Category: MLB

The Milwaukee Brewers are set to host the rival Chicago Cubs this weekend, with three big games in store at American Family Field. The Brewers have found their groove over the last month-plus. After getting out to a somewhat slow, injury-riddled start, they’ve gone 33-15 since the beginning of May to expand their NL Central lead. At 49-29, they’re a season-high 20 games over .500, and they sit seven games ahead of the Cardinals and Cubs in the division entering Thursday’s play.

The Cubs, at 44-37, have had a rollercoaster season, including a pair of 10-game winning streaks and a 10-game losing streak. They’ve looked a bit better over the last couple of weeks, going 9-3 against the Giants, Rockies, Blue Jays, and Mets, including a four-game sweep of the Mets in New York leading into this series.

The Brewers are currently without pitchers Jared Koenig (expected to be activated ahead of Friday’s series opener), Carlos Rodriguez (late July), Logan Henderson (early July), Coleman Crow (early July), DL Hall (late July), Rob Zastryzny (late June/early July), Brian Fitzpatrick (TBD — meeting with Dr. Keith Meister to determine whether Tommy John surgery is needed on June 30), Quinn Priester (out for season), and Angel Zerpa (out for season). Outfielder Brandon Lockridge is the only position player on the IL, and after suffering a setback that will require arthroscopic knee surgery, he’s slated to be out until late July.

Chicago’s pitching staff is completely depleted, as they’re without Ben Brown (neck strain), Edward Cabrera (TBD), Justin Steele (late 2026), Jaxon Wiggins (TBD), Daniel Palencia (TBD), Jameson Taillon (second half), Riley Martin (July), Hunter Harvey (TBD), Porter Hodge (out for season), Cade Horton (out for season), and Shelby Miller (out for season). First baseman Tyler Austin has also been on the IL all season with a knee injury.

Milwaukee’s offense is led by Jake Bauers, who has 14 homers and 48 RBIs on the year, with Brice Turang at 11 homers and Jackson Chourio at 10. William Contreras, Gary Sánchez, Christian Yelich, Andrew Vaughn, and Garrett Mitchell have also played key roles offensively, with Cooper Pratt, Sal Frelick, David Hamilton, and Joey Ortiz rounding out the position player group. Pratt, whom the Brewers signed to an eight-year extension before he even set foot in the majors, has looked solid in his first week-plus with Milwaukee, as he’s picked up seven hits in nine games and stolen four bases while providing above-average defense. After all, it couldn’t get much worse than the recently released Luis Rengifo (.205/.280/.254 with no homers and below-average defense over 57 games). The Brewers are hitting .254/.338/.391 (.729 OPS ranks 11th), with 70 homers (28th), 407 runs (third), and 77 steals (fifth).

Pete Crow-Armstrong leads the Cubs’ offense with 17 homers, as he’s hitting .287/.367/.521 with 18 steals. Ian Happ has 16 homers, while Dansby Swanson and Seiya Suzuki are also in double digits. Michael Busch is having a bit of a disappointing season, but he still has a solid .370 on-base percentage thanks to a team-high 54 walks, adding nine homers. Alex Bregman is having the worst offensive season of his career after signing a massive five-year deal in the offseason. Carson Kelly, Nico Hoerner, and Matt Shaw round out the regulars, with Miguel Amaya, Michael Conforto, Justin Dean, and Pedro Ramírez serving as depth. The Cubs are hitting .244/.338/.406 (.744 OPS ranks fifth), with 95 homers (14th), 395 runs (tied for sixth), and 57 steals (15th).

Milwaukee’s bullpen has found its identity over the past few months, after some early-season struggles from players like Trevor Megill and Abner Uribe put things into question — they’ve both looked much better as of late. The bullpen is anchored by Megill, Uribe, Aaron Ashby, and Chad Patrick, with Grant Anderson, Craig Yoho, and Joel Kuhnel rounding things out. As a staff, the Brewers have a 3.38 team ERA (second), including a 3.23 starter ERA (first) and a 3.56 bullpen ERA (eighth). They’ve struck out 769 batters (first) over 698 2/3 innings.

After all of the recent bullpen injuries, Chicago’s current bullpen consists of Phil Maton, Caleb Thielbar, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner in the high-leverage roles. Trent Thornton, Vince Velasquez, Ryan Rolison, and Ethan Roberts serve as the backend of the ‘pen. As a staff, the Cubs have a 4.30 team ERA (18th), including a 4.64 starter ERA (25th) and a 3.82 bullpen ERA (12th). They’ve struck out 629 batters (23rd) over 710 1/3 innings.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, June 26 @ 6:45 p.m.: RHP Jacob Misiorowski (8-3, 1.45 ERA, 1.66 FIP) vs. RHP Colin Rea (5-5, 4.99 ERA, 4.83 FIP)

Misiorowski, who has been a star all season for Milwaukee, is 8-3 with a 1.45 ERA, 1.66 FIP, and 138 strikeouts over 93 innings this season. He currently leads the league in ERA, FIP, WHIP, and strikeouts, though he’s coming off his worst outing in nearly two months. Over six innings against Atlanta last Friday, he allowed a whopping two runs on five hits and a walk, striking out seven in a 3-2 loss, his first loss since mid-April. Misiorowski is 1-1 in three career starts against Chicago, with a 3.21 ERA and 20 strikeouts over 14 innings. His last appearance, which came back in May of this season, he went six shutout innings, striking out eight to earn the win.

Rea, 36 next week, is in his eighth MLB season and third with Chicago (second during this stint — he previously pitched for them in 2020). The former Brewer hasn’t had a ton of success this season, with a 4.99 ERA and 4.83 FIP over 79 1/3 innings through 16 appearances (12 starts). He isn’t a huge strikeout guy, with just 59 this year and three or fewer in each of his last four starts. He took a no-decision last time out, though it was no fault of his own as he went 5 1/3 innings with no runs allowed on three hits and no walks, striking out three against the Blue Jays. Rea has made three starts against the Brewers, all while with the Cubs, with a 1-1 record, a 6.23 ERA, and five strikeouts over 13 innings.

Saturday, June 27 @ 6:10 p.m.: LHP Kyle Harrison (8-1, 2.50 ERA, 3.05 FIP) vs. TBD

Harrison, who would likely be considered the ace of most other teams, has also turned in a great season thus far, with a 2.50 ERA, 3.05 FIP, and 87 strikeouts across 72 innings. Like Miz, he’s coming off a disappointing outing, though it was still a quality start — he went 6 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out seven in a no-decision, as the Brewers would ultimately lose on a walk-off homer by Ozzie Albies in the ninth. Over eight career innings against Chicago, Harrison has allowed no runs on just two hits and a walk, striking out 13. That includes seven shutout frames back in May, when he struck out 11 in a win.

The Cubs haven’t announced a starter for the final two games of the series, which shouldn’t come as much of a surprise after recent injuries to rotational arms, including Brown, Cabrera, and Taillon. Potential options for these last two games are few, with Shota Imanaga, Javier Assad, and Matthew Boyd all having pitched either Wednesday or Thursday (the team had a doubleheader on Wednesday).

Sunday, June 28 @ 1:10 p.m.: RHP Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 3.00 ERA, 3.27 FIP) vs. TBD

Woodruff, who missed nearly two months before returning earlier this week, remains one of Milwaukee’s best pitchers when healthy, and a key veteran presence even when he isn’t. In seven starts this season, he has a 3.00 ERA, 3.27 FIP, and 35 strikeouts over 36 innings. He went six shutout frames against the Reds in his return on Monday, allowing just one hit and striking out 10. A familiar opponent for the Cubs, he’s made 19 appearances (17 starts) against Chicago, with a 2-3 record, 3.28 ERA, and 112 strikeouts over 90 2/3 innings. Due to injuries, however, he’s only made one appearance against them since the beginning of 2024 — he went 4 1/3 innings last August, allowing three runs and striking out six in a loss.

How to Watch & Listen

Friday, June 26: Exclusively on Apple TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Saturday, June 27: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Sunday, June 28: Brewers TV; listen via radio on the Brewers Radio Network (620 WTMJ in Milwaukee)

Prediction

This should be a fun weekend series in Milwaukee. Give me the Brewers to take two of three.

BOSTON — Cam Schlittler played with fire for four innings and got away with it.

But then in the fifth, his defense added some lighter fluid, and his start went up in flames.

After Amed Rosario let a smoked ground ball go through his legs instead of turning a potential inning-ending double play, the first of four unearned runs came in on Schlittler to sink the Yankees in a sloppy 6-3 loss to the Red Sox on Thursday night at a sold-out Fenway Park.

Former Yankees prospect Caleb Durbin delivered the deciding blow before the fifth inning was over, taking Schlittler deep for a two-run shot just over the Green Monster to break a 2-2 tie.

The Yankees tried to mount a comeback in the ninth against their former closer, Aroldis Chapman, who loaded the bases with two outs before finally shutting the door.

It was a messy loss for the Yankees (48-32), who committed a season-high four errors — making all six of the runs their pitchers allowed the unearned variety — and wasted some chances to cash in offensively before the scuffling Red Sox (33-46) came alive.

“At the end of the day, I was giving them opportunities,” said Schlittler, who struck out nine across five innings. “Feel like I battled those first four [innings], getting myself out of those jams. Then I made a mistake there in the fifth.”

The offense, meanwhile, could not pick up the defense, going 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position — including Ben Rice, the Yankees’ best hitter, going 0-for-4 in those situations and leaving seven men on base.

Schlittler stranded a pair of runners in each of the first, second and fourth innings. He might have been able to do it again in the fifth, until Rosario’s fielding error opened the floodgates.

“We just didn’t do a good job of taking care of the ball tonight,” manager Aaron Boone said. “Just not up to the way we’ve been playing or are capable of playing. Ultimately, it was too much to overcome.”

The Yankees led 2-0 entering the inning before Schlittler issued a leadoff walk to Masataka Yoshida and then gave up a single to Ceddanne Rafaela. He followed that up by striking out Wilyer Abreu on a 100 mph sinker for the second time of the night.

But Willson Contreras came up next and drilled a 112.8 mph ground ball to third base, where Rosario got his glove down but not far enough as the ball zoomed right underneath it, scoring Yoshida to make it 2-1.

“That’s definitely a play I got to make,” Rosario said through an interpreter. “You at least got to find a way to knock it down and at least get one out.”

Jarren Duran then lifted a sacrifice fly to medium-depth left field, as José Caballero — whose solo homer in the fourth made it a 2-0 game — got off a throw home that was up the first base line, allowing the Red Sox to tie it.

The hot-hitting Durbin, whom the Yankees sent to the Brewers in the Devin Williams trade (before the Red Sox acquired him this February), capped off the rally by crushing Schlittler’s cutter into the Monster seats for the 4-2 lead.

“Not [trying to go] down and in where he likes it,” said Schlittler, who lowered his ERA to 1.62 because all four runs were unearned. “He’s seen a lot of cutters today and makes a good enough swing to get it out there.”

The Yankees later made it a one-run game in the seventh when Paul Goldschmidt, on the 12th pitch of a battle with former Yankees reliever Greg Weissert, hit a chopper to third that allowed Jazz Chisholm Jr. to score from third.

But the Red Sox brought in lefty Danny Coulombe to face Ben Rice, who could not deliver the big swing in his hometown, instead grounding out to end the rally.

The Red Sox then added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth after Yerry De los Santos bobbled a sacrifice bunt and Anthony Volpe threw wide on the second half of a potential inning-ending double play.

“It happens sometimes, and it’s not fun going through that or fun when you make mistakes in a game, especially one that you have a lead and it’s a close game for most of that game,” Boone said. “But we didn’t play well enough.”

The Mets lost for the sixth straight game on Thursday night, losing 4-3 in extra innings to get swept by the Chicago Cubs in a four-game series at Citi Field.

Here are the takeaways...

-- The Mets and Cubs were locked in a stalemate through five innings as Freddy Peralta and Matthew Boyd held their opponent scoreless for the first half of the game. Of the two pitchers, Peralta, following his worst start of the season and unveiling a new windup, looked the best and allowed just two hits while throwing 68 pitches over five innings. 

-- On the other side, Boyd, making his first start in nearly two months, managed to get in and out of trouble despite four walks. The left-hander loaded the bases with two outs in the third inning but escaped unscathed following a Mark Vientos popout. He exited after 4.2 innings.

-- After five terrific innings, the sixth inning was not kind to Peralta, starting with shortstop Ronny Mauricio’s throwing error to lead things off. Mauricio was activated off the IL on Wednesday and called up earlier in the day after Marcus Semien landed on the IL. 

-- The Cubs scored the game’s first run two batters later on Michael Conforto’s RBI single to right field. Carson Benge had a chance to throw out the runner at home plate, but he got little on the throw and the runner scored easily. 

-- Once again, two batters later, Chicago scored again on Alex Bregman’s RBI double that eluded Benge, going between his legs after skipping off the right field wall in foul territory. Had Benge gloved the ball cleanly, the runner likely would have been held up at third base. The next batter, Ian Happ, made it a moot point by singling through the hole between the first and second basemen to bring in the third unearned run of the inning. 

-- Peralta, exhausted after throwing 26 pitches already in the inning, walked Nico Hoerner on four pitches before getting pulled by manager Carlos Mendoza. The right-hander went 5.2 innings, allowed five hits and three runs, walked one and struck out five on 98 pitches (54 strikes). He lowered his season ERA to 4.53.

-- Now having to fight from behind, New York got two of those runs right back in the bottom of the sixth inning against the Cubs' bullpen thanks to pinch-hitter Eric Wagaman's two-out, two-run homer. The Mets went on to load the bases following two singles and a hit by pitch to bring up Juan Soto, but Soto grounded out to end the inning.

-- Still, New York's offense went right back to work in the seventh inning and tied things up on Jared Young's solo shot. It was Young's sixth blast of the season in 95 at-bats.

-- Meanwhile, the Mets' bullpen had quite the night, starting with Austin Warren's 1.1 scoreless innings in relief of Peralta. Luke Weaver, with the game tied 3-3, entered in the eighth inning and struck out the side on 11 pitches to extend his scoreless streak to 22 consecutive innings. He has a 2.12 ERA. Devin Williams also had a scoreless inning in the ninth to give New York a chance to walk it off in the bottom half of the frame.

-- In fact, the Mets got the winning run to second base with one out, but were unable to drive him in and the game went to extra innings.

-- In extras, Brooks Raley struck out the first batter he faced before allowing a double that scored the free runner to former Mets top prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong, who finished the game 2-for-5. Raley did well to limit the damage and leave the inning with just the one run scored, but New York came up empty in their turn to bat and were swept by the Cubs in a four-game series at home and have lost six straight. Chicago also swept the Mets earlier in the season at Wrigley Field.

Game MVP: Pete Crow-Armstrong

The youngster was the only Cubs player with multiple hits and his double in the 10th was the game-winner.

Highlights

A 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts for Freddy Peralta 🔥 pic.twitter.com/flGf9dZR9Q

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 25, 2026

Ronny Mauricio rips a double 💪 pic.twitter.com/Ug92BMHMtb

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Five scoreless innings for Freddy Peralta! pic.twitter.com/G1LBPHtKuS

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Eric Wagaman with a pinch-hit two-run homer! pic.twitter.com/RprbFvmzbi

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Jared Young ties the game with a solo homer! pic.twitter.com/SD6rkSxSIk

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

Luke Weaver strikes out the side on 11 pitches!

He's thrown 22 straight scoreless innings 💪 pic.twitter.com/u50JXWrLVp

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

A 1-2-3 9th inning for Devin Williams 🔥 pic.twitter.com/7AgAUCvTXi

— SNY (@SNYtv) June 26, 2026

What's next

The Mets welcome in the Philadelphia Phillies for a three-game weekend series at Citi Field starting on Friday night at 7:10 p.m.

Rookie LHP Zach Thornton (0-1, 8.31 ERA) will make his second career start and will face off against former Met RHP Zack Wheeler (7-1, 2.11 ERA).

Cam Schlittler struck out nine, but the Yankees couldn't overcome four errors as they fell to the Red Sox, 6-3, on Thursday night in Boston. 

Because of the defensive miscues, all six runs allowed were unearned. Still, New York had a chance in the ninth against Aroldis Chapman when it loaded the bases with Ben Rice up and two outs. The young slugger grounded out to end the game.

Here are the takeaways....

-Paul Goldschmidt continued his torrid stretch with a leadoff double against the southpaw Connelly Early. After being moved over to third on an Amed Rosario single, Jasson Dominguez came through with a two-out single to put the Yankees up 1-0. 

Jose Caballero added on in the fourth with a two-out solo shot over the Green Monster. Goldschmidt's RBI groundout in the seventh gave the Yankees their third run.

-Schlittler was on the mound and got into trouble early. After allowing a one-out walk, Wilyer Abreu reached on catcher's interference from Austin Wells. Schlittler bounced back by striking out Willson Contreras, but the young right-hander made an errant throw trying to get the runner leaning at second base, allowing both Red Sox runners to advance. Schlittler got Jarren Duran to ground out and end the threat. 

Schlittler pitched into another jam in the second after not fielding a pop-up and hitting a batter to put runners on first and second with one out. Schlittler got Marcelo Mayer to strike out swinging and Masataka Yoshida to ground out. After a 1-2-3 third, the Red Sox put two runners on in the fourth, but Schlittler struck out two to escape the inning.

Once again, the Red Sox threatened. This time in the fifth, putting runners on first and second and no out. Schlittler struck out Abreu before Contreras lined it to Rosario at third, but it went through Rosario's legs, allowing a run to score. Duran hit a sac fly to tie the game at 2-2. Caleb Durbin capped off the inning with a two-run shot just over the Green Monster.

Schlittler would make it through five innings, but was betrayed by Rosario's error. His four runs allowed on five hits and two walks were all unearned. He did strike out nine, however. His ERA actually dropped to 1.62. 

-After the Yankees cut the Red Sox lead to 4-3, Yerry De los Santos was called on for the eighth. He walked Dubrin and Anthony Seigler singled before Carlos Narvaez laid down a bunt that De los Santos bobbled for the Yankees' fourth error of the game. With the bases loaded, he got Mayer to pop out before Ryan Yarbrough came in. He hit pinch-hitter Nate Eaton -- grazing his jersey -- to push across the Red Sox's fifth run. Cedanne Rafaela hit a grounder to Anthony Volpe for a tailor made double play, but Volpe's throw took Rice off of first base, allowing Boston to take a 6-3 lead. 

Game MVP: Caleb Durbin

Durbin's homer got the Red Sox back into the game.

Highlights

Jasson Domínguez gets the Yankees on the board first! pic.twitter.com/RtpTnD0H7v

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 25, 2026

José Caballero doubles the Yankees' lead! pic.twitter.com/rIY0YIOId2

— SNY Yankees (@snyyankees) June 26, 2026

What's next

The Yankees and Red Sox continue their series on Friday evening. First pitch is set for 7:10 p.m.

Will Warren (7-2, 3.45 ERA) will take the mound against Payton Tolle (3-5, 3.08 ERA). 

As you read the rest of this piece and remember the rest of this crazy game on a Thursday night before the Phillies head to Citi Field tomorrow, it is fair to ask what Nationals manager Blake Butera is supposed to do? Nothing worked. Nothing worked for the entire series as the Phillies paraded dingers and base runners all over the Nationals putrid bullpen to take three out of four on the road.

The craziness of Thursday night’s game began right away, when Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper reached on a single and walk. After Brandon Marsh hit a groundball, Alec Bohm could not handle Nationals starter Cade Cavalli, going down on a 98.5 mph fastball to strand the runners.

In the bottom half of the first, the Nationals, like they have all series, attacked early. Curtis Mead was sitting on an inside sinker and got one, blasting it right over Marsh’s head in left field and into the stands for an early lead.

Andrés Chaparro then was hit by a backfoot slider and Dylan Crews punched a single into right to put two runners on. Daylen Lile then slapped a changeup right under Bryson Stott’s glove that brought in a second run.

With runners on first and third, Jacob Young was able to record a run on a groundout. With two outs and a runner on second, Nasim Nuñez capped off the inning with another single that gave the Nationals their fourth run of the inning.

In the bottom of the third, the Nationals clawed their way for a fifth run with some small ball. Crews chopped an infield single and then stole second base. After a Lile strikeout, Jacob Young was able to punch another single past Stott to score a run.

But since this is a Nationals Phillies series in the year 2026, things are not going to end normally. Even if Cristopher Sánchez could only slog through five innings, it was obvious this game wasn’t over.

The Phillies’ rally to a 10-5 win began in the sixth, as Cavalli cruised through five innings, facing the top of the order a third time is a different challenge.

After a Harper single, Cavalli’s changeup missed by maybe a few inches and that was all Marsh needed to elevate it for a homer.

In the seventh inning, Blake Butera, desperate for something to work, calls for Mitchell Parker against the bottom of the Phillies order. After a Derek Hill strikeout, Justin Crawford took a fastball to left field to start a rally.

On the very next pitch, Trea Turner punches a fastball to a vacated hole in right field to put runners on first and second with no one out.

Parker threw eleven pitches to Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper before his night was over. Only three of them were strikes, and that was only because Harper chased a couple of breaking balls. After being unable to find the plate, and walking in a run to make it 5-3, Butera had to try someone else.

Clayton Beeter was that someone else and he immediately walked Brandon Marsh to force in another run. Alec Bohm stepped up, worked a two-two count but chopped a fastball into the ground. Luckily, it’s -40 degree launch angle deadened the ball enough that the only play second baseman Jordan Vivas had was a tagout to Marsh and the game was tied.

Gus Varland began the eighth with Butera’s plan being to have him finish the game because the Nationals have tried everything else. He gave up a single to Derek Hill but was able to get out of the inning after a strikeout, throw out double play.

Varland returned for the ninth after the Nationals’ offense stranded a leadoff double but once again, nothing worked. After a Schwarber single, Bryce Harper lifted an imaginary lid off Nationals Park by taking a rare Gus Varland changeup to left field.

It was Varland’s inning, no matter what happened, the damage was probably done but the Phillies put more salt on everyone’s wounds. With two outs, JT Realmuto smoked a double right over Dylan Crews in center field that brought Marsh home to score.

To put a true exclamation point on the night, Derek Hill decided that he wanted to hit another ninth inning home run, this time off a righty, catching a hanging slider and drilling it to the bullpen in left field.

It’s fair to remember that the Nationals were not supposed to be a team trying to win games and make the playoffs. They traded multiple pitchers in the off-season to begin a rebuild and will probably continue selling off whatever they can to build for the future.

Paul Toboni looks like a great hire for them with the entire organization making multiple players better. Just on the major league level, CJ Abrams might make the all-star game, James Wood is a superstar, Curtis Mead looks to be living up to his top prospect potential, and Keibert Ruiz is having the best year of his career.

But tonight, and this entire series, should tell everyone just how far they are from truly competing. The Phillies walked in, looked sluggish early, and feasted on a Nationals bullpen that has been costing them games all season.

Now, onto the New York Mets.

There’s just over one month to go until this season’s August 3rd trade deadline, but the time for moving players around might have already started. Late last night, the Chicago Cubs—desperate for pitching after another two starters landed on the injured list—acquired left-handed pitcher and Colorado native David Peterson from the New York Mets.

The rebuilding Rockies will be judged on what they accomplish at the trade deadline. However, it would likely benefit them to start seeking out deals now that the first domino has fallen.

From expiring contracts to crowded position groups to players who simply just aren’t part of the future in Colorado, the Rockies have plenty of players they could look to ship out.

The Athletic even had multiple Rockies on their top 50 trade board:

RHP Antonio Senzatela

After being converted to the bullpen last season, long-time Rockies pitcher Antonio Senzatela is enjoying one of the best seasons of his career. In 23 appearances he has eight pitcher wins, three saves, a 2.13 ERA over 42.1 innings, and is worth 2.0 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference. Quite simply, the 31-year-old’s value has never been higher.

Senzatela has a $14 million club option for 2027, which the Rockies seem unlikely to pick up.

OF Mickey Moniak

Former first overall pick Mickey Moniak has become a fan favorite in Colorado and seems to have finally found a home after his time with the Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels. Moniak is hitting .282/.335/.596 with nine doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs this season and was a potential All-Star candidate before being sidelined for a month with right ankle tendonitis.

But is Moniak really a part of the Rockies’ future? The 28-year-old is part of an extremely crowded outfield group that has multiple prospects vying for playing time. He’s also only produced against right-handed pitching.

2B Willi Castro

The Rockies signed switch-hitting Puerto Rican second baseman and utilityman Willi Castro to a two-year deal this off-season. After a somewhat slow April, Castro has turned into both a solid second baseman and effective hitter for the Rockies. Through the first 81 games of 2026 he has hit .282/.356/.411 with 13 doubles and six home runs—including a grand slam—and is worth 1.1 wins above replacement per Baseball Reference. Castro still has a year left on his deal, and the Rockies don’t really have big league ready options at second base. However, it might be worth exploring trades involving Castro when his value is potentially at it’s peak right now.

Final Thoughts

The Rockies have potentially valuable pieces for the trade market this season, but the deadline is still weeks away. Should they start making trades now? Who would you want to see the Rockies trade? Who should be considered untouchable?

We want to hear your predictions in the comments!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Texas Rangers scored six runs while the Toronto Blue Jays scored five runs.

After a disappointing last few games in Miami, the Rangers arrived in an entirely different country where leadoff hitter Joc Pederson immediately made an impact by battling Jays starter Kevin Gausman for an eleven pitch at-bat that concluded with a leadoff dong, his 12th of the season.

The Rangers weren’t finished beating up on Gausman as in the third inning they got home runs from Wyatt Langford and Jake Burger to pad their lead. Langford’s dinger was of the three-run variety to put Texas up 4-0. It was his fifth home run in the last eight games as he’s gone nuclear here in late June.

Burger meanwhile hit his lead-leading 14th of the year, a two-run shot that put the Rangers up 6-0 and followed a walk from the returning Corey Seager.

With a big lead in the early innings, MacKenzie Gore was able to chew through some much-needed innings. Though he ran into some trouble in the fifth, allowing three runs to halve Texas’ lead, the left-hander ultimately went seven innings and allowed just those three runs on four hits and a walk. Gore also struck out five as he picked up his first win of the month.

Jakob Junis handled the eighth and then Jacob Latz survived a two-run Kazuma Okamoto homer to make us sweat out for his 15h save of the year. With the 81st game in the books, we’ve reached the halfway point of the 2026 season with Texas on the wrong side of the .500 mark but looking to surge ahead.

Player of the Game: Gore enjoyed a quality start and Langford’s three-run blast was the biggest hit of the night but Pederson set the tone with his long at-bat that ended in a leadoff home run to flip the script on how the first inning had often gone for Texas in the first half.

In addition to the solo home run to begin the game, Pederson also singled ahead of Langford’s dong and walked twice.

Up Next: The Rangers and Blue Jays are back at it tomorrow evening with RHP Nathan Eovaldi expected to make the start for Texas opposite Rangers’ inning-eating hero from a season ago, LHP Patrick Corbin for Toronto.

The Friday night first pitch from Rogers Centre is scheduled for 6:07 pm CDT and will be aired on the Rangers Sports Network.

When Craig Counsell spoke to David Peterson over the phone Thursday morning, the Cubs manager could sense it in his newest pitcher’s voice. This was a lot to take in. Peterson had only known one team throughout his MLB career — and he was the longest-tenured Met. Just Wednesday night, during the second game of a doubleheader between the teams, Peterson was in the home dugout.

But that changed shortly before midnight, after the Mets sent the struggling lefty to Chicago in exchange for infield prospect Cole Mathis. Instead of spending the rest of his final season before free agency trying to fix what has gone wrong in Queens, Peterson was expected to start this weekend in Milwaukee for another team, potentially even flying with it after the series concluded at Citi Field and Peterson got everything in his personal life situated.

“Nobody tells you when you’re gonna be traded,” Counsell said. “They call you into the office or they call you on the phone and say, ‘You’ve been traded.’ That’s the warning you get. That’s shocking news for anybody. So I think he’s feeling the effects of that, and that takes a little while.”

And for the Mets, who entered play with a five-game losing streak and in the basement of the National League East, it marked the first move in what could be a summer filled with change to the current roster. Peterson’s deal could be just the initial trade. This is the reality for a spiraling team. After being an integral piece of the Mets’ improbable run to the NLCS in 2024 and after making the All-Star Game in 2025, Peterson’s trajectory stalled, with struggles forcing him to become a bullpen piece and bulk-inning reliever this season as a result.

“It’s sad to see him go,” Bo Bichette told The Post. “He’s been a great teammate so far in my time here and obviously spent a lot of time here, so yeah, I think it definitely sends some shock waves through the clubhouse.”

Mendoza said Peterson’s reaction to his role didn’t play a factor in the deal. He praised the 30-year-old’s ability to adapt to whatever the Mets needed. Peterson, a first-round pick in 2017 who debuted three years later, had collected a 6.08 ERA through 16 appearances — and eight starts — this season, with the latest clunker unfolding Sunday against the Phillies.

On a Mets team with so many rotation questions, Peterson was among the most puzzling. He pitched to a 2.41 ERA across the final two months of the 2024 regular season. He collected a 2.83 ERA across his first 20 starts the next campaign, too, and cracked the first All-Star roster of his career. He was supposed to be the constant. A source of stability in a 2026 rotation filled with inconsistencies (such as Kodai Senga) and unproven young pitchers (such as Nolan McLean).

“And then kinda everything went the other way,” Mendoza said.

After a three-start stretch where he allowed 14 earned runs in 14 ¹/₃ innings, Peterson was demoted to the bullpen. He made four starts after the demotion while also logging bulk innings in other outings.

“It’s a tough one,” Mendoza said. “because obviously, you understand this is a business. But especially from my end, I had a really good relationship with [Peterson]. … But it got to a point where needed the flexibility on the roster. Talking to David [Stearns], we already have Kodai in the pen and just continue to have starters in the bullpen, it’s just not gonna be sustainable.”

So in the visiting dugout pregame, Counsell talked about how he felt the Cubs could get the most out of Peterson and a fresh start. About how Chicago’s defensive strength — the opposite of a team like the Mets, who committed six errors Wednesday night — could benefit a pitcher who tends to induce plenty of ground balls. About how the Cubs were able to fill a need with five weeks still remaining until the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

The Mets, though, were left with a void. They were left with a new longest-tenured player. They were left with another subtle reminder that this could happen over and over again before the deadline arrives, even if Bichette, when asked about whether there’s a pressure to win before then, downplayed that reality.

“I mean, we’re just focused on winning as many games as we can,” Bichette said. “We can’t really focus on all that kinda stuff. We just have to focus on what we can do today.”

After a disappointing series loss to the Yankees featuring two very close defeats, the Tigers looked to right the ship in the opener of a four-game weekend series at home against the Houston Astros — and, yes, the Tigers just played them last weekend, who the heck is making this schedule anyway? Despite some incredible starting pitching, the Tigers couldn’t solve Houston’s pitching and dropped the series opener 2-1 on Thursday night.

Making his sixth start of the year for the Tigers was Troy Melton, who has been good-to-great so far this year. His last start featured six innings of one-run ball against the White Sox in the midst of that lovely sweep last weekend. Curiously, while his ERA is a sterling 2.56, his FIP (fielding-independent pitching; essentially ERA with average fielding behind him) is a bizarrely-high 5.41. But he also has a walks-plus-hits-per-inning-pitched (WHIP) of a sensational 0.947, so I can honestly say I have no idea what the heck is going on there.

Tatsuya Imai, in his first season in North America after a few excellent years in Japan, has been up-and-down. He still strikes out a lot of batters like he did in Japan, but his walk rate is an astronomical 5.3 per 9 innings. His previous start saw him strike out 11 in six innings, but in the one before that he didn’t get out of the first inning. Much was written about Imai describing how he was having trouble “adjust[ing] to the American lifestyle” and how that might have contributed to some arm fatigue early in the spring. (Remember, Japanese starting pitchers throw in about a game a week.)

A fun thing happened on the first pitch of the game: the pitch was delivered and called a ball, “Marshall” Dillon Dingler immediately challenged it, and the call was overturned. That guy, man — not only does he hit dingers, but he’s one of the best in MLB at getting calls overturned.

Both pitchers were crusing early on, and Melton’s fastball was really sizzling, touching 98 mph (44 m/s) early on. He mixed in cutters and sliders, and he also featured a much sharper splitter in this one to keep hitters honest. The whiffs and strikeouts are starting to arrive for Melton. Imai’s splitter-ish slider was used pretty heavily, and he certainly made Hao-Yu Lee look quite the fool on a third-inning strikeout.

The first hit of the game for either side appeared with two out in the bottom of the fourth, with Riley Greene poking a single to right field; Colt Keith lined out sharply to centre for the third out of the inning.

Through five innings Melton hadn’t allowed a baserunner and had struck out six, but was at 75 pitches. If he was going to, youuu knoooow, he needed some quick innings.

However, after retiring the first 16 hitters in a row, Melton hung a slider to Taylor Trammell in the sixth and he hit it a long way over the right-field fence for a 1-0 Houston lead. After a two-out single to Jeremy Peña, Melton got the dangerous Yordan Alvarez to fly out harmlessly to Greene in left field on one pitch.

Kyle Finnegan took over for Melton to start the seventh; Melton’s fantastic final line was 6 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 6 K. Finnegan’s been no slouch himself recently: in the middle game of the Yankees series he pitched 1 1/3 innings and struck out all four batters he faced. Tonight he had a pleasantly uneventful seventh inning: groundout, flyout, strikeout.

The eighth brought Tyler Holton to the mound, and he’s been good lately too. Coming into tonight he’d had seven straight scoreless appearances (although he did allow an inherited runner to score in the Yankees series). He gave up a harmless single but otherwise had a clean sheet, to borrow a soccer term.

With two outs in the eighth, Lee punched a single into centre against AJ Blubaugh, bringing Kevin McGonigle up to the plate, but he grounded out to first and we were on to the ninth.

Kenley Jansen, who’s been pretty solid lately, came on for the ninth; he gave up a leadoff single to Peña, who stole second. Let’s just say that, if there are ten things on Jansen’s mind on a mound, holding runners close ain’t one of ’em — and that would prove to be very important, as Alvarez hit a grounder to second that advanced Peña to third with one out. Isaac Paredes hit a fly ball to score Alvarez and push the lead to 2-0, and that lack of attention to a runner may have ultimately cost the Tigers the game.

As he has done lately, Dingler put the team on his back and blasted a home run to centrefield with one out in the ninth to narrow the gap to 2-1.

Greene followed with a single to give the Tigers hope, but Keith hit a hot grounder right to first base — exactly where Christian Walker was, as he was holding Greene on. Walker threw to second, the throw came back to first, and that was the ball game.

Final score: Astros 2, Tigers 1

Notes and Whatnot

• Let’s talk about Dillon Dingler. His batting average (and OPS) by month: .247 (.800), .206 (.743), .361 (1.093). Whoa, he really likes June! (And so have the Tigers.)
• Another fun statistic about Dingler: coming into tonight he had led off an inning 65 times so far this year. In those plate appearances he’s hit five home runs, two doubles and two triples (amongst his 20 hits), walked five times and has an OPS of an astronomical 1.172. I know that’s a small sample, but holy mackerel, those are some numbers, small sample size or not.
• I’m not the only one who’s sweet on this Dingler fellow; Fangraphs likes him too.
• Catalonian architect Antoni Gaudí was born on this day in 1852. If you’ve ever been to Barcelona, you’ve definitely seen his work: the Sagrada Família cathedral, which has been under construction for about a century, was his design. He also designed Park Güell, which looks like it came out of a psychedelic drug-fueled dream, and is stupdendously cool.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Arizona Diamondbacks fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.

We asked you earlier in the week how the D-backs should approach the trade deadline. Of course, it’s something which is very much in flux. Even since the poll took place, the D-backs unexpectedly won a pair of games on the road, against a team ahead of them in the standings. They currently sit two games out of a wild-card spot, but it’s very much in a state of flux, as I noted in the original. Going into play today, only four games cover the eight teams who occupy between fourth and eleventh place in the standings. A good week could catapult anyone into a wild-card spot. Conversely, a bad week could drop you like a stone.

So, I’ve a feeling the answer to this question could change – probably multiple times – between now and the trade deadline on August 3. I imagine Mike Hazen and the Arizona front office will certainly wait until the All-Star break, and see how a potentially tricky section of the schedule plays out. But for now, here’s what you responded.

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Caution seems to be the order of the day, with the two “weak” options combining for 56% of the votes. “Buy” just edged out “Sell” there, though there’s a case to be made for both directions. Here are some comments from the poll thread which do just that, or go for the option in the middle.

• Sneeks – “I selected “weak sell” because I’m just not sure if we are a trade or two away from being a playoff team. I really wish we were. We show flashes, but against better teams, those flashes seem to occur fewer and fewer. … I also selected “weak sell” because… we just don’t have a lot of interesting pieces to shop?”
• LeftFieldCorNWer – “Weak buy for the right player at the right price. Not sure it makes sense to spend a lot for this season. They keep having to scramble to stay around .500. The only sustained success so far was that stretch against the cellar dwelling teams.”
• DbacksEurope – “Stand pat. Buying wouldn’t be wise. It is impossible to turn this mediocre team into a contender unless we somehow are able to get 3 ace starting pitchers, a complete new bullpen and we get 3 guys that can actually hit, and not just this season. No one is going to net a valuable return, look Suárez and Naylor. E-Rod would be a salary dump. The only situation I see is to just sit it out.”

Interestingly, enthusiasm for a strong anything was considerably more skewed towards the sell than the buy, at 24% vs. 10% (strong buy isn’t shown, but I did the math!). The fringey nature of the team’s status as a contender, plus perhaps concerns about the status of the 2027 season, may be a factor against the team pushing in all their chips right now. Which makes sense: it doesn’t feel like this team is a player or two from being a credible threat to the likes of the Yankees or Dodgers come October. Though you might have said the same thing at the start of the 2023 post-season as well…

Shohei Ohtani was the first Dodger to be named a 2026 All-Star, after leading the majors in Phase 1 voting for the All-Star game on July 14 in Philadelphia. Six other Dodgers were finalists through the fan ballot, giving them a chance to claim starting spots in Phase 2 of voting.

Ohtani locked down the starting DH spot for the National League squad, with 3,341,257 votes. The top vote-getters in each league bypass Phase 2. Second baseman Ernie Clement of the Toronto Blue Jays was the top vote-getter in the American League, with 3,232,932 votes.

Ohtani was the expected choice, despite a slow offensive start. His red-hot June boosted him up the leaderboards. He entered Thursday with the second-highest OPS in the National League (.963), barely trailing Mets outfielder Juan Soto (.965).

Read more:Shohei Ohtani takes control of Dodgers' win after miscommunication with Dalton Rushing

Pitchers aren’t chosen through the fan vote — hurlers and reserves have to wait for the player ballot (which includes votes from players, coaches and managers) and commissioners picks. But Ohtani has been just as impressive on the mound this year.

He has a 1.58 ERA, the fourth-best mark among NL pitchers who have thrown at least 50 innings this season.

Dodgers first baseman Freddie Freeman (2,666,008 votes), third baseman Max Muncy (2,890,181) and outfielder Andy Pages (2,158,664) also led their respective NL position groups in voting. Other Dodgers finalists, who advance to voting Phase 2, include catcher Will Smith (1,871,805), shortstop Mookie Betts (1,762,343 ) and outfielder Teoscar Hernandez (1,569,932).

The vote totals reset for Phase 2, which runs from next Monday through Thursday. The remainder of the All-Star starters are set to be announced on July 4 on Fox Sports.

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts replaced Don Mattingly in 2015. Just over a decade later, Roberts has invited his predecessor to serve as an honorary coach in the 2026 All-Star Game.

Major League Baseball released a statement announcing the coaches and staff for the Midsummer Classic in Philadelphia.

“National League manager Dave Roberts of the defending World Series Champion Los Angeles Dodgers has invited manager Oliver Marmol of the St. Louis Cardinals and interim manager Don Mattingly of the host Philadelphia Phillies to serve as honorary coaches alongside the Dodgers’ coaching staff for the NL,” the statement read.

Mattingly is currently the interim manager for the Philadelphia Phillies, but he landed his first managerial role in Los Angeles.

Mattingly served as the Dodgers manager from 2011-2015 and the beginning of his tenure with LA marked a difficult time for the organization. The 2011 Dodgers season saw owner Frank McCourt’s bitter divorce battler hamper the team financially, but Mattingly led the team to a winning season alongside MVP candidate Matt Kemp and Cy Young Award winner Clayton Kershaw.

Mattingly was the first manager in franchise history to lead the team to three consecutive playoff appearance. He was replaced by Roberts in 2015.

Roberts is in the midst of his 11th season as Dodgers manager as the back-to-back champions look to win their third straight World Series title. Roberts has won 3 World Series titles with the Dodgers and has led the team to five National League pennants.

Roberts will have a familiar face in his lineup for the All-Star Game as Shohei Ohtani was named the National League’s designated hitter. Several other Dodgers could appear in the game, including outfielder Andy Pages, catcher Will Smith, third baseman Max Muncy among others.

BOSTON — It was only one at-bat halfway through a long season. 

But it won the Yankees the game and spoke loudly about Jasson Domínguez’s ability to rebound from some hiccups and impact the club the rest of the way, especially as it tries to withstand a barrage of injuries. 

The 23-year-old outfielder had looked overmatched while striking out in his first two at-bats with Tigers ace Tarik Skubal on Wednesday night, and then fell behind 0-2 in the third at-bat with the game tied in the sixth inning. That is when Domínguez went to work. He fouled off three pitches while taking three balls out of the zone to work the count full, then on the ninth pitch got a change-up down the middle and crushed it into the left field seats for a two-run shot, the switch-hitter’s first home run of the year from the right side. 

“The first two at-bats, I couldn’t figure out,” Domínguez said. “[Skubal] is one of the best. His changeup, his fastball, they’re great. By the third at-bat, I had a better clue about it. 

“I think it’s just mental and trying to stay in the game. He got me the first two, but there’s still more game to play, there’s still more at-bats coming. Just keep my mind right and try to help the team, trying to battle.” 

Domínguez, who went 1-for-4 with an RBI in Thursday’s 6-3 loss to the Red Sox, has already impressed the Yankees with how he handled his demotion to Triple-A to begin the year, with no spot for him on the roster until injuries opened the door for him to come back up. 

But the battle with Skubal was another example of why they continue to believe there is more in there than he has shown to date as a big leaguer. 

“He’s a talented hitter,” manager Aaron Boone said. “It’s good to see a young player like that going up against a really tough matchup and it’s just why you got to keep at it. You’re going to get had sometimes by a good pitcher in certain at-bats. It didn’t hold him down and obviously that swing was the difference.” 

The fact that it came from the right side made it even more notable. 

Hitting righty was one of Domínguez’s biggest weaknesses last year, as he hit just .204 with a .569 OPS and one home run in 104 plate appearances, compared to .274 with a .768 OPS and nine home runs in 325 plate appearances as a left-handed hitter. 

But he has simplified his approach from the right side this year and it has made a difference so far, entering Thursday batting .321 with a .893 OPS and one home run in 29 plate appearances from that side, compared to .167 with a .579 OPS and two home runs in 45 plate appearances from the left side. 

“In the past, I used to have a big leg kick and all that,” Domínguez said. “Right now I’m just trying to be more simple and take good at-bats.” 

Boone has maintained that Dominguez hitting better right-handed came down to experience, after he has missed large chunks of time to injury in his career. But he is getting a steady dose of it now, especially at a time when Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Trent Grisham are all on the injured list and playing time is up for grabs. 

That said, there is clearly still room for improvement from Domínguez, particularly on defense. He started a ninth straight game in right field Thursday night, and the new position remains a work in progress, as evidenced by a fielding error there Wednesday. But the Yankees continue to believe he has the mental and physical skills to make it work. 

“Hopefully with more and more experience,” Boone said, “he continues to get better and better and becomes the player out there we think he can be.”

A lengthy list of Virginia baseball alumni have been thriving in professional baseball this year, and national champion Ernie Clement sits at the very top. Following a breakout 2025 playoff run in which his record-setting 30 hits propelled the Toronto Blue Jays to game seven of the World Series, Clement has picked it right back up in the first half of 2026. As the American League leader in votes as of June 25, Clement has automatically qualified to start in the All-Star Game in Philadelphia.

As we stand, Clement is in line for career-best marks in batting average (.292) and slugging percentage (.437), and he is well under way towards his third consecutive 3+ WAR season, per Baseball Reference. That same contact-oriented approach under which he went down on strikes just 31 times in 745 UVA at bats has sustained in the big leagues, where his 10.4% strikeout rate ranks in the top three percent of MLB.

Clement’s defensive versatility has also carried over, as he has seen time in all four infield spots and even the corner outfield over the course of his six year career in Cleveland and Toronto. However, Clement has more recently settled into the every day second baseman spot, where he has spent over 75% of his innings in 2026.

In addition to his statistical output, Clement’s all-star nod comes thanks to an outpour of local support. His blue collar work-ethic and scrappy on-field play turned him into a fan favorite, even before his legendary postseason. It also helps that Clement grew up in Rochester, New York, a mere 175 miles from Toronto.

Virginia has now secured MLB All-Stars in two consecutive seasons, with Clement following Andrew Abbott, who qualified for his first Midsummer Classic in 2025. Other recent UVA alumni to earn this accolade include Chris Taylor (2021), Sean Doolittle (2014 and 2018), and Ryan Zimmerman (2009 and 2017).

Major League Baseball made its latest proposal in the sport’s ongoing labor battle on Thursday.

And once again, some common Dodgers tactics seemed to be not-so-coincidental targets.

As part of a sweeping set of suggested changes that would put term and salary limits on individual player contracts, MLB’s proposal included de facto “max contracts” for players — similar to the system that is currently in place in the NBA — of five years and $202 million for free agents changing teams, and six years and $265 million for free agents re-signing with their previous team.

Just as notable — at least to Dodgers fans — is that the league also proposed eliminating deferred money from all future contracts, while maintaining its push for a hard salary cap.

As a tradeoff, the league offered to raise minimum player salaries, provide players earlier access to free agency and eliminate qualifying offers that can drag down the markets of top free agents.

It marks the latest flashpoint in what have been increasingly contentious negotiations over a new CBA, with the proposal having already been rebuked later Thursday afternoon by the players’ union.

It also marks yet another way the league is trying to eliminate some of the methods the Dodgers have used to build their current dynasty, going after the kind of long-term and heavily deferred deals that have helped them navigate record-setting payrolls the last couple seasons.

Currently, the Dodgers have six players on deals that would surpass the league’s new proposed contract maximums: Shohei Ohtani (10 years, $700 million), Mookie Betts (12 years, $365 million), Yoshinobu Yamamoto (12 years, $325 million), Will Smith (10 years, $140 million), Kyle Tucker (four years, $240 million) and Freddie Freeman (six years, $162 million).

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They also have nine players whose deals include at least some deferred money: Ohtani (who is the most extreme example, having deferred $680 million of his record-breaking salary), Betts, Smith, Freeman, Blake Snell, Teoscar Hernández, Tanner Scott, Tommy Edman and Edwin Díaz.

For the Dodgers, stretching out contracts and deferring money has preserved the team’s short-term financial flexibility, helping them maintain options each winter as they have constructed star-studded rosters over the last several years.

For their players, such deals provide long-term security and, in some cases, tax benefits and negotiation leverage.

That’s why, as the strategy has come under scrutiny in recent years, both team executives and superstars in the clubhouse have defended it.

“There are times where [negotiating a] deal lines up in a more straightforward way. There’s times where it’s less straightforward,” president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said at Snell’s introductory news conference last winter. “Including deferrals helps as a lever to find that overlap.”

The critique of the approach, of course, is that without regulations on contract structures, the Dodgers have been able to double down on their economic advantages. 

Ohtani’s deal, in particular, has proven to be transformational. While his presence has helped boost the club’s revenues by hundreds of millions per year, he is only earning $2 million per season (the other $68 million of his annual salary will be paid out a decade into the future, after the 10 seasons it covers have concluded).

Granted, Ohtani still accounts for more than $46 million annually in luxury tax calculations — a total that is based on the present-day value of his deal.

Still, it has become the calling card for factions of fans hopeful MLB will adopt a salary cap and even out financial disparities within the sport.

On Thursday, the league’s latest proposal took that exact aim.