Category: MLB

While the Yankees were largely quiet at this year’s deadline, making just two trades that they hope provide a jolt to a lineup that has been downright disastrous without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ division rivals turned the trade meter to high and spun a whopping 21 combined deals. Whether you think the Yankees’ promotion of George Lombard Jr. counts among all this is up to you. Anyway, with so much turmoil, you’ll be forgiven for not being quite sure what the rest of the division looks like, and so, let’s take a dive into what the rest of the AL East was up to.

Let’s start with the team currently occupying the top spot in the division, the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into the deadline, Tampa Bay was in the market for a starting pitcher and another bat to add into the lineup, and with one of the league’s premier farm systems, they were in position to make a play for pretty much anybody they wanted. In the end, though, the Rays had a measured deadline, making three additions: starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Mets, platoon catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Marlins, and reliever Tyler Wells from the Orioles.

All three moves represent high-risk, high-reward moves. One year after a top-five finish in the NL Cy Young, Peralta has been absolutely dreadful for the Mets, with a 4.99 ERA in 22 appearances. Just in his second season, the 27-year-old Hicks is a force against righties, slashing .307/.387/.489 this season against righties, while posting just a .200/.278/.238 line against lefties; his Statcast data, though, is not too high on his performance at the plate (he can avoid strikeouts, but doesn’t hit the ball hard). Only Wells, a reliever with strong peripherals, represents a relatively safe move. When you’re in first place with a solid floor, though, you can take risks like these to raise your ceiling.

Sitting right behind the Yankees in the standings is the Boston Red Sox, a team that started the season ice cold but has been hotter than hot over the last month. While, ultimately, they are neither as bad as they were to start the season or as good as they are now, their two stretches combined to put them right where everyone expected them — in the thick of the playoff race. As such, Boston had a very active deadline, headlined by arguably the highest profile addition made by an AL East team: Adley Rutschman, the now-former Orioles catcher who was targeted by the Yankees.

A week after sending Connelly Early to the Nationals for Curtis Mead, Boston sent its top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, and catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for the former No. 1 overall pick. The move represents a big risk with major upside for the Red Sox, because Rutschman has a career 115 OPS+ (identical to his cumulative performance this season), but he has just a .671 OPS since May 1st — and he’s currently on the IL with a wrist injury. Depending on which version of Rutschman they get, Boston will either see a major boost to a lineup that has been performing well, but has been very inconsistent this season, or will drop an anchor into the lineup.

Supplementing these moves, the Red Sox cut bait with 2021’s No. 4 overall pick Marcelo Meyer, sending him to the Giants for lefty reliever Erik Miller and minor league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez. They also acquired Eli White, a right-handed outfielder, from the Atlanta Braves; his overall numbers aren’t great (89 OPS+), but he has a swing that could play up in Fenway.

In fourth place, we have the Baltimore Orioles. Can you believe that the Yankees and O’s were battling for the division crown just two years ago? Aside from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Baltimore’s stretch of tanking and retooling for six seasons has produced almost nothing. Earlier this week, they sent Dean Kremer to the Twins straight up for outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes. Yesterday, they sent outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners for a trio of right-handed pitchers in Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. They sent Wells to the Rays, receiving in return Michael Forret — one of the players sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Shane Baz over the winter.

And, of course, the biggest haul came from Rutschman. It’s a loaded prospect package to be sure, but you’d forgive Baltimore fans for not being terribly interested in talks about the future when Mike Elias made a name off doing that with Rutschman and company just a few years ago.

In a pair of minor moves, the O’s brought in minor league outfielder Christian Franklin from the Nationals, sending pitcher Joe Glassey the other way, and reliever Codi Heuer from the Brewers and outfielder Rece Hinds for cash considerations. Oh, and they also extended Yennier Cano, so there’s that.

Sitting in last place in the division, the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays engaged in a mixture of buying and selling that was clearly geared towards improving the team for 2027. They sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, Daulton Varsho to the Astros, Jeff Hoffman to the Twins, and Adam Macko to the Rangers. In came José Soriano (from the Angels), Josh Smith (from the Rangers), Spencer Arrighetti (from the Astros), and Team Canada alum Jameson Taillon (recently DFA’d by the Cubs). Through these trades, the farm added middle infield prospect Ty Southisene, outfield prospect Brett Bateman, left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, right-handed pitcher John Klein, and infielder Dameury Pena, but subtracted top shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, minor league outfielder Eddie Micheletti and minor league righty Angel Rivero.

The end result? Toronto has basically pulled the plug on 2026, but is looking to get right back into the hunt next season.

Phillies News:

• ICYMI, Phillies acquired INF Luis Arraez and RP Caleb Kilian
• Phillies also made a trade with the Mets for RP Brooks Raley
• Trade Grades on both moves: CBS Sports & TheAthletic

MLB News:

• Boston pulls off surprise blockbuster, acquire catcher Adley Rustchman for many many prospects
• Taylor Ward goes to Seattle
• Ray trade for Marlins catcher Liam Hicks
• Padres get starter Robbie Ray
• Dodgers continue to stockpile pitching with the injured Kris Bubic of the Royals
• Jacob deGrom blocks trade to the Atlanta Braves (I would too!)
• Jo Adell to the Guardians
• Brewers get both SP Dustin May and RP JoJo Romero

Welcome back to the Minor League Roundup, and happy trade deadline!

By the time you’re reading this, Major League Baseball’s annual trade deadline will have passed. Milwaukee is never a team expected to make a splash or swing a blockbuster trade for a star. Rather, Matt Arnold and the Brewers’ front office prefer to add and subtract pieces around the margins. This year, they stayed true to form, and as a result, several of the prospects I’ve spent the season writing about are now headed to new organizations.

With the deadline reshaping the farm system, I’m giving the roundup one more week in this format before returning to the usual affiliate-by-affiliate breakdown because here are plenty of organizational changes to unpack.

Here’s how the deadline affected the organizational depth chart:

Out: RHP Craig Yoho, OF Blake Perkins, OF Alexander Frias, OF Josiah Ragsdale, LHP Mark Manfredi, SS Juan Martinez

In: C Bo Naylor, RHP Dustin May, RHP Antonio Senzatela, LHP JoJo Romero

Although none of the prospects Milwaukee traded away qualified as “untouchable,” several had become familiar names in my weekly roundups.

Eighteen-year-old Alexander Frias is probably going to be the prospect I’ll miss writing about the most. After hitting .441 in Rookie ball, he earned a promotion to Single-A and kept producing. His numbers took a downturn after the promotion, but to be fair, it’s hard to go anywhere but down from .441, and he still racked up eight extra-base hits in his first 92 at-bats.

He’s an athletic international signing with a 60-grade arm and enormous upside, making him exactly the type of player evaluators dream on. An MLB.com feature released last week described him as “Milwaukee’s next great international prospect” after Jackson Chourio, Jesús Made, and Luis Peña. If the Brewers end up regretting letting one of these players go, it’ll probably be Frias.

Then again, they also might not regret letting him go, because Frias is still extremely young, raw, and in the lower levels of the minor leagues. He’d only been in Single-A for a little over a month when Milwaukee traded him. If the Brewers saw something in his swing, approach, or overall profile that made them think he’d eventually stall out, the smart move would have been to trade him while the rest of baseball was still high on him.

The other thing is that the Brewers have an embarrassment of riches in the outfield. Frias would probably have to come close to reaching his ceiling to carve out a long-term starting role. Milwaukee already has two spots locked up for the foreseeable future thanks to the extensions given to Chourio and Luis Lara. Even after Frias’ rise this season, MLB Pipeline still ranks Lara, Josh Adamczewski, Jett Williams, and Braylon Payne ahead of him among the organization’s outfield prospects.

And that’s before you get to the rest of the system.

Peña, the Brewers’ No. 2 prospect, might end up playing the outfield because there isn’t enough room in the infield. Brailyn Antunez and Kenny Fenelon are working their way up through the lower levels, while Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick are both still young, productive major leaguers who deserve regular playing time. There are only so many innings to go around.

The same thought process applies to Ragsdale, a seventh-round pick in 2025 who broke out with strong offensive numbers between High-A and Double-A. He’s also more than a year older than Lara, and the Brewers simply aren’t higher on him than they are on Peña, Adamczewski, Payne, or Lara. Ragsdale has a much higher floor than Frias but probably a lower ceiling. He should turn into a valuable player, just not one Milwaukee is likely to need.

None of the other prospects the Brewers traded away were as highly regarded as Frias or Ragsdale, but they’re talented enough to merit a mention.

Craig Yoho looked like a stud during Spring Training last year and has bounced on and off the Brewers’ top prospect lists ever since. He has one of the nastiest changeups in the minors, and there’s a chance it eventually become one of the best in the majors. But he never developed a plus secondary pitch behind it, struggled with his command at times, and it eventually felt like Milwaukee’s coaching staff lost confidence in him. He wasn’t going to play a major role this season anyway, and now he’ll get a chance to continue developing with Cleveland’s highly regarded pitching infrastructure.

Twenty-six-year-old left-hander Mark Manfredi has posted an ERA under 4.00 every year of his professional career and owns a 3.09 ERA in 18 Triple-A appearances this season. Left-handed pitching depth is always valuable, and the Brewers have spent the last few years trying to build more of it throughout the organization. But Manfredi is also the kind of player who’s slightly less valuable to a team with Milwaukee’s pitching development track record. The Brewers have shown they can consistently identify and develop arms like him.

Juan Martinez, like Frias, is still a lottery ticket. He broke out in the Arizona Complex League with a 1.074 OPS after signing as an international free agent, showing the athleticism, defensive ability, and offensive upside that convinced the Brewers to invest in him. But if the outfield is crowded, the infield is even more so. Beyond Cooper Pratt, who already signed a long-term extension, Milwaukee also has Made, Peña, Jett Williams, and Andrew Fischer — all Top 100 prospects who project to spend significant time on the infield. Martinez, who immediately becomes Colorado’s No. 26 prospect, was ultimately expendable, and he’ll probably have a better opportunity to reach the major leagues with the Rockies than he would have had in Milwaukee.

Finally, there’s Blake Perkins, who I won’t spend much time on because he hasn’t been a prospect for years. That said, he’s been a valuable contributor over the last couple of seasons, providing elite defense, speed, and quality at-bats despite never being viewed as an everyday player. Thanks for everything, Blake.

Perkins hadn’t been expendable for years. Even when he didn’t seem to fit into Milwaukee’s immediate plans, he’d bide his time in Triple-A before earning another trip to the majors and winning a random game every summer. Now, he finally is.

That’s really the theme of this deadline.

Milwaukee didn’t sacrifice the top of its farm system, and — other than arguably Tarik Skubal — there wasn’t anyone available worth doing so for. Instead, Matt Arnold dealt from organizational depth to bolster both the rotation and bullpen ahead of October. Brewers teams of years past would’ve needed an outfielder like Blake Perkins, a prospect like Alexander Frias, or a reliever like Craig Yoho more than this team does. That’s a good thing.

Standout performances:

Jeferson Quero: 7-for-19, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Brandon Lockridge: 4-for-11, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K
Darrien Miller: 4-for-11, 3 2B, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 3 K
Luis Matos: 5-for-16, 2 2B, 0 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Eduardo Garcia: 5-for-20, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 9 K
Coleman Crow: 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 6 K
Brett Wichrowski: 4.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Gerson Garabito: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K
Colton Gordon: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Carlos Rodriguez: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K

Josh Adamczewski: 10-for-22, 3 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 2 K
Jesús Made: 12-for-28, 3 2B, 3 HR, 10 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K
Andrew Fischer: 9-for-25, 2 2B, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 3 BB, 9 K
Blake Burke: 9-for-28, 2 2B, 4 HR, 9 RBI, 2 BB, 8 K
Matthew Wood: 4-for-13, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 2 K
Jaron DeBerry: 5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Braylon Owens: 4.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 5 K
Jesús Broca: 5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Yorman Galindez: 4.2 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Manuel Rodriguez: 5.0 IP, 9 H, 5 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Tayden Hall: 5-for-12, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 10 BB, 1 K
Eric Bitonti: 9-for-22, 5 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 7 K
Luis Castillo: 9-for-24, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 0 BB, 2 K
Braylon Payne: 8-for-25, 3 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Daniel Dickinson: 6-for-20, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 1 K
J.D. Thompson: 4.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
Kyle Harrison: 5.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Josh Knoth: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Ethan Dorchies: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
Wande Torres: 4.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 7 K

Brailyn Antunez: 8-for-18, 1 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 2 BB, 5 K
Brady Ebel: 7-for-18, 2 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 K
Frederi Montero: 4-for-14, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 4 K
Alexander Frias: 5-for-18, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 3 BB, 4 K
Pedro Ibarguen: 3-for-11, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 K
Tyler Renz: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 6 K
Diustin Mayorquin: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
Andrew Healy: 4.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
Hayden Robinson: 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
Miqueas Mercedes: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K

Baseball fans got a glimpse of Tarik Skubal wearing Dodger blue.

It happened when the two-time Cy Young Award winner was in his new team’s dugout on Sunday, Aug. 2. Now the baseball world can see Skubal wearing Dodger blue where he’s at his best: On the pitcher's mound.

Skubal, 29, is scheduled to make his first start for the Dodgers since Los Angeles acquired him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He's set do it Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Wrigley Field in the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

He'll head to the mound with a 7-5 record and 2.79 ERA, and he's been better than that over the past five weeks. In his past six outings, Skubal has given up only eight earned runs in 37 innings for an ERA of 1.95. But his last outing with Detroit captured his life as a Tiger.

On July 29, Skubal gave up three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Tigers led the Baltimore Orioles 7-1, only for the Orioles to rally for a 10-9 victory in 12 innings.

He looked dispirited after the game.

He looked ecstatic when he greeted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the team’s dugout Sunday night.

His scheduled start against the Cubs will be the chance for Dodgers fans to see Skubal on the mound in Dodger blue. And a chance for the baseball world outside of Los Angeles to grind their teeth in resentment.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be without one of their top starting pitchers for the rest of the season. The team announced that Mitch Keller has a teres major muscle injury in his right shoulder and that he will be out. 

Keller won’t be eligible to be activated back on the active roster till October 2 and the regular season ends on September 27. 

Keller won’t be allowed to throw for six to eight weeks, preventing a possible return. The teres major is one of the major muscles controlling the shoulder joint, extending from the shoulder blade to the top of the arm.

The injury could have something to do with the offseason that Keller is having. He has 5.29 ERA in 22 starts and a 6-8 record. 

The 30-year-old’s last outing was one his worst starts of his career, only lasting two innings and allowing seven earned runs in the 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The start was frustrating for Keller because it also came after he put together two starts where he allowed two earned runs over 10 1/3 innings to seemingly start to get his season back on track.

Even though Keller has been inconsistent this season, it is still a big loss for a Pirates starting rotation that has been pretty healthy. Jared Jones started the season on the 60-day IL but has been playing well since coming back. 

The Pirates recalled Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Indianapolis to join the roster as a replacement for Keller. The Bucs went all in on relief pitchers during the trade deadline and didn’t go after a starting pitcher. 

We could see Carmen Mlodzinski be put back into the rotation after leaving to go to the bullpen in late May. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 25 appearances/nine starts this season.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday, though not in terms of impact. George Lombard Jr. was promoted to the Yankees, with Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Angel Chivilli heading down to Triple-A. Jake Bird (dealt to Washington) and Kervin Castro (promoted) will also need replacements in the bullpen. Max Schuemann is one, as he was a big-league roster casualty with Luis García Jr. in tow.

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Ben Grable and Jack Cebert, who both went to the Nationals in the García trade.

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent, who both went to the Giants in the Heliot Ramos trade.

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 12-0 vs. DSL Rockies

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, K, SB
PH-LF Emmanuel Orozco 0-0, BB
SS Stiven Marinez 0-4, BB, SB
2B Juan Torres 3-3, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB, fielding error — 18-year-old has crushed rookie ball with a 1.059 OPS this year
LF-CF Luis Cruz 2-4, 2 RBI, BB
C Juan Martinez 1-5, 2 RBI
1B Cesar Lopez 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Poly Ojeda 2-5, RBI, K
RF Stalen Ramirez 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, K
3B Adrian Feliz 0-3, 2 K

Hector Moreno 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K
Fredy Penuelas 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (win)
Cesar Vivanco 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K — an impressive 16 K’s for the Yanks staff

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 14-3 at DSL Colorado

CF Ruben Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI
2B Dariel Santana 1-4, 2 K
C Alessandro Rodriguez 2-3
PH-C Jesus Guerrero 0-1, K
3B Carlos Bello 0-3, BB, K, GIDP, fielding error
RF David Carrera 1-3, K
RF Eliezer Adames 0-1, K
DH Kenneth Melendez 0-4, 2 K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, 2B, SB, fielding error
LF Sebastian Pint 0-3, K
1B Alfred Ciriaco 2-3, HR, RBI

Sebastian Castillo 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (loss)
Randy Angomas 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP — Randy had a good go of it his last time out, but this is now the seventh time in ten appearances he’s allowed five-plus runs
Breidy Adames 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR

How much higher can the Boston Red Sox fly?

It's starting to feel like revenge season in Boston, where a club that went 10-17 with the fired Alex Cora is now a seemingly unbeatable 50-34 with interim-but-probably-permanent manager Chad Tracy.

Lost in the hubbub of Tarik Skubal's arrival in L.A. was the Red Sox schooling the Dodgers over three games, running their unstoppable streak to 23 wins in 26 games, moving within five games of first place.

They now have a virtual lock on the No. 2 wild card and also Adley Rutschman in the fold, ready to upgrade their putrid production at catcher while Cedanne Rafaela continues his MVP run. All that's left is home cooking: The Red Sox are 25-29 at Fenway Park and welcome the Central-leading White Sox and free-falling Athletics to the Fens this week.

It wouldn't be surprising if they had a winning home record by week's end.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Forget Tarik Skubal. Benny Biceps is a Dodger again. .

2. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• The game's best farm system remains intact. But at what cost?

3. Atlanta Braves (-)

• The Eli White Era is over.

4. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

• Liam Hicks might have been the best under-the-radar deadline add.

5. New York Yankees (-)

• Camilo Doval's addition by subtraction might be Yankee fans' deadline highlight.

6. Chicago Cubs (-)

• Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor...is this Queens Midwest?

7. Boston Red Sox (+3)

• Imagine telling a Red Sox fan two years ago that Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer were gone, Roman Anthony slipping out of favor and Kristian Campbell buried in the minors.

8. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Wise to have a modest deadline.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• Surge into No. 2 wild card spot and only add Lars Nootbaar?

10. Philadelphia Phillies (-3)

• Bryce Harper looks more Harperlike in right field, anyway.

The dust has settled on the MLB Trade Deadline. After weeks of anticipation, the Yankees came away with a thinner haul than most probably expected, picking up a pair of hitters in Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos but not doing much else, content to maintain the status quo with their pitching staff, and with their catching situation. The latter decision stuck out like a sore thumb, as their direct division rivals, the Red Sox and Rays, made major backstop additions yesterday, Boston landing Adley Rutschman in a blockbuster, and the Rays picking up Liam Hicks from the Marlins.

It’s not the deadline most fans were hoping for, and though the Yankees are better today than they were a few days ago (heck, even a few hours ago, as they swapped out Anthony Volpe for top prospects George Lombard Jr. and demoted Jasson Domínguez to make room for Ramos), it remains to be seen if they’ve done enough to either win the division or the American League. So, now that the stage has been set, let’s ask: where do the Yankees rank among AL contenders? Can you make a case that the Yankees are favorites to win the American League?

I can already hear a loud chorus of fans ready to answer an incredulous “No!”. The case against seems fairly obvious: the Yankees have been unable to hit their way out of a paper bag the last eight weeks, their offensive production at catcher has been a nightmare, and multiple players on the infield dirt have not played to expectations. The Yankees have struggled of late, still are waiting to get some key players back from the injured list, and are behind in the standings 3.5 games back of the first-place Rays.

But I think there’s an equally plausible case for the Bombers. No, they didn’t add pitching at the deadline, content to go with what they have. In this case, though, playing to the status quo is in the Yankees’ favor (last night’s Cam Schlittler dud and Angel Chivilli meltdown notwithstanding). They entered the deadline with the best ERA in baseball by distance this season, and that’s with arguably four of their five most talented starting pitchers all missing significant chunks of the season due to injury. The conventional wisdom heading into the deadline was that the Yankees were pitching the lights out, but needed to add bats, and that’s what happened.

And after doing that, their roster projects as well as any in the (American) League. In fact, by FanGraphs projections, the roster is tops in the AL the rest of the way, and not only that, FanGraphs’ playoff odds have the Yankees with the best pennant odds in the Junior Circuit. That is thanks in no small part to the wide-open nature of the AL. FanGraphs gives the three AL division leaders a combined chance of winning the league of roughly one-in-three, compared to roughly three-in-four odds for the NL division leaders.

There are a couple hinge points in those projections that forecast the Yankees as tops in the AL. One, of course, is the status of Aaron Judge, who is projected to produce a .986 OPS in 78 plate appearances. Is that OPS figure, and that plate appearance amount, optimistic? Pessimistic? It’s possible Judge returns in September and hits at a high level (Brian Cashman has indicated that’s what the team expects), but it feels just as plausible that Judge doesn’t play again this year. Also highly influential is one’s estimation of the Yankees’ catching situation; FanGraphs rather charitably pegs the team’s catcher’s room as tenth best rest-of-season, partially because Austin Wells and Co. have always rated well defensively, and because Wells in particular has underperformed his offensive peripherals in 2026.

It can be hard to feel optimistic through long periods of iffy play and avalanches of injuries, but the Yankee roster at anything resembling full health should be favored against any AL team. What do you think? Is that an overly optimistic view? Or do you believe the projections that still see this as the top squad in the AL?

On the site today, we’ll have loads more reaction to the Trade Deadline, with analysis of both of the Yankees’ major moves. We’ll also have a recap of a light Monday of action from Andrew, and a profile of Roger Clemens, who turns 64 today. Later, Michael analyzes the week that was down on the farm, while Josh and John our AL West and Central monthly rundowns.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Cardinals.TV

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on a bad streak of games since coming back from the All-Star break, and could be slipping out of the playoff race.

FanDuel Sportsbook has released their current odds for teams to make the postseason, and currently project Pittsburgh being on the outside looking in come October. The Pirates have the 17th best odds to make the playoffs with +520 odds. Unfortunately for Pirates’ fans the team is more likely to miss the playoffs with -870 odds to miss the postseason.

After the Pirates recent collapse against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds there are definitely some questions that need to be answered if the team is going to make a serious push towards October. The team now sits at 57-57 on the season, while placing third in the National League Central. They’re 4-6 in their last ten and are now 3.5 games back from the last Wild Card spot in the NL. Since returning from the All-Star break the team is 7-10 and have been allowing their opponents to score a lot of runs against them in recent contests.

Although it looks like the team is looking to buy and add to this squad, the odds are stacked against them as August gets underway. They have not been able to beat the teams that on paper they should like the cellar dwelling Reds, and they haven’t looked very competitive against the better teams in the league like the Cubs or the Dbacks.

The stacked NL Central isn’t going to make their path to the playoffs any easier either as it’s been difficult all season to find any breathing room within the division. The Pirates embark on a four game series against the Milwaukee Brewers next, a team that is currently tied for the best record in baseball with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The second place Chicago Cubs also seem to be surging while the Pirates are sliding, going 6-4 in their last ten, and of course have a recent series victory over Pittsburgh. The Cubs currently have a four game advantage in the Wild Card race, holding firmly onto the first place spot.

The Pirates are certainly not out of the race yet, but this is the wrong time of the season to be looking as flat as they are right now. The lineup has lacked run production, the pitching staff has been erratic in both the rotation and the bullpen, and management has made some bone-headed decisions as of late. This squad needs to regroup if they hope to prove the odds makers wrong and secure a spot in the postseason.

NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees’ top prospect, George Lombard Jr., has rapidly climbed his way up prospect rankings as he’s jumped through each level of the minors. This year he’s really turned on the burners, crushing Double-A before getting a midseason promotion to Triple-A and whittling down his adjustment time to a mere month or so before finding his groove. An injury slowed down his ETA and raised some doubts about whether he could contribute to the 2026 team’s playoff push, but doubt no more: Lombard is getting the call to The Show. The 21-year-old shortstop is expected to officially debut tomorrow after the team demoted Anthony Volpe (alongside Jasson Domínguez and Angel Chivilli). The team held off on trading their blue chip infielder, and for a change they’re going to immediately plug him into the big league lineup alongside new additions Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos to revamp what has been a lifeless offense.

AP | Larry Fleisher: Speaking of the deadline, the Yankees ended up not doing nearly as much as they were expected to on the final day. They came to an agreement with the Giants to land Ramos, but couldn’t get traction on anything else as they failed to land an upgrade at catcher or in the bullpen. Brian Cashman said that he tried for several flashier moves though, checking in with the Tigers on Tarik Skubal and Baltimore with Adley Rutschman. The former didn’t go far as the Tigers apparently were set on the deal they got from the Dodgers while the Yankees were the ones unwilling to continue negotiating with Baltimore as the price was set too high for them.

NY Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: While all of the trades were being completed, one other significant topic on reporters’ minds was the status of Aaron Judge and his injured ribs. Cashman gave an update of sorts when addressing the media following the deadline, saying that there was a “pretty high likelihood” that Judge will return this season. The team couldn’t rule out the possibility of Judge sitting on the shelf for the rest of 2026 but expressed optimism that he was still on pace to return, adding that they’ll have a clearer picture once Judge goes through re-imaging on his ribs. Not exactly reassuring, but also not surprising considering how vague his timeline has been since getting placed on the IL in the first place.

Central Jersey | Mike Ashmore: Mickey Mantle’s legacy with the Yankees needs no introduction, and even after 30 years since his passing his family remains a beloved part of the organization. Mantle’s two living sons, David and Danny, were in Somerset on Saturday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and got to meet with a crowd of folks wearing their father’s retired No. 7 on their backs.

Some quick grades for the Jays deadline day deals.

Kevin Gausman to the Cubs for Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman

Gausman’s having the poorest season of his five with the Jays, but still has a 102 ERA+, so he’s still a useful pitcher. And he could step it up in a pennant race. The Jays didn’t send any money along with Kevin.

Southisene was listed as the Cubs #10 prospect by Baseball America. He’s 21, and has played most of this season in High-A ball. hitting .326/.451/.372. I do like guys who get on half the time. But he has no power and I think pitchers will throw him more strikes as he moves up the ladder. He can play short or second. Could end up a utility players. Has some speed.

Bateman is #21 on MLB Pipeline’s list of Cub prospects. He’s a lefty bat, hitting .312/.430/.421 with 20 steals in Triple-A. Could be a lefty hitting Myles Straw-type. I’d imagine we’ll see him in Toronto before the end of the season.

Quick Grade: C. Not an overwhelming return for Gausman, but I don’t know that you could have hoped for much more.

Arjun Nimmala, Eddie Macheletti, and Angel Rivero to Angels for José Soriano

In the middle of all this selling, the Jays became buyers.

Soriano won’t be a free agent until 2029. He’s been a good pitcher for the Angels, with a 3.29 ERA and a 2.7 bWAR this year in 22 starts. Career, he has a 7.0 bWAR in 113 games 73 starts. He, Cease and Yesavage could be a very good threesome at the top of our rotation.

Nimmala is a very good prospect. I hate losing him, but you have to give up something to get a starter like Soriano.

Quick Grade: B. Depends on what Nimmala becomes.

Adam Macko to Rangers for Josh Smith and Josh Stephan

Macko has been on the highway from Toronto to Buffalo a lot. He’s been perfectly ok. Macko is out of options after this year.

Smith has had five years in the MLB. He’s played every position other than catcher and pitcher. In 2024 he had a 3.5 bWAR and in 2025 a 2.9 bWAR. This year hasn’t been as good, -0.6. He’s hitting .213/.299/.272. And he’s, more or less, major league average defensively where ever he’s played. We do seem to like utility infielders. If he can be the player he was the last couple of years, he would be useful. If not, he can’t be optioned.

Stephan is a 24-year-old RHP. He has a 5.44 ERA in Triple-A this year. He gets ground balls. He could have Macko’s job of bouncing between Buffalo and Toronto if all goes well.

Quick Grade: C. Macko’s value was that he had options, that changes next year. Smith either remembers how to hit or spends a lot of time in Buffalo.

Daulton Varsho to Astros for Spencer Arrighetti

Varsho was having a terrible season for the Jays. The team is sending some money to Houston as well. He’s a free agent at the end of the season.

Spencer Arrighetti is 27, a right-handed pitcher, who can’t be a free agent until 2030 and he still has an option year left. He was a sixth round pick in the 2021 draft. He’s in his third season in the majors. This year he has a 4.60 ERA in 17 starts. In 88 innings, he’s got 87 strikeouts, but 50 walks. Batters are hitting .215/.344/.360 against him. If Pete Walker can work a little magic and bring his walk rate down, he could be a decent back of the rotation starter. As we’ve seen this year, you can never have too much pitching.

Quick Grade: A. Turning two months of Varsho into a starting pitcher with three-years of control left is pretty good. If Walker can help him find the strike zone more, it would be a great trade.

Jeff Hoffman to the Twins for Dasan Hill, John Klein and Dameury Pena

Hoffman was not a fan favourite, had a very rough time as our closer, but was excellent since moving into the setup roles. It’s entirely possible that he will be great for the Twins. He is signed through next season.

The Twins pick up their second Jays reliever in a month, after getting Tommy Nance. They give up:

Hill, who Baseball America had as their #8 Twins prospect is a left-handed pitcher. He was their Competitive Balance pick in 2024 (the 69th overall pick). He walks too many, but struck out 35% of batters this year. If he can’t cut down the walk rate, well he could be a back of the pen reliever. If he does cut back, he could be a very good starting pitcher.

Klein is 24, a RHP. He’s has pitched 4.1 innings in the majors this year. In Triple-A, he has a 5.91 ERA this year, with 74 strikeouts in 64 innings (also 34 walks and 14 home runs). He looks like a middle reliever type. Hopefully, Pete can work a bit of magic with him.

Pena turns 21 September first. He’s playing mostly second base in A ball but sounds unlikely to stay in the middle infield. He’s hitting .300/.373/.362. Lots of walk, not many strikeouts, but not enough power to make it as an outfielder. Some speed, but seems a long shot to have a major league career.

Quick Grade: A. Honestly, getting Hill for Hoffman would be an A for me, if Klein can be a semi useful reliever that’s gravy.

Overall Quick Grade: B.

Of course, if Soriano pitches great and the Jays make run at a Wild Card spot, I’ll edit this to a A.

The Jays come out of the trade deadline with +1120 odds to make the playoffs, +30000 odds to win the AL East and a +17500 odds of winning the World Series. I don’t gamble, but I’m figuring that those are very long odds. I wouldn’t suggest betting the mortgage on them winning the World Series.

This post is sponsored by FanDuel.

Record: 60-53. Pace: 86-76. Change on 2025: +6.

The resurrection of Brandon Pfaadt continues. The team won his seventh consecutive start since he came back from Reno. The pitcher should have a 7-0 record, if not for the Thompson/Sewald meltdown in Pittsburgh. He’ll have to settle for being 6-0 with a 1.55 ERA (40.2 IP and 7 ER), after going 6.2 innings tonight, allowing only an unearned run. To be fair, he did get some help from his defense, with a number of quite excellent plays. But that ERA is the best by a Diamondbacks starter across any seven-game span, since Zac Gallen’s figure of 1.16 (46.2 IP and 6 ER) in April-May 2023. I may just have made myself a little bit sad with that memory.

Tonight was definitely a contrast in opposites, with Pfaadt being remarkably efficient, in contrast to the Padres’ Michael King. It took Brandon only 31 pitches to record nine outs. 31 pitches into his outing, King was still working with two outs in the first. Arizona didn’t manage to score, but it was still a promising start against a man who had given them trouble in the past. Over five previous starts against the D-backs, covering 25.2 innings, King had a 1.05 ERA. But tonight spawned chances from the off. A pair of two-out walks were stranded in the first. Tim Tawa stood on third with one out in the next frame, then fell victim to the dreaded contact play. A Max Kepler double-play ended the third.

I do want to talk about a pair of quite terrible Diamondbacks challenges tonight (above). One came with one out in the top of the first inning by James McCann, on a pitch which was nowhere near the zone – 1.7” from the edge, according to the graphic. That left the D-backs down to just one challenge, two batters into the game. As a result, they – specifically, Ketel Marte – had to suffer some egregiously terrible calls by home-plate umpire Ramon De Jesus. Though the three most obviously blown ones didn’t impact the outcomes of the at-bat: Marte walked twice, and Nolan Arenado singled. However, Marte then decided to waste Arizona’s second challenge on an equally blatant strike.

Had this all led to a loss, I’d probably be more than the “slightly irritated” all of the above made me reach. In the fourth inning, the D-backs finally broke through against King. One of those Ketel walks led things off, and one out later, Adrian Del Castillo singled. Then, Tim Tawa blasted his fifth home-run of the year down the left-field line and into the home bullpen (below). It was one of Tawa’s three hits on the day, and his OPS is now higher than that of Max Kepler. Also on form tonight was James McCann, a late replacement in the line-up after Gabriel Moreno had to go off and give birth (or something – I was in the kitchen…). He had an RBI double plus a single, and is now batting .319 for the year.

Pfaadt continued to cruise through six innings, with a two-out double in the fifth the only time a Padres got past first base. But he was beginning to look a little rosy-cheeked, and Pfaadt connoisseurs will be aware, that often indicates he’s running out of gas. So it proved in the seventh. He allowed his first walk with one down, and a single followed one out later. A ball hit into the shortstop hole proved too difficult for Nolan Arenado, his throw sailing wide of Tawa, and putting the Padres on the board. Torey Lovullo had seen enough, and Pfaadt was lifted. His final line: 6.2 innings, with just five hits and a walk, and three strikeouts.

Juan Morillo took over, and disposed of Xander Bogaerts on three pitches, the last a 100 mph fastball. Morillo then worked around a leadoff single in the eighth. Arizona added a pair of insurance runs to make the score 5-1, one on McCann’s double mentioned above, and the other on a well-worked sacrifice fly off the bat of Jorge Barrosa. He was clearly hyped at getting the job done, and why not? But it wasn’t all good news. Corbin Carroll went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts in the leadoff spot, and some really bad choices. Over his last 30 games, a spell now covering 137 PA, he is hitting just .148. It’s the worst 30-game streak of his career.

Still, a four-run lead proved far more than adequate. New chairman of the closer committee, Brandyn Garcia, set down the Padres in order in the ninth, on 12 pitches – non-save situations apparently not proving an issue there. The win was an important one, over a wild-card rival and on a night where all the other active contenders won. It kept Arizona in a tie for the second wild-card spot with the Phillies, two games up on the Padres, who are now tied with the Marlins. The Diamondbacks are also “only” nine games back of the Dodgers in the NL West. Their lead in the division hadn’t been that small since June 27.

I also want to call out the Arizona defense. Ryan Waldschmidt had a lovely running catch in deep right center, and Max Kepler might have robbed a home-run at the wall in left. There was also an excellent double-play turned, and despite his error, Arenado also made a play worthy of a man with ten Gold Gloves. All told, a solid game for Arizona on all sides of the ball, and a welcome win after the understandable disappointment of the team’s limited moves at the trade deadline.

Click here for details, at Fangraphs.com
Trade winds: Tim Tawa, +32%
Trading partners: Pfaadt, +23%; Morillo, +15%
Trade deadline: Corbin Carroll, -7%

Comment of the thread to ercil, for an observation regarding Barrosa’s sacrifice fly:

Tomorrow night, it’ll be the same two teams in this best of four series, with the D-backs now having a very good chance of at least securing a split. Eduardo Rodriguez starts for Arizona, with another 6:40 pm first pitch.

CHICAGO –– The first time Kyle Tucker was booed at one of his former home ballparks this year, he shrugged it off.

When it happened again on Monday night, he seemed decidedly less amused.

In his first trip back to Wrigley Field since leaving the Cubs for the Dodgers in free agency this winter, Tucker received a reception that belied that ballpark’s “Friendly Confines” nickname.

He was voraciously booed before his first at-bat. Then again and again with each subsequent trip to the plate.

“I don’t know,” he said when asked of the hostilities afterward. “I tried my hardest last year. I tried playing through a hand fracture and calf thing, just trying to get back for the playoffs for them, trying to do what I could to help out the team.”

Evidently, that didn’t sway a nearly 40,000-person crowd on the North Side to welcome him with a warm greeting.

Tucker’s lone season with the Cubs didn’t go according to plan, of course. After an All-Star first half, the slugger slumped down the stretch while battling his hand and calf injuries.

Though the team still made the playoffs, and prevailed in a three-game series against the Padres in the wild-card round, their NLDS elimination to the rival Brewers ultimately qualified as a disappointment.

Tucker’s 4-for-16, one-RBI performance in that series also left a disappointing impression –– at least, it seemed, among the fan base –– before he entered free agency and signed his $240 million deal with the Dodgers this past January.

“I mean, I liked playing here last year,” Tucker said. “There were some really great guys over there and they have a good team.”

“Didn’t end up great at the end of the year,” he added of his up-and-down campaign. “But I had a good run.”

Monday’s scene was not exactly new for Tucker.

During a May trip back to Houston to face the Astros –– the team with which he spent his first seven MLB seasons before being traded to the Cubs last year –– the outfielder was also booed in a way he hadn’t been during his only prior visit in 2025 (having “Dodgers” across his chest seemed to have something to do with that).

That night, however, he said “I don’t really focus on crowd noise and stuff” and “don’t really have a take.”

On Monday, his answer struck a different tone, even while he insisted it was “nice being back and playing here.”

On the field, Tucker went 2-for-3 with a walk in the defeat, snapping the latest slump in his disappointing debut season with the Dodgers after going 3-for-19 in his previous seven games.

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“I just try to move on to the next day if I have a bad game,” he said, despite continuing to sport career-lows in batting average (.240) and OPS (.710). “If I have a good game, I try and just keep it going. So, I mean, felt like I had good at-bats tonight. And I’ll just try to continue that to tomorrow’s game.”

Yet, Monday’s performance also came with a baserunning mistake, with Tucker getting thrown out at second base –– one at-bat before Teoscar Hernández hit a home run, no less –– while trying to stretch for a double on a line drive off the wall in right field.

“They made a good play,” Tucker said, explaining he was trying to take a chance with the Dodgers facing a three-run deficit in the sixth.

Manager Dave Roberts, however, was more critical.

“It just doesn’t look good when you’re down three,” he said.

On a night full of booing, it was the one time Tucker prompted Wrigley Field to cheer.

Luis García Jr. was born and bred in New York and grew up rooting for the Yankees before moving to the Dominican Republic.

So for García, Monday’s homecoming — and the home run that highlighted it — hit a little different.

“Yeah, it means a lot to be able to do that,” García said through an interpreter. “Hit a home run in Yankee Stadium and to be able to get the ball back, it’s a great moment there, a great memory. So I’ll keep that in my heart.

“It means a lot to be able to connect there. I’m really just going there, try to do my job, try to find a pitch where I can put my team on top. Just the whole moment, I’m going to cherish it.”

The Yankees fell 13-7 to the Cardinals, but García sparked the offense in his debut.

Starting at first and hitting third, García went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs — crushing a go-ahead home run in the seventh.

He drilled a 2-2 pitch from George Soriano out to right-center, dropping his bat and watching with a smile as the ball cleared the fence.

“He was amazing,” starter Cam Schlittler said.

“I’m sure a lot of emotions run through. You’re from here, this is your team growing up, and you walk into Yankee Stadium for the first time, everyone’s watching you, counting on you,” Aaron Boone said. “That’s one of those things about being a big leaguer and being a good player, being able to slow moments down. He obviously did a really good job of that.

“Very few guys are turning those double plays. And then, good at-bats, too. … So, excited for him. Cool that he came in, first day you get settled in and have a big night. Hopefully that goes a long way in getting him acclimated where it’s normal and routine for him.”

That’s what the Bombers are hoping for.

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García had been leading the National League in slugging before the Yankees acquired him.

His 24 homers and 78 RBIs are already career highs.

And the Bombers are convinced there’s even more offense to unlock because of how his newfound penchant for pulling the ball will take advantage of the short porch in right.

He raked righties for a .918 OPS, and could give the Bombers a boost.

They had scored just seven runs in their prior four games and 35 in their previous 12 contests.

His impact was clear and immediate.

And general manager Brian Cashman dismissed any concerns of overlap between García and Ben Rice, both lefty-swinging first basemen/designated hitters.

“We went into the trade deadline looking to find ways to improve our offense, and quite simply, he does do that. He improves our offense. He gives us more flexibility, more choices, and more impact,” Cashman said. “It makes us deeper and it makes us better, period.”

García got the ball from his first Yankees home run, and got to debut in front of friends and family.

But he’ll get to play in front of many more Tuesday.

“[Monday] was just five,” said García, adding with a grin, “but [Tuesday] will be 25.”