The Detroit Tigers opened up their three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night with a nail-biting 8-6 victory in 10 innings. It began with a half-hour rain delay and ended in extra frames, and in between the two was plenty of action and zaniness. But what’s important is that the good guys won.

With a chance to clinch the series, left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start looking to build upon his last outing before the All-Star break. The 32-year-old earned his 10th quality start of the 2026 campaign against the Athletics, matching his season high with seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out nine — another season high — en route to his fifth win in a 4-1 final at Comerica Park.

Opposite him is Ethan Roberts, who gets his first start in his 24th appearance of the season after putting up sub-replacement player numbers as a reliever. This will also be the 29-year-old’s first outing of July after a brutal June that saw him post an 8.38 ERA and an 8.27 FIP over 11 games stretching across 9 2/3 innings, serving up 13 hits (three home runs) and seven walks while striking out five plus a hit-by-pitch.

Here is a summary of both pitchers’ stats ahead of Game 2 of the series in the Windy City.

Detroit Tigers (47-53) vs. Chicago Cubs (56-44)

Time (ET): 8:05 p.m.
Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 101: LHP Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Roberts (0-2, 4.21 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Valdez	19	107.2	18.6	7.7	52.3	4.10	1.3
Roberts	23	25.2	15.5	12.7	48.7	5.28	-0.2

VALDEZ

ROBERTS

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Suspended by rain in first inning vs. FCL Phillies — this was to be 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby’s second game back from a hamstring injury, though he grounded out in the first before the game was called

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-3 vs. DSL Blue Jays Red

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 SB
SS Stiven Marinez 1-4, BB, K, SB, throwing error
RF Yostin Pena 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, K, SB, CS
2B Juan Torres 0-3, BB, 2 SB
C Juan Martinez 1-3, 2 RBI, K
DH Cesar Lopez 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K
1B Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB, K, SB — eight steals from the Yanks in this game, typical DSL stuff
LF Miguel Aguilar 1-4, 3 K
3B Adrian Feliz 1-4, SB, throwing error

Hector Moreno 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Fredy Penuelas 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K (win)
Brauilo Jaquez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 8-7 (9) at DSL Cardinals

CF Ruben Castillo 0-3, RBI, SF
2B Dariel Santana 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
C Alfiery Rodriguez 0-4, K
3B Carlos Bello 2-3, BB, 3 SB
DH Kenneth Melendez 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
RF David Carrera 2-4, RBI, BB, SB
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-5, RBI, 2 K, SB — the Bombers also stole eight bases on the day
1B Stalen Ramirez 0-2, BB, 2 SB
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-3, RBI, K, SF

Randy Angomas 2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 7 BB, 3 K
Kevin Centeno 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andre Avila 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Ronald Tejada 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Josue Silvestre 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K (loss) — gave up a walk-off two-run double, including the zombie runner, in extra innings (the game ended in nine but was scheduled to end in seven)

For some, the MLB Trade Deadline can be one of the most exciting and unpredictable times of the year. It presents an opportunity for all 30 teams to improve their chances to win now or in the future. For others, it can be a daunting, tedious, repetitive grind of information that may or may not come to fruition. The Viva El Birdos comment section famously has evoked it’s displeasure with the constant trade talk of a former individual who created content for us with soup recipes of all things! So, I thought, what a funny way to both have a reasonable conversation around the upcoming trade deadline and give a hat tip and wink at the comment section.

So, if we are to create Trade Deadline Soup, we need a recipe to follow!

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The 2024 Detroit Tigers finished the season at 86-76 as the final Wild Card team into the playoffs. They swept the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card round before being eliminated in the ALDS by the Cleveland Guardians. This seems like a plausible best-case scenario for the 2026 Cardinals team that has surprised just about every corner of the baseball world this season. The 2024 Tigers sold 4 players at the players at the deadline; old friend Jack Flaherty was traded to the Dodgers, OF Mark Canha was traded to the Giants, another old friend C Carson Kelly and LHP Andrew Chafin were both traded to the Texas Rangers.

The Tigers acquired power-hitting C/1B prospect Thayron Liranzo and MLB SS Trey Sweeney, Minor league RP Eric Silva, RHP Joseph Montalvo, and C Liam Hicks.

The Cardinals could follow this “recipe” by trading impending FA Dustin May, OF Lars Nootbaar, C Pedro Pages/Jimmy Crooks, and RP JoJo Romero/Ryne Stanek. I’m slightly more optimistic about the Cardinals’ chances to get better upside in return than the Tigers were able to, given that Nootbaar and the Catchers have control remaining beyond this season.

Reinforcements for St. Louis are ready to backfill the roster if President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom chooses to execute this strategy. LHP Quinn Matthews has been on a HEATER at Memphis over the last month plus, Hunter Dobbins has already shown an ability to get big league hitters out, Memphis OF Joshua Baez has been making Triple-A pitching pay all season with his thump and prodigious right handed power, Catcher Leonardo Bernal has been a steady force behind the plate with no glaring flaws in his game as a switch hitting Catcher with a minor league gold glove to his name to boot. LHP Brycen Mautz and RHP’s Hancel Rincon and Cade Winquest offer upside out of the pen. As with the Jack Flaherty trade as the example above, don’t discount the Cardinals’ ability to get MLB-ready talent in return.

The biggest question on the roster would be what to do with All-Star Closer Riley O’Brien, and has been for this topic for some time now. The return would have to be overwhelming, but, at 31 years old, a serious case could be made that this is peak value for O’Brien, and with reliever volatility, there is no guarantee he ever performs at this level again, so the opportunity to maximize on the asset would appear to be now, despite the remaining 4 years of control. According to MLB.com, as many as 7 teams are in the primary pursuit of relief help. The Orioles, Twins, Mariners, Rangers, Nationals, Phillies, and Pirates. Among those teams exist a plethora of exciting prospect talent that the Cardinals could use to really set themselves up as they appear on the cliff’s edge of perennial contention once more.

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But the approach to this year’s deadline has the potential to be more complex than we’ve seen in St. Louis. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has a history of a hybrid approach to the deadline where he both buys and sells. I do believe that there could be an opportunity to add a young controllable reliever, and there are teams on the West Coast that are defined sellers that could contribute to what has evolved as the Cardinals’ biggest, most glaring weakness. Since May 1st, the Cardinals’ bullpen ranks 20th in FIP (4.26), 17th in Win Probability Added (WPA) at 0.89, and 23rd in K% at 20.5%. Those are the 3 primary stats that I look at when trying to evaluate the effectiveness of relievers. How would they perform in a defensive neutral environment? Do they positively contribute to their team’s ability to win? Do they have the capability to get a strikeout when a ball in play could dramatically swing win probability in high-leverage situations?

As I’m prone to do, I have 3 names to watch that could fit as pieces that could contribute to the next winning Cardinals team.

RHP Ryan Zeferjahn – Los Angeles Angels

The Angels ascended closer Ryan Zeferjahn since June 1st; in his last 20.1 IP has a 3.30 FIP, 40.0 K%, and +0.99 WPA. Zeferjahn comes with 5 additional years of control and 3 options remaining, and won’t be a free agent until 2031. It’s a 5-pitch mix for the Halo righty: Sweeper, 4-Seam, Sinker, Slider, Curveball. 34% Whiff rate and .160 xBA (expected batting average) are both elite performance markers. I won’t speculate on cost because it’s so hard to be predictive of what value they have internally on an emerging closer on the verge of entering a true long-term rebuild, assuming John Mozeliak can effectively persuade Arte Moreno that the good of the long-term health of the Angels organization is to take a step back, sell, and build up their pipeline.

RHP Elvis Alvarado – Athletics

Another young emerging back-end option on the West Coast, Elvis Alvarado is 6’6 253 lbs, a true mountain of a man. He throws that classic 100 MPH heat we’ve come to expect from late-inning relievers, with 5 inches above-average arm-side run. Alvarado also throws a slider and a sinker and a very scantily used Splitter. The 5.14 FIP is not all that encouraging, though the xFIP is 3.54, but that’s probably me cherry-picking, so do with that what you will. 30.4 K% on the season gets us tethered back to why he is so intriguing, and the win probability added of -0.77 isn’t all that encouraging, but also taking into account that it’s likely a combination of poor defense and ball park effects of a minor league stadium working against him, I’m willing to look past some of those struggles and would be fascinated with getting him in St. Louis, much like the George Soriano situation from the spring, to see what this big league pitching staff and development staff can get out of this really encouraging ball of clay. You have essentially 6 years of control with Alvarado, only 2 option years remaining, and Alvarado is already 27, so the player acquisition cost for Alvarado would likely be relatively low, but presents exciting upside.

LHP Erik Miller – San Francisco Giants

This one admittedly is the most far-fetched; however, there likely wouldnt be a more impactful and immediate boost to the Cardinals bullpen than Erik Miller. It’s a 4-pitch mix, primarily Sinker/Slider, which he throws about 85% of the time. He will mix in a 4-Seam and Changeup against right-handed hitters. At 6’5 269 lbs, another gigantic human, I guess, emerging closers is the true theme of these guys, as well. 32.3 k%, 3.42 FIP, and a +0.10 WPA. Miller comes with 4 additional years of control and would be the true lefty weapon the bullpen is missing to pair with Riley O’Brien at the back end of games to give them a legitimate back end of games that would create heartburn for the opposition who would have the misfortune of facing them on any given night. This cost would likely be for players that the Cardinals wouldnt want to part with. More of a dream than a reality, I surmise, but Miller is 100% the ideal trade acquisition for the Cardinals at the 2026 deadline.

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Ultimately, the Cardinals’ roster has 2 weeks to make its case not to engage in a significant sell-off. Things have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now, and the NL Wild Card race has muddied itself to the point that “clear and convincing evidence” against following through on the initial plan coming into the season becomes harder and harder to justify. That’s not to suggest that a Cardinals team that has been spiteful in the face of adversity wouldnt be capable of sneaking their way into the final spot even if they sell off short-term players and promote from within more exciting upside talent from this percolating Cardinals farm system. Key ingredients are missing from this recipe before it takes its final and most flavorful form of “deadline soup.” The Cardinals are running out of time, and Chef Bloom is ready to cook. What comes to boil could still be anyone’s guess, but our appetites for answers continue to increase with each passing day. I, for one, with spoon and bowl in hand, am ready to eat it up!

Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the direction you think the Cardinals will go. Who would you like to see them acquire? Who would you try to move out to try and extract value from? I’m eager to see where everyone’s palate for change is driving their craving!

-Thanks for reading

Phillies News:

• Phillies “Field of Dreams” Game uniforms just dropped and they’re spectacular
• Apparently, the Phillies are lusting after Mets’ reliever Luke Weaver
• Who can the Phillies turn to to figure out the 5th starter dilemma? Casey Mize? Ryan Yarbrough?

MLB News:

• Dodgers acquire Rockies RHP Seth Halvorsen
• A look at Baseball Savant’s new player comp tool
• MLB Trade Deadline Buyers and Sellers Guide for all 30 teams

We’re within two weeks of the MLB Trade Deadline, and things are pretty unsettled across the league. In the 12-team, three-Wild Card playoff era, it gets harder and harder to discern buyers from sellers, with so many teams within striking distance of a postseason spot. This year, a number teams that many figured would be also-rans, like the Cardinals and Marlins, are contending, while some presumed contenders, like the Mets and Tigers, are fading. Some teams that looked sure to sell not long ago (looking at you, Boston), look like they might buy, while other teams that perpetually seem to go all in (hello, San Diego, might now need to sell.

We have little idea what anyone’s going to do over the next couple of weeks, and that includes the Yankees. The baseline assumption is that they’ll buy, because of course they will, they’re the Yankees. But beyond that, exactly what kind of deadline New York has is an open question.

To my eye, the last decade of Yankees’ trade deadlines gives us a few archetypes. There’s the most flashy one: the full-scale renovation, the deadline that sees the Yankees part with buckets of prospects for several major-league contributors. Seasons like 2025 and 2017 come to mind for this archetype, and 2022 also might fit the standard as well. After that, there’s a deadline of still-impactful but more measured buying, where Brian Cashman makes a few significant moves, without overhauling a third of the roster at once. Years like 2018, 2021, and 2024 are probably the best examples here. And then there are the years where the Yankees mostly stand still, content to make one or two moves without really shaking the boat; think 2019, 2020, and 2023. There’s also, lastly, the Selling Deadline, which the Yankees have pursued just once this century in 2016, though the odds of that kind of deadline are low (but not zero with Aaron Judge still hurt!).

Which type of deadline do you think is most likely in 2026? For my money, the solid deadlines of 2018, and 2021, and 2024 feel like the best analogs. 2018 saw Cashman add a few pitchers (J.A. Happ, Lance Lynn, and Zack Britton), while taking a flyer on a bat in Luke Voit. In 2021, he brought in Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, and Andrew Heaney, while in 2024 it was Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. That kind of deadline, where the Yankees target a few legitimate big-league contributors but don’t go crazy, generally feels like the median outcome for a Cashman deadline.

But there’s always a chance things go off script, in either direction. Maybe the Yankees see fit to turn over the roster like they did last year, or maybe they’ll make like 2023, the last time they entered the deadline with an injured Judge, when Cashman added an interesting relief arm in Keynan Middleton before calling it a day.

What do you think? Which route is most likely? And which do route do you think would be best for the Yankees with the roster in its current state?

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On the site today, our Trade Deadline target series rolls along, with John analyzing Luis Arraez, a player the Yankees were often linked to a couple years ago. John will also profile Carsten Charles Sabathia on the occasion of his 46th birthday, while Matt will hand up the day’s Rivalry Roundup. Later, Michael recaps the last week of action down on the farm, and Peter delivers his At-bat of the Week.

Today’s Matchup

New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates

Time: 7:10 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

CHICAGO — All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan, sitting in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field, figured he’d be gone with everyone else in the infamous Minnesota Twins fire sale a year ago.

He heard the rumors all winter that he’d be traded, again in spring training, yet now that the MLB trade deadline is here, the Ryan trade talks have suddenly stopped.

Funny how a team’s outlook changes when the American League stinks.

The Twins, despite a 49-52 record, are only three games out in the wild-card race and four games back in the AL Central.

And Ryan, who could be the most sought-after starter on the trade market, now believes he’ll be actually staying put.

The Twins, after tearing the hearts out of their fanbase a year ago, certainly don’t have the audacity to do it again.

Entering Monday with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 128 batters in 110 ⅓ innings, Ryan also is under team control for one more year before he can hit free agency after the 2027 season.

“Last year there’s just kind of this unknown and we didn’t know that it was going to go down the way it did," Ryan said. “I don’t even know if the organization knew it was going to go down the same way it did. But at the same time, I think it was probably inflamed publicly with the 'fire sale' because we had a lot of guys on expiring contracts that you’re going to move, regardless.

“Then, all offseason I was kind of like, 'He’s going to get traded. He’s going to be traded.’ In spring training. And the beginning of the year. It was constant. But we’ve just played good baseball, and it’s allowed me to really just hone in on the team and keeps you present.

“It’s just given me peace."

Ryan is one of the 12-most intriguing players on this year’s trade bubble, executives believe, with teams still trying to figure out whether they’ll be traded or kept.

Prediction: He’ll stay.

Here's a look at other players on the bubble:

Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

Skubal, the defending two-time AL Cy Young winner, realizes his fate depends on how the Tigers fare these next weeks. If they keep winning – and they're 24-15 since June 1 – he’s staying.

If they have a relapse and start losing like they did when they went 6-22 in May, he’s gone. And if he’s gone, why hang onto Casey Mize, who’s also a free agent after the season?

“I mean it's all out of my control,” Skubal said after his last start.

Certainly, he’s doing everything in his power to stay, pitching seven shutout innings Saturday with nine strikeouts against the Angels. It was the first time he went seven innings since April 29, his last start before undergoing elbow surgery, and everyone’s taking notice.

Prediction: STAYING

Clay Holmes, New York Mets

Holmes hasn’t pitched in a game since May 15 when he fractured his right fibula on a comebacker, but it hasn’t stopped scouts from monitoring his minor-league rehab stint, knowing he should return shortly after the Aug. 3 trade deadline. This is a guy who was dominant before the injury, yielding a 2.38 ERA in his first 52 ⅔ innings.

Holmes is in the second year of a three-year, $38 million contract, but he could opt out of the remaining $12 million in his deal and hit free agency after the season. He expressed interested in signing a long-term extension, but David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, has been reluctant to give out long-term deals to pitchers.

Prediction: GOING

Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates

Would the Pirates dare trade one of their potential young stars while fighting for their first playoff berth since 2015?

Likely not, but they desperately need bullpen help and could aways use depth in the starting rotation. They also have a powerful offense, depth in the outfield with Jake Mangum and Esmerlyn Valdez, and the desire to keep their payroll at its current level. If they choose, they can always move him in the winter, too.

Prediction: STAYING

Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays

The Blue Jays have been one of the game’s most underachieving teams, and nothing after the break has changed their plight, losing two of three games to the Chicago White Sox.

The Blue Jays hate to raise the white flag after being just two outs of winning the World Series last year, but they also have to be realistic about their most attractive trade chip.

Prediction: GOING – along with a few of his teammates

C.J. Abrams, Washington Nationals

The Nationals dangled Abrams over the winter, but no one came close to stepping up and making a bid to pry him away. It may be no different this time around, but Abrams is having an All-Star season and has already set career highs with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs. And he still has two years of club control. They are still hanging around the wild card race, and could instead trade first baseman Luis Garcia Jr.

Prediction: STAYING

Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants

There are plenty other high-salaried players on long-term contract the Giants would love to trade, including Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, but Lee is having the best season at the best price. He’s hitting .303 with a .787 OPS, with about $70 million remaining through 2029. He also has an opt out after the 2027 season. Still, with only five home runs this season, teams may instead covet power-hitters.

Prediction: STAYING

Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels

Detmers just may be the most valuable pitcher to hit the trade market.

Detmers, who is striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings, is coming off a dominant six-inning shutout performance against the Tigers, yielding just four hits with seven strikeouts. This not only is a breakout season for the 27-year-old lefty, but he’s also not earning much money ($2.625 million) and is even under team control through 2028.

If owner Arte Moreno gives his blessing, John Mozeliak, interim president of baseball operations, will trade him, and perhaps Jose Soriano too, knowing how it could instantly inject an abundance of talent into their farm system.

Prediction: Detmers goes, Soriano stays

Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

This is the type of player the Orioles could get a handsome return for with the lack of power hitters on the market. Yet, after winning six games in a row to be in the middle of the wild-card race, can they really afford to part with Ward? He hit 36 homers with 103 RBIs for the Angels last season, which has dropped to seven homers and 27 RBIs, and is a free agent after the season.

Do they give up on him or believe he’ll turn it around?

Prediction: STAYING

Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins

The New York Yankees are salivating over the chance to acquire Ryan Jeffers, and the Rays are in the mix, too.

Who wouldn’t want a power-hitting catcher who’s back healthy with a .941 OPS?

The Twins’ dilemma is that they are still hanging in the race, just 3 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central race and 2 back in the wild-card race. They do have reliable Victor Caratini, but he’s not Jeffers.

“There's nothing you can do about it,’’ Jeffers said this weekend in Chicago. "You just go out there and continue to play baseball. If I wanted to be a GM, I'd stop playing. So, I'll keep on playing and figure out the future career path after I'm done."

Prediction: GOING

Mason Miller, San Diego Padres

The Padres gave up their top prospect and three other prospects to acquire him a year ago, believing he would make their bullpen so powerful that they would never blow a lead.

They never envisioned that they’d become so mediocre this year that 14 times already he has had three or more days of rest, including a stretch in June where he never appeared for six days. He has had only 10 save opportunities since May 30.

Simply, he’s too valuable to sit around and rot in the bullpen, and the Padres could use their return to bolster their woefully thin rotation.

Prediction: GOING

Hunter Greene, Cincinnati Reds

It’s crazy to think that the Reds would trade Greene, right? He’s one of the most talented young pitchers in the game, but injuries have limited him to just 123 ⅔ innings since the end of the 2024 season. He also is under team control through the 2029 season at $52 million.

So why would the Reds even think about it?

Well, with so few sellers on the market, and Greene not turning 27 until three days after the trade deadline, the Reds are intrigued just to see what they could command on the market, seeing if someone blows them away.

Prediction: STAYING

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB trade deadline predictions: Will these 12 players on the bubble stay or go?

MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: Although the team’s top two prospects, George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange, appear to be off-limits at this year’s Trade Deadline, the Yankees still have quite a bit of prospect ammunition to make a deal at this deadline, with former top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones joining current prospects Dax Kilby and Elmer Rodríguez as players the Bombers could look to move to augment this year’s big league club.

The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: With a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the rearview mirror and the Trade Deadline looming, the conversation has turned to whether or not the Aaron Judge-less Yankees have the means to compete in the American League. With that in mind, Brendan Kuty makes three proposals to immediately give the Yankees a boost: get rid of Camilo Doval, call up Spencer Jones, and platoon Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has struggled against southpaws this season, with Max Schuemann, who has thrived versus them. While, in a vacuum, none of these suggestions would move the needle, in the aggregate, they might give the team a jolt.

MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees got a bit of good injury news this weekend, as Clarke Schmidt — out since last summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery — took the mound and threw 15 pitches before Saturday night’s game was postponed due to weather. Facing Anthony Volpe and Ali Sánchez, he threw only four-seam fastballs, following the same rehab schedule that Gerrit Cole did earlier this season; should all go well, he will start incorporating breaking balls in his next session. Schmidt may be able to return to the Bronx in a bullpen role in August, or as a starter in September.

Baseball America: (subscription required) Now that the draft is behind us, Baseball America has updated their Top 30 prospect lists. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lombard took the top spot, while Lagrange — who turned heads with his high velocity during the spring — comes in fourth, behind Rodríguez and Kilby. This year’s top pick, Hunter Dietz, debuts at seventh with second-rounder Sean Duncan hot on his heels, while Jones drops to ninth.