Category: Baseball

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is a month away, and Steve Cohen suggested to the New York Post on Wednesday that the Mets will be selling because of their shrinking playoff odds.

But unlike most teams that end up selling this time of year, the Mets will not be doing so in the middle of a full-fledged rebuild. They could use prospects, yes, but they will also need pieces who can help them next year, when they intend to contend again.

Given those circumstances, this Mets deadline will be both complicated and pivotal. We reached out to some rival executives to get an idea of which players contending teams will see as assets and what they might give up for them. 

Here is a very early take on who is most likely to go and what kind of talent the Mets might be able to get in return.

All of this is speculative and subject to change depending on when the Mets sell: If they start selling now, they will find a market low on supply and middling on demand. If they wait until other teams sort out their fates, their assets will be part of a bigger supply, but demand might also be more drastic, too. In other words, stay tuned.

VERY LIKELY TO GO 

LHP Brooks Raley

Raley’s name comes up in almost every conversation about the Mets’ trade deadline. He is an experienced lefty who can handle righties and whose contract is expiring after this season. He is having one of the better seasons of his career, pitching to a 2.32 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 31 innings. The 38-year-old will probably be one of the better relievers available, and certainly one of the better non-closers on the market.

Given that, one could look to a few recent deals to inform a potential return: The optimistic extreme would be the Mets’ deal for Tyler Rogers last season, one in which they sent three prospects, two ranked in their system’s top 15, to the Giants in exchange for the veteran reliever. That might have been a slight overpay, and Rogers consistently ranks among baseball's best in terms of Stuff+ (His 133 is best among all relievers this year, while Raley is tied for 31st).

A more conservative comparison might be the deal the Mets made for Ryan Helsley last year, in which they sent three players to the Cardinals, also including two prospects ranked in their system’s top 15. Both of those deals came closer to the deadline.

LHP A.J. Minter

Minter, like Raley, is an experienced lefty who can also handle righties. Minter, like Raley, will be a free agent after this season. He has not allowed a run in 13 appearances since returning from shoulder surgery this year, has a 3.12 career ERA, and pitched in a World Series-winning bullpen for the Braves in 2021. His 101 Stuff+ does not inspire as much confidence as Raley’s, but his track record and performance should make him appealing to a similar group of suitors. His return seems likely to be less than Raley’s, particularly if teams have concerns about the fact that he is still within a year of major shoulder surgery. But one could spin it this way, too: He has fewer innings on his arm over the last two seasons than just about any proven reliever who will be available, which could make him fresher for October.

SP Freddy Peralta

Peralta struggled again against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, making it three bad starts in his last five. His 4.81 ERA is the worst of his career as a regular starter by nearly a full run, and he is battling his mechanics in ways that appear to be affecting his stuff and on-field morale.

Still, Peralta is a durable starter in a contract year, and because his issues appear to be the result of some inadvertent changes to his delivery early this season, pitching-savvy teams should have reason to believe they can fix him. He is also a good budget option in a starting pitching market that can often be rather costly: He is owed $8 million total this season, meaning any team trading for him would only inherit approximately $2.5 million prorated salary he is owed after the deadline. That would seemingly make him a good option for everyone from big-market teams looking for help to smaller-market teams hoping to bolster rotations without major investment.

Perhaps, obviously, the Mets will not get back what they gave up for Peralta. And his struggles will not help his value. Still, veteran Yusei Kikuchi was traded with a 4.75 ERA in his walk year two years ago, and that deal netted the Astros three prospects that ranked in the Blue Jays’ top 15 at the time, all of whom have since played in the majors. Track record counts for something.

Even in a worst-case scenario, consider the return the Orioles got last year for veteran Charlie Morton, who was more expensive, a decade older and pitching worse than Peralta when they traded him to the Tigers at last year’s deadline. He netted the Orioles a prospect named Micah Ashman, who struck out Cal Raleigh and Roman Anthony in the WBC this spring and has 50 strikeouts in 30 innings in Double-A this year. Proven starters can return value, even if it is not as much as the Mets gave up to get him.

SP Clay Holmes

Given the state of the Mets' rotation heading into 2027, they should probably consider extending Holmes, who was a stalwart for them earlier this season before breaking his leg on a comebacker in May. But if they are not able to do that, they should trade him, and multiple executives pointed to the deal that the Blue Jays made to acquire Shane Bieber last year as a potential template.

Holmes is not currently healthy. He is throwing his first bullpen since his injury this week, and he will need time to build back up to a starter’s workload from there. As such, he might not be available to audition for teams in time for the Aug. 3 trade deadline. If he is, he might not be able to offer much of a sample.

Bieber was even less of a sure thing when the Jays traded for him last year. He had not pitched in a major league game in more than a year and was due back from Tommy John surgery in the last month of the year. Toronto, needing starting depth, traded a respected pitching prospect for him anyway, planning for his return.

Holmes has pitched well more recently than Bieber had. He is not coming back from an arm injury. He is on an expiring contract that will owe him a bit less than $5 million in prorated salary for August and September, which is affordable for a frontline starter, but could be prohibitive for small-market teams. Still, all of that suggests the Mets should be able to get more than the Guardians got for Bieber – and they got a former second-round pick and a top-five prospect from the Jays system in Kahl Stephen.

Stephen needs elbow surgery that has stalled his rise up prospect rankings, but he was pitching to a 3.44 ERA in 12 Double-A starts before the injury.

IF THE PRICE IS RIGHT

RHP Huascar Brazobán

Multiple executives raised Brazobán’s name as one the Mets could consider moving at this deadline, even though he is not on an expiring contract. The formerly volatile righty is compiling the most consistent season of his career, pitching to a 1.94 ERA with a sub-1.00 WHIP in a variety of bullpen roles.

Unlike the other relievers mentioned here, Brazobán is entering his second year of arbitration and will not be a free agent until after the 2029 season. He is, therefore, a more affordable relief option than many available this time of year, which could appeal to contending teams trying to improve their bullpens on a budget. Because of his success this year and that extended team control, any deal for Brazobán should secure the Mets a legitimate prospect or two. If it doesn’t, they do not need to trade him: After all, the 2027 Mets will need cost-controlled relievers, too.

RP Luke Weaver

Multiple executives speculated about the potential availability of Weaver, who has not allowed a run since April 30. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball this season, walking just nine batters while striking out 39 in 36 innings and is maintaining a career-low 0.806 WHIP. He is also under contract through next season at a reasonable top reliever rate of $11 million for 2027 – a price any mid- or big-market team intending to contend next year would happily pay to lock down a bullpen stalwart before an unpredictable offseason.

But the Mets are a team that intends to contend next year, and keeping the pairing of Weaver and Devin Williams intact would mean not having to start from scratch in the bullpen, at least. Both Cohen and David Stearns have acknowledged the possibility that too much roster turnover, implemented too quickly, might have contributed to the 2026 team’s early struggles.

So Weaver’s status likely depends on more variables than, say, Raley's or Minter's. First, it depends on Cohen and Stearns’ goals for this deadline. If they decide they need to salvage as much as they possibly can from this season and strip the roster for every possible asset, Weaver certainly would bring significant value. But neither the owner nor his president of baseball operations has operated in extremes this year.

More likely, the plan for Weaver will depend on how many teams decide to sell and how many elite relievers are available. If supply is sparse, the potential return might help the Mets more in 2027 than Weaver would.

LONGSHOTS

SS Francisco Lindor

Cohen told the Post on Wednesday that he does not see the Mets moving either of their high-priced superstars, Lindor or Soto. That should end 95 percent of all speculation about whether Lindor will be traded. He is on this list for one reason: If the Mets decide they need to recalibrate the heart of the roster – whether due to clubhouse dynamics or multiple years of on-field malaise -- the last five-and-a-half years of Lindor’s $341 million contract are still easier to shop than the billions and eons remaining on Soto’s.

Could a team in need of a long-term middle infield solution and a middle-of-the-order bat decide Lindor is better than what will be available to them in the free-agent market? Or that cost certainty on a player of his caliber is an asset heading into the lockout? That does not seem impossible, particularly for a POBO with a history of trading big, veteran contracts for one another like Stearns did with Brandon Nimmo and Marcus Semien.

Still, Lindor is an extremely valuable hitter at his position who has committed himself to New York and proven himself capable of handling ups and downs here. It is not easy to envision the kind of deal that would inspire Cohen to part with him, let alone to shop him while planning to win again in 2027.

SP Sean Manaea

In keeping with the idea that all starting pitchers with any recent history of success qualify as treasured assets this time of year, Manaea is a starting pitcher with some recent history of success. Some team might be willing to bet his revived velocity, 3.53 ERA, and 3.16 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) marks since May 22 are representative of the pitcher he will be for the remaining year and a half of his three-year contract – or that they can make him even better.

But given how much he struggled early in the season, and the fact that he still has one-year remaining on a three-year, $75 million deal, he seems likely to appeal to a smaller group of high-payroll teams – unless the Mets want to pay down his contract. Then again, they will also need starters in 2027, not to mention down the stretch in 2026.

OF Tyrone Taylor

Right-handed hitting outfielders are notoriously hard to find, and Taylor is an excellent defender who provides credible at-bats as a fourth outfielder. He is making $3.8 million this year, so even at a prorated price, teams could likely find cheaper options. But the free-agent-to-be is known as a strong defender and could potentially fit a contender needing a veteran on the bench.

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The Texas Rangers have won six of the last seven and are -120 favorites to come out on top against the Detroit Tigers tonight.

My Tigers vs. Rangers predictions and MLB picks see value in backing them to slow a Detroit team coming off a sweep over New York.

Who will win Tigers vs Rangers today: Rangers moneyline (-115)

Nathan Eovaldi has posted an xERA of 2.11 or lower in three consecutive starts while striking out 24 batters.

His strong run of form should continue against the Detroit Tigers, who rank 21st in both OPS and OBP vs. right-handed pitching.

The Texas Rangers have a better matchup against Framber Valdez. Although he has pitched better of late, this is a spot where we could see a hiccup.

The Rangers lead the majors in batting average and sit second in wOBA against lefties since June 1. They should provide Eovaldi with enough support to get a win. 

Play this up to -125.

COVERS INTEL:Eovaldi ranks in the 93rd percentile in chase rate, which should serve him well against a Detroit team with the seventh highest strikeout percentage vs. righties.

Tigers vs Rangers Over/Under pick: Under 7 (+100)

Eovaldi has started six games over the last two months against teams striking out at a Top-10 clip. He's averaged well over six innings while posting a 2.56 ERA.

Playing in a pitcher’s park against a strikeout-heavy team missing one of its most productive bats against righties (Gleyber Torres), he should fare well.

Valdez owns a 3.23 ERA over the past month and has opponents hammering balls in the dirt, sporting a ridiculously high 63.5 GB% along the way.

Runs should be hard to come by, making the Under an appealing play up to -110.

Tigers vs Rangers weather

Tigers vs Rangers odds

• Moneyline: Tigers +100 | Rangers -120
• Run line: Tigers +1.5 (-210) | Rangers -1.5 (+170)
• Over/Under: Over 7 (-120) | Under 7 (+100)

Tigers vs Rangers trend

The Rangers have cashed the Under in 24 of the last 40 home games for +8.95 units and a 21% ROI. Find more MLB betting trends for Tigers vs. Rangers.

How to watch Tigers vs Rangers and game info

Tigers vs Rangers latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

2026 MLB Draft Preview: Jack Natili scouting report.

The 2026 is less than two weeks away — the first round kicks off on July 11, 2026 — so its time to start offering capsule looks at players the Texas Rangers could select with their top picks. The Rangers’ first round pick is at #16, their second round pick is at #54, and their third round pick is at #89.

Leading up to draft day, we will be doing writeups of some of the players who could end up getting selected by the Rangers with one of their first three picks. Today we are looking at University of Cincinnati catcher Jack Natili.

Jack Natili is a 6’3”, 198 lb. righthanded hitting catcher for the University of Cincinnati. Natili went undrafted int 2023 out of high school in Pennsylvania, and played for Rutgers as a freshman before transferring to Cincinnati, where he’s played the past two seasons. A junior, Natili turned 21 in March.

Offensively, Natili is a power-over-hit guy. He has a swing that is geared towards getting the ball in the air, helping him make the most of his plus power. However, his swing is described as getting long, and he can have problems catching up with fastballs. He is described as making good swing decisions, so his issues are less about chasing pitches out of the zone and more about making contact often enough with pitches in the zone.

Defensively, Natili has a plus arm which is perhaps his biggest asset behind the plate. He’s described as having made strides in his work behind the plate, though he’s not considered a particularly strong blocker or receiver of pitches. Nonetheless, he is expected to be able to stick behind the plate. As is the case with most catchers, he has below-average speed.

Natili hit .230/.386/.367 in 183 plate appearances for Rutgers as a freshman, striking out 32 times and walking 12 with 5 homers. As a sophomore for Cincinnati, Natili slashed .338/.451/.556 in 244 plate appearances, striking out 53 times and walking 30 times with 9 homers. He took a big step forward power-wise this year, hitting 19 homers in 276 plate appearances while slashing .339/.424/.674, with 29 walks against 56 Ks.

Baseball America has Natili at #58 on their board. MLB Pipeline has Natili at #87 on their board. Kiley McDaniel puts Natili at #71 on his top 150 list. Keith Law does not have Natili on his board. Fangraphs does not have Natili on their board. Baseball Prospectus does not have Natili on their top 30 draft board.

Catchers are always in demand. Power is always in demand. Thus, catchers with power are always going to be attractive to teams.

Natili is seen as someone who is always going to have a lot of swing and miss in his game, with the question offensively being if he can handle velocity well enough for him to utilize his power, rather than just being blown away by professional pitchers at the upper levels. The possibility is strong enough for him to likely go somewhere in the second through fourth rounds.

Previously:

Liam Peterson

Tyler Bell

Aiden Robbins

Jared Grindlinger

Logan Reddemann

Cooper Harris

Justin Lebron

Cameron Flukey

Derek Curiel

Hunter Dietz

Logan Hughes

Carson Wiggins

Peyton Bonds

Ace Reese

Sawyer Strosnider

Gio Rojas

Chris Rembert

Worcester: W, 6-5 (BOX SCORE)

On Wednesday against the Mets, Brayan Bello had a start. It was… a start. It was fine. He allowed three runs, went five innings, throwing 50 strikes on 81 pitches, struck out six and didn’t walk anyone. The pitching staff as a whole hurled fourteen strikeouts and, aside from Noah Song, were all huge in high-leverage situations. Allan Castro again played hero, hitting what would become the game-winning RBI single last night. This is the second consecutive game that the outfielder was instrumental in a win.

Portland: W, 7-6 (BOX SCORE)

I mean… at what point is it enough of a sample size to admit that Franklin Arias can hit this level of pitching and that it’s time to evaluate his bat at the next level? Yesterday against Altoona (Pirates AA) he hit a home run for the second consecutive game, the third such time he’s had a home run streak, as he’s now at 17 homers on the season. He’s slashing .329/.414/.606. I mean, come on now.

Brooks Brannon’s bat woke up with a bases-clearing double. The team surpassed a slumping Hayden Mullins getting hit to death and managed to win having had just five knocks on the night.

Greenville: L, 4-12 (BOX SCORE)

Luke Heyman led the charge with his seventh home run of the season, but there was simply too much Winston-Salem (White Sox High-A) offense to overcome. Jojo Ingrassia couldn’t go any longer in this game but pitched solidly enough overall for five innings. The bullpen, though, let a ton up, unable to hold the 4-2 lead they had after six innings, and this game just wasn’t winnable after an 8-run 8th inning for the Dash.

Salem: L, 0-1 (BOX SCORE)

Feels like a Red Sox game, doesn’t it? The pitching staff allowing just two hits to the Green Jackets (Braves A). Avinson Pinto matched that total himself, but all four Salem hits were singles, and the RidgeYaks couldn’t advance any runners and also couldn’t draw any walks. Tough to win a baseball game in that capacity no matter how good the pitching is.

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The Chicago White Sox have won six of the last nine and are priced at -110 to come out on top in tonight's series opener.

My White Sox vs. Guardians predictions and MLB picks suggest the road team should be favored against a Cleveland team missing its best player.

Who will win White Sox vs Guardians today: White Sox moneyline (-110)

Slade Cecconi has allowed six runs over his last five starts and managed a 1.88 ERA, despite a 3.97 xFIP and 4.02 FIP. 

Opponents hit an unsustainably low .229 on balls put in play over the past month. Even more unsustainable is that he has stranded 93.3% of baserunners, which is miles above his 71% career average.

The Chicago White Sox rank ninth in ISO and 12th in wOBA vs. righties since June 1, making them a strong candidate to bring Cecconi back to earth.

Back the White Sox up to -120.

COVERS INTEL:Slade Cecconi ranks in the 24th percentile in expected batting average allowed.

White Sox vs Guardians Over/Under pick: Under 8.5 (-110)

This total is half a run too high. Cecconi has not pitched as well as his numbers suggest, but it’s not as if he should be getting shelled. He simply deserves middling results rather than high-end. In a pitcher’s park, I don’t think he’ll get blown up entirely.

The Cleveland Guardians are missing a couple of key bats, and it shows. They rank 24th in wOBA and 29th in ISO against righties at home since June 1.

Davis Martin has allowed only five runs through six starts against Bottom-10 teams in OPS vs. right-handed pitching. Bet the Under to -125.

White Sox vs Guardians weather

White Sox vs Guardians odds

• Moneyline: White Sox -110 | Guardians -110
• Run line: White Sox -1.5 (+150) | Guardians +1.5 (-175)
• Over/Under: Over 8.5 (-110) | Under 8.5 (-110)

White Sox vs Guardians trend

The White Sox have cashed the moneyline in 26 of their last 45 games (+9.4 units, 19% ROI). Find more MLB betting trends for White Sox vs. Guardians.

How to watch White Sox vs Guardians and game info

White Sox vs Guardians latest injuries

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.

Team News

D-backs’ undefeated run vs. Giants ends as Gallen searches for answers
“Zac was really good for the early parts of this game,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “I thought he was driving his fastball into the right parts of the zone.”

Said Gallen, “I felt like we were pretty much in control.”
……………………………………………………….
“I think I had said a while back, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good in this game,” Gallen said. “Like, right now I’m on neither side of the coin, so it’s kind of frustrating. I felt like any time I made a mistake, the ball was [hit] for damage or leaving the ballpark.”

https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/zac-gallen-gives-up-six-runs-as-d-backs-lose-to-giants

Diamondbacks’ win streak over Giants couldn’t last forever

“We’re not gonna quit on Zac,” manager Torey Lovullo said postgame. “No coach is gonna quit on him. I know he’s struggling and he’s gonna continue to fight because that’s his spirit … It’s not working the way we want it to for him, I’ll acknowledge that, but he can pay us unbelievable dividends if he gets on one of his runs.” https://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/giants-win-streak-ends

Diamondbacks’ Historic Streak Against Giants Finally Comes to an Endhttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-historic-streak-giants-finally-comes-end

Diamondbacks Injured Catcher to Begin Rehab Assignmenthttps://www.si.com/mlb/diamondbacks/onsi/diamondbacks-injured-catcher-rehab-assignment-mccann

Diamondbacks prospect Kayson Cunningham named to NL Futures Game rosterhttps://arizonasports.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-prospect-kayson-cunningham-named-to-nl-futures-game-roster

Other Baseball

MLBPA seeks larger roster sizes, demotion protection in proposal https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49240289/mlbpa-labor-proposal-seeks-bigger-roster-size-demotion-protection

MLBPA Proposes Changes To Roster Rules In CBA Talkshttps://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/mlbpa-proposes-changes-to-roster-rules-in-cba-talks.html

Team-by-team breakdown of every player headed to Futures Game
https://www.mlb.com/dbacks/news/each-team-s-prospects-headed-to-2026-futures-game?t=mlb-pipeline-coverage

Pirates SP Paul Skenes gets tagged for career-worst 7 earned runs vs. Phillieshttps://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/article/pirates-sp-paul-skenes-gets-tagged-for-career-worst-7-earned-runs-vs-phillies-004832134.html

Rays star Junior Caminero extends streak, becomes youngest player since at least 1900 to hit home run in 6 straight games

https://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/breaking-news/article/rays-star-junior-caminero-extends-streak-becomes-youngest-player-since-at-least-1900-to-hit-home-run-in-6-straight-games-002346617.html

Rays ‘running out of words’ to describe Caminero after tying franchise markhttps://www.mlb.com/news/junior-caminero-ties-franchise-record-and-homers-in-sixth-straight-game

Dansby Swanson hits 3 homers, 8 RBIs as Cubs torch Padres 23-3https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/49242842/dansby-swanson-hits-3-homers-8-rbis-cubs-torch-padres-23-3

Orioles Trade Kyle Nicolas To Nationals

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2026/07/orioles-trade-kyle-nicolas-to-nationals.html

A’s dealt a blow as Rooker set to undergo season-ending knee surgery
https://www.mlb.com/athletics/news/brent-rooker-out-for-season-will-undergo-knee-surgery

Blue Jays, alumni invest $300K in Canada’s baseball future
https://www.mlb.com/bluejays/news/blue-jays-alumni-grow-baseball-canada-donations

The most iconic baseball card from every era in trading card history
https://www.mlb.com/news/most-iconic-baseball-cards-in-american-history

Anything Goes

This day in history:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/july-2

This day in baseball:

https://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/July_2

Soda fountain workers were called soda jerks

The workers were called soda jerks because of the jerking motion used to pump soda water.

The holes in spaghetti spoons have a purpose.

The single, circular hole in the middle of pasta spoons isn’t just for draining. It is actually a measure for the serving size of spaghetti. The amount of dry spaghetti that fits snug in the hole counts as one serving. 

A group of frogs is called an army.

They can also be called a chorus or colony. A group of toads, on the other hand, can be called a nest or a knot. 

Since the 4th doesn’t fall on “my day,” have a fun and safe July 4th! Or Treason Day either, or. My mom graduated high school in the bicentennial year.

Morning, all!

Corey Seager is back on the IL less than a week after returning from a concussion and less than a month after another back related injury.

This is the third trip to the IL for Seager this season and the ninth in the five years he’s been in Texas with five years and $155 million still left on his contract.

Wyatt Langford and Brandon Nimmo are also dealing with injuries right now.

Chris Martin made a rehab appearance with AA Frisco on Wednesday on his way back from a shoulder impingement.

Morale is high despite all the injuries, with the Rangers wrapping up a 7-3 road trip even with crucial missing pieces.

Cleveland beat the Rangers 9-4 yesterday, snapping the Rangers’ longest road win streak since 2017.

They did it. They actually did it: The Giants finally beat the Diamondbacks.

The win feels a bit like finding a crumpled up dollar in your pocket after getting mugged for your wallet and phone. Less of a win, more of “not a total loss”, but the Giants will take it. These small victories are what they’re playing for as the calendar flips to July and speculation abounds before the trade deadline. Unabashed sellers, they enter the market with trench coat fully open, rattling their wares: “Franchise cornerstones, here. Get yur cornerstones here. 100% authentic, no-doubt, real-deal cornerstones here!”

In this weird purgatorial state, all the Giants have is the day. This is the team until it’s not the team anymore. As a member of the roster, you have to find other things to play for: individual achievement, camaraderie, development of skill, love of the game (hopefully), proof you belong, to avoid total embarrassment.  

Saving face — that’s a big one. Dropping to 0-9 to the Diamondbacks, three consecutive series sweeps to a division rival that was formed in the90’s…that would’ve been too much to bear.  Then there’s right-hander Trevor McDonald, who needed to kick dust at a June in which he went 0-4 with a 5.73 ERA. Or Heliot Ramos, who missed 37 games due to a hamstring injury, and returned a stranger, needing to reintroduce himself to the fanbase and reassert his claim to an outfield spot. 

Both starter and outfielder did what they needed to do on Wednesday evening to help themselves and help the team. McDonald threw 6 shutout innings, allowing just one-hit and striking out 5, while Ramos powered the offense with a homer and RBI triple in the 6-4 win.

The only baserunner McDonald allowed was a lead-off single to Ketel Marte in the 4th. He leaned heavily on his sinker (56% usage) to set up his slider and change-up. The offspeed particularly shone — bagging three of his five K’s, generating 6 whiffs on 10 swings. But the major personal triumph of the night: zero free passes handed out. McDonald’s last walk-less outing was his first of the year on May 4th. He walked 13 batters over five starts in June with a 1.73 WHIP.  Wild pitches and hit batters exacerbated issues and shortened his starts. Things were sloppy. At times, he looked in over his head, lacking the composure needed to stay afloat in the Majors.

McDonald had that composure on Wednesday when Arizona’s hitters forced him to work. Ketel Marte started the game with an 8-pitch at-bat. He fouled off three pitches, pushed the count to 3-2 before flailing over the top of a slider. Later in the 1st, McDonald put himself in a 3-0 hole to Corbin Carroll before pumping three sinkers into the zone — Carroll didn’t move his bat once. In the 4th with two-outs and Marte on third in a scoreless game, McDonald jumped out to an 0-2 advantage against Gabriel Moreno, who then didn’t bite at any three baited offerings off the plate. Count full, with the threat of Arizona’s pesky offense breaking through once again, McDonald kept challenging the zone, and he finally got Moreno swinging at a change-up after three fastballs.  

The very next pitch thrown in the game Heliot Ramos rocketed over the wall in center field.

427 111 MPH off the bat, landing 427 feet from the plate — the shot was Ramos’s sixth of the year, his second since his return from the IL, and also broke-up an impressive scoreless outing by Zac Gallen.

The Giants offense had managed a single single off of Gallen over the first four innings. Ramos’s homer sparked a string of four hits, including a Victor Bericoto 2-run homer. In the 5th, after Gallen recorded the first two outs by way of the K, Rafael Devers worked a walk before Ramos nearly took Gallen deep again with a deep flyball that bounced off the top of the right-field wall and back into play. The RBI triple fueled another series of hits: Jung Hoo Lee pulled a single through the infield to plate Ramos, and two batters later, came around to score himself on Drew Cavanaugh’s single. 

A pair of three-run rallies gave San Francisco a six run lead, which proved stable enough to survive a barrage of singles and some general defensive sloppiness at Ryan Walker’s expense in the 8th. Dylan Smith mopped up the mess and Caleb Kilian turned in a stress-free 1-2-3 9th. 

The Giants have been done in by the desert, lost and lifeless as they’ve wandered in the unbroken heat. Nine games in, dehydrated and down-trodden, this team finally found a slice of shade.

A minor relief — but that’s what this team is playing for.      

Man, am I sorry for the Cub fans who jumped off the bandwagon and decided to pack it in early for “Wait ‘til next year.” While there might be some efficiency in doing that and almost certainly an avoidance of future heartache and frustration, this team is a lot of fun when it’s going good. This third hot streak of the year continues to roll in a game that got so comically out of hand that the Padres went to a position player in the seventh inning. Between Wednesday’s blowout win and last week’s double header sweep of the Mets, these have been some of the most fun days I can remember.

The script remains the same for this team. In more than half their wins they have scored nine or (many) more runs or won in their last team at-bat. If this team doesn’t blow the other team out of the water, there’s a good chance they won’t win it until late in the game. In this game, they blew out real early. Seiya Suzuki slugged a three-run homer in the first inning and the Cubs were quickly off to the races. Walker Buehler had been throwing pretty well for the Padres, but he was clocked for nine earned runs in this one. That was only one more than Padre catcher Rodolfo Duran ended up being tagged with in relief.

The Cubs piled up 17 hits and drew seven walks in this one. If those numbers weren’t crazy enough, it was the eight homers that was the eye popping number. Dansby Swanson had his first career three homer game and missed another one by maybe a foot. Michael Conforto had his first two-homer game as a Cub. Alex Bregman was designated to make the outs for the team and was 0-5 with a walk. Seven different Cubs drove in runs, led by Dansby Swanson who has fixed his offensive numbers to a large degree over the last two weeks. 10 different Cubs scored runs, led by four from Conforto and Swanson.

The Cubs had a team line of .405/.490/1.024 (wRC+ 309). Of course these numbers are inflated by silly time at the end of the game. You have to finish the game. The Cubs were pretty aggressive at the plate, but they weren’t passing the opportunity to take some quality rips.

On the other side, Colin Rea did his best Javier Assad impression, wherein he allowed a ton of baserunners but somehow escaped trouble over and over again. He three five non-impressive innings and got a win for his efforts. Do you love a pitcher win more with 13 runs scored during your five innings of work or a three-inning save? That makes three of the latter for the Cubs this year.

Jordan Wicks moved into second on the team in saves with his three innings of one-run ball. In his two appearances since being recalled, he has been handed a three-run lead in the 10th at Milwaukee and a 13-run lead against the Padres on a windy day in Chicago and asked not to blow them. He did not blow either one. I’m at least curious to see if Wicks benefits at all from being used out of the pen. As Andrew Chafin reminds us, most relievers are just failed starters. I can’t ever remember watching Wicks pitch and being impressed, but I’m sure it is possible I’ve blocked something out.

The team now sits 11 over .500 at 49-38. As of this morning, there are just four teams with more wins than this Cubs team. The team is flawed, I get it. Of all of the competitive teams in the Ricketts era, it might be the most flawed team. But this team is fun. This team can buzzsaw you. The Padres team the they just swept is also a flawed team. A flawed team that is pretty good. They are no joke. The Cubs just posted 35 runs across three games. Ignoring the eight by a position player, that is 27 runs in 25 innings as they didn’t bat in the ninth the last two games. That’s quite an outburst. The 12 they allowed doesn’t look outlandish, and you feel better in that seven of them came in one game while they were nursing a pretty large lead (at least initially).

I don’t know what anyone is going to do about the Dodgers. There are no rules that stop them from hiring a small market wizard to run one of the very largest market teams. But they are terrifying. They are an organization that churns out elite talent from their system year after year after year. And when there is something they don’t have and can’t trade for with enormous prospect capital, they buy it. They don’t ever have to shop in the clearance rack. But hey, small market wizard, right? They shop in all of the bins. They are a problem.

Aside from the Dodgers, there is no team that you wouldn’t expect to have a puncher’s chance against. This team can pack a pretty significant punch. Especially if they can get any number of their key pitchers standing upright with their arm properly attached come playoff time.

What a time to be a Cub fan.

Three Positives:

• Dansby Swanson is scorching the ball right now. Three homers, eight runs batted in and four runs scored. Two of his homers were pre garbage time.
• Michael Conforto had three hits, two of them homers and was intentionally walked. He drove in four and scored four.
• Seiya Suzuki kicked off the scoring with his three-run homer. He had a double and a single as well and drew a walk. He scored three to go with the three RBI. His season line is up to .274/.357/.466 (wRC+ 128). He is a force offensively.
• Obligatory PCA line: two hits, one a homer, stolen base, three runs driven in, two scored. Didn’t play in garbage time.

Game 87, July 1: Cubs 23, Padres 3 (49-38)

Reminder: Heroes and Goats are determined by WPA scores and are in no way subjective.

THREE HEROES:

• Superhero: Seiya Suzuki (.195). 3-5, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R
• Hero: Colin Rea (.122). 5 IP, 25 BF, 6 H, 3 BB, 2 ER, 5 K (W 6-5)
• Sidekick: Dansby Swanson (.090). 3-5, 3 HR, 8 RBI, 4 R

THREE GOATS:

• Billy Goat: Michael Busch (-.066). 2-6, HR, RBI, 2 R
• Goat: Nico Hoerner (-.020). 0-3, BB
• Kid: Michael Conforto (-.003). 3-4, 2 HR, BB, 4 RBI, 4 R

WPA Notes: WPA does not care how much traffic a pitcher allows. Assuming you finish the inning, it’s binary. Did runs score? Conforto made an out the first time up and it got lopsided fast. So he ends up with one of the best lines I’ve ever seen on the wrong side of the ledger.

WPA Play of the Game: Seiya Suzuki’s first inning three-run homer. It came with runners on first and third with one out. (.187)

Padres Play of the Game: As has happened so many times recently, the other biggest play immediately preceded it. Michael Busch struck out for the first out of the inning. (.058)

Cubs Player of the Game:

Game 86 Winner: Dansby Swanson received 95 of 134 votes.

Rizzo Award Standings: (Top 5/Bottom 5)

The award is named for Anthony Rizzo, who finished first in this category three of the first four years it was in existence and four times overall. He also recorded the highest season total ever at +65.5. The point scale is three points for a Superhero down to negative three points for a Billy Goat.

• Pete Crow-Armstrong +17
• Ben Brown +13.5
• Trent Thornton +12.5
• Michael Busch +12
• Carson Kelly +11.5
• Dansby Swanson -9
• Edward Cabrera -9.5
• Phil Maton -10
• Seiya Suzuki -11.5
• Caleb Thielbar -13

Up Next: An off day Thursday. The Cardinals (44-39) come to town. They lost to the Braves Wednesday night and play them again in Atlanta before heading to Chicago. Go Braves. The Cubs haven’t named a starter for the Friday game yet. Andre Pallante (9-5, 3.83) will be the Cardinals starter. This should be David Peterson’s spot for the Cubs. He is 4-6 with a 5.86 ERA, but looked good in his Cub debut in Milwaukee (5.2 IP, 5 H, 0 BB, 2 ER).

The Cubs will seek a sixth straight win and their 16th win in 20 games.

June was everything you expect from summer in Chicago. The White Sox feasted on the AL Central’s collapse and picked up a few unexpected wins during the East Coast road trip. While there are many strong takeaways from June, a gap still hasn’t been fully patched.

The Sox don’t need Munetaka Murakami, and they don’t need big contracts…but it sure would help

At first, losing Mune to a hamstring strain left me feeling defeated. Winning was fun while it lasted, right? Wrong. Without Murakami, the Sox lineup hit about the same as they did with him.

In June, Chicago slashed .255/.325/.443, scoring 138 runs and slamming 38 home runs. Compared to May, when Murakami had a monster slugging month, the Sox hit more consistently at the small cost of 12 fewer runs and four fewer dingers. Although they won fewer games, Chicago’s overall performance dip should be attributed to its shakier pitching, as evident by the +32 run differential in May versus +10 in June.

Losing Murakami likely through the All-Star break threw a wrench in the excitement, but this team didn’t collapse. Chicago’s front office has managed to assemble a winning team costing less than $115 million, and has found more success than five teams ranked in the top 10 in payroll. Money doesn’t always buy effectiveness.

In the same vein, their expensive closer Seranthony Domínguez, who’s rolling in his $10 million average annual value salary, isn’t coming close to earning his money. The 31-year-old reliever had a poor June, posting a 5.40 ERA with five walks while only converting one of three save opportunities. Sean Newcomb, Grant Taylor, Bryan Hudson, and Chris Murphy all pitched better than Domínguez, and their salaries combine to just over $6 million. 

This team has never thrived more on its ability to maximize limited resources than now, but that doesn’t mean some expensive firepower won’t take it to new heights. If Chris Getz is smart, he’ll start cashing in his infield capital and abundance of Triple-A talent to acquire some high-end starters to keep the arms from getting too stale.

Chicago’s catching depth still hasn’t been resolved

Last year, the dynamic Kyle Teel–Edgar Quero catching duo seemed to be the solution to Chicago’s catching depth problems dating back to 2012, when A.J. Pierzynski and Tyler Flowers ranked sixth in the league in WAR among catchers (1.7). But that overflowing talent pool has quickly shriveled up.

Teel missed nearly half the season and is still finding his footing since suffering a hamstring strain during the World Baseball Classic. It’s too early to tell how he’ll fare over the rest of the season, but his early numbers at the plate and behind the dish say that he’ll either experience a backslide, or his IL recovery might take some time to iron itself out. Quero, on the other hand, has experienced one hell of a sophomore slump. He went from slashing .268/.333/.356 in 111 games in 2025 to hitting below the Mendoza line and recording a meager .233 slugging percentage. Quero is ranked 94th among big league catchers with -19 overturns versus expected by the average catcher and -3.6 runs, which includes challenges as a batter and fielder, amounting to a 47% challenge success rate.

Things look even worse considering Quero’s framing and block grades are -4 and -6, putting him in the bottom 10%. His performance was so lackluster that he got the boot back to Charlotte when Teel came off the IL.

Korey Lee and Drew Romo don’t deepen the depth chart dramatically. Lee seems to be in professional baseball purgatory, with never being able to outplay the Quad-A hitting and catching standard he’s sustained since 2024. And Romo, who is somehow still on the 26-man roster, is batting worse than all three ever have.

Perhaps that’s why Getz swapped Charlotte’s best relief arm for a catcher who hasn’t caught in Triple-A since 2024. The Sox aren’t in danger at catcher, but the expectedly long offseason should give enough time to address the situation fully.

Summary Metrics

Chris Getz Trade Confidence (How much better does a Chris Getz trade make this team?): 15%

Average Drinks Required (Average number of alcoholic drinks required to tolerate this team): 2.75 – a light buzz won’t kill anyone, but the starters sometimes prompt a heavier pour

Rebuild Index (1 is full rebuild, 5 is sustaining current pace, 10 is aggressively pursuing a World Series): 7

Welcome to Thursday A’s fans!

The squad managed to avoid a sweep yet again last night, winning the series finale in convincing fashion against the Los Angeles Dodgers. It brought the A’s record to 41-46 and with the weak AL West that’s good enough to be just three games out of first place.

The A’s now have a day off to rest and recuperate before welcoming the Miami Marlins to town. The Marlins came into this season with low expectations but they’ve surpassed them and then some. At 46-40 not only do they have a better record than every team in the AL West, but they’re also third in arguably the toughest division in baseball, the NL East. They also come to Sacramento riding a a hot streak, having won two in a row and taking 10 of their past 12 contests. Wrong time to be facing the Fish right now.

Miami has worked as a team to help them to their successful first half. While they’re second-to-last in the National League in home runs, they’re sixth in batting average, fifth in on-base percentage, and tied for 7th (with the Giants) in OPS. What they’ve lacked in power they’ve made up for with speed as their 94 steals are tops in the entire sport. They have four players already in double-digit swipes so A’s catchers will likely have their hands full with Marlins on the basepaths. Plus, they’ve been without their top power threat in Kyle Stowers for portions of this year but he’s back and hitting well since his return. Miami could be a buyer this deadline season.

The Miami starting rotation also has a couple bright spots. Max Meyer, a former 3rd overall pick in the draft, has broken out and is one of the best arms in the NL this year. Former Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara hasn’t been quite found his old form but has generally given them a chance to win when he takes the mound. And Eury Perez has also been adequate, though not quite living up to the hype that surrounded him when he arrived to the big leagues. We’re likely to see Meyer this weekend but probably not Alcantara or Perez since they started the Marlins’ past two games.

Anyway, the A’s. Unfortunately the bad injury news keeps on coming for the squad. Two days ago we learned that Designated Hitter Brent Rooker isn’t making as much progress in his return from the knee injury that landed him on the injured list at the beginning of June…

… but just last night just an hour or so before first pitch, the A’s announced the bad news: Rooker would be undergoing the knife, ending his season prematurely:

Not great news. Though Rooker was suffering his worst season to date with the Athletics (.200/.281/.389, 10 home runs), the club would surely have prefered their expensive DH to be playing and trying to right himself. He’s hit at least 30 home runs the past three years and the A’s were counting on that production in the middle of the lineup this season. Instead he’s been on the shelf since the first week of June and that’s where he’ll remain the rest of 2026.

It’s a brutal blow for Rooker, who likely wanted to come back, turn his season around, and help drive the A’s to the playoffs. Now he’ll begin the process of rehabbing his knee and hopefully being 100% ready to go next year, when he’ll be 32-years-old. That’s no spring chicken but he’s still locked in with the A’s for another three years, and his salary is about to make a big jump this offseason from $8 million this year to $14 million next season. The club will certainly take things slow with Rook to make sure this surgery and rehab goes as perfectly as possible. The A’s can’t afford to have that big a salary be an anchor and still compete.

Originally placed on the IL with what the team called a “bone bruise”, it’s now officially to the point where the club needs to stop thinking of a stopgap for his roster spot, and start thinking about how they’re going to replace him for the final three months of the season. The most likely option is to just simply stick in-house and rotate guys like Carlos Cortes, Lawence Butler, Shea Langeliers and others in and out of that spot depending on who Kotsay wants to give a half-day off to. It wouldn’t cost the A’s anything as far as prospects or salary, and the team could get some answers regarding some of their young bats, but the floor is also much lower without a more proven hitter in that spot.

If the club has their sights set on the postseason and wants to bolster the DH spot, the front office had better at least be doing their due diligence on guys that could step into the roll for half a season. Would the A’s make a bold trade for someone like the Giants’ Luis Arraez? Or someone a bit less costly like the Rockies’ Mickey Moniak or Boston’s Willson Contreras? Who would you guys target now that Rooker is indeed done for the year?

No game today everyone, but we have a big Fourth of July weekend ahead of us! Have a great one guys.

A’s Coverage:

• Julyeball Scout Report As Hopes, Like The Sun, Sink Slowly In The West
• Thoughts And Well Wishes For A’s Prospect Ryan Lasko
• A’s Take Series Finale, Beat Dodgers 7-1
• Dodgers Overwhelm A’s Once Again
• A’s Drop Series Opener To Dodgers 9-4
• A’s roster moves: Massive Shakeup
• A’s To Trade Brett Harris To Red Sox
• It’s Harder To Win When You Don’t Understand Your Own Personnel
• Fun Parallels To 2012 Emerging
• What Kade Morris’ Role Will Look Like for A’s in Future
• Some Easy Fixes Rocket Science Aren’t
• Athletics’ Devin Taylor Emerges As All-Around Talent
• From celebratory pool dip to the A’s, Meneses’ journey back to Majors a memorable one
• Athletics Could Deal Hottest Triple-A Bat This Summer
• Status Report: Uncertainty Persists In 5 Places On The Diamond

MLB News and Interest:

• Rangers’ Corey Seager back on IL with lower back inflammation
• Red Sox Place Connelly Early On Injured List
• 2026 All-Star Futures Game rosters revealed
• Mets owner says changes need to be made, but Stearns is staying
• MLBPA seeks larger roster sizes, demotion protection in proposal
• Trade rumors: Skubal, Angels, Yankees, starting pitchers
• Dodgers’ Dave Roberts fastest manager to reach 1,000 career wins
• ‘It’ll never happen again’: Cavalli, GM Toboni address comments, brawl
• Today in Baseball History

Best of X:

Scary moment down in Double-A last night as outfield prospect Ryan Lasko suffered a collision with fellow outfield prospect Devin Taylor. Lasko was carted off while Taylor stayed in the game:

But at least some good news. Keep Lasko in your thoughts, A’s fans. Get well soon Ryan!

Some “positive” injury news regarding a top prospect:

Leo De Vries and Jamie Arnold are heading to the Futures Game, where many of the game’s current stars made their national debuts:

A former well-regarded prospect is heading to Boston in exchange for a Low-A relief prospect:

And yesterday’s top performer down on the farm:

The San Diego Padres are heading to Dodger Stadium, which has become their house of horrors.

Rarely do the Padres play their best baseball in LA

Since 2021, the Padres have a 16-33 record (.327 winning percentage) against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Chavez Ravine. After an embarrassing three days in Chicago, the Friars arrive in Tinseltown for their first series of the season inside Dodger Stadium. They hope to exorcise the demons that caused them despair from seasons past.

Keep in mind, the Dodgers hold a +55-run differential against the Padres at Dodger Stadium since 2021. It has allowed them to leverage their home-field advantage over their chief rival. 

Often, the Friars’ defense self-destructs in Los Angeles, as the Dodgers take full advantage of the team’s mistakes for easy victories. 

San Diego cannot get over the 2024 NLDS defeat

The Friar Faithful have suffered through so many disappointing losses inside Dodger Stadium. But none is bigger than the 2-0 shutout in Game 5 of the 2024 National League Divisional Series. What sunk their hearts was an 8-0 Whitewash in Game 4 at Petco Park. 

The Padres were up 2-1 heading into the contest and looking to send the Dodgers home for the holidays. Losing that divisional series has left an indelible mark on the franchise that has been impossible to remove. 

Those 24 consecutive shutout innings to close out the series may have been the start of the team’s struggles at the plate. 

What is next in the season series

All of their games this season have been played in San Diego, as Los Angeles holds a 4-2 mark in the season series and a 13-game lead in the NL West standings. The crushing defeats have tested the Friar Faithful’s patience to cheer for a directionless, struggling ballclub. 

The bats are slumping, and they cannot be buried by the Dodgers once again. The lineup has to show some signs of life. They cannot fade quietly into the night. The Padres have to breathe more life into their season because it is on life support. 

No one is asking for a series sweep, but the Friars have to change their fortunes by playing smart baseball and winning a couple of games. 

The roster needs to treat Dodger Stadium as another road site on the schedule. The field conditions are ideal for getting on a winning streak.

With the first half of the minor league season over, I thought it would be a good time to evaluate the state of the Royals’ farm system. While the organization has developed a few stars like Bobby Witt Jr., and Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen are off to good starts, they have struggled to develop a roster of homegrown players that can win.

Most observers still rate the system in the bottom third in the league, and I don’t think developments this summer have changed that status. There is more higher end talent in the farm system than there has been in years, but the depth tails off very quickly. First-round draft picks like Frank Mozzicato and Gavin Cross have failed to pan out and frankly, wouldn’t be rostered anymore if they didn’t have their draft pedigree.

On the other hand, the Royals have several intriguing pitching prospects climbing prospect rankings, and their recent international signing classes are producing more talent than we’ve seen from the organization in quite some time.

You can see the mid-season prospect list I put together last year, with Carter Jensen and Luinder Avila having graduated from prospect status since then. Here is my stab at a midseason top 30 prospect list for 2026.

30. 3B Derlin Figueroa

The Royals acquired Figueroa from the Dodgers in 2023 in a deal for pitcher Ryan Yarbrough. His power has really developed nicely, and he has 15 home runs in just 63 games at Quad Cities. He is a bit old for the league and should probably move up soon, and his 30 percent strikeout rate is a bit of a red flag.

29. OF Corey Cousin

The Royals lured Cousin away from Oklahoma with an overslot signing in 2024, and the toolsy outfield has begun to hit this year in his first pro season. The 19-year-old right-handed hitter is batting .308/.439/.477 with 11 steals in the Arizona Complex League.

28. LHP Darwin Rodriguez

Rodriguez had an amazing strikeout-to-walk ratio in the Arizona Complex League and held his own upon a promotion to Low-A this year. He has built on that performance this year with a 4.43 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 67 innings in his second season with the Fireflies. He features a big breaking ball that should dominate at lower levels.

27. 1B Brett Squires

Squires went undrafted out of Oklahoma, and had done nothing but hit since joining the Royals. He has smacked an organization-best 16 home runs while hitting .293/.366/.570 across Double-A and Triple-A. He doesn’t walk much, and although he plays some outfield, he is mostly limited to first base. There are a lot of guys at the Triple-A level who show these kind of numbers only to fail to hit big league pitching, but if the Royals continue to struggle, why not give him a shot?

26. RHP Hiro Wyatt

Wyatt showed a lot of promise last year in Low-A, and while his ERA improved in a second tour there this year, his peripherals have taken a turn for the worse. Even more discouraging, he has been out since mid-May due to an undisclosed injury and is on the 60-day IL. There is still a lot of time for the 21-year-old, but these aren’t the first injury issues he has had.

25. LHP Jordan Woods

Woods was an undrafted free agent out of Ontario, Canada and doesn’t appear on many prospect lists, but at some point, results have to matter. He struck out 14 of the 18 batters he faced over six perfect innings in one start earlier this season and dominated the Carolina League with a 1.80 ERA in 35 innings. He was older than much of his competition, so his promotion to High-A should provide a better test of whether he’s truly a hidden gem or simply taking advantage of younger hitters.

24. RHP L.P. Langevin

Injuries limited Langevin last year, but he has returned to strike out a ridiculous 45 percent of all batters he has faced this year. He also has 25 walks in 31.1 innings as a 22-year-old in High-A, which is not ideal. The Quebecois native has tremendous spin on his fastball, but will need to develop control to be a factor.

23. RHP Eric Cerantola

The streak of Canadian pitchers continues. Royals fans have seen a glimpse of Cerantola, and he what you see is what you get – a live arm that can strike hitters out, but walks too many to be very effective. He can throw in the mid-90s with a decent slider, but needs far better command to stick in the big leagues.

22. RHP Blake Wolters

We continue our streak of pitchers who miss bats, but can’t find the strike zone. Wolters flat out dominated Low-A ball with a 1.65 ERA this year, but upon a promotion to High-A, the walks have piled up. He has a 12.35 ERA in eight starts with 24 walks in just 31.1 innings. He has had shoulder issues in the past that have limited his development, and the clock is ticking on the 21-year-old.

21. SS Ramcell Medina

Medina was a big international signing last year and was named a Dominican Summer League All-Star. He has struggled with the bat there this year, but is just 18 years old, so he has plenty of time to develop.

20. SS Warren Calcaño

Calcaño was the big signing in last year’s international class as a glove-first shortstop. He hit well in the Dominican League in his first pro season, but has struggled this year. Just 18 year old, he is very wiry and will need to add strength to his frame to be any kind of offensive threat.

19. SS Daniel Vazquez

Vazquez is a glove-first shortstop who could be interesting if his bat develops a bit. His bat exploded in the advanced Arizona Fall League last year, generating excitement that perhaps his offensive game was coming around, but he is hitting just .248/.31/.331 in 66 games at Double-A this year.

18. SS Austin Charles

Charles has had a very up-and-down pro career, and is the definition of a high variance prospect. The 22-year-old had a rough 2025 season, but rebounded to hit .306/.377/.491 with three home runs and eight steals in 30 games at High-A this year. In May, he suffered hip and abdominal ligament issues, requiring surgery that will keep him out at least two months. He brings a great power/speed combo, but has had some problems staying on the field.

17. C Moises Marchán

Marchán comes from a baseball family – his cousin Rafael plays for the Phillies. He was a high dollar signing in the 2025 international draft class and has done nothing but hit. He is hitting .339 in the Arizona Summer Complex League, although he hasn’t developed any power to speak of yet. The 18-year-old runs very well for a catcher and could develop more strength as he grows.

16. RHP Drew Beam

Beam was selected in the third round as a polished college pitcher after winning a championship at Tennessee in 2024. He had a solid season in High-A this year, but has struggled a bit with a 6.86 ERA in Double-A. He struggled to strike hitters out last year and his rate has only decreased this year, while his pinpoint control has worsened as well. He’ll need to reestablish his ability to throw strikes, but he has a deep arsenal that can help him avoid hard contact.

15. RHP Ben Kudrna

Kudrna is a Kansas City-area kid the Royals signed overslot as a second round pick in 2021. He struggled to put hitters away at lower levels, but significantly improved his strikeout rates last year, and he had a solid 4.21 ERA at Double-A. His fastball has been pretty hittable, although the Royals have worked with him to tweak it. He underwent elbow surgery in April, which will likely keep him out most, if not all of this season.

14. RHP Cameron Millar

Millar was an overslot signing selected in the third round of the 2025 draft out of high school. He has pitched a few games in the Arizona Complex League and has an eye-popping 21 strikeouts and just 3 walks in 14.2 innings. He has a mid-90s fastball that can run up to 97, but needs refinement in his secondaries. He’s a good project for the Royals pitching development team, and we could see him assigned to Low-A soon.

13. CF Asbel Gonzalez

Gonzalez is one of the best base-stealers in professional baseball, swiping 117 bases over the last two years, second-most of any player. He has very little power, although he does seem to be hitting the ball with a bit more authority this year, and he has already hit three home runs this year – he had only hit two his entire career prior to this year. He can draw some walks, but with his lack of power, he seems unlikely to do so at higher levels. Right now he projects to be the future designated pinch runner the Royals love to employ, but if he can develop just a modicum of pop he could become interesting.

12. CF Carson Roccaforte

Roccaforte just seems to hit at each level, showing power, speed, and a decent eye, while playing a premium defensive position in centerfield. He is hitting .236/.332/.468 with 15 home runs at Double-A this year, and has seemingly conquered the level in 118 games over the last two years there. The knock on the lefty bat is his strikeout rate – he’s whiffing 32 percent of the time. If he can cut down on that, he has a chance to break into a Royals outfield that is thin on talent.

11. RHP Felix Arronde

Arronde has gotten pretty good results at each level, and while his ERA has taken a bit of a hit at Double-A this year, his peripherals have improved. He features a fastball in the mid-90s, but had a pretty low strikeout rate in High-A last year. This year, however, he has significantly boosted his strikeout rate while also cutting his walk rate, an encouraging sign that his stuff is playing better against more advanced hitters. He has some pretty good downward action on his pitches, particularly his curve, and he could be a guy whose stuff plays better in the bullpen.

10. SS Yandel Ricardo

There is a noticeable gap between the top ten prospects and the rest of the system. Ricardo was a high-dollar signing out of Cuba in 2024 known for his glove. He has developed a solid bat, and after a slow start at Low-A last year, he is hitting .252/.325/.406 with five home runs at age 19 this year. He has added some strength this year, and it seems to be paying off with more power. He does not seem to be overly aggressive, taking some free passes, and using his speed on the bases.

9. CF Angeibel Gomez

The Royals have developed a decent pipeline of talent from Venezuela, and Gomez is the latest product of that system. Signed for $2.9 million in this year’s international signing period, Gomez is a potential five-tool player that already stands 6’2” at age 17. He is dominating in the Dominical Summer League, exhibiting power, speed, and a patient eye. He’s a long way from the big leagues, but he has the kind of upside that could make him a star one day.

8. RHP Michael Lombardi

Lombardi was a two-way player at Tulane and was often used as a reliever, so he doesn’t have a ton of mileage on his arm. The Royals have used him as a starter and he has dominated at Low-A with a whopping 86 strikeouts in 55.1 innings. He has struggled a bit with walks and he is a bit old for that level, which allows you to get away with shaky command at times. The Royals have been working with him to develop his secondaries, and his refinement of those pitchers will likely determine if he makes an impact at higher levels.

7. CF Sean Gamble

Gamble was the 23rd overall pick for the Royals in the first round of the 2025 draft out of high school who was praised for being a polished hitter with great speed. The Royals have moved the former shortstop to center field, but he has struggled in his first season of pro ball, hitting .183/.294/.270 with three home runs in 68 games at Low-A. He has an encouraging 10.8 percent walk rate, has 19 steals, and shows surprising power at times. Still, I thought he was a bit of a reach with a limited ceiling for a prep player at the time he was drafted, and he has done nothing to dissuade me of that yet.

6. C Ramon Ramirez

Ramirez seemed like a man among boys at Low-A Columbia last year, and he has only increased his offensive production at High-A this year. Hitting .286/.363/.478 with 10 home runs in 65 games this year, Ramirez is one of the best power bats in the organization. He isn’t a very big hitter, but he has a compact swing and gets everything out of it. Ramirez is a convert to catching, and while he has made some strides, he is something of a work-in-progress.

5. LHP Justin Lamkin

Lamkin went from Texas A&M to High-A ball this year, and after flat-out dominating in six starts, the Royals aggressively promoted him to Double-A. He struck out 15 hitters in 11.1 innings over two starts with just three walks, but was shut down and put on the 60-day Injured List, with an undisclosed injury. That’s a disappointing setback in what looked like a meteoric rise for the 22-year-old. Lamkin only throws in the low-90s but has a funky, deceptive delivery that could play as a reliever if he can’t cut it as a starter. Depending on the severity of his injury, he could be a contributor in the big leagues pretty soon, although his ceiling is probably a bit limited due to the lack of a plus pitch.

4. C Blake Mitchell

The power that Mitchell lost from his hamate bone injury a year ago has seemed to return. He has slugged 13 home runs in 68 games and seems likely to surpass a career high as a pro. That’s good! He also continues to draw walks unlike any other player in the organization – 73 free passes for a 24 percent walk rate. That’s great!

What is concerning is that he is striking out a 35 percent clip and hitting .210 in his second season in High-A ball. Other high school hitters from his draft class – Max Clark, Walker Jenkins, Colt Emerson, Arjun Nimmala – are already at Double-A or higher, so I suspect Mitchell could get moved up soon. He will need to adjust his approach at higher levels where opposing pitchers throw more strikes, but it is encouraging to see some pop out of him.

3. SS/3B Josh Hammond

Hammond was the 28th overall selection in last year’s draft, and while he was the second player the Royals selected, I liked him a lot more than Gamble. Hammond provides the kind of raw power the Royals need in their lineup, and has seemingly adjusted to wood bats quite well. In 69 games at Low-A, he is hitting .293/.354/.431 with five home runs.

Still just 19 years old, Hammond’s frame really hasn’t filled out and you could project more power onto him as he ages. He shows a decent eye at the plate for a high school draftee, and has 18 steals already. I think his future is at third, but he has split time between short and third this year.

2. LHP David Shields

The Royals have long struggled developing high school pitchers, but David Shields could be an indication that is changing. The former second-round pick had an eye-popping strikeout-to-walk ratio last year, and has picked up where he left off last season. In 14 starts at Quad Cities this year, he has 74 strikeouts to 20 walks in 64 innings and opponents are hitting just .214/.296/.362 against him. Shields doesn’t blow hitters away with velocity – he throws in the low-90s – but he commands his pitches well and has developed some plus secondary pitches. Whether or not that combo will play at higher levels remains to be seen, but the 19-year-old is currently getting outs against much older competition.

1. RHP Kendry Chourio

The prospect with the most helium in the organization right now is 18-year-old pitcher Kendry Chourio. Signed for $247,500 out of Venezuela, Chourio impressed in six late season starts at Low-A last year, and he dominated in 11 starts there this year with a 1.88 ERA and 44 strikeouts to just 9 walks in 48 innings. He earned a promotion to High-A where he is nearly five years younger than the average player. The performance has earned attention from national evaluators, with Baseball America ranking him as the #37 prospect in the game, and MLB Pipeline placing him #70.

What stands out most is Chourio’s polish. He fills the strike zone and demonstrates uncommon command for a pitcher his age. He throws in the mid-90s with some cut to his heater, and some scouts feel he could add some velo as he matures. He mixes in a plus kick change up, above-average curve, and a solid slider that keeps hitters off balance. The Royals have aggressively promoted him and he has answered every challenge so far. He has perhaps the highest upside by a Royals pitching prospect since Yordano Ventura. Chourio still has several years of development ahead of him, but so far he has done just about everything you could hope to see from an 18-year-old pitching prospect.

Honorable mention: RHP Kyle deGroat, RHP Kamden Edge, IF Tyriq Kemp, RHP Augusto Mendieta, SS Tyson Moran, OF Spencer Nivens, LHP Oscar Rayo, OF Nolan Sailors, 3B Jhonayker Ugarte, C Hyungchan Um, RHP Steven Zobac

Good morning everyone! I hope you all enjoyed your Mariners off-day yesterday. The squad is back in action this afternoon against the Angels.

The holiday weekend is now just around the corner! What plans do you have on this Fourth of July? Do you enjoy watching fireworks, or has the novelty of it been lost for you?

In Mariners news…

• Major League Baseball announced the Futures Game rosters for All-Star weekend, with Ryan Sloan and Kade Anderson serving as Mariners representatives in the contest.
• Zach Mason provided a complete chart for the month of June, with some key facts and figures to know now that June is behind us.
• Commenter BearInTheRiver introduced a new baseball game called The Four Seamer. Check it out!

Around the league…

• Nationals right-hander Cade Cavalli issued an apology for his comments towards Willson Contreras during Tuesday night’s game which many perceived as racially charged.
• Astros right-hander Christian Javier is set to return from the injured list with his shoulder strain healed — but he will do so in a bullpen role.
• A’s designated hitter Brent Rooker is slated to undergo season-ending knee surgery, a major blow to their already-slim playoff hopes.
• Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is headed to the injured list again with an ailing back, less than a week after returning from the IL.
• The Red Sox have placed stud rookie left-hander Connelly Early on the injured list with elbow inflammation, but the team is hopeful he can resume a throwing program soon.
• Giants third baseman Matt Chapman is hitting the injured list with a strained abdominal muscle.
• The MLBPA’s latest proposal to the league included an earlier trade deadline and limits on player demotions, among other things. Evan Drellich at The Athletic has the report. ($)
• Rays third baseman Junior Caminero homered for a sixth straight contest, now just two shy tying the MLB record.
• Despite the Mets’ continued struggles, owner Steve Cohen assured fans that president of baseball operations David Stearns is safe — for now.
• The Chicago Cubs seem to always be portrayed as the “loveable losers.” Northwestern professor and longtime Cubs fan Bill Savage explored this running theme for the Cubbies in modern pop culture.
• The MLB.tv app’s 3D graphics keep glitching, and Brian Grubb highlighted the most absurd screencaps from its continued malfunction.

Eric Hartman will get most of the headlines for his historic achievement — seeing as though we’re not even at the break yet — and rightfully so. But the pitching down on the farm was downright excellent as well on Wednesday. So, without further ado, let’s break down what happened.

(42-40) Gwinnett Stripers 5, (34-49) Durham Bulls 1

• Luke Williams, 3B: 1-4, HR, RBI, R
• Jim Jarvis, SS: 2-5
• DaShawn Kiersey Jr., CF: 2-4, 2 R
• Brewer Hicklen, RF: 1-3, 2 RBI
• Owen Murphy, SP: 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Box Score

Owen Murphy continues to make his case as the next arm to be called up to the big league roster as the 22-year-old spun a gem to lead Gwinnett to a win.

In six innings of work, Murphy allowed just three baserunners — two via hit and one via walk — while striking out seven in the process. With his start, Murphy lowered his season ERA to 3.88 on the year. To date, it is Murphy’s best start with Gwinnett as he appears to finally have gotten his footing underneath him.

Murphy’s fastball averaged 92.6 MPH with a solid chase rate of 31.8%. He’s clearly ready for the big leagues, but with the trade deadline looming, perhaps the Braves keep him in triple-A to boost his value with more solid starts in the event they use him as a trade chip. Either way, Murphy is on the right track and if he is still with the team after the deadline, he will be in Atlanta soon thereafter.

While Murphy was dealing, his offense provided him with a solid night at the plate as well.

The Stripers wasted no time jumping on the scoreboard, scoring three times in the top of the first. Brewer Hicklen plated the first run of the game courtesy of an RBI-single to score DaShawn Kiersey Jr. Aaron Schunk followed that up with an RBI-double as well to score Brett Wisely, while Hicklen later came around to score on an RBI-groundout off the bat of Jose Azocar.

As for Hicklen, his good approach at the plate continues and he’s been rewarded as he is hitting .306 with an OPS of .884, which leads Gwinnett among qualified hitters.

(33-39) Columbus Clingstones 8, (44-33) Tennessee Smokies 3

• Patrick Clohisy, CF: 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 2 R, BB
• Drew Compton, 1B: 3-4, 3B, 4 RBI
• Ambioris Tavarez, 2B: 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB
• Cedric De Grandpre, SP: 6 IP, 2 H, BB, 7 K

Box Score

Cedric De Grandpre and Owen Murphy must have had a competition going to see who could have the best outing between them on Wednesday. As fate would have it, the two righthanders posted the exact same line of six innings pitched, two hits allowed, one walk issued and seven strikeouts.

In the two starts since his disastrous outing on June 19 in which he allowed seven runs in just 1.1 innings of work, De Grandpre has bounced back quite nicely. Across 11.2 innings, has allowed just two runs while striking out a combined 14 batters in those two outings. Hopefully he is fully adjusted, or at least getting there, to the double-A level.

At the plate, the Clingstones offense came to play as Columbus registered eight runs on 10 hits in the win.

The Clingstones scored one run in each of the first and third innings to jump out to a 2-0 lead over Tennessee. While the Smokies cut that lead in half in the bottom of the seventh, Columbus responded in a huge way in their final trip to the dish.

Patrick Clohisy — who doubled earlier in the game — got the rally started with an RBI-triple to score Kevin Kilpatrick Jr. and make it a 3-1 game. Clohisy later scored on a Kyle Farmer single before Drew Compton posted the biggest swing of the night — a bases-clearing triple to extend the Columbus lead to 7-1 on the night.

Tennessee managed to get two of those runs back in the home half of the ninth, but Owen Hackman locked in and closed out the game to cap off the win.

Speaking of relievers, Blake Burkhalter tossed another scoreless outing with a pair of strikeouts to his credit. Since joining Columbus on June 17, Burkhalter has tossed 6.1 scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and only one walk issued thus far. It will be interesting to see how long the front office keeps Burkhalter in double-A before they bump him up to Gwinnett to see if he continues his success.

(37-38) Rome Emperors 8, (28-48) Jersey Shore BlueClaws 1

• Eric Hartman, CF: 1-4, HR, RBI, 2 R
• Dixon Williams, LF: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R
• Owen Carey, RF: 2-4, RBI, 2 R
• Tate Southisene 0-5, 2 K
• John Gil, 0-3, 2 BB, R, K
• Dallas Macias, 1-4, HR, RBI, R
• Ethan Bagwell, SP: 6 IP, 5 H, BB, 6 K

Box Score

On the same day he was named a top-25 prospect in the sport by Baseball America, Hartman capped off his banner day by joining a prestigious club — doing so in historic fashion.

Needing just one home run to join the 20/30 club and become the first player both this season and in Rome’s history to post a season with that statline. What makes it even more impressive is the fact he was able to do it in just 71 games.

Hartman got his historic swing in the top of the fourth, taking 1-1, center-cut fastball from a lefty and pulled it over the right center field wall for an absolute rocket which also extended the Emperors’ lead to 2-0.

It’s been an absolutely meteoric rise for Hartman who came into this season relatively unknown outside of Braves prospects circles. It’s not very often you get significant value out of a 20th-round pick, let alone a top-25 talent. But it appears as though Atlanta hit an absolute gold mine in Hartman. The only question is: when will he get to Atlanta?

There’s absolutely no reason to rush the 20-year-old, despite how poorly the big league offense is performing at the moment. However, the Braves have been one of the most aggressive teams in all of baseball when it comes to promoting their top guys and it would not surprise me if Hartman is next on that list.

Mid-2027 is still the most realistic timeline for Hartman to get the call, but you never can confidently rule out any options when it comes to Alex Anthopolous and company.

Back to Wednesday’s action, Dixon Williams had a huge night offensively as well, homering — his ninth of the year — while driving in three of Rome’s eight total runs on the night. Dallas Macias also got in on the long ball fun, homering in the top of the third to get the scoring started for the Emperors.

Keeping with the trend of solid pitching across the system, Ethan Bagwell was spectacular in his first start for Rome. In six innings, Bagwell held Jersey Shore scoreless while limiting the opposition to just five hits and one walk. He also struck out six in the process. It was quite the high-A debut for the righty and his progress, albeit slowed by injuries to start his pro career, could be a sneaky good one. So keep an eye on Bagwell moving forward and don’t be surprised if he continues to succeed and rocket up the prospect rankings himself.

(44-33) Augusta GreenJackets 1, (29-47) Salem RidgeYaks 0

• Cody Miller, 3B: 1-3, RBI
• Alex Lodise, SS: 1-4
• Derek Vartanian, SP: 7 IP, 3 H, 8 K

Box Score

The GreenJackets might have only scored one run and tallied just two hits on the night, but that was more than enough to get the win thanks in large part to Derek Vartanian’s stellar start.

In what was his best start to date, Vartanian spun seven innings of scoreless ball, holding Salem to three hits and striking out eight in the process.
Across 12 starts thus far, Vartanian carries an ERA of 3.41 while tossing 71.1 innings and striking out 71 batters over that span. While he is older for the low-A level as he’s 22, Vartanian could be a candidate to make the move up to Rome, especially when the new slate of draftees join the club later this month or in August.

Following Vartanian on the mound, Logan Forsythe and Lewis Sifontes combined to close out this one by tossing one scoreless inning apiece to preserve the shutout.

As mentioned, there wasn’t much to write home about on Wednesday with regards to the Augusta offense. However, the one run proved to be the difference maker as Cody Miller singled home Conor Essenburg in the third inning to tally the game’s lone RBI.