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Happy birthday to Eric Jokisch, and a mighty host of others.

Today in baseball history, in 2014 – The Cubs win the longest game in team history, 4-3, as the 16 innings take 6 hours and 27 minutes to complete, 17 minutes longer than a 21-inning game played over two days in 1982; it’s also the record for a Rockies game. Catcher John Baker is pressed into mound duty in the 16th and earns the win when he scores the winning run after leading the bottom of the inning with a walk and is driven home on Starlin Castro‘s sacrifice fly, and other stories as well.

Today in baseball history:

• 1904 – Brooklyn’s Jack Cronin outpitches Christy Mathewson to beat the Giants, 1-0. Brooklyn scores in the first inning when Matty walks two with two runners on base.
• 1908 – Rube Waddell continues to haunt Connie Mack, again fanning 16 A’s in a 5-4 win for the Browns.
• 1911 – Rube Marquard shuts out the Cards on four hits before 23,000 in St. Louis. The Giants pitcher will beat the Redbirds again on the 31st, allowing five hits.
• 1915 – Forty-one-year-old Pirates infielder Honus Wagner reaches Brooklyn Robins hurler Jeff Pfeffer for a grand slam in the eighth inning, helping Pittsburgh beat Brooklyn at Forbes Field, 8-2.
• 1919 – At Navin Field, Dutch Leonard decides to pitch around Braggo Roth with two outs in the ninth inning to face Babe Ruth. Although the Boston slugger, who has already reached the Detroit southpaw with two doubles, responds by tying an American League record with his ninth home run of the month and sixteenth of the season, the Tigers prevail, 10-8.
• 1958 – Ted Williams hits his 17th career grand slam, tying him for second place with Babe Ruth, and behind Lou Gehrig, who had 23. Williams also adds a three-run homer, as Boston beats Detroit, 11-8.
• 1966 – The Yankees edge the White Sox, 2-1, on Mickey Mantle‘s 14th homer in 24 games. Mick moves ahead of Lou Gehrig into sixth place on the homer list with the blast. 
• 1997 – Pedro Martinez strikes out 13 Rockies, including Andres Galarraga four times, in Montreal’s 3-0 win. Martinez gives up just three hits in going all the way.
• 2007 – Ichiro Suzuki collects the 1,500th hit of his major league career, a single off of Lenny DiNardo. It comes in his 1,060th game. Only two players – Al Simmons (1,040) and George Sisler (1,048) – have accumulated 1,500 hits in fewer games.
• 2008 – Ichiro Suzuki raps the 3,000th hit of his career, combining the major leagues (1,722) and Japan’s Pacific League (1,278). Isao Harimoto was the only player to collect 3,000 or more hits in Nippon Pro Baseball, putting Ichiro second all-time in hits by a Japanese player in top-tier baseball leagues.

Today in Cubs history:

• 1951 – Against the Phillies, Cubs player-manager Phil Cavarretta earns his money by driving home three runs in a first-game win, 5-4, snapping the Cubs’ ten-game home losing streak. His triple in the sixth off Robin Roberts ends the Cubs’ scoreless inning skein of 31 innings, and the consecutive scoreless innings by Phils pitchers at 41. Cavarretta takes the bench in the second game but inserts himself as a pinch-hitter in the seventh when Roberts relieves, and hits a grand slam home run as the Cubs sweep, winning the nightcap, 8-6.
• 1988 – In the Cubs’ 8-3 win over Kevin Gross and the host Phillies, Rick Sutcliffe swipes home, the first pitcher since Pascual Perez in 1984 to steal home. It comes on the front end of a double steal with Mitch Webster. Sutcliffe is the first Cubs pitcher to steal home since Hippo Vaughn in 1919.

Cubs Birthdays:Tyson Miller, Eric Jokisch*, Ken Kravec, Roy Henshaw, Luther Roy, Frank Martin, Earl Moore, Sam Dungan.

Today in history:

• 1933 – Police shootout with Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow‘s gang in Iowa leaves one member, Clyde’s brother Buck Barrow, dead and one captured; Bonnie and Clyde escape.
• 1938 – Olympic National Park is established in Washington state, featuring the longest undeveloped coastline in America.
• 1957 – Floyd Patterson TKO’s Tommy Jackson in the 10th round for the heavyweight boxing title.
• 1958 – US President Eisenhower signs into law the National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958, establishing NASA.
• 1966 – First show by rock trio “Cream,” consisting of guitarist Eric Clapton, bassist Jack Bruce, and drummer Ginger Baker, at the Twisted Wheel nightclub in Manchester, England.
• 1976  -In New York City, the “Son of Sam” kills one person and seriously wounds another in the first of a series of attacks.
• 2021 – Following Simone Biles‘ withdrawal, teammate Sunisa Lee becomes first Hmong-American Olympic champion in any sport, winning women’s artistic individual all-around gymnastics gold in Tokyo.
• 2023 – 46,000-year-old minuscule pair of roundworms revived from their cryptobiotic state after being frozen in Siberian permafrost, proving life can be stopped and then restarted according tto scientists.

*pictured.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders:W, 6-3 at Iowa Cubs

SS George Lombard Jr. 0-4, K, HBP — plunked on elbow guard in seventh, seemed fine
C J.C. Escarra 1-5, 2B
2B Marco Luciano 2-5, 2 K
3B Oswaldo Cabrera 3-5
RF Yanquiel Fernández 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K, GIDP
1B Tyler Hardman 0-3, BB, K, HBP
DH Ernesto Martinez Jr. 3-4, 3B, BB, 4 RBI, SB — game-tying two-run triple in the eighth and then cashed in some insurance runs in the ninth on a single
LF Kenedy Corona 2-4, BB, RBI, K — plated go-ahead run on a squeeze play
CF Duke Ellis 1-5

Dom Hamel 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K
Chris Kean 2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 1 K, HR
Carson Coleman 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K
Danny Watson 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP (win)
Yerry De los Santos 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
Kervin Castro 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K (save)

3️⃣ is a magic number ✨#RepBXpic.twitter.com/ipOVQ24mOV

— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) July 29, 2026

Double-A Somerset Patriots:Postponed vs. Richmond Flying Squirrels; will play doubleheader today beginning at 12:05pm ET. Of note: 2025 sixth-round pick and righty pitcher Rory Fox was promoted from High-A, as was outfielder Luis Durango.

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades:Postponed vs. Jersey Shore BlueClaws; will play doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 5:05pm ET. Of note: outfielders Willy Montero and Gabriel Lara were promoted from Low-A, as was 2025 16th-rounder Jackson Lovich

Low-A Tampa Tarpons:W, 10-7 vs. Lakeland Flying Tigers

SS Dax Kilby 1-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K, GIDP, throwing and fielding errors — remember, it’s spring training for him after his long injury (his double did go 412 feet, amusingly went further than any of Tampa’s homers)
RF Wilberson De Pena 2-4, HR, BB, RBI, 2 K — homered in first at-bat above Rookie ball, remember when he was just a kid acquired for Oswald Peraza a year ago?
CF Yostin Pena 2-5, 3B, RBI, K — tripled in first at-bat above Rookie ball, these guys are fun!
3B Bryce Martin-Grudzielanek 3-4, 2B, RBI
1B Hans Montero 2-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI — two-run homer in the first, two-run homer in the seventh
2B Luis Escudero 0-3, BB, K
LF Brando Mayea 1-4, HR, RBI, 3 K — “don’t forget about me!”
DH Engelth Urena 1-4, 2B, K
C Ediel Rivera 1-2, BB, HBP

Travis MacGregor 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K — rehab assignment
Edinzo Marquez 4 IP, 4 H, 1 R (1 ER), 0 BB, 8 K, HR (win) — 17 swings and misses with 10 on the cambio, hello
Matthew Tippie 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Parker Seay 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP — struck out the side
Austin Breedlove 1 IP, 4 H, 6 R (5 ER), 1 BB, 2 K, 3 HR — entered ninth with a 10-1 lead and held on for dear life

Yankees' No. 16 ranked prospect OF Wilberson De Peña showed off his pop right away with a homer in his first at bat since being promoted to the @TampaTarpons 💥 pic.twitter.com/D8nk5L6M0J

— NYYPlayerDev (@NYYPlayerDev) July 28, 2026

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 8-7 at DSL Tigers 2

CF Isaias Castillo 1-2, 2B, 3 BB, RBI, 2 SB — double made lead 4-0 in the second
DH Juan Martinez 3-5, 2B, 3B, 3 RBI, SB — homer shy of the cycle; game-tying double in the sixth and a go-ahead knock in the eighth
SS Stiven Marinez 3-4, 2B, BB, RBI, SB, picked off
2B Juan Torres 0-3, BB, RBI, SF
C Poly Ojeda 0-4, BB, pickoff, throwing error
LF Stalen Ramirez 0-5, 2 K
RF Alfiery Matos 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
2B Adrian Feliz 0-3, HBP, fielding error
1B Jose Peralta 0-3, HBP, missed catch and throwing errors

Dalvin Taveras 2.2 IP, 3 H, 4 R (2 ER), 3 BB, 2 K, HBP, 2 WP
Angel Salazar 1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (1 ER), 1 BB, 1 K
Luis Rodriguez 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (2 ER), 1 BB, 3 K, HBP, WP
Braulio Jaquez 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K, HBP, WP (win)
Varis Villarreal 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 3 K — struck out final batter with tying run on first

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 5-6 (10) vs. DSL Marlins

CF Ruben Castillo 1-4, 2B, K, HBP
SS Dariel Santana 1-5, RBI, K — go-ahead single in the fourth made it 5-4
DH Alessandro Rodriguez 0-4, BB, 2 K
2B Carlos Bello 0-4, BB, K
RF David Carrera 0-3, BB, HBP, outfield assist
C Kenneth Melendez 1-4, BB, K
3B Germayhoni Beltre 0-3, K, HBP
LF Richard Meran 0-4, 3 K
1B Jesus Guerrero 2-4, 2 RBI — two-run single in the second cut into 4-0 Marlins lead
1B Alfred Ciriaco 0-0

Junior Tavera 4 IP, 6 H, 4 R (4 ER), 4 BB, 2 K, HR, WP
Higor Requena 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 3 K, WP
Josue Silvestre 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 1 K, HBP — issued bases-loaded walk to tie game
Kevin Centeno 2 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 0 BB, 2 K (loss) — allowed automatic runner to score on groundout and fielder’s choice; Bombers couldn’t answer in 10th so that was that

The Detroit Tigers evened up their home series with the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday night with an authoritative 14-0 thumping of the visitors. Javy Baez returned to the lineup, and along with Kevin McGonigle, Eduardo Valencia and Gleyber Torres provided a much-needed spark on offense, while Troy Melton threw seven shutout innings to give the home team its overwhelming victory.

Once again, in what could be his final game in a Tigers uniform, left-hander Tarik Skubal will take the mound on Wednesday afternoon looking to close the home stand with a series win. The 29-year-old has allowed two runs or fewer in his last five starts, posting a 1.48 ERA and 1.76 FIP stretching across 30 1/3 innings on 19 hits (two home runs) and five walks while striking out 44 — with a pair of hit batters mixed in there.

Opposite him for the O’s is fellow southpaw Trevor Rogers, who has recorded quality starts in six of his last seven games and his last three straight; he missed out on seven straight QSs by falling an inning short of the minimum in a game that he threw five shutout innings. Over that stretch, the 28-year-old put up a 1.44 ERA and 2.45 FIP spanning across 43 2/3 frames of work, surrendering 31 hits (one home run) and 12 walks while striking out 39 batters.

Rogers faced the Tigers earlier this season on May 24 in the second game of a doubleheader, coughing up four runs on four hits (one home run) and two walks while striking out a pair in 4 2/3 innings to earn his sixth loss of the season in a 4-1 final at Camden Yards.

Take a look below for more data on the two Wednesday starters.

Detroit Tigers (51-57) vs. Baltimore Orioles (52-56)

Time (ET): 1:10 p.m.
Place: Comerica Park, Detroit, Michigan
SB Nation Site:Camden Chat
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network

Game 109: LHP Tarik Skubal (7-5, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Trevor Rogers (6-7, 4.17 ERA)

Player	G	IP	K%	BB%	GB%	FIP	fWAR
Skubal	15	90.0	31.5	3.7	45.6	2.67	2.6
Rogers	19	103.2	19.1	7.4	38.3	3.71	2.2

SKUBAL

ROGERS

Looks like Kyle Schwarber ate some of the diarrhea lettuce, which is bad. Team needs as many runs as they can get, so hopefully it’s a one game thing.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• When Zack Wheeler and Jhoan Duran have off nights, the team suffers. They can’t have too many more of them ($).
• Bryce Harper gave an interview, saying everyone knows what the Phillies need at the deadline and that he believes they’ll get them.
• I know you like mock trades being made for the Phillies, so here are three that would make them better at the deadline.

MLB news:

• The choice of what to do with Tarik Skubal is pretty clear. The Tigers have to move on and make the deal if it’s there ($).
• There are some questions asked of Ralph in this mailbag that include the Phillies, including one that asks if they should rebuild ($).
• Casey Schmitt, a major piece the Giants could have traded this deadline, is going to miss time with a torn meniscus.
• Curtis Mead, recently traded to the Red Sox, will miss time with a broken wrist. That’s tough news for Boston.

Triple-A: Syracuse Mets (38-37/12-15)

ROCHESTER 6, SYRACUSE 5 (BOX)

Ronny Mauricio scored the game’s first run on a sac fly in the top of the first to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead, but the Red Wings came roaring back, putting up a five spot in the second. Tobias Myers set the table for the big inning, directly allowing three runs and putting two more on base that eventually came home when Matt Seelinger relieved him. All in all, Myers threw 37 pitches and lasted only 1.2 innings. The bullpen after him was actually solid, allowing just one more run, but the offense couldn’t exactly find their footing. The bats plated two runs in the third on a Nick Morabito homer and another two in the seventh on a Mauricio homer, but couldn’t eek out that tying run.

·  RF-CF Nick Morabito: 2-4, 3 R, HR (10), 2 RBI, BB, SB (33)

·  LF Mike Tauchman: 0-5, K

·  2B Ronny Mauricio: 2-3, R, HR (12), 3 RBI

·  3B Christopher Morel: 1-4, 2B

·  1B Ryan Clifford: 0-3, BB, 2 K

·  DH Christian Arroyo: 2-4, K, SB (7)

·  CF Cristian Pache: 0-3, K

·  PH-RF MJ Melendez: 0-1

·  C Hayden Senger: 0-3, K

·  PH Ji Hwan Bae: 0-1

·  SS Zack Short: 0-2, R, BB, K

·  PH Ben Rortvedt: 0-1

·  RHP Tobias Myers: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, WP, L (1-1)

·  RHP Matt Seelinger: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  LHP Matt Turner: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Dan Hammer: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Nate Lavender: 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, BLK

ROSTER ALERT: LHP Jonathan Santucci assigned to Syracuse Mets from Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets placed RHP Joey Gerber on the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Kevin Herget assigned to Syracuse Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Syracuse Mets placed RHP Guillo Zuñiga on the 7-day injured list.

Double-A: Binghamton Rumble Ponies (27-42/9-18)

POSTPONED (RAIN)

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Noah Hall assigned to Binghamton Rumble Ponies from Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies activated SS D’Andre Smith from the 7-day injured list.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released SS Jaylen Palmer.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released C Onix Vega.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released SS Nick Lucky.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies released SS Diego Mosquera.

High-A: Brooklyn Cyclones (25-40/14-16)

WINSTON-SALEM 10, BROOKLYN 6 (BOX)

Early on, the Cyclones kept pace with the Dash, but when they plated five in the fourth, it was a hole too deep for Brooklyn to dig out of. Down 7-0, the Cyclones scored a pair of runs in the fourth and another two in the eighth, and two more in the ninth to make it much closer than it had been earlier, but because Winston-Salem continued adding runs on, it simply was not enough.

·  2B Yonatan Henriquez: 0-4, 2 R, HBP, E (7)

·  REHAB ALERT 3B Jacob Reimer: 1-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, 2 K

·  REHAB ALERT DH Andy Ibáñez: 3-4, R, BB, K

·  CF Trey Snyder: 2-5, 2B, RBI

·  LF Randy Guzman: 1-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K

·  1B Ronald Hernandez: 1-5, RBI, K

·  C Daiverson Gutierrez: 0-4, K

·  SS Antonio Jimenez: 1-4, R, K

·  RF JT Benson: 1-4, K

·  LHP Daviel Hurtado: 3.1 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 6 BB, 3 K, L (4-2)

·  RHP Parker Carlson: 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

·  RHP Hunter Hodges: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, WP

·  RHP Josh Blum: 1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Cristofer Gomez: 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K

ROSTER ALERT: SS Trey Snyder assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Emilio Obispo assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: RHP Joel Díaz assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Randy Guzman assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: C Chase Meggers assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Antonio Jimenez assigned to Brooklyn Cyclones from St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: Binghamton Rumble Ponies sent 3B Jacob Reimer on a rehab assignment to Brooklyn Cyclones.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones transferred SS Kevin Villavicencio to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones transferred 3B AJ Salgado to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: Brooklyn Cyclones released OF Sam Biller.

Single-A: St. Lucie Mets (33-33/12-18)

ST. LUCIE 14, DUNEDIN 6 (BOX)

St. Lucie hammered out 14 runs on 15 hits, 7 walks and a HBP, the third game in a row where the team scored at least 11 runs. The team kept the pressure on all game, with the some of the newest Mets all making their presences felt: Kooper Schulte got on base twice, Aiden Robbins had a multi-hit game with a double, Ryan Tayman logged an impressive four hits with a homer, and not to be outdone, John Smith III had a multi-hit game with not just one, but two homers! Some old friends had strong games too, such as Elian Pena hitting his fifth homer of the season, and Marco Vargas logging three hits. On the mound, Clay Holmes and Austin Warren both made rehab appearances, the former throwing four scoreless innings and the latter throwing one.

·  SS Elian Peña: 1-5, 2 R, HR (5), 2 RBI, BB

·  REHAB ALERT 1B Cole Mathis: 0-3, RBI, K

·  PH-1B Julio Zayas: 0-0, R, RBI, 2 BB

·  REHAB ALERT 2B Marco Vargas: 3-5, R, 2B, 3 RBI, BB, K

·  CF Aiden Robbins: 2-6, 2B, 2 RBI, K

·  DH Yovanny Rodriguez: 1-4, 2 R, BB, K

·  RF John Smith III: 2-5, 2 R, 2 HR (1, 2), 3 RBI, K

·  C Ryan Tayman: 4-5, 3 R, 2B, HR (1), 2 RBI

·  LF Wyatt Vincent: 1-4, R, 2B, BB, 2 K

·  3B Kooper Schulte: 1-3, 2 R, BB, 2 K, HBP

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Clay Holmes: 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

·  REHAB ALERT RHP Austin Warren: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, W (1-0)

·  RHP Tyler McLoughlin: 0.1 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

·  RHP Ernesto Mercedes: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

·  RHP Miguel Mejias: 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

·  RHP Luis Alvarez: 1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, HBP

ROSTER ALERT: C Yovanny Rodriguez assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF John Smith III assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Wyatt Vincent assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Kuhio Aloy assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Vladi Gomez assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Dylan Carey assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: C Ryan Tayman assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: SS Kooper Schulte assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Bohan Adderley assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: OF Aiden Robbins assigned to St. Lucie Mets from FCL Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent RHP Clay Holmes on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: New York Mets sent RHP Austin Warren on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred SS Jeremy Rodriguez to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred C Francisco Toledo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets transferred LHP Luis Sotillo to the Development List.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released SS Sam Robertson.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released C Jack Scanlon.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released 1B Jackson Hauge.

ROSTER ALERT: St. Lucie Mets released 2B Taylor Darden.

Rookie: FCL Mets (24-33)

NO GAME (SEASON OVER)

STAR OF THE NIGHT

Ryan Tayman

GOAT OF THE NIGHT

Tobias Myers

Well, lo and behold! The vaunted MLB Trade Deadline is under a week away, and the Cardinals have finally succumbed to the battle for .500 and are now underwater, a couple of games under a winning season. I have been advocating for a hybrid buy/sell situation, but I can definitely empathize with anyone who would want to be sellers at this point in the season.

Which is me doing a 180 all of a sudden. I thought it was in poor taste to constantly talk about the trade deadline, rooting for trading away key players, decimating our rotation and bullpen. And also even chatter about trading away key players like Ivan Herrera and Masyn Winn. Something about the way the team has played after the All-Star Break has lead to me having a change of heart. We definitely should not be buyers, because that would require trading away our most valuable assets in the farm system. It would be folly to go all in now, even with the most enticing offers. The offense isn’t complete, with too many holes in the lineup, while the bullpen cannot hold us in games reliably enough.

I still lean more towards a very open minded buy/sell situation, however… for a variety of reasons. One being that if you want to be sellers, Dustin May and Lars Nootbaar are simply not extremely good trade pieces in this market, which I’ll explain later. You would have to open your mind to trading guys like Ivan Herrera and Masyn Winn to bring back a lot of value. Some of the other valuable players might be more surprising, like Matthew Liberatore could be traded to the right team in desperate need of a starting pitcher. Liberatore does have surplus value.

But a trade deadline is a little bit different. It’s very subjective in more ways than one. What are the current needs of the buyer? What is the market like right now?

A Trade Deadline Market Heavy On Starting Pitching

Sure, Liberatore has a bunch of surplus value, but no contending team wants him right now, with his performance. He does have 4 years of control, but he’s just not going to help anyone except maybe the Nationals or Cubs? I don’t even see it. Dustin May, has a lot less surplus value, but there is some there. But can he put a contending team over the top? That seems like a very subjective choice of the buying team. On the surface, a 4.59 ERA and 1.32 WHIP feel like a middle of rotation arm if we are being generous, and to many people that’s a #4 or #5. But we all know evaluations go deeper than that. If a team likes the stat FIP, May might seem like a sneaky good pick on the market. If you are up on the times, statcast metrics pretty much show May as about an average MLB starting pitcher, with some strengths and weaknesses that about balance out. That is for sure a mid rotation arm to a lot of teams.

But the problem for the Cardinals in dealing Dustin May is just how stacked this market is in good starting pitching. This will probably give any buying team leverage in any trade deal. Sometimes it’s best just to hold on and not take a bad deal, even if the player does not return. The upside here is What If the Cardinals do make a sort of run at the wild card? They certainly are far from out of it at this point in the season.

A Market Full of Teams On The Cusp

In the National League, the Cubs, Phillies, and Pirates are holding the wild cards at the deadline, while the Diamondbacks could strike and swipe the Bucc’s card right away at any moment. Damn snakes, arrrr! With the Nationals offense, they will probably be buyers since they are just barely out of a wild card spot. The Cardinals, Marlins, and Padres will probably not be full on sellers, either, considering they are all within 2 games. Of the three, the Padres seem least capable with a run differential of -21. The Marlins have been staggering along with the Cardinals, but has it been enough for an MLB organization to decide to just throw in the towel?

I would name the sellers in the NL as the Reds, Giants, Mets, and Rockies. But that’s not a lot of supply for all the possible buyers. The Cubs, Phillies, Pirates, and possibly the Diamondbacks will all want to shore up their rosters, to keep up their pace and fend off around 4 teams trying to take their spot.

All this contention has made this trade deadline rather murky, and is either going to be a really tough one to predict, or… will end up like last year without a ton of action. I am leaning toward the latter, especially for the Cardinals.

Applying the same terms to the American League wild card race, we find a picture even more murky. I included teams under 5 games out of the wild card as teams that might not be sellers… if I apply that logic to the AL that would include the Tigers, who are likely to be sellers, because there are already 4 teams in the wild card hunt, beyond the favorites Yankees, Red Sox, and Guardians. We can assume that NY will take one of the 3 wild cards, but that leaves 6 teams for 2 spots. It would be tough to predict which organizations will decide to sell, if any.

A Murky Trade Market

Two of what should be the major sellers are the Angels and the Mets, two teams that might make some odd decisions in the seller market. They tend to not want to rebuild! But they sure as hell look like they should move some pieces. Will they allow themselves to make some moves? I think perhaps the most intriguing thing to think about as Cardinals fans is, Will Chaim Bloom and John Mozeliak make a trade? Will Bloom continue moves with Boston? Both are very easy to see as a possibility, given that Mozeliak and Bloom worked together over the last few years, while Chaim’s previous employer was the Red Sox. Is there some kind of effect here? Or will Bloom blindside us with random trade partners? Three team trades? Will the market get creative this year?

Dream Deadline Moves

Now that I have admitted that I think that there will probably be little trade deadline stories, I want to think big and imagine what could be if it was a VERY active trade deadline for Bloom and the Cardinals. I have no idea how realistic or completely ridiculous these trades are, but let me know what you think! Anything can happen.

Part 1 Trade a catcher to the Yankees

In my opinion, we have too many catchers. We almost have a team full of catchers. Or will soon! One guy that could be considered an asset, difficult to quantify: Pedro Pages. Perhaps the Yankees will like the intangibles with Pedro Pages. He seems like a baseball guy, tighter with the coaches and manager, seems to be trusted, a clubhouse chemistry guy, a rotation manager, however you can market this idea to NY. And believe it or not, Pedro Pages actually hits better than the Yankees catcher. Make it happen, Chaim!

There’s no way in hell that the Yankees are doing this deal straight up, since the player I would be on the phone after is their #22 prospect, pitcher Chase Hampton. Hampton has 6 years of control, while Pages only has 4 years left.

MLB Trade Calculator — Free Trade Values · Rosternomics

To really get this deal done, you will probably have to throw in Lars Nootbaar. But then I want another player! Maybe try to talk them into adding Cade Smith to the deal, to make our bullpen much more tolerable, or maybe Ben Grable, another pitcher from their minor league system, if they do not want to take away from their current bullpen situation. There are a ton of Yankees pitchers to choose from as the add on to Chase Hampton!

MLB Trade Calculator — Free Trade Values · Rosternomics

I have no idea what I’m doing here, but I would take that deal in a heartbeat. The secondary pitcher can be whoever you want it to be, the Yankees have a lot of pitchers valued at $1.8M using this tool. I found it extremely useful since, again, I have no idea what I’m doing, but here we are… It’s the best I could come up with!

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Part 2 The Bloom-Mozeliak Move

Maybe they will pull off a last second trade, with all other options exhausted, or maybe they’ve had something planned all along. Or maybe I’m being ridiculous… but I think something is going to happen with the Bloom and Mozeliak connection. Call it a lucky guess, if I’m right, maybe a trade will happen… maybe not. Let’s imagine so.

I want to move another catcher, and John likes Jose Fermin a lot. I will make that move because I want to give the team a shot at the postseason this year. And to me that’s going to require some shoring up of the bullpen. It’ll hurt to lose the Ferminator, but we have Torres, and maybe if Saggese ever comes back, etc.

Sure, this trade looks like an overpay, but you have to pay for some bullpen help at the deadline. And I don’t think many of us will miss Ryan Campos, correct me if I’m wrong. I’m sure there’s some Campos fans out there!

MLB Trade Calculator — Free Trade Values · Rosternomics

^^{_{Use the link to come up with your own Fermin + a catcher trade with the Angels!}}

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Part 3 Back To Boston

Chaim cannot ignore Boston, with our good rapport and recent trade history, why not do more deals? Let’s assume that Boston’s top prospect, Roman Anthony, is off the table. So far, my dream has been to hunt down pitching at the deadline. You can never have too much pitching. Because I’m crazy, the Red Sox #2 prospect is the goal: pitcher Anthony Eyanson. Boston is another team that needs a catcher, so I’m going to once again trade a catcher for pitching!

Somehow Bloom talks Boston into taking Ivan Herrera as their solution at catcher. Don’t ask me how, but he done did it. In reture, the Cardinals get #2 Boston prospect Anthony Eyanson, plus additional pitcher Juan Valera and outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, the Red Sox #5 prospect. You’re the best, Chaim! It’s sad to see Herrera go, but I know that they believe Herrera can catch. And maybe they can convince Boston, too!

MLB Trade Calculator — Free Trade Values · Rosternomics

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Part 4 Liberatore Goes To Atlanta

The Braves, desperate for any kind of starting pitching, acquire all kinds of it, and take a flyer on Liberatore as a middle inning reliever and insurance for their rotation. Bloom convinces them all Matthew needs is a change of scenery and a tweak to his repertoire. They are nice enough to send us 17 year old outfield prospect Diego Tornes! It’s a big gamble for both teams, but as you can see, the calculator says we actually LOSE this trade! Let’s do it!

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And there you have it, my dream is 4 trades at the deadline, perhaps the most mad trade deadline ever. This is all highly impossible, but I hope that it was fun to read, at least. Because this will never happen.

But what if they wanted to also trade May and Burleson? You might be surprised that their trade values are about the same, and not as much as you might think. This is all of course anyone’s guess, and subjective to the deadline, but it’s what I have to go on. I think they’ll keep both *unless they might trade Burleson to move Herrera to 1B and aren’t telling anyone.

To sum up, I think such a tool would be moreso used in the offseason trade market, but maybe it gave me a few ideas, at least, about the trade deadline.

My 20 Top Heavy Metal Albums from 1993

Continuing on with my favorite albums of all time, year by year since 1975, heavy metal edition… 1993

In case you missed last week when I revealed my favorite albums of 1993, I now have that in playlist form here! And now for the heavy metal edition!

• Demilich – ‘Nespithe’ I’m not saying this is my favorite heavy metal album from 1993, but it is certainly most interesting… they practically invent a whole new form of death metal here, both more extreme and more prog rock and well, advanced. I was big into playing Dungeons & Dragons in high school, and one of the most powerful characters in that game is an undead being called a lich, and well, the idea of a demilich is pretty weird to think about. If I knew of this band back in high school, my mind would’ve been completely blown. They’re already mind altering enough years after it was released. (Finland)
• Neurosis – ‘Enemy of the Sun’ one of the heaviest, most disturbing, and yet spiritually moving albums you’ll ever hear from any genre of music, the legendary west coast punk band Neurosis’ second official full length will haunt your years after hearing it just a few times. It might take more than one listen for its full effect to set in, but it’s a very memorable experience. Neurosis during their peak years. (Oakland)
• Carcass – ‘Heartwork’ Carcass go full technical death metal here, but also get more melodic along the path. Probably Carcass’ heaviest album of all, and it opened their fanbase up to a whole new experience while expanding it. Gone were the grindcore punk days, leaving a metal monstrosity of epic proportions. A perfect album start to finish, if your ears can take it and your neighbors don’t start pounding on your walls. (UK)
• Cathedral – ‘The Ethereal Mirror’ Cathedral has become one of my favorite metal bands over the years, and one of the only metal bands carrying on the torch passed down by Black Sabbath to the few doom bands of the 80s and 90s. The best one of those bands was Cathedral, as far as I’m concerned. The guitarist’s tone is impeccable, and if you allow yourself to have some fun with the at times funny vocal stylings of Lee Dorrian, which contrast with the heavy seriousness of the music in such a way that it just makes it all the more entertaining. Cathedral aren’t just old school metal with a big ol’ side of DOOM, they also slyly incorporate other musical elements, genres such as classic rock, prog rock, and even punk or soul at times. (UK)
• Death – ‘Individual Thought Patterns’ this was my first album from death metal originators Death, and it’s still one of my favorites! To me this is where they fully realize their sound and Chuck Schuldiner’s musical goals for the first time; nothing against what came before it, but he was still developing the sound and lineup of the band. “The Philosopher” is a standout track, but you’ll need to hear the whole album for the full effect. Sounds a little different than the rest of the discography, too. (Tampa Bay)
• dISEMBOWELMENT – ‘The Tree of Life and Death’ albums like this is one of the reasons why I do this… I had never heard this one before but I have not heard anything else like it. Way ahead of their time, another one of those bands simply paving their own path. I would file this under the heaviest of avant garde death metal, or maybe one of the weirder, most original death doom releases you’ll hear. (Australia)
• Morbid Angel – ‘Covenant’ at this point Morbid Angel were practically a household name, at least among heavy metal households. As far as a an favorite, this album might only be outdone by the band’s legendary debut. Worth it just to hear the song “God of Emptiness”, alone! But a perfect album, nonetheless. Along with Death, Morbid Angel was a key part of the Tampa Bay death metal scene in the early 90s. (Tampa Bay)
• Eyehategod – ‘Take As Needed For Pain’ legendary NOLA sludge punk road warriors put themselves on the map and don’t look back. If you like your metal slow, disturbing, veering into hardcore punk territory, and sounding like it was recorded with amps on 11 suffocated by a giant wall of disgusting steam in the deep south, under the influence of lots of drugs, then this one’s for you! very NSFW (New Orleans)
• Fudge Tunnel – ‘Creep Diets’ another album where I’m not sure if this is more metal or punk, but I think at least upon first listen it sounds more metal. Anyways, I have had this album since around when it came out, and I practically wore out the tape back in the day. It’s full of energy and guitar hooks, and doesn’t really sound like anything else. (UK)
• Sepultura – ‘Chaos A.D.’ and another album that has been with me since I was a teenager! By this point, Sepultura had blown up pretty big, had been on Headbanger’s Ball, Beavis and Butthead, etc. It’s just an epic masterpiece of an album. And the last of the first era of Sepultura LPs. Excellent. (Brazil)
• Pestilence – ‘Spheres’ another amazing Pestilence album! Such a consistent discography, pushing the envelope and continuing to define their style of technical death metal. (Netherlands)
• Ceremonial Oath – ‘The Book of Truth’ probably the most obscure album on the list, it also features the album cover most likely to be filed under rejected Magic the gathering card art. (Sweden)
• Sinister – ‘Diabolical Summoning’ another album that reminds me of Magic the card game, and features epicly weird fantasy art. The music is an absolute scorcher and is new to me, but it sounds like a keeper and is also a rather obscure heavy release. (Netherlands)
• Anacrusis – ‘Screams and Whispers’ probably one of the only people in my area listening to these guys back in the 90s! This band sounds like art metal mixed with progressive thrash! And features vocals more like goth industrial punk legends Killing Joke than like most of the bands on the list. Also, Anacrusis is from here! (St Louis)
• Gorguts – ‘The Erosion of Sanity’ Gorguts are one of my favorite bands ever, but moreso for all the albums that were released after this one. The Erosion of Sanity is quite good however, and some fans prefer this era. To me, this is them just showing an inkling of things to come while playing more of that old school death metal sound, but with their own twist to it. They’re on here more for things to come, but this is still crucial death metal listening. (Canada)
• Brutality – ‘Screams of Anguish’ one of the more obscure but underrated Tampa Bay bands, new to me but I already think they’re better than half the legendary death metal bands of TB. These guys might be the best sleeper pick from Florida! Utterly brutal old school death metal!!! And another Magic the gathering card art reject album cover. (Tampa Bay)
• O.L.D. – ‘The Musical Dimensions of Sleastack’ I’m not even sure what to make of this band, and this album… it’s weird, it’s art metal, it’s pretty psychedelic… I like their previous album more, but this one is tough to leave off the list, it’s just an oddball. Even a bit industrial, but even weirder than their debut. Strange. To make it even stranger, I just discovered that their band name stands for Old Lady Drivers! hahahaha (New Jersey)
• Violent Dirge – ‘Elapse’ perhaps the loudest bassist in the mix of any heavy metal album, so it must be included! Intense music! (Poland)
• Necrophobic – ‘The Nocturnal Silence’ more obscure old school death metal mastery! (Sweden)
• Rottrevore – ‘Iniquitous’ you guessed it! another bad magic card album cover. Music is BRUTAL. New one to me, but it’s got staying power. (Pittsburgh)
• Crowbar – ‘self-titled’ another NOLA sludge metal album to round out the list is Crowbar’s debut! Another Beavis and Butthead chosen band. (New Orleans)

There you have it, my favorite 20 heavy metal albums from 1993! Thanks for reading.

Game 3 of Cubs @ Cardinals today at 1:15pm! Last chance to salvage an attempt at splitting the 4-game series. And did anyone notice that this is the first time this team has been under .500 all year?

Columbus Clippers 6, Toledo Mud Hens 4 (box)

Carl Edwards Jr. gave up four runs in the first two innings, and the Hens couldn’t quite fight back enough in this one. Edwards did eventually settle in and strike out eighth, but he continues to be pretty vulnerable to the long ball.

Max Clark was clipped by a pitch to start the game. Jace Jung struck out, but Max Anderson singled and Gage Workman walked to load the bases. There was the opportunity, but Corey Julks struck out and Trei Cruz lined out to end the inning.

New depth catcher Carlos Pérez cracked a solo shot, his third already with the Hens, to open the second inning, but it was 4-1 by the time the inning ended.

Julks did unleash a solo shot in the fifth to make it a 4-2 game. Clark doubled off the wall in right center field in the sixth, but they couldn’t get him home.

Max Clark launches a 389-foot double high off the wall in right center. It’s his 20th double of the season. pic.twitter.com/hJFaMwFVCa

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

Pérez hit a second leadoff homer in this one in the eighth. Max Anderson added a solo shot in the ninth, continuing his red hot month of July.

Max Anderson turns around a 96-MPH heater from former Tigers reliever Codi Heuer for his 10th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/iUos7i9uiF

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

Anderson: 2-5, R, RBI, HR

Clark: 2-4, 2B, K

Perez: 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 HR

Edwards (L, 4-8): 5.0 IP, 4 ER, 4 H, 3 BB, 8 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 7:05 p.m. ET start in Columbus on Wednesday.

Akron RubberDucks 12, Erie SeaWolves 3 (box)

Max Alba and the SeaWolves bullpen took a beating in this one as Akron pounded out 19 hits to win easily.

Alba gave up two in the top of the first, but in the bottom half, Seth Stephenson led off with a single and Peyton Graham ripped an RBI double to left. So it was 2-1 Akron, but that was the last the SeaWolves would see of their foes as they pulled away with nine runs over the next four innings.

Justice Bigbie’s hit streak came to an end over the weekend, but he started a new one with a solo shot in the fourth. Andrew Jenkins followed him with a solo shot of his own, but that completed the scoring for Erie.

Pennington: 2-3, BB

Graham: 1-4, RBI, 2B, K

Bigbie: 1-4, R, RBI, HR, K

Alba (L, 1-4): 2.2 IP, 7 ER, 10 H, 0 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:05 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

West Michigan Whitecaps 4, Belmont Sky Carp 0 (box)

Rayner Castillo threw a good one, and the Whitecaps got some power from an old friend to carry them at home on Tuesday.

Woody Hadeen led off the bottom of the first with a single to right. Bryce Rainer struck out, but Izaac Pacheco, in the first at-bat of his rehab assignment, hammered a two-run shot to right center field. 2-0 Whitecaps.

In the second, Stephen Hrustich singled to lead off the inning and later stole second base. A Caleb Shpur single made it a 3-0 game.

Castillo wouldn’t need any more. The big right-hander went five innings, scattering three hits and three walks, striking out four.

The Whitecaps had two new faces in the lineup as catcher Edian Espinal and first baseman Beau Ankeney were promoted from Lakeland. Espinal cannot be stopped at the plate, and he walked in the first and singled in the third to get some firsts out of the way. He also cut down his first High-A runner along the way.

And how about a little defense? Edian Espinal with a dart to Bryce Rainer to catch Starlyn Caba trying to steal 2nd. @ThatDanHasty calls it. pic.twitter.com/3rbhEK0NTe

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

Ankeney singled in the sixth for his first Midwest League knock. That moved Clayton Campbell, who led off the inning with a walk, to second. Hrustich walked as well, loading the bases, and Campbell scored on a wild pitch. That’s all they got, but the pitching staff didn’t need any more help.

Preston Howey and Jalen Evans handled two innings apiece to complete the shutout.

Pacheco: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, HR, BB

Hadeen: 2-3, R

Hrustich: 1-2, R, 2 BB, K, SB

Castillo (W, 2-8): 5.0 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 6:35 p.m. ET start on Wednesday.

Tampa Tarpons 10, Lakeland Flying Tigers 7 (box)

Things went poorly for Grayson Grinsell in this one and only a late storm of runs kept this one from being a rout.

Jordan Yost singled to open the game, but Michael Olivato grounded into a force at second in his first full season A-ball at-bat, and Roberto Campos, on a rehab assignment, grounded into a double play.

Five hitters into the bottom half, it was already 4-0, and a third home runs off of Grinsell made it 5-0. After allowing another run in the second, Grinsell did settle in and go four inning with six strikeouts and no walks, but the damage was done.

Antonio Florida and Andrew Pogue each allowed two runs in relief.

Ronald Ramirez doubled in the third inning for his first hit at the Single-A level. Javier Osorio crushed a long home run in the fifth to get Lakeland on the board. In the top of the eighth, Oliveto singled for his first knock in full season ball.

In the top of the ninth, Ramirez cranked a solo shot to left.

Congratulations to Ronald Ramirez on his first Low-A home run. Left his bat at 99.1 MPH and went 376 feet. pic.twitter.com/LDJdUEWtYC

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

Osorio walked with one out and Jordan Yost reached on an error. Oliveto smoked an opposite field automatic double to play Osorio.

Micheal Oliveto smokes an automatic double to left center to bring home another run for Lakeland. pic.twitter.com/rMQ9LiIbQK

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

Anibal Salas mashed a three-run homer, and Nick Dumesnil took one out to right center field for his sixth of the year.

Anibal Salas crushes a 3-run homer to right to pull the Flying Tigers back within four runs. It’s his 7th home run of the year. pic.twitter.com/6FoogDK58s

— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) July 29, 2026

That was where the party ended but it did make the Tarpons uncomfortable at least.

Ramirez: 2-4, R, RBI,, 2B, HR, K

Dumesnil: 2-4, R, RBI, HR, 2 K

Osorio: 1-3, 2 R, RBI, HR, BB

Grinsell (L, 5-4): 4.0 IP, 6 ER, 9 H, 0 BB, 6 K

Coming Up Next: It’s a 5:00 p.m. ET start in Tampa on Wednesday.

Five days remain between now and the MLB Trade Deadline. The action has yet to pick up beyond the Red Sox trading a starter to the Nationals for an infielder who promptly got his wrist broken by a pitch in his Boston debut. That sounds about right.

Sooner or later, we’ll really get going though, muck of 20 teams in vague contention be damned. And when it does, the Yankees are expected to be one of the deadline’s primary figures. They remain a win-now team in Aaron Judge’s prime, and they need to supplement while their captain continues to recover from his broken rib. Carlos Rodón, Giancarlo Stanton, and now Cody Bellinger are working their way back from the IL as well. The offense has lagged without Judge—particularly in the past month—and there are questions about the rotation depth and bullpen as well since David Bednar, Fernando Cruz, and Brett Headrick have all seen a lot of work.

Whatever the Yankees end up doing, they will have to give up something to get something. The question we’re asking today is who you think is most likely to be moved? We’re not talking about just bottom-of-the-roster-type backups, either (and Camilo Doval is too easy an answer since he could just be a DFA). There have been a number of major- and minor-league names thrown into the trade rumor winds: Jasson Domínguez, Spencer Jones, Anthony Volpe, Will Warren, Ryan Weathers, Dax Kilby, Henry Lalane, Elmer Rodríguez, Henry Lalane, and Carlos Lagrange have all seen their names bandied about at one point or another. So has George Lombard Jr., though it’s harder to see the Yankees parting ways with him.

To throw my own thoughts out there, Jones is probably the safest pick. It seemed like only a well-timed hot streak saved him at the Trade Deadline last year, and it seems like he has enough red flags in his game that the October-focused Yankees can only be so patient regarding his development at the big-league level. There’s still talent in there too, and it’s not hard to envision another team champing at the bit at seeing what they can pry out of him with more tweaks to his approach at the plate. It’s not just the swing-and-miss concerns and high strikeout numbers; it’s also his stance and wobbly mechanics, not to mention always-tough numbers against lefties.

I do think that there’s a good player somewhere in there. The ceiling’s just not as high as it once was and this isn’t 2016, when the Yankees had sold at the deadline and could just let Aaron Judge test himself out in The Show to see what worked and what didn’t. (The following offseason’s strategic response changed everything for him.) And you of course can’t bet on Jones turning into Judge just because he’s also a 6-foot-7 outfielder with light-tower power. There’s nuance! For the record, there’s a lot about Jones that could also be said about Domínguez, who has seen even more MLB time and had also had too many uncharitable comps thrown on him. If we’re picking from the batch of Yankees though, Jones is probably the most likely to move.

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Today on the site, Jeremy will suggest the “Grandson of the Wind,” Jung Hoo Lee, as a potential addition to shore up the outfield, Madison will tackle the Rivalry Roundup, Jonathan will celebrate the 75th birthday of a forgotten 1978 World Series champion, and Michael will throw a bone at the Yankees’ catchers, discussing what they do do well.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees at Chicago White Sox

Time: 7:40 p.m. EST

TV: Amazon Prime Video, Chicago Sports Network, MLB Network, WCIU TV

Venue: Rate Field, Chicago, IL

Rarely have the top 25 targets at Major League Baseball’s trade deadline been so fluid.

So, let’s do it again.

As teams bob their heads above or dip below the .500 mark, the notion of buyers and sellers shifts day to day, perhaps hour to hour. And while some of the best names expected to be on the move won’t change, others land on the list with dispatch, a poorly-timed losing streak shifting their fate.

With that, a look at the top two dozen-plus one names that could be on the move as the Aug. 3 deadline draws closer, based on their possible impact, the likelihood of their availability and the fit of their contracts:

1. Luis Arráez, 2B, Giants

You don’t hear his name very often these days, simply because his departure has been such a foregone conclusion. Yet his hitting ability combined with an .811 OPS will loom large down the stretch and in the postseason, a crucial part of a healthy offense.

2. Luke Weaver, RP, Mets

Practically untouchable in his last 17 games, giving up one earned run with a 19-3 strikeout-walk ratio. Weaver closed games for the 2024 AL champion Yankees and would smoothly take over a high-leverage role for a playoff team.

3. Robbie Ray, SP, Giants

His 4.49 FIP would seem to belie his 3.16 ERA, but facts are facts: Ray has given up three or fewer runs in 18 of his 21 starts. Like Arraez, easily movable and plug-and-playable.

4. Zach Neto, SS, Angels

Now this one would be interesting. Neto swings hard and plays hard, and should provide close to 30 home runs from the shortstop position – while offering a contending team three years of control beyond this season.

5. Tarik Skubal, SP, Tigers

He’s moved on up from nine to six in these rankings as the Tigers are once again in danger of falling on the wrong side of the buy-sell fence. Obviously, the top talent potentially on the market, but this is the American League, where nobody’s out of it until 5:59 ET on Aug. 3.

6. Michael Wacha, SP, Royals

He has limited no-trade protection and makes a reasonable $15 million in 2027. Better yet, he’s a workhorse and veteran of five postseasons

7. Adrian Morejon, RP, Padres

While Mason Miller is the high-velocity king causing a hubbub on the rumor mill, Morejon, a pending free agent, much more closely matches the Padres’ objective of playing the middle of this deadline. Morejon is the best lefty reliever who should be available, with a 1.08 WHIP.

8. Jake McCarthy, OF, Rockies

An excellent buy-and-flip maneuver by the Rockies as McCarthy has an .842 OPS (117 adjusted).

9. Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins

Will they or won’t they? A ghastly 12-game losing streak sent the Marlins from playoff position to below .500 and a franchise crossroads. Will the Marlins truly be serious about contending? Because Alcantara gives them their best chance to win this year and next, when he has an affordable club option. Otherwise, he’ll make a playoff-bound club very happy.

10. Isaac Collins, OF, Royals

A switch-hitting outfielder with a .344 OBP and a dash of speed? Eminently useful. Perhaps not the sexy move Yankees fans might want to shore up their outfield, but Collins will be useful for somebody.

11. Shane Bieber, SP, Blue Jays

After a litany of arm woes delayed his season debut until June 23, Bieber has been building back toward elite form, and after given up just one run in over two starts, walked six in less than an inning's work July 28. Ouch. Still, he's a pending free agent who won Game 4 of the 2025 World Series and his ’26 odometer is low.

12. Reid Detmers, SP, Angels

Neto and Detmers offer the ultimate test case for the Angels under caretaking GM John Mozeliak. Have things truly changed? Not that they have to deal Neto and Detmers (who will have two years of club control after this season) to prove owner Arte Moreno will finally give up delusions of contending soon. Detmers has been on a two-month heater, with a 3.18 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 65 innings of his last 11 starts.

13. Mason Miller, RP, Padres

We’re not convinced Padres GM AJ Preller can come close to getting a similar haul for Miller that he gave up to get him. And also not convinced Preller will trade Miller if he can’t pull that off.

14. Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays

A great five-year run looks to be ending in Toronto, though Gausman has limited no-trade powers. Not his best year by any means, but Gausman can still churn out quality starts and, should he retire after this season, deserves another crack at a World Series.

15. Devin Williams, RP, Mets

An uneven season for Williams, who posted a 10.29 ERA in his first nine outings as the Mets’ season fell apart early, and a 2.93 ERA in 22 games since. Signed for two more years and $26 million, and whether that’s a plus or minus is in the eye of the beholder.

16. Tyler Stephenson, C, Reds

The loss of multi-positional Spencer Steer to a wrist injury is a bummer for the Reds and those fancying Steer, but Stephenson should be the top catcher guaranteed to be on the board. Not the guy who hit 19 homers with a .782 OPS in 2024, but he’s healthy and a near league average hitter and bats right-handed.

17. Ty France, 1B, Padres

What a late pickup by San Diego: France has 16 homers and an .887 OPS and destroys left-handed pitching. A la Miller and Morejon, might need a Padres funk to make him available.

18. Lars Nootbaar, OF, Cardinals

He missed the first 60 games after offseason surgery on his heels and has been adequate in his return, with a .716 OPS that’s near league average. A free agent after 2027, Nootbar may not fit the Cardinals’ long term . And he’s been fine in his return, OPS-ing .778 as he gets up to speed. But Nootbaar already doesn’t play against lefties, and as a free agent after 2027, he doesn’t necessarily fit the Cardinals’ timeline for earnest contention. A nice clubhouse and on-field addition for a club seeking a lefty-swinging outfielder.

19. Jeff Hoffman, RP, Blue Jays

Stung in World Series Game 7 last year and bit by hard luck this year, Hoffman is rounding into form, striking out five over his last two innings. He's been unscored upon in 18 of his last 19 outings; signed for $12.6 million next season.

20. Clay Holmes, SP, Mets

On the comeback trail from a broken leg, Holmes is climbing the ladders on a rehab assignment and should be healthy enough to give a club around eight starts, plus the playoffs. A fine line between risk and upside here, as Holmes will likely opt out of a player option for 2027 that would otherwise add value to a transaction.

21. Foster Griffin, SP, Nationals

Don’t look now, but the All-Star would be right behind Skubal among most talented lefties available. Alas, Griffin’s club is now 55-53 and within a game of a playoff spot. A pop-up Nationals collapse could change things, especially because Griffin is a pending free agent, but the nine-pitch wonder figures to stick in D.C.

22. Dustin May, SP, Cardinals

Prone to the odd blow-up start – he’s had five outings of at least five earned runs – but also occasional dominance, May might not crack the circle of playoff rotation trust but would be a useful arm down the stretch and on the back end of a playoff roster.

23. Jack Flaherty, SP, Tigers

He’s Skubal Jr. – likely available if the Tigers slip totally out of contention. Heck, maybe he’s available, anyway – the Tigers traded him at the 2024 deadline then staged a wild rally for a playoff berth.

24. Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles

We can’t imagine the Orioles selling unless absolutely necessary, but a very bad weekend could vault this lefty way up the chart. A pending free agent, Rogers has been dominant (1.80 ERA, 45-14 strikeout-walk ratio in nine starts) the past two months.

25. Mickey Moniak, OF, Rockies

Another serviceable lefty-swinging bat, Moniak has 16 homers and a 124 adjusted OPS for the Rockies.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Top 25 MLB trade deadline targets: Ranking baseball's 2026 candidates