PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 13: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres greets Adley Rutschman #35 of the Baltimore Orioles before the National League All-Star team photo during the 2026 MLB All-Star Workout Day at Citizens Bank Park on July 13, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Matt Thomas/San Diego Padres/Getty Images) | Getty Images
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: With the Trade Deadline fast approaching and no major moves as of yet, the question remains about what the Yankees will do this go around. It seems pretty obvious that the Yankees are looking for catching help, at least one additional arm in their bullpen, and possibly even an outfielder now that Cody Bellinger is also hurt. While they do have a dream scenario of depth in their rotation, don’t be surprised to see them trade from that depth to address some more pressing needs, similar to trading Jordan Montgomery a few years ago when they decided he wouldn’t make their playoff rotation.
Apparently, the Yankees have had conversations with various teams around the league asking about the likes of Jo Adell with the Angels or Lane Thomas from the Royals. They’ve also been connected to Hunter Goodman, Ryan Jeffers, and Tyler Stephenson on the catching front, though Jon Heyman says they’ve recently checked in on the Orioles’ Adley Rutschman (though that seems like the least likely possibility). Mason Miller remains their top bullpen target. Let’s see what gets done over the next few days.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: While Wednesday night’s game did not end the way one would’ve thought after handing Cam Schlittler a 4-0 lead in the first inning, Schlittler at least did his part to secure the win, striking out eight across 6.1 innings and only allowing a single run. While the win wasn’t there, he keeps padding his season numbers and making a legitimate case to be this year’s American League Cy Young recipient. Cy Schlittler? Cam Cylittler? What’re we thinking here?
NJ.com | Randy Miller: Ever the optimist and never the quitter, The Captain has spoken and expects the Yankees to be “all in” with the trade deadline approaching. While steering clear of mentioning any specifics, he knows the team needs help if they’re going to make a run in the playoffs and he’s hoping Brian Cashman and company make the necessary moves. Of course, he’s the captain of this team so he’s never going to be screaming for them to stand pat or sell, as Judge echoes similar sentiments every year around this time.
Right after the draft and before free agency I wrote a series talking about what the Golden State Warriors divisional rivals had been cooking up. It’s time to take it to the next level and talk about what these foos did after that.
The Los Angeles Lakers are a team the Warriors have to worry about ever year in the Pacific Divsion, but this summer that team doesn’t have LeBron James anymore. Before Golden State gets lost in its own offseason business, it’s worth understanding what LA actually built to replace him.
The short version: they gutted the roster and reloaded around Luka Doncic. Rui Hachimura is gone, as are Marcus Smart, Luke Kennard, and Jaxson Hayes. In their place, general manager Rob Pelinka landed center Walker Kessler, guards Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton, frontcourt additions Sandro Mamukelashvili and Kevon Looney, wings Ziaire Williams and Matisse Thybulle, and first-round rookie Cameron Carr.
Kessler is the move that defines the whole offseason, for better or worse. LA gave up two future first-round picks and two pick swaps to get him, then signed him to a four-year, $130 million deal. Everything else this summer was complementary. Kessler is the bet.
Magic Johnson believes this is exactly what a post-LeBron reset was supposed to look like. The Lakers legend has been posting his approval on X since the moves started landing, and his read is straightforward. Johnson wanted this roster to get younger, faster, and more athletic around Doncic, and he believes the front office delivered exactly that.
I said this offseason the Lakers had to get younger, more athletic, and faster, and they did just that.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) July 27, 2026
Gabe Vincent Taurean Prince Cam Reddish Jaxson Hayes Christian Wood Re-signed Rui Hachimura Re-signed D'Angelo Russell Re-signed Austin Reaves
Defensively Kessler os a legitimate rim protector, Thybulle is a two-time All-Defensive presence on the perimeter, and Sexton and Grimes as players who bring real skill sets to the wing. however ESPN’s Zach Kram isn’t nearly as sold. His grade for the offseason landed at a C+, and the reasoning cuts right at the roster’s actual math.
The Lakers might have been the busiest team of the summer. But did all that activity make them better, or were they merely running in place?
“Of the top seven Lakers in playoff minutes this spring, the newly extended Austin Reaves is the only player still on the roster. He, Luka Doncic and Kessler form a strong three-man core. But the Lakers now have one of the NBA’s weakest forward groups, a glaring hole at backup center and almost no remaining draft assets to trade after giving up a haul for Kessler, who has never really played a meaningful NBA game.“
Soooo getting busier this summer isn’t the same as getting better eh? Hmmmm I feel like the whole offseason comes down to one question: does replacing LeBron with seven useful players actually leave you with a better basketball team?
LeBron’s production isn’t getting handed to one player. It’s getting spread across a franchise. Doncic can be the offensive engine. Is it arrogant to suppose that a team would lose a late stage LeBron James and then get immediately better? Has any team immediately got better after Bron left? Then again, Doncic might just be that dude and with Reaves alongside him, it might be enough to terrorize anybody on a given night.
Maybe this roster looks complete two years from now. The Warriors only care about the version showing up this season, while seven new rotation players are still learning how to play together and a post-LeBron identity is still under construction.
Matt Ellis has transformed the club by spending £10m and they are now contenders to win a first Super League title
Matt Ellis is too young to remember the glory days of the club he has supported all his life and is now the proud custodian of, but he is reminded often enough to concede it serves as his greatest motivation to bankroll one of Super League’s sleeping giants.
For supporters of a certain age, Wakefield Trinity represent one of rugby league’s great names. In the 1960s they were league champions twice and Challenge Cup winners three times – but it is 60 years since they last won a major trophy. For younger fans like Ellis, Wakefield have been associated with one thing: mediocrity.
sJul 30, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers catcher Dalton Rushing (68) circles the bases after hitting a three-run home run at the bottom of the fourth inning at Dodger Stadium versus the Seattle Mariners. Mandatory Credit: William Navarro-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Baseball reminds us of our capacity for change. Not just incremental shifts that drip from the faucet at a glacially accelerating pace until one day they’ve reshaped the surface beneath them. Rapid, sudden changes in a sport notorious for its meandering heart. In roughly the time a new human being requires to gestate and be born, the Mariners have gone from one pitch away from a World Series matchup with the Los Angeles Dodgers to pitching wildly in rough waters, with no port in sight.
Tonight’s 6-2 loss wasn’t the most excruciating, and resulted from Bryan Woo leaving one pitch on the heart of the plate to Mookie Betts with runners on and two outs, and then a slider on the corner that Dalton Rushing managed to stay on and club for a three-run homer, saddling Woo with yet another rough road outing. I’m always going to stick up for a starter who goes deeper into a game and be firmer on one who is inefficient or incapable of working longer. I’ll tell you that tonight, Woo was not his sharpest, but struck out eight and was utilizing his whole repertoire of secondaries in a way I found impressive, including showcasing his brand new curveball more than ever before. In a stretch where every change seems to be for the worse, Woo has been remarkable in his consistency in process, even if the outcomes have been poor. The changes he’s endeavored are tweaks, efforts to continue improving on a roster that is careening for the rocks and cannot seem to find the balance to weigh anchor, much less turn the sails.
The winds blew in the M’s faces all afternoon and evening once more, with the exception of the top two hitters in the M’s lineup. Both Cole Young and Randy Arozarena put up stellar plate appearances against Roki Sasaki, who sat 98-101 with his fastball and broke off a revolting combination of splitters, sliders, and forkballs that make any frustrated, seated observer grateful they don’t have to get up and give it a try.
If this is the final year of Randyland in the Pacific Northwest, I will treasure a player who came in a difficult campaign and found ways to improve it, sparked a magical season a year ago, and found ways to continue improving instead of simply succumbing to a standard aging curve. And Young, whose battles early allowed Seattle to get Sasaki’s pitch count elevated and spurred his deterioration in the sixth inning and the M’s best scoring opportunity. Tripling to lead off the sixth and scoring on an Arozarena double, it’s how rallies start, and so many times this season if anything has been going well for the Mariners, these two have been the heart of it.
But measured against a superpower, these Mariners are not yet cohesive. The Dodgers winning today ensured them a one game lead on the Milwaukee Brewers for the best record in baseball. If Seattle were in the NL West, they’d be 16.5 games back of the division, but by forces of tradition and fortune, they merely trail Texas by 2.5. They will need every bit of it to avoid turning 2026 into a cautionary tale that costs many more in the organization their jobs.
Harrison Bader #9 of the San Francisco Giants on deck during the MLB game at Chase Field on May 19, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona.
SAN DIEGO — A late-night scooter accident, the details of which remain hazy, will be the lasting memory of Harrison Bader’s otherwise forgettable first season in San Francisco.
Despite indicating otherwise just last week, manager Tony Vitello confirmed Thursday afternoon that the offseason free-agent addition had played his final game this season.
“I think that would have been a longshot to begin with,” Vitello said of Bader’s chances of returning this season after he crashed his scooter in the wee hours Sunday morning in one of San Francisco’s premier nightlight districts.
The 32-year-old center fielder had been limited to only 30 games in his first season since signing a two-year, $20 million contract with the Giants this past offseason. He was first sidelined by a hamstring strain but more recently has been dealing with plantar fasciitis.
A happy Harrison Bader heads to the dugout after belting a grand slam during the Giants’ blowout win over the White Sox on May 23, 2026 at Oracle Park in San Francisco. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Bader, who hasn’t appeared in a game since May 29, was scheduled to fly to Indianapolis to see a specialist for the persistent issue with his left foot. On Friday, Vitello said Bader was “frustrated” by “some setbacks” that had stalled his rehab efforts.
Before he could make it to the foot specialist, he suffered a different kind of setback. In an update Tuesday, the team said Bader had “further injured his same foot” in a “scooter accident on Saturday night/early Sunday morning.” By Thursday, more details had begun to emerge.
According to statements from the San Francisco Fire and Police departments, first reported by the San Francisco Chronicle, Bader was transported to a local hospital around 2 a.m. Sunday morning with non-life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred in the Marina district, the authorities said.
A witness who spoke to SFist anonymously shed more light on the incident, telling the publication that it took place outside the famed Balboa Cafe, a popular drinking hole owned by Governor Gavin Newsom, and involved a San Francisco Fire Department vehicle.
Per SFist, Bader rode his scooter into the back of a fire truck, which then ran over the same foot that was already injured, “causing major injury.” Additionally, local TV affiliate KPIX cited multiple witnesses who said Bader was seen drinking at bars across the city proceeding the incident.
The Giants have not provided any more details besides their initial statement, which said that Bader’s scheduled meeting about his plantar fasciitis was “complicated” by the crash and that the “impact of the injury changed the nature of his evaluation.”
The team said Bader was set to undergo an MRI on Tuesday to reveal the full extent of the damage caused by the crash, but Vitello said Thursday those results weren’t available yet.
Despite the persistent setbacks that caused Bader to seek outside medical help, Vitello had said as recently as Friday that he expected the center fielder to return this season.
Harrison Bader prepares for the game before the Giants’ loss to the Diamondbacks at Oracle Park on May 25, 2026 in San Francisco. Getty Images
The manager’s tone had changed by the time a week had passed.
“I said that? I did?” Vitello said Thursday.
Vitello said he first received word that something had happened involving Bader on Sunday, a day before he was set to fly to Indianapolis, but “he didn’t provide a lot of details to me.”
Vitello didn’t get into specifics after the team released the news Tuesday and said he was more concerned with Bader’s well-being but seemed to have come to terms that his outlook had changed.
Harrison Bader awaits on deck during the Giants’ loss to the Diamondbacks on May 19, 2026 in Phoenix. Getty Images
“Obviously he’s not better than he was prior to that,” Vitello said. “It’s gonna delay — there’s a chance it could delay whatever the recovery process is for him. But even prior to it, we’re looking at a pretty frustrating and long runway before he could get on the field again.
Bader was signed to upgrade the Giants’ outfield defense and lengthen their lineup with an experienced right-handed bat expected to be in there on a regular basis. That hasn’t played out, as Bader posted career-lows in batting average (.170) and OPS (.557) in 111 plate appearances, though five of his 18 hits went for home runs and two of those were grand slams.
There’s reason to believe the Giants are considering taking further disciplinary action. Some contracts include language prohibiting the use of motorized scooters, though they have become common modes of transportation in big-league clubhouses, including San Francisco’s.
Harrison Bader hits during the Giants’ loss to the Diamondbacks at Oracle Park on May 26, 2026 in San Francisco. Getty Images
While it’s not yet clear if alcohol was involved in this incident, Bader was allegedly inebriated when he crashed a scooter into a parked car when he was at the University of Florida, resulting in a 19-game suspension.
Regarding any potential discipline, Vitello said “it wouldn’t be up to me.” But, he added, “I don’t know the circumstances. Depending on what those are, I wouldn’t rule any of that out. … The front office is sorting through all that other stuff.”
The whole saga has done nothing to change Vitello’s views on a method of transport utilized on occasion by his predecessor, Bob Melvin, and many others to pass through the Giants’ clubhouse in recent years. He would warn his players at Tennessee of David Hamilton, the current Brewers outfielder, who tore his Achilles when his scooter hit a pothole.
Now, he’s got another cautionary tale in Bader.
“I’m just not a fan,” Vitello said. “I spend a lot of time in Nashville. Nashville’s become a fun place for a lot of people. If you’re on a scooter around those people, you are risking your life. So, not a fan.”
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 30: Mookie Betts #50 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates after hitting a two-RBI double during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium on July 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Dodginga motor vehicle successfully: Randy Arozarena, 0.07 WPA
Regina George in Act 3: Bryan Woo, -0.23 WPA
Game Thread Comment of the Day
Thank you for the theme music to the upcoming recap, OldPeculiar.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 30: Roki Sasaki #11 of the Los Angeles Dodgers pitches during the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Dodger Stadium on July 30, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers are now on a winning streak at home, as they defeated the Seattle Mariners 6-2 at Dodger Stadium on Thursday.
Roki Sasaki managed to avoid trouble after allowing a one-out baserunner by completing a scoreless first inning on 20 pitches. Bryan Woo was one strike away from completing a scoreless first inning on 21 pitches, but Mookie Betts delivered a two-strike, two-run double to give the Dodgers a third consecutive first inning lead over Seattle.
The Dodgers would struggle to get anything going against Woo over the next two innings, but a one-out walk to Kyle Tucker ignited a rally in the bottom of the fourth inning. Teoscar Hernández reached on an infield single, and Dalton Rushing added his biggest swing of the series with a three-run home run into the Seattle bullpen, giving the Dodgers their largest lead against the Mariners at five runs.
The Mariners were able to get to Sasaki in the top of the sixth inning, as Cole Young led off with a triple before Randy Arozarena drove him in on a double. After a four-pitch walk to Dominic Canzone, Julio Rodriguez lined out to Max Muncy on the first pitch he saw for a crucial first out. Josh Naylor singled to left field to load the bases and bring up the potential tying run in the form of Cal Raleigh.
Sasaki allowed a five-pitch walk to Raleigh to bring home Arozarena to cut his night after 5 1/3 innings. Although he allowed the two runs in the sixth inning, the 24-year-old right-hander has continued to show improvements on the mound, as his seven strikeouts against Seattle were the most he had in a home start since his 10-strikeout gem against the Angels on June 5. His season ERA now sits at 4.64, as he has allowed just three earned runs over his last three starts. Jack Dreyer managed to strike out pinch-hitter Rob Refsnyder before getting a groundout of Weston Wilson to get out of the bases-loaded jam unscathed.
The Dodgers added some insurance against reliever Alex Hoppe in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Teoscar Hernández socked his first home run since July 3 against his old team to bring the lead back to four runs.
After two quick outs from Dreyer in the top of the seventh inning, Edgardo Henriquez let Seattle rattle with two consecutive baserunners. Henriquez won an eight pitch battle against Julio Rodríguez, getting him to ground out to leave both men on.
Tanner Scott almost let things slip away, as he allowed two walks in the top of the eighth inning, but he managed to get rookie Colt Emerson to fly out and maintain the Dodgers’ four-run lead. The Dodgers left the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Edwin Díaz secured his second consecutive save since returning from the injured list.
Andy Pages had another multi-hit game against Seattle, as he finished 2-4 with a pair of singles and collecting multiple hits in consecutive games for the first time since July 10-11 against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Freddie Freeman brought his hitting streak to nine games as he singled against Cole Wilcox in the bottom of the eighth inning. Freeman is now hitting .459 (17-37) over his last nine games.
Kiké Hernández returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 26, finishing 0-3 and having his season average drop to .429.
Game particulars
Home runs— Dalton Rushing (12), Teoscar Hernández (9)
The Dodgers cap off their homestand with a three-game weekend series against the Boston Red Sox beginning Friday (7:10 p.m. PT, SportsNet LA). Ranger Suarez goes for Boston, while the Dodgers have yet to announce Friday’s starter.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 30: Lawrence Butler #4 of the Athletics slides into home plate to score a run ahead of the tag from Connor Wong #12 of the Boston Red Sox in the bottom of the sixth inning at Sutter Health Park on July 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Athletics closed out this four-game series against the Boston Red Sox on a warm summer night in West Sacramento. It was déjà vu all over again for the A’s, as they carried a late lead only to watch another reliever blow the save in a 5-4 loss that prevented them from salvaging a series split.
A’s Strike First
The Athletics’ struggles with runners in scoring position showed up immediately. Facing Red Sox starter Sonny Gray, designated hitter Jacob Wilson lined a one-out double in the bottom of the first, only to be stranded at second as the next two hitters grounded out.
A’s right fielder Carlos Cortes drew a leadoff walk in the third inning. He advanced to second on a groundout and then moved to third on Red Sox’ shortstop Andruw Monasterio’s fielding error. Unlike last night, Wilson came through with a runner on third and fewer than two outs, lining an RBI single to center to put the A’s up 1-0.
The hosts had a chance to score more, but Gray escaped without further damage by getting left fielder Tyler Soderstrom to ground into an inning-ending double play. Through three innings, the A’s were 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, wasting opportunities to do more damage against Boston’s starter.
Seeking to extend the A’s lead, catcher Jonah Heim led off the bottom of the fourth with his 11th double of the season. He scored the A’s second run on center fielder Lawrence Butler’s one-out RBI double to right. Jeff McNeil followed with a single, advancing Butler to third.
With two outs, shortstop Donovan Walton came through, grounding an RBI single to right that brought Butler home and extended the A’s lead to 3-0. Once again the A’s had a chance to add to their lead, but Gray got Wilson to pop out, stranding the bases loaded.
A’s starter Mason Barnett got off to a good start, throwing four scoreless innings. However, he unraveled in the fifth inning.
The Red Sox scored their first run of the game on Monasterio’s RBI single against Barnett. The visitors were not done, tying the game at 3-3 on Rafaela’s two-run double down the left-field line that got past a diving White at third base. Barnett kept the game tied by retiring Wilyer Abreu to end the inning.
The A’s starter had been pitching well until that inning, which was likely due to it being his deepest outing in a major league game this season. He allowed three runs on four hits over five innings, striking out six in an outing that was going well until his fifth and final inning of work.
Blewett Does Not Blow it
Right-handed reliever Scott Blewett pitched the sixth inning, making his A’s debut in a tie game. His first appearance with the team did not start well, as two straight singles and a sacrifice bunt set Boston up to take the lead for the first time this evening. Blewett kept the game tied, as the Red Sox failed to take advantage of that golden opportunity.
Butler Comes Through Again
Butler led off the bottom of the sixth with his second double of the night off Gray. He tagged up and advanced to third on McNeil’s flyout before scoring the go-ahead run on Cortes’ sacrifice fly.
Blewett kept the A’s in the lead, throwing a second straight scoreless inning of relief. Unfortunately, the A’s bullpen could not keep things going.
Familiar Fate
Right-hander Luis Medina, whose daughter threw out the first pitch before the game, blew his fourth save of the season. Abreu and Willson Contreras hit back-t0-back home runs in the eighth inning to put the Red Sox ahead 5-4, turning the game on its head.
The A’s continued to hurt themselves by swinging at first pitches. The latest example came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when White grounded into a first-pitch double play, instantly erasing speedster Henry Bolte from the bases.
Up one, the Red Sox brought in closer Aroldis Chapman for the save opportunity. With one out, pinch-hitter Alika Williams just missed a game-tying home run, settling for a double off the wall. Chapman recovered, striking out pinch-hitter Colby Thomas and Nick Kurtz to save Boston’s 5-4 victory, wrapping up their seventh straight series victory and sending the Athletics to their tenth straight series loss.
Series Wrap-up
This four-game series perfectly encapsulated the A’s 2026 season. The “Green and Gold” had a chance to complete the sweep, but their leaky bullpen and inability to deliver with runners in scoring position cost them three games of the series, dropping the team’s home record to an awful 24-31.
With the trade deadline looming on Monday, something has to change. There is too much dead weight on this roster, from Thomas to the inconsistent bullpen to manager Mark Kotsay, who has yet to lead the Athletics to a winning season since replacing Bob Melvin in 2022.
The A’s will continue this homestand this weekend with a three-game series against the Detroit Tigers. Friday’s pitching matchup features left-hander Jeffrey Springs against right-hander Casey Mize. The A’s will look to return the favor after the Tigers swept all three games between the teams in Detroit before the All-Star break.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 10: A.J. Minter #33 of the New York Mets in action against the Boston Red Sox at Citi Field on July 10, 2026 in New York City. The Red Sox defeated the Mets 6-2. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) | Getty Images
According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Twins have acquired left-handed reliever AJ Minter from the New York Mets. The Twins are sending prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani in return.
Minter, 32, has spent plenty of time on the injured list the past few seasons, but has been relatively healthy of late, posting a 2.35 ERA/4.02 FIP in 23 innings so far this year. His strikeout rate is lower than ideal at just 21.7% but he’s also walked only two batters all season, leading to an elite 2.2% walk rate. He uses his cutter and fastball almost exclusively, but will mix in an occasional changeup against righties and sinker against lefties just to keep hitters off balance. Minter is owed around $3.5M for the rest of 2026 and will be a free agent after the season.
Minter will essentially step into the role vacated by Anthony Banda’s season ending injury: a high leverage lefty who will be occasionally asked for more. Minter is still a clear tier below Yoendrys Gomez and Andrew Morris, but gives them another solid, if unspectacular, relief option at the end of games. While that may seem underwhelming, it’s important to remember that the Twins have been forced to turn to waiver wire pickup Jack Anderson in high leverage spots multiple times in the past week.
Between Minter, the acquisition of Tommy Nance a few weeks ago, and major strides forward from Travis Adams and Kody Funderburk in July, the Twins finally have the makings of a real, Major League-caliber bullpen. I would still expect them to be active on the pitching market to shore things up. That could mean another reliever, but I still think a starter is necessary for this team to make a real run at the postseason. Especially if, as expected, Connor Prielipp will have to pitch out of the bullpen over the final few weeks of the season since he flew past his career high in innings a few weeks ago.
Amick and Agbayani are the prospects heading to New York. Amick is ranked as the Twins’ 21st prospect by MLB Pipeline while Agbayani is 29th. Neither are ranked in the post-draft top 50 prospects from FanGraphs, with their prospect group having serious questions about both players’ ability to make contact. Our own Aidan O’Brien has Amick at 29 and Agbayani at 32 in his July Top Prospects ranking.
Amick, 23, was the Twins’ second round pick back in 2024. Amick was a prolific college hitter but concerns about his swing path and lack of hit tool have proven to be correct. At AA Wichita, he has hit .217/.338/.482 with 23 home runs and a rough 28.5% strikeout rate. Without other tools to make up for it (like say, Emmanuel Rodriguez) it’s tough to see a scenario where Amick makes enough contact to be a valuable contributor. But he was drafted highly for a reason and the Mets clearly saw things they liked.
Agbayani, 19, was drafted in the 6th round in 2025. Son of former Big Leaguer Benny Agbayani, the Twins took a swing on him last year thanks to his advanced hit tool and approach at the plate. Unfortunately, injuries have kept him to just 15 total games since being drafted. Agbayani is a bigger name than some Complex League-level wildcard prospects that get tossed into trades, but he should probably be viewed equivalently at this point in his career.
The Mets have traded left-handed reliever A.J. Minter to the Twins for a pair of prospects: infielder Billy Amick and fellow infielder Bruin Agbayani. The latter is the son of Mets cult hero Benny Agbayani.
Signed to a two-year, $22 million deal ahead of the 2025 season, Minter suffered a lat injury early in his first season with the Mets that cost him the remainder of the year. But he made it back to the major league mound this year, and in total, he threw 34.0 innings in his time with the Mets with a 2.12 ERA and a 3.35 FIP.
As for the return, Amick has hit .217/.338/.482 with 23 home runs in his age-23 season in Double-A this year. He was drafted by the Twins in the second round in 2024, and he’s logged significant innings at first and third base.
Agbayani has spent his age-19 season this year in Single-A, and he’s hit .268/.412/.342 in 51 plate appearances. He’s logged innings at second base, third base, and shortstop.
The Mets made what could be the first of several bullpen trades Thursday as they sent A.J. Minter to the Twins for a pair of prospects.
As confirmed by The Post’s Jon Heyman, the Mets received Minnesota prospects Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani — the son of former Met Benny Agbayani — in exchange for the talented lefty.
Amick and Agbayani are the No. 21 and No. 29 ranked prospects in the Twins system, according to MLB.com.
Mets reliever A.J. Minter was traded to the Twins on July 31, 2026. Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images
Former Mets manager Bobby Valentine told Heyman: “I like him a lot. He is a ballplayer. Left-handed hitter. Can run and has power.”
Valentine managed Benny both with the Amazin’s and Chiba Lotte.
Minter, 32, put together an impressive Mets tenure, as he finished with a 2.12 ERA in 36 appearances for the club dating back to last year.
He was always a strong candidate to be traded, though, given his strong performance and the team’s poor record this season — and that came to fruition following the team’s 4-2 win over the Marlins at Citi Field.
Agbayani, an infielder, was a sixth-round draft selection last year and has spent this season in Single-A ball. He has slashed .268/.412/.342 at that level this year.
His father, Benny, is known for his clutch playoff contributions for the Mets, including a memorable walk-off home run during the 2000 playoffs against the Giants.
Amick was a second-round pick in 2024 and also plays in the infield. He has spent this season with Double-A Wichita and has 23 home runs there.
The Mets previously traded pitcher David Peterson in June, with relievers Luke Weaver and Brooks Raley widely expected to follow Minter out the door.
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 30: Wilyer Abreu #52 and Willson Contreras #40 of the Boston Red Sox celebrate after Abreu hit a solo home run against the Athletics in the top of the eighth inning at Sutter Health Park on July 30, 2026 in Sacramento, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Red Sox had to overcome some obstacles in order to secure their series victory over the Sacramento Athletics at Sutter Health Park on Thursday.
It’s safe to say some of them were self-inflicted, though we’ll talk about that later…
Boston didn’t play cleanly — the defense added two more errors to its series total of six, the offense put together some truly putrid plate appearances that included several early-count pop flys to opposite field, and on several occasions the whole group failed to take advantage of mistakes made on the other side of the diamond — but got the job done thanks to a pair of clutch home runs from Wilyer Abreu and Willson Contreras.
It’s not about how it looks. It’s about getting the job done, and that’s exactly what they did.
STUDS
Contreras: If you hit the game-winning home run, you make this list. If you hit the game-winning home run while playing tremendous defense, reaching base three times, and stop yourself from killing one of your teammates, you also make this list.
Abreu: The Red Sox need this young man to get going, and while he has a long way to go before we can say that he’s back on the right track, this was one hell of a way to start!
Jarren Duran: How many times are we going to do this?
Duran added yet another temper tantrum to his growing list on Thursday, shouting in the direction of both Willson Contreras and third base coach Chad Epperson for failing to tag up on a lazy fly ball that landed in the glove of Athletics outfielder Tyler Soderstrom. WEEI’s Will Flemming then spilled the beans that the ill-tempered outfielder slammed a tablet in the dugout and continued his tirade until taking the field for the bottom half of the inning.
It’s one thing to try and climb into the stands at Kauffman Stadium, or to have someone removed at Progressive Field, or to flip somebody off at Target Field, but this?
I just can’t accept this.
I’ve been critical of the guy for a long time, and that certainly isn’t going to change any time soon, but what does need to change is the perception of these common occurrences. Duran just doesn’t seem to be a very good person, and has used his well-known mental health struggles as an excuse for his piss-poor behavior while totally ignoring how that behavior impacts others.
Red Sox interim manager Chad Tracy refuted what we all saw after the game, saying that his left fielder was actually “cursing himself” for not getting the run — which completely crosses the line of backing your player and falls into the category of enablement.
If that’s not just as much of an issue as the behavior itself, it’s pretty damn close.
Duran, as he’s always one to do, also skirted taking responsibility by calling the incident “nothing” before saying that it was “within the team” and “had nothing to do” with members of the media — all but shutting down further questioning right then and there.
Gross.
I don’t necessarily know where the needed change is going to come from, which is super disappointing because watching this team should be an absolute blast and is instead really frustrating. I find myself just kind of bummed out by the way they choose to approach things.
For lack of a better phrase, it’s icky.
If they’ve proven anything, this will die out with time and become just an example to look back upon for the next time that he acts like an asshole.
Inspiring stuff.
“DURAN IS BEING AN A-HOLE” OF THE GAME
If you want to see the incident, you can click here.
In some ways, it's hard to believe that Pittsburgh Penguins' captain Sidney Crosby has 21 NHL seasons under his belt. And it all started 21 years ago to the day.
The Penguins' fortunes forever changed on Jul. 30, 2005, when they selected the phenom Crosby with the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. Labeled "The Next One," it was quite fitting that he'd land in Pittsburgh. He may not have been able to succeed The Great One directly, but he did succeed Pittsburgh's Great One, and it was the perfect passing of the torch since Mario Lemieux played with Crosby for a portion of his rookie season.
From that fateful day in 2005 forward, these were Crosby's Penguins, and Crosby's Penguins have accomplished quite a bit in the two-plus decades since - as has Crosby himself. In addition to Stanley Cup championships in 2009, 2016, and 2017, there were also three Olympic medals (two of them gold), World Championship, World Cup, and 4 Nations Face-off wins, two Hart trophies, two Art Ross Trophies, two Conn Smythe trophies, two Maurice "Rocket" Richard trophies, and three Ted Lindsay Awards.
Most recently, he clinched his 21st consecutive season above point-per-game, breaking an NHL record of his own that he overtook Wayne Gretzky for the season prior.
In other words, Sidney Crosby is and always has been one of hockey's best players. At this point, he is a consensus top-10 all-time NHL player, and most agree that he is top-five. He is already sitting seventh all-time in scoring - he passed up Lemieux to take the all-time franchise lead in points during the 2025-26 season - and he figures to, at least, pass Ron Francis at 1,798 by next season's end to put himself in the top-five.
From there, top-three is well within reach as long as Crosby keeps playing. Even 2,000 points is in reach, which would make him only the second NHL player ever to hit that mark. If all of that happens, it would be hard to dispute that the list of players better than him in NHL history will have just one or two names on it.
But where is he right now? Even if he's already a top-five player in history with room to keep climbing, where does he rank beside his much, much younger peers?
- Elite Prospects ranks him No. 12 among active players, and the next-oldest player in the top-25 is goaltender Connor Hellebuyck at age 33.
- EA gave Crosby the eighth-highest player ranking in NHL 26 with a 94 - three points behind the NHL's best in Connor McDavid.
- Crosby finished in the NHL's top-25 (No. 22) in points-per-game last season with 1.088. The only player older to rank higher was teammate Evgeni Malkin right in front of him at 21 (1.089), and there were only seven players aged 30 or higher in the top-25.
So, even if he isn't top-of-the-list in all of those categories anymore, what he's doing heading into his age 39 season is nothing short of spectacular, especially with no one else his age anywhere near him other than Malkin's point-per-game mark last season. Questioning what Crosby has left in the tank is one thing - he did suffer a knee injury while captaining Team Canada at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan last season, which caused him to miss 14 games - but questioning whether he's still an elite top-of-the-lineup player is another.
As he slipped on that Vegas gold Penguins' jersey 21 years ago, the 18-year-old kid from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia could not have possibly seen what was to come after more than two decades playing the game he loves.
But, rest assured, the story is still being written - and Crosby will end up going down in history as a consensus top-three player the game as ever seen by the time he decides to call it a career.
The Mets are trading A.J. Minter, who excelled for New York this season as part of their main left-handed relief tandem at the end of games.
According to SNY's Chelsea Janes, Minter will be dealt to the Minnesota Twins. The Mets will receive prospects Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick in the trade.
Agbayani, the Twins' No. 29 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and the son of former Met Benny Agbayani, was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 draft. He's spent his whole minor league career in Low-A, where he's played at shortstop and second base. This season, he's slashed .266/.412/.341 with an OPS of .753 in 10 games. However, his season has been marred by an injury he sustained in May.
Amick is the Twins' No. 21 prospect and has played at third and first. He was drafted in the second round of the 2024 draft out of Tennessee. In 86 games this season with the Twins' Double-A affiliate, Amick is slashing .217/.338/.482 with an OPS of 820 to go along with his 23 home runs.
Minter, who signed with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season, missed most of last year due to a serious lat injury that required surgery.
His return to the mound has been great for the Mets, pitching to a 2.35 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP across 23 appearances this season.
With the MLB Trade Deadline now less than 72 hours away from slamming shut and his time with the Mets likely coming to an end, reliever Brooks Raley recorded five outs and was the winning pitcher in New York’s 4-2 victory over the Miami Marlins on Thursday night.
Interim manager Andy Green thought Raley getting the win was “fitting and special” for the veteran left-hander in his fourth season with the club.
“Happy to see him get a win,” Green said. “Obviously, the next three days we don’t know what Brooks’ destination might be. And you want to see good people who have given a lot to this organization have good moments.”
With a trade before the 6 p.m. deadline on Aug. 3 likely, the 38-year-old acknowledged that his time in Queens is coming to a close.
“This organization has been great to me,” Raley said. “Hopefully we get back out there for another one the next couple of days.
“But it’s just the reality of it. Enjoyed my time here and thankful for the guys.”
Raley said that it was in the dugout when he had the realization that Thursday could be his final outing with the Mets.
“As I sat on the bench, I said, I have a lot of good moments here, and this place has been great to me and my family,” he said. “Enjoyed wearing the blue and orange.”
Raley signed with the Mets ahead of the 2023 season and had a fine year, pitching to a 2.80 ERA in 66 games. Tommy John surgery robbed him of all but 38 appearances over the next two seasons, and he now will be a trade commodity with a 2.01 ERA over 44 games this year.
The lefty said he felt like he “developed a lot” during his time in New York.
“I felt like I knew who I was as a player when I came over from Tampa, and this organization kinda embraced me,” Raley said. “Met a lot of great players, great teammates, navigated a big market and all you [media] guys. Special place to play, for sure.”
The veteran acknowledged that the team “came up short” in meeting their expectations the past two seasons and “a lot of guys feel responsible for that, myself included.”
“You take it day by day, who knows what the next couple days hold,” he said. “This [locker room] has done a good job just staying where our feet are and trying to play it day-by-day. We really played some good baseball lately, so that’s been encouraging.
“A lot of young players are doing what we thought they [would]. Nolan [McLean] going out there and doing what he does and Christian Scott kind of blossoming into what he was supposed to be. It’s fun to watch.”
