Category: MLB

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets 9, Norfolk Tides 3 – Game 1/F7

Cade Povich got roughed up in Norfolk’s first game of the day. He struggled with control, walking four across 3.1 innings, which (in part) led to the seven runs he allowed on six hits and two strikeouts. Cameron Weston came on to record the final two outs of the fourth inning, but not before allowing two of the inherited runners to score and then coughing up two more of his own runs. Yaramil Hiraldo and Andrew Magno combined for three scoreless frames in the back half of the game.

Norfolk had four hits and four walks in the losing effort. Bryan Ramos’ RBI double in the seventh inning was their only extra-base knock. Jonathan Rodriguez and Heston Kjerstad both had one hit and one RBI. Luis Vázquez scored twice. Enrique Bradfield Jr. went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

Triple-A: Norfolk Tides 3, Syracuse Mets 2 – Game 2/F7

The nightcap saw much better pitching on the Tides part. They held the Mets to just two hits and two runs, all of which came in the very first inning. Chris Kachmar started and allowed those two runs over three innings of work. He was followed by Yaqui Rivera, who tossed 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings. Jose Espada earned the win with his 1.1 shutout effort to conclude the second game of the day.

Norfolk had just two at-bats with runners in scoring position. Their runs scored on a Jud Fabian sac fly in the first inning, and then a tw0-RBI double by Christian Encarnacion-Strand in the sixth. Bradfield had a single, a triple, a stolen base, and two runs scored.

Double-A: Akron RubberDucks (Guardians) 8, Chesapeake Baysox 2

Despite the skewed scoreline, there actually was some good pitching in this game for Chesapeake. Juaron Watts-Brown, the starter, had yet another solid showing. Over five innings he allowed one run on four hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. His 6.24 ERA at Double-A is still ugly, but that is now four straight starts in which he has thrown at least five innings and allowed three or fewer runs. Zane Barnhart (one inning, four runs) and Keagan Gillies (0.2 innings, three runs) had tougher stat lines. Tyson Neighbors came on to record the final four outs with relative ease.

Adam Retzbach had two of the Baysox five hits. One of them was his fourth home run of the season, a solo shot in the fifth inning. Anderson De Los Santos drove in the other run with a first-inning single to score Brandon Butterworth. Griff O’Ferrall went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

High-A: Jersey Shore BlueClaws (Phillies) 9, Frederick Keys 5

It was a nice day at the plate for Yasmil Bucce. The catcher walked, doubled, and homered. Ike Irish added a pair of hits, including a double, plus a run scored. Randal Diaz, recently acquired from the Nationals, recorded his 10th double of the year. Wehiwa Aloy went 0-for-3 with two walks and two strikeouts. Victor Figueroa was 0-for-2 with an RBI.

Frederick used six pitchers to get through these nine innings. The starter, Yeiber Cartaya, lasted 3.1 innings and allowed four runs on four hits, three walks, and four strikeouts. No other pitcher threw more than two frames. Bradley Brehmer was the best of the bunch, deliver two shutout innings. Braeden Sloan, who has had a terrific season (1.71 ERA, 50 strikeouts, 31.2 innings) struggled a bit, giving up a pair of runs in his lone inning.

Low-A: Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (White Sox) 9, Delmarva Shorebirds 8

Delmarva had oodles of baserunners in this one, collecting 12 hits and four walks en route to their eight-run performance. Jordan Sanchez and Elvin Garcia both homered. Adriander Mejía doubled twice, walked, and scored a run. Raylin Ramos had three hits, two RBI, and two runs scored. DJ Layton went 1-for-4 with two RBI.

It was on the other side of the ball where things fell apart. None of the three pitchers that Delmarva used were particularly “good,” but they certianly weren’t helped by a defense that made five errors behind them. For that reason, three of the nine runs they allowed were unearned. Andrew Herbert started and was charged with three earned runs on six hits, two walks, and four strikeouts over five innings. Eccel Correa worked two innings and gave up one earned run while striking out three. Kailen Hamson gave up two runs on four hits, two walks, and zero strikeouts.

Box Scores

Thursday’s Schedule

Norfolk: vs Syracuse, 6:35. Starter: Christian Herberholz (1-3, 5.35 ERA)

Chesapeake: at Akron, 6:35 pm. Starter: Evan Yates (4-4, 5.25 ERA)

Frederick: vs Jersey Shore, 7:00 pm. Starter: Twine Palmer (3-3, 3.77 ERA)

Delmarva: vs Kannapolis, 7:05 pm. Starter: Brayan Orrantia (0-5, 5.18 ERA)

Jimmy Crooks has terrible timing. In more ways than one. In most organizations, he would be in a pretty great spot right now. Sure, he’s struggled pretty mightily in his second try at the major leagues. But he’s a catcher and considered a good defender at that. Teams will wait multiple years for your bat to show up. You will get every opportunity to prove you’re a starting caliber catcher and you probably have a nice backup role if your bat never comes around.

Jimmy Crooks is not in most organizations. He has the misfortune of being sandwiched between two established MLB catchers and two great prospects below him. One of them is unquestionably a better prospect than him and the other is debatable but at worst, they seem like they are equal prospects. And the latter will be MLB ready fairly soon and is also on the 40 man. He is unfortunately in more of a “you got to perform” situation than most comparable prospects to him this quickly into their MLB career.

Basically, he has poor timing for a very simple reason: if you swapped Pedro Pages and Jimmy Crooks timelines, I’m not sure Pages ever gets a real shot with the Cardinals. Pages has great timing, and to his credit, he has capitalized on it. After a poor rookie season, he has been worth 2.2 fWAR in 548 PAs the past two seasons. Not a star, but a really good bridge catcher honestly while you wait for the higher potential guys to be ready. Assuming Crooks does in fact get 218 PAs like Pages got in his rookie season, will he get more chances if he’s not performing? Tough to say.

So the Jimmy Crooks conversation requires some nuance. Because I am very vocal in being a Pedro Pages defender, because I believe in his glove. I have also been vocal – at least I think – that assuming Crooks is worst case scenario Pedro Pages with a better bat was…. not a good assumption. (Especially in 2026) It ignores how difficult the transition from AAA to the majors is. And most importantly, I was absolutely not assuming Crooks was Pages’ equal defensively for the same exact reason I don’t assume Nathan Church is as good defensively as Victor Scott: when the bar is set that high, I need actual proof. (I still don’t think Church is as good defensively as Scott, but obviously his bat is way better)

Actually, in this specific case, it has more to do with catcher defense in general more than Pages setting some unreasonably high bar. Make no mistake: the average fan is underrating Pages defensively. But my skepticism about Crooks has more to do with how insanely difficult it is to grade catcher defense. Unless they are egregiously bad at it, you basically can’t tell how good a catcher is at framing from the eye test. You can’t tell how good they are with the staff at all.

What you can see is how good they are at throwing out runners and blocking. And blocking might be the lowest impact part of catching of all the things you can grade a catcher for. It doesn’t feel like it is, but consider: Pedro Pages doesn’t seem great at blocking right? That has cost him a grand total of….zero runs. Yeah he has been a neutral blocker. Neither a positive or negative. Part of it is we probably underrate how many balls do actually get by an average catcher, but also… one extra base here and there just isn’t moving the needle much.

Willson Contreras was a good blocker and also good at throwing out runners and also bad enough at defense that he needed to move to a different position. Like the two things we can actually notice as fans, Contreras was good at, but he was bad at literally every other part of being a catcher. Scouting defense at catcher is impossible for the average fan and very difficult for a pro scout.

Back to Crooks, I am not actually worried about his defense. I don’t know how good it will be, but we’re dealing with a small sample size. Also, I think in the same way a rookie will struggle to adjust to MLB pitching, there’s probably a learning curve for catcher defense too. I’ve been comparing Crooks to Pages this whole article and I’ll do it again: Pages did not rate as a good defender in his rookie season. There’s an adjustment period.

Am I worried about his bat? Yes and no. No, because he does have a .314 xwOBA so he should be getting better results than he has so far. And even if he was deserving of them, again it should not be surprising that a hitter who struck out nearly a third of the time in Memphis is having trouble making contact at the MLB level. I was certainly not expecting Crooks to be good right away. Not every hitter struggles for the first time in the majors, it just so happened Crooks was the exact kind of hitter who usually does tend to struggle. Nothing that has happened has altered my view of Crooks.

But I am worried about his bat a little bit, unrelated to his MLB struggles, because I kind of think his power in Memphis was completely fake. It happened of course. So it was “real.” But I don’t think we can trust those numbers whatsoever. And it is entirely due to one stat: HR/FB%. Most of you know what that is, but I’ll explain for those who don’t. When a hitter hits a flyball, it becomes a homer a certain percentage of the time. That’s what the stat is describing.

HR/FB% is clearly a skill, but it’s a skill in the same way BABIP is: you can have a very high BABIP and maybe that’s a skill you have, but it usually isn’t. Sometimes you’re Matt Holliday… and sometimes you’re Alec Bohm (.334 BABIP in his first three seasons…. a lot worse since).

In 2025, there were 19 qualified hitters with a 20 HR/FB% or higher. With the exception of Christian Yelich, all of them had .200 ISO. And besides Mike Trout, all of them hit at least 29 homers and Trout hit 26 while only playing in 130 games. Basically, you’re an elite power hitter if you manage a 20 HR/FB%. The low 30s is about as high as you will get and that’s Aaron Judge territory.

Jimmy Crooks was at 44.4% in Memphis. His previous career high? 17.3%. To be fair, that was in 2025, so at least that wasn’t a few years ago, but yeah I don’t think he’s a true talent 20 HR/FB%. If he hit homers at an 18 HR/FB%, he would have five homers on the season. Which is solid pop for a catcher, but I really would not expect him to be a 20 HR guy.

So I’m not “worried” about Crooks necessarily, I just don’t really see the upside others do in his offense, because I do not believe in his power. And his current profile of high strikeouts and an average amount of walks doesn’t really translate to a good hitter without power. One only really needs to look at his projection to see what the successful version of this looks like: 6.9 BB%, 28.1 K%, .124 ISO, 83 wRC+. If his defense is as good as advertised, that’s a solid player, though not tremendously different than Pedro Pages. But yeah if you were wondering at the projection, it’s because it sees the insanely high HR/FB% with no history to back it up.

Competing against Crooks are an interesting duo. Ivan Herrera should probably move off catcher. They gave him a legitimate shot, he’s still a valuable player with his poor defense, but it doesn’t really make any sense with what’s behind him. None of the four catchers below him have any defensive questions. Only Rodriguez might come close to him with the bat, but Rodriguez is a short stocky, slow guy. Too slow for outfield, too small for first base. Maybe you try Herrera in the outfield, maybe you just stick him at DH, maybe you trade Burly and move Herrera to 1B. Maybe you trade Herrera. It just feels like catcher should not be in his future.

Then there’s Pages who is also a bit weird. For those who want to trade him, in theory I absolutely agree. But it doesn’t seem like he would have actual trade value. And he’s a little bit too valuable to give away for nothing. He’s certainly a much better third catcher than Yohel Pozo at the least. Nonetheless, he makes for a bit of an awkward fit being probably the only dude with no actual potential. As long as Herrera stays at catcher, Pages is staying as the third catcher. And Pages is a perfectly acceptable backup if they only have two catchers, but then of course other catchers come knocking.

As far as what’s coming, I think Leo Bernal only adds to the confusion. I do not mean this in a derogatory way, but Bernal is very much a Dylan Carlson prospect. I mean in the sense of being a prospect because of being consistently average at a very young age for the level he’s playing at. This profile works so much better at catcher than outfield so believe me, this is not a criticism. Nonetheless, kind of hard to gauge what his real potential is due to this. Sometimes, their young age means they will keep advancing and they have way more potential than their numbers say and sometimes… they are Nomar Mazara and never actually take that next step.

And then of course there’s Rodriguez, whose bat certainly seems can’t miss right now. It doesn’t matter how good anyone is above him, he’s kicking them to the side whenever he’s ready. He’s what’s giving everyone else a ticking clock, and he’s to some extent forcing a decision maybe not at the deadline but you would think in the offseason at the least.

And in the middle of all this stands Crooks. Both Bernal and Rodriguez might be ready in 2027. That should give him the rest of this year at the least. Someone has to get traded out of this group and because of poor timing, I kind of struggle to see it not being Crooks right now. But who knows? Maybe they’ll go after a top of the rotation starter, and maybe Bernal returns that or maybe they trade Herrera instead for that. Who knows? Lot of directions this could go. I’m fascinated to see it play out.

With less than one month until the trade deadline, the silly season of rumors are starting to swirl and while some of those “extrapolations” are purely for the views, this report by Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic hypothesizes that if the Boston Red Sox decide to sell, starting pitcher Sonny Gray would be an “intriguing match” for the Atlanta Braves.

Gray, who is now 36, has seemingly been an omnipresent player in trade or free agency wishes for a large contingent of Braves fans for years given that he lives in Nashville and attended Vanderbilt University. But, for whatever reasons, the pairing has yet to occur.

Rosenthal and Sammon reason that a match of Gray and the Braves is viable because Gray holds a full no-trade clause which could limit Boston’s options if – and this a big if – they decide to sell. Another favorable line-item for a Gray deal is that he would be owed approximately $6M should he be trade since Grays previous employer, the St. Louis Cardinals, are covering half of his salary this season.

The important context of their report is that this was sourced information, as noted below.

The Atlanta Braves are one of several rotation-needy teams expressing interest in Boston Red Sox starter Sonny Gray, according to people familiar with the situation who were not authorized to speak freely on the topic.

The Athletic’s duo do float the plausibility that Atlanta could make a play for Tarik Skubal, the pending free agent starter of the Detroit Tigers, but that isn’t based on intel.

In the same report, they double-down on their prior reporting that the Kansas City Royals are not going to trade starting pitchers Michael Wacha and Seth Lugo. If the Royals, despite their record, hold on to those two pitchers – the starting pitching market will be reduced significantly for all buyers.

For early June, this is a notable rumor, but take this with a grain of salt. A big grain of salt.

Is it just me, or is it taking much longer than usual for all of the Home Run Derby participants to be announced? The contest is four days away and we still don’t know all eight players that will take the field Monday night. Maybe it’s because MLB is awaiting word from a pair of hometown sluggers…

On to the links.

Phillies News:

• Don Mattingly told ESPN’s Buster Olney that he is interested in managing the Phillies beyond this season.
• ICYMI, the Phillies activated Brad Keller off of the injured list yesterday and recalled Alan Rangel while placing Lou Trivino on the IL and optioning Seth Johnson to Triple-A.
• You’ve already heard from Zack Wheeler’s agent after his All-Star snub, now you can hear from the man himself after he tossed an angry gem. ($)
• While we’re on the subject, here’s an ode to a pitcher scorned.
• An inside look at the massive undertaking that the Citizens Bank Park clubhouse staff is in the midst of as they prepare the stadium for All-Star weekend.

MLB News:

• Justin Verlander, shortly after being named the commissioner’s pick for an American League All-Star selection, announced that he intends to retire at the end of this season.
• We know at least two more participants in the Home Run Derby, as Jac Caglianone of the Royals and Willson Contreras of the Red Sox announced their participation.
• Domingo Acvedo, a right-hander pitching for the Rockies Triple-A affiliate, has tested positive for PEDs and was handed an 80-game suspension.
• The MLB single season strikeout record is once again in jeopardy, but the four players currently on pace to surpass it are not too concerned about the dubious honor. ($)

With the MLB Draft upon us, how about we rewind the clock five years and take a look back at the Yankees’ 2021 draft class? Major League Baseball’s draft is unique among the major professional sports. Many of the players selected never make it to the team that drafted them, whether they choose not to sign, are traded away before reaching the majors, or simply fizzle out somewhere along the development ladder.

For the Yankees, the 2021 class featured several early selections who ultimately had little direct impact on the organization. However, the class also produced two late-round gems who have since become important pieces of the major league roster.

The Yankees made 20 selections in the 2021 MLB Draft and signed all but two of them. Nineteenth-round pick Dominic Keegan honored his commitment to Vanderbilt, while 20th-round selection Sean Hard chose Boston College instead. Of the 18 players who signed, seven are still with the organization.

Among those seven, two names stand well above the rest: eighth-round pick Will Warren and 12th-round selection Ben Rice. Both of those selections came outside the first five rounds, making this class the opposite of top heavy.

Warren has developed into everything the Yankees could have hoped for from a pitcher selected outside the first five rounds. He has already logged 278.1 major league innings, including 33 starts last season and another 18 already this year, establishing himself as a valuable member of New York’s rotation, even if it has come at the back end.

Rice has not only become the Yankees’ best selection from this draft, but arguably one of the biggest steals of the entire 2021 draft. Players selected after the 10th round rarely reach the major leagues, let alone develop into All-Stars in just their second full season. The Yankees selected Rice out of Dartmouth in the 12th round, and just a few years later he has become one of the organization’s biggest success stories. Here’s hoping Rice puts on a show in the Home Run Derby and keeps his breakout campaign rolling.

The other five players from this class still with the organization are second-round pick Brendan Beck (No. 55 overall), third-round selection Brock Selvidge (No. 92), fifth-round pick Tyler Hardman (No. 153), 13th-round selection Zach Messinger (No. 393), and 15th-round pick Danny Watson (No. 453). Beck got his first cup of coffee in the majors earlier this season, though his most recent start was one he’d probably like to forget. Hardman, Messinger, and Watson are all currently with Triple-A Scranton, while Selvidge is on the injured list at Double-A Somerset.

The Yankees have also used seven members of the 2021 draft class as trade chips to acquire major league talent. Those players include first-round pick Trey Sweeney, fourth-round selection Cooper Bowman, sixth-round pick Richard Fitts, seventh-rounder Robert Ahlstrom, ninth-round pick Chandler Champlain, 10th-round selection Benjamin Cowles, and 11th-rounder Jack Neely.

Collectively, those prospects helped the Yankees acquire Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Alex Verdugo, José Trevino, Andrew Benintendi, Jorbit Vivas, Victor González, and Mark Leiter Jr. I’ll admit, a few of those names made me shiver as I typed them. Most of those trades could probably be called pushes, with neither side clearly winning the deal. The obvious exception is the José Trevino trade. Trevino made an All-Star team, won a Gold Glove in pinstripes, and became a fan favorite, before eventually getting traded for Fernando Cruz. For all that, we thank Ahlstrom for his sacrifice.

That leaves four members of the class who are no longer with the organization through other means. Fourteenth-round pick Sean Hermann was selected by the Mariners in the Minor League Rule 5 Draft. Sixteenth-rounder Cole Ayers was released by the Yankees in March 2026, while 17th-round selection Grant Richardson was released during the 2025 season, and 18th-round pick Bailey Dees was released in April of 2026.

Not every draft class is a home run. Five years later, the Yankees’ 2021 class looks like a slightly above-average group, even if it got there through the unconventional route of developing later-round talent. Any draft that produces a reliable major league starter, an All-Star hitter, and several additional pieces that helped patch holes on the major league roster should ultimately be viewed as a success. Another five years from now the narrative might change, but for now, well done 2021.

In part one of this five-part trade deadline primer, I looked at the Brewers’ roster and determined what their primary needs are. While things could certainly shift over the next 25 days (look no further than yesterday’s Brandon Woodruff news, or the injury to David Hamilton, which put the Brewers’ infield in a bit of flux), I identified relief pitching as the roster’s biggest area of need, and the area that I felt the team was most realistically likely to address.

Today, we’ll start doing the work of looking around the league to see which relief pitchers might be available. Remember, the landscape this year is strange; there are a lot of bad teams, which means that there are a lot of teams that feel they might have a real shot with a hot week or two between now and the deadline. So I’m going to break this into two parts: first, which targets are available on teams that definitely look like they’re out of it? Second, which targets could become available if things don’t go well over the next three-and-a-half weeks?

I also mentioned that the Brewers’ need in this area was for a high-leverage reliever, so I’m going to be aiming high here. Matt Arnold and David Stearns before him have shown a proclivity for acquiring less splashy relievers at the deadline, but I’m specifically looking for players who could push Aaron Ashby for the number-three role in the bullpen behind Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe.

Targets from teams who look out of it

As I mentioned, there are a bunch of teams where it’s hard to say with certainty whether they are or are not out of it at this point. But I’ll do my best to first identify some targets from teams who are far enough back that, at this point, they should probably sell.

The problem is that these teams are bad, so it’s harder to find good players on them. Honestly, I had trouble identifying targets worth acquiring from the six teams that should be declared, with certainty, out of it: the Reds, Mets, Giants, Rockies, Royals, and Angels.

There are a few interesting names, though, and let’s start in New York. Luke Weaver is having an excellent season — at the start of play Wednesday, he has a 1.89 ERA and 2.54 FIP in 38 innings pitched — and has a track record of success in the postseason. The question here is money. While the Brewers could probably afford the prorated bit of his 2026 salary, they probably don’t want to be on the hook for the $12.5 million he’s owed in 2027.

Money is also a barrier to a Devin Williams reunion. Williams has had a rough go since leaving the Brewers, and that reflects in his 4.85 ERA this season. But Williams’ FIP this year is way lower, at 3.25, and he’s striking out 13 batters per nine innings, so there are some reasons for optimism. However, his walks — which were always a bit of an issue, even when he was unhittable — are higher than they’ve ever been, and that’s an issue. But bringing it back around: Williams is owed $12 million in 2027 and 2028, plus there is $15 million in deferred money in his contract. That’s way too much for the Brewers to pay a reliever who might not even be good, and even if the Mets covered some of it, I think it’d still be too much. I’d cross this one off the list.

Sticking with the Mets for a moment, some lower-profile trade candidates include a couple of old guys in 38-year-old Brooks Raley and 36-year-old Huascar Brazobán. I’m skeptical of Raley’s numbers — they seem flukey — and while Brazobán’s feel a little less flukey, he’s not striking a ton of guys out, and he’s walking a lot. I’d stay away from both.

Another high-profile trade target this deadline could be the Kansas City’s Daniel Lynch IV. The Royals’ bullpen has been a major disappointment, but Lynch has been good. He holds a 2.41 ERA and 3.23 FIP, and while he isn’t a big strikeout guy, he’s done a good job keeping the ball in the ballpark, and he hasn’t been giving up many hits. The scary thing here is that Lynch is having a way better season in this, his sixth year, than he ever has before, so I don’t have a lot of confidence.

If you were looking for a reclamation project on the Royals — and the Brewers shouldn’t really be looking for reclamation projects right now, to be clear — you could check in on Lucas Erceg and Matt Strahm. Erceg, who was drafted as a position player by the Brewers in 2016, was really good the past couple of years, throws hard, and gets a lot of ground balls, but this season has been a disaster; he hasn’t been able to strike anyone out, he’s been walking everyone, and he was stripped of the closer job. Strahm has been one of the league’s more reliable relievers over the past three years, but he’s been terrible in 2026, and there’s not a lot in the data to give much confidence that he’ll get better.

Lastly, there are a couple of Rockies relievers who are having good seasons. Antonio Senzatela has essentially been a starter for his whole career, but after back-to-back rocky (get it) seasons in 2024 and 2025, he’s been moved to the bullpen. It’s worked out quite well: Senzatela has a 2.93 ERA (169 ERA+) and 3.36 FIP in 46 innings, and with his background as a starter, he’s capable of pitching multiple innings (those 46 innings are across 27 relief appearances). He’s never been a strikeout pitcher whatsoever, but he’s seen a slight uptick in his numbers with the move to the ‘pen.

The other guy is Jimmy Herget, who has put together back-to-back good seasons in the Rockies’ bullpen — not an easy task. Last season, Herget had a 2.48 ERA and 3.32 FIP in 59 appearances, and this season he’s at a 3.52 ERA and 3.34 FIP in 23 outings. Herget isn’t a hard thrower and actually throws way more breaking balls than fastballs; an intriguing type of player, particularly in the thin air of Denver.

There are no targets that I’d advocate a move from any of the Reds, Giants, or Angels. Cincinnati’s Brock Burke and Tejay Antone have gotten pretty good results this season, but there is enough reason to be dubious that I’d avoid them. Los Angeles has a couple of dudes — Ryan Zeferjahn and Chase Silseth — who would intrigue me as long-term projects, but for now both walk way too many batters to be trusted in any sort of leverage situation.

Targets from teams who might sell

Here’s where things get good, for the most part. These are players from teams that sit roughly four or five games back of the Wild Card — they’re not out of it, but they’re all under .500 and could fall out of it with a bad couple of weeks. The big-time, headlining relief options that could be available at the deadline all come from these teams.

We’ll start with the biggest name: Aroldis Chapman. Boston is 41-48, but in the terrible American League, they’re just four games back in the Wild Card. It feels like a good season for Boston to sell, but we’ll see. Chapman, in any case, has still got it; he was the best reliever in baseball last season, and this year he’s pitched to a 2.36 ERA/2.44 FIP and is still striking out nearly 12 batters per nine innings. He doesn’t throw quite as hard as he used to, but even at age 38, he’s still averaging 97.5 mph on his fastball.

The hangups with Chapman: first, there’s the fact that he’s not exactly an easy guy to root for, given his history of domestic violence issues. Second, the money isn’t small. Chapman has a $13 million salary in 2026, and while Milwaukee could probably handle the prorated amount, he’s also got a conditional option for another $13 million in 2027 that reportedly vests if he surpasses 40 innings — which he will do if he is healthy enough to get traded before the deadline.

I’d like to also address two more top-line closers from teams in this category: San Diego’s Mason Miller and Toronto’s Louis Varland. Both teams have been disappointing this year, but both closers have been absolutely lights out. Here’s the issue, though: if San Diego trades Miller, they’ll want to recoup something close to the value they gave up for him last season — which was a top-five overall prospect. Miller still has three years of control, so his value is enormous, but I don’t think the Brewers would trade Jesús Made for him, especially given that they’ve got a good closer. Varland is under control for even longer — he’s not a free agent until 2031 — and the Blue Jays, even if they decide to sell this year, will expect to compete next year, and they’ll want him then. I don’t think either Miller or Varland gets traded.

San Diego and Toronto both have other players who could be available, though. A player who will certainly be moved if San Diego is out of it is lefty Adrián Morejón. By his standards, his 3.52 ERA this season (119 ERA+) isn’t very good. But the underlying numbers are strong: he’s got a 2.47 FIP and a 4.91 K:BB ratio. He’s also coming off a two-year run of being a solid reliever for a good team with postseason experience. The fact that he’s left-handed also would make him a desirable target for the Brewers, whose top two relievers are both right-handed. Morejón is still only 27, but he’s been in the big leagues since he was 19, so he becomes a free agent after the season, which should make him relatively attainable. From a financial perspective and fit perspective, Morejón would be one of the targets that would make the most sense for Milwaukee, but every team wants another good lefty reliever.

Another Padre, Wandy Peralta, has a lot of experience and a 3.05 ERA over the past seven years. He’s always managed to outperform his FIP, which for his long career is a whole 1.35 runs higher than his ERA, but it’s still somewhat concerning, and Peralta’s strikeout numbers have gone from “not very good” (career 7.3 per nine) to “alarming” (5.8 per nine this year). I’d stay away.

The Toronto reliever who makes sense in a vacuum is Tyler Rogers, who has been awesome this season and has put together an underrated career. But money is a problem here: Rogers signed a three-year, $37 million contract before the season that includes a vesting option for a fourth year at an additional $11 million. If that option vests, Rogers will be 38 in the last year of the contract, and this is the kind of big money deal that the Brewers have taken pains to avoid. Maybe a wealthy team will get desperate, but I’d expect Rogers to stay with Toronto as well.

A lesser but still prime target from Boston is Garrett Whitlock. Whitlock, who is 30, was excellent in 2025 and has been basically just as good in 2026, with a 2.40 ERA, 2.75 FIP, 10.2 K/9, and just 1.8 BB/9 in 30 innings pitched. He doesn’t throw all that hard, but he’s got a ton of extension — a trait the Brewers like. Whitlock is under control for two more seasons, but that’s via not-all-that-cheap $8.25 million and $10.5 million options (in 2027 and 2028, respectively).

Baltimore’s Yennier Cano is another big target. He’s got two more years of control after this season, and aside from a blip in 2025, he’s been quite good for four years running. Cano doesn’t throw as hard as some of these other guys, and his strikeout numbers aren’t great for a reliever, but he’s an extreme groundball pitcher (99th percentile) who keeps walks down and, this year at least, isn’t allowing home runs.

There are two players on the Diamondbacks who I’d be interested in as well: Jonathan Loáisiga and Juan Morillo. Loáisiga is another groundball guy, one who throws harder than Cano and is a free agent after the season, so if Arizona decides to sell, he’d be an obvious one to go. Morillo is much less likely to get traded; he’s by no means a proven quantity, as he just debuted last season, but he has five more years of control and is one of the hardest throwers in the league. Both pitchers have performed well this season.

A few names to keep an eye on who are not as proven as those above but could still conceivably help:

• I’m skeptical, but Arizona’s Taylor Clarke (a former minor leaguer in Milwaukee’s system) has put up pretty good numbers for two years in a row, and he’s a free agent after the season.
• Sticking with the Diamondbacks, 26-year-old Brandyn Garcia is another hard-throwing groundball pitcher who has been good in a small sample. He’s also got a lot of control, like his teammate Morillo.
• Another San Diego pitcher with a solid ERA but who I’d stay away from: Yuki Matsui. Too many walks.
• One more intriguing Boston pitcher: Tyron Guerrero is 35 and has almost no MLB track record — before this season, he hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2019 — but he’s having a good season and throws as hard as almost anyone in the league. He’s also a big extension guy and a groundball machine, traits that the Brewers tend to value. The samples are tiny, though, and there’s not a lot in his history that makes you trust him.
• A former almost-Brewer, Grant Wolfram, has a 4.15 ERA for Baltimore this season. That’s bad, but his FIP in 26 innings is just 1.81, and he’s got 29 strikeouts to only four walks. He’s not really a leverage arm, but he could help bolster things if Milwaukee wanted to go that way.
• In a near-opposite case, Kyle Finnegan has just a 2.18 ERA for the Tigers this season, but he’s got just 6.8 K/9 compared to 5.4 BB/9 in 39 games and has a 4.69 FIP. Stay away!
• One Tiger that intrigues me but also has red flags: Will Vest. He’s hurt at the moment with what has been described as a “non-ligament-related” elbow injury, so it’s a question whether he’ll even be healthy enough to pitch (and given what happened with Shelby Miller last year, the Brewers might be wary of pitchers with health questions). Vest also has a 6.08 ERA this year… but his FIP is just 3.42, and he’d been quite good every year from 2023-25, which is a long run for a reliever in today’s game.

Conclusions

We’ll have to wait and see on the Padres, Blue Jays, Red Sox, Diamondbacks, and Orioles — a couple of good weeks, and any of them could be right there in the Wild Card hunt. But of all the options that seem like they could be realistically available, here’s how I’d rank them:

1. Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox
2. Adrián Morejón, Padres
3. Luke Weaver, Mets
4. Yennier Cano, Orioles
5. Jonathan Loáisiga, Diamondbacks
6. Garrett Whitlock, Red Sox
7. Jimmy Herget, Rockies
8. Antonio Senzatela, Rockies

I think it’s at least reasonable that the guys I’ve listed above will be traded, and while a few (Chapman, Weaver, Whitlock) would require some real financial support from the ownership level, I don’t think any of them are unrealistic from a cost perspective.

Anyone else I’ve mentioned in this article falls into one of three categories:

• I don’t think they’d be a meaningful upgrade (Strahm, Raley, Peralta, etc.)
• They make too much money (Williams, Rogers)
• I don’t think they’ll be traded (Miller, Varland, Morillo, etc.)

What do you think? Anyone I’ve missed?

Hello, friends.

The Orioles have just passed a grim milestone. They now have a worse record than the team did through the same number of games last year. Even as pessimistic as I was about these jokers, I did not imagine this was a likely outcome. Here they are anyway. Last year’s Orioles were 43-50. The 2026 Orioles are now 42-51. What a disappointment. Check out Alex Church’s recap of last night’s game for more of the not-so-lovely totals on how they finally reached this point.

They made it interesting last night. Whatever else can be said about them, you’ve got to give them that. After Dean Kremer gave up four home runs and then Rico Garcia and Grant Wolfram combined to give up five runs between them to put the Orioles in a 9-3 hole, they didn’t go quietly. It’s just that it was too little, too late.

Perhaps that will be what is said about them for this season overall. Pretty much anything that you could cling to that maybe the O’s aren’t falling out of this thing has been obliterated within the last week or so. In addition to falling below last year’s pace, the third wild card team is now above .500, they are five games out of that picture, and the O’s are in last place in the division.

This thing is all but over. They can’t do it. To be sure, mathematical oblivion is a long way off. Other times this season, they’ve stabilized after bad stretches and they might do so again. It’s just that the Orioles have never managed to come back to where they should be. It’s going to be hard to do that as long as they can’t win more than three games in a row.

The Orioles have too many problems to solve and even if they solve some of them, there’s still the hole they’ve dug for themselves. In addition to just needing to have a good enough record by season’s end, the Orioles also need to have a good enough record to convince Mike Elias not to do any selling ahead of the trade deadline. Perhaps even to get him to buy to help solve some of those problems not only for the remainder of this season but for next year as well.

It is not fun that this is the case. There are not any good immediate solutions and any solutions beyond 2026 will require some pain. That could mean players you like being traded. It could mean more upheaval in the front office or on the coaching staff. I am sticking to my opinion that if the Orioles don’t make the playoffs, Elias should be removed at season’s end. There is no point to making a change sooner, barring truly horrendous behavior coming to light. Overseeing an underachieving roster doesn’t count for that. The cake is baked. It’s a crummy cake. Maybe next year’s will be better, if there is a different baker.

Orioles stuff you might have missed

Thoughts on Kremer’s splitter, Cowser’s defense, and more (School of Roch)
The praise for Kremer’s splitter is kind of tragic considering he went on to give up multiple homers on the splitter in last night’s game.

Breaking down the prospects who make the Orioles 2025 draft class its most encouraging in years (The Baltimore Banner)
You can certainly lament Caden Bodine being traded for Shane Baz, but even without him, there are plenty of early success stories for last year’s Orioles draft class. It’s much better to have it be like this than what the 2024 high picks were doing this time a year ago!

Each team’s best draft pick in the last ten years (MLB.com)
The fact that Gunnar Henderson rates the best here is extremely unsatisfying in the face of how his batting performance has tailed off so hard. After last night’s loss, he’s sitting at a .690 OPS. It’s not the only reason that the Orioles are where they are. It is a big reason.

Phil Regan, manager when Cal broke streak record, dies at 89 (The Baltimore Sun)
I think in 1995 I might have asked my dad nearly daily, “What if Phil Regan doesn’t play Cal today?” I don’t know why I was fixated on the idea that he might not do it, but that’s my main Regan memory. Condolences to his loved ones.

Birthdays and Orioles anniversaries

One lone former Oriole has a birthday today: Happy 77th to Steve Luebber, who made seven appearances for the 1981 Orioles.

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday to you! Your birthday buddies for today include: sewing machine inventor Elias Howe (1819), composer Ottorino Respighi (1879), actor Tom Hanks (1956), The White Stripes musician Jack White (1975), and Steven Universe creator Rebecca Sugar (1987).

On this day in history…

In 1540, England’s Henry VIII annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves, the fourth of his six wives. Queen for about six months, Anne survived the longest of Henry’s wives by living for another 17 years.

In 1762, Catherine, later known as Catherine the Great, seized power in Russia following a coup against her husband, Peter III. She went on to reign for 34 years.

In 1868, the 14th amendment to the US Constitution was formally ratified. Its plain text enshrines birthright citizenship for the United States: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.”

In 1943, the Allied powers of World War II initiated Operation Husky, an amphibious invasion of the island of Sicily. A bit more than a month later, the island was fully captured, with the Italian mainland set as the next target.

**

And that’s the way it is in Birdland on July 9. Have a safe Thursday. Go O’s!

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/7-7)

GAME ONE: SYRACUSE 9, NORFOLK 3 / 7 (BOX)

Game one of their doubleheader was a drubbing, as the Mets went up in the top of the first and held the lead throughout. Christian Arroyo and Cristian Pache drove in those runs in the first, on an RBI double and single respectively. Christopher Morel made it 4-0 in the third with a two run home run. Norfolk scored two of their three runs in the bottom of the third, but a five run fifth (with runs scored on a throwing error, Ryan Clifford single and Morel double) put the game out of reach.

Interestingly, Zach Thornton threw two perfect innings and was pulled from the game. He will be a name to keep an eye on over the next few days.

• CF Nick Morabito: 1-2, 3 BB, SB (28)
• 2B Ji Hwan Bae: 1-3, R, 2 BB, SB (29)
• 1B Christian Arroyo: 1-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB
• RF Cristian Pache: 1-5, R, RBI, K, SB (14)
• LF Ryan Clifford: 1-4, 2 R, RBI, 3 K
• 3B Yonny Hernández: 0-2, R, 2 BB
• DH Christopher Morel: 2-3, R, 2B, HR (1), 5 RBI, BB
• C Hayden Senger: 1-4, K
• SS Zack Short: 1-4, R, K
• LHP Zach Thornton: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
• REHAB ALERT: RHP Dedniel Núñez: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K
• RHP Daniel Duarte: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, W (3-2)
• RHP Ryan Lambert: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Dylan Ross: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP

GAME TWO: NORFOLK 3, SYRACUSE 2 / 7 (BOX)

Game two was much less fun for the Mets, as they lost the game late. They opened the game with a two spot, again, this time with Ryan Clifford hitting a two run homer. Norfolk scored one in the bottom of the first, and that 2-1 score held until the sixth inning, when Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a two run double to put Norfolk ahead 3-2, the eventual final score.

• RF Ji Hwan Bae: 0-2, R, BB, 2 SB (30, 31)
• CF Nick Morabito: 0-2, BB, 2 K
• LF MJ Melendez: 0-3, K
• DH Ryan Clifford: 1-3, R, HR (15), 2 RBI
• 2B Yonny Hernández: 1-3
• C Ben Rortvedt: 0-3, K
• SS Vidal Bruján: 0-3, K
• 1B Christopher Morel: 0-3
• 3B Zack Short: 0-1, BB, K
• RHP Ben Simon: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• LHP Joe Jacques: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Joey Gerber: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, H (2)
• LHP Matt Turner: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, BS (1), L (1-1)
• LHP Nate Lavender: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/3-11)

HARTFORD 13, BINGHAMTON 4 (BOX)

Well, as you can imagine, a 13-4 game was not very competitive from a Binghamton point of view. Hartford scored six runs in the second inning, which was really all they needed since Binghamton just put together four runs in the game. Binghamton actually had a fair amount of hits (11), but left ten men on base and simply could not keep up with the offensive onslaught from Hartford.

Luis Robert Jr. did go 2-4 in a rehab assignment, as he inches closer back to a crowded outfield in Queens, with Juan Soto playing at an MVP level alongside the two highly performing rookies in A.J. Ewing and Carson Benge.

• REHAB ALERT: CF Luis Robert Jr.: 2-4, R, K
• PH-2B Nick Roselli: 0-1, K
• RF-CF Jose Ramos: 1-5, R, HR (13), 2 RBI, 2 K
• 3B Nick Lorusso: 2-4, R, HR (15), RBI, BB
• 1B JT Schwartz: 3-5, R, 2B, K
• DH-C Kevin Parada: 0-5, K
• C-LF Vincent Perozo: 2-4, RBI
• SS-P Wyatt Young: 0-4
• 2B-SS Nick Lucky: 0-4, K, E (1)
• LF-RF Jaylen Palmer: 1-2, 2 BB
• LHP Max Green: 2.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HBP, L (0-1), E (2)
• RHP Zach Peek: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
• LHP Gabriel Rodriguez: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 WP
• RHP Danis Correa: 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
• RHP Carlos Guzman: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• RHP Wyatt Young: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/7-9)

WILMINGTON 4, BROOKLYN 1 (BOX)

Brooklyn scored the first run of the game on a John Bay RBI single in the first, and were promptly shut out from there. They scattered eight hits across the game, but went just 2-11 with runners in scoring position and left nine men on base. The one run did not hold, obviously, as starter Jose Chirinos surrendered two runs, and reliever Hunter Hodges surrendered two runs as well.

• SS Mitch Voit: 1-5, K
• CF Yonatan Henriquez: 1-4, 2B, 3 K
• C Ronald Hernandez: 0-3, R, BB, K
• 1B Corey Collins: 2-4, 2B, 2 K, E (4)
• RF John Bay: 1-4, RBI, K
• DH Daiverson Gutierrez: 2-4, SB (3)
• 2B Jamari Baylor: 0-3, BB, SB (3)
• 3B Colin Houck: 0-4, 3 K
• LF Trace Willhoite: 1-3, K
• RHP Jose Chirinos: 5.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 3 K, 1 HBP, L (1-4)
• RHP Hoss Brewer: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K
• RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
• RHP Bryce Jenkins: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• RHP Josh Blum: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/4-11)

JUPITER 5, ST. LUCIE 4 (BOX)

Jupiter and St. Lucie went back and forth from the jump in this one. Jupiter ran out to a 2-0 lead in the first, only for the Mets to score two in the second, by way of a Branny De Oleo single and Jeremy Rodriguez ground out. A Trey Snyder single in the third made it 3-2, and a throwing error on a Snyder stolen base in the sixth made it 4-2 Mets. Jupiter came roaring back in the bottom of the seventh, scoring three runs and taking a 5-4 lead, which they held onto.

• SS Antonio Jimenez: 2-3, R, 2B, BB, K, SB (13), E (2)
• DH Elian Peña: 0-4
• CF Trey Snyder: 3-4, R, RBI, 2 SB (11, 12)
• 1B Julio Zayas: 0-3, BB, 2 K, E (8)
• C Chase Meggers: 0-4, R, 2 K
• 3B Branny De Oleo: 1-4, R, RBI, 3 K
• RF Simon Juan: 0-3, BB
• 2B Jeremy Rodriguez: 1-4, RBI
• LF Taylor Darden: 0-2, BB, SB (3)
• PH Jackson Hauge: 0-1
• LHP Luis R. Rodriguez: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 WP
• RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
• RHP Joel Díaz: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, H (1)
• RHP Joel Lara: 3.0 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 1 WP, BS (1), L (0-2)
• RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Rookie: FCL Mets (20-25)

NO GAME (SCHEDULE)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Christopher Morel

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Max Green

The Detroit Tigers are on a roll as the All-Star break approaches, notching their fifth win of July and seventh in the last eight games after securing a 6-2 win over the Athletics on Tuesday night. Troy Melton set a new career high in strikeouts with nine while allowing just an unearned run over just over five frames of work, while home runs by Jack Rogers and Spencer Torkelson paced the Motor City Kitties on offense.

Taking the mound in the series finale for the Tigers is left-hander Framber Valdez, who has struggled to keep runners from crossing the plate over his last two appearances. After a four-game stretch that saw him post a 2.45 ERA and 4.03 FIP across 22 innings, the 32-year-old surrendered nine runs on 18 hits (two home runs) — but just two walks — over 11 frames with a loss to show for it.

For the Athletics, right-hander Jack Perkins will climb the hill for his seventh start of the 2026 campaign. The 26-year-old has struggled since moving to the rotation, posting an 8.10 ERA, 5.44 FIP and 1.69 WHIP over those 26 2/3 frames of work, giving up seven home runs while striking out 34 to 14 walks.

As a reliever, Perkins’ ERA was still a bloated 5.46, but his FIP sat at a tidy 2.62 and his WHIP at 1.21 over 28 innings. Maybe the starting gig is not the best use of the second-year hurler’s talents.

Here is how Valdez and Perkins match up on Thursday evening as Detroit looks for its second sweep in the past three series.

Detroit Tigers (42-50) vs. Athletics (41-51)

Time (ET): 6:40 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Athletics Nation
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 93: LHP Framber Valdez (4-6, 4.29 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Perkins (2-4, 6.75 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	18	100.2	17.6	8.1	51.6	4.29	1.0
Perkins	23	54.2	27.9	8.4	34.6	3.99	0.7

VALDEZ

PERKINS

My father often told me in my abbreviated athletic career that mistakes were inevitable. Even the best athletes make mistakes, but it’s the type of mistake that matters. Physical mistakes are truly unavoidable, but mental mistakes are the real killers as they more likely indicate a lack of preparation or concentration. Tonight, the D-Backs featured plenty of both as they rumbled and bumbled their way to another series loss. Ironically, the first two innings were actually somewhat positive. The offense quickly struck in the first inning as Ildemaro Vargas worked a one-out walk, stole second base, and then scored on a Gabriel Moreno double for an early one-run lead. And on the other side, Jose Cabrera, in his fourth career start faced just one over the minimum through the first two innings. But that’s where the positive vibes ended. The Padres would score in five out of the next six innings while the D-Backs showed little fight outside of the last couple innings.

I’ve been very impressed by a lot in Cabrera’s first few big league starts. Torey Lovullo often gushes about his “mound presence” during games and he’s been remarkably good at finding ways to navigate traffic on the base paths through his first three starts at the big league level. But tonight was the first time that it looked like the moment was a little too big for him in my opinion and the game sped up for him. The first two runs he allowed were both walks that advanced into scoring position and then scored on clutch hits in the third and fourth, but the fifth was when the game really got away from him. After a quick first out, he uncorked a sweeper right into the “backside” of Fernando Tatis Jr, allowed him to steal second, and then misplayed a weak comebacker from Jackson Merrill. He was able to field the ball cleanly and looked Tatis back to second, but then inexplicably threw to the covering Vargas at second who immediately tried to salvage an out at first, but the throw was too late. Instead of two outs and a runner on second, Cabrera faced two runners on and just one out. Then, to make matters worse, he attempted a pickoff move towards Tatis, but was instead called for a balk to move both runners into scoring position for Xander Bogaerts who promptly plated them both and chased Cabrera out of the game. I won’t try to pretend to understand why Cabrera was called for a balk. I’ve watched a lot of baseball in my life and I’ve never fully understood the balk rule. I get that it’s designed to prevent the pitcher from deceiving the runner, but it is one of the few holdovers from an earlier era that confuses nearly everyone – including Lovullo who was tossed from the game when he asked for an explanation on the call.

The bullpen unfortunately had no answer to a subpar San Diego offense. Taylor Clarke was the second man to pass the bullpen gate, but he looked overmatched as the Padres ambushed him for four runs – including three straight run-scoring singles from Sung-Mun Song, Tatis, and Jackson Merrill. It got particularly ugly when Clarke tried to pickoff Song at first, but instead spiked the throw and Pavin Smith couldn’t corral it, allowing Song to advance to second. Max Kepler then couldn’t cleanly collect Tatis’ ball down the line that bounced back towards him, which allowed Tatis to move up another 90 feet for Merrill. It felt more like a carousel than actual base paths.

It’s certainly possible that the D-Backs manage to split the series tomorrow. Griffing Canning, the Padres’ starting pitcher tomorrow has scuffled his way to a 6.71 ERA and the team should have no shortage of motivation, but my confidence in the team has certainly been shaken over the past month-plus of games. They routinely find ways to lose winnable games and the pitching staff is far too inconsistent for a contender. There’s still plenty of baseball to play, but they’ll need to change the vibe around this team quickly to find some momentum before the Trade Deadline.

Yesterday, I went over the details of the draft and the Jays’ potential strategy. Today, a quick review of the farm, the shape of the draft class, and some names.

The Farm

Baseball America refreshed their farm system rankings the day before yesterday, in anticipation of the draft. They currently have the Jays 18th. Fangraphs has recently rolled out a new ranking methodology that has them 20th, although that still includes Trey Yesavage as a prospect. They’d probably drop into the mid-20s if he came off but other developments (e.g. Jojo Parker moving into the top 100, other systems graduations) were accounted for. MLB.com had them 15th before the season, but again that includes Yesavage.

Regardless of exactly where they go, the picture is of an org that’s in the below average mix but a clear cut above the truly bad systems like San Diego, Houston or Philadelphia. That’s actually not bad considering years of later picks (Parker last year was their only pick higher than 19th in five seasons), buying at the deadline and taking qualifying offer free agent penalties. Arjun Nimmala and Parker are a quality 1-2 on the position side, and the emergence of Johnny King, Nolan Perry, and Gage Stanifer among others point to the investment in the Dunedin pitching lab bearing fruit. They don’t have a ton of depth (and this draft won’t help), and while they have maybe five players with top 100 cases they don’t have anyone who definitely fits in the top 50.

Their impact prospects are mostly a year or two away, with the guys having an impact in 2026 or poised to do so being more role players like Sean Keys and Yohendrick Pinango, with the possible exception of Jake Bloss.

The Draft Class

This year’s class is considered unusually deep. There’s a clear big 3, comprising UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, Texas high school shortstop Grady Emerson, and Georgia Tech catcher Vahn Lackey. Below that, there’s another fairly tight tier of 6-7 names (Mississippi high school outfielder Eric Booth jr., Florida prep SS Jacob Lombard, Florida prep lefty Gio Rojas, LSU outfielder Derek Curiel, Kentucky SS Tyler Bell, Georgia Tech OF Drew Burress, and UC Santa Barbara righty Jackson Flora, roughly) who will all probably go in the 4-12ish range. Then it’s a big, unusually flat group from the early teens to the early 40s that could see a lot of shuffling. That is, of course, good news for the Jays. It’s more likely than usual that someone who’d be a clear first round talent most years will be on the board at 39.

Names In the Range

Normally, I’d look at mock drafts and pick some players the Jays have been tied to. This year, that’s not really worth doing. At 39, in a class with this overall shape, we have no idea which way they’ll go and the few mocks that get that far are functionally throwing darts. Instead of getting anchored to any one guy here, use this list to get a flavour of the types of players likely to go in the 25-50 range.

High School Bats

• Will Brick: plus defensive catcher with a great arm, who could have a league average hit/power combo.
• Landon Thome: Jim’s son is a shortstop now, but probably plays third eventually. He has 25 home run power potential but questions about his ability to catch up to good fastballs up and inside.
• Taj Marchand: a funky swing and over aggressive approach leads to questions about his hit tool against pro competition, but he’s posted very good contact rates so far and has above average power potential. Will slide to third but could be a plus defender there with soft hands and a strong arm.
• Aiden Ruiz: undersized but an exceptional athlete, Ruiz is the best defensive shortstop in the class and a potential plus pure hitter. His size will cap his power well below average, but this spring he’s added muscle and has enough sneaky pop to punish mistakes. If he was Dominican he’d certainly already be a Blue Jay
• Trevor Condon: A plus centre fielder with some feel for contact but questions about power production with wood bats.
• Bo Lowrance: 6’5”, 200lbs with present plus power and room to keep growing. Unusually for a teen of his size, there are no major contact concerns and he projects as an average hitter. He’s slow, as you’d expect, but his feet and hands are quick and his solid arm gives him a good shot to stick at third base.
• Cole Prosek: well rounded lefty hitter with potential for above average contact and power, he’s a shortstop now but probably won’t stick, most likely moving to third. Committed to Ole Miss. He’s basically Great Value brand Jojo Parker, rounding down a little on every tool (more on the plate approach), although he’s also shown some aptitude to catch.
• James Clark: lefty shortstop with top tier baseball IQ and plus speed. Should hit for average and OBP but maybe not power, and might not have the range for short long term.

High School Arms

• Kaden Waechter: above average command of four above average pitches. Might not have ace upside but potential to be a quality #2/3 with better odds than most high schoolers of sticking in the rotation.
• Sean Duncan: the top Canadian in this draft had Tommy John surgery in May, but was tracking for the first round before that. He sits 93-95 with a smooth delivery and potential for above average command, with both a slider and change up that could be above average. If he falls far due to his injury he may opt to honour his commitment to Vanderbilt and shoot for top 20 money in three years.
• Coleman Borthwick: up to 98 with a slider that flashes promise and a starter’s frame, but conditioning, consistency and a third pitch will need to be the focus if he’s to stick in the rotation.
• Blake Bryant: a standout athlete with above average feel to locate three above average pitches in his fastball, curve and slider and a progressing change up. Nothing is plus yet, but at 6’5” and 180lbs he has room to add a little more power.
• Jensen Hirschkorn: Stuff was down a little this spring, but scouts seem to write that off as the byproduct of a grueling high end basketball season (the 6’7” standout athlete is a two sport prospect). When he’s right, it’s a fastball that sits 93 and touches 96 with loads of room to add velocity and a slider that flashes plus, with a change up that could be above average with development and potentially solid command. Probably the longest path to go but highest upside in the group.

College Bats

• Logan Hughes, Texas Tech: plus all around bat, with contact, approach and some power, but is limited to left field or first base defensively.
• Gaving Grahovac, Texas A&M: Flirted with the NCAA strikeout record in 2024, but rebuilt his swing while recovering from a torn labrum in 2025 and now makes adequate contact to go with easy plus raw power. Has played some third but is a pro first baseman.
• Jake Brown, LSU: college right fielder who has the speed and instincts to try centre as a pro, above average power and decent contact. Looks like a solid all around everyday player.
• Jarren Advincula, Georgia Tech: elite contact hitter (hit .484 in the ACC this year). Like many guys of that type, will need to learn an approach when he finally sees pitchers with stuff he can’t just hit. Little power and limited to second base, but should stick there easily.
• Daniel Jackson, Georgia: a standout athlete, but some concern that he doesn’t have the hands to stick at catcher. Plus power and showed improvements in his contact rate this year but hit tool is the big risk in his profile.
• Jack Natili, Cincinnati: should stick at a catcher and boasts a plus arm. It’s power over hit, but he’s done a solid job managing his strikeouts in college.
• Carson Tinney, Texas: Yet another catcher with a power bat. Should be average behind the dish with work, and it might be 70 raw juice, but he struck out more than you’d like in college and fell completely flat with wood bats in the Cape Cod League, so there’s risk to go with upside.
• Cade Sorrell, Texas A&M: Has the plus speed and arm to be a solid centre fielder or great in right, with above average power but an approach that needs a lot of refinement.

College Arms

• Jack Radel, Notre Dame: 6’5” workhorse pitcher whose stuff jumped up this season. Nothing is plus, but he has solidly above average command of five quality pitches. He looks like a high probability 3/4.
• Cade Townsend, Ole Miss: up to 98 with three secondaries that flash plus and decent command. It’s an easy first round skill set, but he’s undersized at 6’1” and 185lbs, missed a start with shoulder pain during the season, and wore down a little as the season went on. A lot of upside this late, but his body creates relief risk.
• Brett Renfrow, Virginia: improved as the year went on, moving into the fringes of the first round discussion. Good fastball, plus curve, and improving command. Looks the part of a mid rotation starter.
• Cole Carlon, Arizona State: Monster slider and fastball that sits 96 and touches 101, but neither of his curve or change up are currently much good. Command has progressed but there’s more work to do if he’s going to start.
• Hunter Dietz, Arkansas: Big fastball at 95, plus slider/cutter breaking ball, and a slow curve that’s a decent change of pace weapon. He has the command and frame to start, but barely pitched in ‘24 and ‘25 and some teams will be scared by the medicals.
• Logan Reddemann, UCLA: plus command of five pitches, the best of which are a 94mph fastball and an above average change up. All three breakers are quality, although none are plus yet. Didn’t pitch after April 17th with arm fatigue, which clouds what’s otherwise a clear first round profile.
• Ben Blair, Liberty: sinker-slider-command pitcher with a funky delivery and a strong track record of performance. A better change up is the only box left to check to become a dependable 3/4 starter who should rack up innings.

Looking for their first series win against the Los Angeles Dodgers since 2021, the Colorado Rockies fell short as they dropped the series finale 4-3. Despite an excellent rookie starting performance on the mound, the Rockies’ offense failed to back it up and capitalize on crucial scoring opportunities.

The Doctor is in

Making the first start of his big league career, Gabriel Hughes didn’t exactly sprint out of the gate. After getting Shohei Ohtani to fly out in the bottom of the first inning, Hughes battled his command through the rest of the inning.

Tommy Edman grounded a ball back up the middle for a base hit and moved to third on a double from Freddie Freeman. Hughes then walked Mookie Betts to load the bases, and then threw a wild pitch to allow a run to score, giving the Dodgers an early 1-0 lead. He then issued a walk to Max Muncy to load the bases again after a lengthy at-bat. After striking out Teoscar Hernández for the second out of the inning, Kyle Tucker then laced a two-run single to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. Hughes struck out Alex Call to end the inning, but had a pitch count of 39.

He rebounded nicely when he took the mound in the second inning, as he struck out Ohtani and Edman as part of a 1-2-3 inning. He followed suit in the third inning, striking out Freeman and Muncy in another 1-2-3 quick inning. The fourth and fifth innings also went in order, albeit with no strikeouts. Hughes recorded another strikeout in the sixth inning and ended up retiring 15 in a row before allowing a two-out double to Muncy.

His night ended having allowed three runs on four hits over six innings with seven strikeouts and two walks. After the 39 pitches in the first inning, he threw 55 pitches over the next five and ended up having a first-pitch strike rate of around 80%. He also generated 11 whiffs during the game and exhibited a nasty array of pitches.

“Gabriel Hughes was fantastic today,” said manager Warren Schaeffer. “You never know how someone’s going to react to their first start, first time in Dodger Stadium, first time against that lineup. I thought it was a great first start.”

“It’s a perfect example of what happens when you attack guys with good stuff,” he continued. “They have to adjust to you. He was just relentless with his attack and it worked for him.”

Early response

After the long first inning, the Rockies wasted no time trying to erase the three-run deficit. Facing Roki Sasaki with one out, Kyle Karros turned on a ball for his fourth career home run against the Dodgers, getting the Rockies on the board.

Two batters later, Edouard Julien joined in on the fun with a solo home run to right field, his third long ball of the season. Sasaki has been susceptible to the long ball lately, having surrendered nine over his last five games.

In the following inning, the Rockies managed to manufacture a run to tie the game 3-3. Brett Sullivan led off the inning with a walk and moved up to third base after a wild pitch and a groundout. He then scored thanks to a sacrifice fly by Mickey Moniak, his 38th RBI of the season.

The Rockies then had a chance to take the lead in the top of the fourth after TJ Rumfield singled and Karros doubled to start the inning. Unfortunately, Sasaki settled in to retire the next three batters to escape the jam. He continued to perplex the Rockies as he matched Hughes with a quick fifth and sixth innings of his own, retiring the final nine batters he faced. Sasaki went six innings, allowing three runs on four hits with five strikeouts and one walk. He threw 78 pitches, 56 for strikes, and generated 15 whiffs.

Night shift

For the third straight game, the Rockies would have to hope their luck wouldn’t run out in the late innings.

Braxton Fulford led off the eighth inning against Alex Vesia by bouncing a ball to third base that Muncy fielded but threw too high, allowing Fulford to reach. Jake McCarthy then followed with a hit to right field that bounced over the wall for an automatic double.

With runners on second and third with no outs, the Rockies emptied the bench by turning to Hunter Goodman as a pinch-hitter. Unfortunately, Goodman struck out on a high fastball for the first out of the inning. Cole Carrigg was then walked to bring Rumfield up to the plate, who struck out for the second out. Karros then flew out to right field to end the threat, and for the second time in the game, the Rockies failed to score after getting two men in scoring position with no outs.

The failure proved costly as the Dodgers jumped on Antonio Senzatela in the bottom half of the inning. Edman singled with one out to right field and moved to third on a Freeman single. Betts then singled to center field to give the Dodgers a 4-3 lead. Senzatela escaped the inning without further damage but the offense was unable to get anything going in the ninth as they were retired 1-2-3 by Tanner Scott.

The Rockies had five hits on the night but struck out 10 times with just two walks and went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position. Meanwhile, the Dodgers had seven hits and went 2-for-7 with RISP despite also striking out nine times with two walks.

“We know we need to execute better to win, especially here,” said Schaeffer. “We just didn’t do it tonight. We’ve been doing it a lot lately, just not tonight.”

Up next

The Rockies head north to San Francisco to face the Giants for four games. Ryan Feltner (3-2, 4.27 ERA) makes the start for the Rockies while the Giants have yet to announce their starter.

First pitch is scheduled for 7:45 pm MDT.

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Mookie Betts’ first hit this series against the Rockies couldn’t have come at a more opportune time. With the crack of the ball against his bat, Tommy Edman scored from third, giving the Dodgers the lead.

And as Betts reached first, he pointed to Freddie Freeman, whose single put Edman in scoring position. It had taken a team effort to overcome another middling start from Roki Sasaki, and Betts, who had little to show before his game-winning hit, took the chance to highlight the joint contribution in the Dodgers’ 4-3 rubber-match win over Colorado (38-56).

“It feels great,” Betts said of his nine-pitch battle. “Helping the boys win, that’s really all it is. We play the game to win, and coming through in a big moment is kind of what, when you’re a kid, playing in the backyard, getting that hit is what you always strive to do, and fortunately, I was able to do it.”

Given a three-run lead in the first inning, brought to the Dodgers by a wild pitch and Kyle Tucker’s two-run, line-drive single to left field, Sasaki seemed set up for success.

Still, he gave away the lead as quickly as it came. In the second inning, he left a fastball too far over the plate, and third baseman Kyle Karros drove the ball over the left-center wall. The slider he dealt two batters later to second baseman Edouard Julien also crossed the zone too far over the plate, and Julien rounded the bases with another homer. In the third, a sacrifice fly by Mickey Moniak evened the scored, 3-3.

Read more:Dodgers Dugout: Dalton Rushing, Dave Roberts and a bunch of All-Stars

Sasaki’s troubles this season have been hard to pin down since his last win on May 23, as Sasaki tries to claw back the triple-digit velocity that’s escaped him as of late.

Against the Rockies, his fastball topped out at 99.1 miles per hour before steadily dropping to 98. He had managed five strikeouts in his six innings when manager Dave Roberts replaced him with Jack Dreyer, though the three earned runs couldn’t be ignored.

But Roberts also acknowledged the possibility that the pitcher had been tipping his pitches, possibly since he was playing in Japan, and Sasaki has tried to address it after a three-inning, six-run start last week. Even if he had fully self-corrected, his control issues remain. In the third inning, he walked the tying runner, Brett Sullivan.

“I’ve been working on a lot of things like the tipping stuff,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. “Also, I need to make quality pitches.”

Sasaki regained some of his confidence in the fourth when he worked out of a two-base jam with two strikeouts and a flyball to right, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Roberts.

“You can see the demeanor walking off the mound, the confidence,” Roberts said. “For me, it was more of let him end on a high note, feeling good about his outing, and then go from there.”

The Dodgers’ problems were compounded by Alex Call wasting the team’s two challenges in his at-bat in the first inning when the team had already taken the lead. And maybe it would’ve been excusable if Call had driven in the runners on first and second, but instead he ended the inning on a strikeout, stranding both. Roberts called the situation an “outlier” and didn’t feel as though he needed to have a conversation with Call regarding the situation.

After the three-run first, the Dodgers (61-33) remained hitless until Max Muncy laced a double down the right-field line in the sixth, though to little avail. As the innings ticked forward, Colorado’s chances seemed to increase. The Rockies hold the best league batting average (.297) in the eighth and ninth innings (the Dodgers are fourth with .268). And the Dodgers relievers, within the same constraints, have a 3.83 ERA — not bad, but not in the top 10 either.

So when Alex Vesia struggled against the Rockies in the eighth inning and Muncy suffered a throwing error, Colorado seemed in position to score with the bases loaded and one out. Vesia struck out TJ Rumfield and Edgardo Henriquez (4-0), his replacement, retired Karros on a fly ball to right.

After Betts’ single allowed the Dodgers to take the lead, Tanner Scott (13) shut down the Rockies with back-to-back strikeouts, avoiding the team’s eighth series loss of the season.

“Didn’t feel great,” Roberts said. “Fortunately, we won a series, but that’s not the kind of way you want to do it.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.