Category: MLB

2025 MLB Draft grades roundup: Experts loved Red Sox' first-round pick originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox made a strong effort to target pitching throughout the 2025 MLB Draft, and that process started early with their first-round pick.

The Red Sox selected Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon with the No. 15 overall pick.

Witherspoon was the No. 7 rated player on Baseball America’s 2025 draft rankings, so for Boston to get him outside the top 10 is pretty good value.

He posted a 10-4 record with a 2.65 ERA, 124 strikeouts, and 23 walks in 16 starts (95 innings) for the Sooners last season.

Before the draft, only one of the Red Sox’ top seven prospects (per MLB.com’s rankings) was a pitcher. So it wasn’t too surprising that Boston took a pitcher with eight of its first 10 picks in the draft.

What do the experts think of the Red Sox taking Witherspoon at No. 15? Here’s a roundup of grades.

Joel Reuter, Bleacher Report: A

“The Red Sox were tied to the second tier of college pitching and likely did not expect Witherspoon to still be on the board at this point, so terrific value for a team that has had a bit more success developing pitching in recent years.”

R.J. Anderson, CBS Sports: A

“I had Witherspoon as the top-ranked righty in the class — blame it on Bremner’s uneven year and Gage Wood’s shoulder injury. He has a deceptively short arm stroke that he uses to chuck a full arsenal, including mid-to-upper-90s fastballs and three breaking pitches (slider, curve, and cutter). This is good value at pick 15.”

Austin Curtright, USA TODAY Sports: A

“Oklahoma right-hander Kyson Witherspoon, projected to go No. 9 by USA TODAY Sports, falls to No. 15 for the Boston Red Sox. He is MLB Pipeline’s No. 10-ranked draft prospect.

“The Red Sox get good value in Witherspoon, who boasts a big fastball that peaks at 99 mph. His fastball has a 65 grade, according to MLB Pipeline. Witherspoon also has three plus secondary offers in his slider, cutter and curveball, which are all 60-grade pitches.

“Witherspoon spun a 2.65 ERA with the Sooners in 2025 and was one of the top pitchers in college baseball.”

Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani secures Barry Bonds bobblehead, per Mike Krukow originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The best player in baseball right now is still a fan at heart.

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani wanted to take home a Barry Bonds bobblehead of his own as the Giants celebrated the franchise legend during Saturday’s rivalry game, San Francisco broadcaster Mike Krukow told KNBR’s “Murph and Markus” morning show Monday. 

According to Krukow, several bobbleheads were being given to Giants employees postgame. Ohtani was in a group that walked by the souvenirs, and one of the men in the group requested a bobblehead for the National League’s home run leader.

“He handed the bobblehead off to Shohei Ohtani,” Krukow explained (h/t SFGATE). “He wanted the Barry Bonds bobblehead. Isn’t that a cool story?”

Ohtani started on the mound for the Dodgers on Saturday for the first time at Oracle Park. He pitched three scoreless innings, allowing one hit while striking out four.

San Francisco pursued Ohtani in MLB free agency back in 2023. The Dodgers ultimately won the bidding war, and currently sit 5.5 games up in the NL West.

Ohtani is one of the best shows in all of baseball, but he isn’t above asking for a Barry Bonds bobblehead.

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One of the biggest holes in the Yankees' roster is the lack of a third baseman.

General manager Brian Cashman, despite his efforts this offseason, allowed the Yanks to start the regular season with a trio of third base options: Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, and DJ LeMahieu.

Cabrera was lost for the season after fracturing his ankle in May and LeMahieu, after starting the season on the IL, was "physically unable" to play third base, according to manager Aaron Boone. That forced Jazz Chisholm Jr. to move from his natural position at second base to third to give the team more flexibility on the field.

However, the solid defense Chisholm showed at the hot corner last season regressed, and LeMahieu's age didn't allow the veteran infielder to man second base the way a major leaguer should. That resulted in LeMahieu eventually being DFA'd and Chisholm moving back to second base.

So, where does that leave third base for the Yankees?

Peraza and the recently-recalled Jorbit Vivas are playing third for now, but their inexperience at the plate has made their spot in the lineup an automatic out. With no internal options available, Cashman will have to go and swing a trade for a third baseman who can field and hit. That's where Ryan McMahon comes in.

The veteran third baseman is on a Rockies team that has the worst record in MLB and will flirt with breaking the 2024 White Sox's mark for worst record in history.

Colorado should be sellers at this trade deadline, but the team has not had fire sales in recent seasons like they should. Perhaps this year will be different -- and the Yankees should give the team a buzz to see if McMahon is available.

Here are the pros and cons of New York making a deal for McMahon...

Pros

The biggest argument to trade for McMahon is how futile the young Yankees' third basemen have been this season.

Just looking at the current options (Peraza and Vivas), you'll see why McMahon's production is an immediate upgrade. Peraza is slashing .151/.215/.247 with an OPS of .462 to go along with three homers, five doubles and 13 RBI.

Vivas is slashing .149/.245/.255 with an OPS of .500 to go along with one homer, two doubles and four RBI.

Of course, both Peraza (146 at-bats) and Vivas (47 at-bats) have not had regular playing time this season and will get a runway here before the Yankees make a deal. But if either were hitting the ball consistently enough, the Yanks would have given them the job a long time ago instead of resorting to Chisholm playing third base.

McMahon, 30, is slashing .214/.312/.382 with an OPS of .694 to go along with 13 homers, 13 doubles and 28 RBI in 322 at-bats. Those numbers aren't great but, again, it's an upgrade.

He's also not far removed from an All-Star appearance. Just last year, McMahon made his first All-Star Game in a year where he slashed .272/.350/.447 with an OPS of .797 and 14 homers before the break. Perhaps there's something left in there that the Yankees could mine. And perhaps he'd perform better playing for a contending team instead of the 50-games-below-.500 Rockies.

His left-handed bat could also play well at Yankee Stadium.

But on the defensive side is where McMahon really shines. Over his nine-year career, McMahon has never had a negative DRS playing the hot corner. He's also a near double-digit OAA fielder the last three seasons.

The combination of defense and offensive upside is an intriguing possibility that the Yanks should explore.

Cons

Although McMahon is a better hitter than Peraza and Vivas, it's not by much. After making the All-Star team last year, the second half of 2024 was rough for McMahon. He slashed .188/.283/.309 with a .592 OPS and smashed just six homers in the final months of the season. That lack of production has spilled over to the first half of this year, which is odd for a player who calls Coors Field home.

But that advantage is also a warning sign for any team that wants to acquire him. This year, McMahon's home/away splits are alarming.

In 44 home games, he's hitting .241/.358/.441 with an .800 OPS while cracking eight homers and driving in 15. In 48 road games, he's slashing .192/.270/.333 with a .604 OPS and five homers to go along with 13 RBI.

Those splits are a career-long trend for McMahon. He's hit 85 homers and batted a career .263 with an .813 OPS in 511 games (440 starts) at Coors. On the road, he's hit only 52 homers while batting .217 with a .666 OPS across 491 games (436 starts).

McMahon's left-handed swing is also unnecessary on a Yankees roster that needs right-handed bats in the worst way.

On the defensive side, McMahon has seemingly taken his struggles at the plate onto the field. While having a positive DRS this season, it's only at 3 DRS. His career low DRS was 2 back in 2018, but it's a far cry from the double-digit DRS he had the past four seasons.

And then there's the contract.

While the Yanks would have two years of control after this one, it comes to $16 million each year. It's a similar contract to Nolan Arenado's -- who is owed $31 million in the final two years of his deal -- and the Rockies will likely either want the Yankees to take on the majority of it or part ways with some valuable prospects.

While a regular third base option for the next few years is great, it could keep George Lombard Jr. from making the jump to the majors.

Verdict

This is an easy pass.

While McMahon provides an upgrade offensively to the Yankees' current situation, it's not enough to warrant the prospects/money it would likely cost. If a controllable third baseman is what the Yankees want, Arenado -- although he's older -- makes more sense than McMahon.

And if Lombard is the future at third base, the Yankees need to make sure there's a path for him. Trading for a rental is more feasible, and Arizona's Eugenio Suarez fits that bill.

If the Rockies are desperate to move McMahon and the Yanks can get him at a steal, sure. But with that scenario unlikely, Cashman needs to look elsewhere.

The Mets' offense this year has been hit or miss, often dragged down by a bottom of the lineup that hasn't offered much support.

The top of the order -- "The Fab Four" as Steve Cohen recently dubbed them, borrowing the nickname of The Beatles -- is beastly.

Featuring Brandon Nimmo, Francisco Lindor, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso, the Mets have a quartet that can create offense in a flash, as they did last Tuesday against the Orioles while erasing a four-run eighth-inning deficit, and again late in the game this past Friday against the Royals in Kansas City.

But the Mets need more.

It could come in the form of someone like Mark Vientos stepping up and/or Francisco Alvarez finding his power stroke when he returns from Triple-A Syracuse.

It could also come via trade.

The Mets' biggest needs right now are in center field (Tyrone Taylor has a .580 OPS) and third base (where none of the Mets' young, homegrown players have been able to fully seize the opportunity).

So, should New York swing a trade for slugging Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez?

PROS

Suarez has been a total menace power-wise this year, slashing .250/.320/.569 with 31 home runs, 18 doubles, and 78 RBI in 391 plate appearances over 95 games.

He leads the National League in RBI, and is behind only Cal Raleigh (82) and Aaron Judge (81) in all of baseball.

Suarez's 31 homers are fourth-most in baseball, trailing Raleigh (38), Judge (35), and Shohei Ohtani (32).

While this season's power surge is enormous even by Suarez's standards, he has cemented himself as one of the most reliable home run hitters in baseball over the last decade.

He has averaged 32 homers per 162 games during his career, has eclipsed 30 homers in a season six times, and has a 49-homer season on his ledger (coming in 2019 with the Reds). So a lot more thunder should be expected from him in the second half.

Suarez would also fill a void at third base, though his defense there leaves a lot to be desired (more on that below).

One of the most important things about Suarez is that he's set to become a free agent after the season, so the cost to acquire him should be relatively low.

That doesn't mean the Mets or another team wouldn't have to part with a prospect or two of value, but it's impossible to envision New York having to trade any of their top eight or nine prospects for him.

CONS

There are two negatives that stick out when it comes to Suarez -- his defense and his propensity to strike out.

Suarez has already fanned 105 times in 95 games this season, and is on pace to finish the year with 175 K's. He fanned 176 times last season after striking out 214 times in 2023 and 196 times in 2022.

His defense is also subpar -- Suarez has been worth -4 Outs Above Average at third base this season, putting him in the ninth percentile.

This should be a less important aspect, but trading for Suarez would also likely mean a lot less playing time for Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty -- plus defenders at third base who have showed flashes at the plate, but not enough consistency.

It would be surprising if the Mets don't swing a trade for a center fielder to replace Taylor in the lineup. And if New York trades for a center fielder, it would force Jeff McNeil to second base on a regular basis.

Add Suarez or another third baseman to the mix, and the playing time for Mauricio and Baty dries up -- with Vientos likely a main designated hitter option along with Jesse Winker upon his return.

But in a season where the Mets are trying to win a World Series, they can't (and won't) let a few months of lost playing time for Mauricio or Baty stop them from obtaining a game-changing bat like Suarez.

VERDICT

For a return that shouldn't hurt that much, New York would get one of the best power hitters in baseball without any commitment beyond this season.

Suarez would provide serious thump beyond the top four, an answer at third base, and allow the Mets to have more options to DH. This should be an easy yes.

Giants' Oracle Park reportedly a frontrunner for 2028 MLB All-Star Game originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The MLB All-Star Game festivities soon could return to Third and King.

If MLB and the Players Association agree to allow players to compete in the 2028 Olympics, San Francisco is a frontrunner to host the All-Star Game that year, the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser reported Tuesday, citing a league source.

According to Slusser, if MLB players are allowed to compete in the Olympics, both the league and the union reportedly would prefer a West Coast destination for the All-Star Game in order for the participants to be able to easily travel to Los Angeles, where the Summer Olympics baseball tournament will be held.

Slusser also reported that the momentum appears to be in favor of allowing MLB players to compete in the 2028 Olympics.

The other West Coast options include Petco Park in San Diego and T-Mobile Park in Seattle — both of which have hosted the All-Star Game more recently than Oracle Park — and Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento, which, according to Slusser, is not in consideration. It is unclear if Angel Stadium in Anaheim is a likely option.

Following this year’s event at Truist Park in Atlanta, the All-Star Game will be played at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park in 2026 and Chicago’s Wrigley Field in 2027.

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In 2021, Times columnist Bill Plaschke incurred the wrath of Atlanta by blaspheming the entertainment district surrounding the Braves’ ballpark as a “sterile shopping mall.” The district, called The Battery, prefers the grand descriptor of “the South’s preeminent lifestyle destination.”

Let’s take a walk around The Battery, so you can understand why it could become one of the flash points in the coming holy war between owners and players.

If you leave the ballpark through the right-field gates, you are in The Battery. You’ll see a plaza in front of you, and around you places to ride a mechanical bull, go bowling, navigate an escape room or take in a concert.

You can eat, drink, shop, dance, stay in a hotel. You can live here, in apartments above the storefronts. You can work here, in office towers housing corporate giants.

“To create an environment where you can spend eight, nine hours at The Battery and the field, and still feel like you have all the time in the world, I think they’ve done a wonderful job building this place,” Dodgers and former Braves All-Star first baseman Freddie Freeman said.

The Braves built all this, not only to lure fans to come early and stay late on game days but to make money from the property 365 days a year rather than 81. On that front, it is a spectacular success: Nine million people come here each year, and the Braves generated $67 million in revenue from The Battery last year.

This, according to major league officials, is the template for the modern team. The Angels had planned a ballpark village twice as large as The Battery. Imagine what the Dodgers could build, and how much revenue they could generate, on property twice as large as the Angel Stadium site.

And, speaking of revenue, Rob Manfred has something he likes to say to players about it. The MLB commissioner spoke at the Braves’ Investor Day last month and said he tells players that their share of the sport’s revenue has dropped from 63% in 2002 to 47% today.

Baseball is the only major sport in America without a salary cap system, in which owners agree to spend a designated percentage of revenue on player salaries.

“If we had made a deal 10 years ago to share 50-50, you would’ve made $2.5 billion more than you made,” Manfred said he has told players, in comments first reported by Sports Business Journal.

Read more:Jacob Misiorowski is the talk of the All-Star Game. Why Dodgers are partially to thank

The players and their union rolled their collective eyes at those comments. It is no secret that many owners want a salary cap, and the cost certainty that comes with it.

“It’s all tactics,” Dodgers All-Star catcher Will Smith said. “It’s all early negotiating stuff.”

Said Arizona Diamondbacks All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll: “Owners don’t want to put money in our pockets. For them to emphasize how we need this so much, there’s a reason for that.”

Tony Clark, the union’s executive director, said the revenue numbers the league shares with the union are not consistent with Manfred’s statements. And, when you consider a percentage of revenue, you have to define what counts as revenue: What goes into the pool to be shared with players?

So let’s go back to The Battery, and to the revenue opportunities that such ballpark villages create for teams.

A report released in April by Klutch Sports, the Los Angeles-based agency, called such villages “the sports industry’s $100+ billion growth engine,” particularly as media revenue wanes. Within the pitch to team owners: Those villages “generate attractive financial returns that stand outside of league revenue sharing requirements.”

Translation: You can make all these millions without sharing any of it with the players.

The Braves are building here because the team plays here. That is the new issue looming over the next round of collective bargaining: If a team builds around its ballpark, should that revenue be shared with players?

“Oh yeah,” Athletics All-Star designated hitter Brent Rooker said. “Revenue is just any dollar that teams bring in that ultimately could be turned around and used to put a better product on the field. It’s got to include tickets, TV, concessions, all the things around the stadium. It’s got to include all of it.”

Read more:Agent: Julio Urías has 'every intention to continue his career'

Is the money a team makes from renting office space outside the ballpark really relevant to the team?

Here’s what Braves president and chief executive Derek Schiller told ESPN about The Battery: “You've got a whole other set of revenues from the real estate development that can then be deployed for the baseball team.”

I asked Clark whether, if negotiations turn to the possibility of revenue sharing along the lines Manfred discussed, the money from ballpark villages needs to be part of the conversation.

“Yes,” Clark said.

He declined to elaborate. Understand this about Clark: He can filibuster a yes or no question into a 45-second monologue without actually answering yes or no. That he would say a clear “yes” and nothing else leaves no doubt about his position.

Read more:Hernández: MLB can’t afford to miss out on Shohei Ohtani vs. Aaron Judge in Home Run Derby

If the players do ask that owners share revenue from such ballpark villages, the response would be predictable: First, we share baseball revenue from baseball operations, and real estate developments are not baseball operations. Second, if you want to share in the revenue, you can share in the risk too, by helping to fund construction of the ballpark village, say, or by assuming some of the losses when a tenant drops its lease and leaves storefronts or office buildings unoccupied.

Said Carroll: “I think that’s a conversation that won’t need to happen, because it won’t get to that point. A salary cap is a nonstarter from the union’s perspective.”

Enjoy the All-Star Game Tuesday, because this summer is one of relative peace. The collective bargaining agreement expires after next season, which means the rhetoric between players and owners ought to be flying this time next year. If the owners insist on pushing a salary cap, a lockout almost certainly would follow.

And, if the owners push revenue sharing, The Battery could provide the push for the players’ pushback.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Giants release former top prospects Vaun Brown, Jairo Pomares from Double-A originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Giants parted ways with two former top prospects.

San Francisco released outfielders Vaun Brown and Jairo Pomares from its Double-A Richmond roster on Monday, per the Flying Squirrels’ transaction wire. (h/t FanSided’s Jeff Young)

Brown, the Giants’ No. 5 prospect in 2023, according to MLB Pipeline, batted .248/.339/.286 with zero home runs, seven RBI and 14 stolen bases in 122 combined plate appearances across rookie-ball, High-A and Double-A levels this season.

The speedy 27-year-old outfielder, a 10th-round draft pick by the Giants in 2021, had a breakout 2022 minor league season, slashing .346/.437/.623 with 23 homers and 44 stolen bases across three levels. But he did not advance past the Double-A level in five minor-league seasons with San Francisco.

Pomares, signed by the Giants as an international free agent in 2018, batted .209/.268/.352 with nine home runs, 34 RBI and nine stolen bases in 299 plate appearances with Double-A Richmond this season.

The 24-year-old outfielder was the Giants’ No. 7 prospect in 2022, according to MLB Pipeline.

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Giants make interesting selections with 16 picks on Day 2 of 2025 MLB Draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

SAN FRANCISCO — Every scout has a story about the time he went in to see one promising prospect and ended up blown away by a teammate. As the Giants prepared for the 2025 MLB Draft, they kept finding themselves drawn to teammates who were dominating at the same school in the Boston area. 

The organization selected 16 players on the second day of the draft, and three came from Northeastern University, including sixth- and seventh-rounders Jordan Gottesman and Cameron Maldonado. Amateur scouting director Michael Holmes said his department was drawn to the standouts in part because of how successful the program was this year. Northeastern went 49-11 and reached the NCAA Regional. 

“Obviously when you run guys in to see Northeastern, we’re scouting every guy on the field,” Holmes said. “Our area scout, Carmen Carcone, did an amazing job with his entire area this year, but especially with that Northeastern club. They were a really good team.”

Gottesman, a left-hander, was the staff ace, posting a 2.27 ERA and holding opponents to a .185 average. 

“He’s a pitchability lefty with really solid velocity and he’s an excellent strike-thrower,” Holmes said. “He was able to eat a lot of innings this year, which lets you know there was a durability aspect to him. It was a really effective four-pitch mix with a really strong slider.”

Holmes said the Giants first were drawn to Maldonado, a right-handed-hitting outfielder, when they saw him in the Cape Cod League. He hit .351 last season with 15 homers and 29 stolen bases.

“He’s a really athletic kid,” Holmes said. “It’s a power-speed combo in center field.”

The final Northeastern pick came in the 18th round, when the Giants selected 6-foot-8 right-hander Cooper McGrath, who likely is to be a reliever as a professional. With their first selection Monday, the Giants took Stetson infielder Lorenzo Meola. In the 10th round, they took his teammate, Isaiah Barkett. Meola hit .304 in three seasons at Stetson. 

“He has high contact skills and he showed power this year,” Holmes said. “You get a shortstop who touches the baseball, has some power, has the plus athleticism — we’re really lucky to have him.”

One of the most interesting picks Monday came in the 11th round, when the Giants selected Saddleback College catcher Rod Barajas Jr., the son of a catcher who played 14 big league seasons. The father played against Holmes in the minors and president of baseball operations Buster Posey in the big leagues, and also worked with special assistant Sam Geaney when the two were in San Diego’s front office. Barajas Jr. hit .329 last season. 

“He’s a guy that all of our scouts, when they went in, they saw him and they liked him,” Holmes said. “We loved his bat potential, we loved his ability to swing it, we liked his (swing) path, we think there’s huge upside with the bat, we think the (defense) is on the come and there are skills about him to be an everyday guy. 

“He’s a guy we definitely got excited about. He’s kind of one of those guys that your scouts keep reminding you all week, don’t forget about this guy, don’t forget about this guy.” 

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The jazz on Monday night in Atlanta was a bit out of tune.

However, despite hitting only three homers and getting eliminated in the first round, Jazz Chisholm Jr. was still pleased with his performance in the 2025 Home Run Derby.

"Nah yeah, what do you mean, 'Was it fun?' I had a lot of fun, I enjoyed every second of it," Chisholm said after the event.

More importantly, the Yankees All-Star didn't ruin his swing trying to overexert himself and crush home runs.

"I told them, next year, I said if I got more than 20 homers by the half next year, I'll do it again and actually try to hit homers every swing instead of -- trying to keep my swing," Chisholm said.

"It's not that I wasn't trying to hit homers, I was trying to keep my swing and hit homers. Instead of just trying to hit everything in the air, I was trying to keep my line drive swing and hit homers. But, you know, it's gets better."

He added that during his timeout break that teammate Aaron Judge even joked with him about not "messing up" his swing during the derby.

The infielder said prior to the competition that his "70 percent" mentality would help him win the All-Star event, but that wasn't the case as he finished with the lowest amount of home runs hit. Chisholm did admit that some swings "got up" to more than 70 percent effort and made it clear he enjoyed participating in the special event.

"I had a lot of fun. I enjoyed every second of it," Chisholm said. "You can't ask for a better feeling. I'm still an All-Star. I still hit in the Home Run Derby. Who could ask for a better experience than that?"

He also mentioned that he didn't even practice with his stepfather, Geronsands, who threw to him.

"For me at least, it was like after my first four or five swings, six swings, seven, around there, when I realized, I was like, 'You know what, if they ain't getting out and I'm not really back-spinning the ball right now, it's alright.' I'm having fun, my stepdad's out there throwing to me, I'm enjoying every second of it.

"We didn't practice for this. He hasn't thrown to me once in the last six months. At the end of the day, we was just having fun and enjoying it."

With the event behind him, and his swing intact, Chisholm will look to set a career-high in homers as he's already at 17 HRs and needs just eight more to break his 24-homer mark set last season. More importantly, he'll hope to help get the Yankees over the hump and win the World Series after falling short in five games to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. is the seventh player in Yankees history to compete in the Home Run Derby.

He's looking to become the fourth-ever winner in franchise history, and the first since his current teammate and captain Aaron Judge took home the crown back in 2017 at Marlins Park.

Here's how Jazz's quest in Atlanta went...

Round 1

In the first round, all eight hitters have three minutes or a total of 40 pitches (whichever comes first) to hit as many home runs as they can.

They then receive a bonus round, which lasts until they record three outs (any non-homer put in play) -- but if a player hits a 425+ foot blast during that extended period, they receive an extra out.

Chisholm was the sixth participant to take his hacks, and he started things off on a bit of a cold streak -- leaving the yard just one time over his first minute.

He called his first timeout with 1:25 remaining but still couldn't quite get himself into a groove, going another 45 seconds before lifting just his second homer of the night.

The lefty put one more over the right-center fence during the regulation period, and then went homer-less during his bonus round to finish the night with just three homers.

Chisholm, the hometown guy Matt Olson (15), young Nationals star James Wood (16), and Athletics slugger Brent Rooker (17) were eliminated in the first round.

Round 2 & Final

In the semi's, Junior Caminero (eight) beat Byron Buxton (seven), then the first-half home run leader Cal Raleigh put on an absolute show (19) to eliminate O'Neil Cruz (13).

With his dad pitching and his little brother behind the plate, Raleigh carried that momentum into the finals -- launching 18 more homers, which was enough to beat Caminero (15) and secure the derby title.

Raleigh is the first catcher and just the second player in Mariners history (Ken Griffey Jr.) with a derby victory.

The Yankees are expected to be very active ahead of the trade deadline.

Longtime GM Brian Cashman told reporters last week that he’s preparing to “go to town” as he looks to improve the club in the second-half. 

Three of the biggest needs mentioned: starter, bullpen help, infielder. 

One player who continues to be connected to the Bombers is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. 

It remains to be seen whether or not Arizona will actually make Suárez available in the coming weeks, but recent reports have indicated they will, and he certainly would make a ton of sense in the Bronx. 

The 34-year-old is an impending free agent in the midst of a spectacular campaign.

While he’s enjoyed his second season with Arizona, he certainly sounds open to the idea of landing with more of a title contender such as the Yankees ahead of the trade deadline. 

“I’m happy where I am, but I understand the game and the business,” Suárez said at All-Star Media Day. “Whatever happens, if I stay it’s fine but if I go its okay too, I will do my best wherever I am -- right now I’m happy where I am.

“The Yankees are the Yankees,” he added on potentially landing in the Bronx. “It’s a team that wants to win. They had success last year but are still hungry, if I go there I will do my best to try and help them win the World Series.”

Suárez has been terrific in the middle of things for Arizona -- earning his second career All-Star appearance. 

The right-handed hitting slugger has already topped his home run total from last season (30), he’s driven in a National League leading 78 runs, and has accounted for a WAR of 3.0 through the first-half of the season. 

Though Suárez’s glove isn’t nearly as valuable as his bat, but he would present the Yanks with a starting-caliber option so they can keep fellow All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. at second full-time. 

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh makes history with 2025 MLB Home Run Derby win originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first All-Star Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in long balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.

The Mariners breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper advanced from the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center field seats was the longest of the night.

Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left field.

Becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a major league-leading 38 home runs. He became the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.

Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother Todd Raleigh Jr. did the catching.

Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he then hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the final.

Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal.

Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.

Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls and Buxton had 20 in the opening round. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, but Raleigh advanced on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.

Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.

The longest derby homer since Statcast started tracking in 2016 was 520 feet by Juan Soto in the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Field in 2021. Last year, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 feet by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.

Wood hit 16 homers, including a 486-foot shot and one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, He also was eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.

Mariners catcher Cal Raleigh makes history with 2025 MLB Home Run Derby win originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won his first All-Star Home Run Derby after leading the big leagues in long balls going into the break, defeating Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero 18-15 in the final round Monday night.

The Mariners breakout slugger nicknamed Big Dumper advanced from the first round on a tiebreaker by less than an inch over the Athletics’ Brent Rooker, then won his semifinal 19-13 over Pittsburgh’s Oneil Cruz, whose 513-foot first-round drive over Truist Park’s right-center field seats was the longest of the night.

Hitting second in the final round, the 22-year-old Caminero closed within three dingers, took three pitches and hit a liner to left field.

Becoming the first switch-hitter and first catcher to win the title, Raleigh had reached the All-Star break with a major league-leading 38 home runs. He became the second Mariners player to take the title after three-time winner Ken Griffey Jr.

Raleigh was pitched to by his father, Todd, former coach of Tennessee and Western Carolina. His younger brother Todd Raleigh Jr. did the catching.

Just the second Derby switch-hitter after Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman in 2023, Raleigh hit his first eight left-handed, took a timeout, then hit seven right-handed. Going back to lefty, he then hit two more in the bonus round and stayed lefty for the semifinals and the final.

Caminero beat Minnesota’s Byron Buxton 8-7 in the other semifinal.

Atlanta’s Matt Olson, Washington’s James Wood, the New York Yankees’ Jazz Chisholm Jr. and the Athletics’ Brent Rooker were eliminated in the first round of the annual power show.

Cruz and Caminero each hit 21 long balls and Buxton had 20 in the opening round. Raleigh and Rooker had 17 apiece, but Raleigh advanced on the tiebreaker of their longest homer, 470.61 feet to 470.53.

Cruz’s long drive was the hardest-hit at 118 mph.

The longest derby homer since Statcast started tracking in 2016 was 520 feet by Juan Soto in the mile-high air of Denver’s Coors Field in 2021. Last year, the longest drive at Arlington, Texas, was 473 feet by Atlanta’s Marcell Ozuna.

Wood hit 16 homers, including a 486-foot shot and one that landed on the roof of the Chop House behind the right-field wall. Olson, disappointing his hometown fans, did not go deep on his first nine swings and finished with 15, He also was eliminated in the first round in 2021.

Chisholm hit just three homers, the fewest since the timer format started in 2015.