Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Dodgers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
All in all, with the resources that this team possesses and the lack of holes to fill, to look for a catching addition feels like a given. Perhaps more than what we may see with the bat, the Dodgers ought to look at adding a steady presence, a catcher who can be relied on to not only do his job but also excel behind the plate defensively.
What adds layers to this debate is that for a team on the market for a catcher, there are legit game-changing options to at least call about. Although none of them are explicitly on the block, controllable beyond just this current campaign, Hunter Goodman, Shea Langeliers, and Adley Rutschman each could be seen within reason as trade candidates. Acquiring any of them, though, would inevitably back the Dodgers into a corner down the line since Smith is going nowhere long-term.
Perhaps in Minnesota, the Dodgers might find targets that are more their speed in Ryan Jeffers or Victor Caratini. Quietly, one of the better-hitting catchers in the AL over the last four seasons, Jeffers has been phenomenal with a .933 OPS in a short sample (44 games) due to missed time this year. With Caratini, who is under contract through next season at a reasonable rate, the Dodgers would be getting stability above all else, adding a player perfectly willing to fade into a backup role down the line. Caratini might even provide Rushing insurance if the youngster hits his way into staying on as a starter in the playoffs.
Taking into account the experience, or lack thereof, of players such as Eliezer Alfonso and Chuckie Robinson, adding a backstopper who’s been there in a postseason environment for the off chance Smith doesn’t return is good business.
Mets president of baseball ops David Stearns met with the media prior to Friday’s series opener against the Dodgers to discuss a number of different topics…
When may we see some deals...
With Thursday's complete off day in the schedule, there had been some hope that we could potentially see some trade deadline moves start to take shape.
However, that ended up not being the case.
So, Stearns was asked when we could potentially see some reach the finish line.
"Every deadline moves a little at its own pace," he said. "A week and a half is an eternity at deadline season; we see it every year -- there are active discussions going on throughout the industry, that is certainly the case.
"When deals ultimately get across the finish line, it's tough to tell, but there's always the acceleration of deals at the deadline; we see that every year -- but when exactly we make our first deal would be tough for me to predict."
Will either of the catchers go?
With so many contenders looking to add catching ahead of the deadline, there has been some buzz that the Mets could look to move on from one of their backstops.
Francisco Alvarez is still just 24 years old and is under club control through the 2029 season.
Luis Torrens is one of baseball's more steady backups, and he just signed a two-year extension with the club.
While both would likely net a relatively decent return, Stearns doesn’t exactly sound too eager to move on from either with the team still looking to contend next year.
“Catching is really important,” he said. “We’re very fortunate to have two really good ones.”
State of the starting rotation
Stearns also broke down what he’s seen from the group from a long-term lens.
“We have some young starters who are performing really well that we are very excited about -- we have some pitching coming behind it, some of which has progressed nicely and some have hit some speed bumps,” he said.
“So from a young starting perspective, we still feel pretty good about where we are as an organization -- but it’s also an area that we’ll have to look to supplement as we head into 2027, but we’ll get to that as we get to planning for 2027.”
The performing youngsters, of course, are Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, and Zac Thornton, who have been putting their talents on full display in the majors of late.
That is a solid trio for the Mets to build around, but there's no denying they need more.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JULY 6: Jorge Mateo #2 of the Atlanta Braves stands at third base during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Truist Park on July 6, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When you are trying to chase down several other teams in the playoff race, and games between now and the trade deadline are running short, every series feels big. This weekend’s clash with the Atlanta Braves is no different. Our very own John Beers provided a run down of the matchup earlier today.
The Orioles lineup lacks some bite without Adley Rutschman and Samuel Basallo, but they put up a fight against the Red Sox earlier in the week, which included snapping their rivals’ 15-game winning streak. A win for the Orioles tonight will make it two in a row for them, en route to another streak of their own.
They have the right pitcher on the mound to make it happen. The Orioles have won each of Trevor Rogers’ last five starts. The lefty has done a lot of the heavy lifting, allowing three total runs across 30.2 innings in that stretch. That translates to a 0.88 ERA. Pretty good!
Grant Holmes, the Braves starter, allowed three runs in his last start alone. So, the momentum is with Rogers. Holmes is a good pitcher, though. He just doesn’t tend to go very deep into a game. The last time he threw more than five innings in an appearance came seven starts ago on June 3rd.
It’s worth noting that Dylan Beavers will bat leadoff in this one. That’s the first time he has had that role this season and just the third time he has ever done it as a big leaguer. Tony Mansolino used him atop the order twice in late September last year. The outfielder is batting .462 over his last five games, including a 2-for-4 performance in the finale with Boston. Craig Albernaz has been more willing to change the lineup to find something that clicks. Beavers makes just as much sense as anyone else right now.
Jul 23, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Tigers right fielder Kerry Carpenter (30) hits a single in the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
Detroit Tigers (49-54) vs. Kansas City Royals (43-61)
Time/Place: 6:40 p.m., Comerica Park SB Nation Site:Royals Review Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network Pitching Matchup: LHP Tarik Skubal (6-5, 2.83 ERA) vs. RHP Beck Way (1-0, 3.22 ERA)
There’s no rest for the wood bats as the run of 17 games in 17 days out of the All-Star break continues for the Atlanta Braves as they kick off a three-game series at Baltimore Friday night at 7:05 p.m. ET.
Grant Holmes gets the start for Atlanta, while Baltimore counters with Trevor Rogers.
Follow along as the Braves look to continue to re-extend their NL East lead, which is back up to 4.5 games behind a 5-2 start to the second half paired with the Phillies dropping series to the Mets and Dodgers.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JULY 22: Tony Vitello #23 of the San Francisco Giants reacts after being ejected during the seventh inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium on July 22, 2026 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The “phantom push” ruling in Wednesday’s loss to the Kansas City Royals derailed the team’s momentum and led to a five-run rally and an eventual San Francisco Giants loss. While it’s true that the umpires should have reviewed the call, and likely that said review would not have ruled the oversliding Vinnie Pasquantino out, what stood out was the performance of manager Tony Vitello, who ended up drawing his third ejection of the season in the 5-4 loss.
It was an unusual ejection. Vitello’s ire was correctly aimed at second base umpire Mike Estabrook, but he was thrown out of the game by third base umpire Lance Barrett. Dave Flemming said Barrett “talks to players like they’re his children,” and perhaps that’s especially true for the handsome and youthful Tony V.
Tony Vitello got ejected after arguing one of the worst calls you'll see all year pic.twitter.com/nnsFzJI5Sa
But Vitello didn’t get his money’s worth. He wasn’t especially vehement in his arguments, getting rung while he was heading to the dugout. No dirt was kicked, no equipment was thrown, no umpire’s parentage was called into question. Instead, Vitello simply got bounced, Landen Roupp got out of rhythm, and the Giants lost a fifth straight game.
You can make a strong case that as the manager of a 42-60 team, only two games better than the worst team in baseball, Vitello isn’t getting ejected enough. It’s been a season full of weird calls and strange decisions. Rafael Devers was the only person on the field to notice he hit a home run in Seattle on Saturday. The team vacillates wildly between under-managing and over-managing. Vitello failed to challenge a play in April where TJ Friedl dropped a Luis Arraez liner, though I would not call it a “freaking disgrace.”
This is a freaking disgrace and needs to be called out!
After reading Rule 5.09(a)(1), I do not believe TJ Friedl caught this ball. If a player drops the ball upon falling, it is not a catch.
What's worse, he would have known he dropped it, yet chose not to make that clear… pic.twitter.com/IuM3lRWLGX
Vitello needs to be angrier about how bad his team is playing. It really doesn’t matter to the outcome of a game if the manager gets thrown out. Hell, it might improve these Giants. But what a managerial ejection often does is snap a team out of complacency. He’s got three ejections so far, which is far down the list of rookie managers in history.
The most ejections ever recorded by a first-year manager is a tie between Roger Bresnahan in 1909 and Johnny Evers in 1913, both of whom got kicked out 10 times in just 154 games. Evers’ legendary double-play partner, the high-strung Joe Tinker, got tossed out of seven games in 1913 in his own first season as a skipper. Completing the triumvirate, Frank Chance got ejected only 15 times in 11 seasons as a manager, maxing out at three in 1914.
Many of the top rookie ejection seasons happened before World War I, when many managers doubled as players, increasing the opportunities for conflicts. The game was also significantly more contentious. For example. when Bresnahan argued with home plate umpire Bill Klem at the end of a 1911, Klem punched him out. Does that count as an ejection? Sadly the record books don’t say.
The modern leader is 2022 National League champion David Bell, who got kicked out of eight games in 2019, which is pretty impressive given the more genteel nature of today’s game. Eight is the Giants’ franchise record for a rookie manager, achieved by Bill Rigney in 1956. John McGraw is easily the Giants’ all-time ejection king, racking up 121 ejections and hitting 11 in a season twice.
Other notably argumentative rookie manager include Burleigh Grimes, who was kicked out of nine games in 1937. Cal Ripken, Sr. was ejected eight times in his first season with the Baltimore Orioles in 1987, a year where his son Cal Ripken, Jr. only sat for eight innings. In 1978, George Bamberger led the Milwaukee Brewers to 93 wins, their first winning season in history, but didn’t make it to the end of seven of those contests.
Whitey Herzog got tossed six times in 1973, even though he got fired after 138 games. It didn’t stop him from going on to a Hall of Fame career. In modern times, Rick Renteria was ejected six times in 2014 and Larry Rothschild inaugurated the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays in 1998 with six ejections.
Bobby Cox is the all-time Ejection King of baseball, and he showed that potential early by being sent to the showers four times in 1978. He got thrown out of six games in 1980 but didn’t start putting up double-digit ejection numbers until the late 90’s with the Atlanta Braves, maxing out with 11 at age 60 in 2001. In a 30-year career, Cox never went a single season without getting tossed and had just one season with only one: The strike-shortened 1994 season. Fittingly, he finished with 162 ejections, a whole season’s worth.
Vitello was hired thanks to the focus he showed at Tennessee when it came to process and preparation. That’s why we’re attacking a video of Cox’s ejections during his prime, so Vitello can study the game tape to bone up on the fundamentals of umpire arguing, which include:
Violating personal space
Profanity
Hand gestures
Bench jockeying
Giving ‘em the business
There are 60 games to go in the season and we are confident that Tony V. can get kicked out of at least three of them. Other teams may push the Giants around, but he shouldn’t let those dastardly umpires do it, too.
Oct 28, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays third baseman Addison Barger (47) warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game four of the 2025 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images
I remember, when I was young and playing sports, the parents, who we called coaches, said ‘give 110%’. Well, you can’t/shouldn’t do it all the time. You go all out, you are likely to injury something,
Addison Barger is going to have season ending elbow surgery. He’ll either have Tommy John or an internal brace surgery. Either way, he’s likely to be out until the start of the 2027 season. If it is Tommy John, he’ll likely miss the first part of the season.
Apparently, his elbow had been bothering him for a while, then he threw that 101.2 mph throw to get Jorge Soler at the plate on May 9th.
DENVER, CO - JULY 22: Luis Garcia Jr. #2 of the Washington Nationals celebrates his two run home run with Nasim Nunez #26 in the seventh inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on July 22, 2026 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Edmonds/Getty Images) | Getty Images
This is the biggest series the Nationals have had in many years. They square off with a direct Wild Card competitor in the Diamondbacks. This is going to be a major test for the Nats, but also a monster opportunity. These next 10 days will tell us so much about the direction of this team.
With a lefty on the mound for the Snakes, the Nats have a righty heavy lineup. However, Luis Garcia Jr. will remain at first base, but hit 8th. Daylen Lile gets the day off as James Wood, Jacob Young and Dylan Crews make up the outfield. Harry Ford will get the start behind the dish. Carson Palmquist will be the opener for Zack Littell tonight.
The D-Backs are red hot right now and riding high. Their top two of Ketel Marte and Corbin Carroll are very dangerous. Gabriel Moreno is also having a great year behind the plate. Nolan Arenado has had a late career resurgence as well. We will also see veteran Max Kepler for the first time. Eduardo Rodriguez is having a great season, and will be on the mound tonight.
Get ready for some massive games at Nationals Park! This is such a monster series for this group. They have not been good at home, but this would be a great time to change that. This series could springboard the Nats towards a big playoff push. Follow along in the comments down below and let’s go Nats.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 16: Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox and George Springer #4 of the Toronto Blue Jays stand on first in the first inning at Fenway Park on June 16, 2026 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Jaiden Tripi/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The last time the Sox faced the Jays, the standings and this team looked WAY different. Can that help the Red Sox revive a win streak or will they start to regress at the hands of Toronto?
Jun 25, 2026; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Yankees pitcher Cam Schlittler (31) throws a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the first inning at Fenway Park. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images
It’s been a bit of a janky week for Yankee baseball, with a pair of rain-induced doubleheaders and a scheduled offday in the past six. We return to what is hopefully normal programming today, with the Bombers coming into Philadelphia for a three-game set against the second-place Phillies.
It’s Cam Bump Day, as the ace Cam Schlittler looks to pull himself over the 4.0 fWAR mark if he can really strut on the Phils tonight. I’ve remarked a number of times this year how Cam will variate between “real good” and “meh” starts this year, with a handful of dominant performances and only one real stinker in the mix. His last outing was certainly in the “meh” column, as the Dodgers were able to chase him before the end of the fifth last Sunday.
I need to do the math on this, but it feels like because Cam throws so many pitches in the zone, he’s most vulnerable against teams that make contact and offer at pitches in-zone. The Phillies boast the sixth-highest strikeout rate in baseball and the 10th-highest Z-Swing percentage, along with the 16th-best Z-Contact rate. To me that sounds like this should be a good matchup for Schlittler’s game plan, but Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper are still who they are.
Jesús Luzardo, who is still just 28 despite me feeling like I’ve heard his name for 15 years, goes for Philly. After a five-win season of his own last year, he’s returned that pace and then some in 2026, making the All-Star team with a 3.43 ERA and 2.90 FIP, led by a sparkling ability to keep the ball in the park. The Yankees have managed to induce some immediate regression in other homer-suppressing pitchers this year, if they can manage that tonight they’ll set themselves up well for a win.
Do note this game is on AppleTV+. I wish it were not.
ATLANTA, GA - JULY 23: Ty France #25 of the San Diego Padres hits a two-run home run in the eighth inning during the game between the San Diego Padres and the Atlanta Braves at Truist Park on Thursday, July 23, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Cole Carter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
San Diego Padres (50-53) at Miami Marlins (52-51), July 24, 2026, 4:10 p.m. PST
Don’t troll in your comments; create conversation rather than destroying it
Remember Gaslamp Ball is basically a non-profanity site
Out of respect to broadcast partners who have paid to carry the game, no mentions of “alternative” (read: illegal) viewing methods are allowed in our thread
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 14: Dave Roberts #30 of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Juan Soto #22 of the New York Mets before the 2026 MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 14, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Mets lineup
A.J. Ewing – LF
Juan Soto – DH
Bo Bichette – 3B
Francisco Lindor – SS
Carson Benge – RF
Luis Robert – CF
Jared Young – 1B
Marcus Semien – 2B
Francisco Alvarez – C
Sean Manaea – LHP
Dodgers lineup
Shohei Ohtani – DH
Andy Pages – CF
Tommy Edman – 3B
Freddie Freeman – 1B
Mookie Betts – SS
Miguel Rojas – 2B
Kyle Tucker – RF
Teoscar Hernández – LF
Dalton Rushing – C
Roki Sasaki – RHP
Broadcast info
First pitch: 7:10pm EDT TV: WPIX Radio: Audacy Mets Radio WHSQ 880AM, Audacy App, 92.3 HD2
DETROIT, MI - JULY 23: Kansas City Royals Vinnie Pasquantino (9) at bat during game between Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers on July 23, 2026 at Comerica Park in Detroit, MI (Photo by Allan Dranberg/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Even after last night’s disappointing loss, the Royals have still won five of seven coming out of the All-Star Break. That’s not nearly enough to get them back into contention, but at least potential trade pieces like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, and Matt Strahm have performed well.
One player who sadly hasn’t rebounded is tonight’s bulk reliever, Noah Cameron. Beck Way will open the game for him as the Royals continue to push the righty into more important relief work while they scramble to see if they have anyone who can be counted on even half the time in their bullpen.
I tried looking into Noah’s body of work earlier this week to see if I could find a glaring flaw with him that led from his terrific May into the awful June and July, and I really didn’t see much of use. His sinker is awful, and I don’t understand why he throws it, but he’s not throwing it more than usual. His average arm angle has ticked back up after dropping nearly 10 degrees from last season at the start of this year. The curveball lost about 100 RPMs from the good stretch to this bad stretch, which is probably a big part of the problem. If it were up to me, I’d have him ditch his sinker and four-seam fastball, lead with the cutter, throw a lot of sliders and changeups, and try to figure out what happened to his curveball. But those are probably far too simple and far too significant changes to make, especially in the middle of the season. So we’re just going to have to hope Brian Sweeney has a better idea than me.
The Tigers are going to pitch Tarik Skubal instead, in what might be his final start in Detroit as a Tiger. Or it might not. The Tigers have been winning a lot lately and might decide to go ahead and see if they can finish off the miraculous comeback. Your guess is as good as mine. What is clear is that Skubal is still one of the best pitchers we’ve ever seen. So good luck to the offense.
Lineups
The offense, in need of luck in the best of times, will still be without starters Bobby Witt Jr. and Maikel Garcia. But Jac Caglianone will also miss a third straight game after injuring his shoulder in Tuesday’s contest. Salvador Perez, the third-worst qualified hitter in all of MLB, will bat third for the Royals today as he continues his hunt for career home run 318. I guess getting him some extra at-bats before his body completely falls apart to chase that record makes sense. Somewhere. Speaking of Salvy’s body falling apart, this will be his first start at catcher in almost a month. He’s been hurting but still played first or DH for almost that entire time. He did slash .250/.325/.485/.810 over that span.
WASHINGTON D.C., UNITED STATES - AUGUST 14: A general view of the US Capitol as daily life continues in Washington D.C., United States on August 14, 2023. (Photo by Celal Günes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) | Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Today’s Lineups
DIAMONDBACKS
NATIONALS
Ketel Marte – 2B
James Wood – LF
Corbin Carroll – RF
Curtis Mead – 3B
Geraldo Perdomo – SS
Andres Chaparro – DH
Gabriel Moreno – C
CJ Abrams – SS
Nolan Arenado – 3B
Dylan Crews – RF
Max Kepler – LF
Jacob Young – CF
Tyler Locklear – 1B
Harry Ford – C
Adrian Del Castillo – DH
Luis Garcia – 1B
Tim Tawa – CF
Nasim Nunez – 2B
E. Rodriguez – LHP
Zack Littell – RHP
After a successful layover in St. Louis, the D-backs head on for another series against a team who might kinda sorta have playoff aspirations. Though it depends who you ask. According to Jack’s chart, the Nationals either have a 6.1% chance of making the post-season… Or a 30.1% chance. Quite a radical difference in perception there. I suspect a difference in methodology, and perhaps also the degree to which past performance is weighted compared to future projections. As discussed in the preview thread, Fangraphs really does not like their chances going forward, projected the third-worst run differential and record in the majors for Washington the rest of the way.
Hopefully, the D-backs can deliver a couple more of the expected losses this weekend. Smallish sample, but they have been the best team in the National League since July 1st, with an 11-6 record over that time. The 99 runs scored over that time trails only the Braves in the majors, while the 72 runs allowed is also well above-average. Also of note: the Diamondbacks have just one loss by more than three runs over their last twenty games. This is in sharp contrast to earlier in the season, where it seemed they would get blown out almost every series. Even when they lose, the games are typically competitive. That’s a good sign, I feel.
Made it back from the Titanic exhibition. Certainly learned a lot, though disappointed there was no Nekkid Kate Winslet exhibit. 🙂 They did have a nice recreation of the staircase, and on entrance you were given a “boarding pass” representing one of the passengers, and their background. At the end, you learned whether or not they survived. Everyone in our group did not. The most impressive bit was a room where you sat in a lifeboat, and the LED walls around depicted the ship sinking, while the radio messages from the Titanic were played. Let’s just say, we won’t be going on a cruise in the near future. All told, recommended.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 17: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers in action against the New York Mets during Game Four of the National League Championship Series at Citi Field on October 17, 2024 in New York City. The Dodgers defeated the Mets 10-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers were supposed to have two games on Fox during this road trip, but last Saturday in The Bronx rain got in the way and postponed the middle game against the Yankees. So we’ll have to settle on a single Fox game on the road trip, on Saturday against the Mets at Citi Field.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto starts for the Dodgers, coming off his first complete game of the season last Sunday against the Yankees. Mets rookie Nolan McLean has been excellent so far this season with a 3.34 ERA in 20 starts, including only two earned runs allowed over his last four starts combined.
