PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 11: Commissioner of Major League Baseball Robert D. Manfred announces Gio Rojas as the 16th overall pick by the Texas Rangers during the 2026 MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express at Pennsylvania Convention Center on Saturday, July 11, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The Texas Rangers have signed pitcher Gio Rojas, infielder Connor Comeau, and pitcher Brody Bumila, the team’s first, second and third round draft choices, respectively, it was announced today.
Rojas, the 16th overall pick, reportedly received a bonus of $4.6 million, which is roughly $500,000 below slow. Comeau, the 54th pick, reportedly received $2.5 million, which is approximately $700,000 above slot. Bumila, who was expected to go in the first round before pre-draft medicals revealed a damaged UCL, reportedly received $2.75 million, which is close to $2 million above slot.
The total for the three, along with the team’s other signed draft picks, pushes them just north of $10 million in total bonus expenditures. The team’s bonus pool is $10,219,000, assuming they sign fourth rounder Hudson Calhoun and eighth rounder Kolby Branch. A team can exceed its bonus pool by up to 5% without incurring the loss of future draft picks. Players drafted after the 10th round can receive up to $150,000 as a signing bonus, with any amount above that applied towards the team’s bonus pool.
Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, the Brewers reclaim the No. 1 spot, the Red Sox surge into contender status, Pirates rookie Esmerlyn Valdez continues to mash, and Freddy Peralta continues to demolish his trade value.
As a reminder, this article is a combination of current performance and long-term outlook.
We have a new No. 1 in this week’s rankings, as the Brewers passed the Dodgers for the best record in baseball on Monday. Making his first start in 13 days, Jacob Misiorowski threw just four innings against the Mets as the Brewers try to be “creative” with him during the second half.
2) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬇️
Last week: 1
With the benefit of a huge lead in the NL West, the Dodgers can accord to be extra careful with Shohei Ohtani and his knee. And so, the dream of a Cy Young Award is dead, but the quest for three straight World Series titles lives on. Still, is a starting pitcher on the Dodgers' shopping list before the trade deadline?
3) Atlanta Braves ⬆️
Last week: 4
The Braves’ offense hit the skids in June, but they’ve bounced back nicely this month. Coming into Tuesday’s action, they lead the majors with 99 runs scored in July and rank second with 29 homers. We’ve even started to see some signs of life from Austin Riley.
The Rays snapped their season-high five-game losing streak on Monday while Victor Mesa Jr. homered in his third straight game. Who is Victor Mesa Jr.? That is a perfectly acceptable question.
With Aaron Judge’s ETA up in the air, do the Yankees have enough offense? Ben Rice and Jazz Chisholm Jr. are doing their best to hold down the fort right now.
6) Chicago Cubs
Last week: 6
The Cubs could still use an impact starting pitcher (and bullpen help) before the deadline but Shota Imanaga has come on strong recently with a 2.31 ERA and 35/9 K/BB ratio over his last seven starts.
7) Philadelphia Phillies
Last week: 7
On one hand, it’s nice to see Trea Turner swinging the bat better. He’s hitting .319 with seven homers and 18 RBI over his last 22 games, including his two-homer game on Monday night. On the other hand, he might have forgotten how to play shortstop.
"Trea cares about his defense, he wants to make plays. He's working every day."
— NBC Sports Philadelphia (@NBCSPhilly) July 21, 2026
8) Chicago White Sox ⬆️
Last week: 9
The White Sox have won six out of seven and they continue to hold off the Guardians for first place in the AL Central. Sean Burke dominated the Blue Jays on Sunday and now boasts a 1.40 ERA and 47/6 K/BB ratio over his last six starts.
9) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️
Last week: 11
You could have given me 15 chances and I still would have not guessed that Cleveland has the most walk-off homers in baseball since 1994, which is when Progressive Field opened.
I’m shocked. And if we’re being honest, the Red Sox front office is probably shocked too. Thanks to some heroics from the resurgent Caleb Durbin, the Red Sox have won 14 straight to catapult themselves into our top 10, and more importantly, the third spot in the AL Wild Card race. They’ll have a chance to tie the franchise record of 15 straight from 1946 on Tuesday, but either way, they are very much alive in a wide open American League.
The Cardinals have lost three straight and nine out of their last 13.
12) Pittsburgh Pirates
Last week: 12
Okay, I have seen enough. Esmerlyn Valdez is the second coming of Barry Bonds. The 22-year-old is on an all-time heater at the plate, amassing at least one extra-base hit and one RBI in eight straight games. He went deep at Yankee Stadium on Monday night, which gives him 13 homers through 32 games. Only Aristedes Aquino (14) and Rhys Hoskins (16) have hit more through 32 games. Perhaps that tidbit tells you to pump the breaks on the “next coming” conversation, but Valdez is helping keep the Pirates alive in the playoff race.
13) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬆️
Last week: 14
Congrats to Nolan Arenado, who reached the 2,000 hit plateau on Monday against the Athletics.
Yes, he’s the 297th member of the 2,000-hit club, but he’s just the sixth to reach 2,000 hits, 350 homers and 10 Gold Gloves. Ken Griffey Jr., Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt, Johnny Bench, and Al Kaline are the others. Now that's a special group.
14) Miami Marlins ⬇️
Last week: 8
Seven straight losses for the Marlins, who were forced to put All-Star Max Meyer on the IL due to a neck strain. It’s not looking good.
15) Texas Rangers ⬇️
Last week: 13
You aren’t going to believe this, but with three losses in four games since the All-Star break, the Rangers have fallen back to the .500 mark. A huge four-game series against the Mariners awaits beginning this Friday.
16) Seattle Mariners
Last week: 16
Finally, some signs of life from Cal Raleigh. “The Big Dumper” launched a grand slam and knocked in five runs in Monday’s shutout victory over the Reds. After a historic 2025 campaign, Raleigh is slashing just .163/.266/.307 through 69 games. If he can rediscover some semblance of even league-average production, the Mariners will be strongly-positioned to win the AL West.
17) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️
Last week: 21
The Orioles saw their seven-game winning streak come to an end on Monday and they also lost Adley Rutschman once again, this time due to left wrist inflammation.
18) Washington Nationals ⬆️
Last week: 19
Your leader in RBI since the All-Star break? Andres Chapparo, of course. He clubbed two homers and drove in eight on Friday against the A’s in Sacramento before launching a two-run shot in Coors Field on Monday. Talk about a great roadtrip. For the hitters, anyway.
19) San Diego Padres ⬇️
Last week: 15
The Padres have lost 14 out of 20 and it’s increasingly likely they find themselves more in the category of sellers by August 3. Who knows if Mason Miller really is a candidate to be moved, but Ty France is another name to watch on this roster. Including his two-homer game in the Padres’ 19-2 walloping of the Royals on Sunday, he’s put up an .887 OPS through 74 games this season.
20) Minnesota Twins ⬇️
Last week: 17
Connected in trade rumors, Joe Ryan tied a major league record by giving up six home runs on Monday against the Guardians. He came into the start with a 1.93 ERA over his last five starts.
21) Detroit Tigers ⬆️
Last week: 23
The Tigers have won 10 out of their last 14 games, but still find themselves six games under .500. However, in the American League in 2026, that means you’re still alive. They are 4.5 games out of a Wild Card spot, though they’ll have to leap five teams in order to get there. Odds are any decision on Tarik Skubal (and others) will likely come down to the last minute.
22) Toronto Blue Jays
Last week: 22
There are plenty of reasons why things have gone wrong for the Blue Jays this year, but this one stat really puts things in perspective: It’s almost August and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has yet to hit a home run at Rogers Centre this season.
23) Houston Astros ⬇️
Last week: 20
The Astros have collapsed this month, but you can’t blame Yordan Alvarez. He blasted two more homers on Monday and continues to position himself for the first Triple Crown since Miguel Cabrera in 2012.
24) Cincinnati Reds
Last week: 24
The Reds probably aren’t a realistic contender at this point, but they did well to lock up their young ace Chase Burns with a seven-year, $105 million extension. However, we nearly had a “Curb Your Enthusiasm” situation with the contract signing.
Chase Burns’ contract signing was held up a little bit this morning when Reds GM Brad Meador spilled coffee on it and they had to print a new one
In a season like this one, you have to accentuate the positives whenever possible. With the homer below, Bryce Eldridge became the first Giants player aged 21 or younger to reach 10-plus homers in a season since Jack Clark in 1977.
Tough time for the A’s, who have lost 11 out of their last 12 games. Even when something good happens, like Joshua Kuroda-Grauer’s first MLB homer on Monday, it’s followed by something like this.
As Joshua Kuroda-Grauer writhes on the ground, Bob Brenly drops this nugget:
"I don't mean to give much too much information here, but there's a lot of players in the Major Leagues now that do not wear protective cups. I can't understand it.
What can the Mets realistically get for Freddy Peralta at this stage? The pending free agent was rocked in his return to Milwaukee on Monday and now holds a rough 5.01 ERA on the year. The most Mets thing to happen would be if he gets traded and returns to ace form down the stretch. You know it’s gonna happen.
28) Kansas City Royals ⬆️
Last week: 29
Most have mentioned Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo as the Royals’ most attractive trade candidates, but Lane Thomas is getting hot at the right time for KC. He’s hitting .333 with four homers and a 1.081 OPS this month.
29) Colorado Rockies ⬇️
Last week: 28
A little history for Hunter Goodman on Sunday against the Reds, as he became the first player in Rockies history to have a pair of three-homer games in the same season.
Chrissy Baines holds her jersey after being named the general manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes | Albuquerque Isotopes
Chrissy Baines’ Albuquerque story nearly ended before it started.
She arrived in New Mexico in 2004, a Georgia kid who had barely left the state, taking a retail job with a brand-new Triple-A franchise on the recommendation of a general manager she’d only spoken to over the phone. The welcome was rough.
“I had like three car accidents in three months,” Baines said. “I totaled my car, I broke my arm, and I thought, ‘What in the hell have I done? Why did I move to New Mexico?’”
Twenty-two years later, she runs the place.
Baines took over as general manager of the Albuquerque Isotopes in January, becoming the first woman to hold the job in Albuquerque professional baseball history and succeeding John Traub, who had run the franchise since before it played a game. She’s now a little more than halfway through her first season in the chair — and in her 25th season in minor league baseball.
It’s a career she almost didn’t have.
A huge congratulations to Chrissy Baines who has been named our new General Manager! 🥳🙌🎇
She becomes the first female General Manager in Albuquerque professional baseball history and the 15th active female General Manager in @MiLB! pic.twitter.com/v6b6S380de
Baines grew up in Rockmart, Georgia, playing softball, basketball, and tennis — basketball was her first love, and she went on to play in college. She was on track to become a teacher until a practicum convinced her otherwise, and she transferred to the University of West Georgia to study sport management instead. Even then, she figured she’d end up running a parks and rec department somewhere.
Instead, an internship with the Single-A Savannah Sand Gnats in 2002 pulled her into baseball. The staff was tiny, the summers were brutal, and she remembers plenty of tarp duty. She also remembers her first GM, Ken Shepard, who has since passed from cancer.
“He just knew everything about every single department, and I really adopted that mentality,” Baines said. “I said, ‘You know what? I’m just going to be a sponge in this business and learn as much as I can.’”
That approach became the blueprint.
After Traub called about an opening following the Isotopes’ inaugural 2003 season, Baines moved west. Her questions for him, she admits, were less about the job than about what New Mexico was even like — and proceeded to work nearly every corner of the operation: retail, merchandise, box office, stadium operations. She became assistant general manager in 2015.
By then, Traub stopped being subtle about where things were headed.
“He always told me, ‘You’re going to be a GM one day,’” Baines said. “I don’t know if that was my set goal back in the day. I think it took me a little bit to really accept that that was the next move for me.”
She turned down GM openings with other clubs over the years, she said, because she never wanted to leave Albuquerque — the staff, full of 10-, 15-, and 20-year employees, had become the reason she stayed. And when Traub finally did step back, moving into an advisory role as team president, he didn’t go far. The two still talk daily, and Traub keeps asking her to assign him special projects — she’s obliged with batter’s eye work and city business.
“I always tell him I’m glad he didn’t just toss in his keys and walk away,” Baines said.
What a Triple-A GM actually does
The title invites confusion. Fans hear “general manager” and think roster moves, but at the Triple-A level, the Rockies control everything between the lines. Baines got to joke about that firsthand when Rockies president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta came through Albuquerque earlier this season, with the Isotopes — powered by prospects like Charlie Condon and Cole Carrigg — playing winning baseball.
“I said, ‘Oh, it must be that new GM the Isotopes hired,’” Baines said. “And we both laugh because I have zero to do with it.”
Her side of the operation is everything else: fan experience, promotions, and making sure the facility and the community keep players comfortable.
“What the Rockies provide us is what the Rockies provide us,” she said. “Where we can be major drivers in this business is the type of promotions that we offer, the type of value we create for these fans.”
The job is also, as she’s learned, a grind measured in hours. During a recent 12-game homestand, season ticket holders would ask what time the staff arrived for a 6:35 game. The answer: nine or ten in the morning, with an 11 p.m. departure.
“That’s a lot of hours for this staff,” Baines said. “You don’t understand the hours that go into some of these jobs unless you’ve worked in the sport.”
The results are showing up at the gate.
Through the interview date in early July, Albuquerque had opened 42 games without a single rain delay, and the Isotopes were leading the Pacific Coast League in total and average attendance, up from last year.
Baines credits the weather, a more aggressive slate of family promotions — a Bluey appearance produced one of the wildest days in ballpark memory, and mascot Orbit’s birthday drew 20 visiting mascots — and a community-relations operation that keeps Orbit out in Albuquerque as many as 19 or 20 days a month.
“I think it’s the community connection,” she said. “We’ve done a really good job throughout the years of remaining relevant in this community.”
One of 15 — and counting
Baines is one of 15 active female general managers in the minors, and she doesn’t shy away from what that means.
“I certainly wasn’t the first,” she said of women running minor league clubs. “Not going to be the last.”
One of her mentors is Brooke Cooper, who runs the Worcester Red Sox, and the two talk often about the state of the industry.
“It definitely shows progress,” Baines said. “Baseball’s been one of those hard sports for women to break into leadership roles. So it definitely means a lot.”
Away from the ballpark — when there is an away from the ballpark — Baines golfs with a group of Isotopes staffers, watches the WNBA (she was headed to Las Vegas the weekend of our conversation to see the Aces and the Fever) and spends fall Saturdays flying a Georgia flag outside her house, smoking something on the Traeger while the Bulldogs play. She and her wife have two dogs — “No actual children,” she said. “Our dogs, those are our children.”
As for the one part of the job nobody can manage: shortly after she was hired, a local reporter congratulated her on now being in charge of the weather.
“I said, no, that is 100% not accurate,” Baines said. “I’m going to pass that on to our groundskeeper.”
Albuquerque opened the post-All-Star schedule by dropping two of three at home against the Sacramento River Cats (San Francisco Giants). The Isotopes were held to limited offense in each loss, sandwiched around an 11-7 win in which they piled up 11 runs over the first three innings. Jordan Beck homered in both defeats — a two-run shot in the opener and a solo blast in the finale. Albuquerque sits fourth in the PCL East at 8-13 in the second half.
⬆️ Stock Up: Machín delivers the damage
Vimael Machín supplied the set’s biggest offensive day, going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBIs in the 11-7 win and finishing the series at .308 (4-for-13). The veteran infielder was in the middle of the early onslaught that decided Albuquerque’s lone victory, and he continues to hover near .300 on the season. In a quiet set for the lineup at large, Machín’s bat was the one that showed up when the runs came.
Vimael Machin rockets a two-run double to the gap!
Hartford’s trip to Chesapeake (Baltimore Orioles) was a study in wasted starting pitching. The Yard Goats’ three starters — Jack Mahoney , Stu Flesland III, and Jackson Cox (PuRP No.16) — combined for 17 innings and three earned runs, yet Hartford dropped the final two games on late bullpen collapses, surrendering leads in the eighth inning of both. The set opened with a 7-3 win keyed by Jack O’Dowd’s three-run, ninth-inning homer, but the two one-run losses that followed cost Hartford the series. The Yard Goats sit in fourth place in the Eastern League Northeast with a second-half record of 8-13.
⬆️ Stock Up: Flesland flirts with history
Stu Flesland III delivered the pitching line of the set: five no-hit innings in Saturday’s start, walking one, striking out four and picking a runner off first for good measure. The lefty handed a hitless game to the bullpen with a 2-0 lead, and while the relief corps couldn’t hold what followed, none of that dims the outing — his season ERA now sits at 2.25. It was as dominant as a no-decision gets.
Upcoming
The Yard Goats head to Richmond for a six-game series with the Flying Squirrels (San Francisco Giants).
High-A: Spokane Indians (1-2, 44-46 Overall)
Spokane’s home set against the Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners) got away from the pitching staff, which allowed 37 runs across three games — including a 21-3 drubbing in the finale that saw Everett pile up 14 runs over the sixth and seventh innings alone. The lone bright spot was a 6-5, 10-inning walk-off in the middle game, built on an early three-run homer and three scoreless relief innings from Nathan Blasick, who improved to 10-2. Roldy Brito (PuRP No.11), promoted from Fresno, started in center field and swiped three bags in the win. The Indians are tied for first in the Northwest League at 15-9.
Put the ball in play, and good things happen. Ethan Hedges races home on a dribbler off the bat of Jacob Humphrey as the Indians regain sole possession of first place in the Northwest League! #GoSpopic.twitter.com/3r3s9nNcjx
Ethan Hedges (PuRP No.29) was the constant in the lineup, hitting .500 (6-for-12) with two homers, a double, and a hit in all three games. His three-run blast in the first inning of Saturday’s walk-off win staked Spokane to its only early lead of the series, and he went deep again in the finale — his 12th of the season, pushing his RBI total to 50.
Upcoming
The Indians will remain in Spokane for six games with the Tri-City Dust Devils (Los Angeles Angels)
Low-A: Fresno Grizzlies (2-1, 49-41 Overall)
Fresno shook off an ugly opener at Visalia (Arizona Diamondbacks) to take the road set two games to one. The Grizzlies fell behind 8-0 in the second inning of a 10-2 loss on Friday, then flipped the script — an 8-3 win behind Cameron Nelson’s three-run homer and a 2-1 pitching duel in the finale in which the staff struck out 16. Nelson swung the hottest bat of the series, going 8-for-15 (.533) with five RBIs and a hit in every game. Fresno is fourth in the California League with a 13-11 record in the second half so far.
⬆️ Stock Up: Kelly Flips the Script
Two weeks after landing in this space for all the wrong reasons, Riley Kelly (PuRP No.29) delivered the best start of his season. The right-hander struck out 11 over six innings in Sunday’s 2-1 win, allowing just five hits, one walk, and a lone solo homer while out-dueling Visalia’s staff in a game with no margin for error.
Grizzlies claim the series behind a dominant start from Riley Kelly, who struck out 11 in 6 innings 🎉
The Grizzlies head back to Fresno for a six-game series with the Rancho Cucamonga Quakes (Los Angeles Angels).
ACL: ACL Rockies (1-3, 37-18 Overall)
A wild stretch for the complex-league Rockies began with a bang and ended with a thud. They demolished the ACL Royals 22-5 behind an 11-run sixth inning, then dropped three straight — an 8-7 walk-off at the Red in 10 innings, an 8-6 loss at the Mariners, and an 8-5 walk-off at the last-place Athletics on a three-run homer in the ninth. The bats produced throughout, but the bullpen surrendered late leads in two of the losses. The cushion atop the ACL remains substantial at 37-18.
⬆️ Stock Up: Arguelles Keeps Climbing
Cristian Arguelles stayed one of the toughest outs in the Arizona Complex League, hitting .500 (7-for-14) with a triple, two doubles, and five RBIs across three games. His 3-for-6, four-RBI day fueled the 22-run outburst, and he followed it with a perfect 4-for-4 afternoon at Peoria. Now hitting .399 on the season, the 19-year-old Arguelles is one of the most exciting young prospects in the Rockies system.
DSL: DSL Colorado (4-0) & DSL Rockies (3-2)
Both Dominican Summer League affiliates kept winning, including a head-to-head meeting on July 13 that DSL Colorado took 3-0 behind a seven-inning, non-earned-run effort from its staff. Colorado ran off four straight in this stretch — among them an 8-6, 10-inning walk-off over DSL NYY Bombers and an 8-7 comeback against the DSL Mets Blue — to push its DSL Southeast-leading mark to 23-10. DSL Rockies went 3-2, including that shutout loss to their sister club, and climbed to 16-17, fifth in the DSL East.
⬆️ Stock Up: Mota Stays Locked In
Carlos Mota was nearly impossible to retire, hitting .571 (8-for-14) with two home runs, a double, and six RBIs over four games. His biggest day came July 14 against the DSL NYY Yankees, when he went 4-for-4 with a three-run homer, and he stayed hot with a three-hit, two-RBI effort two days later.
After winning 8-7 the same night of falling behind 7-0, the Diamondbacks (51-49) lost the following game to the Athletics (43-57), 5-2. Both teams are 2-2 out of the All-Star break as they prep for game two of a three-game series.
The Athletics have had some wild performances to start the second half of the season. The Athletics followed the break with a 23-4 loss to the Nationals, then bounced back with a 15-1 victory the following night over Washington. The Athletics have a 7.50 ERA (28th), but the offense has a .329 batting average, which leads the MLB.
Arizona ended the first half of the season with four straight wins to position themselves for a Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks have scored 19 runs in their four games out of the break, but allowed 20. Arizona has a 4.38 ERA (17th) in that span, the third-worst WHIP (1.65), and third-worst OBA (.304).
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
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Game details & how to watch Athletics at Diamondbacks
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Time: 9:40 PM EST
Site: Chase Field
City: Phoenix, AZ
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Diamondbacks’ Gabriel Moreno is hitting .303 with 76 hits, 6 home runs and 33 RBI over 251 at-bats
The Diamondbacks’ Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is hitting .207 with 36 hits and 34 strikeouts over 174 at-bats
The Athletics’ Jacob Wilson is hitting .292 with 71 hits, 6 home runs, and 30 RBI over 243 at-bats
The Athletics’ Jeff McNeil is hitting .236 with 64 hits and 36 strikeouts over 271 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Athletics at Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks are 55-45 ATS, ranking third-best
The Athletics are 46-54 ATS, ranking eighth-worst
The Diamondbacks are 53-41-6 to the Under, ranking second-best
The Athletics are 49-48-3 to the Under
The Diamondbacks are 27-22 ATS at home, ranking sixth-best
The Athletics are 25-25 ATS as the road team
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Athletics and the Diamondbacks
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Our model calculates projections around each moneyline, spread and over/under bet for every game on the MLB calendar based on data points like past performance, player matchups, ballpark information and weather forecasts.
Once the model is finished running, we put its projection next to the latest betting lines for the game to arrive at a relative confidence level for each wager.
Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Athletics and the Diamondbacks:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Diamondbacks on the Moneyline.
Spread: NBC Sports Bet is leaning towards a play ATS on the Diamondbacks at -1.5.
Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Under on the Game Total of 9.5
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Jun 6, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; An NYPD officer walks off the field as the rain picks up during a rain delay before the start of a game between the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images
The Yankees announced that tonight’s game, scheduled for 7:05 EST against the Pittsburgh Pirates, has been postponed due to inclement weather forecasted to sustain through much of the night in New York.
The New York Yankees have announced that tonight’s Yankees-Pirates game (Tuesday, July 21) has been rescheduled due to the forecast of sustained inclement weather and will be played as the second game (7:05 p.m.) of a split-admission doubleheader on Wednesday, July 22, at Yankee… pic.twitter.com/cdyed3XiqJ
The Yankees and Pirates will play a split-admission doubleheader tomorrow, with Game 1 at 1:05 EST and Game 2 at 7:05 EST. Those with tickets to tonight’s postponed game can exchange them for tickets to tomorrow night’s Game 2. Tickets from the postponed game cannot be exchanged for Game 1. As tonight was scheduled to be Aaron Judge Harry Potter Bobblehead night, the giveaway will now occur during tomorrow night’s game.
We’ll keep you updated on how the postponement affects the Yankees’ rotation plans and roster, as the team now will have to play a second doubleheader in the span of four days. New York called up Elmer Rodríguez as their “27th Man” for the doubleheader against the Dodgers over the weekend, and the top prospect could be in line to come up again, after having gone unused on Sunday. Will Warren was scheduled to start tonight, with Gerrit Cole scheduled for tomorrow.
The Mariners (51-50) shut out the Reds (45-54), 7-0, to win the series opener. Seattle has won three straight versus Cincinnati dating back to last season.
Seattle is hot with three straight wins and a 3-1 record since the break. The Mariners entered the break with a 1-5 record over their final six games. Seattle has outscored its opponents 18-6 during their winning streak and now taken control of the AL West lead by half-a-game over Houston.
Cincinnati will toss Chase Burns on the mound and he's been money for the Reds. Burns is 11-1 on the year, but Cincinnati is 14-4 in his 18 starts and won six consecutive. Cincinnati was shut out last night, but scored 18 runs over the three previous games.
Let’s dive into the matchup and find a sweat or two.
We’ve got all the info and analysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.
Follow Rotoworld Player News for the latest fantasy and betting player news and analysis all season long.
Game details & how to watch Reds at Mariners
Date: Tuesday, July 21, 2026
Time: 9:40 PM EST
Site: T-Mobile Park
City: Seattle, WA
Network/Streaming: MLB TV
Never miss a second of the action and stay up-to-date with all the latest team stats and player news. Check out our day-by-day MLB schedule page, along with detailed matchup pages that update live in-game with every out.
The Reds’ Sal Stewart is hitting .251 with 95 hits, 20 home runs and 70 RBI over 379 at-bats
The Reds’ Eugenio Suarez is hitting .208 with 53 hits and 101 strikeouts over 255 at-bats
The Mariners’ Randy Arozarena is hitting .284 with 96 hits, 11 home runs, and 45 RBI over 338 at-bats
The Mariners’ JP Crawford is hitting .215 with 63 hits and 70 strikeouts over 293 at-bats
Rotoworld still has you covered with all the latest MLB player news for all 30 teams. Check out the feed page right here on NBC Sports for headlines, injuries and transactions where you can filter by league, team, positions and news type!
Top betting trends & insights to know ahead of Reds at Mariners
Seattle is 40-61 ATS, ranking second-worst
Cincinnati is 52-47 ATS
Seattle is 49-46-6 to the Over
Cincinnati is 56-42-1 to the Over, ranking fifth-best
Seattle is 21-30 ATS at home, ranking fifth-worst
Cincinnati is 28-21 ATS on the road, ranking third-best
Expert picks & predictions for tonight’s game between the Mariners and the Reds
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Here are the best bets our model is projecting for Tuesday's game between the Mariners and the Reds:
Moneyline: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Mariners on the Moneyline.
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Total: NBC Sports Bet is recommending a play on the Over on the Game Total of 7.5
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NEW YORK, NY - MAY 04: Cody Bellinger #35 high fives Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees during the game against the Baltimore Orioles at Yankee Stadium on May 4, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
What’s that, the Yankees offense is showing the faintest stirrings from a summer of dormancy? It’s just one game, but the eight runs they scored against the normally excellent Pirates starter Braxton Ashcraft is a step in the right direction. Jazz Chisholm Jr. took center stage with his two home runs and season-high five RBIs, but it’s his big swing against the Dodgers from the night before along with Cody Bellinger’s clutch RBI single in the first which earn the co-nomination for At-bat of the Week.
We kick things off with Bellinger in the first inning, the Yankees looking to stave off a sweep by the Dodgers in the doubleheader and the series. It’s a bullpen game for both teams, Los Angeles opening affairs with hard throwing reliever Will Klein, a cult hero from the 18-inning Game 3 marathon in last year’s World Series. Paul Goldschmidt kept the frame alive with a two-out double, giving Bellinger a crucial opportunity to score early after getting blanked into the fourth inning of the first two games.
Normally a pitcher who leans heavily on his four-seamer, Klein introduces a wrinkle with a first pitch looking to get Bellinger to expand.
Klein executes an excellent slider that looks like a strike down and in out of Klein’s hand before breaking out of the zone toward Bellinger. Bellinger reads the pitch immediately which is how he knows to limbo out of the way of a pitch that many hitters would have chased had they been expecting a first-pitch fastball.
After failing to get Bellinger to chase that slide, Klein returns to his bread-and-butter looking to blow a high fastball by the hitter.
He achieves exactly that, throwing this 96 mph four-seamer right by Bellinger, who is quite tardy with his swing. It’s a well-located heater, central over the plate but elevated just above the top ledge of the strike zone, close enough that Bellinger can’t avoid chasing.
The classic follow up to an elevated heater that induced a late whiff is to go right back to that back-foot slider as Bellinger’s bat should be sped up to the speed of the fastball.
The problem is that Klein leaves this cement-mixer slider right out over the plate, a complete mistake that Bellinger punishes. This is such a classic two-out, runner in scoring position swing from Bellinger — short, flat, and compact to the ball, not trying to do anything more than send it right back the way it came to drive in Goldschmidt as the game’s opening run.
Here’s the full AB:
We have to fast forward to the eighth inning for the second half of our breakdown. The Dodgers have tied the game, 1-1, on a pinch-hit solo home run by Tommy Edman in the top half of the frame. With the bottom half of the order due up in the final two innings, Jazz represents the Yankees’ best chance to score in regulation. He’s already struck out twice and popped out with the bases loaded, so you wonder if he is feeling a little extra pressure to provide a positive contribution to his team. The Dodgers have brought in another hard-throwing righty in Evan Phillips, who quietly was a top-five reliever in baseball from 2022 through 2024 before Tommy John surgery cost him most of this year and last.
Phillips is pretty much a two-pitch pitcher, relying on the four-seamer and sweeper a combined 80.4-percent of the time. However, against lefties, you’re gonna get a steady diet of four-seamers, and that’s exactly how he starts off this AB.
This is a pretty good heater up and away, close enough to the zone that you wouldn’t be surprised to see Jazz swing. However, he reads the pitch all the way into the catcher’s mitt for ball one.
Jazz got a really good look at the velocity and movement profile of that four-seamer, tracking the pitch its whole journey toward home. He also has likely seen the scouting report on Phillips reveling the tendency to lean on the four-seamer against lefties. Combine these two facts and he can pretty much sit on another heater and effectively match his swing timing and bat path to the pitch.
That is precisely the outcome, Jazz sitting back a hair on this four-seamer knowing that between his own power and the velocity on the pitch, he has more than enough juice to send it out of the park to all fields. He unleashes a beautiful swing staying inside the pitch and sending it oppo over the wall in left-center for the game-winning home run.
Here’s the full AB:
David Cone brought up an expert point on the broadcast of the series opener against the Pirates, conveying his belief that Bellinger and Jazz are the two biggest X-factors who the Yankees need to get going in this extended stretch without Aaron Judge. Both were mired in deep slumps for the opening weeks of summer but have shown encouraging signs of turning things around lately. Bellinger has a 156 wRC+ dating back to the final game of the Rays series while Jazz has four home runs in his last seven games. Their quality of AB has certainly taken a step up according to the eye test. If the Yankees are to achieve all of their goals this season, their stars have to play like stars, and Bellinger and Jazz are starting to perform like stars again.
SARASOTA, FL - MARCH 20: Kyson Witherspoon #50 of the Boston Red Sox pitches during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles at Ed Smith Stadium on Friday, March 20, 2026 in Sarasota, Florida. (Photo by Scott Audette/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The August 3rd MLB Trade Deadline grows closer by the day, and one name that has become increasingly tied to trade rumors is the Nationals’ Luis Garcia Jr. Amidst a breakout season, Garcia Jr. has 1.5 years of control remaining, and is being viewed as one of the better bats on the market as teams search for reinforcements to power a deep October run.
With the likelihood that he gets traded rising, it’s time to start looking at who the Nats could be receiving in return for his services. President of Baseball Operations Paul Toboni is set to embark on his first deadline as the head of Washington’s front office, marking another big test in his young tenure. With bolstering the farm system an essential part of building a championship contender, here are 5 prospects who could headline a return for Garcia Jr. if Toboni chooses to deal him.
RHP Kyson Witherspoon, BOS (#4) – 50 FRV
The majority of smoke surrounding a possible Garcia Jr. deal has involved the surging Red Sox, who have been linked as both a possible suitor and a team with varying levels of interest in making a move for him. If those rumors come to fruition, Witherspoon is a perfect player for Toboni to get back as the bulk of the return. The former Oklahoma righty was Boston’s top MLB Draft selection in 2025, and while his prospect prestige has taken a bit of a hit with persistent struggles in 2026, his ceiling as a long-term MLB starter is still very much real.
Witherspoon’s value in a trade at this current moment is far below what it would have been just a handful of months ago, but he could see a rise to becoming a Top 100 prospect once again in a similar amount of time. Toboni’s familiarity with him from his time in Boston could bring added motivation to acquire and develop the 21-year-old, and his name has already been floated on social media as a realistic fit for Washington to receive in a deal with the Sox.
INF Starlyn Caba, MIA (#6) – 50 FRV
Caba was a high-priced international free agent who started his career in Philadelphia before being shipped to Miami as part of the Jesus Luzardo trade. He was seen as a speed/defense-first infielder, with bat-to-ball skills that would need lengthy development before producing at the MLB level. After posting an OPS of .669 and .613 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, his promotion to High-A to begin his 2026 campaign seems to have unlocked something in the 5-foot-9 infielder.
His 5 home runs to date, while not an incredibly impressive number by any means, have already set a new career-high, and he’s slashing .251/.399/.395 across 215 at-bats, good for a .794 OPS. With questions surrounding the future of the Washington infield and a substantial improvement in their minor league offensive developmental program under Toboni, Caba is exactly the type of prospect for Washington to go after. With the defensive aspect of his game already quite advanced, if they can replicate what they’ve done to other prospects this year in terms of furthering their development with the bat, he could very well be a key piece to the Nats’ future if they make a move for him.
INF Demetrio Crisantes, ARI (#3) – 50 FRV
Pitching is likely the focus of Arizona’s deadline plans as they push for a playoff berth, but adding a final piece to their lineup could also be in the cards. If they explore dealing for Garcia Jr., the Nationals might look to get a prospect in Crisantes who matches up perfectly as his future replacement. Crisantes has scorched his way through 3 levels of the minors this season, and is showing no signs of slowing down. His hit tool is very much a strength, and with iffy defensive skills, this could be a way for Washington to acquire a similar profile to Garcia Jr. with much more control.
The Diamondbacks’ 3rd-ranked prospect is currently mashing for the AA Amarillo Sod Poodles, and MLB Pipeline has his MLB ETA listed as 2027. Selling off Garcia Jr. (and their other rental pieces) would indicate that the Nats’ front office still views their contending window as further down the line. The aforementioned improved hitting development infrastructure could turn someone like Crisantes into a player that could fuel their next playoff run, whether that be in 2027 or beyond.
RHP Jaxon Wiggins, CHI (#3) – 55 FRV
Back to the pitching side, an arm like Wiggins might be too valuable to get for Garcia Jr. alone, but could be a part of a larger package deal between Washington and Chicago. MLB Pipeline’s #88 overall prospect and 3rd in the Cubs’ system, Wiggins is a 6’6” behemoth with an intriguing 4-pitch mix but has pitched to varying results through 2+ seasons in pro ball. Some injury issues have made his 2026 season numbers much more complicated than what appears on paper, but an ERA above 6 is certainly cause for deeper evaluation.
Jaxon Wiggins looks sharp in his latest rehab outing for the High-A @SBCubs!
Wiggins has emerged as a trade candidate in recent days as the Cubs are set to be buyers at the deadline, and, similar to Witherspoon, he might be just the kind of buy-low pitching prospect that the Nats could strike gold with. At 24 years old, his future is still thought of as being quite bright, and Washington may be able to streamline his development with reps against MLB hitters. Most of the Nationals’ pitching future lies in the lower levels of the minors, and an arm like Wiggins, who boasts 3 above-average offerings including a 70-grade fastball, provides exciting promise as both a short-term and long-term rotation option.
LHP Kash Mayfield, SDP (#4) – 50 FRV
Mayfield exists on the other side of the developmental spectrum, a high school draftee in 2024 who is multiple years away from getting his first real taste of the majors. He posted a sub-3.00 ERA in A ball across 60.2 innings in 2025, and seen similar success at High-A in 2026, with that mark only rising to 3.20 through his first 14 starts. Just about every notable arm in the Nats’s system as it stands is a righty, including the 2 potential trade targets mentioned in this article, so going after a southpaw has to be considered, especially if Foster Griffin is dealt.
This lefty’s arsenal is headlined by a deadly changeup, and his future outlook will be defined by gaining the ability to maintain the velocity on his fastball. With velocity being plentiful among the Nats’ current MiLB arms, that seems to be an area that they have become experienced in training. With AJ Preller’s never-ending desire to contend and play in October, one that is routinely followed by making risky and ambitious trades, Washington could prey on that desire and pry away Mayfield in exhange for Garcia Jr.
Reynaldo López (3.50 ERA) is looking to add another win for the Atlanta Braves to this four-game series against the San Diego Padres. After a low-scoring win to kick off the series in yesterday’s matchup, the Braves will need to step up on offense if paired with a quality defense on the pitcher’s mound.
López has been a pretty consistent arm, despite getting stunned by the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first time since June 4 that he allowed more than two runs in his outing. On the upside, his showings at home have been better.
As opposed to López’s opponent, Walker Buehler (5.36 ERA), his outings on the road have been less than subpar. In his last seven games, he’s given up a total of 24 runs and 15 walks, and has consistent trouble landing his pitches in the zone, resulting in hard contact from his opponents.
With the way Atlanta has been hitting the ball, they have a high probability of securing this win. They’re outscoring the Padres offense on a constant basis, and they’ve already built momentum with yesterday’s win.
Can they start a new streak with three in a row? Only one way to find out.
Tuesday's slate is filled with opportunities, starting with Elly De La Cruz, Matt Olson, and Griffin Conine, who give us plenty of high-value targets on tonight's betting card.
Cincinnati Reds superstar Elly De La Cruz enters Tuesday’s matchup against Mariners right-hander Luis Castillo with an elite rating on Batters-Box, while carrying 100% arsenal coverage against Castillo’s entire pitch mix.
In 144 elite-rated games dating back over the last three seasons, De La Cruz has gone over this prop 55% of the time.
Across his last 30 plate appearances against right-handed pitchers, he owns a .370 batting average, .667 slugging percentage, 1.100 OPS, and .297 ISO, while generating a 60.9% hard hit rate and 8.7% barrel rate.
On the other side, Castillo has struggled against left-handed hitters lately. Over his last 30 left-handed hitters faced, they have produced a 50% hard hit rate, 12.5% barrel rate, and 58% elevation rate. Those hitters also own a .344 expected batting average and .645 expected slugging percentage.
I would play this down to -125 if I had to, or take his bases for plus money.
Olson enters Tuesday with one of the highest ratings on the slate over on Batters-Box, where he also carries an 83.5% arsenal coverage against Buehler’s entire pitch mix.
So far this season, in 17 elite ratings, Olson has gone over this prop 47% of the time, while leaving the yard nearly 30% of the time as well.
Across his last 60 at-bats against right-handed pitchers, he is generating nearly 53% hard hit and a 20% barrel rate. On top of that, he owns a 1.014 OPS and .392 ISO.
On the other side, Buehler has been getting crushed by left-handed hitters. Over his last 30 left-handed hitters faced, they have produced a 50% hard hit rate, 15% barrel rate, and 60% elevation rate. Those hitters also own a .527 xSLG and .263 xBA.
I would not pay juice for this prop, so look for the best price possible.
Time: 7:15 p.m. ET
Where to watch: BravesVsn, SPA
Griffin Conine Over 1.5 hits/runs/RBI (+117)
Mr. Marlin’s son, Griffin Conine, finds himself in a strong spot this evening against Astros starter Tatsuya Imai, who owns one of the worst pitcher ratings on the slate over on Batters-Box.
Imai has been getting lit up by left-handed hitters, allowing a 55% hard hit rate, 20% barrel rate, and 70% elevation rate. Those hitters also own a .446 xBA, .457 xSLG, and .498 xwOBA.
Conine has been on a tear over his last few games. In his last 30 at-bats against right-handed pitchers, he owns a .310 BA, .759 SLG, 1.092 OPS, and .449 ISO, while generating a 50% hard hit rate and 16.7% barrel rate.
Conine also enters today with an elite rating while covering nearly 100% of Imai’s pitch mix. Getting an elite-rated hitter to surpass 1.5 HRR at plus money is always a steal. Do not pay juice for this one.
Time: 8:10 p.m. ET
Where to watch: SCHN, MIAM
Colby Marchio's 2026 Transparency Record
Prop picks: 321-594, -1.00 Units
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The Yankees’ Tuesday night matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates, scheduled for 7:05 p.m., has been postponed due to inclement weather.
The game will be made up on Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader, with the first game at 1:05 p.m. and the second game at 7:05 p.m.
The Yankees had been scheduled to have Will Warren start on Tuesday night against Bubba Chandler, with Gerrit Cole then facing Mitch Keller on Wednesday.
The Yankees haven’t yet confirmed their plans, but it’s fair to think that Warren and Cole will pitch on Wednesday, in some order.
As the Detroit Tigers entered the All-Star break in 2026, they had salvaged what started out to be a terrible season, falling 16 games under .500 and 11.5 games behind the division lead. But since June 1st, they have been as good as any team in the league and pulled to within 4.5 games of a playoff spot as of Tuesday, and seem poised to challenge for a division title.
We have seen the Tigers go on a magical run and make the playoffs against all odds, and we’ve seen them make a historical collapse, blowing the biggest division lead ever blown in major league history. That’s just the past two seasons. But the bottom line is that they have themselves in contention, raising questions about whether they will try to trade the reigning two-time Cy Young winner, Tarki Skubal.
We have analyzed the cost of extending Skubal and come up with a starting point of at least $350 million over 8 years. That would be the highest contract ever given to a pitcher in terms of both total dollars and average annual salary.
We have also been reading the gossip that the Tigers are unlikely to trade Skubal before the Aug. 3 deadline. Here, we will examine the trade and non-trade scenarios, without getting into speculation about specific players being acquired in a deal.
In Favor of a Trade
A strong argument can be made that the worst possible outcome would be that the Tigers keep Skubal for a failed playoff run, or an early playoff exit, and then Skubal leaves as a free agent, with the Tigers receiving only a supplemental first-round draft pick as compensation.
One could also make the case that the Tigers could actually improve their roster in both the short term and the long term by making a trade. The Tigers have some depth in their starting rotation, with Casey Mize, Framber Valdez, Troy Melton and Jack Flaherty behind Skubal. Justin Verlander is due to return shortly, and Jackson Jobe is expected back before too long. Keider Montero was one of their best starters but has been pushed to the bullpen.
In a shortened postseason rotation, the Tigers would be replacing Skubal with one of those mentioned above instead of pushing them to the bullpen or off the playoff roster entirely. It’s a downgrade, but they’d be in position to demand an impact bat in return.
Skubal’s Trade Value
Needless to say, Skubal’s value to a new team would be greater if they are able to sign him to a long-term contract. That would significantly reduce the number of teams that could afford him.
But in that scenario, a team would have to give up both trade value in the form of prospects or younger players, AND his lucrative salary, which we’ve pegged at $350 million plus. And if Skubal and his agent, Scott Boras, are determined to hit the open market, the Tigers have only the rest of this season’s value to deal with.
The alternative is to trade Skubal as a rental, for the last two months of the 2026 season plus the playoffs this season. It would still take a major haul for the Tigers to trade their ACE. They would be looking for one starting pitcher to replace Skubal in the rotation, plus young players or prospects who are sure to make an impact at the major league level in the short term.
Here are some comps for players in similar situations as Skubal, and some scenarios that Tigers’ fans will find familiar.
Garrett Crochet
By comparison, perhaps the second-best pitcher in the American League in 2025 was traded prior to the 2025 season when the Chicago White Sox dealt their ace, Garrett Crochet, to Boston for four prospects.
In exchange for Crochet, the Red Sox sent catcher Kyle Teel, outfielder Braden Montgomery, infielder Chase Meidroth, and right-handed pitcher Wikelman Gonzalez to Chicago. The Red Sox then signed a six-year extension with Crochet for $170 million, an AAV of $28.333 million.
That was a record for a pitcher with four years of service time. Skubal now has five-plus years, with two months to go before free agency. The prospects included the 25th- and 54th-overall ranked according to MLB Pipeline.
Teel graduated from prospect status after debuting in 2025 and has become Chicago’s primary catcher. Meidroth also graduated after reaching the majors in 2025. His on-base skills and defensive versatility have made him a regular part of the White Sox infield. Montgomery opened 2026 at Double-A, earned a quick promotion to Triple-A, and was promoted to the White Sox in June after hitting his way through the system. González remains in the organization as a pitching prospect and has not yet established himself in the major leagues.
Crochet was traded as a pitcher with two years of control remaining. Skubal has just this season. Skubal has two Cy Young seasons; Crochet has one runner-up season. Perhaps these factors somewhat offset each other, but the four prospects, two in the top 100 or top 54, are an indicator of what the Tigers could ask for in a trade.
Another indicator is the fact that Crochet was traded to one of the bigger-spending clubs in the game. One that could afford a $170 million extension. Any club hoping to acquire and extend Skubal will need a bigger checkbook.
Justin Verlander
Justin Verlander was traded by Detroit to Houston in July 2017, with a season and a half remaining on a seven-year contract. Verlander waived a player option that would have paid him below market for the 2020 season as part of the deal. Detroit also picked up $17 million of the remaining salary, bringing the cost to Houston in the range of $20 million per year.
In exchange, the Tigers received prospects Franklin Perez, Daz Cameron, and Jake Rogers. While Cameron surfaced in the major leagues, Perez was a bust due to injuries, leaving Rogers, now a backup catcher, as the only valuable player in the deal. What we learn from this is that the Tigers dealt one of the best pitchers in the game at the time in order to receive prospects, and they were willing to pay salary to get them.
Obviously, they hoped to get greater value from the prospects, but look to how the prospects were valued at the time of the trade, rather than how or whether they panned out. This was early in the Chris Ilitch ownership years.
Verlander would go on to win a World Series with the Astros, sign a two-year extension with Houston that was the highest ever for an MLB pitcher at $33 million per season, and then break his own salary record by signing with the Mets for $43.333 million.
Max Scherzer
Some say that the worst-case scenario would be for the Tigers to hang onto Skubal for another title run in 2026, and then let him walk for nothing but a draft pick as compensation, assuming there is any compensation after the ‘26 season (likely there will be, as the qualifying offer will have been made before any lockout).
Scherzer was the top prospect acquired by Detroit in a trade that sent Curtis Granderson to the Yankees and Edwin Jackson to Arizona prior to the 2010 season. The Tigers also acquired Austin Jackson, Dan Schlereth, and Phil Coke in the deal. He had made his MLB debut with the Diamondbacks and would become a fixture in the Tigers’ rotation for the duration of his control years, winning a Cy Young Award in 2013.
The Tigers reportedly made Scherzer a contract offer of $144 million over six years, or $24 million per season, which he declined. His gamble paid off, as he signed a seven-year contract worth $210 million with the Washington Nationals, where he won a World Series title, two Cy Young awards, and five top-five Cy finishes.
The Tigers were in the midst of what would be their fourth consecutive division title, with a star-studded pitching rotation that included Cy Young winners Verlander, Scherzer, and David Price, along with future Cy winner Rick Porcello, 2013 ERA champion Anibal Sanchez, and Drew Smyly. The failure to get any return for Scherzer, at least in the form of prospects if not some offensive punch, may have set the club on a course for rebuilding, which they ultimately did beginning in 2015. The team would eventually be swept in the playoffs by the Baltimore Orioles, and did not return to the postseason for another decade.
There is a difference between where the Tigers were in 2014 and where they are now. Owner Mike Ilitch was in his golden years, to say the least, and desperate for a winner. The Tigers were going all in, and they weren’t about to trade the reigning Cy Young winner as the playoffs approached.
It took some serious convincing to get him to sell at the trade deadline in 2015, as a number of players approached free agency and the team’s playoff hopes were circling the drain. He even doubled down the following winter, pushing payroll into luxury tax territory under new GM Al Avila for the next two seasons.
The 2026 Tigers are contenders, for sure. But they also have several prospects in the pipeline who could be part of a nucleus that they expect to help them contend for years to come. They have one of the highest-rated farm systems in the game. If they could cash in their ACE for a haul of major league-ready prospects, they might be able to contend in 2026 and extend that window for another four or five years.
David Price
We can look at two trades involving David Price and the Tigers. One is when they acquired him from Tampa Bay at the trade deadline in 2014 and again when they traded him to Toronto in 2015.
The Tigers acquired David Price at the trade deadline in 2014 in a three-way deal that sent Austin Jackson to Seattle, and Drew Smyly along with Willy Adames to Tampa Bay. Price had one more season remaining before free agency.
Jackson was Detroit’s starting center fielder and Smyly was an effective pitcher both as a starter and reliever. Adames broke in with the Rays, but went on to become one of the premier shortstops in the major leagues. Again, look at the value at the time of the trade.
Price trade II: When things were not going as well for the Tigers in 2015, they were on track to miss the playoffs after four years as division champions and Price was set to become a free agent after the season, Detroit cashed in his chips at the trade deadline, moving him to the Toronto Blue Jays for three pitchers- Matthew Boyd, Jairo Labourt, and Daniel Norris.
Price was a pure rental at the time of the latter trade, which Skubal is this season, and it’s fair to say that the return was a very nice one for Detroit.
Rental Value
If Skubal and his agent are hell-bent on testing the waters of free agency, unleashing a bidding war between teams to sign him, then he would only be traded as a “rental” for the remainder of the 2026 season and the ensuing playoffs. Here are the most notable trades for free agent starting pitchers at the MLB trade deadline. Arguably none of them had as much value as a two-time defending Cy Young winner.
If you’re looking at starting pitchers who were pure rentals—acquired at the deadline with only a few months of team control remaining before free agency—the benchmark deals are these:
CC Sabathia (2008)
Traded from Cleveland to Milwaukee for Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, Zach Jackson, Rob Bryson.
This is probably the closest comparison to what a healthy Tarik Skubal rental would bring. Sabathia was traded in July 2008, then went on one of the greatest deadline runs ever: 11-2 record, 1.65 ERA, 7 complete games in just 17 starts (that’s almost as good as Doyle Alexander!), carrying Milwaukee to its first playoff appearance since 1982.
The Brewers surrendered a package headlined by Matt LaPorta (then a top-20 prospect in baseball) and Michael Brantley, who eventually became a four-time All-Star.
Sabathia is the closest analog because he was a true ace, impending free agent, and acquired specifically to carry a contender through a pennant race—exactly how a future Skubal rental would be viewed.
Cliff Lee (2010)
Traded by Seattle to Texas for Justin Smoak, Blake Beavan, Josh Lueke, Matt Lawson. All prospects.
David Price (2014)
Traded by Tampa Bay to Detroit in a three-way deal. The Rays received Austin Jackson, Drew Smyly, Willy Adames and Nick Franklin. Price actually had 1.5 seasons of control remaining, so it’s not a direct comparison, but you have to like the return!
David Price (2015)
Traded by Detroit to Toronto for Daniel Norris, Matt Boyd, Jairo Labourt.
This might be the most relevant recent example of a pure rental starting pitcher traded at the deadline. At the time, Norris was considered a premium prospect, and Boyd turned into an All-Star and the Tigers’ best pitcher for a while.
Zack Greinke (2012)
Traded by Milwaukee to the Angels for Jean Segura, Johnny Hellweg, Ariel Peña
Randy Johnson (1998)
Traded by Seattle to Houston for Freddy Garcia, Carlos Guillén, John Halama.
This might be the best return for a rental with the benefit of hindsight. Garcia and Guillén were multiple time All stars and Halama was a reliable starter.
Skubal’s trade value
Assuming he is healthy and still performing at his normal star level, as he has been since returning from surgery this season, the Tigers could expect to receive:
One elite prospect
One additional Top-100 type prospect
One or two secondary pieces
We might extract from how far back we must go to find comps for trading a high-value starting pitcher at the trade deadline, and teams don’t surrender four or five premium prospects for a pure rental, no matter how good the pitcher is. The Sabathia, Price, Greinke, Lee, and Johnson deals all generally fit that pattern.
If they are looking for a player who will make an immediate impact, that may lessen the value of the prospects, since they’re trading strictly with teams who are contending.
We could get creative and start adding in other players who are due for free agency, such as Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres, or Drew Anderson.
The Catch 22
So, should the Tigers trade Skubal for a haul of prospects while they are still contending for a playoff spot, surely the fan base would be upset, but they have to understand that the club is attempting to maximize their assets in a way that will provide them with a nucleus of players that allows them to contend for years to come.
If they hang onto Skubal and make the playoffs, but he walks at the end of the season without the club getting anything for him, keeping the playoff run going could be even more challenging. If they’re going to go all in, then they’d better go ALL in and win a World Series.
Eduardo Rodriguez (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Inspiration.
So far this season (at the All-Star break), Eduardo Rodriguez has a career low 2.29 ERA and a career best ERA+ of 188. That’s great! He is in his age 33 season. That’s awesome!
Years ago, the AZ Snake Pit discussed Bartolo Colon. He pitched through his age 45 season, truly a great example of an iron man pitcher.
What will Eduardo Rodriguez’s pitching look like as he ages?
Let’s look at pitchers who were excellent at age 33 and beyond.
My metric of choice is Adjusted ERA+.
For pitchers at each age level, let’s consider the best five as measured by ERA+. This data is found in Baseball Reference.
“ERA+ takes a player’s ERA and normalizes it across the entire league. It accounts for external factors like ballparks and opponents. It then adjusts, so a score of 100 is league average, and 150 is 50 percent better than the league average.” – Editorial staff of MLB com.
Eduardo Rodriguez has a historic season.
At the All-Star break this season, looking at pitchers in their age 33 season regardless of the year they pitched, Eduardo Rodriguez’s 188 ERA+ is one of the five best ERA+s in baseball history.
What are the chances that Rodriguez will continue to pitch well as he ages? I found six pitchers who continued to reach top-5 in their age group. They are as follows:
Randy Johnson, ages 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40
Nolan Ryan, ages 34 and 43
Cy Young, ages 34 and 41
Bill Byrd, ages 33 and 40
Lefty Grove, ages 36, 37, and 39
Rich Hill, ages 36 and 39*
Realistically, those examples show that Eduardo Rodriguiez has a chance to continue pitching well for the next 6 to 10 seasons.
Pitchers are throwing harder every season. Despite that trend, I found seven pitchers (age 33 and older) in the top-5 since the 2000 season. They are as follows:
Randy Johnson, 2000-2004 (as a Diamondback)
Ellis Kinder, 2002
Roger Clemens, 2005
Max Scherzer, 2022 (former Diamondback)
Justin Verlander, 2022
Nathan Eovaldi, 2025
Eduardo Rodriguez, 2026
This season, Eduardo Rodriguez showed his pitching skill.
World Baseball Classic. Eduardo Rodrigez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings (one hit, four strikeouts, and one walk) against team USA, helping to win Venezuela its first ever WBC title. That performance was very impressive!
All Star Game. In this season’s All-Star game, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a scoreless second inning. It was three batters up, three batters down, on two infield grounders, and one fly ball. All three batters were above average, with regular season OPS+ of 102, 144, and 193. That performance was outstanding!
Leaderboards. Among starting pitchers this season, Eduardo Rodriguez is on many leaderboards. A few statistics (starting pitchers with a minimum 90 innings pitched) that show excellence follow:
188 Adjusted ERA+, ranked #4. His overall pitching was outstanding.
63.2% Quality Starts, ranked #10. He gave the Diamondbacks winning chances.
87.8% Runners Left on Base (LOB), ranked #2. He got the third out, thereby stranding runners.
.247 BABIP, sixth lowest. When batters put the ball in play, their hits were below average.
One of only 5 pitchers with zero sacrifice flies allowed. He prevented strong contact when it was important.
One of only 2 pitchers with zero wild pitches AND zero hit batters. His excellent pitch command had very few outliers.
Summary
At the All-Star break this season, looking at pitchers in their age 33 season regardless of the year they pitched, Eduardo Rodriguez’s 188 ERA+ is one of the five best ERA+s in baseball history.
Similar to 6 other pitchers, Eduardo Rodriguez could continue pitching well for 6 to 10 seasons, proving he is an iron man of pitching.
This season, Eduardo Rodriquez’s pitching was impressive. He pitched outstanding in the World Baseball Classic and in the All Star game. At the All-Star break, he was on many leaderboards. Most impressive were adjusted ERA+, quality starts, runners left on base, BABIP, no sacrifice flies allowed, no wild pitches, and no hit batters.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 04: Austin Wells #28, Paul Blackburn #58 and Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees talk during the game against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 4, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Yankees have a rich tradition of game-changing midseason additions. From Cecil Fielder and David Justice to Bobby Abreu and the 2017 White Sox haul, there have been no shortage of impactful Trade Deadline moves in franchise history (and that’s just naming a few). The Yankees have been active around this time for much of the past decade as well, including bringing aboard closer David Bednar, third baseman Ryan McMahon, and shortstop José Caballero last year.
If the Yanks are in the playoff race, the smart money has them making a move or two to improve the roster. So for 2026, if you could only bolster one area of the team, which would it be? Fans are likely in a relative consensus that more than one trade is needed to get this team to championship-caliber, but just for the sake of the exercise, pick one!
Catcher (Austin Wells has been in a season-long slumber and the backups haven’t hit either)
Infield (Caballero has slumped after a hot start and McMahon, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe have gone through varying rough patches)
Outfield (Aaron Judge has slumped, Cody Bellinger has gone cold, and Jasson Domínguez hasn’t capitalized on his opportunities)
Rotation (Max Fried and Carlos Rodón have both spent time on the shelf, Gerrit Cole is coming off Tommy John surgery, and the back of the rotation has been so-so)
Bullpen (There is always an opportunity to improve middle relief, especially given Camilo Doval’s disastrous season and Tim Hill’s fade)
Cast your votes in the Feed poll below (or on the homepage), and we’ll check out the results in a few days.
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cubs fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The MLB Trade Deadline (and yes they now want it to be Capitalized) comes up in just 13 days, Monday, Aug. 3.
The Cubs will make a deal, or more than one. How do I know this? Well, I don’t. I don’t have any inside info so I’m guessing like the rest of you are, but the Cubs have clear needs to add starting pitching and probably relief pitching as well, especially with the uncertain status of Trent Thornton, who took a ball off his ankle Monday night.
This article isn’t intended to promote any specific trade or trades, though you can certainly discuss your ideas in the comments.
What I’d like to know in this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey is which of six top Cubs prospects would you not give up in any deadline deal?
The Cubs might wind up trading major league players too, including Matt Shaw, who’s been involved in multiple rumors. But here, I want to know, as the survey says, which prospect is untouchable. (I know who I’m voting for, but I won’t post that here because I don’t want to influence your vote.)
Vote in the survey and we’ll have the final results here later in the week.
Jorge Montanez
Elly De La Cruz
Matt Olson
Griffin Conine
