension, following Khalil Shakir, Christian Benford and Terrel Bernard.

“This is the new young core that we’re putting our money into,” general manager Brandon Beane said when he met with reporters Wednesday morning. “I feel very confident in every single person that we’ve paid. These are guys who are all players that we extended this offseason that I feel are still ascending talents in the league. We want to draft, develop and re-sign. This is another draft pick we’re proud of and we’re excited to get extended. He’s got a skillset we want to maintain in this offense. There was never a case of not wanting to extend him.”

Cook tied a Bills team record in 2024 for rushing touchdowns with 16, scored 18 overall, and 20 counting the postseason, and he also has rushed for more than 1,000 yards two seasons in a row. However, the knock on Cook – which isn’t all his fault – is that he is not a high-snap player.

Last season he played only 48% of the Bills’ offensive snaps, way below Barkley who was on the field nearly 80% of the time for the Eagles. This is why a contract extension, especially at this cost, seemed unlikely for Cook.

What Bills GM says about James Cook

“We think he can take more, but we do want to use our other weapons,” Beane said. “Like anything, it’s that fine balance. Some of it is not him wanting out, it’s us throwing as many different pieces and looks for the defense while also keeping him fresh.

“He’s an explosive talent and if you overuse them and they get wear and tear, they’re not the same player. We do think he can be a three-down player. We’re excited with where he’s at. I don’t think he’s been overtaxed or ‘Man, his tread on his tires is getting worn’ by any means.”

When the Bills returned to practice Tuesday, coach Sean McDermott spoke to reporters and announced that Cook was going to be on the field, essentially ending his hold in which had stretched for four practices plus the preseason opener against the Giants.

And there was Cook, going through the session and getting his share of the reps in the 11-on-11 work. When he left the field he declined comment, but McDermott had indicated that there had definitely been movement toward a resolution.

“Once we got him back on the practice field, we really worked hard (Tuesday),” Beane said. “I think it was roughly 11 o’clock or so last night where we were able to say both sides were good with this.”

Impact of James Cook contract on Bills salary cap

Of course, how the Bills are going to fit Cook’s new deal into the salary cap will be an interesting math equation. According to Spotrac, before this deal was finalized, the Bills were the only team in the league with no cap space. He was scheduled to count around $5.7 million on the cap this year, so it’s possible that the 2025 hit could be lessened to make it work.

But as is the case with several of the deals Beane has negotiated, money is getting pushed into the future and that can be a dangerous game.

Only the top 51 contracts count against the cap during the offseason and training camp, but once the Bills have to account for their full 53-man roster after the final cutdown later this month, Beane admitted he’s going to have “to do something.”

That could mean more contract restructures, or just releasing players who have higher cap numbers.

The drama surrounding Cook dates back to a couple weeks after the Bills’ 32-29 AFC Championship Game loss to the Chiefs when he publicly said, via his Instagram account, that he wanted a contract extension that would pay him $15 million per year.

That figure was absurd, but at the very least, it was his first volley in the negotiation that his agents clearly wanted to get started. Beane did not appreciate Cook using social media to express his desire to get paid, and throughout the winter and then the spring, Beane finalized deals with Shakir, Benford and Bernard, plus Greg Rousseau and Josh Allen.

As the cap total continued to rise, it seemed like the Bills were not going to be able to get a deal done with Cook, but that tracks with how most NFL teams have devalued the running back position. Not many are devoting major cap space to backs, but Cook remained steadfast in his belief that he deserved to be an exception.

He skipped all of the offseason program except the mandatory minicamp, saying the only reason he showed up was because he likes his money and didn’t want to pay the fines the Bills could have levied.

He reported for training camp at St. John Fisher University and practiced most of the first week, but after the practice at Highmark Stadium on Aug. 1, Cook began his hold in when the team returned to Pittsford two days later and he had not practiced since then until Tuesday.

He reported for training camp at St. John Fisher University and practiced most of the first week, but after the practice at Highmark Stadium on Aug. 1, Cook began his hold in when the team returned to Pittsford two days later and he had not practiced since then until Tuesday.

Cook said he was willing to continue with his hold in “for however long it took” but now that it’s over, he has one thought in mind: “Hopefully bring a Super Bowl here. That’s what I’m trying to do.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.

For close to two decades starting in 2000, St. John Fisher University signed several different multiple-year contracts with the Buffalo Bills to serve as the home of the team’s summer training camp.

Ever since the pandemic, which coincided with the conclusion of the latest of those multi-year deals, the Bills and the Pittsford school have remained partners on a series of one-year arrangements, but that is about to change.

Pete Guelli, the Rochester native and Aquinas High and SUNY Brockport graduate who is now the Chief Operating Officer of the Bills and Buffalo Sabres, told the Democrat and Chronicle in an exclusive interview Monday that a long-term deal between the team and Fisher is imminent.

“We finalized, obviously, a deal for this year, and then we immediately sat down and started talking about what a longer-term extension would look like,” Guelli said. “We haven’t agreed on the exact term as of yet. We’re going through some of those mechanics now and once we get those nailed down we’ll have a better idea on what the term will be, but our goal is to stay in Rochester for the foreseeable future.”

Guelli started his first term with the Bills as their senior vice-president of business ventures back in 1998 and with the training camp contract at SUNY Fredonia expiring after 1999, he was on the ground floor in helping bring camp to Fisher. He left the Bills following the 2009 season, then returned in 2024 as COO and he said when he saw how camp had evolved at Fisher, it was obvious how excellent the situation is on all fronts.

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“It was nice coming back last year, having been involved when the camp was initially established and seeing how it’s grown and seeing how much better it even was than we initially envisioned it to be,” Guelli said. “And I think most importantly seeing how well it’s working for football. I had to spend a year and sit down with Brandon (Beane) and Sean (McDermott) and make sure that it is continuing to meet their needs. They’ve had such a great experience and obviously the team’s been incredibly successful during their time here, so it’s still a perfect fit for us.”

The team was not at Fisher in 2020 or 2021 because of the pandemic so they held camp in Orchard Park, and that fueled ample speculation that they would not bother to return to Rochester in 2022.

While they did go back, some believed it was only temporary because with the new stadium being built in Orchard Park, the assumption was that they would eventually conduct all of their training camp operation at their home base. After all, more than two-thirds of the NFL’s 32 teams stay home for training camp, but the Bills don’t want to do that.

“It works really well for us, so we see no reason not to continue,” Guelli said. “When COVID hit and they brought camp back (to One Bills Drive), I don’t know if they knew what shape this would take moving forward. But after bringing it back to Fisher, I think everybody realized pretty quickly what an incredible setup that is. It works very well for our football ops team and it’s a great marketing extension into Rochester so there’s a lot of alignment that we wanted to continue on in Rochester.”

Hard Knocks to bring large crew to Bills Camp

This will be a rather unique summer for the Bills, both at Fisher and then when they return to Orchard Park, because they are the subject of this year’s training camp version of Hard Knocks on HBO.

“That’s obviously not something we sought out,” Guelli said. “When the league changed the rules around who could participate, they immediately came to us and our goal is just to make it as positive of an experience as we possibly can.”

Guelli confirmed that a crew of somewhere between 30 and 40 people will be embedded with the team from the start of camp here through Labor Day. They will film behind the scenes in both camp locations, plus during all three of the Bills’ preseason games, and the team will have some editorial control, but not a lot.

“I wouldn’t go as far as saying we have control, but we’ll be involved,” he said. “We know that we’ll have a chance to meet with NFL Films and talk through some of the content that’s part of the show. We’ve had some really productive meetings with them around logistics and how to integrate them into the campus without it being a challenge for anything that we’re operating. We talked about the process of how we collaborate on the show but nothing’s been defined.”

Guelli also said that he expects some, or perhaps all of the new limited ownership partners to attend at least a day of camp to get a look at what it’s all about. That would include former NBA stars Vince Carter and Tracy McGrady and former soccer star Jozy Altidore.

“I would anticipate a lot of those business partners being at camp this year, seeing the operation, kind of getting involved with how we prepare the team and just being directly connected to ownership now,” Guelli said.

Camp gets underway on July 23 and the Bills will conduct 11 practice as Fisher through Aug. 7. Guelli said the lottery system for free tickets is still in place because, “We know they’re going to be in high demand so we’re going to continue with the lottery system because we want to give everybody an opportunity to get there.”

Sal Maiorana has covered the Buffalo Bills for four decades including 35 years as the full-time beat writer for the D&C, he has written numerous books about the history of the team, and he is also co-host of the BLEAV in Bills podcast/YouTube show. He can be reached at maiorana@gannett.com, and you can follow him on X @salmaiorana and on Bluesky @salmaiorana.bsky.social.