Game Recaps

Diamondbacks disappoint by following historic comeback with loss to struggling Athletics by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

The Arizona Diamondbacks entered Monday coming off an exhilarating seven-run comeback to snatch a series win over the St. Louis Cardinals, but that energy and excitement did not carry over into a matchup with the Athletics.

The Diamondbacks scored two total runs off a starter with a 6.08 ERA (Jeffrey Springs) and a bullpen with the highest ERA in MLB (5.51), and a rare lapse from Kevin Ginkel made the difference in a 5-2 Arizona loss.

A challenge of Monday’s game was going to be bridging the gap between starter Mitch Bratt’s outing and the later innings, considering Bratt is on a pitch count and Arizona’s bullpen had a lot of work to do over the weekend. With their injuries, the Diamondbacks have had to piece together a couple spots in the rotation with rookies.

Overturned call dampens Arenado’s milestone in Diamondbacks’ loss to A’s by Nick Piecoro and José M. Romero [AZ Central]

An overturned out call at first base loaded the bases with two outs against Ginkel, and A’s pinch hitter Jeff McNeil delivered a shallow single to center field to score two runs and break a 2-2 tie. The A’s added a third run on a Ginkel wild pitch.

Those were the first earned runs Ginkel (3-3) has allowed since July 5, a span of six consecutive outings.

Earlier, the Diamondbacks (51-49) fought back from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at 2 on Ketel Marte’s two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth. Jorge Barrosa led off with a double, and Marte launched his 18th home run of the season down the left field line.

Diamondbacks News

Nolan Arenado Strengthens Hall Of Fame Case with Milestone Hit by Alex D’Agostino [SI]

Arenado became the 297th player in major league history to reach that milestone threshold, spending the majority of his career with the Rockies and Cardinals.

He’s also only the sixth active MLB player to do so. He joins Padres third baseman Manny Machado, Yankees and former D-backs first baseman Paul Goldschmidt, Astros second baseman Jose Altuve and Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman — elite company, without a doubt.

He’s also the third Diamondbacks hitter to reach that marker while with Arizona, joining a pair of World Series-winning outfielders in Luis Gonzalez and Steve Finley.

Diamondbacks sign top MLB draft picks Ryder Helfrick, Blake Bryant by Alex Weiner [Arizona Sports]

Arizona went into the draft with a bonus pool of $13,603,100, and each pick in the first 10 rounds comes with an assigned slot value. By saving money in the top 10 rounds, teams can spend more on players they select later, such as high schoolers deciding whether to go pro or to college.

Arizona took three players right out of high school, including infielder Cody Boshell in the 11th round, who signed a $750,000 deal, according to AZCentral.com’s Nick Piecoro.

The lone draftee the Diamondbacks have not announced the signing of is 17th-rounder Rylan Alaniz, an infielder out of Trinity High School (Texas). 

Has Diamondbacks RHP Brandon Pfaadt turned a corner? by Wendy Lopez [Burn City Sports]

Pfaadt is attacking hitters early and working to keep the ball in the ballpark, something he struggled to do at the start of the season. Improved fastball command and a better mix of his secondary pitches have helped keep opponents from stringing together big innings, giving Arizona another reliable option every fifth day.

The sample size remains relatively small, and it’s still too early to say the turnaround is permanent. Before returning to the major leagues, the 27-year-old was enduring one of the toughest stretches of his career, posting a 5.94 ERA in his first three starts and a 5.91 ERA after moving to the bullpen.

However, if Pfaadt can prove he can consistently give the D-Backs quality starts, it could signal that the pitcher once expected to become a stabilizing force in the franchise’s rotation is back on track. His contributions since being recalled have helped Arizona remain in the playoff conversation while several key arms have been sidelined.

How Michael Soroka is Staying Patient With His ‘Frustrating’ Injury by Jack Sommers [SI]

Michael Soroka was relaxing in the clubhouse practicing his putting stroke on the putt return ramp that has been in the starting pitchers’ corner of the clubhouse for years. One after another, he dialed in until he figured out the slope that was causing putts to move right. Once he got it, he sank several in a row, then one after another. 

He is exercising the same level of precision and patience as he works his way back from a left glute strain that put him on the injured list back on June 20. Soroka is no stranger to the injured list. This is the tenth time in his career he has had to take time down to heal. He acknowledged some frustration.

Around the League

Sox inch closer to history with 14th straight win thanks to Durbin’s blast by Ian Browne [MLB]

Boston’s latest victory — played in front of a revved-up, packed house of 37,659 — snapped a seven-game winning streak for the Orioles.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, this was the fifth time in the Expansion Era (since 1961) that two teams faced off while each sported at least a seven-game winning streak.

Why there is only one Latino player in MLBPA player leadership – and why it matters by Jorge Castillo [ESPN]

 THERE ARE TIMES, on calls with the Major League Baseball Players Association, when Pablo López doesn’t understand what’s being said.

When that happens, the Minnesota Twins right-hander will jot down the word or phrase he didn’t fully grasp. Sometimes he’ll translate it to Spanish later, or he’ll wait until the MLBPA releases a Spanish-language press release.

López, who was born and raised in Venezuela, is fluent in English, able to communicate with teammates with ease. He conducts interviews without the slightest hiccup. But he knows his crucial duty as the Twins’ MLBPA player representative during labor negotiations is to not only absorb the information he collects from union officials, but to correctly communicate a detailed summary to his teammates. And the language used in those meetings, technical and full of legal jargon, can admittedly prove challenging.

“I didn’t know what the word ‘accrued’ was,” López said. “I’m like, ‘Accrued? What is that?'”

The Replacement-Level Killers: Designated Hitter by Jay Jaffe [FanGraphs]

Diamondbacks

After he raked at a 147 wRC+ clip in 87 plate appearances in late 2024, Adrian Del Castillo placed 30th on our preseason Top 100 Prospects list in ’25 as a 50-FV catcher, with Eric Longenhagen describing him as “a lefty-hitting Ryan Jeffers” capable of providing enough offense to offset concerns about his defense and to justify additional playing time at DH. Yet Castillo hit for just an 87 wRC+ in 131 plate appearances last year, and struggled to an even greater degree through the first two months of this season while serving as a third catcher and platoon DH against righties. Instead of getting sent to Triple-A Reno to regroup, he took just 33 plate appearances in June and early July before finally being optioned, then returned 12 days later. Overall, he’s hit just .195/.256/.325 (59 wRC+), including a 62 wRC+ in 98 plate appearances at DH. For as bad as that is, only two of the five other Diamondbacks with more than 16 plate appearances at DH have topped that wRC+, namely lineup regulars Gabriel Moreno and Ketel Marte. Of the other three, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who contributed to the team’s making my left fielders list, just landed on the injured list due to an adductor strain, while Jose Fernandez and Pavin Smith are both at Reno. Fernandez hit just .255/.289/.352 (75 wRC+) in a utility role, while Smith was outrighted off the 40-man roster after hitting an anemic .141/.236/.192 (23 wRC+).

This is a team that could use a real DH. The Reds’ JJ Bleday, the Rockies’ Mickey Moniak, and the Orioles’ Taylor Ward — if Baltimore is selling — are among those who could help while additionally contributing in left field. The Giants’ Luis Arraez has played his way back to respectability as a second baseman, but with Marte a staple at the keystone, Arraez could contribute at DH or first base — another position of need for Arizona, who also landed on my Killers list there. 

Report: Giants Have Not Discussed Extension With Luis Arraez by Darragh McDonald [MLB Trade Rumors]

Infielder Luis Arraez is a logical trade candidate but recently expressed an openness to staying in San Francisco with an extension instead. There hasn’t been any indication the Giants are looking to extend Arraez and Justice delos Santos of The Mercury News reports that there have been no formal extension talks between Arraez and the club.

A trade has always seemed the most likely outcome and this report adds to that framing. Arraez is an impending free agent, as he was signed to a one-year deal with a $12MM guarantee. He’s having arguably the best campaign of his life. His batting average has returned to a very strong .326 mark this year. He had dipped to .292 last year, still a strong figure but low for him personally.

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.

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.

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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Phillies News:

• Phillies “Field of Dreams” Game uniforms just dropped and they’re spectacular
• Apparently, the Phillies are lusting after Mets’ reliever Luke Weaver
• Who can the Phillies turn to to figure out the 5th starter dilemma? Casey Mize? Ryan Yarbrough?

MLB News:

• Dodgers acquire Rockies RHP Seth Halvorsen
• A look at Baseball Savant’s new player comp tool
• MLB Trade Deadline Buyers and Sellers Guide for all 30 teams

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

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)

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)

VALDEZ

ROBERTS

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

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.

“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

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.

José Caballero claimed “the whole league should know who I am” after he enraged Dennis Santana with his time-wasting in the batter’s box and caused the benches to clear in the eighth inning.

The Yankees infielder has gained a reputation for not engaging with pitchers until the last possible moment, and it set off the Pirates pitcher Monday night — even after he grounded Caballero into a double play.

Caballero hit a tame grounder to the pitcher before being thrown out moments later, but the pair jawed after the play concluded as things quickly escalated.

Caballero said after the game that he didn’t believe he and Santana could actually hear each other’s barbs — but that didn’t stop both benches and bullpens from swarming the field as the game was delayed several minutes.

“The whole league should know who I am, what I do in the box, and they should be aware of it,” Caballero said.

“And for you to be mad at something the league implemented in this league [batters have until eight seconds left in the pitch clock to engage], he shouldn’t be mad at me — he should be mad at someone else.”

For his part, Santana admitted he was aware of Caballero’s strategy “a little bit” before the game, but that it’s “not my problem.”

He admitted that he got “caught up in the game,” and that he didn’t think Caballero should be delaying him on every pitch with the Yankees already leading 8-5.

Aaron Boone, meanwhile, cracked that “sometimes boys will be boys,” but admitted that pitchers can be caught off guard by Caballero’s antics.

“I completely understand, it’s part of his process getting ready mentally to hit. And frankly, I think more guys should,” Boone said.

“If you’re not used to it, you should practice,” Caballero added.

The Mariners kept ‘00s weekend running with a Monday dismantling of the Reds re-enacting Evanescence’s 2003 three debut single “Bring Me To Life.”

This season fans have bemoaned lifeless at-bats and flat outings, begging the team that electrified the city last summer to show some semblance of their former selves. Now that I know what I’m without/You can’t just leave me. And yet so often the 2026 club has left fans in the dark, after offering a tantalizing taste of playoff baseball last season. Now fans know what they’ve been without, making the taste of failure that’s characterized much of 2026 all the more bitter.

In an extra-cruel twist of fate, one of the biggest accountings for that delta in performance has been the sensation of the 2025 season, their All-Star switch-hitting catcher, home run derby champ, iron man-redux Cal Raleigh, who has gone from appointment viewing at-bats to doctor’s appointments followed by “I might rather be at a dentist appointment than watching this at-bat.” It’s been brutal and frustrating both for the fans and for Raleigh himself.

When the Mariners came out of the break with a 0-7 shutout loss in a lifeless showing against the dismal Giants, it felt like the nightmare of 2026 would be continuing. But to their credit, the Mariners perked up and won the last two games of the series, coming into today having won three of their last four games, a talking point repeated by several members of the team after yesterday’s win.

Today the Mariners kept the momentum rolling, again scoring via both small ball and the long ball, the same way they won Sunday’s contest. And what a long ball it was: this grand slam by Cal Raleigh, after Terry Francona and the Reds had intentionally walked Dom Canzone – a seemingly more favorable left-on-left matchup with former Mariner and member of the 2025 playoff team Caleb Ferguson on the mound – to get to Cal Raleigh with the bases loaded with one out. The Reds, as Dan Wilson charitably explained postgame, were likely looking to set up an inning-ending double play.

That did not happen.

But let’s back up a little, because even though this slam put the game out of reach, the Mariners were going to win this game anyway thanks to some small ball manufacturing of runs, taking advantage of miscues by the Reds, and some dominant pitching from starter George Kirby.

George Kirby didn’t have pinpoint command in the first despite throwing four of four first-pitch strikes, walking leadoff man Elly De La Cruz and going to a full count on former Athletic JJ Bleday, who came into this game sporting a 1.56 OPS against Kirby. But Kirby neutralized Bleday on a harmless flyout, just like he’d go on to neutralize the Reds for the rest of the night, even if it wasn’t his most dominant outing.

The Mariners got some traffic in the second because that’s when Cole Young was due up to bat. With two outs, Young worked a very nice seven-pitch walk off the lefty Andrew Abbott, and advanced to second on a little dunk base hit from Victor Robles, who understands his job description right now is 50% “Play Outfield, Don’t Get Hurt” and 50% “Hit Righthandedly.” But Buddy Kennedy, getting the start over Weston Wilson, struck out to end the threat.

It looked like the Reds would punish the Mariners for not taking advantage there in the top of the third. George Kirby threw two pitches and like magic – tonight was Harry Potter Night at the park, so go figure – had two baserunners on with no outs. Things got a little more hot water (or dogwater, as Angie would say) when Josh Naylor threw too high to Colt Emerson on a potential double play, giving Kirby just one out instead of two, but Sal Stewart flew out softly to right field and former Mariners prospect Edwin Arroyo made the head-scratching decision to try to score, instead being easily thrown out at home to end the inning.

The old saying (slash bastardization of a quote attributed to Napoleon) is that you don’t interrupt your enemy when they’re making a mistake, and the Mariners were happy to let the Reds keep on making mistakes. In the fifth inning, Victor Robles led off the inning with a single, his second hit of the game, and then was gifted third base by a bad throw from catcher Tyler Stephenson on a stolen base attempt. Randy Arozarena does get credit here for keeping the inning alive with a two-inning walk, bringing up Julio Rodríguez, who hit into what should have been an inning-ending changeup, chasing after the same pitch he’d struck out on in his first at-bat, only to have Elly De La Cruz mishandle it and allow the run to score (it was ruled an infield hit. It was not.).

Because there is a cost to chaos magic – as those who bought a ticket to Harry Potter Night can attest – the baseball gods ruled that Julio had to pay a price, and that price was getting hit in the Lomas de Cabrera by the errant throw while also maybe pulling something trying to beat out the throw. Dan Wilson was oblique about the nature of the injury postgame, saying only that it was precautionary and that it wasn’t a strain.

With Kirby at 80 pitches to end the sixth but in his first outing since the All-Star Break, and the leverage relievers (Bazardo, Speier, and Muñoz) down after pitching this weekend, the Mariners summoned Nick Davila to protect the one-run lead. It got off to a rough start, with Davila hitting the first batter he faced, Spencer Steer, but then Good Guy Eugenio Suárez offered Davila a reset by grounding into a double play, allowing Davila to finish the inning painlessly after getting Tyler Stephenson to ground out.

With Abbott at 100 pitches, the Reds turned to righty Pierce Johnson in the seventh to face the terror known as Victor Robles and Robles responded by immediately rapping a single into right field. Luke Raley was then summoned to pinch-hit for Buddy Kennedy and once again, Raley produced a big hit, singling to right and allowing Robles to scoot into third. Then it was Colt Emerson’s turn to get to contribute. Emerson was originally out of the game for a scheduled day off on his 21st birthday, but stepped in when J.P. Crawford was a late scratch for wrist soreness (he is day to day). In addition to making some slick plays at shortstop, Emerson brought in an at-the-time crucial second run with a sac fly. Happy birthday, Colt. But the Mariners weren’t done. Randy Arozarena kept the line moving with a beautiful little oppo single, because Randy does that now, and then Weston Wilson – who was in for Julio Rodríguez – tapped a little double into right field, showing that two can play the oppo taco game (an oppo hit that’s not a home run? oppo taquito?).

A three-run lead felt good, but with the A side of the bullpen down or at least heavily taxed, some insurance would have been nice. This is an area where the 2026 Mariners have struggled, and also been punished for it. But what’s even more egregious to the baseball gods than failing to add insurance? The hubris of walking a left-on-left matchup in order to get to a temporarily diminished but by no means fully dimmed Cal Raleigh.

It didn’t matter who was coming out next – although Cole Wilcox and Michael Rucker did continue the shutout, both looking sharp (Wilcox even threw five strikes in an at-bat that somehow still ended in a walk). The die was cast, the park was jumping, the Mariners had been brought to life and brought their fans along with them. Wake them up inside, they can wake up.