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Oh captain, my captain: Rays 7, Blue Jays 1

Jul 20, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Taylor Walls (6) and second baseman Richie Palacios (1) celebrate a win over the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images | Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

Hell has frozen over, pigs have flown, and the Tampa Bay Rays held on to a lead and won a baseball game in the second half.

The never-wavering All-Star Nick Martinez, also known as “El Capitan”, proved to be the streak stopper, going six innings and only allowing one run.

I feel like Rogers Centre is somewhere the Rays offense has thrived, no matter who is on the mound, and that came to fruition tonight against All-Star Dylan Cease. Tampa Bay scored in six of the nine frames this evening.

Victor Mesa would get things started with a solo shot in the second, and his third in as many games to provide a 1-0 lead.

Jonathan Aranda doubled the lead with an RBI single in the fourth, 2-1 Rays.

The Rays’ big boys capitalized on Toronto giving them extra outs, as Yandy Diaz plated Nick Fortes on an Andres Gimenez error, and Junior Caminero brought him around to score to make it 4-1.

Cedric Mullins ambushed a hanging slider from Cease to make it 5-1, and that would end his night.

Caminero encapsulated his three-hit evening, getting Diaz to score from first on a double in the left-center field gap in the seventh, and Nick Fortes homered in the ninth to solidify getting the Rays back in the win column, 7-1.

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Orioles news: A brutal loss in Boston

Jul 20, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Baltimore Orioles first baseman Pete Alonso (25) reacts to striking out during the ninth inning against the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

Happy Tuesday, Camden Chatters! Did you watch last night’s baseball game between the Orioles and the Red Sox? It was pretty dumb. It’s not that the Orioles lost, which was disappointing but not that surprising. It was the way in which they lost. They made four errors!

A Jeremiah Jackson throwing error allowed a baserunner in the third inning, who later came around to score. Gunnar Henderson also made an error in the inning and didn’t catch a line drive that he probably should have gotten. Shane Baz pitched pretty well, but in the sixth inning, his throwing error allowed a runner to reach second. That runner ended up scoring. Taylor Ward made an error in the seventh inning that didn’t result in a run, but did cause Jim Palmer to exclaim disgustingly that they were playing terrible baseball.

The sloppy play aided in the loss, which actually saw some pretty good offense from the Orioles. They outhit the Red Sox, 11-10. Henderson doubled thrice. Tyler O’Neill had two hits and two RBI. The new guy, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, had a home run and an RBI single. The biggest disappointment on offense was so-called lefty killer Coby Mayo. Mayo managed to strike out three times against lefty starter Payton Tolle. Come on, Coby! That’s supposed to be the one thing you can do!

Probably the dumbest thing on the basepaths was when Pete Alonso was hit by a pitch and immediately got thrown out trying to steal second base with Henderson on deck. Henderson has his troubles, but he’s already doubled twice against Tolle in the game.

It’s a credit to the lineup that they were able to score five runs without Blaze Alexander, Adley Rutschman, or Samuel Basallo. But since the defense didn’t do its job and the relief pitching wasn’t perfect, it just wasn’t quite enough.

One thing I’ll say is that over the last year I had forgotten what it was like to care so much about baseball game. I like caring, even if it backfired on account of the Orioles playing dumb baseball. I will care again tonight, when the Red Sox try to win their 15th game in a row and the Orioles try to start a new streak.

The newly extended Kyle Bradish is pitching tomorrow for the Orioles. For the Red Sox, it’ll be another tough lefty in Ranger Suarez. Gulp. Game time is 7:10

Links

Orioles battle against red-hot Red Sox, but their 4 errors prove costly – The Baltimore Banner
This is what I’m saying!

Jon Meoli: Kyle Bradish’s extension adds to the good vibes around the Orioles – The Baltimore Banner
I sure hope Bradish brings those good vibes to the ballpark tomorrow.

Orioles place Rutschman on injured list with wrist injury, Basallo day-to-day – Baltimore Baseball
Rutschman is on his third trip to the IL and Basallo is day-to-day with a sore shoulder. Not great, Bob!

AL East Notes: Bassitt, Rodon, Scherzer, Santander – MLB Trade Rumors
I’ll be honest, I forgot Chris Bassitt was on the team. He could be back in mid-August. Great?

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have five Orioles birthday buddies, including Wei-Yin Chen, who turns 41. Chen was signed to a four-year contract after pitching in seven seasons with the Chunichi Dragons in Japan. He made 117 regular-season starts with the Orioles from 2012-2015 and got a very memorable win against the Yankees in game two of the 2012 ALDS.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Willie Eyre (48), Mike Bordick (61), Mark Williamson (67), and Moe Drabowsky (b. 1935, d. 2006).

On this day in 1990, Ben McDonald made his first major league start, and did so in style. Big Ben pitched a complete-game shutout against the Chicago White Sox. He allowed just four hits and struck out five. The Orioles won 2-0. It wasn’t his Major League debut; McDonald started his career with 12 games in the bullpen.

On this day in 1996, the Orioles traded Kent Mercker to Cleveland in exchange for Eddie Murray. Murray returned to Baltimore with 491 career home runs. He hit #500 on September 6th. It would have been cool if he ended his career in Baltimore, but he played in 55 games in 1997 for the Angels and Dodgers.

In 2000, the Orioles beat the Blue Jays, 8-5, in Toronto. Per Baseball Reference, this ended a 20-game Canadian losing streak for the Orioles in games against both the Blue Jays and Expos. Their last win in Canada came in June 1998.

One year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Guardians 10-5. Tomoyuki Sugano got knocked out in the fourth inning after allowing four runs, and relief pitcher Grant Wolfram later let things get out of hand. He gave up four runs in the seventh to make it a blowout. Ramón Laureano had two hits, including a home run, and four RBI.

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2026 Brewers Minor League Roundup: Week 17

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 12: Manager Shane Victorino #11 greets Jesus Made #12 of the National League Futures team during the 2026 All-Star Futures Game Presented by Nike at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, July 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup!

None of the Brewers’ minor league affiliates played more than three games this week because of the All-Star break, so this week’s roundup is going to look a little different. Rather than breaking down each affiliate individually, I’ve grouped together this week’s standout performances to highlight everything that happened around the farm over the last few games without getting repetitive. Let’s get into it.

Standout Performances:

Coleman Crow: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Tyson Hardin: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Josiah Ragsdale: 4-for-11, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Blake Burke: 4-for-12, 2 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 6 K
Jesús Made: 3-for-11, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K
Bishop Letson: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
Travis Smith: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K
Josh Adamczewski: 5-for-12, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Luis Peña: 3-for-10, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Braylon Payne: 3-for-13, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 0 BB, 6 K
Brady Ebel: 3-for-9, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K

Biloxi (AA) was the only Brewers affiliate to have a winning record this week, while the other three affiliates combined for just one win. That win came from the Nashville Sounds (AAA), who scored just eight runs in three games against the Norfolk Tides but pulled one out in the finale after Coleman Crow delivered a gem.

Crow, making his first non-rehab start in Triple-A since suffering a right forearm flexor strain over a month ago, certainly looked healthy, tossing six shutout innings while striking out six and allowing just one hit. Tyson Hardin didn’t quite match Crow this week, but he put together a quality outing of his own, allowing three hits and one earned run through six innings.

While no Nashville hitter had enough plate appearances to produce eye-popping numbers, the Sounds received contributions from a variety of players. Luke Adams, Jeferson Quero, and Brock Wilken homered, while Tyler Black, Jacob Hurtubise, and Darrien Miller chipped in with extra-base hits. Black led the Sounds with four hits in twelve at-bats.

Down in Biloxi, the Shuckers put together their 2-1 week largely thanks to the offense. Biloxi scored 21 runs in three games and still managed six runs in its only loss. The offense was led by Josiah Ragsdale, who reached base seven times in fourteen plate appearances and homered. He’s hitting .322 this year and .298 in fourteen games since being promoted to Double-A, although his 1.037 OPS with Biloxi is actually higher than it was with the Timber Rattlers.

Ragsdale, a seventh-round pick last year who has played himself into legitimate prospect status, just continues to stack good week after good week at the plate. He also has a solid glove and 70-grade speed. This is what 70-grade speed looks like:

Blake Burke continued to do what he’s done for almost a full year now: hit for extra bases. Burke collected three extra-base hits this week, including another home run, although six strikeouts in twelve at-bats isn’t exactly what the Brewers organization wants to see. Still, like with Andrew Fischer, it’s hard to complain too much as long as Burke remains one of Biloxi’s most productive middle-of-the-order bats.

Josh Adamczewski rounded out another productive week, leading the Shuckers with five hits. Since earning his promotion to Double-A earlier this summer, he’s done little to slow the momentum that’s made him one of the fastest-rising prospects in the Brewers’ system. Also — I didn’t include this video last week, but it’s worth watching:

Although Adamczewski led the Shuckers in hits, Jesús Made was probably the offensive standout, homering on the way to a six-RBI week. Baseball’s top prospect also walked three times while striking out only once, another reminder of just how advanced his approach is for a player his age.

Unlike most of the Brewers’ prospects, Made didn’t get much of a break, either. He and Luis Peña also represented the organization at the 2026 All-Star Futures Game, where Made went 1-for-3 with a single and drove in the National League’s lone run.

The pitching was just as encouraging. Bishop Letson tossed five scoreless innings, allowing only two hits while striking out four. Overall, Letson has now been pitching well for the better part of two months, which is great to see from the Brewers’ super-talented No. 9 prospect. Travis Smith also turned in a solid outing, allowing three hits and one run over four innings.

Neither High-A Wisconsin nor Single-A Wilson won a game this week, but a few of their top prospects are still worth highlighting. Braylon Payne struck out six times in thirteen at-bats, but he also added another home run, giving him eighteen on the season.

Luis Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, went 0-for-3 in the Futures Game, but 3-for-10 with a pair of doubles this week. It’s great to see him back on the field — and producing — after the health scares that interrupted his season. Also, I wasn’t going to name a Play of the Week this week, but this is such an awesome play from Peña that it wins anyway.

Brady Ebel, the Brewers’ 2025 first-round pick, hit two home runs in one game on the way to a 3-for-9 week in Single-A. If you like meaningless stats, Ebel is hitting .348 with a 1.239 OPS since the Brewers drafted his brother. Jarrette Bonet (5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) turned in the best start of the week for the Warbirds.

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Wrigley Rooftop-View Case Raises Proximity Issue Across Sports

The Chicago Cubs playing games in an “open-air stadium” doesn’t “transform the view” from a neighboring rooftop into Cubs property, Wrigley View Rooftop and owner Aidan Dunican argue in a recent court filing. And if it did, other teams, leagues and sports organizers could allegedly demand payment from neighbors who currently watch for free.

Wrigley View Rooftop and Dunican hope to persuade U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman to deny the Cubs’ summary judgment and a permanent injunction in the team’s misappropriation, trademark infringement and unjust enrichment lawsuit. The case, which began in 2024, centers on Wrigley View Rooftop selling access to a rooftop building where fans can watch Cubs games in person without paying the Cubs.

Wrigley View Rooftop maintains the Cubs seek a “new property right” in the form of “visibility of a live sporting event from neighboring private property,” with sightlines converted into property rights. The rooftop company asserts that if this “theory” were validated by the court, it would lack a “limiting principle” and its “consequences would extend far beyond Wrigley Field.”

To that point, Wrigley View Rooftop warns homeowners who live next to a golf course used for a PGA Tour tournament, restaurants overlooking a marathon route and bars along a NASCAR street race “could all be required to pay royalties merely because they profit from proximity to an event visible from their property.” 

There are counterarguments to this ominous prediction. There’s no reason to believe organizers of PGA tournaments, marathons, NASCAR races and similar sporting would ever demand payment, and thus the hypotheticals are arguably scare tactics rather than realistic consequences. 

A few months ago, Judge Coleman ruled that the Cubs’ claims are plausible. She stressed the team, which depicts Wrigley View Rooftop as illegally free-riding off the team’s financial investment in the playing of games, enjoys a property right in the product of live Cubs games produced at Wrigley Field.

In that discussion, Coleman referred to a court ruling from 1938 in which the Pittsburgh Pirates successfully blocked a radio station sending “observers” to watch games from a rooftop of a building adjacent to Forbes Field and using their observations to transmit an unauthorized radio broadcast of games.

The Cubs now seek a judicial finding from Judge Coleman that no reasonable jury could side with Wrigley View Rooftop, and a permanent injunction to effectively shut down Wrigley View Rooftop.

Through a brief authored by Matthew De Preter and Gary P. Hollander of Aronberg Goldgehn Davis & Garmisa on June 30, Wrigley View Rooftop insists the Cubs’ legal arguments should strike out.

Wrigley View Rooftop asserts its business model is straightforward and lawful. The company sells tickets to patrons who—unlike the observers in the Pirates case—don’t “record, retransmit, rebroadcast, report or relay” Cubs games but instead watch “live, in-person and in real-time” baseball games that the Cubs “choose to expose to public view.”

Along those lines, Wrigley View Rooftop stresses that people watching Cubs games from across a street aren’t engaged in a broadcast or other professional activity. Their watching of games shouldn’t “threaten the existence of Cubs baseball” or “undermine” the team’s “incentive” to stage games.

Wrigley View Rooftop also cites a section of the City of Chicago’s municipal code titled, “Rooftops in Wrigley Field Adjacent Area,” that contemplates rooftop seating as a lawful activity under certain conditions.

Further, Wrigley View Rooftop takes issue with comments by Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts, who, in a related litigation about a decade ago, compared people in the rooftops watching Cubs games to one neighbor looking through a second neighbor’s window to watch the hit show Homeland on Showtime, a premium-pay TV network.

“If Ricketts did not want anyone looking through the window,” Wrigley View Rooftop argues, “he should install curtains, and if the Cubs do not want anyone looking at Wrigley, they should install screens.”

Wrigley View Rooftop maintains the Cubs are not really opposed to rooftop seats, only to others owning those seats. 

In 2004, the Cubs and Wrigley View Rooftop resolved an earlier litigation over the same basic issues by entering into a 20-year revenue sharing agreement in which Wrigley View Rooftop shared a cut of its profits. The agreement, as described in court documents, prevented the Cubs from trying to block views from the rooftop seats with screens, obligated the Cubs to provide marketing and allowed Wrigley View Rooftop to use Cubs trademarks.

The two businesses couldn’t agree to new terms and their deal expired on Dec. 31, 2023. But Wrigley View Rooftop keeps selling seats and, the Cubs contend, continues to use trademarks of the MLB team. Wrigley View Rooftop argues it undertook substantial efforts to remove those trademarks from its marketing, website and brochures, though in court documents the Cubs have pointed to what they describe as continuing violations. 

The Cubs are also described as installing semi-transparent mesh screens “to obstruct the view” from the rooftop seats, which in turn caused Wrigley View Rooftop “to advise customers of the obstruction.”

In addition, Wrigley View Rooftop complains Cubs owners have known what they were getting into when they bought the team. Wrigley Field is a ballpark in the middle of a large city surrounded by tall buildings and “numerous rooftop businesses.” Over the years the Cubs have purchased some of those rooftop businesses, but not Wrigley View Rooftop.

Attorneys for the Cubs will have the chance to try to rebut these and other arguments in a reply filing that is due on Aug. 10.

No trial date has been set for the case, which could end in a settlement at any point. Given that the two sides are familiar to one another, there’s a chance they could strike a deal similar to the arrangement they negotiated in 2004.

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Phillies news: Field of Dreams, trade deadline, Seth Halvorsen

Phillies News:

MLB News:

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St. Louis Cardinals Recipe for Deadline Success

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 26: St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom looks on during the pregame ceremony prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

For some, the MLB Trade Deadline can be one of the most exciting and unpredictable times of the year. It presents an opportunity for all 30 teams to improve their chances to win now or in the future. For others, it can be a daunting, tedious, repetitive grind of information that may or may not come to fruition. The Viva El Birdos comment section famously has evoked it’s displeasure with the constant trade talk of a former individual who created content for us with soup recipes of all things! So, I thought, what a funny way to both have a reasonable conversation around the upcoming trade deadline and give a hat tip and wink at the comment section.

So, if we are to create Trade Deadline Soup, we need a recipe to follow!

The 2024 Detroit Tigers finished the season at 86-76 as the final Wild Card team into the playoffs. They swept the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card round before being eliminated in the ALDS by the Cleveland Guardians. This seems like a plausible best-case scenario for the 2026 Cardinals team that has surprised just about every corner of the baseball world this season. The 2024 Tigers sold 4 players at the players at the deadline; old friend Jack Flaherty was traded to the Dodgers, OF Mark Canha was traded to the Giants, another old friend C Carson Kelly and LHP Andrew Chafin were both traded to the Texas Rangers.

The Tigers acquired power-hitting C/1B prospect Thayron Liranzo and MLB SS Trey Sweeney, Minor league RP Eric Silva, RHP Joseph Montalvo, and C Liam Hicks.

The Cardinals could follow this “recipe” by trading impending FA Dustin May, OF Lars Nootbaar, C Pedro Pages/Jimmy Crooks, and RP JoJo Romero/Ryne Stanek. I’m slightly more optimistic about the Cardinals’ chances to get better upside in return than the Tigers were able to, given that Nootbaar and the Catchers have control remaining beyond this season.

Reinforcements for St. Louis are ready to backfill the roster if President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom chooses to execute this strategy. LHP Quinn Matthews has been on a HEATER at Memphis over the last month plus, Hunter Dobbins has already shown an ability to get big league hitters out, Memphis OF Joshua Baez has been making Triple-A pitching pay all season with his thump and prodigious right handed power, Catcher Leonardo Bernal has been a steady force behind the plate with no glaring flaws in his game as a switch hitting Catcher with a minor league gold glove to his name to boot. LHP Brycen Mautz and RHP’s Hancel Rincon and Cade Winquest offer upside out of the pen. As with the Jack Flaherty trade as the example above, don’t discount the Cardinals’ ability to get MLB-ready talent in return.

The biggest question on the roster would be what to do with All-Star Closer Riley O’Brien, and has been for this topic for some time now. The return would have to be overwhelming, but, at 31 years old, a serious case could be made that this is peak value for O’Brien, and with reliever volatility, there is no guarantee he ever performs at this level again, so the opportunity to maximize on the asset would appear to be now, despite the remaining 4 years of control. According to MLB.com, as many as 7 teams are in the primary pursuit of relief help. The Orioles, Twins, Mariners, Rangers, Nationals, Phillies, and Pirates. Among those teams exist a plethora of exciting prospect talent that the Cardinals could use to really set themselves up as they appear on the cliff’s edge of perennial contention once more.

But the approach to this year’s deadline has the potential to be more complex than we’ve seen in St. Louis. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has a history of a hybrid approach to the deadline where he both buys and sells. I do believe that there could be an opportunity to add a young controllable reliever, and there are teams on the West Coast that are defined sellers that could contribute to what has evolved as the Cardinals’ biggest, most glaring weakness. Since May 1st, the Cardinals’ bullpen ranks 20th in FIP (4.26), 17th in Win Probability Added (WPA) at 0.89, and 23rd in K% at 20.5%. Those are the 3 primary stats that I look at when trying to evaluate the effectiveness of relievers. How would they perform in a defensive neutral environment? Do they positively contribute to their team’s ability to win? Do they have the capability to get a strikeout when a ball in play could dramatically swing win probability in high-leverage situations?

As I’m prone to do, I have 3 names to watch that could fit as pieces that could contribute to the next winning Cardinals team.

RHP Ryan Zeferjahn – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels ascended closer Ryan Zeferjahn since June 1st; in his last 20.1 IP has a 3.30 FIP, 40.0 K%, and +0.99 WPA. Zeferjahn comes with 5 additional years of control and 3 options remaining, and won’t be a free agent until 2031. It’s a 5-pitch mix for the Halo righty: Sweeper, 4-Seam, Sinker, Slider, Curveball. 34% Whiff rate and .160 xBA (expected batting average) are both elite performance markers. I won’t speculate on cost because it’s so hard to be predictive of what value they have internally on an emerging closer on the verge of entering a true long-term rebuild, assuming John Mozeliak can effectively persuade Arte Moreno that the good of the long-term health of the Angels organization is to take a step back, sell, and build up their pipeline.

RHP Elvis Alvarado – Athletics

Another young emerging back-end option on the West Coast, Elvis Alvarado is 6’6 253 lbs, a true mountain of a man. He throws that classic 100 MPH heat we’ve come to expect from late-inning relievers, with 5 inches above-average arm-side run. Alvarado also throws a slider and a sinker and a very scantily used Splitter. The 5.14 FIP is not all that encouraging, though the xFIP is 3.54, but that’s probably me cherry-picking, so do with that what you will. 30.4 K% on the season gets us tethered back to why he is so intriguing, and the win probability added of -0.77 isn’t all that encouraging, but also taking into account that it’s likely a combination of poor defense and ball park effects of a minor league stadium working against him, I’m willing to look past some of those struggles and would be fascinated with getting him in St. Louis, much like the George Soriano situation from the spring, to see what this big league pitching staff and development staff can get out of this really encouraging ball of clay. You have essentially 6 years of control with Alvarado, only 2 option years remaining, and Alvarado is already 27, so the player acquisition cost for Alvarado would likely be relatively low, but presents exciting upside.

LHP Erik Miller – San Francisco Giants

This one admittedly is the most far-fetched; however, there likely wouldnt be a more impactful and immediate boost to the Cardinals bullpen than Erik Miller. It’s a 4-pitch mix, primarily Sinker/Slider, which he throws about 85% of the time. He will mix in a 4-Seam and Changeup against right-handed hitters. At 6’5 269 lbs, another gigantic human, I guess, emerging closers is the true theme of these guys, as well. 32.3 k%, 3.42 FIP, and a +0.10 WPA. Miller comes with 4 additional years of control and would be the true lefty weapon the bullpen is missing to pair with Riley O’Brien at the back end of games to give them a legitimate back end of games that would create heartburn for the opposition who would have the misfortune of facing them on any given night. This cost would likely be for players that the Cardinals wouldnt want to part with. More of a dream than a reality, I surmise, but Miller is 100% the ideal trade acquisition for the Cardinals at the 2026 deadline.

Ultimately, the Cardinals’ roster has 2 weeks to make its case not to engage in a significant sell-off. Things have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now, and the NL Wild Card race has muddied itself to the point that “clear and convincing evidence” against following through on the initial plan coming into the season becomes harder and harder to justify. That’s not to suggest that a Cardinals team that has been spiteful in the face of adversity wouldnt be capable of sneaking their way into the final spot even if they sell off short-term players and promote from within more exciting upside talent from this percolating Cardinals farm system. Key ingredients are missing from this recipe before it takes its final and most flavorful form of “deadline soup.” The Cardinals are running out of time, and Chef Bloom is ready to cook. What comes to boil could still be anyone’s guess, but our appetites for answers continue to increase with each passing day. I, for one, with spoon and bowl in hand, am ready to eat it up!

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the direction you think the Cardinals will go. Who would you like to see them acquire? Who would you try to move out to try and extract value from? I’m eager to see where everyone’s palate for change is driving their craving!

-Thanks for reading

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Yankees prospects: Dax Kilby’s return interrupted by rain

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Suspended by rain in first inning vs. FCL Phillies — this was to be 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby’s second game back from a hamstring injury, though he grounded out in the first before the game was called

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-3 vs. DSL Blue Jays Red

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 SB
SS Stiven Marinez 1-4, BB, K, SB, throwing error
RF Yostin Pena 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, K, SB, CS
2B Juan Torres 0-3, BB, 2 SB
C Juan Martinez 1-3, 2 RBI, K
DH Cesar Lopez 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K
1B Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB, K, SB — eight steals from the Yanks in this game, typical DSL stuff
LF Miguel Aguilar 1-4, 3 K
3B Adrian Feliz 1-4, SB, throwing error

Hector Moreno 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Fredy Penuelas 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K (win)
Brauilo Jaquez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 8-7 (9) at DSL Cardinals

CF Ruben Castillo 0-3, RBI, SF
2B Dariel Santana 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
C Alfiery Rodriguez 0-4, K
3B Carlos Bello 2-3, BB, 3 SB
DH Kenneth Melendez 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
RF David Carrera 2-4, RBI, BB, SB
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-5, RBI, 2 K, SB — the Bombers also stole eight bases on the day
1B Stalen Ramirez 0-2, BB, 2 SB
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-3, RBI, K, SF

Randy Angomas 2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 7 BB, 3 K
Kevin Centeno 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andre Avila 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Ronald Tejada 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Josue Silvestre 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K (loss) — gave up a walk-off two-run double, including the zombie runner, in extra innings (the game ended in nine but was scheduled to end in seven)

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Tigers look to clinch road series vs Cubs on Tuesday

The Detroit Tigers opened up their three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night with a nail-biting 8-6 victory in 10 innings. It began with a half-hour rain delay and ended in extra frames, and in between the two was plenty of action and zaniness. But what’s important is that the good guys won.

With a chance to clinch the series, left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start looking to build upon his last outing before the All-Star break. The 32-year-old earned his 10th quality start of the 2026 campaign against the Athletics, matching his season high with seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out nine — another season high — en route to his fifth win in a 4-1 final at Comerica Park.

Opposite him is Ethan Roberts, who gets his first start in his 24th appearance of the season after putting up sub-replacement player numbers as a reliever. This will also be the 29-year-old’s first outing of July after a brutal June that saw him post an 8.38 ERA and an 8.27 FIP over 11 games stretching across 9 2/3 innings, serving up 13 hits (three home runs) and seven walks while striking out five plus a hit-by-pitch.

Here is a summary of both pitchers’ stats ahead of Game 2 of the series in the Windy City.

Detroit Tigers (47-53) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-44)

Time (ET): 8:05 p.m.
Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 101: LHP Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Roberts (0-2, 4.21 ERA)

PlayerGIPK%BB%GB%FIPfWAR
Valdez19107.218.67.752.34.101.3
Roberts2325.215.512.748.75.28-0.2

VALDEZ

ROBERTS

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Benches clear in Pirates-Yankees game after Santana shouts at Caballero

NEW YORK — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana said he yelled at José Caballero for taking too long to get ready in the batter’s box, triggering a heated altercation in Monday night’s 8-5 loss to the New York Yankees.

Both benches and bullpens emptied after Caballero bounced into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Santana got angry following the play, gesturing and shouting a few times at Caballero on the field.

“Just don’t (take) that long (at) home plate and that’s it,” Santana said when asked what he said to Caballero.

The right-hander was restrained by teammates Rafael Flores and Bryan Reynolds before order was restored after a few minutes without any punches or ejections.

“Dennis just got frustrated by something,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Thankfully it didn’t end up being a big deal.”

Since the pitch clock was implemented in 2023, hitters are required to be in the batter’s box and facing the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on the clock. Caballero was trying to wait until the last second available during his at-bat, which lasted three pitches.

“I just grounded into a double play, turning my back to the coach at first base to give my guards to him, and he was chirping at me,” Caballero said. "I was a little bit surprised about it.”

Caballero had two hits, including a two-run double, before his at-bat against Santana, who has a 6.05 ERA in 44 appearances and gave up a game-ending two-run homer to Cleveland rookie Travis Bazzana on Saturday.

“At this point, he’s lucky he doesn’t get a ball right away because at this point, it’s been four years with the same rules, which we all should know about the rules,” Caballero said. “The whole league should know who I am, what I do (in) the box, and they should be aware of it. For you to get mad at something that the league’s implementing — you shouldn’t be mad at me, you should be mad at someone else.”

During New York’s 8-3 win in Toronto on June 14, Caballero was issued a warning for intentionally delaying an at-bat. He was warned by plate umpire Stephen Jaschinski that he would get an automatic strike called if it happened again, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke to Major League Baseball officials about it the following day.

“I know he does it every pitch. It’s his thing,” Reynolds said.

Caballero’s deliberate style in the batter’s box has periodically irked opponents, including the Yankees, who acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 31 last year.

As a rookie with the Seattle Mariners in June 2023, Caballero annoyed Yankees ace Gerrit Cole so much the right-hander threw a 97 mph fastball to him that landed high up on the backstop.

Cole’s pitch was in response to Caballero stepping out repeatedly during his first two plate appearances until the pitch clock was down to the eight-second requirement to be in the batter’s box and alert.

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LeBron James selects his next team: Latest updates, rumors, news

Any moment now we could be receiving alerts from X, formerly Twitter, about where LeBron James chooses to play next season.

We know the teams involved in the conversation surrounding James' decision: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.

Multiple reports have concluded that there are truly three teams in contention between the Cavs, Sixers and Heat.

The Warriors feel like a pipe dream but also remain a team to look out for that could really shift the narrative. James and his camp have all the information they need, according to USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes. Now, he just weighs out all of his options.

As James continues to breakdown those options and select his team, rumors are still flying. Speculation is rampant.

Here's the latest news, updates and whispers about the LeBron James Decision 4.0:

Rich Paul: LeBron James won't be rushed

06:44 AM ET, July 21 2026, Marcus D. Smith

After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his desire for LeBron James to make his decision so the league can finish its schedule for the regular-season, it fell on deaf ears.

Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James' agent. told Max Kellerman during their Game Over podcast that James won't "be rushed" into making a free agency decision.

"I saw Adam in New York and we discussed it," Paul said. "If (LeBron) doesn’t know – you can’t rush it … we’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make.

"There’s been several people who called and said ‘hey Rich is there anymore that we should be doing?’ And my answer is no. We don’t need you to go above and beyond."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: LeBron James selects his next team: Latest updates, rumors, news

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What kind of Trade Deadline will the Yankees have?

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees general manger Brian Cashman before game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

We’re within two weeks of the MLB Trade Deadline, and things are pretty unsettled across the league. In the 12-team, three-Wild Card playoff era, it gets harder and harder to discern buyers from sellers, with so many teams within striking distance of a postseason spot. This year, a number teams that many figured would be also-rans, like the Cardinals and Marlins, are contending, while some presumed contenders, like the Mets and Tigers, are fading. Some teams that looked sure to sell not long ago (looking at you, Boston), look like they might buy, while other teams that perpetually seem to go all in (hello, San Diego, might now need to sell.

We have little idea what anyone’s going to do over the next couple of weeks, and that includes the Yankees. The baseline assumption is that they’ll buy, because of course they will, they’re the Yankees. But beyond that, exactly what kind of deadline New York has is an open question.

To my eye, the last decade of Yankees’ trade deadlines gives us a few archetypes. There’s the most flashy one: the full-scale renovation, the deadline that sees the Yankees part with buckets of prospects for several major-league contributors. Seasons like 2025 and 2017 come to mind for this archetype, and 2022 also might fit the standard as well. After that, there’s a deadline of still-impactful but more measured buying, where Brian Cashman makes a few significant moves, without overhauling a third of the roster at once. Years like 2018, 2021, and 2024 are probably the best examples here. And then there are the years where the Yankees mostly stand still, content to make one or two moves without really shaking the boat; think 2019, 2020, and 2023. There’s also, lastly, the Selling Deadline, which the Yankees have pursued just once this century in 2016, though the odds of that kind of deadline are low (but not zero with Aaron Judge still hurt!).

Which type of deadline do you think is most likely in 2026? For my money, the solid deadlines of 2018, and 2021, and 2024 feel like the best analogs. 2018 saw Cashman add a few pitchers (J.A. Happ, Lance Lynn, and Zack Britton), while taking a flyer on a bat in Luke Voit. In 2021, he brought in Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, and Andrew Heaney, while in 2024 it was Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. That kind of deadline, where the Yankees target a few legitimate big-league contributors but don’t go crazy, generally feels like the median outcome for a Cashman deadline.

But there’s always a chance things go off script, in either direction. Maybe the Yankees see fit to turn over the roster like they did last year, or maybe they’ll make like 2023, the last time they entered the deadline with an injured Judge, when Cashman added an interesting relief arm in Keynan Middleton before calling it a day.

What do you think? Which route is most likely? And which do route do you think would be best for the Yankees with the roster in its current state?

On the site today, our Trade Deadline target series rolls along, with John analyzing Luis Arraez, a player the Yankees were often linked to a couple years ago. John will also profile Carsten Charles Sabathia on the occasion of his 46th birthday, while Matt will hand up the day’s Rivalry Roundup. Later, Michael recaps the last week of action down on the farm, and Peter delivers his At-bat of the Week.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Time: 7:10 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

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YouTube Gold: An HD Look At Larry Bird

BOSTON - 1990: Isiah Thomas #11 of the Detroit Pistons passes against Larry Bird #33 and Dennis Johnson #3 of the Boston Celtics during a game played in 1990 at the Boston Garden in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 1990 NBAE (Photo by Dick Raphael/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images

We’ve talked a lot about Larry Bird in this space, largely because Bird had a genius for basketball that is exceedingly rare. A lot of people think that Bird was too slow and couldn’t jump, and that he wouldn’t be able to play today.

People like JJ Redick, for one, who really should know better (Redick said that he didn’t think Bird was a top-five all-time three-point shooter).

Redick was born in 1984, so he was too young to see Bird in his prime, and may not have watched him much in his later years either to understand why he was such a feared shooter. That’s hard to know. However, the idea that Bird would struggle in today’s game is ludicrous, and this video partially demonstrates why.

You’ll see several things repeated here. For one, Bird on several occasions is on the floor and nonetheless still delivers pinpoint, lethal passes.

You’ll also see him make several passes to players behind him that he cannot possibly see. Nonetheless, he knows where they will be and delivers perfect passes for easy baskets, sometimes with 2-3 defenders in the way.

You’ll also see plays where he just touches the ball long enough to direct it to a teammate. It’s not exactly a pass; it’s more like a redirection.

As the narrator notes, Bird has superb situational awareness, and perhaps the best hand-eye coordination in the history of the game. But he also played as hard as anyone, and with an amazing amount of self-confidence.

This is a guy who said that he knew, on his third day of practice as a rookie, that he would dominate the NBA.

There are Larry Bird trash talking videos out there on the YouTubes, where he told his defenders exactly what he was going to do, and then did it.

And then there’s this: Bird played in an era when guys sometimes tackled each other in the open court and pulled each other down like they were in WrestleMania, not the NBA.

In this era, where you can’t defend physically as you could in the 1980’s, no one could have stopped Bird. He might have averaged 40 points in the modern NBA.

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MLB trade deadline predictions: Will these 12 players on the bubble stay or go?

CHICAGO — All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan, sitting in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field, figured he’d be gone with everyone else in the infamous Minnesota Twins fire sale a year ago.

He heard the rumors all winter that he’d be traded, again in spring training, yet now that the MLB trade deadline is here, the Ryan trade talks have suddenly stopped.

Funny how a team’s outlook changes when the American League stinks.

The Twins, despite a 49-52 record, are only three games out in the wild-card race and four games back in the AL Central.

And Ryan, who could be the most sought-after starter on the trade market, now believes he’ll be actually staying put.

The Twins, after tearing the hearts out of their fanbase a year ago, certainly don’t have the audacity to do it again.

Entering Monday with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 128 batters in 110 ⅓ innings, Ryan also is under team control for one more year before he can hit free agency after the 2027 season.

“Last year there’s just kind of this unknown and we didn’t know that it was going to go down the way it did," Ryan said. “I don’t even know if the organization knew it was going to go down the same way it did. But at the same time, I think it was probably inflamed publicly with the 'fire sale' because we had a lot of guys on expiring contracts that you’re going to move, regardless.

Jul 14, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Joe Ryan (41) pitches during the fourth inning for the All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Ross-Imagn Images

“Then, all offseason I was kind of like, 'He’s going to get traded. He’s going to be traded.’ In spring training. And the beginning of the year. It was constant. But we’ve just played good baseball, and it’s allowed me to really just hone in on the team and keeps you present.

“It’s just given me peace."

Ryan is one of the 12-most intriguing players on this year’s trade bubble, executives believe, with teams still trying to figure out whether they’ll be traded or kept.

Prediction: He’ll stay.

Here's a look at other players on the bubble:

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Skubal, the defending two-time AL Cy Young winner, realizes his fate depends on how the Tigers fare these next weeks. If they keep winning – and they're 24-15 since June 1 – he’s staying.

If they have a relapse and start losing like they did when they went 6-22 in May, he’s gone. And if he’s gone, why hang onto Casey Mize, who’s also a free agent after the season?

“I mean it's all out of my control,” Skubal said after his last start.

Certainly, he’s doing everything in his power to stay, pitching seven shutout innings Saturday with nine strikeouts against the Angels. It was the first time he went seven innings since April 29, his last start before undergoing elbow surgery, and everyone’s taking notice.

Prediction: STAYING

Clay Holmes, New York Mets

Holmes hasn’t pitched in a game since May 15 when he fractured his right fibula on a comebacker, but it hasn’t stopped scouts from monitoring his minor-league rehab stint, knowing he should return shortly after the Aug. 3 trade deadline. This is a guy who was dominant before the injury, yielding a 2.38 ERA in his first 52 ⅔ innings.

Holmes is in the second year of a three-year, $38 million contract, but he could opt out of the remaining $12 million in his deal and hit free agency after the season. He expressed interested in signing a long-term extension, but David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, has been reluctant to give out long-term deals to pitchers.

Prediction: GOING

Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates

Would the Pirates dare trade one of their potential young stars while fighting for their first playoff berth since 2015?

Likely not, but they desperately need bullpen help and could aways use depth in the starting rotation. They also have a powerful offense, depth in the outfield with Jake Mangum and Esmerlyn Valdez, and the desire to keep their payroll at its current level. If they choose, they can always move him in the winter, too.

Prediction: STAYING

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been one of the game’s most underachieving teams, and nothing after the break has changed their plight, losing two of three games to the Chicago White Sox.

The Blue Jays hate to raise the white flag after being just two outs of winning the World Series last year, but they also have to be realistic about their most attractive trade chip.

Prediction: GOING – along with a few of his teammates

C.J. Abrams, Washington Nationals

The Nationals dangled Abrams over the winter, but no one came close to stepping up and making a bid to pry him away. It may be no different this time around, but Abrams is having an All-Star season and has already set career highs with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs. And he still has two years of club control. They are still hanging around the wild card race, and could instead trade first baseman Luis Garcia Jr.

Prediction: STAYING

Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants

There are plenty other high-salaried players on long-term contract the Giants would love to trade, including Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, but Lee is having the best season at the best price. He’s hitting .303 with a .787 OPS, with about $70 million remaining through 2029. He also has an opt out after the 2027 season. Still, with only five home runs this season, teams may instead covet power-hitters.

Prediction: STAYING

Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels

Detmers just may be the most valuable pitcher to hit the trade market.

Detmers, who is striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings, is coming off a dominant six-inning shutout performance against the Tigers, yielding just four hits with seven strikeouts. This not only is a breakout season for the 27-year-old lefty, but he’s also not earning much money ($2.625 million) and is even under team control through 2028.

If owner Arte Moreno gives his blessing, John Mozeliak, interim president of baseball operations, will trade him, and perhaps Jose Soriano too, knowing how it could instantly inject an abundance of talent into their farm system.

Prediction: Detmers goes, Soriano stays

Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

This is the type of player the Orioles could get a handsome return for with the lack of power hitters on the market. Yet, after winning six games in a row to be in the middle of the wild-card race, can they really afford to part with Ward? He hit 36 homers with 103 RBIs for the Angels last season, which has dropped to seven homers and 27 RBIs, and is a free agent after the season.

Do they give up on him or believe he’ll turn it around?

Prediction: STAYING

Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins

The New York Yankees are salivating over the chance to acquire Ryan Jeffers, and the Rays are in the mix, too.

Who wouldn’t want a power-hitting catcher who’s back healthy with a .941 OPS?

The Twins’ dilemma is that they are still hanging in the race, just 3 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central race and 2 back in the wild-card race. They do have reliable Victor Caratini, but he’s not Jeffers.

“There's nothing you can do about it,’’ Jeffers said this weekend in Chicago. "You just go out there and continue to play baseball. If I wanted to be a GM, I'd stop playing. So, I'll keep on playing and figure out the future career path after I'm done."

Prediction: GOING

Mason Miller, San Diego Padres

The Padres gave up their top prospect and three other prospects to acquire him a year ago, believing he would make their bullpen so powerful that they would never blow a lead.

They never envisioned that they’d become so mediocre this year that 14 times already he has had three or more days of rest, including a stretch in June where he never appeared for six days. He has had only 10 save opportunities since May 30.

Simply, he’s too valuable to sit around and rot in the bullpen, and the Padres could use their return to bolster their woefully thin rotation.

Prediction: GOING

Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds

It’s crazy to think that the Reds would trade Greene, right? He’s one of the most talented young pitchers in the game, but injuries have limited him to just 123 ⅔ innings since the end of the 2024 season. He also is under team control through the 2029 season at $52 million.

So why would the Reds even think about it?

Well, with so few sellers on the market, and Greene not turning 27 until three days after the trade deadline, the Reds are intrigued just to see what they could command on the market, seeing if someone blows them away.

Prediction: STAYING

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB trade deadline predictions: Will these 12 players on the bubble stay or go?

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NBA Summer League takeaways: an outstanding top four, a Warriors gem and a Cavaliers steal

Yaxel Lendeborg helped the Warriors to the Summer League Final. Photograph: John Locher/AP

1) The top four are as good as advertised

The hype heading into this year’s draft was tremendous, and through the small sample size of 10 or so days in the Las Vegas summer heat, this year’s class has lived up to its billing.

AJ Dybantsa, now a Washington Wizard, looked every bit the No 1 overall pick in his Summer League debut, where he bested the player drafted directly behind him, Darryn Peterson. This was notable, as Peterson had won the pair’s previous head to head matchups, and the noise was starting to swell that perhaps the Wizards had made the wrong selection with the No 1 pick. But Dybantsa showed his high ceiling, looking every bit the crafty and athletic offensive engine he has been touted as. Peterson, to his credit, also had a solid Summer League outing, especially in the California Classic (the mini version of the league that takes place before the big shebang in Las Vegas), showcasing his excellent shot creation skills.

The third overall pick, Cameron Boozer, who many trendy media folks picked to go first, showed exactly why he’s attracted so many fans while leading his team to the NBA Summer League Final: he’s not particularly flashy or exciting, rather more of a high level metronome. Boozer is a super smart, strong, and mature offensive hub who may not put butts in seats, but he really understands how to play basketball at an NBA level.

And Caleb Wilson, drafted fourth by the Chicago Bulls, may have seen his stock rise the most of the four during his time in Vegas. He scored a scintillating 35 points (with seven threes) in his Vegas debut, and if that shooting can hold up in the NBA, his athleticism, shot creation and swagger make him a bona fide franchise cornerstone, the kind of guy who can finally poster dunk the Bulls out of mediocrity.

2) Yaxel Lendeborg is NBA ready

Before Lendeborg was an NBA Summer League champion and Summer League Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him with the 11th overall pick this year, he was winning an NCAA championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Simply put, the guy is a winner. With his size (6ft 9in, with a 7ft 4in wingspan), skillset (a swiss army knife with a high basketball IQ) and personality (not afraid of the big moment, swagger for days), he most likely would have gone even higher had he not been 23 years old at the time of the draft in June. In some ways, though, his age is an asset; especially for a team as win-now (or, rather, win-yesterday) as the Warriors. Lendeborg is ready for the NBA fresh out of the box, he’s smart and savvy and the epitome of plug and play. On top of all of this, he’s a walking pull-quote: he told ESPN’s Ben Golliver of the Grizzlies’ blown lead in the championship game: “Man, their butts got tight. They puckered up, you know what I mean? Some of us are built for the moment and some aren’t.”

3) The Lakers may have in-house solutions

The most glaring roster hole after an aggressive summer of moves for the Los Angeles Lakers (all five starters from game one of their first round series against the Houston Rockets this playoffs are gone) is at the wing/forward. While rumors are still aflutter in regards to players like the Hawks’ Jonathan Kuminga and Dallas’s PJ Washington, the Lakers’ time in Las Vegas showed heartening signs that they may have rotation-caliber wings at home. To start with, Cameron Carr, who fell to Los Angeles all the way down at No 24 in this year’s draft, looks like he may be a steal who should have gone in the lottery. He showed athleticism and shooting that the Lakers have lacked, and seemed right at home in pseudo NBA level competition. Adou Thiero, the freak athlete 2025 draft pick who spent most of his rookie campaign recovering from injury, also seemed to be making substantial strides.

But the surprise of the week was Arthur Kaluma, who spent last season with the Lakers’ G-League affiliate. He had a 34-point game against the Mavericks, and generally seemed prime to emerge as the 3 & D wing the Lakers are looking to shore up their rotation with. While the team fell short of making the Summer League Final, they have to be feeling pretty good about what they have in-house. They went 4-1 in Vegas, only losing to the ultimate champion Warriors in the semi-finals.

4) The Bucks reset is off to a good start

Milwaukee have had a rough go of things in recent years, to say the least. Their fence-swing for Damian Lillard went about as poorly as it could have, culminating in an achilles tear and the decision to waive and stretch his contract. Then came the somewhat inexplicable decision to throw the bag at center Myles Turner. Another year of Giannis Antetokounmpo injuries later, and it was finally time to face the music: the Bucks traded the Greek star to the Miami Heat, who had long courted him. As much as it hurt to break up with their multi-time MVP sweetheart, it was for the best for all parties. Hope that there are sunnier days ahead came in the form of guard Brayden Burries, who the Bucks selected No 10 overall in this year’s draft. He was one of the standouts in Vegas, averaging 23.5 points (with 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists), and putting a cherry on top of his outing with a game-winning bucket in his final game. Burries looks like he could end up being the best of what was a crowded guard class in the mid lottery, scoring efficiently and showing poise in his time in the desert.

5) Meleek Thomas may have been the steal of the draft

At the time of writing, the jury is still out on whether or not one LeBron James, the best thing to ever happen to sports in the Cleveland metro area, will be back for a third rodeo in a Cavaliers uniform. But regardless of that outcome, there are silver linings to be found for Cavs fans this July. Thomas, a guard out of Arkansas, was the surprise standout of the week, averaging just over 27 points (!) at 50% (!) from the field. He may struggle to find substantial rotation minutes on the Cavs next year, as they just gave Donovan Mitchell a tremendous amount of money and are allegedly planning to bring back James Harden on a more team-friendly contract, but Thomas was the best player on the floor in several of his contests in Vegas, and for the 34th overall pick, that’s pretty damned remarkable. Thomas didn’t look out of place among his higher drafted peers; if anything, he was often the most confident among them. We may well look back on the 2026 draft and wonder how Cleveland snagged such a gem in the second round.

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Yankees news: Trade Deadline previews

NEW YORK, NY - JULY 19: Jasson Domínguez #24 of the New York Yankees singles in the first inning during the game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on Sunday, July 19, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by Michael Urakami/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images

MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: Although the team’s top two prospects, George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange, appear to be off-limits at this year’s Trade Deadline, the Yankees still have quite a bit of prospect ammunition to make a deal at this deadline, with former top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones joining current prospects Dax Kilby and Elmer Rodríguez as players the Bombers could look to move to augment this year’s big league club.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: With a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the rearview mirror and the Trade Deadline looming, the conversation has turned to whether or not the Aaron Judge-less Yankees have the means to compete in the American League. With that in mind, Brendan Kuty makes three proposals to immediately give the Yankees a boost: get rid of Camilo Doval, call up Spencer Jones, and platoon Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has struggled against southpaws this season, with Max Schuemann, who has thrived versus them. While, in a vacuum, none of these suggestions would move the needle, in the aggregate, they might give the team a jolt.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees got a bit of good injury news this weekend, as Clarke Schmidt — out since last summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery — took the mound and threw 15 pitches before Saturday night’s game was postponed due to weather. Facing Anthony Volpe and Ali Sánchez, he threw only four-seam fastballs, following the same rehab schedule that Gerrit Cole did earlier this season; should all go well, he will start incorporating breaking balls in his next session. Schmidt may be able to return to the Bronx in a bullpen role in August, or as a starter in September.

Baseball America: (subscription required) Now that the draft is behind us, Baseball America has updated their Top 30 prospect lists. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lombard took the top spot, while Lagrange — who turned heads with his high velocity during the spring — comes in fourth, behind Rodríguez and Kilby. This year’s top pick, Hunter Dietz, debuts at seventh with second-rounder Sean Duncan hot on his heels, while Jones drops to ninth.