Category: Baseball

O, Canada. The St. Louis Cardinals have crossed the border in search of some badly-needed momentum and Toronto just might be a great place to find it as the Blue Jays are reeling. But, if you look at both teams on paper, the Cardinals will need to find their A-game to win the series against the Blue Jays.

Here are the scheduled pitching matchups according to MLB.com:

Friday night – Kyle Leahy vs Dylan Cease

Saturday afternoon – Quinn Matthews vs Kevin Gausman

Sunday afternoon – Michael McGreevy vs Max Scherzer

It’s no secret that Dylan Cease is an all-star with a 7-5 win-loss record and a 2.46 ERA. His last 7 games he’s 4-2 and his last outing was a complete game win against Boston on July 25. Kevin Gausman, on the other hand, is struggling. He’s 4-10 overall and 0-6 in his last half dozen starts. His ERA is a hefty 4.51 and his last start was a loss against the Red Sox where he pitched 6 innings and gave up 3 runs. The Max Scherzer of 2026 is not the Max Scherzer of past seasons. Max is 1-4 with a stratospheric 9.49 ERA. He’s 0-2 in his last 3 starts with his last outing being a start where he didn’t make it past the 3rd inning.

For the St. Louis Cardinals, the real excitement this weekend is the MLB debut of Quinn Matthews. His start Saturday afternoon will be must-see TV.

Who are the Toronto Blue Jays players to watch?

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. left Tuesday’s game versus the Washington Nationals with hamstring tightness. Even when in the lineup, he has not been the same player we’ve come to know over the years as he’s batting .265 with just 6 home runs and none in his home ballpark.

Kazuma Okamoto leads the Blue Jays with 24 home runs, 68 RBI’s and an average of .231.

George Springer has 12 home runs with just 34 RBI’s and a slug of .403.

Second baseman Ernie Clement is tops for the Blue Jays in batting average as he’s hitting .294 as of today. He also has 8 home runs and 35 RBI’s.

Centerfielder Daulton Varsho has 7 home runs, 26 RBI’s and a batting average of just .247.

The Toronto Blue Jays are in the cellar of the American League East 14.5 games back of the Tampa Bay Rays and 5.5 games back in the Wild Card with 5 other teams between them and the final WC spot. They’ve lost 6 of their last 10 games and their clubhouse is showing the strain of underperformance. Veteran pitcher Kevin Gausman noted on the Deep Left Field podcast that the team is “not nearly as close-knit” as they were last year. All-Star Ernie Clement pointed out that the team sorely misses the intangible leadership and personality traits of players that left like Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt.

This weekend’s series against the Blue Jays should be an opportunity for the St. Louis Cardinals to find some positive momentum, but the trade deadline looms. How many on the Cardinals roster will make the trip to New York once the Toronto series is done? We’ll find out soon enough.

With that terrible road trip in the rearview mirror, the Mariners return to Seattle for the longest homestand of the season. At four games under .500, they’re a game away from matching their season’s nadir — they were five games under on April 17. That makes this series against the Twins all the more important. It’s very possible the direction of the ballclub ahead of Monday’s trade deadline will be determined by how the team performs in Friday’s and Saturday’s games. That the Twins are a direct rival in the Wild Card race makes this a critical series if the M’s still want to make any noise in the playoff race this summer.

The Twins are surprisingly in the mix in the AL playoff picture, a year after their dramatic tear down last summer. They’ve been playing so well, they’re expecting to be buyers ahead of the trade deadline on Monday. A dramatic walk-off win on Thursday — Kody Clemens hit a grand slam with two outs and two strikes to win the game — gave Minnesota a series win over the Royals and pushed their record back to .500. The team is now just three games back in the AL Central and a game behind the Guardians for the final spot in the AL Wild Card race. 

A nagging hip injury has forced Byron Buxton to the IL for the second time this month, and his absence puts a lot of pressure on the rest of the lineup to continue producing without the team’s superstar carrying the load. Ryan Jeffers recently returned from a hamate bone fracture and he’s now the team’s best hitter with a 160 wRC+. Both Trevor Larnach (133 wRC+) and Kody Clemens (116 wRC+) are in the midst of their best seasons at the plate. Former top prospect Royce Lewis has been mostly healthy this year, though he spent a month in Triple-A for a quick reset after getting off to a really rough start to the season; he’s posted a 114 wRC+ since returning from the minors.

Probable Pitchers 

Updated Stuff+ Explainer 

• Stuff+ scores for Mariners starters

Zebby Matthews has had an up-and-down introduction to the big leagues the past two years. During his debut season in 2024, he featured a fantastic strikeout-to-walk ratio but was undone by a ton of home runs allowed. Last year, he got his dinger problem under control, but his ERA shot up to 5.56 anyway, nearly two runs higher than his FIP. This season, his strikeout-to-walk ratio has gone backwards and he’s allowing a bunch of home runs again. That’s not what you want to see. His two breaking balls are still solid pitches, but he’s grooving far too many of his fastballs to really be successful.

From a previous series preview:

Entering the season, Connor Prielipp was the Twins’ top ranked pitching prospect and their third overall prospect. A pair of serious elbow injuries — one in college in 2021 and one in the minors in ‘23 — have curtailed his development somewhat, but his raw stuff has continued to look dominant. His best pitch is a superb slider that features tight, downward movement and higher than average velocity. His fastball is fine — it’s the pitch he can command the best at the moment — and his changeup has flashed some promise, though he has trouble with his feel for that offspeed pitch.

Due to the aforementioned injuries, the Twins have been extremely careful with Prielipp this year. He spent a few weeks on the IL in July and they’ve been giving him extra rest days whenever they can afford it. His breaking balls have looked like excellent weapons in the majors, but his fastball has been knocked around a bit. In the second start of his career back in April, he held the Mariners to two runs in five innings, striking out five.

From a previous series preview:

The Twins acquired Taj Bradley from the Rays last summer in a deal that has turned out to be somewhat of a coup. Back in 2023, Bradley was one of the most highly regarded pitching prospects in baseball, but he struggled to harness his impressive raw stuff across his first three seasons in the big leagues. Tampa Bay cut bait on him, and he continued to struggle in Minnesota after the trade, but he’s managed to put everything together this season. The biggest difference for him has been small adjustments to his cutter and splitter to differentiate those pitches from his fastball. His cutter is breaking glove side a little more and his splitter is diving out of the zone more often. With an extremely high arm slot and an arsenal that heavily relies on vertical movement, those small changes have had a huge impact on his results on the mound.

Bradley has continued his breakout season, posting career-bests in ERA and FIP and he’s already matched his career-high in fWAR. Against the Mariners back in April, he allowed two runs in seven innings while striking out seven.

The Big Picture:

The thing that makes the Mariners’ struggles simultaneously more frustrating and more forgiving is that the Rangers aren’t exactly running away with the division. Texas lost its series to the Rays earlier this week, dropping the team to just a game over .500. Meanwhile, the Astros have won eight of their last nine games and have climbed back to .500, half a game back in the division. The two Texas teams face each other this weekend in Houston.

What’s the definition of “not going well?” How about playing a series against a team that came in on a 12-game losing streak, and getting swept? The series against the Marlins showed that it’s not just one thing plaguing the Phillies at the moment, it’s everything. Each loss came in a different fashion, with the one common thread being poor defense.

Next, the Phillies will travel to Baltimore to take on an Orioles team that theoretically should provide some opportunities for victories. However, considering how poorly the team has played since the All-Star Game, any future opponents could say the same thing.

Opposition research: Jackson Holliday

Jackson Holliday was a can’t miss prospect. The son of a former All-Star and first overall pick of the 2022 draft, Holliday was rated as the top prospect in baseball prior to the 2024 season. When he was called up to the majors in April of that year, it was expected that the middle infielder would become an instant star.

For every Phillies fan who complains that the team is too slow to promote their young players, just remember that not every prospect, no matter how touted they are, is going to be succeed immediately upon reaching the majors. Holliday struggled so much that the team quickly demoted him. (For the fans who want to trade every prospect, this is some ammunition for your case.)

He returned to the majors at the end of July that year, and while he wasn’t awful, he certainly didn’t look anything like the star that was promised. 2025 was slightly better as he hit 17 home runs, but his defense was subpar and his OPS was only .690.

His 2026 season got off to a poor start when he suffered a fractured hamate bone in February that required surgery and delayed the start of his season to mid-May. He started slowly after returning and was batting .200 at the end of June. However, he’s had an excellent month of July so far.

At age 22, it’s far too early to write off Holliday’s chances of living up to the hype. He’s so talented that it seems like it’s only a matter of time before he becomes a consistently good player.

There have also been rumors that he’s on the trade block, but I don’t understand how that makes sense. The Orioles shouldn’t be buyers, and giving up on a top prospect at age 22 feels insane.

Hating on the Orioles

I attended one of the Orioles games in Philadelphia last year, and I taunted one of my friends who is an Orioles fan that their team was getting wrecked by Taijuan Walker and Max Kepler. (For some odd reason, Kepler did very well whenever I was in attendance. Obviously, I didn’t attend nearly enough games last year.) He said that was pretty much par for the course.

The Orioles hoped that after a playoff appearance in 2024, last year’s down season was just a temporary setback. But it seems like 2025 is far more representative of the state of the franchise since they are currently mired in fourth place and don’t appear to be headed back to the postseason.

The Orioles’ roster isn’t all that impressive with both the pitching staff and offense being mediocre at best. Two years ago, Gunnar Henderson looked like a real contender for the unofficial title of “best shortstop in baseball” but he’s got a sub-.300 on-base percentage this season. Adley Rutschman hasn’t built upon his promising first two seasons. Taylor Ward walks a lot, but he won’t come close to approaching the 36 home runs he hit last year. Their best hitter has been free agent import Pete Alonso, but he’s signed for four more years, and there’s little chance that contract doesn’t feel like an albatross by the end.

The Orioles as a franchise are a lot like the Cincinnati Reds in that they were a powerhouse in the 70’s and early 80’s and haven’t really done much of note since then. The closest thing they’ve had to relevance since then is when a young fan deflected a ball into the stands for a home run.

After sweeping the Tigers in the 2014 NLDS, they’ve lost ten straight playoff games. You’d think they could luck their way into at least one playoff win in 12 years, but apparently not.

Trivia

Last week’s answer: Granny Hamner batted .429 in the 1950 World Series. dirkniblick was correct.

This week’s question: In the 1983 World Series between the Phillies and Orioles, who was the only Phillie to hit more than one home run?

Additional thought about the series

I’ve been out of the country for a few days, and for whatever reason, the Phillies play awful baseball whenever I leave the United States. (I watched game six of the 2022 World Series in Cancun.) I return on Saturday night, so if you’re the type who likes to bet on the Phillies to win, Sunday might be your play.

As for the other games, considering the funk the Phillies are mired in, it’s tough to have much confidence. This core has gone through similar stretches in recent seasons, and eventually come out of it, so I don’t think this is a permanently broken team or anything. But until they do emerge, maybe everyone should do themselves a favor and take a vacation of their own.

A domino has seemingly begun to fall in the Tarik Skubal trade saga.

MLB teams have wondered this season whether the Tigers, who are 51-58 and 4 1/2 games back of the last AL Wild-Card spot, would be open to dealing their ace.

That may be the case after all, as his teammate and fellow pitcher Casey Mize was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Friday against the A’s.

Mize is now listed as Tuesday’s starter — after the trade deadline — but Detroit’s latest move has signaled that he may not be there that long.

Detroit will now be using a bullpen game Friday, according to Tigers reporter Evan Woodbery.

While a move for two-time Cy Young winner Skubal would of course be separate, The Post’s Jon Heyman believes the Mize trade is “the clearest sign yet” that Skubal will likely be moved in a potential fire sale.

Heyman also mentioned Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan as possible trade candidates for Detroit.

While Skubal is certainly the Tigers’ best trade chip, Mize will also be seen as an attractive option for a team looking for pitching help at a lower cost.

The 29-year-old is having a career year, with a 2.70 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Yankees have been linked to Skubal, while there have also been suggestions that NL contenders like the Brewers, Braves or Phillies could make a move for him.

In fact, the two-time defending champion Dodgers — who already have the best record in baseball — could be motivated to trade for him just to keep him from a rival, Heyman reported.

It now seems a matter of when, rather than if, Skubal will be traded.

And Mize could soon be joining him.

While Astros GM Dana Brown has publicly maintained that acquiring an outfield bat is his top priority, the buzz in inner circles for the last few weeks has been that the Astros are very focused on adding a starting pitcher.

While the price for a starter will undoubtedly be very high in a clear seller’s market, could the Astros swing big for a starter?

It appears they are at least trying.

According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros are among several teams that have called on San Francisco Giants SP Logan Webb:

 The Houston Astros and other teams keep asking about San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb.

And they keep being told he’s not going anywhere.

Nightengale further went on to report on the Giants’ plans at the deadline and who they plan to keep and trade:

The Giants plan to keep outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and trade Heliot Ramos. They also are telling teams they are willing to eat part of starter Robbie Ray’s $25 million contract in a trade.

Ramos is a right-handed left fielder batting .267 with 9 HR and 34 RBI. He has a .306 OBP and .739 OPS. He will be entering his first year of arbitration at age 27.

Ray, a former Cy Young winner in 2021, is now 34. He is a free agent at the end of the season. He is 10-6 this season with a 3.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He has 107 K in 122.2 IP. He also leads the NL with 57 walks.

While Webb isn’t currently available, it does lend credence to the Astros looking to make a big move for a pitcher.

There’s a chance of rain in Chicago this afternoon, so here’s the local radar for you to keep handy.

Today’s roster move: Here

Friday notes…

• HEADING FOR THE TOP: A win today will put the Cubs 16 games above .500 for the first time this year. They finished last season 22 above, at 92-70, with a high of 24, last at 88-64. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• BACK-TO-BACK: This is the first time of the season that the Cubs will play back-to-back day games on Thursday and Friday. They will do it only once more, Aug. 13-14, at Washington, then at home vs. the Cardinals. They have played a day game on Thursday, then a night game on Friday four times. They won both games of the first three pairs, then lost both of the last, July 9-10, at Baltimore, then at Cincinnati. That is the last time the Cubs dropped back-to-back games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• MISCELLANEOUS TEAM MARKS: The Cubs are 10-2-1 in their last 13 series, but 3-2-1 at home while winning seven straight on the road. They are 27-22 in games against opponents that had a winning record going into the game. They are 13-7 at home. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
• TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jon Lester’s walkoff bunt capped a Cubs comeback from a 6-0 deficit as they defeated the Mariners 7-6 in 12 innings at Wrigley Field. It happened 10 years ago today, Sunday, July 31, 2016.

Cubs lineup:

Yankees lineup:

Shōta Imanaga, LHP vs. Will Warren, RHP

I’m just going to keep posting these Shōta Imanaga numbers because they continue to amaze me.

First nine starts: 2.32 ERA, 0.902 WHIP, only 5 HR in 54.1 innings
Next four starts: 10.80 ERA, 1.523 WHIP, 12 (!) HR in 21.2 innings
Next eight starts: 2.00 ERA, 1.133 WHIP, only 5 HR in 45 innings

So that’s two stretches of ace-like performance and a four-start run that screams “DFA candidate.”

I can’t explain that and neither can you.

Last year against the Yankees, July 13 at Yankee Stadium, Imanaga threw seven innings and allowed two hits and one run, striking out six. Imanaga is currently on a 13-inning scoreless streak. Let’s hope that continues.

Will Warren has been a consistent, if unspectacular, starter for the Yankees for the last two seasons. He posted 0.6 bWAR last year and might do the same this year, though his bWAR is currently negative (-0.1).

The Phillies hit him pretty hard in his last start, July 26 — six runs in three innings.

Warren was Imanaga’s opponent in that July 13, 2025 game at Yankee Stadium, which is his only career start vs. the Cubs. He allowed two runs in 5.1 innings, including a home run by Michael Busch.

Here is the weather forecast for the area around Wrigley Field.

Today’s game is on Marquee Sports Network. It’s also on MLB Network (outside the Cubs and Yankees market territories).

Here is the complete MLB.com live streaming page for today.

MLB.com Gameday

Baseball-reference.com game preview

Please visit our SB Nation Yankees site Pinstripe Alley. If you do go there to interact with Yankees fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.

The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.

You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).

At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.

The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.

You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.

Discuss amongst yourselves.

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 — and he's now made $11 million for a card collector in 2026.

A Florida fan pulled a one-of-one Dual Gold Logoman autographed Ohtani card redemption from his local card store.

Key Takeaways

• The special gold patches were worn during Ohtani’s 2024 and 2025 MVP seasons.
• The card was quickly sold to a renowned collector, who owns a collectible business with a Shark Tank personality.
• Ohtani could tie an MLB record by winning his fourth straight MVP this year.

Luck graced the collector’s hobby box of 2026 Topps Chrome Baseball cards purchased at Boca Sports Cards in Boca Raton, Florida. The card features game-worn patches from Ohtani’s back-to-back MVP seasons, his English autograph, and his rare Kanji signature, one of three core scripts in Japanese writing.

The patches were from a Sept. 7, 2025 road game and an April 12, 2026 home game. The special gold patches are only awarded to players who win the MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year awards in the previous season.

BREAKING: This Shohei Ohtani card just sold for $11 MILLION 🚨

While opening a hobby box at @boca_breaks in Florida, a collector found the card of a lifetime.

The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani Gold Logoman card features game-worn patches from his back-to-back MVP seasons, along with… pic.twitter.com/gRTugE6TWq

— Fanatics Collect (@Collect) July 31, 2026

The identity of the man who found the card is unknown.

However, the card was quickly sold for $11 million — the third-highest price for a sports card sale — to renowned collector Matthew Allen, known by the screen names shyne150 and Bolillo Lajan San, and Secure Collectibles, a high-end trading card investment firm. Secure Collectibles was co-founded by Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary and Paul Washaw.

“The card just resonated deep with me, and I was like, you know what, I have to get this card,” Allen reportedly said.

Ohtani making history

The only other cards with a larger sale price are a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle ($12.6 million) and a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Auto of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ($12.9 million), according to Fanatics.

Ohtani’s performances during his MVP-winning seasons in 2024 and 2025 — two of his four years for which he was rewarded with the league’s highest individual honor — were among the best in league history.

In 2024, he crushed 54 home runs and 130 RBIs while batting .310 with a 1.036 OPS. He did not pitch as he was recovering from surgery following a UCL tear in 2023, but he became the first player in MLB history to record 50+ home runs and 50+ stolen bases in one season. He won the MVP award unanimously and also won the Silver Slugger and his first World Series.

BREAKING: The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani dual Gold Logoman autograph card has surfaced in Boca Raton, Florida

The card was pulled from a hobby box of Topps Chrome Baseball by a collector at his local card shop, Boca Sports Cards pic.twitter.com/FarZKDvnh5

— Topps (@Topps) July 30, 2026

He bounced right back in 2025 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs while hitting .282 with a 1.014 OPS. He pitched that year, going 1-1 in 14 starts with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a career-best 6.9 strikeouts per walk.

With 99 games under his belt in 2026, the Japanese two-way star is a consensus -125 favorite to win the MVP again in 2026, with odds dropping as low as -135 at Caesars Sportsbook. That would mark his fifth MVP win in six years and fourth in a row, which would tie Barry Bonds (2001-04) for the longest streak in MLB history. 

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.

Ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the Detroit Tigers are calling up one of the MLB's top prospects.

The Tigers announced on Thursday, July 30, that they are selecting the contract of 21-year-old prospect Max Clark. Clark is the team's No. 1-ranked prospect and the No. 13 MLB prospect (per MLB Pipeline).

Clark is expected to make his MLB debut this weekend, which could come as early as Friday, July 31, when the Tigers take on the Oakland Athletics in Sacramento, California. In Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens, Clark has posted a .276 batting average with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 362 at-bats in 90 games.

He was selected third overall by the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school, in the same class as fellow rookie Kevin McGonigle. Before embarking on his professional career, Clark was a star high school player.

Here's what you need to know about Clark's prep career:

Where did Max Clark go to high school?

Clark was the No. 3 overall pick — one pick ahead of former Florida and current Texas Ranger star Wyatt Langford — in the 2023 draft for a reason. He was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 2023.

He attended Franklin Community High School in Franklin, Indiana, which is 25 miles South of Indianapolis, where he was named the Indiana Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.

As a senior, Clark finished with a .646 batting average with six home runs, 33 RBIs, and 45 runs scored, living up to the preseason draft hype he had garnered. As a junior, he hit .577 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs, 31 walks and 22 stolen bases. He hit .450 with six home runs, thirty RBIs and 31 stolen bases in his sophomore season, also pitching to a 0.84 ERA and 120 strikeouts over fifty innings.

Clark could have had more high school success, but his freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ahead of his senior year, Clark played for Team USA in the 2021 WBSC U-18 World Cup, posting a .294 batting average over eight games to help the U.S. earn a gold medal.

While he was committed to Vanderbilt for college baseball, he ended up signing with the Tigers for $7.7 million on July 17, 2023.

Following the selection of Clark, Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris praised Clark's abilities on the baseball field.

"He was the best player on our board at that pick, and we are thrilled that he got to our pick," Harris said. "We think Max is a five-tool player. I think that label gets thrown around way too much in our industry. We think Max has all five."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Where did Max Clark go to high school? What to know about Detroit Tigers' top prospect

When Cody Bellinger joined Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, the Yankees outfield that was so deep former top prospect Jasson Domínguez started the season in Triple-A has become perilously thin. Suddenly, with the Martian who has flashed the bat on both sides of the plate but has yet to put it all together, the strikeout-prone Spencer Jones, and a trio of infielders in José Caballero, Max Schuemann, and Amed Rosario sharing the corner outfield spots, the idea of adding a rental outfielder simply to get through the month of August has become a very real possibility — perhaps even an inevitability.

Over the last few years, the Yankees have acquired a number of former Rockies players, trading for Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird at last year’s deadline, Angel Chivilli over the winter, and Mike Tauchman in 2019, and signing DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino as free agents. While most of the attention has surrounded catcher Hunter Goodman, might Mickey Moniak, who will remain under team control through the end of next season, be the latest former Rockie to head to the Bronx?

2026 Statistics (Thus Far): 71 games, 264 plate appearances, .279/.322/.561, 123 wRC+, 126 OPS+, 17 HR, 12 2B, 3 3B, 1 SB, 1.3 fWAR, 0.7 rWAR

2026 ZiPS Rest-of-Season Statistics: 39 games, 240 plate appearances, .267/.311/.504, 106 wRC+, 0.3 fWAR

Originally drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft, Mickey Moniak’s career has largely played out exactly how you might expect for somebody who was taken at the top of “one of the worst [drafts] in recent memory.” After receiving a $6.1 million signing bonus, he steadily climbed through the Phillies system despite unspectacular performance at the plate, ultimately making his MLB debut as a pinch-runner on September 16, 2020, during the COVID-shortened campaign. He spent the 2021 season bouncing between Triple-A and the bigs, made the roster out of spring training in 2022, then began the season on the injured list after fracturing his hand in the final exhibition game. Later that year, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Noah Syndergaard at the Trade Deadline; he only played 47 games and made 105 plate appearances with the team that drafted him.

Moniak spent the next two seasons with the Halos, putting together a strong campaign in 2023 in which he slashed .280/.307/.495 (115 wRC+) and a replacement-level 2024 in which he slashed .219/.266/.380 (80 wRC+). After beating the Angels during arbitration ahead of the 2025 season, he was released with termination pay despite the fact he was penciled in as the team’s starting center fielder; a few days later, he signed with the Colorado Rockies, with whom he has spent the last season and a half.

Now on his third team, and without the pressure of living up to either the first overall pick or a major trade acquisition, Moniak has finally begun to carve out a real role for himself. Across the last two years, he has a .273 .312 .534 slash line (115 wRC+) with 41 home runs, 32 doubles, and 10 stolen bases. When we dive into Moniak’s splits over that stretch, though, we find some interesting trends:

vs. RHP: 614 plate appearances, .282/.319/.570, 126 wRC+, 38 home runs, 22.8 K%, 4.9 BB%

vs. LHP: 111 plate appearances, .218/.270/.327, 51 wRC+, 3 home runs, 33.3 K%, 5.4 BB%

Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing quite a bit that the Yankees have been looking to add a right-handed outfielder, which makes Moniak not exactly an easy fit. The Bellinger injury, however, changes the math. At this moment, the only healthy Yankee hitters with a wRC+ of 100 or better against right-handed pitchers (minimum 100 plate appearances) are Ben Rice (174 wRC+ in 289 plate appearances), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (107 in 268), and Trent Grisham (100 in 254).

The Yankees need offensive help against both righties and lefties, and while I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Domínguez recapture the lefty stroke that saw him slash .274/.348/.420 against right-handed pitchers last season, Jones to build on his strong-ish start against righties (he has a 103 wRC+ in 71 plate appearances), or Wells continue to come around at the plate (he has an .842 OPS since July 9th), well … that’s too many “ifs” to count on. While Moniak isn’t exactly a sure thing, either — he has a .312/.351/.681 slash at Coors Field, compared to a .236/.285/.406 line on the road — there might not be a more sure upgrade available, thanks to Ryan Jeffers likely being off the market.

When I began this post, I fully expected to condemn the idea, writing Moniak off as a Coors Field merchant, and carry on with my day. I still don’t think that he can be the Yankees’ big trade acquisition, either — it remains to be seen just how much of a boost Coors has given him, he doesn’t solve their problems against southpaws, and he doesn’t represent an upgrade at any position when if the team ever gets healthy. But honestly? The Yankees need some reinforcements to get them through August (and, depending on how Bellinger’s and Judge’s rehabs go, potentially longer), and I wouldn’t mind seeing less of Paul Goldschmidt against righties (65 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances). And so, the Trade Deadline can’t end with Moniak, but it can begin with him.

Baltimore is three games under .500 – will they consider abandoning ship on the prospects they collected who are flaming out? Would that make Coby Mayo available?

You can view our larger trade deadline piece here as we discuss a wider pool of options the Guardians may consider. To make my position clear, I expect the Guardians to make smaller moves, like trading Bo Naylor and getting a castoff/undervalued reliever. But, in the interest of exploring potential larger moves, we are doing a series looking at some of those bigger names. So far, we have discussed Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Shea Langeliers, Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, Jo Adell, Ty France, Tyler Soderstrom, Heriberto Hernandez, Kyle Stowers, Alec Burleson, and Otto Lopez. Although the Guardians’ greatest need is hitting, the market is aflush with starting pitching so it also may make sense for the Guardians to see if they can find a good value there, as we wrote here and looked at specifically with Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers.

Mayo is 24 years old and under team control through 2031, he has only a 93 wRC+ this season but a career 146 wRC+ against LHP as a right-handed hitter. He is not a good outfielder but above average at first. Is there a market for a player who appears to be a short-side of the platoon first baseman/DH? Probably not a strong one, but the dearth of lefty mashers in MLB and Cleveland make it a possibility.

Given Mayo’s age, I imagine he’ll come at a higher price than he should. However, could this be a spot for the Kyle Manzardo swap? Make space for Ralphy and swap an underperforming lefty for an underperforming righty hitter? Something for these teams to consider! Let me know what you think in the comments below

The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline is here and this might perhaps be the most unpredictable deadline in recent memory.

The third Wild Card and lack of breakout teams in the American and National Leagues mean that only a couple of teams consider themselves to be out of playoff contention. Entering play on Friday, there are four teams that are within three games of the 3rd American League Wild Card spot while two of those teams, the Mariners and Astros, are within 2.5 games of the division lead in the West.

Meanwhile the National League has three teams that are in command of their respective divisions with the Brewers holding the smallest lead, a 5.5 game advantage over the Chicago Cubs. In the Wild Card chase, there are currently five teams within 3 games of the third Wild Card.

So with the standings being as they are, are just nine teams with the inclination to sell. One of those teams, the Detroit Tigers, holds the biggest trade chip this deadline, two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. However, it remains to be determined whether or not the Tigers will actually deal Skubal as they sit 4.5 games back of the 3rd Wild Card and 6.5 games back of the division lead; the Tigers also are promoted one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Max Clark, to make his big league debut

That leaves roughly two-thirds of the league as buyers and the remaining one-third as sellers, and not all the sellers even have impact players they are willing to trade. Which is why teams like the Mets, Tigers, and Angels will be able to seek inflated returns for their quality players and even rentals like Luis Arraez will figure to fetch a top 100 prospect or two.

Last week, the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox came together on a deal that helped both teams as Washington sent former Rays top prospect Curtis Mead to Boston for southpaw Connelly Early. Mead played one game with Boston before fracturing wrist after being hit by a pitch; Early meanwhile was already on the IL. The Rangers acquired catcher Logan O’Hoppe and pitcher Chase Silseth from the Angels for a low-level minor leaguer. O’Hoppe was in the midst of a disastrous season and was promptly optioned to the minor leagues. Last night, the Twins and Mets came together on a deal that sent AJ Minter to Minnesota. There hasn’t been much action on the trade front but that could change in an instant.

On Friday night, a trio of starters involved in trade rumors are slated to pitch for their respective teams: Freddy Peralta, Casey Mize, and Foster Griffin; the Tigers have already scratched Mize.

For their part, the Rays are in on everyone and have one of the best farm systems in baseball so they could accomplish just about anything if Neander is willing to pay the price. It’s the reverse of most offseasons when the Rays are unable to compete with the payrolls of their inter-division rivals, the Red Sox and Yankees will be unable to compete with the pieces the Rays have in their farm system.

Among the players the Rays have reportedly shown an interest in are Tarik Skubal, Hunter Goodman, Foster Griffin, Adley Rutschman, and Zach Neto.

Of course, opposing teams covet the Rays prospects, starting with Theo Gillen who appears to be an incredible talent and is currently scorching Double-A alongside another top prospect, catcher Caden Bodine. Then you have some lower level guys that are making noise like Nathan Flewelling, Cooper Flemming, and Taitn Gray that other teams would love to have.

We know the Rays would like to add an impact bat and a starting pitcher. We also know they’d like to address their catching situation and middle infield offensive output. This makes them about a match for every top available player. They have the farm system to get any deal done that they want.

Come Monday at 6pm, we’ll learn what price they are willing to pay.

In a season when the Cubs have already used 34 different pitchers (plus Carson Kelly pitched once), they’ve added another pitcher to the mix.

Left-hander Antoine Kelly, acquired from the Dodgers June 6 for cash considerations, has been called up from Triple-A Iowa and added to the 26-man active roster.

Kelly has made 13 appearances for Iowa with a 2.79 ERA, 1.241 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. He’s 26 and a Chicago area native (Maine East High School in Park Ridge).

To make room.on the 26-man rosters, right-hander Gavin Hollowell was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation.

Welcome to the Cubs, Antoine!

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed Konnor Griffin to a franchise record contract at the beginning of this season, but it could be another Buccos rookie that ends up stealing the limelight.

Pirates’ rookie Esmerlyn Valdez has emerged as one of the most exciting rookies in baseball, and has been a big contributor for Pittsburgh since his promotion in June. According to FanDuel SportsBook the 22-year-old outfielder currently has the third best odds to win the National League Rookie of the Year, sitting behind just JJ Wetherholt and Sal Stewart with +1000 odds.

Valdez impressed in Spring Training with the Buccos but was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis in March. He would receive a call up towards the end of March before being optioned back down less than a week later. Valdez has been unbelievable since his latest call up on June 11 however, and has been a key part of the Pirates’ lineup since then.

Few players on the Buccos have been better sluggers since Valdez joined the team. In 41 games he’s smashed 14 home runs, and has been a very efficient hitter at the plate as well. He’s currently slashing .277/.371/.664 with a 1.035 OPS. At just 22-years-old Valdez has an approach that looks like a seasoned pro. He’s tied for the fourth most homers on the Pirates, but has done it in a fraction of the time as the other top hitters on the squad. Oneil Cruz also has 14 homers, but played in 23 more games than Valdez.

As a defender, Valdez has seen the most time in right field, and has been lights out in that corner of the outfield. He currently holds the distinction of having a perfect fielding percentage with 55 put outs between right and left field. Having Valdez in right field has also allowed Ryan O’Hearn to play in his natural position more often, with his move back to first base benefitting the whole squad.

The Pirates are better off with Valdez as a key part of the lineup, as the team has gone 22-17 when he’s a part of the game. Few rookie batters have had a hotter streak at the plate this season, and Valdez could emerge as the favorite in the NL ROTY race if he continues to contribute at such a high level.