MLB teams have wondered this season whether the Tigers, who are 51-58 and 4 1/2 games back of the last AL Wild-Card spot, would be open to dealing their ace.
That may be the case after all, as his teammate and fellow pitcher Casey Mize was scratched ahead of his scheduled start Friday against the A’s.
Casey Mize has been scratched from his scheduled start on Friday. AP
Mize is now listed as Tuesday’s starter — after the trade deadline — but Detroit’s latest move has signaled that he may not be there that long.
While a move for two-time Cy Young winner Skubal would of course be separate, The Post’s Jon Heyman believes the Mize trade is “the clearest sign yet” that Skubal will likely be moved in a potential fire sale.
Heyman also mentioned Gleyber Torres and Kyle Finnegan as possible trade candidates for Detroit.
While Skubal is certainly the Tigers’ best trade chip, Mize will also be seen as an attractive option for a team looking for pitching help at a lower cost.
The 29-year-old is having a career year, with a 2.70 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
The move could signal that Detroit is also open to dealing ace Tarik Skubal ahead of the trade deadline. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Yankees have been linked to Skubal, while there have also been suggestions that NL contenders like the Brewers, Braves or Phillies could make a move for him.
In fact, the two-time defending champion Dodgers — who already have the best record in baseball — could be motivated to trade for him just to keep him from a rival, Heyman reported.
It now seems a matter of when, rather than if, Skubal will be traded.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — The Pittsburgh Penguins signed dependable forward Tommy Novak to a three-year contract extension on Friday. The deal, which begins during the 2027-28 season, carries an average annual value of $4.65 million.
The 29-year-old Novak collected 16 goals and 26 points in 82 games last season while helping the Penguins return to the playoffs following a three-year absence.
Novak, who bounced between the second and third line during his first full season in Pittsburgh, had been scheduled to become a free agent next summer. The extension instead keeps him in the fold for the rest of the decade and positions him to be part of the club's nucleus as it transitions out of the twilight of the Sidney Crosby/Evgeni Malkin/Kris Letang era.
MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN - DECEMBER 10: Moritz Wagner #21 of the Orlando Magic walks backcourt during a game against the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA Emirates Cup Quarterfinal at Fiserv Forum on December 10, 2024 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Brooklyn Nets announced the signing of Moe Wagner Friday morning, giving them 15 guaranteed contracts and more significantly. almost certainly ending their off-season. The two-year, $19 million deal, effectively exhausts their cap space for the 2026 off-season and puts a period on their summer moves, barring a big exclamation point as surprise. And yes, Michael Porter Jr.’s extension needs addressing but he is under contract next season and even if the two sides think a trade might be wise, that’s more likely to happen around the deadline.
As Yossi Gozlan of Third Apron tweeted about the 6’11” 29-year-old’s deal…
The Nets held off on this signing to see if they could spend $14 million in cap space first.
By officially signing Moe Wagner, they’re down to $4.5 million in cap space and have the $9.4 million room mid-level exception as well.
That means Sean Marks & co. can use the MLE at the February trade deadline, giving them some additional flexibility. Gozlan said the Nets could use their remaining cap space to give MPJ a raise this coming season from $40.8 million to $45.7 million then extend him at a much lower salary.
Any option to improve things down the line is welcome to fans. Here’s why:
The Nets live in a tough neighborhood. We’re not talking about Prospect Heights in particular or Brooklyn in general. It’s the NBA’s Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division that’s so dangerous, particularly for fans who have sat through two years of tanking and before that two years of collapse as the Big Three went their separate ways.
A walk through the East requires peering anxiously at every corner. Peril lurks everywhere. The New York Knicks are defending champs; The Philadelphia 76ers acquired one All-NBA player, Jaylen Brown, in a glorified salary dump then signed another, LeBron James, for gods sake, to the vets minimum. The Miami Heat traded for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Toronto Raptors will (likely) see the return of Kawhi Leonard. Speaking of returns, the Indiana Pacers are anxiously awaiting Tyrese Haliburton, last seen in the 2025 NBA Finals.
Yes, it’s daunting. While the Nets are no longer tanking — it would make no sense with the Houston Rockets likely to have their pick in the 2027 Draft, which gets awful reviews on top of that — the rebuild is ongoing. They are likely to have once again the youngest roster in the league, with an average age not much higher than the 23.3 years old they registered last season. Indeed, they were the youngest player in the NBA in more than 20 years. They may also lead the league in cap space as well as well as future draft picks.
Their big positives in the off-season so far have been the acquisition of Julius Randle in the Nic Claxton trade, and Mikel Brown Jr. in the draft as well as Egor Demin’s development. They also added some veterans, like Wagner and Keon Ellis who have defensive cachet. On the other hand, they had to be disappointed at the development (or the lack thereof) of the final three picks of the 2025 Draft. And although they’re happy with who they got with the 8th and 6th picks in the last two drafts, bad luck in the lottery still stings.
Bottom line, though, is that they did not stray from their organic path: using an accumulation of draft picks plus development and good fortune to create a cap environment that will permit them to be opportunistic when big players become available … without having to worry about luxury taxes, repeater taxes, the first or second aprons. And they will not make big acquisitions unless it will, as Marks has said, “automatically and absolutely change the trajectory of your team.” There’s no desire, he’s also said, to be stuck in the purgatory of a sixth or seventh seed. There’s also a few requirements for individual acquisitions: positional size, versatility, athleticism and high character …. Jordi-ball … that became evident. ( You’d have thought Peyton Watson might have been an ideal addition, particularly with the team’s highest paid player opening recruiting him. Not so. He apparently doesn’t meet that “automatically and absolutely” qualification and he probably will be expensive.)
There should be no surprise that the Nets did what they did — or didn’t do — this off-season, whether you agree or disagree. As C.J. Holmes in the Daily News noted this week in quoting Marks in various summertime venues.
Here’s what he said after the Nets fell to the sixth pick in the draft lottery. No rush.
“For us, it’ll still be about having patience,” he said in Chicago. “But at the end of the day, we’ve got optionality, we’ve maintained flexibility, we’ve got the cap space and assets. So I think the word would be opportunistic.”
At Summer League, he reiterated the stance.
“Something we’ve always prided ourselves on with how we’ve built is not using up all our flexibility. … I like the roster we have. … I don’t think we’re in any immediate rush to do anything and add more pieces,” he said in Las Vegas.
The plan for the future depends a lot on the franchise’s faith in Jordi Fernandez. They are all-in and in his speech to the citizens of his hometown of Badalona, Spain, he intimated the feeling is mutual. He said he wanted to retire from coaching in Brooklyn. Considering that he’s 43 years, that’s quite the commitment.
One has to assume that the Nets brass is looking for a scrappy team this season in the mold of their coach, one led by two players won’t be able to buy a drink legally in New York until well into the season and two other players who can put up 20 a game with ease but whose excess baggage fees have been high. (We generally think the acquisition of Randle has been underrated. So did a vast majority of the fan base as our poll showed.).
The franchise understands that the rebuild is getting old in a lot of ways, but so far the fanbase seems generally patient. That’s a good thing because it will be needed.
SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 29: Logan Webb #62 of the San Francisco Giants pitches against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Oracle Park on July 29, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Brandon Vallance/Getty Images) | Getty Images
While Astros GM Dana Brown has publicly maintained that acquiring an outfield bat is his top priority, the buzz in inner circles for the last few weeks has been that the Astros are very focused on adding a starting pitcher.
While the price for a starter will undoubtedly be very high in a clear seller’s market, could the Astros swing big for a starter?
It appears they are at least trying.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the Astros are among several teams that have called on San Francisco Giants SP Logan Webb:
The Houston Astros and other teams keep asking about San Francisco Giants ace Logan Webb.
And they keep being told he’s not going anywhere.
Nightengale further went on to report on the Giants’ plans at the deadline and who they plan to keep and trade:
The Giants plan to keep outfielder Jung Hoo Lee and trade Heliot Ramos. They also are telling teams they are willing to eat part of starter Robbie Ray’s $25 million contract in a trade.
Ramos is a right-handed left fielder batting .267 with 9 HR and 34 RBI. He has a .306 OBP and .739 OPS. He will be entering his first year of arbitration at age 27.
Ray, a former Cy Young winner in 2021, is now 34. He is a free agent at the end of the season. He is 10-6 this season with a 3.08 ERA and 1.29 WHIP. He has 107 K in 122.2 IP. He also leads the NL with 57 walks.
While Webb isn’t currently available, it does lend credence to the Astros looking to make a big move for a pitcher.
HEADING FOR THE TOP: A win today will put the Cubs 16 games above .500 for the first time this year. They finished last season 22 above, at 92-70, with a high of 24, last at 88-64. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
BACK-TO-BACK: This is the first time of the season that the Cubs will play back-to-back day games on Thursday and Friday. They will do it only once more, Aug. 13-14, at Washington, then at home vs. the Cardinals. They have played a day game on Thursday, then a night game on Friday four times. They won both games of the first three pairs, then lost both of the last, July 9-10, at Baltimore, then at Cincinnati. That is the last time the Cubs dropped back-to-back games. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
MISCELLANEOUS TEAM MARKS: The Cubs are 10-2-1 in their last 13 series, but 3-2-1 at home while winning seven straight on the road. They are 27-22 in games against opponents that had a winning record going into the game. They are 13-7 at home. (Courtesy BCB’s JohnW53)
TODAY IN CUBS HISTORY: Jon Lester’s walkoff bunt capped a Cubs comeback from a 6-0 deficit as they defeated the Mariners 7-6 in 12 innings at Wrigley Field. It happened 10 years ago today, Sunday, July 31, 2016.
I’m just going to keep posting these Shōta Imanaga numbers because they continue to amaze me.
First nine starts: 2.32 ERA, 0.902 WHIP, only 5 HR in 54.1 innings Next four starts: 10.80 ERA, 1.523 WHIP, 12 (!) HR in 21.2 innings Next eight starts: 2.00 ERA, 1.133 WHIP, only 5 HR in 45 innings
So that’s two stretches of ace-like performance and a four-start run that screams “DFA candidate.”
I can’t explain that and neither can you.
Last year against the Yankees, July 13 at Yankee Stadium, Imanaga threw seven innings and allowed two hits and one run, striking out six. Imanaga is currently on a 13-inning scoreless streak. Let’s hope that continues.
Will Warren has been a consistent, if unspectacular, starter for the Yankees for the last two seasons. He posted 0.6 bWAR last year and might do the same this year, though his bWAR is currently negative (-0.1).
The Phillies hit him pretty hard in his last start, July 26 — six runs in three innings.
Warren was Imanaga’s opponent in that July 13, 2025 game at Yankee Stadium, which is his only career start vs. the Cubs. He allowed two runs in 5.1 innings, including a home run by Michael Busch.
Please visit our SB Nation Yankees site Pinstripe Alley. If you do go there to interact with Yankees fans, please be respectful, abide by their individual site rules and serve as a good representation of Cub fans in general and BCB in particular.
The 2026 game discussion procedure has been changed, so please take note.
You’ll find the game preview, like this one, posted separately on the front page two hours before game time (90 minutes for some early day games following night games).
At the same time, a StoryStream containing the preview will also post on the front page, titled “Cubs vs. (Team) (Day of week/date) game threads.” It will contain every post related to that particular game.
The Live! (formerly “First Pitch”) thread will still post at five minutes to game time. It will also post to the front page. That will be the only live game discussion thread. After the game, the recap and Heroes and Goats will also live on the front page as separate posts.
You will also be able to find the preview, Live! thread, recap and Heroes and Goats in this section link. The StoryStream for each game can also be found in that section.
Shohei Ohtani signed a 10-year, $700-million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2024 — and he's now made $11 million for a card collector in 2026.
A Florida fan pulled a one-of-one Dual Gold Logoman autographed Ohtani card redemption from his local card store.
Key Takeaways
The special gold patches were worn during Ohtani’s 2024 and 2025 MVP seasons.
The card was quickly sold to a renowned collector, who owns a collectible business with a Shark Tank personality.
Ohtani could tie an MLB record by winning his fourth straight MVP this year.
Luck graced the collector’s hobby box of 2026 Topps Chrome Baseball cards purchased at Boca Sports Cards in Boca Raton, Florida. The card features game-worn patches from Ohtani’s back-to-back MVP seasons, his English autograph, and his rare Kanji signature, one of three core scripts in Japanese writing.
The patches were from a Sept. 7, 2025 road game and an April 12, 2026 home game. The special gold patches are only awarded to players who win the MVP, Cy Young, or Rookie of the Year awards in the previous season.
BREAKING: This Shohei Ohtani card just sold for $11 MILLION 🚨
While opening a hobby box at @boca_breaks in Florida, a collector found the card of a lifetime.
The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani Gold Logoman card features game-worn patches from his back-to-back MVP seasons, along with… pic.twitter.com/gRTugE6TWq
The identity of the man who found the card is unknown.
However, the card was quickly sold for $11 million — the third-highest price for a sports card sale — to renowned collector Matthew Allen, known by the screen names shyne150 and Bolillo Lajan San, and Secure Collectibles, a high-end trading card investment firm. Secure Collectibles was co-founded by Kevin “Mr. Wonderful” O’Leary and Paul Washaw.
“The card just resonated deep with me, and I was like, you know what, I have to get this card,” Allen reportedly said.
Ohtani making history
The only other cards with a larger sale price are a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle ($12.6 million) and a 2007-08 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection Dual Logoman Auto of Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant ($12.9 million), according to Fanatics.
Ohtani’s performances during his MVP-winning seasons in 2024 and 2025 — two of his four years for which he was rewarded with the league’s highest individual honor — were among the best in league history.
In 2024, he crushed 54 home runs and 130 RBIs while batting .310 with a 1.036 OPS. He did not pitch as he was recovering from surgery following a UCL tear in 2023, but he became the first player in MLB history to record 50+ home runs and 50+ stolen bases in one season. He won the MVP award unanimously and also won the Silver Slugger and his first World Series.
BREAKING: The 1-of-1 Shohei Ohtani dual Gold Logoman autograph card has surfaced in Boca Raton, Florida
The card was pulled from a hobby box of Topps Chrome Baseball by a collector at his local card shop, Boca Sports Cards pic.twitter.com/FarZKDvnh5
He bounced right back in 2025 with 55 home runs and 102 RBIs while hitting .282 with a 1.014 OPS. He pitched that year, going 1-1 in 14 starts with a 2.87 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, and a career-best 6.9 strikeouts per walk.
With 99 games under his belt in 2026, the Japanese two-way star is a consensus -125 favorite to win the MVP again in 2026, with odds dropping as low as -135 at Caesars Sportsbook. That would mark his fifth MVP win in six years and fourth in a row, which would tie Barry Bonds (2001-04) for the longest streak in MLB history.
Ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline, the Detroit Tigers are calling up one of the MLB's top prospects.
The Tigers announced on Thursday, July 30, that they are selecting the contract of 21-year-old prospect Max Clark. Clark is the team's No. 1-ranked prospect and the No. 13 MLB prospect (per MLB Pipeline).
Clark is expected to make his MLB debut this weekend, which could come as early as Friday, July 31, when the Tigers take on the Oakland Athletics in Sacramento, California. In Triple-A with the Toledo Mud Hens, Clark has posted a .276 batting average with 11 home runs, 20 doubles, 42 RBI and 21 stolen bases in 362 at-bats in 90 games.
He was selected third overall by the Tigers in the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school, in the same class as fellow rookie Kevin McGonigle. Before embarking on his professional career, Clark was a star high school player.
Here's what you need to know about Clark's prep career:
Where did Max Clark go to high school?
Clark was the No. 3 overall pick — one pick ahead of former Florida and current Texas Ranger star Wyatt Langford — in the 2023 draft for a reason. He was named the Gatorade National Baseball Player of the Year in 2023.
He attended Franklin Community High School in Franklin, Indiana, which is 25 miles South of Indianapolis, where he was named the Indiana Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year in his sophomore, junior and senior seasons.
As a senior, Clark finished with a .646 batting average with six home runs, 33 RBIs, and 45 runs scored, living up to the preseason draft hype he had garnered. As a junior, he hit .577 with nine home runs, 32 RBIs, 31 walks and 22 stolen bases. He hit .450 with six home runs, thirty RBIs and 31 stolen bases in his sophomore season, also pitching to a 0.84 ERA and 120 strikeouts over fifty innings.
Clark could have had more high school success, but his freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ahead of his senior year, Clark played for Team USA in the 2021 WBSC U-18 World Cup, posting a .294 batting average over eight games to help the U.S. earn a gold medal.
While he was committed to Vanderbilt for college baseball, he ended up signing with the Tigers for $7.7 million on July 17, 2023.
"He was the best player on our board at that pick, and we are thrilled that he got to our pick," Harris said. "We think Max is a five-tool player. I think that label gets thrown around way too much in our industry. We think Max has all five."
DALLAS, TEXAS - FEBRUARY 28: Nathan Bastian #11 of the Dallas Stars celebrates after scoring a goal during the third period against the Nashville Predators at American Airlines Center on February 28, 2026 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Good morning, New Jersey Devils fans!
As a bit of a site note, I hope you are all getting ready for the annual Top 25 Under 25 community vote. I will be posting about that soon as we have entered the mid-offseason lull. To Sunny Mehta’s credit, he did not do a press conference a couple of days into July and call the offseason there, as the Devils have continued to make moves here and there throughout the month. Between new coaches, Anthony Mantha, and Utica Comets signings, it has felt like we have had more to discuss than usual.
While the Devils’ roster is mostly set with a bit of overage among bottom six players, left-handed defensemen, and goaltenders, the Devils can always boost training camp competition further by signing players to Professional Try-Outs (PTOs). Over the last several years, the Devils have not had a ton of successful PTOs. They had Kevin Rooney and Luke Glendening last year and chose the latter (the wrong choice), they had Kevin Labanc in 2024 and let him go (the wrong choice) before he put up decent numbers in a half season for Columbus, they had Max Willman on a PTO in 2023 before signing him (the wrong choice) and subjecting fans to very poor play. I’d say the last time they had a really good PTO was in 2021 when they had Jimmy Vesey, Mark Jankowski, and Tyler Wotherspoon, but their biggest mistake was not signing Jankowski alongside Vesey and Wotherspoon (AHL).
It is possible to find NHL players with a PTO, so here are six options who I think could fit these New Jersey Devils.
Option One: Adam Henrique, C
Adam Henrique is the oldest player on this list at 36 years old, and he is coming off a difficult offensive season where he was used in a shutdown sort of role for the Edmonton Oilers. Public analytic models like HockeyViz and Evolving-Hockeystill like Henrique’s underlying impacts, but he had a down finishing season for the first time in his solid career. With the recent signing of former NHL forward Colin White, Sunny Mehta has added plenty of players who can challenge Nick Bjugstad for the fourth-line center role, and I think it would be great to cut our cap hit there in half while probably getting a little better production out of Henrique than they can get out of Bjugstad. Henrique is a true NHLer, so I think this is one they should strongly cosnider.
Option Two: Nathan Bastian, RW
Another familiar face for Devils fans, former fourth liner Nate Bastian had a pretty decent season in the 13th forward role for the Dallas Stars last season. He is a strong bottom six defensive winger, and I would consider him a good option if it looks like Stefan Noesen is still struggling to return from his injuries over the last two seasons. However, Bastian deals with health issues himself as a physical forward, as his shoulder seems to bother him from time to time. But with six goals in 36 games last season, he is still capable of the cheap production the Devils could use on their fourth line, and he is familiar with head coach Sheldon Keefe. If Bastian can finally stay fully healthy, I think there’s a 10 or 15-goal forward in there.
Option Three: Adam Boqvist, RHD
Adam Boqvist might be coming off the worst season of his career with the New York Islanders, but the younger brother of current Devil Jesper Boqvist always had promise as a puck moving right-handed defenseman. Still only 25 and turning 26 in a couple of weeks, Adam could reasonably be signed and passed through to Utica, but a strong showing out of him could introduce interesting questions for the Devils. Since the team currently has far more NHL-caliber left-handed defensemen than righties despite the entire right side of defense having difficult recent injury histories, they might want to have a little more insurance than Seamus Casey if someone goes down. Boqvist has a little more size, 272 games of NHL experience, and was at one point signed by the Florida Panthers, where he had 6 points in 18 games in 2024-25 before being selected off waivers by the Islanders that season. Though Boqvist would be hard pressed to crack the lineup, this might be a situation he would be willing to fight through with a chance to play with his brother.
Option Four: Pierre-Olivier Joseph, LHD
Who says you can have enough defensemen, though? Pierre-Olivier Joseph may be another left-handed player, but he is one of the fastest skaters available among current free agents. Joseph also has a very strong analytical profile, though he has not fully stuck in the NHL since he played 75 games for Pittsburgh in 2022-23. At just 26 years old, Olivier would be a similar fit to Declan Chisholm and Vladislav Kolyachonok, but could still improve the competition level among that group during training camp. Because of how stacked this area of the roster is in terms of current contracts, I would regard him as the least likely option here, yet still a decent one.
Option Five: Pavol Regenda, W
Perhaps a bit of an unknown to most, Pavol Regenda is a rare Group 6 UFA at just 26 years old after scoring nine goals in 24 games for the San Jose Sharks. In his NHL career, the 6’3” and 215 pound forward has 10 goals and three assists in 43 games with 78 hits, and he may also be an option for the Devils’ bottom six this season. He also had three goals and two assists for Team Slovakia at the Olympics this year, and he would be an attractive option for the Devils since he would not count as an AHL veteran if passed through waivers at any point. There is a bit of disagreement on Regenda within analytical models, with HockeyViz regarding him as a true bottom six player while Evolving-Hockey’s RAPM rates him more highly, but I would think that fans would generally like a big guy that might score goals. In that sense, he would provide competition with the team’s bottom six wingers and Riley Tufte, the 6’6” AHL veteran signed by Mehta and Birch earlier in the offseason. Regenda is somewhat younger and has had some level of recent NHL productivity, so I would be interested to see him.
Option Six: Matt Murray, G
I am a bit surprised that Matt Murray is still unsigned at this point of the offseason. Sure, the guy has been hurt a lot, but he did have a .922 save percentage in five NHL appearances for Seattle last season. He did not play any AHL games, though, as injuries kept him at practices only for most of the season. Since I am not the biggest believer in David Rittich, I think it would be a good idea to add some competition for who would be the third goaltender in the mix for the New Jersey Devils. But, with respect to Matt Murray, I would not sign him to stuff him in the AHL, which would make him a better PTO candidate than a guy I would want signed to a deal right now, which makes him similar to Adam Henrique in that.
Your Thoughts
What do you think of these PTO options? Do you think any of them could be good choices for the New Jersey Devils? Leave your thoughts in the comments below, and thanks for reading.
NEW YORK — The Minnesota Twins acquired left-handed reliever A.J. Minter from the New York Mets for minor league infielders Bruin Agbayani and Billy Amick, reinforcing a thin bullpen ahead of the trade deadline.
The 19-year-old Agbayani, who is the son of former Mets fan favorite Benny Agbayani, is a middle infielder who hit .268 in 10 games for Fort Myers in low Class A this season. The sixth-round 2025 draft pick, a native of Hawaii, has been limited by injuries.
The 23-year-old Amick batted .217 with 23 homers in 86 games for Double-A Wichita this season, playing first and third base. He was a second-round draft pick in 2024.
Minter had a 2.35 ERA in 23 innings with 20 strikeouts and only two walks. He didn’t make his season debut until May 26, going more than a year between major league appearances. His 2025 season ended after 13 appearances when he injured his left lat muscle in his back and needed surgery.
Minter signed a two-year, $22 million contract with the Mets in 2025. His 2024 season with the Atlanta Braves also was cut short by a torn labrum in his left hip, but when he’s been healthy he’s been one of baseball’s most effective late-game lefties. The 33-year-old, who was a second-round 2015 draft pick by the Braves, has a 3.18 ERA with 456 strikeouts in 382 2/3 innings over 420 career appearances.
Minter likely will be the first of multiple Mets players moved before the trade deadline. They have the second-worst record in the National League.
The Twins, who started a nine-game road trip at Seattle, have a 4.92 relief ERA that ranks fifth worst in the major leagues. They lead the American League in runs scored and entered one game out of a wild card spot.
The Athletic recently ran an article that listed the biggest on-ice villain in each franchise's history, and for the Montreal Canadiens, Arpon Basu went with former power forward and now Boston Bruins President and alternate governor Cam Neely.
Basu writes that after beating the Canadiens in the playoffs in 1943, the Bruins went on to lose their next 18 playoff series against the Habs until Neely’s arrival allowed them to beat the Canadiens three out of five duels from 1987 to 199. In those 26 games, he scored 20 goals and was basically unstoppable for the Habs in the postseason. Basu also adds that Neely could not only beat you on the scoreboard, but he could also beat you up.
While I can understand going for Neely, who was a Habs nemesis for years, he ended up only playing 13 seasons in the NHL thanks to a knee-on-knee collision with Ulf Samuelson that caused a knee injury that would eventually lead to hip issues. In 726 games, he put up 395 goals and 299 assists for 694 points while racking up 1241 penalty minutes. He was a great player and a formidable foe, but if I had to choose the ultimate on-ice villain for the Canadiens, I couldn’t help but go for another Bruin: Zdeno Chara.
Back in 2011, when Max Pacioretty was just starting to become an impact player for the Habs at the age of 22, he was the victim of a Chara hit that saw him hit the glass between the two team benches; it was very much as if he had hit a wall, and he fell on the ice unconscious. You could have heard a pin drop in the Bell Centre on that day; Chara silenced an arena that’s always raucous for a Canadiens-Bruins duel. There was real concern in that moment not only for Pacioretty’s health but also for his career. The sniper was taken to the hospital, where he was diagnosed with both a severe concussion and a fractured fourth cervical vertebra.
What made the hit even worse for Canadiens fans, however, was the fact that the Bruins captain wasn’t even given a suspension for the play. Then senior vice-president of hockey operations for the NHL at the time Mike Murphy said in a statement that: "After a thorough review of the video, I can find no basis to impose supplemental discipline. This hit resulted from a play that evolved and then happened very quickly — with both players skating in the same direction and with Chara attempting to angle his opponent into the boards. I could not find any evidence to suggest that, beyond this being a correct call for interference, Chara targeted the head of his opponent, left his feet or delivered the check in any other manner that could be deemed to be dangerous."
The League ruling followed a telephone hearing with Chara on the day that fell to Murphy, because Colin Campbell, the NHL disciplinarian back then, was the father of Bruins player Gregory Campbell. From then on, Chara was hated with a passion by the Habs fans and any time he touched the puck at the Bell Centre, he was copiously booed. The blueliner went on to play another 11 seasons in the NHL, and the Montreal faithful never wavered in their booing of his on-ice play. To this day in Montreal, when a player is booed, it can be referred to as getting the Chara treatment.
However, the Montreal crowd, being a knowledgeable hockey crowd, can still recognize a player's greatness. When Chara played the 1,500th game of his career, against the Canadiens at the Bell Center, the villain actually received a roaring ovation following a tribute video. For a few minutes, the crowd forgot about the Pacioretty incident, but it definitely didn’t forgive.
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 28: Mickey Moniak #22 of the Colorado Rockies celebrates after hitting a two run homerun during the third inning of a game against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park on July 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) | Getty Images
When Cody Bellinger joined Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, the Yankees outfield that was so deep former top prospect Jasson Domínguez started the season in Triple-A has become perilously thin. Suddenly, with the Martian who has flashed the bat on both sides of the plate but has yet to put it all together, the strikeout-prone Spencer Jones, and a trio of infielders in José Caballero, Max Schuemann, and Amed Rosario sharing the corner outfield spots, the idea of adding a rental outfielder simply to get through the month of August has become a very real possibility — perhaps even an inevitability.
Over the last few years, the Yankees have acquired a number of former Rockies players, trading for Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird at last year’s deadline, Angel Chivilli over the winter, and Mike Tauchman in 2019, and signing DJ LeMahieu and Adam Ottavino as free agents. While most of the attention has surrounded catcher Hunter Goodman, might Mickey Moniak, who will remain under team control through the end of next season, be the latest former Rockie to head to the Bronx?
Originally drafted first overall by the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2016 MLB Draft, Mickey Moniak’s career has largely played out exactly how you might expect for somebody who was taken at the top of “one of the worst [drafts] in recent memory.” After receiving a $6.1 million signing bonus, he steadily climbed through the Phillies system despite unspectacular performance at the plate, ultimately making his MLB debut as a pinch-runner on September 16, 2020, during the COVID-shortened campaign. He spent the 2021 season bouncing between Triple-A and the bigs, made the roster out of spring training in 2022, then began the season on the injured list after fracturing his hand in the final exhibition game. Later that year, he was traded to the Los Angeles Angels for Noah Syndergaard at the Trade Deadline; he only played 47 games and made 105 plate appearances with the team that drafted him.
Moniak spent the next two seasons with the Halos, putting together a strong campaign in 2023 in which he slashed .280/.307/.495 (115 wRC+) and a replacement-level 2024 in which he slashed .219/.266/.380 (80 wRC+). After beating the Angels during arbitration ahead of the 2025 season, he was released with termination pay despite the fact he was penciled in as the team’s starting center fielder; a few days later, he signed with the Colorado Rockies, with whom he has spent the last season and a half.
Now on his third team, and without the pressure of living up to either the first overall pick or a major trade acquisition, Moniak has finally begun to carve out a real role for himself. Across the last two years, he has a .273 .312 .534 slash line (115 wRC+) with 41 home runs, 32 doubles, and 10 stolen bases. When we dive into Moniak’s splits over that stretch, though, we find some interesting trends:
vs. RHP: 614 plate appearances, .282/.319/.570, 126 wRC+, 38 home runs, 22.8 K%, 4.9 BB%
vs. LHP: 111 plate appearances, .218/.270/.327, 51 wRC+, 3 home runs, 33.3 K%, 5.4 BB%
Over the last few weeks, we’ve been hearing quite a bit that the Yankees have been looking to add a right-handed outfielder, which makes Moniak not exactly an easy fit. The Bellinger injury, however, changes the math. At this moment, the only healthy Yankee hitters with a wRC+ of 100 or better against right-handed pitchers (minimum 100 plate appearances) are Ben Rice (174 wRC+ in 289 plate appearances), Jazz Chisholm Jr. (107 in 268), and Trent Grisham (100 in 254).
The Yankees need offensive help against both righties and lefties, and while I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Domínguez recapture the lefty stroke that saw him slash .274/.348/.420 against right-handed pitchers last season, Jones to build on his strong-ish start against righties (he has a 103 wRC+ in 71 plate appearances), or Wells continue to come around at the plate (he has an .842 OPS since July 9th), well … that’s too many “ifs” to count on. While Moniak isn’t exactly a sure thing, either — he has a .312/.351/.681 slash at Coors Field, compared to a .236/.285/.406 line on the road — there might not be a more sure upgrade available, thanks to Ryan Jeffers likely being off the market.
When I began this post, I fully expected to condemn the idea, writing Moniak off as a Coors Field merchant, and carry on with my day. I still don’t think that he can be the Yankees’ big trade acquisition, either — it remains to be seen just how much of a boost Coors has given him, he doesn’t solve their problems against southpaws, and he doesn’t represent an upgrade at any position when if the team ever gets healthy. But honestly? The Yankees need some reinforcements to get them through August (and, depending on how Bellinger’s and Judge’s rehabs go, potentially longer), and I wouldn’t mind seeing less of Paul Goldschmidt against righties (65 wRC+ in 171 plate appearances). And so, the Trade Deadline can’t end with Moniak, but it can begin with him.
DETROIT, MI - JULY 29: Coby Mayo #16 of the Baltimore Orioles hits a two-run triple to center field against the Detroit Tigers during the eighth inning at Comerica Park on July 29, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Baltimore is three games under .500 – will they consider abandoning ship on the prospects they collected who are flaming out? Would that make Coby Mayo available?
You can view our larger trade deadline piece here as we discuss a wider pool of options the Guardians may consider. To make my position clear, I expect the Guardians to make smaller moves, like trading Bo Naylor and getting a castoff/undervalued reliever. But, in the interest of exploring potential larger moves, we are doing a series looking at some of those bigger names. So far, we have discussed Spencer Steer, Luis Arraez, Shea Langeliers, Taylor Ward, Heliot Ramos, Jo Adell, Ty France, Tyler Soderstrom, Heriberto Hernandez, Kyle Stowers, Alec Burleson, and Otto Lopez. Although the Guardians’ greatest need is hitting, the market is aflush with starting pitching so it also may make sense for the Guardians to see if they can find a good value there, as we wrote here and looked at specifically with Jose Soriano and Reid Detmers.
Mayo is 24 years old and under team control through 2031, he has only a 93 wRC+ this season but a career 146 wRC+ against LHP as a right-handed hitter. He is not a good outfielder but above average at first. Is there a market for a player who appears to be a short-side of the platoon first baseman/DH? Probably not a strong one, but the dearth of lefty mashers in MLB and Cleveland make it a possibility.
Given Mayo’s age, I imagine he’ll come at a higher price than he should. However, could this be a spot for the Kyle Manzardo swap? Make space for Ralphy and swap an underperforming lefty for an underperforming righty hitter? Something for these teams to consider! Let me know what you think in the comments below
DETROIT, MI - JULY 29: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers, right, is hugged by manager A.J. Hinch #14 after being pulled from the game against the Baltimore Orioles during the seventh inning at Comerica Park on July 29, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline is here and this might perhaps be the most unpredictable deadline in recent memory.
The third Wild Card and lack of breakout teams in the American and National Leagues mean that only a couple of teams consider themselves to be out of playoff contention. Entering play on Friday, there are four teams that are within three games of the 3rd American League Wild Card spot while two of those teams, the Mariners and Astros, are within 2.5 games of the division lead in the West.
Meanwhile the National League has three teams that are in command of their respective divisions with the Brewers holding the smallest lead, a 5.5 game advantage over the Chicago Cubs. In the Wild Card chase, there are currently five teams within 3 games of the third Wild Card.
So with the standings being as they are, are just nine teams with the inclination to sell. One of those teams, the Detroit Tigers, holds the biggest trade chip this deadline, two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. However, it remains to be determined whether or not the Tigers will actually deal Skubal as they sit 4.5 games back of the 3rd Wild Card and 6.5 games back of the division lead; the Tigers also are promoted one of the top prospects in all of baseball, Max Clark, to make his big league debut
That leaves roughly two-thirds of the league as buyers and the remaining one-third as sellers, and not all the sellers even have impact players they are willing to trade. Which is why teams like the Mets, Tigers, and Angels will be able to seek inflated returns for their quality players and even rentals like Luis Arraez will figure to fetch a top 100 prospect or two.
Last week, the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox came together on a deal that helped both teams as Washington sent former Rays top prospect Curtis Mead to Boston for southpaw Connelly Early. Mead played one game with Boston before fracturing wrist after being hit by a pitch; Early meanwhile was already on the IL. The Rangers acquired catcher Logan O’Hoppe and pitcher Chase Silseth from the Angels for a low-level minor leaguer. O’Hoppe was in the midst of a disastrous season and was promptly optioned to the minor leagues. Last night, the Twins and Mets came together on a deal that sent AJ Minter to Minnesota. There hasn’t been much action on the trade front but that could change in an instant.
On Friday night, a trio of starters involved in trade rumors are slated to pitch for their respective teams: Freddy Peralta, Casey Mize, and Foster Griffin; the Tigers have already scratched Mize.
For their part, the Rays are in on everyone and have one of the best farm systems in baseball so they could accomplish just about anything if Neander is willing to pay the price. It’s the reverse of most offseasons when the Rays are unable to compete with the payrolls of their inter-division rivals, the Red Sox and Yankees will be unable to compete with the pieces the Rays have in their farm system.
Among the players the Rays have reportedly shown an interest in are Tarik Skubal, Hunter Goodman, Foster Griffin, Adley Rutschman, and Zach Neto.
Of course, opposing teams covet the Rays prospects, starting with Theo Gillen who appears to be an incredible talent and is currently scorching Double-A alongside another top prospect, catcher Caden Bodine. Then you have some lower level guys that are making noise like Nathan Flewelling, Cooper Flemming, and Taitn Gray that other teams would love to have.
We know the Rays would like to add an impact bat and a starting pitcher. We also know they’d like to address their catching situation and middle infield offensive output. This makes them about a match for every top available player. They have the farm system to get any deal done that they want.
Come Monday at 6pm, we’ll learn what price they are willing to pay.
In a season when the Cubs have already used 34 different pitchers (plus Carson Kelly pitched once), they’ve added another pitcher to the mix.
Left-hander Antoine Kelly, acquired from the Dodgers June 6 for cash considerations, has been called up from Triple-A Iowa and added to the 26-man active roster.
Kelly has made 13 appearances for Iowa with a 2.79 ERA, 1.241 WHIP and 22 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. He’s 26 and a Chicago area native (Maine East High School in Park Ridge).
To make room.on the 26-man rosters, right-hander Gavin Hollowell was placed on the 15-day injured list with shoulder inflammation.
On July 1, 2018, LeBron James announced he was signing a four-year $153.3 million contract to play basketball for the Los Angeles Lakers.
At the time he announced this move, there were no other superstars coming with him, and no immediately clear path to him extending his personal streak of making eight consecutive Finals. No, he’d be “going at it alone,” joining a roster of mostly unproven young players — some high lottery picks, some deeper draft/undrafted steals — and a few holdover veterans in an attempt to steward them into the next era of what many hoped, but even more doubted, could be the next Lakers champion.
Nearly eight years to the day, on June 30, 2026, LeBron James announced he would continue his career into a 24th campaign, but on a different team, leaving the Lakers after the longest uninterrupted stint of his Hall of Fame career. Unlike when he arrived, James was leaving a team that had a superstar already in tow, which, not coincidentally, helped to facilitate his decision to move on by essentially replacing him in both importance and status as the Lakers’ best player.
In the 2,291 days between LeBron’s announcement of his arrival and his decision to leave, he and the Lakers had their ups and downs, to be sure, but ultimately accomplished just about everything anyone could have realistically expected.
Individually, LeBron was named to eight All-Star games, one of the three All-NBA teams seven times, had three top-10 finishes in MVP voting (including a second place finish in 2020), passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer (and, more broadly, the league’s oldest player to accomplish essentially anything of meaning in an individual game or average across a season), and won the Finals MVP. And, as a team, the Lakers won the organization’s 17th championship by claiming the 2020 title and won the inaugural In-Season Tournament/NBA Cup in 2024.
Whenever his career is over, his jersey will hang in the rafters and that’s that.
I’ll add, too, that while the 2019-20 season was the one where LeBron and the team experienced their most success together, it also doubled as one of the hardest for the organization, its fans, and, generally, the world. With the death of franchise and sports icon Kobe Bryant in January and then the COVID-19 shutdown in mid-March, LeBron put the franchise on his broad shoulders, serving as a leader both on and off the court to help stabilize the organization in ways that go beyond just basketball. I don’t know if there was a single player in the league I would have wanted more leading the team than LeBron during that time and I’ll always be grateful he was with the team to carry the burden that he did.
In bringing it back to the court, though, maybe fans wanted more. Some always will, of course. More titles, more regular season success, more consistent deep playoff runs…just more. But, in the eight years LeBron spent in Los Angeles, not a single team repeated as champion. We never saw a repeat Finals matchup or, even less so, a single team make the Finals in back-to-back seasons — though the Warriors, Celtics, and Heat each made two Finals in that stretch.
Maybe the Lakers could have been one of those teams that made more than one Finals run or bucked the trend and won a second, or even went back-to-back. They were certainly on track in 2021. But a Solomon Hill dive for a loose ball into LeBron’s legs and then an Anthony Davis sprained knee ended that idea. Then, later that summer, the ill-fated trade for Russell Westbrook essentially spiraled the team backward, undermining their championship chances long enough for the internal belief in the LeBron and Davis duo to erode to a point where the front office would no longer sacrifice assets that could possibly get them over the hump.
Whoever you want to blame for this, you’re likely to be correct.
The stars — LeBron included — either couldn’t stay healthy or couldn’t lift a flawed group of role players high enough to get past Denver to really make a sustained push to another title. And even though LeBron reportedly bought in and signed off, it was front office who both executed the disastrous Russ trade and then ultimately decided they would neither sacrifice more future assets to either get out of his deal earlier nor try to grab the sort of reinforcements LeBron and AD needed after it was clear the remade group they did build wasn’t good enough to get over the top.
And to the degree Jeanie Buss could have stepped in from her ownership role to alter the course charted in any way, it never happened, allowing Rob Pelinka to divest from a LeBron-led team to one that actively sought out its next superstar instead — something, to his credit, he did better than anyone could have ever imagined when he was able to flip Davis for Luka Dončić.
Which brings us to present day.
I, for one, have no hard feelings towards LeBron, or even his “camp” of Rich Paul and the more Bron-centric media talking heads who have been taking subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) shots at the Lakers in the wake of LeBron leaving for Philly. As I said up top, LeBron did everything I could have ever expected him to, and did it with a level of commitment to both his teammates and the franchise that you’d want from your best player. And while hearing the jabs from those around him is both annoying and somewhat predictable, it doesn’t sour my view of James himself or his time here.
From my POV, things weren’t always perfect, but they never are — not with Kareem, Magic, Shaq, or Kobe before him. But, just like those superstars who came before him, on most days, I knew exactly what I was getting from LeBron, and he delivered it with a spirit, joy, and love of the game that I always appreciated.
I know there are some who feel differently. Some, actively and derisively so. And I’m not here to tell you how to be a fan or who to like/cheer for. That’s how it goes with sports fandom — and especially how it goes with a fanbase as big as the Lakers’. There’s going to be a much wider range of opinions and like any other huge group of people, we’re not a monolith and there’s no one single opinion about any single player that every person will hold as their undeniable truth.
That said, I think we can all agree that with LeBron now gone, the pivot is here to Luka Dončić as the undisputed face of the franchise and the singular superstar this team will rise and fall with. And I, personally, am excited about what this means for the team and the franchise moving forward. LeBron leaving can mean different things to different people, but it’s undoubtedly an opportunity for Dončić to put his stamp on the Lakers in the singular way that his personality and game dictate.
This is something that never could have happened with LeBron here. He knew it, Luka knew it, Pelinka and the front office knew it, and so does everyone else. Which means it was probably time for this change to happen and goodbyes were in order.
So, goodbye LeBron. Much success to you in Philly. Except when you play the Lakers.
