Category: MLB

Since the Colorado Rockies new front office took the reins of the organization, I have assumed they have been operating with an eye towards building a contention window starting in 2029 at the absolute earliest.

However, their actions at the trade deadline earlier this week seem incongruous with that assumption.

It wasn’t until reading the following from Paul DePodesta’s post trade deadline comments that a possible explanation started to crystalize: “We had a set price in mind of what it would take to acquire any of our players. We think we got a lot of good players here. We think we have the foundation of something that has a chance to be pretty good.”

It would seem that the front office believes the players they have in house are better than the outside consensus and that the potential for the foundation of a competitive club is already in place. Their actions lend credence to this assertion about what their thinking is.

#Rockies POBO Paul DePodesta on trade negotiations for the likes of Hunter Goodman, Jake McCarthy and Mickey Moniak:

“I don’t think we got particularly close on any of those players because I think our internal price was going to be higher than what the market would bear.” pic.twitter.com/jRufeP7Bk3

— Patrick Lyons (@PatrickDLyons) August 4, 2026

The only impending free agent they traded this week was Antonio Senzatela. All four starting pitchers on expiring contracts were retained. I don’t think we can read too much into this given the specifics of those starting pitchers.

• Kyle Freeland and Michael Lorenzen both have an ERA of nearly seven.
• Jose Quintana has been injured for most of the season.
• Tomoyuki Sugano has solid surface level production, but his underlying metrics continue to look rough.

Given that, it’s not shocking that none of these pitchers attracted a return worth pursuing even for a fully rebuilding club.

What didn’t make sense if the team were in full sell mode was this:

• Keeping all three players set to be a free agent after next season (Mickey Moniak, Willi Castro, & Jimmy Herget).
• Keeping three corner outfielders aged 28 or older (Moniak, Jake McCarthy, and Troy Johnston) despite having another four potentially interesting players at Triple-A for those positions (Charlie Condon (No. 1 PuRP), Zac Veen (No. 9 PuRP), Sterlin Thompson (No. 13 PuRP), and Jordan Beck).
• Extending Moniak for only a single extra season.

To top it off, the only players other than Senzatela that the Rockies did move were under team control for three or more seasons and coming off poor recent play. Instead of getting what they could for a year-and-a-half of Moniak, they sold low on three-and-a-half years of Brenton Doyle. Instead of getting what they could for a year-and-a-half of Herget, they instead found teams interested in tinkering with the raw upside of three-plus years of Seth Halvorsen and Victor Vodnik.

The Rockies didn’t operate like a team attempting to maximize total talent in the organization by punting on the next couple seasons. Instead, they operated as if they see a path to a competitive window opening within the two seasons that they have Moniak and McCarthy under contract.

The immediate reaction to that possibility is, instinctively, incredulity.

Whether or not that initial reaction is warranted, or purely ingrained by almost a decade of the franchise seeming directionless, is up for debate. It’s worth considering what it would take for this team to be plausibly fighting for a wildcard spot before McCarthy and Moniak are set to become free agents after 2028.

In his post-trade deadline presser, DePodesta said, “In June, we were a very good offensive club, one of the best in baseball. I think the best maybe offensive club we’ve had here in a month in a long period of time. So we do feel like it’s coming together,” which isn’t too much of an exaggeration. The lineup was fifth in runs scored June and tenth in July. There are a number of encouraging signs offensively on the big league club and some more percolating in the high minors.

It is possible to squint and see a lineup capable of competing for a third wild card over the next couple seasons if things break right.

The pitching, on the other hand, is another story entirely.

Since I wrote about the potential 2027 rotation in mid-June, a number of factors have trended in a positive direction for Rockies pitching:

• Gabriel Hughes (No. 12 PuRP) has immediately looked like a potential mid-rotation starter in the majors.
• The draft netted the Rockies a couple of the higher-ceiling arms in the organization with Logan Reddeman and Tyler Putnam.
• The Doyle trade brought back a nearly major-league-ready starter in Mason Adams.
• A handful of potential back-of-the-rotation-type prospects (Jack Mahoney, Konnor Eaton (No. 28 PuRP), and Eiberson Castellano) have continued to put up strong numbers in the high minors.

It’s possible that the Rockies will have enough in-house options available to field a full starting rotation over the next two seasons barring injuries. That rotation would have an incredibly low ceiling, but you can squint and see a baseline of at least enough potential innings to muddle through.

Even given the most optimistic view of the rotation, however, it’s hard to envision a version that is genuinely able to be fighting for a playoff spot at the end of either 2027 or 2028 using only in-house options. If the team wants to win before players like Moniak and McCarthy are gone, they will need to invest a lot of money into luring impact free agents to Colorado within the next year and a half.

The idea of that happening seems far fetched given the Rockies recent track record but, when considering their payroll commitments beyond this year, it’s not actually that unthinkable.

Kris Bryant is the only player the Rockies have slated to make more than $8.5 million next year. They only have four guaranteed major-league deals for players who are beyond their arbitration years. Their total estimated payroll in 2027, other than arbitration-eligible players, is just $71 million. This is a club that has run a payroll between $119 and $170 million dollars every season this decade.

They will have a significant amount of money to spend this offseason and/or the next.

Given the way the Rockies approached the deadline and the comments about thinking that the foundation of the lineup is pretty good, it suddenly seems reasonable to assume that the DePodesta-led front office intends to spend aggressively much sooner than previously expected.

Obviously, this is all muddled further by the upcoming CBA negotiations. Depending on how things shake out with the next contract between the league and the players union, the economic landscape could become radically different than it currently looks.

With Rockies owner Dick Monfort a key figure on the league’s side of negotiations, however, it is entirely conceivable that he would want to make a show of investing into the team’s payroll after a deal is struck. Essentially that exact thing happened after the lockout in 2022 when the Rockies shockingly splurged on Bryant’s seven-year deal.

If a similar pattern unfolds this go around, let’s hope that the current front office is able to use the financial flexibility afforded to them much more effectively than the previous one. The last time a Rockies front office thought to spend their way out of a questionable major league roster the return was three straight 100-loss seasons.

In Rockies Land, we have a knee-jerk reaction that assumes the team is making mistakes. In fairness, the team earned that reaction but it’s worth remembering that the past doesn’t always need to be the future.

The Rockies not acting like a fully rebuilding team right now seems out of step with how many “smart” teams have approached situations like this… but not every good team tanked in order to build their talent pipeline.

Before the Los Angeles Dodgers current dynasty started, they threw money at the major league roster while also building the developmental system underneath it. It’s not impossible to do both at once. It’s just much more difficult. It requires either a ruthless diligence in trading every player at the peak of their value like the Tampa Bay Rays and the Milwaukee Brewers, or a willingness to spend money to a degree that those teams can’t or simply won’t.

In the comments of yesterday’s Rockpile, OhioRockie alluded to “building the plane while flying it.” In effect, that’s exactly what I think DePodesta and Byrnes are trying to do: rebuild the farm system for long-term sustainability while simultaneously trying to put together a wildcard-capable roster for the short-term. If the Rockies are willing to commit to pumping money into both projects, they could accomplish both with smart investments.

If they are going to try that, though, they need to commit to it fully despite the cost and difficulty. Attempting to go down that road and then balking at the combined cost of players and infrastructure would cause them to fall back into the familiar pattern of misguided attempts to paper over fundamentally bad rosters while also stunting the potential growth of the farm system.

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On the Farm

Triple-A:Albuquerque Isotopes 7, Sugar Land Space Cowboys 6

This was a game of debuts!

After pitching to a 1.99 ERA over 68 innings at Double-A, Jack Mahoney took the mound for the Isotopes for the first time since being promoted to Triple-A. His first start was a success as he got through five PCL innings while only allowing two runs both of which came on as a result of a fourth inning home run from Space Cowboy CJ Alexander. The same can not be said for Mark Manfredi’s debut for the team after having been traded for Senzatela earlier in the week. Manfredi came in to pitch the eighth inning but did not manage to finish it on his own after allowing the Sugar Lands final four runs of the game.

At the plate Connor Norby made his debut for the team after coming over in the Vodnik trade on Monday. Norby made a great first impression on the Isotopes with a walk in the first and then a home run in the third. Not to be outdone by someone who just arrived, Veen (No. 9 PuRP) added a double and home run of his own bringing his season totals to 32 and 21 respectively. Overall the Isotopes combined for 11 hits, six of them for extra bases, and three walks to plate seven runs en route to their 56th victory.

Double-A:Binghamton Rumble Ponies 3, Hartford Yard Goats 1

A low scoring affair in Binghamton. Sam Weatherly acted as the opener and managed to get through two innings on 35 pitches. He allowed all three runs that the Rumble Ponies would score before giving way to Cade Denton who pitched five scoreless innings.

The real story was Binghamton starter R.J. Gordon mowing down Yard Goats. Gordon collected ten strikouts in just six innings of work and only allowed a single run, via a home run from right fielder Braylen Wimmer. Other than that home run the Yard Goats bats were largely silent collecting a total of four hits and a single walk.

High-A:Eugene Emeralds 5, Spokane Indians 1

Angel Jimenez’s struggled again in his third start at High-A. He threw 75 pitches and allowed three home runs in just four innings before being pulled. The trio of relievers that came in after Jimenez managed to keep the game relatively close as the only other run scored was a solo shot allowed by Seth Clausen. The solid relief pitching was not enough to make up for a dearth of offense as the team scattered only three hits, one of which was a double from Tanner Thach, and scored only a single run.

Low-A:Fresno Grizzlies 5, Visalia Rawhide 1

Brady Parker kept the Rawhide at bay by tossing six innings of one run ball while striking out five. This was more than enough leeway for the Grizzlies lineup to hit their way to victory. The lineup as a whole combined for ten hits and four walks though only Juan Martinez’ fourth inning triple went for extra bases. No one exemplified this death by a thousand cuts style offense more than Ashly Andujar (No. 20 PuRP) who led off and collected four hits and a pair of RBI.

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After staying put at deadline, Moniak signs 2-year extension with Rockies | MLB.com

In case you hadn’t had a chance to look at the particulars of the Moniak extension, Thomas Harding has you covered.

TA: The new Rockies, same as the old rockies | Baseball Prospectus ($)

Mario Delgado Genzor digs through the Rockies trade deadline transactions as a whole and tries, as I just did, to make sense of what the plan moving forward is. It’s absolutely worth reading even if you’ve seen my thoughts above as it includes much more in-depth takes on each of the individual transactions.

McCarthy’s Charlie vibes have Rox thinking they found their leadoff answer | MLB.com

Now that the trade deadline is over it’s time to actually move on to talking about the actual baseball on the field. Here’s another piece from Thomas Harding digging into lineup construction and what McCarthy brings to the leadoff spot.

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Zion Rose, the Royals 1st round pick last month, debuted last night in Quad Cities, the Royals High-A affiliate, he went 0-5 with a pair of strikeouts.

Michael Lombardi (4.2 IP) and Jhon Reyes (2.1 IP) threw a combined no-hitter in the second game of the Columbia Fireflies doubleheader last night, the Royals Low-A affiliate.

Michael Massey played hero last night with his go-ahead homer in Royals 2-1 win over Minnesota, making up for a fielding blunder earlier in the game.

Kansas City Royals second baseman Michael Massey made an uncharacteristic defensive blunder Wednesday night. In the fourth inning, Massey got caught in between while fielding a groundball from Twins outfielder Kody Clemens. As Twins designated hitter Josh Bell, who walked to begin the frame, barreled toward second base, Massey attempted to tag him in the basepaths.

Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star wrote about some seemingly unbreakable Royals records.

Noah Cameron was once again unhittable last night, throwing 8 innings of one-run ball against the Twins.

This version of Noah Cameron is what he and the Royals have wanted to see all year, what they hope to see the rest of this season – and what they need to see next season. Cameron tossed eight innings of one-run ball in the Royals’ 2-1 win over the Twins on Wednesday night, matching his career high in innings that he set last week against this same Twins team and matching his career high in strikeouts (nine) that he set on July 11 against the Orioles.

It also marked back-to-back starts of eight innings for Cameron and just one earned run in his last 23 innings since July 24.

Michael Wacha didn’t get traded on Monday, here is what Anne Rogers wrote about it.

Even though it would have taken an offer that “wowed us and knocked our socks off,” for Wacha, as general manager J.J. Picollo put it, it can still be unnerving for a player to see their name in trade rumors. There’s uncertainty that this time of year can bring on and off the field with so many players on the move.

“I never really let myself dive into those rumors too much,” Wacha said. “It just feels good to still be here in Kansas City. We’ve grown to love this city, and we feel like it’s where we need to be. Extremely excited to still be here with these guys. I feel like we still have a great group of guys in here that know how to compete and know how to play baseball at a high level. That’s what I’m expecting moving forward.”

Wacha said he talked with Picollo “a little bit” leading up to the Deadline, with Picollo letting him know of any developments. But the Royals were as transparent with Wacha as they were with other teams and publicly: It was going to take a lot for them to move on from the starter. They were looking for Major League talent in return, and it was a high enough bar that conversations didn’t move forward much, if at all.

The Red Sox and Sonny Gray are unstoppable currently, as Gray wins 14th decision, Red Sox win 7th straight

Mets reliever Jefry Yan is pure entertainment on the mound

Former Tigers starter, Casey Mize had a tough debut in San Diego

Miles Mikolas came through in the clutch at the plate ahead of scheduled Thursday start for the Nationals

Aaron Judge makes progress to return

For what it’s worth, Lane Thomas is 0-4 since being traded by the Royals to the Braves.

Today’s song of the day is Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes

Well, the Guardians lost to the Mets last night in extra innings. The offense fought back all night, the outfield made some great plays, and Bibee pitched pretty well with 10Ks. The bad news is the same old, same old. This team cannot score with runners in scoring position. Until that is fixed, the rest of this season is looking bleak at best. The good news is that Nathaniel Lowe seemed to slot into the line up quite well and Angel Genao was above and beyond all expectations. Genao went from the second youngest player in franchise history to have three hits in his debut to being the only player in franchise history to have four hits in his debut.

What a debut for Angel!#GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/tezVOdjwBB

— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) August 6, 2026

Quincy has the write up on Genao’s promotion here and Nick has the game recap here, if you feel like reliving the pain. Also, for everyone asking why they went with Festa in the 10th, according to Stephen Vogt, Colin Holderman has been “under the weather” the last few days. With yesterday’s loss the Guardians have fallen one game below .500.

In order to make room for Angel Genao, the Guardians designated Gabriel Arias for assignment. Since Angel Genao was already on the 40 man roster, it does leave an open spot on the 40 man.

Around the Central

By some sort of miracle both the Twins and White Sox also lost last night. The Guards are 3.0 games behind the first place White Sox and only 1.0 game ahead of the Twins and Tigers. At the time of the writing the Tigers, who are playing west coast games against Seattle, are tied with the Twins and starting to claw their way back.

Today’s Reflections

Chicago Cubs 10, L.A. Dodgers 5

Chicago Cubs 5, L.A. Dodgers 1

Chicago Cubs 7, L.A. Dodgers 6

What was all the talk about needing big trade moves to beat the Dodgers???!?

Yes, the three big wins were almost entirely without contribution from trades prior to the deadline (the perfect eighth inning Tuesday by Ryan Jeferjahn the exception). The moves prior to the deadline had to provide some spark to the Cubs’ team, but adding a trio of wins against the Dodgers almost without the benefits of the deadline acquisitions has to be a huge morale booster. It says that they definitely belong in the World Series picture now. Maybe just peaking in from just out-of-frame, but they are there.

The big bat for Chicago in the first two games was Dansby Swanson. He hit for a combined 5-for-7 with a walk, three runs, and an RBI on a home run, plus a double.

Pete Crow-Armstrong was, for him, quiet for the first two games until his big game Wednesday. He went 3-for-8 with a walk, three runs, an RBI and a pair of stolen bases Monday and Tuesday.

Seiya Suzuki was part of the four home-run club Monday night. In the two games, he went 2-for-6 with three walks, two runs scored and three RBI in addition to his homer. Carson Kelly had a big Monday, going 1-for-4 with a walk, a home run and three RBI. Michael Busch added another home run, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. And Kevin Alcantara hit his first major-league home run with a runner on.

Tuesday night, Nico Hoerner was right there with Swanson, going 2-for-4 with a walk and a two-run homer.

In the two games, Alex Bregman did add a double and a run scored in each game.

Monday, Matthew Boyd didn’t pitch the game we are used to seeing from him, having allowed a three-run home run in the first inning, But he battled to get the Cubs into the seventh inning, pitching 6.2 innings, before handing it over to the bullpen who went scoreless the rest of the way.

Javier Assad is a beast. The Cubs have called on him for five years to both start and relieve, both to success. Tuesday, he made his 19th appearance and 10th start of 2026. Assad gave up the usual complimentary Cubs Starter solo home run, but that was it, holding the Dodgers to six baserunners over 5.2 IP. Four Cub relievers went the rest of the way in scoreless fashion. When Assad’s turn comes around next time, will he start, or will he be in the bullpen?

It won’t matter to Assad — it’s his job.

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Tuesday’s Game Stories:

• Jay Cohen (Chicago Tribune {$}): Nico Hoerner shines as the Chicago Cubs spoil Tarik Skubal’s Los Angeles Dodgers debut in 5-1 win. “Cubs led by RBI singles by Nico Hoerner and Pete Crow-Armstrong.”

• Steve Greenberg (Chicago Sun-Times): Cubs get first crack at Dodgers’ Tarik Skubal, but will there be another one in October? “The grand prize of baseball’s trade deadline was on the mound Tuesday at Wrigley Field for the two-time defending world champions. The Cubs hope to see him again when the stage is even bigger.”

Monday’s Game Stories:

• Jay Cohen (Chicago Tribune {$}): Seiya Suzuki and Carson Kelly star as the Chicago Cubs beat the slumping Los Angeles Dodgers 10-5. “the Chicago Cubs handed the Los Angeles Dodgers their fourth consecutive loss.”

POV: Cubs fans to Kyle Tucker pic.twitter.com/0Mg7DndhiJ

— 🤗 (@MalortMatt) August 5, 2026

• Sean Holland (Cubs Insider): Chicago Cubs Score and Recap (8/3/26): Cubs 10, Dodgers 5 – Four Home Runs in Comeback Victory. “After falling behind immediately, the home team responded with a barrage of homers to thrill the Wrigley faithful and take the opener.”

Further Trade Analysis:

• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): 4 takeaways from the Chicago Cubs’ trade deadline moves, including Ryan Zeferjahn’s velocity — and whiffs. “President of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and the front office clearly felt the Cubs have a chance to make a run in the postseason and smartly bolstered the roster.”
• Matt Sullivan (Sporting News): Why Cubs are a trade deadline winner despite costly acquisitions. “The Cubs are a major winner of the trade deadline for a simple reason.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): He didn’t get Tarik Skubal, but Cubs president Jed Hoyer still aced trade deadline. “The Cubs whiffed on a dynasty and now are trying to find postseason magic again.”
• Sahadev Sharma (The Athletic {$}): At the deadline, Cubs’ Jed Hoyer finally showed how aggressive he can be. “After a flurry of moves that saw him part with multiple talented young players, it’s probably time to look at Hoyer in a new light.”
• Jordan Bastian (MLB.com): In Gausman, Holmes trades, Cubs reward rotation for grinding through ’26. “In a way, president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer wanted to repay the pitching staff for the work put in to date on the mound.”
• Patrick Mooney (The Athletic {$}): In Kevin Gausman, Cubs finally get their ‘white whale’ at trade deadline. “Respect is earned not just through All-Star Games or Cy Young Award votes or the big contract. It’s how a player carries himself through the highs and the lows.”
• Andy McCullough, Stephen J. Nesbitt and Grant Brisbee (The Athletic {$}): MLB trade deadline rankings: the winners, losers and snoozers. “A trading frenzy that began with a Curtis Mead-for-Connelly Early swap last week and went into warp speed over the weekend when back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal joined the back-to-back World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers mercifully ended Monday evening.”
• Jason Ross (North Side Baseball): Analyzing The Price Of The Trade Deadline: Did the Cubs Lose Too Much? “The Cubs traded a few notable prospects at the trade deadline. But ultimately, what was the cost for the Cubs?”
• Mike Petriello (The Athletic {$}): The new Cubs reliever who shares leaderboards with Miz and Miller. “But allow us to present the most interesting name – and not just because any name that starts with a “Z” is, by default, cool.“
• Anthony Kerr (DaWindyCity): Cubs’ Braxton Garrett trade a puzzling move in an otherwise successful deadline. “Jed Hoyer and co. showed during the deadline that they want to contend, but one move doesn’t quite add up.”

N.L. Central Trade Analysis:

• Dominic Campbell (Pittsburgh Pirates On SI): Pirates Don’t Make Offensive Upgrades at Trade Deadline. “The Pittsburgh Pirates focused their trade deadline efforts elsewhere.”
• Johnny Flores, Jr. (The Athletic {$}): Brewers’ Pat Murphy fires back after Dodgers land Skubal: ‘To say we didn’t try is simply incorrect’. “Pat Murphy affirmed that any notion his club didn’t try is “simply incorrect.”“
• Curt Bishop (St. Louis Cardinals On SI): What the Cardinals Got Right and Wrong at the Trade Deadline. “Here is what St. Louis did well and what they could have done better at the trade deadline.”
• C. Trent Rosecrans (The Athletic {$}): Why didn’t the Reds make more moves at the MLB trade deadline? “Some teams were buyers, like the Boston Red Sox, and some were sellers, like the Baltimore Orioles. And then there was Cincinnati.”

Assorted Stories:

• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Dodgers’ three-peat? Cubs showcasing they can mount championship challenge: ‘That’s how this team is wired’. “The Dodgers might seem inevitable, especially after adding Tarik Skubal to the most talent-rich team in baseball. But in back-to-back victories, the Cubs showed they’re capable of mounting a true championship challenge to the dynasty-seekers.”
• Benedetto Vitale: (ClutchPoints): Insider says Cubs’ Pete Crow-Armstrong is ‘MVP frontrunner’ over Shohei Ohtani. “Jon Morosi argues why he believes Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong deserves the NL MVP over Dodgers’ two-way star Shohei Ohtani.”
• Jedd Pagaduan (ClutchPoints): Cubs’ Nico Hoerner makes Pete Crow-Armstrong MVP case after beating Dodgers. “Pete Crow-Armstrong is the deserving MVP of 2026, and his Cubs teammate Nico Hoerner detailed why that is the case.”
• Elias Schuster (Chicago Cubs On SI): Cubs Debuts Finally Planned for Both Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes. “The Chicago Cubs will have two new faces on the mound for this weekend’s trip to Kansas City.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Jed Hoyer teases Clay Holmes’ role change that could define Cubs’ postseason pitching staff. “Clay Holmes is now an invaluable piece to the Cubs’ pitching staff.”
• Jon Greenberg (The Athletic {$}): On playoff-like night at Wrigley, Tarik Skubal was just mortal enough for a Cubs W. “It was a matchup of two playoff-bound teams, but let’s not bury the lede anymore. It was also Skubal’s Dodgers debut after the deadline deal boo-hooed around the world.”
• Vinnie Duber (Chicago Sun-Times): Jed Hoyer added needed pitching at trade deadline; now Craig Counsell must put puzzle pieces together. “With reinforcements added to a pitching staff that knows well how important depth is, there’s a good problem to have on the North Side: How are the Cubs going to put together all their pitching pieces?”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): The Deadline Pushed Cubs Payroll to an All-Time High — Here’s What It Costs Them This Winter. “Yes, the Cubs have spent more money on the field this year than they ever have before.”
• Jake Misener (Cubbies Crib): Group of fast-rising Cubs prospects made Jefferson Rojas expendable at the trade deadline. “One of the organization’s top prospects netted Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor from the Mets.”
• Meghan Montemurro (Chicago Tribune {$}): Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes to make Chicago Cubs debuts this weekend — and Ian Happ less likely to face lefties. “The Cubs could soon face some tough rotation decisions, even beyond right-hander Colin Rea’s rotation spot getting skipped for this turn.”
• Jordan Campbell (Cubbies Crib): Craig Counsell’s post trade deadline comments cast doubt on Edward Cabrera’s role. “We might already have an answer for the starting rotation outlook.”
• Michael Cerami (Bleacher Nation): Beating and Booing Skubal, Assad is the MAN, Tucker’s Raincloud, Nico, Taylor, Happ, and Other Cubs Bullets. “What a week for our Cubbies, eh? That is just some good old-fashioned fun right there.”

Food For Thought:

Tommy McClennan (c. 1905-1961) was one of America’s most successful down-home blues recording artists during the period when he recorded 20 singles for the Bluebird label (1939-1942). Among McClennan’s most notable numbers were “Bottle It Up and Go,” “Cross Cut Saw,” “Travelin’ Highway Man,” and “New Highway No. 51 Blues.” McClennan, famed for his raucous, uninhibited singing and guitar playing, frequented this section of Yazoo City when he lived on the nearby J. F. Sligh plantation.

McClennan was best known around Greenwood, where Booker Miller, a protege of Charley Patton, knew him as “Sugar,” and Yazoo City, where local resident Herman Bennett, Jr., and others called him “Bottle Up,” after his most popular song, “Bottle It Up and Go.”

Please be reminded that Cub Tracks and Bleed Cubbie Blue do not necessarily endorse the content of articles, podcasts, or videos that are linked to in this series.

Soon after the deadline was over, Jake Wood gave his grades for how the Cardinals fared. I wanted to dig a little deeper into each of the prospects, not saddled with the time crunch Jake was under. I’m glad I did too, because I think I liked these returns even more than I did on Monday – and I liked the deadline a lot.

Alexander Frias, 18 – OF

Stats (CPX): 32 G, 117 PAs, .441/.518/.678, 11.7 BB%, 15.3 K%, .237 ISO, .516 BABIP, 189 wRC+

Low A: 28 G, 125 PAs, .236/.328/.418, 10.4 BB%, 20 K%, .182 ISO, .272 BABIP, 93 wRC+

Scouting (FG): 20/45 Hit, 35/60 Game Power, 55/70 Raw Power, 50/50 Speed, 40/50 Fielding

The Brewers signed Alexander Frias in January of 2025 to a $350,000 bonus. Listed at 6’2 and 177 pounds, the then 17-year-old was signed out of the Dominican Republic and later reported to the Brewers DSL team that summer. He did okay. I’m not sure he was considered much of a prospect entering this season and I can kind of see why. Though just 17, he had a 116 wRC+ with no power and he needed a .392 BABIP. Even the 12.5 BB% isn’t especially impressive with the control displayed by DSL pitchers.

However, the Brewers are obviously good at what they do, and despite a performance that would have justified repeating a level at the DSL, they saw something in him and promoted him to rookie league ball in the states this season. And then, as you can see by the stats above, he became a full-fledged prospect. When the Cardinals first signed him, I just glanced at his Low A stats and this is really the first time I saw his complex league stats and that’s just video game numbers. If the Brewers didn’t already consider his placement in rookie ball to be an aggressive jump, I think he would have been in Low A a lot sooner.

And though middling numbers, those are fairly impressive numbers in Low A for an 18-year-old too. He’s got solid power, not striking out much, good walk rate, and despite a low BABIP, he’s barely below league average. Depending on how he finishes the year, it’s not at all hard to imagine him beginning next season in High A. He’s taking the Rainiel Rodriguez path essentially.

It is widely agreed from the sources I found that Frias has some serious power potential, as evidenced by his current 55 raw power grade and 70 future potential, not to mention his max exit velocity of 117 mph, which is extremely rare for an 18-year-old. Stop me if you’ve heard this before, but his swing doesn’t produce as much power as you’d hope, not that it’s an issue in the lower levels, but something to watch out for. I mean we literally saw this with Jordan Walker, so you probably get it. Pipeline grades his arm as a 60, but doesn’t think he has the speed for centerfielder. But his bat-to-ball skills are good and oh yeah he’s 18-years-old. I cannot emphasize this enough. Here are some selected quotes from disparate scouting sites about Frias:

Baseball Prospectus: “Frias’s 6-foot-2 frame is very projectable, and that combined with his age-relative-to-league performance is going to light up most models, but he’s only a solid runner at present, and while I think he has a good shot to stick in center there is some tweener risk depending on how the bat develops. However, you could argue Frias has the most upside of any non-Top 101 prospect dealt at this deadline.”

Fangraphs: “Frias is a freak with crazy bat speed and physical projection, the guy on the list with the best shot to have a Junior Caminero type of rise.”

Baseball America: “The massive left-handed hitter showed off an intriguing combination of physicality, hittability and power before earning an early bump to Low-A Wilson. He showed scouts a high hitting acumen combined with the ability to send balls out of any park this side of Yosemite. Frias’ double-plus arm strength is ideal for right field, but his body is already massive, and he has below-average speed, meaning any further growth might push him to first base in the long run.”

Josiah Ragsdale, 22 – OF

Stats (High A): 60 G, 264 PAs, .327/.447/.528, 16.7 BB%, 24.2 K%, .201 ISO, .438 BABIP, 151 wRC+

AA: 26 G, 119 PAs, .292/.429/.698, 19.3 BB%, 29.4 K%, .406 ISO, .327 BABIP, 183 wRC+

Scouting (FG): 30/40 Hit, 30/45 Game Power, 50/55 Raw Power, 70/70 Speed, 45/55 Fielding

Drafted in the 7th round of the 2025 draft out of Boston College, Ragsdale was drafted for his speed and outfield defense originally. He hit 49% of his balls in play on the ground in college and nearly 63% of his batted balls were on the ground last season. He still managed a 130 wRC+, but had a minuscule .014 ISO, which would absolutely not play at the MLB level. Luckily, again the Brewers development team is very good, so they helped him tweak his swing and suddenly he can’t stop hitting homers.

With a combined 14 homers in three seasons of college ball with a high of 7, he has 19 homers already at two different levels this season. There is some question about how for real this is, namely because everyone seems to be hitting homers right now. When Won-Bin Cho and Jesus Baez are seeing insane, huge power surges, I certainly don’t think you can take these stats at face value. However, I don’t think it’s too controversial to suggest he has MLB caliber power, which was very much in doubt last year. I’m pretty sure those scouting numbers are updated and I’m pretty sure 45 is higher than what it would have been ranked at the beginning of the year. We can work with 45. And it might be better than that.

Oh that’s the other thing. You don’t gain power without trade-offs and in Ragsdale’s case, he’s developed more swing-and-miss. Last season, he struck out just 16.3% of the time and walked 17.4% of the time. He’s still walking a lot, but you can see his strikeouts have risen quite a bit. And the speed hasn’t left him, or at least the base stealing hasn’t left him. There are some disagreements on his speed. FG appears high with 70 grade speed, his Prospect Savant speed says he’s only 56th percentile. Not sure he can stick at CF, but he absolutely can steal bases. He has 38 stolen bases to 3 caught stealing overall this year.

It’s also worth noting that Fangraphs is maybe the low guy on him (and the high guy on Frias). Although they’re maybe the only site that sees him as an actual CF too? It’s confusing. Thomas Nestico has him as the 91st prospect in baseball, and Baseball Prospectus notes that he will be a strong candidate for their list next spring (along with Frias). So it’s not quite accurate to say the Cardinals netted two top 100 prospects, because no one site agrees both are top 100, but top 200 seems to apply pretty easily.

Baseball America: “Scouts who’ve seen Ragsdale this year note a player who is doing a better job getting the ball in the air, which, when combined with the added thump, has led to a power spike. Ragsdale has been deployed in center field but might fit best on the corners, where his speed and average arm strength would fit nicely.”

Pipeline: “The New Jersey native is a ready, willing and efficient basestealer — a skill that’s carried over from college to pro ball — and his impressive closing speed makes him a quality defensive outfielder despite limited arm strength.”

Baseball Prospectus: “More of a speedy outfielder type in college, our draft team pegged him as a prospect who could use a bit more intent in his swing, and boy has he shown that in 2026. Ragsdale still doesn’t have a particularly sluggish setup, using a simple toe tap and early hip fire before looking to lift the ball. The additional power has come with a lot of swing and miss, but he’s still a speedy outfielder who can go get it gap-to-gap”

Daniel Eagen, 23 – RHP

Stats (AA): 20 GS, 87.1 IP, 29.2 K%, 9.1 BB%, 44.5 GB%, .298 BABIP, 4.95 ERA/5.17 FIP/4.36 xFIP

Scouting: 45/50 Fastball, 50/55 Slider, 55/55 Curveball, 40/50 Change, 40/45 Command

Drafted in the 3rd round – 102nd overall – of the 2024 draft by the Diamondbacks, Eagen definitely made an impression immediately. He made 19 starts in High A last year and he struck out 132 batters in 97 innings. It made for a 34.1 K%. He also had four less successful starts at AA to finish his season, although he had a very respectable 24.7 K% and held his own.

This year, it’s very easy to get excited about hitting prospects, because offense is insane, so pretty much everybody has eye-popping numbers, especially the “real” prospects.” The opposite is true of pitchers. You just can’t look at their stats, or at least their triple slash line, because offense is insane. I focus on three things a pitcher can more or less control – striking hitters out, not walking hitters, and getting groundballs. Eagan is very good at striking out hitters and pretty much average at the other two. That normally would result in much better numbers, but – and this is a nice follow-up on why not to trust these power numbers – Eagen allows a homer 21.7% of the time a ball is put in the air. Which is simply ridiculous. It’s double the rate of an average HR/FB% in the majors. Everything is leaving the park in the minors and especially so in Arizona’s AA stadium.

As you can see, the scouting is very encouraging for Eagen to start. But from a fan perspective, the most exciting element of Eagen is his curveball, because it kind of moves more like a screwball than a curveball. Well, it doesn’t move enough to be called a screwball, I guess, but it definitely leans in that direction. So that’s a fun outlier pitch. He’s a high slot pitcher too, and pitches north-to-south which is more or less the opposite of the pitchers the Cardinals have been targeting. But variety is good, you don’t want hitters to see the exact same type of pitcher in a game.

Baseball America: “The righthander throws five pitches in a four-seam fastball, slider, cutter, curveball and changeup. Eagen sits 92-94 mph on his fastball with average ride and armside run. His gyro slider at 86-88 mph is a plus bat-missing pitch with a 24.9% swinging-strike rate in 2026. Eagen has a deep arsenal and starter’s traits, profiling as a No. 5 starter long term.” (Ugh, this site does one of my pet peeves: almost certainly this writer thinks of a better pitcher than a 5th starter actually is when they say this; people collectively overrate how good a 5th starter, 4th starter, etc. actually is)

Fangraphs: “Will he throw enough strikes to start? He tends to run stuff out of the zone an awful lot, and while the delivery is clean enough, it’s also not so fluid to think that he’s going to have great command. Eagen projects as a backend starter, and could still fit in some kind of impactful multi-inning relief role if the split sputters or strike-throwing issues preclude a true rotation fit.”

Baseball Prospectus: “His fastball features average velocity but good ride from a near over-the-top slot and he has two solid breaking balls. His command has never quite been fine enough to make me sure he’s a starter long term, but get him into a (slightly) better home park (yeah it’s Springfield) and have him work on his little split change some more and the Cardinals might be able to develop a no. 3 or 4 starter.”

Pipeline: “His high arm slot helps him generate really good carry out of the hand with induced vertical break up to 20 inches. His 81-83 mph curveball complements that nicely with its sharp downward action that makes it effective against batters from both sides, and a mid-80s gyro slider can be equally good as a weapon versus righties. Eagen has folded in an 85-88 mph splitter too, and it shows flashes of being a future average MLB offering.”

Sandro Santana, 21 – LHP

Stats (High A): 20 G, 30.2 IP, 37.4 K%, 10.7 BB%, 45.3 GB%, .359 BABIP, 2.93 ERA/2.91 FIP/2.90 xFIP

AA: 11 G, 15.2 IP, 36.2 K%, 10.3 BB%, 76.7 GB%, .194 BABIP, 0.57 ERA/2.15 FIP/2.53 xFIP

Scouting: 50/55 Fastball, 50/60 Slider, 45/45 Command

Santana was signed for a mere $15,000 out of the Dominican Republic back in January of 2023 at the age of 18. He was kind of used as a starting pitching prospect in his first season – he only started three games, but 25.2 IP out of 9 appearances is fairly similar to a starter’s workload at that level. He made it stateside, but struggled at the complex league in 2024. The starting dream seemed to be dead, so I don’t know if the Diamondbacks had any high hopes for Santana when he repeated the level and struck out 36% of batters purely in relief. He saw an additional 21 games as a multi-inning reliever in Low A, but was significantly less impressive, though he wasn’t bad. He threw over 2 innings per appearance last year and as you can see, he still qualifies as a multi-inning reliever, but maybe 4 outs per appearance instead. And he has struck out everybody.

If yesterday’s game is any indication, the Cardinals are not messing with success. He came into the game for four outs and struck out 3 batters. I don’t see much indication that he will be more than a reliever, even though one could argue he has four pitches. He has a fastball that I don’t think is considered anything special. He has a deadly slider, and Baseball Prospectus says he has two variations on this slider – one that is 81-85 mph and one that is upper 80s with more pure sweep. He also has a workable changeup. Probably can’t start, but very well suited to be a multi-inning reliever.

Pipeline: “His 95-97 mph fastball has some zip but pops more for its velocity than its movement. It can still be an effective pitch though when it sneaks up on hitters sitting on his best offering: an 83-86 mph sweeping slider that has generated elite whiffs in the first half of 2026. The breaking pitch works against batters from both sides, and while Santana is overall more dominant against lefties, even righties find it hard to touch the slider as it breaks in toward their shins and ankles with big horizontal movement.”

Baseball Prospectus:  “It’s functionally a four-pitch mix that would be the envy of many big-league starters, but given his slight frame Santana is suited for shorter stints. And yet, with such a versatile repertoire, Santana is capable of working a multi-inning role, which is just what he’s done this year while generating whiffs on all his offerings. All of this has been done while showcasing perfectly plausible control and an athletic, repeatable delivery. Most of the improvement on Santana’s walk rate this year seems tied more to getting more whiffs as opposed to living precisely at his targets, but the stuff is good enough to be a big leaguer imminently.”

Worcester: W, 10-1 (BOX SCORE)

Life’s so fun in Summer 2026! The Red Sox are winning almost nightly and finding ways to come out on top has even made its way to Worcester, where the WooSox are 12-1 in their last 13. Last night against the IronPigs (Phillies AAA), it was a five-run fifth inning and consistent scoring throughout the night that guided Worcester home. Of course, four scoreless out of John Holobetz in another awesome start since the 24-year-old was promoted doesn’t hurt. And what a night for Franklin Arias! After starting off the night with a single, he hit his third home run in the week since his promotion (and 22nd of the year) in the third, and then Nate Eaton took over in the RBI category, with his triple and double driving four runs home. With domination on both sides, this one was never in any doubt.

Portland: W, 15-4 (BOX SCORE)

And speaking of domination, the Sea Dogs won by 11 runs in New Hampshire (Blue Jays AA) and had nine hits with runners in scoring position. The usual suspects were held hitless, but that didn’t stop Tyler McDonough from smacking two home runs into the seats. At the bottom of the lineup, Matt Fraizer had yet another awesome night as the 28-year-old emerges out of the shadows in his second attempt at cracking a roster. The Pirates’ 2019 3rd round draft pick appears to have fixed the strikeout problem that plagued him in that organization. On Tuesday, he went 4-for-5 with five RBI’s. I don’t see him cracking the Major League roster here, but I’d say give him some reps in Triple-A.

Greenville: L, 11-4 (F/7) (BOX SCORE)

Some ugly defensive ball as the Drive committed three errors in a rain-shortened game against Hudson Valley (Yankees High-A) and Marcus Phillips and PJ Labriola both churned out a couple regrettable performances, and it didn’t get much better at the plate despite the team as a whole striking out only five times, and twice by guys that aren’t named Maximus Martin. Martin, though, did get one of the team’s two extra-base hits on the night along with catcher Gerardo Rodriguez who was the lone Drive player (Drive player? is he just a Drive?) with multiple knocks on the night. Overall, this was decidedly a Renegade win in a hurry.

Salem: W, 10-3 (BOX SCORE)

However quickly the Greenville game was decided, though, the RidgeYaks put away the Woodpeckers (Astros A) just as quickly, hanging six in the first and sending nine to the plate. The key moment was a grand slam by shortstop Avinson Pinto that you can watch right here. I laughed when the call was “does it have enough to leave the track?” when it clearly wasn’t going to run out of steam, but the dramatic drop the ball made after clearing the fence signified how different a game it may have been otherwise. Four RidgeYaks had multuple hits on the night, and Christian Foutch and Luis Cohen had effective nights on the mound.

The Pittsburgh Pirates were busy at the trade deadline and made several moves to help them move towards a postseason berth but there’s still one player in particular that could sign with the team and that fans would love to see in Pittsburgh.

Andrew McCutchen was recently released by the Atlanta Braves after signing a minor league contract with the club back in early July. Although the 39-year-old is far from his former-MVP form, there could be some intrigue from the Pirates’ organization to bring him back to where he started his major league career. Despite the several stops he made over the course of his career, ‘Cutch is synonymous with Pittsburgh, and one more chance at a reunion should at least be considered.

After signing with Pittsburgh as a free-agent in 2023 and then playing with the club through 2025, McCutchen and the Pirates were not able to come to terms on one more contract for the 2026 season. After a long winter with what was described as little communication with the Pirates ‘Cutch was signed by the Texas Rangers on March 6 to a Minor League contract and was invited to their Spring Training. He made the team out of camp and remained with Texas before being designated for assignment and ultimately released at the end of May. McCutchen finished his stint with the Rangers with one home run while hitting .192/.277/.537 in 73 at-bats.

The Braves have released Andrew McCutchen from his minor-league contract pic.twitter.com/bUusz7WIEg

— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) August 4, 2026

McCutchen’s time with the Atlanta Braves organization was spent entirely in their minor league system. Between their FCL team and Triple-A Gwinnett he finished with a line of .275/.370/.450 with an .820 OPS and one home run. It was Cutch’s first time back in the minor leagues in 17 years.

Now again, McCutchen is past his prime, and is certainly looking at the end of his career. With that being said the time feels right for him to return to Pittsburgh for one last ride before his time as a pro is over. The Pirates just released designated hitter Marcell Ozuna who was viewed in the offseason as a replacement for McCutchen. With Ozuna’s release it certainly has to open the conversation for bringing ‘Cutch back. The team is promoting Ronny Simon from Triple-A Indianapolis who is having a great season with the Indians. There still is an opportunity to bring McCutchen back home though.

93.7 the Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi took to X and had an interesting thought on how to make a Pirates reunion with McCutchen realistic.

“The Pirates should consider signing Andrew McCutchen to a minor league contract,” Fillipponi writes. “If he hits lefties. Call him up to replace Ozuna. If he doesn’t. Let him hang out there. And call him up for the last series of the year. For a proper send-off.”

There is no harm at this point in the minor league season that could be done by signing McCutchen to a minor league contract that sees him with Altoona or Indy. Even at his age there’s no hitter in baseball that knows PNC Park quite like McCutchen, so he does have some value to bring to a team that is trying to make the postseason for the first time in 11 years. If this ends up being a team that slips out of playoff contention, then they could at the very least do the right thing and give one of their franchise greats a proper send off and have him on the major league roster to close out the year.

Do you think Andrew McCutchen has enough left to helps the Bucs in their playoff hunt? https://t.co/17n7itKbkM

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) August 5, 2026

Baseball at the end of the day is a business, and difficult decisions need to be made when it comes to building a winning team. Our favorite players are not always going to play for our favorite teams forever because after all Father Time is undefeated. Wit that being said, Pirates’ fans over the last 30 years or so have not had a whole lot to cheer for, until a scrawny high school kid from Florida named Andrew McCutchen was drafted 11th overall in 2005. When he made his debut in 2009, the organization was still a long way off from being a contender, but it was clear that the team had a special talent growing before them.

With the team as a young player McCutchen blossomed into one of the most exciting players in baseball, leading the Pirates to the postseason for the first time after a 21-year drought. He reignited the love for baseball in Pittsburgh and inspired countless kids to pick up a bat and glove in the neighborhoods around the city. Ultimately his time in Pittsburgh did not result in a World Series championship, but McCutchen did establish himself as one of the all-time greats in franchise history, and undoubtedly the greatest Pirate of the 21st century.

Life isn’t fair and no one is owed anything, but if the opportunity is there to honor a legend then the Pirates’ organization should jump at it! McCutchen will go down as one of the best players in the team’s history and nothing would make fans happier than for him to get his proper sendoff in the city that saw him become a star. One day they will retire his jersey and maybe even erect a statue in his honor, but for right now the time is right to bring Pittsburgh’s favorite son back home where he belongs donning the black and gold and raising the Jolly Roger! It’s not often the Pirates do the right thing, but they could right a lot of wrongs with this one decision; please bring McCutchen back home!

Chase Utley's dad recalls the moments behind a Phillies legend originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

On Friday night, the Phillies will honor Chase Utley with a place on their prestigious Wall of Fame.

It is a moment he almost seemed destined for from the time he debuted with the club in April 2003 in a long-gone place called Veterans Stadium.

Seriously, who belts a grand slam for their first big-league hit?

Chase Utley did.

He also became a six-time All-Star second baseman, a World Series Champion, a fan favorite and a most respected teammate for his will to win, his commitment to the game, his hard-nosed style of playing it and the toughness he showed battling through knee injuries that the people who love him most feared would end his career.

“It’s like an out-of-body experience,” Dave Utley, Chase’s dad said more than 20 years ago when he described the feeling of coming to a game in Philadelphia and seeing scores of fans wearing his son’s name on the back of their jerseys.

All these years later …

“It still is,” Dave Utley said in a conversation earlier this week. “It still is.”

There is a storybook feel to all of this. A kid from Long Beach, California passes on a chance to chase his dreams with his hometown team and goes across the country to become one of the most beloved athletes in the history of sports-crazy Philadelphia, right up there with Bernie Parent, Brian Dawkins, Julius Irving and a few others.

“Chase’s mom and I are amazed by it,” Dave Utley said. “I mean, he was the kid whose diapers we used to change.

“There have been so many prideful moments over the years, but this one Friday night will be like the cherry on top of the sundae.”

THE DECISION

Dave and Terrell Utley and their daughter, Taylor, will all be at Citizens Bank Park to see their son and brother receive the ultimate Phillies honor.

They wouldn’t be there if it wasn’t for a decision Chase made after his senior year of high school.

He had been selected in the second round of the 1997 MLB draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team he grew up rooting for.

With an assist from noted agent Arn Tellem, Dave Utley, an attorney, handled negotiations with the Dodgers. He felt pretty good about himself when the team pushed its offer close to $1 million.

But deep down inside, he and Terrell hoped their son would choose to go to college.

They were careful not to influence his decision and were thrilled when he chose to accept a baseball scholarship to UCLA.

“At the end of the day, both my wife and I stressed to Chase that it was his decision,” Dave said. “And he made the right decision.

“I remember it like it was yesterday. We were happy with it because my wife had sensed from Chase’s body language that he was uncomfortable, that he was torn over what to do. The only thing I asked was that he personally call the Oklahoma coach and tell him of his decision. It had come down to Oklahoma and UCLA if he was going to go to college.”

It’s not an exaggeration to say the decision that Chase Utley made as an 18-year-old was life-defining.

He became an All-American at UCLA and a first-round draft pick of the Phillies in 2000.

During his time at UCLA, a teammate on the baseball team named Freddie Mitchell – yes, that Freddie Mitchell – introduced Chase to Jen Cooper. They married in 2007 and are the parents of two sons.

“Thank goodness Freddie introduced them,” Dave said with a laugh.

And thank goodness for Freddie’s hands. (Sorry, Dave. Inside joke.)

THE PAIN

As a young player, Chase was extremely guarded with the media. But eventually, if he got to know you, he’d let you in, tell you about his boyhood, the hours spent in the local batting cage, the ferocious Wiffle Ball games in neighbor Denny Mayfield’s yard, where the out didn’t count unless it left a welt on your body. No wonder those 204 career hit-by-pitches never bothered him. Well, all but the one that broke his wrist in 2007, costing him a serious run at the National League MVP award.

But there were a couple of areas Chase would never go with a media member. He would never betray a clubhouse confidence, never run down a teammate or the organization. And he would never talk – at least specifically – about an injury. And with his intense playing style, he racked up a number of them. When it came to matters inside the clubhouse or matters of his health, he was fiercely private.

In spring training 2011, he was beset with patellar tendinitis in his right knee that was so excruciatingly painful it prevented him from participating in workouts. That ate him up because he was a grinder, a field rat who loved working at the game. At Chase’s insistence, the condition was described publicly as “leg soreness.”

He didn’t even tell his parents what was going on.

“That was tough for Terrell and I,” Dave said with a sigh. “In fact, when we started reading that he was taking ground balls in a chair, she insisted I go back there and talk to him and find out what was going on. He was very private about it.

“I took a red eye and showed up at the ballpark in Clearwater and they were sold out. So, I called him and when he answered I asked him if he still had any clout and could get me a ticket. His reaction to me being there was W-T-F.

“We went out to dinner that night and he ran through what was happening and what his plan was. Shortly after that, he went to Arizona and worked with Brett Fischer, a physical therapist who helped him a lot.”

Chase missed the first 46 games of that 2011 season but made it back to help the Phillies win a team-record 102 games. He missed even more time in 2012, when the condition cropped up in his left knee. Eventually, Fischer helped him get his knees aligned and Phillies athletic trainer Scott Sheridan oversaw a daily maintenance plan that allowed him to keep playing. Hours before first pitch every day, Sheridan worked with Utley, getting him ready for that night’s game. Not once did Utley leave the trainer’s room without saying, “Thank you.”

Dave Utley was asked if his very private son was ever fearful that the knee issues would end his career.

“He never put that into words, but you know he had to be,” Dave said. “He was equally frustrated that he couldn’t play and help the team.”

One thing is for sure. Dave and Terrell feared the knee problems could end their son’s career.

“Sure, we did,” Dave said. “He couldn’t play. And nobody, at least we didn’t appreciate, and the general public didn’t appreciate, how bad his knees hurt. He couldn’t power through it.

“He researched his options. He went to Germany to see doctors. He opted not to have surgery. He used special orthotics instead that helped correct things that were going on with his legs and eventually got through it.”

THE MOMENTS

As parents, Dave and Terrell felt everything their son did during his playing career.

The pain of career-threatening injury.

The triumph of a World Series Championship in 2008.

They were in Citizens Bank Park when Chase cut down that run at the plate with the heads-up defensive play that’ll be talked about forever in Philadelphia. It came in the seventh inning of the clinching Game 5 win over Tampa Bay.

“That was one of many moments I remember so well from that World Series,” Dave Utley said. “Another that I remember so well is Joe Blanton’s home run (in Game 4).

“It was a thrill to be there. As that season wore on, the enthusiasm of the Phillies fans was tremendous. The place just went berserk. Then it was berserk on steroids during the World Series. That was a magical experience.”

It was also a wet experience. Rain pushed the series back a couple of days. Needing to get home to California, Dave and Terrell were not able to stay for the victory parade and one of their son’s signature moments as a Phillie.

“We flew home the morning of the parade,” Dave said. “We heard afterward about Chase’s choice words during his presentation at the stadium. We weren’t sure how to process that at the moment but I think at the end of the day it has become something endearing to Phillies fans rather than something objectionable.”

Oh, it has become endearing, for sure.

“I guess I viewed it two ways,” Dave said. “One, I knew he was speaking from his heart. And two, he probably got some of that language from his dad anyway.

“He thought there might be some pushback, but he seems to have come out of it OK.”

THE PEOPLE

Dave Utley rattles off the names of close to a dozen coaches, mentors and family friends who had an impact on his son’s development as a person and a player.

He mentions Joel Wolfe, who worked as a young agent under Tellem and became Chase’s adviser, confidant and close friend. Wolfe “ushered Chase through the minors,” and was with him every step of the way, putting together a plan to conquer the knee problems.

He mentions John Vukovich, Larry Bowa and Charlie Manuel.

“Their professionalism wore off on him.”

He mentions Jimmy Rollins, Chase’s double-play partner at shortstop.

“What a tag team they were.”

He mentions the fans of Philadelphia.

“We’re so grateful to them.”

He mentions Jen.

“So many good people have had an influence on Chase,” he said. “But the secret sauce was Jen. I think she broadened his perspective on life. She was the furthest thing you could find from a baseball groupie. She held their life together and kept things going on the home front while he was traveling and playing.”

And what about Mom and Dad?

“Chase lived with us until he was 18 and then he was off to college and pro ball,” he said. “Terrell and I take credit for not screwing him up for 18 years.”

THE HONORS

Chase Utley’s enshrinement on the Phillies’ Wall of Fame could be a preview of something even bigger.

He’s been on the Hall of Fame ballot for three years and is up to 59.1 percent of the necessary 75 percent. He’s on a strong course for Cooperstown.

Dave admitted that he follows the voting. How could a dad not?

“Whether that is in his future or not, he’s still a success,” Dave said. “If that didn’t happen, it’s not going to diminish his accomplishments in our eyes.”

And those accomplishments are grand. Dave and Terrell will see – and hear — the proof of it all Friday night when the kid whose diapers they used to change is honored at Citizens Bank Park. It won’t be an out-of-body experience. It’ll be real. And well-deserved.

Having Nicolas Raskin available to face Jagiellonia Bialystok is "positive for Rangers", says former Ibrox goalkeeper Cammy Bell.

Belgium midfielder Raskin, 25, could make his first Rangers appearance of the season in Poland in Thursday's Europa League third qualifying round first leg.

He has been linked with a move this summer, while Rangers have recruited in the central midfield area with Cammy Devlin and Vanja Dragojevic joining.

"It's a player that's come off the back of playing a lot of minutes at the World Cup for a top side as well," Bell told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"Having Nico Raskin available is positive for Rangers. Again, we don't know what sort of condition he is. He only had a few weeks off. Hopefully he's fully fit.

"We'd expect him to play a part in the game because he is a quality player. You don't play for Belgium if you're not a good player.

"He is a Rangers player at this moment in time. Whether he will be at the end of the transfer window, I probably doubt that he will be there, I think he'll move on for probably a good sum of money. But while you've got him, you've got to use him.

"This is a massive match. Rangers need to progress through this, they really do. They need to get a positive result to make it an easier job back at Ibrox. There's that negativity from the start of the season, that game against Dundee United."

Andy Halliday believes that 1-1 draw at United has motivated further recruitment at Rangers, with winger Daisuke Yokota signed from Hannover on Wednesday.

"It was obviously a really poor opener against Dundee United," said former Rangers midfielder Halliday. "I thought it was a game that really highlighted the deficiencies that Rangers have in certain areas of the pitch.

"That result on Friday almost kicked them into overdrive. Rangers have obviously signed one winger. They've been linked by another three or four with reports being quite strong. They've submitted bids on a couple of others."

Hello, friends.

After Wednesday night’s 3-1 win over the Angels, the Orioles have crept back within two games of .500 for the first time since July 19, the seventh game of the season-long seven game winning streak. Check out Stacey’s recap of the game for more of the lovely totals, including another fantastic outing from Trevor Rogers.

The Orioles haven’t been a single game below .500 since losing the second game of a doubleheader on April 30. This team has been down, but never wholly out, for quite some time. That’s true when it comes to the wild card race as well. Yesterday was modestly successful in the wild card race for the O’s. They gained no ground on Texas, since the Rangers blanked the Giants.

However, the Orioles did leapfrog the Twins, who dropped a fourth straight game when they were beaten by the Royals. This all leaves the Orioles half a game back of both the Rangers and Guardians, with only those two teams to pass. The Guardians are in action again today, though the Rangers are not; their next game isn’t until they play the Orioles on Friday. So, depending on how the O’s game goes and how that Cleveland game goes, the Orioles could be tied for a wild card spot at the end of today.

The only part of that the Orioles can control is how good of a game they play here against the Angels. LA’s starter, Ryan Johnson, has been terrible through 12 games this season, rolling in with a 7.63 ERA and 1.59 WHIP. We are all well acquainted this season with the fact that the Orioles can stink against anyone, at any time. Johnson isn’t left-handed, if that makes you feel better. Starting for the O’s is Brandon Young.

The Orioles are 15-3 in games started by Young. They’re gonna need to keep that pace rolling til season’s end to do something surprising in the aftermath of the trade deadline sell-off. One part of that is Young continuing to pitch well. Another part is the offense scoring some runs. It’s also going to take the bullpen putting up mostly zeroes. I’m not confident in the second and third parts.

But, you know, until reality proves differently, there’s not too much harm in telling yourself that maybe Adley Rutschman getting traded provided a shock that some struggling players needed: They got a manager fired last year, they got an All-Star traded this year. Shape up already.

It’s a day game today. Don’t show up at 6:30 looking for the game to start. It should already be over. The finale gets under way at 12:35.

We’re running a poll this week wondering how people are feeling about when the Orioles will next be in the postseason. Have you voted yet?

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Did the Orioles rebuild fail? (Steve on Baseball)
Steve Melewski argues that the rebuild was a success and what came after that is what failed. I’m not only posting this take because I agree with it. That sure helps, though.

Ranking the prospects traded at the deadline (FanGraphs)
The Orioles check in here with three of the top ten and five of the top 17. I’ve seen other sites iterations of these lists with the O’s doing as well as three of the top five.

Albernaz isn’t sure of Orioles closer (Baltimore Baseball)
It’s been Yennier Cano and Andrew Kittredge for consecutive chances since the deadline move that subtracted Tyler Wells from the mix. It worked out both times! Let’s see how it works when the Orioles face a team other than the worst one in the AL.

Notes on Hoppe joining bullpen, Franklin leading off, and more (School of Roch)
Craig Albernaz tried out some different stuff last night. I don’t hate attempts to freshen up a stale situation, though I don’t think much will come of it.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

There are a few former Orioles who are born on this day. They are: 2007 reliever Victor Zambrano, 1974 outfielder Mike Reinbach, 1967-71 pitcher Jim Hardin, and 1966 four-game catcher Camilo Carreón.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: poet Alfred Tennyson (1809), penicillin co-discoverer Alexander Fleming (1881), actress/producer Lucille Ball (1911), artist Andy Warhol (1928), movie maker M. Night Shyamalan (1970), Spice Girl Geri Halliwell (1972), and actor Leslie Odom Jr. (1981).

On this day in history…

In 1806, the reigning Holy Roman Emperor, Francis II, proclaimed the empire to be dissolved. Conveniently for Francis, he was still emperor of an entirely different empire, the Austrian Empire, which endured until it merged with the Kingdom of Hungary in 1867.

In 1914, the conflict we now know as World War I continued its spiral of escalation as assorted nations declared war on the enemies of their allies or the allies of their enemies: Serbia declared war on Germany, and Austria declared was on Russia.

In 1945, the American atomic bomb “Little Boy” was detonated on Hiroshima, Japan, killing around 70,000 from the blast, with many more dying from radiation sickness later.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on August 6. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/14-20)

COLUMBUS 8, SYRACUSE 4 (BOX)

It’s been a year to forget for Jonah Tong. The righty, who at one point was the Mets best pitching prospect, has stagnated in 2026, and this start was no exception. Tong served up five home run across five innings, leaving his ERA at an unsightly 5.46 on the season. While his age and legitimate arm talent mean his career is far from over, he needs to make some adjustments going forward.

Other than that, the Mets mustered up five hits but simply could not keep up with the home run barrage from the Clippers.

• CF Nick Morabito: 0-4, R, BB, 2 K
• SS Zack Short: 1-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI, BB, K
• 1B Christian Arroyo: 1-3, BB, 2 E
• 2B Christopher Morel: 0-3, BB
• 3B Andy Ibáñez: 0-2, BB
• DH Nick Lorusso: 0-3, RBI, BB
• RF Jose Ramos: 0-4, 2 K
• C Shawn Ross: 2-3, R, 2B, BB, K, E
• LF D’Andre Smith: 1-4, K
• RHP Jonah Tong: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, L (3-6)
• REHAB ALERT: RHP Austin Warren: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Jonathan Pintaro: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 WP
• RHP Ben Simon: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/13-22)

BINGHAMTON 3, HARTFORD 1 (BOX)

One of the biggest new faces to the Mets organization, Émilien Pitre, made his presence known right away in the win. He drove in the first run of the game on an RBI single in the first inning, and added another hit later. Kevin Parada continued the scoring in the second with a two run home run, his first at the Double-A level.

Those three runs would be more than enough, as a solo home run served up by R.J. Gordon in the fourth was the only offense Hartford mustered. Gordon was excellent outside of that solo shot, striking out ten, walking one, and surrendering three hits across six innings. The bullpen threw three one hit frames to end it.

This game also featured Jefferson Rojas’s organizational debut, which is fun considering he is easily one of their top prospects now. He went 0-4, but he absolutely smoked the ball in his first at bat and reached base on an error (that was a little bit of a soft call for an error, in my humble opinion).

• SS Marco Vargas: 1-4, R, K, SB (13)
• 2B Émilien Pitre: 2-4, RBI
• DH Jefferson Rojas: 0-4
• CF Chris Suero: 0-4
• 3B Billy Amick: 0-3, 3 K
• LF John Bay: 1-3
• 1B Corey Collins: 0-2, R, BB, E (1)
• C Kevin Parada: 2-3, R, HR (1), 2 RBI
• RF Yohairo Cuevas: 0-3, 2 K
• RHP R.J. Gordon: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 10 K, W (2-7)
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, H (3)
• RHP Brendan Girton: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, H (4)
• RHP Saul Garcia: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (3)

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/19-18)

BROOKLYN 10, WILMINGTON 8 (BOX)

Another game, another organizational debut, this time for hometown kid Sammy Stafura. The childhood Mets fan led off for Brooklyn and doubled on the first pitch he saw as a Met farmhand.

The rest of the game was a wild, back and forth affair. Cole Mathis (another new Met, though not as new as the rest of them) doubled two runs home in the first, and was singled home by Yonatan Henriquez. Wilmington would get all three runs back in the third, tying the game up.

Aidan Smith, another new Met who came to the organization alongside Émilien Pitre, hit a solo home run to make it 4-3 in the fifth. Wilmington would tie it in the sixth, take a one run lead in the seventh, and score three in the eighth to make it an 8-4 lead.

Brooklyn battled back, and then some, in the ninth. Smith drove in his second run of the game. flying out sacrificially to cut the deficit to 8-5. Jamari Baylor singled home two to make it a one run game. Yonatan Henriquez got his second big hit of the game, this time a three run home run, to give Brooklyn a 10-8 lead. Josh Blum tossed a one, two, three inning in the bottom of the ninth to secure the comeback.

• SS Sammy Stafura: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB
• CF Aidan Smith: 1-3, R, HR (11), 2 RBI, BB, K
• LF Trey Snyder: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
• RF Randy Guzman: 1-3, R, K
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 2-2, R, 2 RBI
• 1B Cole Mathis: 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, K
• 2B-RF Yonatan Henriquez: 2-5, R, HR (5), 4 RBI, K
• C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-4, K, E (10)
• DH Carter Dierdorf: 0-1, R, 3 BB
• 3B Antonio Jimenez: 0-2, R, 2 BB
• RHP Emilio Obispo: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP
• RHP Rafi Vazquez: 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
• RHP Ryan Dollar: 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• LHP Gregori Louis: 1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, W (4-3)
• RHP Josh Blum: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, S (1)

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/13-21)

GAME ONE: DAYTONA 8, ST. LUCIE 4 / 7 (BOX)

Will Watson, who came into the season as a name to watch but struggled and has not pitched since May due to injury, made an appearance in a rehab assignment. His stuff was solid, even though he gave up two unearned runs. Hopefully he can round out the season strong.

The Mets had a frustrating time in this one, making three errors, going 2-9 with runners in scoring position, and leaving ten on base in the loss.

• SS Elian Peña: 2-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, E (22)
• LF Aiden Robbins: 2-4
• DH Ryan Tayman: 0-4
• C Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-4, 2 K, E (2)
• RF Kuhio Aloy: 1-3, BB
• 1B Reed Stallman: 1-4, R, 2 K
• CF Bohan Adderley: 2-4, R, K, SB (2), E (3)
• 3B Vladi Gomez: 1-3, R, BB, K, SB (3)
• 2B Kooper Schulte: 0-2, BB, K
• REHAB ALERT: RHP Will Watson: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP, L (0-1)
• RHP Candido Cuevas: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• LHP Conner Ware: 3.0 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
• RHP Caden Wooster: 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP

GAME TWO: ST. LUCIE 11, DAYTONA 10 / 10 (BOX)

Yes, dear reader, this was a seven inning minor league double header game that went ten innings.

As you could imagine, the two teams traded haymakers until the very end. St. Lucie went up 3-0 after two, and Daytona answered with three in the fourth to tie it. They took the lead with one run in the fifth. That 4-3 lead for Daytona would hold until the seventh, when Daytona added two in the frame. Vladi Gomez, who had an incredible game, going 4-5 with three doubles, got up with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh and cleared them with a double (though he only got credit for two RBI because the last run scored on an error).

Daytona and St. Lucie would trade runs in the eighth, and trade two run home runs in the ninth, with Julio Zayas forcing extras for St. Lucie with his two run homer. Daytona scored one in the tenth, but John Smith III would answer with a two run single to walk off Daytona in a wild one.

• DH Elian Peña: 2-4, R, BB, 2 K, SB
• LF John Smith III: 2-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K
• C Ryan Tayman: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, E
• 1B Julio Zayas: 3-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
• RF Simon Juan: 1-5, 2 K
• 3B Dylan Carey: 0-5, R, 3 K
• CF Wyatt Vincent: 0-4, 2 R, BB, 2 K
• 2B Vladi Gomez: 4-5, 2 R, 3 2B, 2 RBI, SB
• SS Kooper Schulte: 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K
• P Owen Woodward: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
• P Dillon Stiltner: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 2 K
• P Zack Mack: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• P Camden Lohman: 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Miguel Mejias: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• P Ernesto Mercedes: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• P Tyler McLoughlin: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

R.J. Gordon

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Jonah Tong

The Dodgers did not need an ace. They had one in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who was an absolute master last fall as he was leading Los Angeles to its second straight World Series title. The Dodgers also have a two-time Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell coming back from the injured list soon, followed by another All-Star in Tyler Glasnow.

It didn't matter. The Dodgers went out and got the best available pitcher at the Aug. 3 trade deadline anyway.

Yamamoto threw two complete games last October, the first pitcher to do that in a postseason since Curt Schilling in 2001, then he came out of the bullpen in Game 7 of the World Series and got the last eight outs. He was the Series MVP. With Snell expected back next week and Glasnow on schedule for a late August return, the Dodgers will have depth. Shohei Ohtani has stepped away from pitching for now, but is expected back on the mound at some point this season.

So, Tarik Skubal is not filling the role of team savior. He's insurance against three arms that have to come back right. The Los Angeles rotation, despite the laments about injuries, already led the majors in ERA without the two-time reigning Cy Young Award winner.

More than 60 trades went through from the middle of July to Aug. 3. A few, like the Skubal deal, made a good team even better. A few of these moves will decide whether a team plays in October at all. Those are arguably worth more, and they are also the ones most likely to blow up.

Here are five big impact trades, sorted by how much they are likely to matter once the season gets shorter:

Adley Rutschman to the Red Sox

In June, the Red Sox looked ready to have a fire sale. Then they won 23 of 26 games, and Craig Breslow started spending prospects. He sent three of Boston's top five prospects to Baltimore to get a catcher that can help the Red Sox in October.

He needed to. Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong combined for a .615 OPS behind the plate this season. Rutschman is a three-time All-Star who switch-hits, frames and calls a solid game. He is 28 and under club control through next season, so it's not a rental.

Where this could blow up on Breslow and Boston is with Rutschman's health. He arrived at Fenway Tuesday on the injured list with left wrist inflammation, and his injury history was the biggest worry executives had about him at the deadline. The Red Sox went into Wednesday night's games 61-51 and four games ahead of Cleveland for the last wild card spot. They will be playing in October if Rutschman is.

Casey Mize and Robbie Ray to the Padres

Nobody has more riding on the deadline boost than San Diego. The Padres went into Wednesday night's games 59-55, one game back of Arizona, which is in the third wild card spot. Two weeks ago, the assumption was that the Padres would sell. The rest of baseball hungrily scouted their closer, Mason Miller.

The rotation was the problem all season. Padres starters carried a 4.66 ERA, fourth worst in the majors, and Michael King and Walker Buehler were the only regular starters left standing. The club was throwing three bullpen games per week.

A.J. Preller went out and fixed things in a day.

Mize left Detroit with a 2.70 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP in 16 starts and fewer than two walks per nine. Ray, the 2021 AL Cy Young winner, is 10-6 with a 3.08 ERA in 122⅔ innings. Despite a scare this week, Nick Pivetta is on track to return in late August. Joe Musgrove has not pitched at all this season after Tommy John surgery.

If the Padres reach October, it was the trade deadline that did it. If they don't, Preller emptied what was left of the farm system for nothing.

Liam Hicks to the Rays

Three teams in the same division had the same problem. The Red Sox, Yankees and Rays needed catching at the deadline. Boston paid a high ransom, the Yankees struck out completely and the Rays found the fix without breaking the bank.

Tampa Bay catchers had hit .267/.320/.381 with 38 RBI all year. Hicks came over from Miami with 62 all by himself. He hit .282 with 14 home runs and had a .795 OPS in 101 games for the Marlins. He is one of the six best hitting catchers in baseball. He has struck out 39 times.

He hit a grand slam in his first game as a Ray, the first by anyone in the organization this season. He also caught 7⅓ scoreless innings from the bullpen in an 11-inning win.

The cost was Brayden Taylor, Jacob Kisting and Adrian Santana, the Rays' 16th, 22nd and 23rd prospects. No one from the top 10. Hicks comes with four and a half more years of club control.

Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval, Kirby Yates and Lake Bachar to the Pirates

The risk was obvious. Pittsburgh is 57-58, three and a half games back of Arizona, and lost Mitch Keller for the season to a teres major injury on deadline day.

The Pirates made four separate deals over three days and replaced an entire bullpen that ranked in the bottom half of baseball and had blown 19 saves. In a short series, a manager rides his best two or three arms almost every night.

Weaver is the one who makes this matter. He went 2-1 with a 1.84 ERA in 42 appearances for the Mets, holding hitters to a .162 average with a 0.82 WHIP, and he saved four games with a 1.76 ERA for the Yankees in the 2024 postseason. The other three are bets on what they used to be. Doval led the National League in saves in 2023, but struggled with the Yankees. Yates is 39 and carries a 3.95 ERA and Bachar is at 3.84.

Ben Cherrington spent on a team that has to climb over three clubs to matter, and he bought volume rather than certainty. If Pittsburgh gets there, it was a smart buy.

Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and Ryan Zeferjahn to the Cubs

Chicago was one of seven clubs linked to Skubal before the deadline. When it was obvious that Skubal wasn't heading to the Northside, Jed Hoyer bought three arms, including two starters. Neither is a sure thing.

Gausman is 5-10 with a 4.38 ERA in 23 starts. The underlying numbers are slightly better with an expected ERA of 3.95 and a FIP of 3.50, all well below his ERA. They line up with his 2025 numbers and that is what the Cubs are betting on. He starts Friday in Kansas City.

Holmes fractured his fibula on May 15 and has not pitched since. The 2.39 ERA attached to his name comes from nine starts that ended three months ago. The Cubs will see what they are getting Saturday.

Zeferjahn, the reliever, is actually the sure thing here. He strikes out 13 hitters per nine innings and threw a scoreless inning in his debut.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Forget Tarik Skubal. These MLB trade deadline deals will actually decide October.

The Yankees dropped a dud performance to close out their series with St. Louis, losing 3-1 in a game where they had several chances but continued to be ineffective with their bats. Will Warren had an adventure in the fifth that saw him give up three runs all with two outs, but overall his outing wasn’t bad and not the biggest reason the team lost. The lineup just needs to pull their own weight at some point, especially with the Trade Deadline passed and no more outside reinforcements on the horizon. Yes, the team is hoping to get Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton back at some point, but there’s still a long stretch of time that this offense will have to manage without any of them.

One other improvement that the Yankees made beside trading for a pair of bats over the course of the deadline was calling up their top prospect, George Lombard Jr. One of the best prospects in all of baseball, Lombard made his MLB debut on Tuesday and launched a solo homer for his first career MLB hit in his second at-bat. It proved to be a valuable insurance run as the offense only produced two runs overall that night, and with the team similarly offensively-challenged on Wednesday Lombard had a chance to add to his early accolades. In the bottom of the eighth following two quick outs, New York worked a pair of walks to bring Lombard up to the plate as the go-ahead run. It was probably unfair to think it, but I couldn’t help but feel the thoughts “signature moment” creep into my head. If the kid managed to convert there, there was no doubt that the Stadium would’ve exploded.

Of course, that moment did not come to be. Ryne Stanek managed to overwhelm the 21-year-old rookie with a pair of fastballs up and got him to expand the zone, striking him out to end the threat and the last real opportunity the Yankees had to tie the game up. Ben Rice walked in the ninth to bring the tying run to the plate with two outs, but Ali Sánchez got caught looking at strike three to end it. That the Yankees’ hopes are riding on Lombard being one of the sparkplugs to an offense that has so desperately craved one is definitely unfair to him, but his debut showed that he’s clearly got the talent. His play on the field has been tremendous, his defense already looking like a veteran as scouts predicted he’d shine there. But what can we realistically expect from his bat, and what can we dare to hope for?

Projections are never quite kind to rookies debuting midseason, as they simply don’t have a lot to work off of and expect the rigors of facing MLB pitchers for the first time to be a fitting challenge. Lombard is no exception in that category, with Steamer giving him an 87 wRC+ in 39 games played to close out the year, estimating him to display a modest walk rate but otherwise struggle to make much contact. Examining his trends from the minor leagues show that Lombard has always taken a step back initially on promoting to a new level, needing a month or so to find his footing before getting into a groove and displaying his normal level of excellence. That also doesn’t bode well considering there’s only two months left in the regular season.

Lombard is riding one of his biggest hot streaks into this first foray of the major leagues, though. He owned a 30-game on-base streak down in the minors prior to his promotion, and has collected a hit in each of his first two games here in New York. He’s displayed his power already, and he seems like a natural at short turning some clutch double plays in his short stay already. I don’t think anyone is expecting him to explode onto the scene and carry the offense on his back, but if he can stay on the track that he’s found since returning from a brief IL stint earlier this year there’s potential for him to be the third or fourth most valuable bat on the team down the stretch, a significant piece of the puzzle. I think he’ll surpass that 87 wRC+ estimate with relative ease, and perhaps push into the above-average production right away that would really turn things around for this lineup.

We’ve got an off-day ahead of us while the Yankees await their next opponent, but we’ve still got some things going on around here. Andrés starts our day off with a look at how Ryan Weathers has adjusted his pitch repertoire to cut down on his unseemly home run rate, and Sam will have the Rivalry Roundup as both the Rays and Red Sox unfortunately continue to stack wins. Jonathan relives the career of Ron Davis and his emergence as a key Yankees reliever defining the setup man role, while Scott looks at the suddenly stacked RailRiders roster as they get an injection with the trio of Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Max Schuemann arriving and focuses on the potential for Volpe to learn second base while down there.

Today’s Matchup:

Off-day

Omaha Storm Chasers 5, Toledo Mud Hens 1 (box)

The Storm Chasers evened the series up by knocking around the Hens bullpen on Wednesday.

Dylan File got the start, and he had perhaps his best start of the year for the Hens. He fired six innings of one-run ball with six strikeouts. Omaha got to him for a run in the top of the first, but otherwise they rarely even threatened.

In the fourth, Brett Callahan got the Hens starter with a leadoff single. He took third on a Justice Bigbie ground out, and Callahan went on to steal third base. Cal Stevenson walked, and Andrew Navigato came through with a sacrifice fly to tie things up.

The Hens never really put together a good scoring opportunity again. Tyler Mattison gave up a two-run homer in the eighth as the Storm Chasers took the lead. Corey Julks doubled with one-out in the bottom half but was stranded. Nick Sandlin coughed up a solo shot in the ninth and then another run to make it 5-1 Omaha.

Stevenson: 2-2, 2B, 2 BB

File: 6.0 IP, ER, 5 H, BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start on Thursday.

Erie SeaWolves 10, Altoona Curve 7 (box)

This was a wild one. The Curve blew up Hayden Minton in the fourth and scored seven runs total. The SeaWolves then turned it on and roared back to win.

Minton wasn’t getting much swing and miss, but he cruised through three innings before things quickly unraveled in the fourth. He gave up a two-run homer, and then a parade of hits, along with a Stephen Hrustich error, led to three more runs. Minton left after issuing a walk and Yosber Sanchez took over in a deep jam. He immediately gave up a run scoring double to right field. The relay from Zyhir Hope to Max Burt home to Thayron Liranzo cut down a second runner at the plate, but one more single made it 7-0 before the inning finally ended.

Sanchez wiggled his way out of trouble in the fifth after hitting a batter and giving up a one-out walk, and then the offense came alive in the bottom half.

Hrustrich started them off with a single and Burt doubled. Seth Stephenson grounded one to third and Hrustich scored as Altoona made an error on the play. Peyton Graham singled in Burt, and Stephenson scored on a Josue Briceño ground out.

In the sixth, Andrew Jenkins and E.J. Exposito led off with singles and Hrustich walked to load the bases. A new reliever took over and walked Burt to force in a run, and Stephenson ripped a two-run double to left. Suddenly it was a 7-6 game and Briceño later tied things up with a sacrifice fly.

In the seventh, Jenkins tripled and scored on an Exposito ground ball. In the eighth, Graham led off with a single and rode home on Briceño’s sixth home run of the season. That made it 10-7, giving the SeaWolves a little cushion.

Josue Briceño crushes a 2-run homer 424 feet to dead center to put Erie up 10-7. @ZachSurdenik calls it. pic.twitter.com/1K7CPh4XGl

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 5, 2026

Johan Simon held this all together with two strong innings of relief in the sixth and seventh, striking out four. Tyler Owens handled the final two innings to earn the save.

Jenkins: 3-5, 2 R, 3B

Graham: 2-5, R, RBI, 2 K

Stephenson: 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B

Briceño: 1-4, R, 4 RBI, K

Minton: 3.1 IP, 6 ER, 7 H, 2 BB, 2 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Thursday at UPMC Park.

West Michigan Whitecaps 11, Fort Wayne TinCaps 1 (box)

Ben Jacobs put together a great outing, and five different Whitecaps homered in this one as they crushed Fort Wayne on Wednesday.

Jacobs fired 5.2 innings of one run ball in this one. He allowed just three hits and a walk, striking out five. The lefty threw 59 of 81 pitches for strikes, and had both the breaking stuff and his changeup working throughout his day.

Ben Jacobs with his longest outing of the season.
5.2IP 3H 1ER 1BB 5K 81 pitches, 59 for strikes.

Did a good job using his curve, fastball and change. Here's 4th and 5th strikeouts. pic.twitter.com/3wUG5VjLMZ

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 6, 2026

He quickly had a nice lead to work with. Bryce Rainer was the second batter of the game and he torched his 10th home run to center field for a quick 1-0 lead. Jackson Strong followed with his 10th home run, another solo shot, and it was 2-0.

🚨 BRYCE RAINER DEAD CENTER HOME RUN ‼️

His 11th of the season, 10th in High-A. pic.twitter.com/4kSpBDum0P

— Tigers Torkmoil (@bythewaybro) August 5, 2026

Juan Hernandez bashed a three-run shot in the second with Luke Shliger and Samuel Gil on board. 5-0 Whitecaps.

In the top of the third, the TinCaps walked three straight hitters to start the inning. Cristian Santana lifted a sacrifice fly to make it 6-0, and that was just the beginning of Santana’s night. Jacobs allowed a run in the bottom of the third to make it 6-1.

Rainer doubled to open the fourth inning but was stranded. However, in the fifth they were right back at it. Gil singled with one out and Santana launched a two-run shot to right field. 8-1 Whitecaps.

Shliger led off the seventh with a solo shot of his own. Two batters later, Santana came up again and crushed a solo shot to center field for his second of the game. 10-1 Whitecaps. He would add a third homer in the top of the ninth to complete one heck of a game. That made seven home runs on the night for the Whitecaps, which is a franchise record.

‼️🚨🚨Franchise record 7th home run for @wmwhitecaps and the third straight for Cristian Santana pic.twitter.com/GrkYxG3pVY

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 6, 2026

Santana: 3-4, 3 R, 5 RBI, 3 HR, K

Strong: 2-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB

Rainer: 2-6, R, RBI, 2B, HR, 4 K

Jacobs (W, 3-2): 5.2 IP, ER, 3 H, BB, 5 K

Coming Up Next: First pitch is set for 7:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

Dunedin Blue Jays 11, Lakeland Flying Tigers 0 (Gm1)(F/7)(box)

Game 1 was pretty uneventful for the Flygers after they were rained out on Tuesday. Brant Hurter made a rehab appearance, but otherwise the offense was quiet and the Blue Jays won easily.

Hurter got knocked around for three runs in his first rehab appearances after spending two months on the IL with lumbar back issues. Xiomer Guacache took over with just one out in the first and gave up two runs of his own as well. Caleb Leys then surrendered three runs in 2.2 innings of work. Bryce Alewine gave up three more in the seventh.

Carson Rucker had two hits, and Roberto Campos managed one as his rehab continues. Enough said about this one.

Rucker: 2-2, BB

Hurter (L, 0-1): 0.1 IP, 3 ER, H, BB, K

Lakeland Flying Tigers 6, Dunedin Blue Jays 3 (box)

Paul Wilson was wild in this one and gave up three early runs, but the Flying Tigers offense decided that was enough and stormed back to take Game 2.

Jesus Pinto kicked off the offense with a one-out triple in the bottom of the second. Anibal Salas singled him in and then rode home on Zach MacDonald’s 18th home run of the season.

So they had a 3-0 lead, but Wilson, after two decent innings of work, walked the first three batters he faced in the top of third. Luke Hoskins took over, but allowed all three inherited runners to score, tying the game.

The Flying Tigers roared right back. Salas led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, and MacDonald stepped to the dish and smashed his second homer of the game for a 5-3 lead. That one left the bat at 111.7 mph.

Zach MacDonald crushes another 2-run homer to left center. This one was 111.7 off the bat and traveled 412 feet. It’s his 2nd of the night, making him the first Tigers minor leaguer this year to reach 20 home runs on the season. @AaronArnstein on the call. pic.twitter.com/nYQnpZGzeC

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) August 6, 2026

In the bottom of the sixth, Pinto and Salas singled to start the inning, and MacDonald walked. A wild pitch scored Pinto, but that was all they’d get.

Grayson Grinsell helped the cause with three scoreless innings with five strikeouts, though he walked three. Donye Evans took over after a leadoff single in the seventh, and he shut the door to earn his second save.

MacDonald: 2-2, 2 R, 4 RBI, 2 HR, BB

Salas: 3-3, 2 R, RBI, 2B

Pinto: 2-3, 2 R, 3B

Wilson: 2.0 IP, 3 ER, 0 H, 6 BB, 3 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:30 p.m. ET start on Thursday.

SNY | Ben Krimmel: Aaron Judge has been cleared to resume light activity, the first positive update since he landed on the IL on May 31st. The first step has been some upper-body resistance work in the weight room, and Judge was also seen running and stretching on the field before Wednesday’s game. While acknowledging his broken rib is still ailing him, the Yankee captain expressed urgency to return, noting he’s “running out of days” before the end of the season and affirming he’ll return before then. Manager Aaron Boone also provided an update on right-hander Clarke Schmidt, who’s progressing in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He recently tossed a live batting practice (which was cut short by cramps) and could be nearing a rehab assignment.

The Athletic | Tyler Kepner: ($) Two new Yankees, George Lombard Jr. and Heliot Ramos, debuted Tuesday. They took different paths to the Bronx, with Lombard a long-touted internal prospect and Ramos a fifth-year player acquired from the Giants at the deadline, but both reveled in their new home. The 21-year-old Lombard was stoic. “I have pretty good relations with a lot of people here, so it’s not like a completely new environment,” he said. “When I first get here, everybody’s coming up to say, ‘What’s up, congrats,’ all the guys telling me to enjoy this moment, it only happens once.” Lombard indeed made the most of his moment, homering and starring in the field in a memorable 2-0 victory. Ramos, who grew up in Puerto Rico rooting for the likes of Jorge Posada and Derek Jeter, admitted to shaking with excitement upon learning of the trade, trumpeting the “high bar” set by his new organization.

ESPN: The ESPN team debates the Yankees’ trade deadline, in which the team added some thump to their lineup but failed to address top needs behind the plate and in the bullpen. Jeff Passan and Buster Olney agree they remain “squarely in the mix” in a crowded AL picture while Jorge Castillo and Bradford Doolittle lament their inability to secure a right-handed catcher. Ultimately, the consensus is that the Yankees’ fortunes will likely hinge on the return of their captain, alongside Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger.

Baseball America: An update of Baseball America’s venerable top 100 prospect list after a flurry of moves at the deadline. Lombard leads the pack for the Yankees, coming in at number 15 after slotting at 46 before the season. Next is Dax Kilby, the team’s first-rounder last year, at 37 (up from 61 pre-season). Carlos Lagrange, the fireballer who debuted at 93 this spring, ranks 79th. And Elmer Rodríguez, who’s started four games in the big leagues this year, slides back from 58 to 83.

Defector | Chris Thompson: From enemy territory, a begrudging celebration of Lombard’s debut from a self-described Yankee hater. Thompson gives a blow-by-blow of his well-worn anti-Yankee armor being pierced Tuesday night, beginning with a charming pregame interview with Lombard’s parents and ending with his solo homer in the fifth, which the writer conceded caused him to hoot and holler in joy.