Category: Baseball

Baltimore will be sending nearly $8.5 million to four teams as part of five deals made ahead of the trade deadline.

The Orioles will give San Diego $3,324,300 along with All-Star first baseman Ryan O’Hearn and outfielder Ramón Laureano, who were dealt last week for right-handers Tyson Neighbors and Tanner Smith, left-hander Boston Bateman, infielders Brandon Butterworth and Cobb Hightower and infielder/outfielder Victor Figueroa.

O’Hearn was owed $2,537,634 of his $8 million salary and Laureano $1,268,817. Baltimore will pay two installments of $1,662,150 on Sept. 15 and 30, according to trade details obtained by The Associated Press. The money reduces San Diego’s expense to $482,151, which comes to a prorated share of the $760,000 minimum for each.

Baltimore will send Detroit $2,758,065 on Sept. 30 as part of the trade that sent right-hander Charlie Morton to the Tigers for minor league left-hander Micah Ashman. Morton was owed $4,758,064 of his $15 million salary, and the cash reduces his cost to the Tigers to $2 million. In addition, the Orioles will send the Tigers $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire left-hander Dietrich Enns.

The Orioles also are sending Toronto $1.75 million on Sept. 30 as part of the July 29 trade that sent right-hander Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays for minor league right-hander Juaron Watts-Brown — a deal announced between games of a doubleheader between the teams. Domínguez had $2,645,161 left from his $8 million salary at the time of the trade.

Baltimore is giving Houston $520,000 along with infielder Ramón Urías, who was dealt for minor leaguer right-hander Twine Palmer. The money is due in equal payments on Sept. 15 and Oct. 15. Urías was owed $1,016,129 of his $3.15 million salary.

Money in the five trades totals $8,452,365. Baltimore opened the season with a $169 million payroll, 15th among the 30 major league teams.

Minnesota is paying $33 million to Houston in the July 31 trade that returned All-Star Carlos Correa to the Astros for minor league left-hander Matt Mikulski, by far the largest amount among 14 deadline trades involving cash transactions. That covered a significant portion of the $103,419,355 remaining in the contract of the three-time All-Star, who left the Astros to sign with the Twins ahead of the 2022 season. Houston gets $3 million this year and $10 million each in 2026, 2027 and 2028, with installments due each Dec. 15.

Arizona will pay Milwaukee $5,258,000 as part of the July 31 trade that sent right-hander Shelby Miller and left-hander Jordan Montgomery to the Brewers for a player to be named or cash. Arizona will send the money in four installments of $1,314,500 on Aug. 15, Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30. Montgomery was owed $7,137,097 of his $22.5 million salary and Miller $317,204 of his $1 million salary.

Milwaukee is sending San Diego $2,169,000 as part of the trade that sent left-hander Nestor Cortes and minor league infielder Jorge Quintana to the Padres for outfielder Brandon Lockridge. That offsets part of the $2,410,753 remaining from Cortes’ $7.6 million salary. The Brewers will send $361,500 each on Aug. 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26 plus $723,000 on Oct. 10.

Cincinnati is paying Pittsburgh $1,935,484 as part of the July 30 trade that sent left-hander Taylor Rogers and minor league shortstop Sammy Stafura to the Pirates for third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes. The cash covers half the $3,870,968 Rogers was owed from his $12 million salary, and the Reds paid $435,484 on Aug. 1 and owe $500,000 each on Aug. 15, Sept. 1 and Sept. 15.

Rogers was dealt the following day to the Cubs for outfielder Ivan Brethowr, and Pittsburgh agreed to give the Cubs $1,903,226. That offset half the $3,806,452 then left on Rogers’ salary after the $64,516 he earned during his one day with Pittsburgh, for whom he never threw a pitch. The Pirates pay $423,226 on Aug . 15 and owe $500,000 installments on Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.

San Francisco will give Kansas City $1,934,100 as part of the trade that sent outfielder Mike Yastzemski to the Royals for right-hander Yunior Marte. Yastzemski was owed $2,934,140 of his $9.25 million salary, and the Giants will make four payments of $483,535 on Aug. 15. Aug. 31, Sept. 15 and Sept. 30.

Tampa Bay is sending Milwaukee $1.1 million in the July 28 trade that sent catcher Danny Jansen to his hometown Brewers for minor league infielder Jadher Areinamo. Jansen was owed $2,833,333 of his $8.5 million salary. The Rays will make six payments of $183,333, on Aug. 1, 15 and 29, Sept. 12 and 26, and Oct. 10. Tampa Bay agreed to send an additional $500,000 if a $12 million mutual option for 2026 is declined, which carries a $500,000 buyout.

St. Louis agreed to pay Atlanta $2.28 million as part of the July 27 trade that sent right-hander Erick Fedde to the Braves for a player to be named or cash. Fedde was owed $2,455,645 from his $7.25 million salary. The Cardinals will make equal payments of $1.14 million on Aug. 11 and Sept. 22.

Detroit will pay Texas $100,000 on Aug. 15 as part of the trade to acquire right-hander Codi Heuer.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia Phillies reliever José Alvarado has rejoined the team following an 80-game suspension for violating baseball’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.

Alvarado was back in Philadelphia before Tuesday night’s home game against Baltimore and is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment soon. The Venezuelan left-hander is eligible to return to the big leagues on Aug. 19, but can’t pitch in the postseason if the Phillies qualify due to Major League Baseball rules on PED bans.

Philadelphia led the NL East by 1 1/2 games over the New York Mets heading into Tuesday’s games.

“I am fully aware that using prohibited substances is wrong and I would never intend to do so because I have always had great respect for the game, my organization, my teammates and the fans, all of whom I want to offer my sincere apologies,” Alvarado posted on Instagram. “I made a mistake and therefore, I have faced the consequences set forth by MLB. Going forward, my focus is on working hard to help the team win.”

Alvarado was suspended on May 18 following a positive test for an external testosterone. Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said the positive test was caused by a weight loss drug Alvarado took during the offseason.

The Phillies used several players in the closer role after Alvarado’s suspension before acquiring Jhoan Duran in a trade with Minnesota for two top prospects last week.

Alvarado had a 2.70 ERA, 25 strikeouts and seven saves in 20 appearances before the suspension. The 30-year-old will lose $4.5 million, half his $9 million salary this year as part of a $22 million, three-year contract he signed in 2023, as a result of the suspension.

Alvarado is 19-26 with a 3.40 ERA in 399 relief appearances and one start over nine major league seasons with Tampa Bay (2017-20) and the Phillies (2021-25). He has 52 saves in 68 appearances and appeared in 21 postseason games over the last three seasons.

MILWAUKEE (AP) Maybe the Home Run Derby doesn’t have to be limited to All-Star weekend.

The Milwaukee Brewers had Prince Fielder, Ryan Braun and several other former players competing in an alumni home run derby that followed a game with the Miami Marlins last month. The promotion helped draw a sellout crowd of 41,944 fans, with nearly all of them sticking around to watch the postgame event.

Other clubs noticed, too.

“I thought it was a great idea and applaud them,” Arizona Diamondbacks president and CEO Derrick Hall said. “I believe all of us will be considering something similar.”

Brewers manager Pat Murphy is among those already has been conjuring up ways to expand on this idea.

“I think it just opens the door,” Murphy said. “Can you imagine the Brewers versus the Cubs home run derby - their three legends versus legends of ours. You know what I mean? Can you imagine that happening around the league?”

The Brewers’ home run derby occurred 11 days after Seattle’s Cal Raleigh won Major League Baseball’s Home Run Derby and 10 days after the All-Star Game was decided on a swing-off. With the game tied 6-6 after nine innings, three batters from each league took three swings and Philadelphia’s Kyle Schwarber homered three times to give the NL a 4-3 victory.

Brewers president of business operations Rick Schlesinger said a half-dozen MLB teams reached out after their alumni home run derby to get information on how well it had worked.

Milwaukee’s promotion was part of a 25th-anniversary celebration of American Family Field. Keon Broxton, who played for the Brewers from 2016-18, won the event and recreated Fielder’s most famous home-run celebration by standing tall at home while the teammates surrounding him fell back like a collection of bowling pins.

“It was awesome,” Broxton said afterward.

Milwaukee wasn’t the first team to do this kind of promotion. The Houston Astros staged their own alumni home run derby events in 2018 and 2019. The Atlanta Braves had an alumni softball home run derby last year.

The format represents a different way to welcome back former players rather than having the traditional Old Timers’ Day games from yesteryear. The New York Yankees are holding their first Old Timers’ Day game since 2019 on Aug. 9, and the New York Mets are having an alumni game Sept. 13.

But the Brewers’ event last weekend generated plenty of national attention, particularly when highlights aired showing how the stands stayed packed throughout the event.

“The guys that were all here, we all said we’d be back for anything like that, whether it’s something like what Murph suggested or even keeping it in house and playing a couple-inning game ... maybe guys from 2005-10 against guys from 2010-15,” said Casey McGehee, who played for the Brewers from 2009-11 and participated in the home run derby. “I think there’s a lot of opportunity for some really cool stuff to come from it.”

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said he didn't get a chance to watch the alumni derby that followed his team's game in Milwaukee, but he liked Murphy's idea about branching it out.

“A big part of the beauty of our sport is how you remember those who played before, the history of our game and had success for your organization or those who made impacts throughout the league,” McCullough said. “So anytime we get a chance to celebrate those who did meaningful things, I’m all for it."

The trick in putting together an alumni home-run derby is finding the right participants. They must be old enough to have finished playing but remain young enough to still manage to hit batting-practice pitches out of a major league stadium.

The Brewers didn’t put up makeshift fences in the outfield for this event to make home runs easier, and the former players’ swings weren’t leaving the ballpark as often as when they were in the big leagues.

McGehee believes future home run derby promotions could feature more power than what the ex-Brewers showcased last weekend. McGehee said he tried working on his swing before last week’s event, but family obligations got in the way.

If he gets another invitation, McGehee expects to be more prepared.

“I think knowing what we know now, the product would probably even get better because we saw how cool that was,” McGehee said. “I think people would be carving out pretty significant parts of their days to get themselves ready to roll.”

NEW YORK (AP) The first career save for Nic Enright was a particularly meaningful one.

Enright, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in late 2022 and is scheduled to complete his treatments later this year, allowed an unearned run in the 10th inning Monday night to close out the Cleveland Guardians’ 7-6 win over the New York Mets.

“He was almost crying on the field just now,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “If you read his story, it’s pretty inspirational.”

Cleveland selected Enright in the 20th round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Virginia Tech. He received his diagnosis Dec. 22, 2022 - 15 days after the Miami Marlins took him in the Rule 5 draft.

After four rounds of immunotherapy in early 2023, Enright made nine minor league rehab appearances for the Marlins before being designated for assignment and returning to the Guardians in late May.

He missed most of last season due to a right shoulder strain, but went 2-1 with a 1.06 ERA in 16 appearances with Triple-A Columbus.

The right-hander has one more round of cancer treatment scheduled for November.

“I made the decision when I was diagnosed in 2022 with Hodgkin lymphoma that I wasn’t going to let that define my life and dictate how I was going to go about my life,” Enright said. “It’s something where, for anyone else who is going through anything similar, (it shows) I haven’t just holed up in my house and felt sorry for myself this whole time.”

Enright made his major league debut May 25 and has a 2.01 ERA in 19 appearances for the Guardians, whose bullpen is in flux with All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase on paid leave as part of a sports gambling investigation.

Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith pitched the eighth and ninth innings Monday before Enright entered with a two-run lead. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Brett Baty before retiring Luis Torrens on a fly out to the warning track in right.

“I definitely held my breath as I saw Nolan (Jones) kind of keep running,” Enright said. “But I had faith. As he kind of got closer to the wall, I realized it was losing steam.”

Enright was showered with beer by teammates in the locker room.

“I was so happy, oh, I was going nuts in here,” Guardians starting pitcher Slade Cecconi said with a smile. “I was going absolutely berserk. He came in running up the stairs, smile on his face.”

Enright thanked his wife, his parents and the rest of his family for their support throughout an interview at his locker. He got the ball from the final out and plans to set aside his uniform and hat as well as a lineup card.

“Really, really cool,” Enright said. “These last couple of years, especially, I’ve gone through a lot of adversity and just everything that’s gone on. And so for me, it’s being able to reflect on those in these moments. I think that helps being able to slow the game down. Because it hasn’t exactly been a red-carpet rollout for my career trajectory.”

The trade deadline has come and gone which offers us plenty of opportunity as fantasy managers. There are plenty of new closers for those seeking saves and major role openings for exciting position players across the league. Opportunity abounds for them and in turn, us.

Whether you’re trying to hold onto a top spot, pushing the leader, desperately trying to play catch up, or positioning yourself for the playoffs, reinforcements and upside are vital this time of year.

Most waiver wires have been picked over though and it’s difficult to find impact players readily available in most leagues at this point in the season.

Fear not, because there are still a handful of available players that have the chance to be difference makers that help push us towards glory.

MLB Power Rankings: Brewers mash their way to the top, Red Sox surging in AL playoff race

The Brewers have scored more runs than any other team over the past 30 days.

• D.J. Short
  ,

Here are three players that are under 40% rostered on Yahoo leagues that you should strongly consider adding.

If you want a larger list, Eric Samulski wrote his extended waiver wire piece on Sunday.

JoJo Romero, RP Cardinals

(25% Rostered on Yahoo)

We’re all scurrying for saves this time of year and last week’s trade deadline provided many more opportunities than usual to find some.

Many closers like Mason Miller, Ryan Helsley, David Bednar, and Camilo Doval were sent out of town. Specifically Helsley’s departure has opened the door for Romero to step in as the Cardinals’ closer.

A 28-year-old left-hander who relies on his changeup, sinker, and slider, Romero already has two saves since Helsley was sent to the Mets and has pitched the ninth inning in St. Louis’ last three wins. Him being their new closer seems cut and dry.

There was a bit of hesitation with him jumping into that role since he was the only lefty in the Cardinals’ bullpen, but they recently claimed Anthony Veneziano off waivers to fill that void as Romero has jumped into his new role.

The other thing working against Romero is simply his style. Again, he’s a lefty sinker-baller who throws from more of a three-quarter slot. That sinker sits around 94 mph and is much better at forcing ground balls than strikeouts. He does not exactly fit the classic closer archetype.

Yet, no one else in this bullpen really does either.

Riley O’Brien can get up near 100 mph, but loses the zone sometimes and also relies on a sinker. While Kyle Leahy has been a breakout reliever, he succeeds more on feel and with a deep pitch-mix than over-powering stuff. Those two along with Romero, Helsley, and Phil Maton – now a Texas Ranger – are the only relievers who’ve been in the high-leverage mix for this bullpen all season.

Romero may not be what we close our eyes and envision when we think about a closer, he’s the guy here and certainly effective enough to handle the job with three plus pitches. Also, this Cardinals team is still halfway decent and should be able to hang around .500 for the rest of the season, giving Romero the potential for plenty of save chances.

Besides him, a few other sneaky closers that could be flying under the radar are Sean Newcomb with the Athletics after they moved Jack Perkins into the rotation and Keegan Aiken, who saw consecutive ninth inning opportunities for the Orioles over the weekend. He converted one save and then took the loss after entering in a tie game the following day.

Francisco Alvarez, C Mets

(17% Rostered on Yahoo)

Back from the minor leagues after a disappointing and injury-riddled start to his season, Alvarez is finally beginning to heat up.

He has a .984 OPS through 10 games since being recalled with at least one hit in eight of those 10 and nearly the same number of walks as strikeouts. Most importantly, he’s hitting for power again with five extra-base hits during this stretch and tons of very hard contact.

Despite going just 1-for-4 on Monday, Alvarez had batted balls of 105.4 mph, 105.6 mph, 109.2 mph, and 112.5 mph. He became just the sixth different player in the league this season to have four batter balls hit harder than 105 mph in the same game and the first catcher to do so since Willson Contreras in 2023.

Along with the return of his prodigious power, he’s taken a much more patient approach lately.

Before being sent down, Alvarez had a 49.9% swing rate and a 29.9% chase rate. Both were a bit higher than league-average while his 77.5% zone-contact rate was worse than league-average. He wasn’t always swinging at the best pitches and then too often missing the good ones.

Lately, he’s drastically reduced his swing rate to 36.8% which has helped him chase far fewer pitches out of the strike zone. At the same time, his zone-contact rate has increased compared to earlier this season.

This approach may be too passive, but right now it’s working and will likely continue until pitchers decide to throw him strikes more consistently again.

Of all players with at least 100 plate appearances this season, Alvarez has seen the 14th-lowest rate of pitches in the zone. Mostly, because he was willing to chase them. Now, he’s getting himself in more hitters counts and doing significant damage when he gets there.

It’s easy to forget that he had surgery to remove a broken hamate bone during spring training that held him out for the first month of the season. That injury is known to sap power and it was already the fourth injury to his hand or wrist that’s forced him to the injured list as a major leaguer.

Also, it’s even easier to forget how young he still is at just 23 years old. Agustín Ramírez, Edgar Quero, and Alvarez are the only players 23 or younger to have caught at least 40 games so far this season. When Cal Raleigh was his age, he hadn’t even reached Triple-A yet.

The power potential alone makes him relevant in most leagues and there’s a chance he could be ready to rip off a serious hot streak through the end of the season.

Tyler Locklear, 1B Diamondbacks

(7% Rostered on Yahoo)

Locklear was the centerpiece of the Diamondbacks’ return for third baseman Eugenio Suárez as an MLB-ready, power-hitting first baseman.

The team announced that the 24-year-old Locklear would be their first baseman moving forward – filling the hole left by Josh Naylor, who they also traded to the Mariners – and he’s started there in every game since.

He’s destroyed the upper minors over the last two seasons with 37 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and a nearly .900 OPS over about 200 games split between Double-A and Triple-A over the last two seasons.

Of course, those counting stats should be taken with a grain of salt because Locklear spent 168 of those upper minors games with Tacoma in the Pacific Coast League. Known as a hitter’s haven, five of the 10 ballparks in the PCL have at least 3,000 feet of elevation so it’s as if Locklear played half of his road games in a run environment relatively comparable to Coors Field.

Still, his production was well clear of league average and he had the batted ball quality to match it. I want to shout out Prospect Savant for this amazing site they’ve created that delivers a Baseball Savant style player page with the public data available in both Low-A and Triple-A.

It’s an incredible tool and shows Locklear to be plus-plus in every major power metric, has a max exit velocity of 112.4 mph, and makes fine swing decisions. The profile should play at the major league level.

After going 0-for-8 in his first two games with the Diamondbacks, Locklear had two hits and stole a base on Sunday before launching his first home run of the season on Monday.

The clear path to playing time and likely ability to hit for power and chip in a handful of stolen bases makes Locklear a decent option for the rest of the season.

If something were to hold him back, it would be his struggles against high-velocity. About 10% – 164 of 1,635 total pitches – he saw at Triple-A were thrown 95 mph or harder. He swung at 79, and missed 26 for a 32.9% whiff rate. He will see a higher rate of 95+ mph heat like that in the majors, so keep an eye on how he responds to it.

Featured in this week’s MLB Power Rankings, we look at the fallout from the recent trade deadline, Kyle Schwarber’s power explosion, the Red Sox and Yankees headed in different directions, Kyle Stowers’ emergence, hope for the White Sox, and much more.

(Please note these power rankings are a combination of current performance and long-term projected outlook)

Let’s get started!

2025 Fantasy Baseball Top 300 update: Shohei Ohtani clings to top spot, Aaron Judge back up to No. 2

Mason Miller and David Bednar plummet this week as trade deadline fallout leads to many Top 300 changes.

• Matthew Pouliot,

Note: Rankings are from the morning of Tuesday, August 5. 

1) Milwaukee Brewers ⬆️

Last week: 4

The Brewers have earned the No. 1 spot after winning two out of three from the Cubs, absolutely destroying the Nationals over the weekend, and winning the series opener with the Braves on Monday.

People keep asking what the Brewers’ secret sauce is when it’s quite obviously cheese curds.

2) Chicago Cubs

Last week: 2

It feels like the Cubs are a team where a couple of months from now we’ll be asking why they didn’t do more at the deadline. The team’s big rotation acquisition, Mike Soroka, is headed to the injured list after leaving his Cubs debut with shoulder discomfort.

3) Los Angeles Dodgers ⬆️

Last week: 5

Max Muncy made his much-needed return to the Dodgers’ lineup on Monday after missing a month with a knee injury. Believe it or not, the club ranked last in the majors in runs during that time.

4) Toronto Blue Jays ⬇️

Last week: 1

A two-homer game from Bichette at Coors Field. I’ve seen this episode before.

After an injury-plagued 2024 season, Bo Bichette has returned to form this season. He’s leading the majors in hits and setting himself up for a nice payday this winter.

5) Detroit Tigers ⬆️

Last week: 6

The Tigers have righted the ship somewhat with six wins in their last eight games. Like many contenders, the Tigers prioritized their bullpen at the deadline, including new closer Kyle Finnegan from the Nationals.

6) Philadelphia Phillies ⬆️

Last week: 7

Kyle Schwarber cannot be stopped. With a pair of blasts on Monday, the 32-year-old slugger has now 40 homers for the season and 10 in 16 games since the All-Star break. The pleas to re-sign him are only getting louder in Philadelphia.

7) Boston Red Sox ⬆️

Last week: 11

The Red Sox are another team where you could argue they should have done more at the trade deadline, but that’s not stopping them from being the hottest team in baseball. Winners of six straight, they now hold the top spot in the Wild Card standings.

8) New York Mets ⬇️

Last week: 3

You can build a great back-end of the bullpen — which the Mets have done — but it’s still a problem if your starters can’t complete six innings on a regular basis.

9) Houston Astros ⬇️

Last week: 8

The Astros have lost eight out of their last 11 games, but the good vibes are still (mostly) flowing from Carlos Correa’s return.

Looking forward to seeing the reception when Correa plays his first home game back in Houston next Monday.

10) San Diego Padres ⬇️

Last week: 9

A.J. Preller, you beautiful maniac. Of course the Padres had to go crazy at the trade deadline, not just adding to a dominant bullpen with Mason Miller while trading their top prospect, but also upgrading their top-heavy lineup with Ryan O'Hearn and Ramón Laureano.

11) Seattle Mariners ⬆️

Last week: 12

The Mariners did exactly what they needed to do at the deadline, grabbing Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez to strengthen their lineup and left-hander Caleb Ferguson to lengthen their bullpen. The club took three out of four from the Rangers over the weekend and should be considered a serious threat to take down the Astros.

12) New York Yankees ⬇️

Last week: 10

The Yankees did the right thing by prioritizing their bullpen at the deadline, but so far it has been nothing short of a disaster. Friday’s blowup was an all-timer, the bullpen came up short again on Monday against the Rangers as Devin Williams served up a game-tying homer in the ninth before recent acquisition Jake Bird gave up a walk-off homer to Josh Jung in the 10th. At least Aaron Judge is coming back?

13) Texas Rangers

Last week: 13

The Rangers are clearly betting on improvements from their offense, as they focused on their rotation (Merrill Kelly) and bullpen (Phil Maton, Danny Coulombe) at the trade deadline last week. Josh Jung, who hit a walk-off homer on Monday, is part of that bet. He’s hitting .382 (13-for-34) with three homers and eight RBI since returning from the minors.

14) Cincinnati Reds

Last week: 14

The Reds took on Ke’Bryan Hayes entire contract ($36 million from 2026-2019, with a $6 million buyout on $12 million club option for 2030) in their trade with the Pirates last week. There’s no doubt that Hayes can pick it at third base, but only Christian Vazquez has a lower OPS than Hayes (.574) among players with at least 500 plate appearances dating back to the start of last season.

15) Cleveland Guardians ⬆️

Last week: 18

Nic Enright secured his first save on Monday, a significant milestone for someone who is battling lymphoma.

16) Kansas City Royals ⬆️

Last week: 19

The Royals were characterized as a buyer coming out of the trade deadline. And to a certain extent, they were. But the pitchers they acquired — Bailey Falter, Ryan Berger, Stephen Kolek — all come with multiple years of control. Adding in the extension to Seth Lugo and they are clearly thinking about both 2025 and beyond.

17) Miami Marlins ⬆️

Last week: 23

The Marlins swept the Yankees over the weekend and NL Player of the Month Kyle Stowers was right in the middle of it with a pair of homers.

18) San Francisco Giants ⬇️

Last week: 15

I could talk about the Giants’ trade deadline approach here, but the real headliner is the reality that the San Francisco Giants and the New York Giants really do get together for dinner.

19) St. Louis Cardinals ⬇️

Last week: 16

Masyn Winn is tops in the majors in Outs Above Average, and if you watch this play from last week, you’ll know why.

20) Los Angeles Angels ⬆️

Last week: 21

Why are you the way that you are? The Angels actually bought at the trade deadline for some reason, acquiring relievers Luis Garcia and Andrew Chafin.

21) Tampa Bay Rays ⬇️

Last week: 17

The Rays have been one of the worst teams in MLB over the past month, but they cooked up a cosmic gumbo of buying and selling at the trade deadline. Similar to what the Royals did with some of their moves, the Rays’ acquisition of reliever Griffin Jax is about now and future seasons.

22) Arizona Diamondbacks ⬇️

Last week: 20

While this season hasn’t worked out as hoped for the Diamondbacks, they did a nice job loading up on prospects while trading Merrill Kelly, Eugenio Suárez, Josh Naylor, Shelby Miller, Jordan Montgomery, and Randal Grichuk.

23) Baltimore Orioles ⬆️

Last week: 24

A lost year for Grayson Rodriguez is officially in the books. The young right-hander is scheduled for elbow dibridement surgery next week and could be sidelined through the early part of next season as well. Figuring out the pitching side is of utmost importance for Baltimore going forward.

24) Atlanta Braves ⬆️

Last week: 26

Behold, the only trophy the Braves will be lifting this season.

Because the Braves’ season continues to be cursed, Austin Riley is headed back to the injured list with an abdominal strain.

25) Athletics

Last week: 25

Having a great closer is quite simply a luxury for a non-contender, so you can’t fault the A’s for trading Mason Miller and J.P Sears, especially when you get one of the game’s top prospects in return. It will be fun to see De Vries in Sacramento/Las Vegas/a destination to be named later in a couple of years.

26) Pittsburgh Pirates ⬆️

Last week: 27

The Pirates made some notable moves last week (Ke’Bryan Hayes, David Bednar), but it’s the ones they didn’t make (impending free agents Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Tommy Pham, and Andrew Heaney) which were especially confusing.

27) Minnesota Twins ⬇️

Last week: 22

If you were a Twin, you probably got traded last week. And that goes for Tyler and Trevor Rogers, as well. You have to feel for Twins fans. Hopefully there’s a soft landing with their sale situation in the days ahead.

28) Washington Nationals

Last week: 28

The Nationals have given up at least seven runs in each of their last five games. The Dog Days of Summer, indeed.

29) Chicago White Sox

Last week: 29

This is what it’s all about for the White Sox right now.

Montgomery, in particular, has been the most exciting of late. He’s now homered seven times in his last 11 games.

30) Colorado Rockies

Last week: 30

Not only did this three-run homer from Jordan Beck end Paul Skenes’ 18-inning scoreless streak, but it was also the first time Skenes had given up a home run of more than two runs in the majors. So the Rockies have that going for them, which is nice.