The Boston Red Sox won’t have Tanner Houck back in the mix any time soon.
Before Monday’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Red Sox manager Alex Cora revealed that Houck has been shut down from throwing due to a reoccurence of flexor soreness. The right-hander felt arm soreness after his rehab start at Triple-A Worcester on July 9 and was pulled off his rehab assignment on Friday.
“He’s going to stay on the IL,” Cora said, via MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo. “They checked on him. There’s no surgery needed. Just rest. Reset him now, get treatment and see where we’re headed after that.”
Houck initially was placed on the injured list with a right flexor pronator strain on May 13. After earning his first career All-Star nod in 2024, the 29-year-old posted an 8.04 ERA across 43.2 innings pitched with Boston in 2025. He didn’t fare much better in his five rehab appearances for Double-A Portland and Triple-A Worcester, recording a 5.74 ERA in 15.2 innings.
It’s unclear when Houck could return to the mound this season, if at all.
“I can’t give you an answer right now,” Cora added. “This happened during the week. He felt it in his last one. He saw the doctors and all that stuff. We’ve got to go to step one, I guess.”
Houck’s setback further emphasizes the Red Sox’ need to find rotation help before the July 31 trade deadline. They will also be without Hunter Dobbins (torn ACL) and Kutter Crawford (wrist) for the rest of the season
SAN FRANCISCO — The Giants gave up a run Monday when they let Ronald Acuña Jr. score from first on a single to center. They allowed another run when a high fly ball to left-center dropped between Heliot Ramos and Jung Hoo Lee. They repeatedly let Atlanta Braves starter Bryce Elder off the hook as they tried to make a comeback.
But in a 9-5 loss, they had a much bigger problem than any of those mistakes.
Young starter Hayden Birdsong didn’t record an out in his first appearance in two weeks, walking four and hitting one in the first inning of a disastrous performance. Birdsong threw 25 pitches and just six were strikes, which put the Giants in an early hole and led to a marathon night for a bullpen that has been worked hard through the first four games of the second half.
Giants pitchers threw 188 pitches, a season-high for a game that did not go extra innings. There will surely be at least one fresh arm for the bullpen Tuesday, and the staff now needs to make a decision with Birdsong after a jarring outing.
From start to finish, this might have been San Francisco’s ugliest performance of the 2025 MLB season. It also was a sixth consecutive loss, which dropped the Giants to just three games above .500.
The Wrong Kind of Zero
Birdsong’s pitching line was one the franchise has never seen before. He became the first Giant to walk four, give up five earned runs and fail to record an out, and just the 10th MLB pitcher to do it. The last was Boston Red Sox pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez in 2022. Birdsong also became just the third big league starter — and first since 1996 — to walk four, hit one and fail to record an out.
It was a shocking inning, although Birdsong has been dealing with command issues for a while. He walked at least four in his final three starts of the first half, which led to the Giants skipping his final turn and giving him a two-week break. Maybe that added some rust Monday, but in general, this has been a major issue for a couple of months, one that might lead to the Giants taking a real step back with the talented 23-year-old to try and figure out what’s going on.
If the Giants make a move, Carson Whisenhunt and Carson Seymour are next up in Triple-A. They also could go with a bullpen game or two — with Spencer Bivens or Tristan Beck pitching bulk innings — as they try and figure out what they can add before the July 31 MLB trade deadline.
Right Into the Fire
Lefty Matt Gage, added to the roster on Friday, had made 23 previous big league appearances — but none had come before the third inning. Gage had to get loose in a hurry Monday, and he did a nice job of hustling in for Birdsong and keeping the Giants within shouting distance.
Gage came in with the bases loaded and no outs in the first and struck out the first two Braves he faced. When Nick Allen hit a chopper to the left side it looked like he would completely limit the damage, but the ball took an odd hop off the dirt and got away from Matt Chapman, making it a 5-1 game.
Gage struck out Acuña in a scoreless second inning before handing the baton to long man Bivens. The two-inning outing tied a career-high, and Gage’s 41 pitches were a career-high.
Adames, Again
There’s not a whole lot going right for the Giants, but Willy Adames at least looks like his old self. The shortstop hit a no-doubter in the seventh, his third of the trip and 15th of the year. If you take out Rafael Devers, who hit 15 of his 17 in Boston, Adames leads the roster in home runs.
Adames also had two doubles and a single, and his OPS is up to a season-high .717, which is short of where he was last year but is in line with his 2023 season, when he hit 24 homers for the Milwaukee Brewers. He entered the month at .645, but he has six homers in July.
Chris Paul was looking for a couple of things in a new team for the upcoming season. First, and most importantly, to be close to his family in Los Angeles (something he was missing last season in San Antonio). Second, to be on a team that will be playing meaningful games this season and be a playoff threat.
Paul, 40, had interest from multiple teams such as Milwaukee, Charlotte and Dallas, but because of his desire to be closer to his family it has long been assumed a reunion with the Clippers or Suns was the most likely outcome.
Chris Paul is going to be playing basketball during a season in which three of his former Clippers teammates are head coaches (J.J. Redick, Chauncey Billups, Willie Green) and two are commentators (Blake Griffin, Jamal Crawford).
Paul played six seasons with the Clippers, leading the Lob City team with Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford, and others, a team that was considered a contender in the West but was held back by injuries some years and painful playoff collapses in others. In his first five years with the Clippers, CP3 never finished lower than seventh in MVP voting, and was an All-Star, All-NBA, and All-Defense each of those five years. With the Clippers he averaged 18.8 points and 9.8 assists a game.
Paul's role with the Clippers will be different this time around, and it will be different from last season with the Spurs, where he started all 82 games. He likely will come off the bench behind a starting backcourt of James Harden and either Bradley Beal (for his offense) or Kris Dunn (for his defense).
This is a Clippers roster that looks good on paper but is older with players such as Paul (40), Brook Lopez (37), Nicolas Batum (36), James Harden (35), Kawhi Leonard (34) and Bogdan Bogdanovic (33 before training camp opens). Health and monitoring minutes will be a primary task for coach Tyronn Lue. The Clippers chose to get older and better this summer, with a chance to pivot and reshape this roster coming by 2027.
Age concerns aside, getting a solid point guard and floor general in CP3 on a one-year contract is a good signing for the Clippers.
It comes as no surprise, to many, that as Major League Baseball’s July 31 trade deadline approaches, Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski would be searching for help in the team’s bullpen. What may surprise is that his first move is for a 40-year-old, inactive reliever.
Dombrowski and company went with a familiar face in signing right-hander David Robertson, who will be making his third stint with the team after playing for them in 2019 and again in 2022. The team optioned him to Lehigh Valley on Monday where he will look to build up his arm strength in what he and the team hopes is a healthy and helpful arm out of the pen for the remaining playoff push.
“So we actually saw him two (times),” said Dombrowski. “So, we saw the first one, (scout) Todd Donovan went over and saw him, which was nice. We had all of the trackman data from that all the way through. We knew that his stuff had come through the same, so it all measured out the same as in the past – his spin rates and everything. Then we saw him again on Saturday, Charlie Kerfeld went over there. Charlie saw him throw 88-90 with that same trackman information that he had. We called him right away and he said he was ready. I would say that he’s a March 10 (equivalent) in Spring Training. He needs another 15 days in the minors to build his arm strength up. That’s fine because we have to option him out anyway. So that works out. He was in great shape, arm was loose so we thought it was well worth it. We know he can handle a pennant race. We know he can handle post season play.”
Following last season when he pitched for the Texas Rangers, where he compiled 99 strikeouts and 27 walks in 72 innings and a 3.00 ERA, Robertson and his family decided that the time was right to take a long look at what would be next.
“This fall I negotiated with a couple of teams, just didn’t happen,” he said before the Phillies took on the Boston Red Sox. “My wife and I thought that at this point in my life, head on home and if I still got the itch to play, train and get back in the league and that’s why I’m here now. This place feels like home. It’s a good bullpen to mix into. It’s a great starting staff. I’m hoping that I can bridge the gap late in the games and win some ballgames and get to the post season.”
This may not be the big splash, nor the last one, the Phillies make before the deadline. It just seemed to make too much sense to the front office to pass up the opportunity.
“We’re never looking to move prospects, per say, pending on who it is,” Dombrowski said. “We will be open-minded to do other things, but I think the reality is, and talking this over with (owner) John Middleton, is it’s cash. Let’s go ahead and spend the cash and get that done rather than moving some of our prospects. Not that we won’t do that somewhere down the road, but it’s a situation that we get somebody that we like and we think it’s a great deal.”
According to reports, the deal is going to cost the Phillies about $12 million. Matt Gelb of The Athletic was first to report the signing.
As for the timing in which Robertson envisions being able to be a viable part of the bullpen, some factors come into play, especially when you’re 40.
“Hoping to get at least three or four outings,” he said of his buildup. “A back-to-back would be nice so that when I get up here I don’t have to be a guy that they have to stay away from to throw one inning. Hoping for a live batting practice and then three or four games in. I don’t want to come back if I’m not ready to step in the lines. I’ve kept myself in shape. It’s a great clubhouse and I want to be a part of it and get over the hump. Third time’s the charm.”
Dombrowski honestly addressed the question of what else might he and the club be looking to do as the month comes to an end and how this season may compare to other deadlines he’s dealt with.
“It’s different than some others because we are in a position where a lot of clubs are still in it,” he said. “A lot of things can change daily. Some clubs when I, or we, talked to them last week they have one mindset and then after a weekend of good or bad they have another mindset. That may change a couple more times between now and the 31st. You’re talking about 10 days. In the trading deadline, that’s a long time.”
A long time is not what Dombrowski sees as far as third baseman Alec Bohm being sidelined with a fractured rib. Therefore, making a deal due to that does not seem to be on the blueprint. One thing Dombrowski expects is for the offense to become more efficient from the players who are currently here.
“That’s the way to describe it, they’re hot and cold,” he said. “Some of that fix has to be internal. We hope that will be better. I do think having Bryce (Harper) back in the middle of the lineup is (going to help). It’s been inconsistent and we need to be more consistent.”
Other tidbits
1. Dombrowski downplayed prospect Andrew Painter coming up to the big club and maybe helping out the bullpen at some point, saying the club has always held the same stance. “We’ve always said July-ish he’d be ready to join the staff. We didn’t say he was going to join the staff in July. We’ll just play it by ear. He’s pitched every five days. He’s really made a lot of progress.”
2. When he is ready to come back from his own rib injury, Dombrowski said that pitcher Aaron Nola will be a starter.
3. Speaking of outfield prospect Just Crawford and possibility of bringing him up to the big club, Dombrowski said: “There’s consideration, just haven’t had the right time to do it. He needs to play. He is a player that is very good, very talented. Not only offensively, but defensively.” He spoke of Crawford’s need to gain experience by playing every day, something that wouldn’t be guaranteed in Philadelphia.
The Golden Knights have one more name in the books heading to the Milano Cortino 2026 Olympic Winter Games. Vegas head coach Bruce Cassidy has been named one of four assistant coaches for Canada’s Men’s Olympic Team, marking his first Olympic appearance in his coaching career.
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) July 21, 2025
Cassidy will be working alongside Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and joins Knights star forward Jack Eichel, who was one of the first six players named to Team USA’s preliminary roster back in February.
Cassidy was among the winning coaching staff for Team Canada during the Four Nations Face-Off, where Canada defeated the United States in the championship game with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory.
In June 2022, Cassidy was named the third head coach in Golden Knights history. Before taking the reins in Vegas, he led the Boston Bruins for six seasons and previously coached the Washington Capitals for two. His standout coaching earned him the Jack Adams Award following the 2019-20 season in Boston.
Since joining the Knights, Cassidy has made a significant impact. Under his leadership these past three seasons, Vegas has reached the postseason and claimed the Pacific Division title twice (2022-23, 2024-25). He guided the team to its two best regular-season performances in franchise history, earning 111 points in his debut season and 110 points the following year. Cassidy’s efforts were rewarded on June 13, 2023, when he earned his first Stanley Cup championship.
Cassidy holds an impressive NHL head coaching record of 438-228-80, along with 62 playoff victories.
The Calgary Flames may have found a future cornerstone on the blue line—and his name is Zayne Parekh.
Any time a young defenceman gets mentioned in the same breath as Bobby Orr, the hockey world takes notice. For Parekh, it’s not just talk—it’s backed by record-breaking numbers, dazzling offensive instincts, and a resume that has already turned heads at the NHL level.
The Flames selected Parekh ninth overall in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, and wasted little time locking him up with an entry-level contract on July 5, 2024. Now, at just 19 years old, the Nobleton, Ontario, native is poised to make his mark in Calgary—and across the league.
Parekh was electric during his time with the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League, rewriting the franchise record books with a 33-goal, 96-point campaign over 66 regular-season games in 2023-24.
He followed that up with a jaw-dropping 33 goals and 74 assists for 107 points, with a plus-42 ranking in 61 games last season. In doing so, Parekh joined the legendary Bobby Orr as the only defencemen in OHL/OHA history to post multiple 30-goal seasons.
His dominance earned him the Max Kaminsky Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Defenceman in 2024 and received 2024 CHL Defenceman of the Year honours, solidifying his reputation as one of the most gifted offensive blueliners in recent memory.
The real question now: How will it translate to the NHL?
If his brief debut last season is any indication, Flames fans have plenty to be excited about. Parekh suited up for Calgary in a late-season matchup against the Los Angeles Kings and didn’t disappoint—scoring his first NHL goal and finishing with a plus-3 rating.
Heading into the 2025–26 campaign, NHL.com has Parekh slotted at No. 7 in its Top 10 Rookie Rankings.
With elite vision, an innate sense for offence, and a poise well beyond his years, Parekh is set to become a key part of Calgary’s rebuild—and quite possibly its future star on the blueline.
Athletics rookie outfielder Denzel Clarke is headed to the IL for the foreseeable future with a Grade 2 right adductor strain, manager Mark Kotsay told reporters Monday before the Green and Gold’s game against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field in Arlington.
Clarke, who broke his own record with a fourth consecutive Electric Play of the Week nod on June 23, tightened up while scoring on a Nick Kurtz RBI double in the eighth inning of the A’s 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday at Progressive Field.
“He had an MRI done here [in Arlington] today,” Kotsay said. “He’s got a Grade 2 [strain]. I’m going to spell it A-D-D — adductor — strain. You know, really unfortunate timing for Denzel. I think his confidence offensively was continuing to build; the at-bats were just getting better and better. This timing is very … crappy, I guess.
“It’s going to be a couple of weeks, probably. I hate to give a timeline from that standpoint. He’s on his way back to start his rehab. … We’ll announce a move tomorrow [Tuesday]. Obviously, with where we’re at in the situation, we won’t be able to get anybody here.”
Clarke, a defensive highlight reel with a plus-12 outs above average, was finding his groove offensively before his injury. He was hitting .333 over his last 12 games with 14 hits and six doubles after holding a .189 average through his first 35 outings.
“Loved the aggression I was seeing with him swinging more,” Kotsay said. “Again, the more at-bats we can get this kid, the quicker the development process was going to happen.
“Had this injury not taken place and he had finished the season, I was confident we could’ve gotten him close to 300 at-bats. And that would’ve been great to begin next year with. [We’re] just hoping he could get back with us at some point this year and finish out the season.”
Kotsay said that the A’s “probably” will rotate players throughout center field and reiterated that Clarke’s offensive promise and defensive prowess will be missed for the time being.
The Montreal Canadiens have brought in multiple new players this off-season. While this is the case, they also lost a handful of players from last season's roster.
One of the Canadiens' most notable off-season departures was Joel Armia. After not re-signing with the Canadiens by July 1, Armia became an unrestricted free agent (UFA) and signed a two-year, $5 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings. With this, he is now expected to boost the bottom half of the Kings' forward group.
With the Canadiens having a plethora of promising young forwards in their system, it was not necessarily surprising to see them move on from Armia. However, while this is the case, they will miss what the veteran forward provided for them.
Although Armia was not a star during his seven-year stint with the Canadiens, he worked well in their bottom six and was a very important part of their penalty kill because of his strong two-way play. As a result of this, the Canadiens will now need to adjust without him in their lineup.
Armia also had another solid season with the Canadiens in 2024-25. In 81 games this past season, he recorded 11 goals, 29 points, and 87 hits. This was after he scored a career-high 17 goals and recorded 25 points in 66 games with the Canadiens in 2023-24. Thus, he gave the Canadiens' bottom six decent secondary production to go along in addition to his strong defensive play.
This is exactly why Armia was able to land the nice contract he did with the Kings, and it will be intriguing to see how the Canadiens replace him in their bottom six from here.
Canadiens Made Great Move With Important ForwardMontreal Canadiens forward Jake Evans had a strong year in 2024-25. In 82 games with the Original Six club, he scored 13 goals and set new career highs with 23 assists, 36 points, and 124 hits. With numbers like these, he provided the Canadiens with solid depth offensive production to go along with a nice amount of grit.
PHILADELPHIA — The Philadelphia Phillies have signed right-hander David Robertson to a one-year contract, bolstering their bullpen in a bid to outlast the New York Mets and win a second straight NL East title.
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski made the move Monday, optioning the 40-year-old reliever to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Robertson was a key pitcher for the New York Yankees when they won the 2009 World Series and was an All-Star two years later with the franchise. He helped the Phillies reach the 2022 World Series, going 1-0 with a 1.17 ERA in eight postseason games, and also played for them in 2019.
Robertson was 3-4 with a 3.00 ERA in 68 games — two shy of his career high — and had two saves last season in Texas. He declined a $7 million mutual option, triggering a $1.5 million buyout and making him a free agent.
He is 66-46 with a 2.91 ERA with 177 saves and 1,154 strikeouts, ranking 11th all time among relievers. The Yankees drafted the former Alabama player 17th overall in 2016 and he also pitched for the Chicago White Sox, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Miami and the Rangers.
The Phillies and Mets are in a closely contested race for first in the NL East with 60-plus games remaining in the regular season.
-RHP Dedniel Núñez has been transferred to the 60-Day Injured List
-LHP Richard Lovelady has been outrighted to Triple-A Syracuse
-Catcher Hayden Senger was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse
-RHP Rico Garcia has been claimed off waivers from the Yankees
Additionally, RHP Paul Blackburn is expected to continue his rehab assignment with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday.
Alvarez's return to the big leagues was first reported on Sunday, after the young catcher went on a absolute power tear for Syracuse, belting 11 home runs in a 19-game span.
While Luis Torrens has been solid defensively, adding Alvarez's bat to the lineup should provide a nice boost to the bottom third of the order.
Garcia, 31, is back with the Mets for the second time this season. He previously appeared in two games with the club, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out three. He was then DFA'd to make room on the roster for Kodai Senga.
The Mets did not announce a corresponding move in adding Garcia to the roster.
Meanwhile, moving Núñez to the 60-day IL is simply a paper move, as the right-hander is out for the season due to Tommy John surgery.
When Mitch Marner made his first public comments as a member of the Vegas Golden Knights, he mentioned speaking with former Toronto Maple Leafs teammates Ryan Reaves and Max Pacioretty about their experiences with living arrangements in the city during the final weeks of June. This revelation upset some Maple Leafs fans, who felt Marner had been disengaged for weeks. While perhaps not as infuriated as they were upon discovering Marner spoke to current Vegas Golden Knights players in February while competing for Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, fans were still displeased.
“Besides the fact that I already knew I was getting shipped off, let's leave that aside. Mitchy was hitting free agency, right? And I think that was pretty public knowledge. I'm very close with Mitchy I became very close with him over the years, the last few years. And he asked me my opinion about Vegas. I played here for four years. I lived here all summer because I love the city. What do you want me to do? You want me to lie to him because I'm still technically signed with Toronto? That's my boy. I'm not going to steer him wrong.”
Just one day before his trade to the San Jose Sharks earlier this month, Reaves also commented on the Toronto market on the Cam & Strick podcast with Cam Janssen and Andy Strickland, expressing surprise at how quickly fans turned on the team during challenging moments in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Reaves further elaborated on his reasons for living in Vegas and the distinctions between that market and Toronto's.
Reaves elaborated on the differences between the markets while further emphasizing he was just helping a friend on Monday.
“I loved my time here (in Vegas). I enjoyed every second of it. I think it's a great place to live. You have the weather, you have the city. It's a little more toned down than Toronto in relation to the fans and how much pressure there is there. I'm not going to lie to him about that. And I wasn't trying to draw him away from Toronto. I was just being honest to one of my boys. I don't really care what the people say about that. I wasn't doing anything shady or trying to hurt the Toronto Maple Leafs. I was just being a friend to Mitchy.”
Drafted fourth overall by the Maple Leafs in the 2015 NHL Draft, Marner departed the club after nine seasons with his hometown team in a sign-and-trade deal with the Vegas Golden Knights that brought Nicolas Roy in return. Marner signed an eight-year, $96 million contract and departed Toronto as the franchise's fifth all-time leading point-getter with 741 points (221 goals and 520 assists).
Red Wings prospects Sebastian Cossa and Trey Augustine both could challenge for Detroit's backup job in the 2026-27 season.
The Detroit Red Wings made a massive move this offseason when adding former all-star goaltender John Gibson from the Anaheim Ducks. The move instantly give the Red Wings their best goalie in over a decade and will certainly provide a boost to them this upcoming season.
Detroit fans weren't expecting a franchise goalie so soon as they had two potential options for the role, developing in the minors. The Red Wings' third goalie next season appears to be high-end prospect Sebastian Cossa as the former first round pick has been the goalie fans have been waiting for. The 22-year-old Hamilton native has played one NHL game so far and resulted in a 6-5 win with 12 saves.
Cossa has dominated the AHL level with a 21-15-6 record plus a 2.45 goals against average and a .911 save percentage. He is on the verge of making the jump and when 38-year-old Cam Talbot sees his contract expire at the end of this season, he'll likely be replaced by Cossa. That was seemingly the plan until another goalie prospect has come along and forced the issue.
The 20-year-old goaltender out of Michigan State University, Trey Augustine has become one of the hottest prospects in the sport. NHL.com recently posted to instagram on the top ten forwards, defenceman and goaltenders under 25 years old with Augustine ranking in the top six. Cossa was not listed despite being 22 and will make for a thrilling battle to claim the backup job for the 2026-27 season.
One thing to keep in mind is that Gibson is signed on for two more seasons and if the two young goaltenders push their way to the front, he may be out of a job once again like he was in Anaheim with Lukas Dostal. There could also be a scenerio where Gibson is still playing at a high level and will be in a position to keep his role.
We could see a similar situation to what happened with the Nashville Predators and Yaroslav Askarov. The two sides were close until it was time for Askarov to make the jump to the NHL level and there wasn't any room for him as Juuse Saros was still at the top of his game and they still had a reliable backup in Justus Annunen.
San Jose would go on to trade and acquired Askarov from Nashville in exchange for a replacement goaltender in Magnus Chrona as well as a forward prospect David Edstrom and a 2025 conditional first-round pick belonging to the Vegas Golden Knights. The deal was a big one as the Sharks got their goalie of the future and this could be something that the Red Wings look to do in the near future.
The hope is in a couple years the Red Wings could be contending a if John Gibson is still effective in his late 30s like some goalies are, Talbot for example, Detroit could use one of the goaltenders as a valuable asset. They will need to make these decisions soon as Cossa is set to be a restricted free agent and Augustine is still unsigned with his rights not expiring with the team until he decides to leave the NCAA which could be two more seasons at most.
Augustine has a lot of hype right now and could force the Red Wings to potentially move off Cossa if Augustine is determined to take over Talbot's backup role. Time will tell how the story will turn out but the battle between two elite goaltenders will be something to watch next offseason.
With the Mets 100 games into the 2025 season and with just over a week to go until the trade deadline, there are two things that are in focus.
First, the Mets -- whether it's by winning the NL East or securing one of the three Wild Card spots -- have a very good chance to return to the postseason, which would mark the first time in the history of the franchise that they've made the playoffs three times in four years.
Second, the Mets -- while having serious upside with their current personnel -- have real issues they must address via trade over the next 10 days if they want to cement their status as legitimate World Series contenders.
We've seen the best of the Mets (their 45-24 start) and the worst of the Mets (their 3-14 stretch), and their swoon over the last month was due in large part to rotation issues that led them to have a whole bunch of bullpen games.
While the rotation has stabilized, there are a handful of reasons why it will be one of four areas of need ranked on this list.
Here it goes...
4. Third base
With Eugenio Suarez possibly out there for the taking, the Mets have to at least explore what it would take to acquire a guy who's been one of the best power hitters in baseball this season.
But the competition for him could be fierce, with the Yankees among the teams with a much bigger need at the hot corner than the Mets.
While the Mets don't have any perfect options at third base right now, they have three players who have a chance to get hot and run with the starting job -- Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, and Ronny Mauricio.
New York Mets third baseman Brett Baty (7) is greeted in the dugout after hitting a solo home run in the sixth inning against the New York Yankees at Citi Field. / Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Vientos, though his defense at third base isn't great, showed last season that he can help carry a team with his bat.
Baty, a slick fielder, is starting to look more comfortable at the plate. In 69 plate appearances over his last 22 games dating back to June 23, he is slashing .311/.377/.475.
Then there's Mauricio, who has tantalizing power and tools. But he still has a ton of chase in his game.
Odds are the Mets will stand pat here, and hope one of their young players steps up.
3. The starting rotation
On the surface, things look stabilized.
After treading water for a while due to injuries, the rotation is whole again with Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes, and Frankie Montas forming a strong staff.
But there are some real concerns, including Manaea's elbow (he's pitching with a loose body in it), Senga's ability to stay on the field, and -- most importantly -- Holmes' potential innings limit.
In his first year since transitioning from the bullpen to the rotation, Holmes has already thrown 108.2 innings. That is by far the highest innings total of his career, and nearly twice as many as he tossed last season (63.0).
Holmes said shortly after signing with the Mets that his goal was to throw "at least" 160.0 innings this season. If that is somewhat of a cap, it means he perhaps has just over 50.0 innings left in his arm this year. Assuming he goes around 5.0 innings per start, that could mean he has nine or 10 starts left.
New York Mets starting pitcher Clay Holmes (35) delivers a pitch during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Citi Field. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
But even if Holmes makes it that far, the Mets should be concerned about the lack of length they're getting. Holmes hasn't gone more than 5.1 innings since June 7, after going 6.0 innings or more in seven of his first 13 starts.
If the Mets don't address the rotation, they would be playing with fire a bit.
Perhaps they're ready to turn to Brandon Sproat and/or Nolan McLean, and would promote one of them if a need arises. But they should be proactive, which could mean targeting a pending free agent via trade like Merrill Kelly, Seth Lugo, or Zac Gallen, and sliding Holmes to the bullpen for the remainder of the season.
2. Center field
This is a glaring need, and it will be surprising if it isn't addressed via trade.
The nearly season-long injury to Jose Siri has led to New York using mainly Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil in center.
In the case of McNeil, while he hasn't hurt the Mets defensively in center, he belongs at second base.
In the case of Taylor, who was very good for New York last season in a more limited role, his struggles at the plate have become too deep to ignore. He is hitting just .211/.264/.309 with two home runs in 280 plate appearances over 88 games.
While Taylor is elite defensively, his bat is one of the main reasons why New York's bottom of the lineup has struggled so much.
As the Mets look for an upgrade, the two most sensible targets are Cedric Mullins of the Orioles and Luis Robert, Jr. of the White Sox.
Mullins, a pending free agent, has slowed down since a hot start. But he has 13 homers, 14 doubles, and 14 stolen bases, and is coming off four straight seasons where his offensive performance was above average. He is also a really good defender.
Jun 18, 2025; Tampa, Florida, USA; Baltimore Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins (31) runs the bases after hitting a home run against the Tampa Bay Rays in the second inning at George M. Steinbrenner Field. / Nathan Ray Seebeck - Imagn Images
Robert would bring a much higher upside, but also comes with serious risk.
He had a .657 OPS last season and it's down to .631 this season. But the aforementioned upside is enormous -- Robert had an .857 OPS over 145 games in 2023. And he's been heating up lately, with a 1.057 OPS over his last 11 games.
Robert isn't a free agent after the year, since he has club options for the next two seasons ($20 million in both 2026 and 2027). But an acquiring team could simply buy him out after the year for $2 million.
1. The bullpen
If center field is a glaring need, the bullpen is a flashing red siren making an ear-splitting noise.
Edwin Diaz is having a phenomenal season, but there is no true bridge to him.
The return of Brooks Raley will help in the late innings, and Jose Butto being back soon should help stabilize things in the middle innings. But the ups and downs of Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek have made acquiring a late-inning reliever a necessity.
As far as who the targets should be, it's fair to argue that Pirates closer David Bednar should be the top one.
After a down season in 2024 and trip to the minors earlier this year, Bednar is back in top form. He has a 2.45 ERA (2.06 FIP) and 1.09 WHIP with 45 strikeouts in 33.0 innings -- a career-best 12.3 K's per nine.
Bednar is also under team control through 2026, which would give the Mets a potential replacement for Diaz if he opts out after the season and leaves via free agency, but could also make the cost to acquire him very high.
If not Bednar, one of the Orioles' pending free agents such as Gregory Soto or Seranthony Dominguez could make sense.
