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The MLB Trade Deadline (and yes they now want it to be Capitalized) comes up in just 13 days, Monday, Aug. 3.
The Cubs will make a deal, or more than one. How do I know this? Well, I don’t. I don’t have any inside info so I’m guessing like the rest of you are, but the Cubs have clear needs to add starting pitching and probably relief pitching as well, especially with the uncertain status of Trent Thornton, who took a ball off his ankle Monday night.
This article isn’t intended to promote any specific trade or trades, though you can certainly discuss your ideas in the comments.
What I’d like to know in this week’s SB Nation Reacts survey is which of six top Cubs prospects would you not give up in any deadline deal?
The Cubs might wind up trading major league players too, including Matt Shaw, who’s been involved in multiple rumors. But here, I want to know, as the survey says, which prospect is untouchable. (I know who I’m voting for, but I won’t post that here because I don’t want to influence your vote.)
Vote in the survey and we’ll have the final results here later in the week.
NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 04: Austin Wells #28, Paul Blackburn #58 and Ryan McMahon #19 of the New York Yankees talk during the game against the Miami Marlins at Yankee Stadium on April 4, 2026 in New York, New York. (Photo by New York Yankees/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Yankees fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
The Yankees have a rich tradition of game-changing midseason additions. From Cecil Fielder and David Justice to Bobby Abreu and the 2017 White Sox haul, there have been no shortage of impactful Trade Deadline moves in franchise history (and that’s just naming a few). The Yankees have been active around this time for much of the past decade as well, including bringing aboard closer David Bednar, third baseman Ryan McMahon, and shortstop José Caballero last year.
If the Yanks are in the playoff race, the smart money has them making a move or two to improve the roster. So for 2026, if you could only bolster one area of the team, which would it be? Fans are likely in a relative consensus that more than one trade is needed to get this team to championship-caliber, but just for the sake of the exercise, pick one!
Catcher (Austin Wells has been in a season-long slumber and the backups haven’t hit either)
Infield (Caballero has slumped after a hot start and McMahon, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Anthony Volpe have gone through varying rough patches)
Outfield (Aaron Judge has slumped, Cody Bellinger has gone cold, and Jasson Domínguez hasn’t capitalized on his opportunities)
Rotation (Max Fried and Carlos Rodón have both spent time on the shelf, Gerrit Cole is coming off Tommy John surgery, and the back of the rotation has been so-so)
Bullpen (There is always an opportunity to improve middle relief, especially given Camilo Doval’s disastrous season and Tim Hill’s fade)
Cast your votes in the Feed poll below (or on the homepage), and we’ll check out the results in a few days.
Eduardo Rodriguez (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Inspiration.
So far this season (at the All-Star break), Eduardo Rodriguez has a career low 2.29 ERA and a career best ERA+ of 188. That’s great! He is in his age 33 season. That’s awesome!
Years ago, the AZ Snake Pit discussed Bartolo Colon. He pitched through his age 45 season, truly a great example of an iron man pitcher.
What will Eduardo Rodriguez’s pitching look like as he ages?
Let’s look at pitchers who were excellent at age 33 and beyond.
My metric of choice is Adjusted ERA+.
For pitchers at each age level, let’s consider the best five as measured by ERA+. This data is found in Baseball Reference.
“ERA+ takes a player’s ERA and normalizes it across the entire league. It accounts for external factors like ballparks and opponents. It then adjusts, so a score of 100 is league average, and 150 is 50 percent better than the league average.” – Editorial staff of MLB com.
Eduardo Rodriguez has a historic season.
At the All-Star break this season, looking at pitchers in their age 33 season regardless of the year they pitched, Eduardo Rodriguez’s 188 ERA+ is one of the five best ERA+s in baseball history.
What are the chances that Rodriguez will continue to pitch well as he ages? I found six pitchers who continued to reach top-5 in their age group. They are as follows:
Randy Johnson, ages 33, 35, 36, 37, 38, 40
Nolan Ryan, ages 34 and 43
Cy Young, ages 34 and 41
Bill Byrd, ages 33 and 40
Lefty Grove, ages 36, 37, and 39
Rich Hill, ages 36 and 39*
Realistically, those examples show that Eduardo Rodriguiez has a chance to continue pitching well for the next 6 to 10 seasons.
Pitchers are throwing harder every season. Despite that trend, I found seven pitchers (age 33 and older) in the top-5 since the 2000 season. They are as follows:
Randy Johnson, 2000-2004 (as a Diamondback)
Ellis Kinder, 2002
Roger Clemens, 2005
Max Scherzer, 2022 (former Diamondback)
Justin Verlander, 2022
Nathan Eovaldi, 2025
Eduardo Rodriguez, 2026
This season, Eduardo Rodriguez showed his pitching skill.
World Baseball Classic. Eduardo Rodrigez pitched 4.1 scoreless innings (one hit, four strikeouts, and one walk) against team USA, helping to win Venezuela its first ever WBC title. That performance was very impressive!
All Star Game. In this season’s All-Star game, Eduardo Rodriguez pitched a scoreless second inning. It was three batters up, three batters down, on two infield grounders, and one fly ball. All three batters were above average, with regular season OPS+ of 102, 144, and 193. That performance was outstanding!
Leaderboards. Among starting pitchers this season, Eduardo Rodriguez is on many leaderboards. A few statistics (starting pitchers with a minimum 90 innings pitched) that show excellence follow:
188 Adjusted ERA+, ranked #4. His overall pitching was outstanding.
63.2% Quality Starts, ranked #10. He gave the Diamondbacks winning chances.
87.8% Runners Left on Base (LOB), ranked #2. He got the third out, thereby stranding runners.
.247 BABIP, sixth lowest. When batters put the ball in play, their hits were below average.
One of only 5 pitchers with zero sacrifice flies allowed. He prevented strong contact when it was important.
One of only 2 pitchers with zero wild pitches AND zero hit batters. His excellent pitch command had very few outliers.
Summary
At the All-Star break this season, looking at pitchers in their age 33 season regardless of the year they pitched, Eduardo Rodriguez’s 188 ERA+ is one of the five best ERA+s in baseball history.
Similar to 6 other pitchers, Eduardo Rodriguez could continue pitching well for 6 to 10 seasons, proving he is an iron man of pitching.
This season, Eduardo Rodriquez’s pitching was impressive. He pitched outstanding in the World Baseball Classic and in the All Star game. At the All-Star break, he was on many leaderboards. Most impressive were adjusted ERA+, quality starts, runners left on base, BABIP, no sacrifice flies allowed, no wild pitches, and no hit batters.
HOUSTON, TEXAS - JULY 20: Jeremy Pena #3 of the Houston Astros hits a grand slam in the second inning against the Miami Marlins at Daikin Park on July 20, 2026 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Maria Lysaker/Getty Images) | Getty Images
At 48-54 with 13 days until the trade deadline, the Houston Astros find themselves in a historically unusual position: they are farther away from .500 (6 games) than they are from the AL West division lead (3.5 games).
So far, nothing about this team says playoffs, yet their proximity to the playoffs and their owner’s unyielding desire to make the playoffs cannot be discounted.
In an appearance on AREA 45 on SportsRadio 610 yesterday, longtime MLB insider Bob Nightengale reiterated that desire is still coming from Houston. Jim Crane is highly competitive and wants to be in the postseason. GM Dana Brown has maintained his belief in the team and his stance that the team will be buyers at the deadline.
Despite that, it is hard to ignore the emerging market. There will not be a lot of sellers, there will be a lot of buyers, creating a seller’s market. Nightengale asserted in his interview last night that there will be a premium on top talent available because there won’t be a lot of it, and the top talent available will be in high demand.
With that in mind, there is far more value in being a seller than being a buyer this deadline. With the looming work stoppage that is widely expected, it is unclear when the offseason in MLB will actually begin, let alone when baseball will actually be played.
Top prospects are at an even greater premium this deadline as well, due to the expected lockout.
This brings us to 3 realistic paths forward for the Houston Astros at the deadline: full buy, change-up, and full sell.
The Full Buy:
Houston goes all in on the postseason, and spares no expense. No one is off limits from the minors, and they go for an impact starter, a leverage pen arm and lefthanded outfield bat that can be a legit consistent contributor to the lineup.
Houston reallocates it’s spending to different positions. This is likely the hardest to pull off because it requires the most moving parts.
It would involve trading players from the major league roster to acquire different players of different skill sets and positions:
Example: Trading Christian Walker in one deal (likely for a reliever), and acquiring Luis Arraez (to play 1B) in another.
Moving AJ Blubaugh (whose role may be filled by Kai-Wei Teng) as part of a deal to acquire an established starter (Joe Ryan, Clay Holmes) or outfielder (Jung Hoo Lee, Seiya Suzuki)
Moving Bryan Abreu (who has lost his role as a leverage reliever but whose numbers since June 1: 2.66 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 26K in 23.2 IP indicate improved play) in deal for OF (McCarthy, Moniak, Lars Nootbaar)
The Sell Off:
This would be taking advantage of the market inefficiency for buyers and lean into what should be a big seller’s market:
They would make nearly anyone not named Yordan Alvarez and Hunter Brown.
They would look to get huge returns on Jeremy Pena, Josh Hader
They would look to get best possible returns on: Isaac Paredes, Christian Walker (with the preference to move Walker over Paredes), Steven Okert, Bennett Sousa, Bryan Abreu, Peter Lambert, Yainer Diaz
It’s a full out prospect grab with the intent of keeping some of those prospects to build with and then moving others to re-tool the team in the offseason by trading for imapct talent.
It would also take advantage of the money now off the books next season ($19M for Hader, $20M for Walker, approx $16M for Pena, approx $9.5M for Paredes, $5.75M for Abreu, approx $3M for Okert/Sousa combined = approx $73M) to re-tool in the offseason in free agency.
While it is currently unknown if there will be a salary cap for the next season, we know owners have dug in harder than ever to obtain this and seem willing to not play to get it. It is also unknown if teams will be required to get under the cap immediately or if there will be a grandfathering of contracts.
If teams had to get under immediately, there could be a number of “distressed assets” hitting the market as some teams would be forced to make decisions on which of their high priced talent they would need to move on from in a hurry. In that situation, just like in the market, cash is king.
As for which kind of path the Astros ultimately take, it may very well be a matter of how well they play the next 10 days. If they rattle off a 7 game win streak and get back to .500, could well be a buying path. If they fall back closer to 10 games under, it would make more sense to sell.
Which way do you think they will go? Let us know in the comments below.
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 24: Members of the grounds crew cover the infield with a tarp during a rain delay in the sixth inning of a game between the Chicago White Sox and the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park on September 24, 2023 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Brian Fluharty/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Yesterday, Chad Tracy announced that Ranger Suarez would come off the IL and make tonight’s start against the Orioles as the club goes for its franchise record tying 15th straight win. However, as of this afternoon, there’s been a change of plans.
Ranger Suarez is no longer pitching tonight, as interim manager Chad Tracy said last night. They are going with Eduardo Rivera.
That reasoning is obviously fishy. The club easily could’ve known they wanted to give Suarez an extra day after pushing him the last few when they announced his start last night. Instead, the real reason they’re pushing this start back is likely because of weather, which threatens to upend tonight’s game at Fenway Park. Here’s what the latest HRRR model is showing in a simulated radar from 5:00pm to just after midnight:
The general trend here will be thunderstorms all over the place early in the evening, and then then a gradual thinning in their coverage as they slowly fall apart the deeper we go into the night. It will almost certainly rain, and rain heavy, but it won’t rain all night long, so there’s a shot they get this game in late if they push it.
Knowing this uncertainty, the Sox probably think it’s a better idea to go with a bullpen game started by Rivera with Brayan Bello backing him up. It takes Suarez out of the messy weather, it gives the other starters more rest when Suarez does slot back in, and it also means that any potential starts and stoppages within the game won’t impact the Sox as much because they’re largely going with a bullpen game anyway.
We could be an incredibly whacky night at the ballpark given all the dynamics in play between the pitching, the weather, and the win streak. Stay tuned!
When the Red Sox placed Garrett Crochet on the injured list at the end of April, it was not supposed to be a long stay.
Yet with the calendar now closer to August than June, Crochet’s still nowhere near a return to the mound. And when asked Tuesday (prior to the game being postponed) if it’s possible that he might not pitch at all for the rest of the season, Crochet could not give a definitive answer.
“I mean, it’s tough to say. I mean, I’m not gonna make a claim like that,” Crochet said when asked if missing the rest of the season is a possibility.
Considering the diagnosis in April, Crochet lamented the current reality of his situation.
“It sucks,” he said. “Like, I understand why you asked the question. It sucks, though, because I remember when I went on the IL originally, I was like, maybe I’ll just miss one start. And then the way that the injury just kind of matured, especially with the setback following the first ramp, it just, it matured to a place where, like I said, it’s just completely different from the original diagnosis, which sucks. But the shoulder is complex like that.”
Crochet has recently ramped down his activity, with the lefty no longer throwing plyo balls as part of his recovery efforts. The 27-year-old said that he was “not making the progress that we were hoping to see” and had plateaued in the rehab, leading to the decision to remove throwing from his program.
Crochet was the runner-up for the American League Cy Young Award last season, his first in Boston, when he went 18-5 with a 2.59 ERA in 32 starts. He led the AL in innings pitched (205 1/3, which was only 13 2/3 fewer than the number of innings he pitched combined in the five previous seasons) and led the majors in strikeouts (255).
This year, Crochet posted a 7.36 ERA across four spring training starts before pitching a gem (six shutout innings, eight strikeouts, two walks, three hits) in an Opening Day victory in Cincinnati. Crochet then went 2-3 in his next five starts, posting a 7.88 ERA and 1.625 WHIP. That stretch included a stunning start in Minnesota, when Crochet allowed 11 runs (10 earned) in just 1 2/3 innings against the Twins. Crochet allowed five runs (all earned) in five innings his next time out, but he did pitch six scoreless innings in late April in Baltimore (which happened to have been Alex Cora’s final game as Boston’s manager).
After being placed on the IL, Crochet said he needed to build up strength in his shoulder. On Tuesday, he said the diagnosis remains the same.
Yet when it comes to when the training staff might feel comfortable with letting him throw again, Crochet couldn’t venture a guess.
“To be honest, I don’t really have an idea,” he said. “Just with the setbacks that I had in the past, we’ve been rightfully cautious. For me, I’m just kind of doing what I’m asked.”
And while Crochet was a fixture in the Red Sox’ dugout throughout the month of May and the early part of June, he’s been absent during this current run of success (14-game winning streak, wins in 19 of the last 21 games). Crochet said that his absence was initially due to some of his rehab work taking place during games, so that he could stay out of the way of the players who were actually active.
“And then it was like, man, we kind of got a good thing going here,” Crochet said. “And then I finished my work the other day in like the seventh inning and I was like, let me finish this inning in here and maybe I’ll go out. And then Wilyer [Abreu] hit the homer and I was like, ooh, I gotta stay inside.”
While superstition will always be present in baseball, Crochet admitted that he’s just doing what he can to help the streak while he remains on the IL.
“I think that there’s enough confidence amongst the group where they don’t really feel the need to press like that,” Crochet said. “But, you know, I’m gonna do my part.”
The newly acquired Shark played 34 games for the Buffalo Sabres last season and has played in 190 over the course of his NHL career while compiling 12 goals and 43 assists.
The 26-year-old was acquired in a June trade from the Sabres along with the No. 27 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft for the Sharks’ No. 20 selection.
He signed a three-year contract with San Jose for an annual average of $4.5 million.
The 22-year-old Bosse from New Hampshire finished in fourth place in Season 8 of the series.
Adding to the intrigue of the Kesselring-Love Island USA connection is the fact that the Sharks will have a “Sharks x Love Island” game on Jan. 8 of this season.
Jul 12, 2026; San Diego, California, USA; Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement (22) is congratulated by shortstop Andrés Giménez (0) after hitting a two-run home run during the fourth inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Denis Poroy-Imagn Images | Denis Poroy-Imagn Images
So I thought I’d go through this little exercise just for my own sense of ‘what the hell is going on’.
Over the last 22 games, four weeks (with the All Star break in there), the Jays are 7-15. They’ve averaged 3.5 runs a game. Quite the stretch run. The batters are hitting .214/.272/.337….which makes me wonder how they scored 3.5 runs per game.
Hot
Ernie Clement: Played in 21 games, starting 20. Hitting .316/.353/.392 with 1 home run, 3 doubles, 4 RBI, 1 steal, 4 walks and 5 strikeouts.
I mean, hot is overstating it, his OPS over the last month is .745 and his season number is .751. But I wanted someone on this side of the board. He is keeping to his one walk a week thing. I wish he would chase less, but this is the guy he is and it works for him. They aren’t going to be able to change him. I am worried that he won’t age well as a batter. Generally batters who age well control the strike zone. But we’ll see, he’s 30 now, and was an All-Star.
Cold
Brandon Valenzuela: Played in 10 games, starting 8. Hitting .129/.206/.226 with 1 home run, 2 RBI, 3 walks and 12 strikeouts.
Well, he was good earlier in the season. Brandon started one game at DH. He also played some first base. He caught 1 of 3 base stealers.
Vladimir Guerrero: Started 21 of 22 games. Hit .183/.264/.293 with 1 double, 2 home runs, 9 RBI, 9 walks and 21 strikeouts, with 2 stole bases.
DHed four times. Who would have thought he’d be a glove first first baseman. 21 strikeouts in 21 games isn’t what I expect from him. Bat speed is still great (92 percentile). But he’s not hitting the ‘sweet spot’ (17th). Expected batting average is still high (91st percentile). The fielding is still good, 4 outs above average but Savant says his arm strength isn’t what it used to be (17th percentile). And his chase rate, which was 89th percentile last year, is 40th this year. The commentators like to use the line chasing hits, and that’s likely fair. I often see people say what he should be doing, and I’m always thinking ‘If it was something that easy, you don’t think they’ve tried it.‘ I was hoping the All-Star break would help him out. Give him a few days to stop thinking about things. But that didn’t help. Right now, I’m hoping the off-season clears whatever is going on.
Andrés Giménez: Played in 20 games, starting 17. Hit .204/.246/.278 with 4 doubles, 5 RBI, 1 steal, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts.
Yeah, he’s not hitting. He is a plus 11 OAA, second in the AL to Bobby Witt. FanGraphs has him at a 1.4 WAR but we really need to score occasionally. Ok, more occasionally. The hope was that he would get back to what how he was hitting in 2022, but he’s gone the other way.
Kazuma Okamoto: Started in 21 games. Hit .215/.303/.418 with 1 double and 5 home runs, 16 RBI, 8 walks and 21 strikeouts.
He’s played third in all 21 games.Maybe a day off or a DH day, here and there, wouldn’t be a bad idea. He has 2 hits in the last 6 games and none since the All-Star break. His defense, minus the error the other day, has been fine. Fangraphs has him at a -1 outs above average.
Daulton Varsho: Played in 21 games, starting 20. Hit .189/.221/.284 with 1 double, 4 RBI, 3 steals, 3 walks and 15 strikeouts.
He’s costing himself a lot of money, he was set for a big payday in free agency but it isn’t going to happen now. FanGraphs has him at a plus 5 outs above average, not as good as he has been in the past. It seems like he has been better defensively of late.
George Springer: Started 13 games. Hitting .208/.263/.358 with 1 triple, 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 1 steal, 4 walks and 15 strikeouts.
He’s been better in his last three games.364 BA with a home run. Hopefully that will continue. He did play that one game in left field and didn’t look out of place. I wonder if anyone will want him at the deadline for his leadership or playoff experience.
Myles Straw: Played in 20 games, starting 7. Hit .147/.143/.265 with 1 double, 1 home run, 6 RBI, 1 strikeout.
A fast runner, whose OBA is lower than his BA. Someone ought to explain to him that getting on base is the way to use that speed. Oh well. His glove has been good, a +3 outs above average. He was a +9 last year, in less than double the innings of last year.
Alejandro Kirk: Played in 18 games, starting 15. Hit .204/.306/.296 with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 4 RBI, 8 walks and 6 strikeouts.
He’s actually done well in his last 8 games, hitting .286/.423/.381 so hopefully that’s a turn around point. And he’s thrown out 4 base stealers of the last 17 (24%) in this period.
Sean Keys: Played in 11 games, 10 starts. Hit .176/.200/.294 with 1 double, 1 home run, 5 RBI, 1 walk and 13 strikeouts.
He hasn’t exactly torn the cover off the ball since coming up. It is tough when you aren’t playing regularly, but that’s the role he’s in.
Yohendrick Pinango: Played in 8 games. Hit .176/.200/.294 with 1 home runs, 1 walk and 7 strikeouts.
He’s back in Buffalo. He is hitting .263/.349/.474 this month in Buffalo.
Inbetween
Nathan Lukes: Played in 21 games, starting 19. Hit .264/.329/.389 with 3 home runs, 4 RBI, 6 walks and 10 strikeouts.
Not hot….not cold. He’s been good since the All-Star break. I liked him in the leadoff spot.
Also Played:
Davis Schneider: Played in 4 games, starting 2. Hit .000/.000/.000 with 1 RBI, with 4 strikeouts.
He has hit 317/.473/.659 in Buffalo in July, which suggests he might be back soon.
IL
Jesús Sánchez: Should start a rehab stint soon.
Anthony Santander: I doubt he’ll be back this year.
Addison Barger: If he comes back this year, it won’t be until September.
May 16, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski in the dugout before the Pittsburgh Pirates host the Phillies at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images
The trade deadline is of course the hottest topic around the Phillies today. It’s a constant source of chatter since the needs the team has are seemingly obvious. That makes this question kind of easy:
Saying that the team needs all of these things is easy. Actually executing the deals is another thing altogether. Dave Dombrowski has the task ahead of him to make sure that the team is getting better by adding pieces to it, but will he be able to do so?
That’s the question.
The team’s lack of enviable talent in their minor league system means they probably don’t have the necessary ammunition to make all the trades they have to in order to plug the leaks in the team boat. He might be able to pull off one deal, maybe two. But adding all three pieces that are needed? Color me skeptical.
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It doesn't happen so often with the Toronto Maple Leafs, or in instances across the league for that matter, but from time to time, NHL players will make a return to a certain club after a previous stint with that same team earlier in their career.
However, that speculation has seemingly led nowhere. Nonetheless, on the theme of a former Leaf hypothetically returning, here's a list of players who returned to the organization after departing earlier in their careers.
Doug Gilmour
Doug Gilmour's greatest years were with the Maple Leafs, particularly his first two full seasons with the franchise in 1992-93 and 1993-94. He scored career-high 127 points and 111 points in those two campaigns, and helped push Toronto to a conference final appearance in the 1993 post-season.
He returned to Toronto very late in his career. In March 2003, the Maple Leafs acquired Gilmour in a trade with the Montreal Canadiens. Unfortunately, Gilmour's return was short-lived after he suffered an injury in his first game back. He wouldn't see the ice for the rest of the season and announced his retirement before the 2003-04 campaign began.
Wendel Clark
The Maple Leafs and Wendel Clark kept finding each other throughout his 15-year NHL career.
Clark made two returns to Toronto for a total of three stints with the club. It started when the Leafs drafted him first overall in the 1985 draft. From there, he played nine straight seasons in Toronto.
Clark went on to play for the Quebec Nordiques and New York Islanders before returning to the Maple Leafs again in 1995-96. He spent parts of three seasons there before he was moved again, this time spending time with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks.
Then, to end the final campaign of his NHL career, he was sent to Toronto during the 1999-00 season and hung up his skates that following summer.
Tie Domi
Tie Domi had two stints with the Maple Leafs, but feels like he only had one.
That's because after Toronto drafted him 27th overall in 1988, he only featured in two games for the Leafs in 1989-90. He then went on to play for the New York Rangers and Winnipeg Jets for three years each.
During the 1994-95 season, Domi returned to Toronto, but this time to stay. He rounded out his NHL career with parts of 11 straight years with the Maple Leafs and retired after the 2005-05 campaign.
So while it's technically a return, Domi's second stint with Toronto is really what he's known for.
Curtis Joseph was another player who returned to Toronto and retired with the organization.
His first stint with the Maple Leafs began in the middle of his NHL career. In year No. 10 of Joseph's 19-year career. It was 1998-99 when he joined the Leafs, remaining with the team through 2001-02.
Then, after five seasons away from Toronto, the goaltender came back in 2008-09 in his early 40s, playing a total of 270 games for the Leafs across five years. He retired after that 2008-09 season.
In that final year, Joseph recorded a .869 save percentage in 21 games for Toronto.
Ilya Lyubushkin
Ilya Lyubushkin is the first player on this list who is still active in the NHL today.
He only played 50 regular-season contests with the Maple Leafs in his two stints. His first year in Toronto came in the middle of the 2021-22 season when he was acquired from the Arizona Coyotes, among other assets.
In 2023-24, it happened again. Toronto traded for Lybushkin from the Carolina Hurricanes as a mid-season acquisition.
The 32-year-old defenseman is currently a member of the Nashville Predators, gearing up for his ninth campaign in the NHL.
Luke Schenn is the other player on this list who remains active in the NHL.
Like Clark and Domi, Schenn was a draft pick of the Maple Leafs, fifth overall in 2008. Out of the draft, he played four straight seasons for Toronto, from 2008-09 to 2011-12.
It was a long time before Schenn would rejoin the Maple Leafs, and he would have to wait 11 years to wear Toronto's Blue and White again.
In total, Schenn featured in five campaigns for the Leafs and appeared in 325 regular-season contests. He was never a defenseman to put up points, but he was a physical presence in Toronto and was solid in the 2023 playoffs.
Michael Hutchinson
Michael Hutchinson didn't play much in the NHL, as he was more of an AHL goaltender. Nonetheless, he also had two stints with the Maple Leafs.
Hutchinson featured for the Maple Leafs in 2018-19 and 2019-20 for a total of 20 appearances. During the 2019-20 season, he was traded to the Colorado Avalanche. Following his brief stint with the Avalanche, he found himself back with Toronto when he signed there as a free agent.
He then played a total of 10 games between the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns and rarely had an impact for the Leafs.
Dominic Moore played for a whopping 10 different clubs in his 13-year NHL career. As a result, the Maple Leafs weren't the only team that he had multiple stints with, and Moore featured for seven of eight Atlantic Division teams.
Moore had his best season with Toronto in 2008-09, which was the second year of his first tenure with the team. He scored 45 points that year, 41 of which were for Toronto in 63 games before being traded to the Buffalo Sabres and playing 18 games there.
Then, after many stops around the league, he landed in Toronto again for one year in 2017-18, which turned out to be his last year in the NHL. He scored six goals and 12 points in 50 games that year.
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BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JULY 09: Trevor Rogers #28 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the first inning against the Chicago Cubs at Oriole Park at Camden Yards on July 09, 2026 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) | Getty Images
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After years of almost fanatically refusing to hand out multiple years to any starting pitcher, or any kind of contract extension to any of his existing players, Mike Elias is on something of a roll. Or at least as much as doing three extensions over the past year, and two to starting pitchers over the past four months, counts as a roll. The weekend’s news about Kyle Bradish being extended makes it clear that he is actually willing to invest over multiple years.
There is another Orioles starting pitcher with an interesting case to be made to be worth an extension. That’s Trevor Rogers. It’s not as likely to come together for a variety of reasons, one of which is that Rogers is so close to free agency that he probably feels like he might as well wait and test the waters, even if the Orioles come to him with a reasonable extension offer.
For this week’s survey, don’t worry too much about the details like that. This is just about what you think. Should the Orioles sign Rogers? Make your choice below:
If your answer is yes, what do you think is a reasonable contract to give to Rogers? If you say no, what gives you pause? It has been a mixed bag for Rogers this year. His last eight starts or so are carrying on the masterful performance he was doing over the two-thirds of the season he pitched a year ago. The overall 2026 ERA is not something that screams big money.
Results will be analyzed later in the week, though you’ll be able to check in between now and then if you look at the results on the Feed poll, which is how these things will be handled going forward.
The Los Angeles Angels fired scout Justin “Boomer” Prinstein, who calls himself “The Baseball Spy,” earlier this season.
According to The Athletic, Prinstein was fired after he was seen filming Colorado Rockies coaches with a cellphone in his hand while working in the stands.
Prinstein was out on a scouting assignment, just before the Angels were set to host the Rockies from June 1-3, when he was reportedly spotted filming their coaches during a game by a member of the Colorado organization.
Justin Prinstein was fired by the Angels X/@TheBaseballSpy
Despite filming by scouts being considered a legal practice, The Athletic reported that former Angels general manager Perry Minasian fired Prinstein right away and apologized to the Rockies front office, including their team president of baseball operations, Paul DePodesta, and general manager Josh Byrnes.
The Athletic went on and reported that Prinstein recorded on his own will, and the Angels will not face any punishment by Major League Baseball.
Prinstein was originally hired by the Angels in December, after previously working as an international scout with the Cincinnati Reds since 2023.
Colorado Rockies manager Warren Schaeffer (4) walks to the dugout after a visit to the mound in the sixth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Matt Blewett-Imagn Images
Before working with the Reds, Prinstein’s LinkedIn page says he wrote articles as a freelancer and worked as a podcast host of the show “The Baseball Spy,” where he covered the Astros sign-stealing scandal.
“The Baseball Spy” had a lifespan of five years but only featured two episodes between 2019-2024.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Utah Mammoth have signed defenseman John Marino to an eight-year, $54 million extension with an annual average value of $6.75 million.
Marino's deal, announced on Tuesday, comes on the heels of a career-best season that included his first career playoff goal.
"We view John as a foundational piece of our future,” Mammoth general manager Bill Armstrong said in a statement. “His ability to control the game from the back end, his play in transition and our trust in him to make the right decisions in critical situations allows him to be a difference-maker on most nights. Beyond his skill, John brings a level of calmness under pressure that our group feeds off of and that’s exactly what you need from your veteran players.”
Marino had career highs of 36 points and 32 assists with four goals in his second season with the Mammoth after being traded from New Jersey in 2024. The 29-year-old ranked second among all NHL defenseman at plus-42 and played all six games in Utah's first playoff appearance since moving from Arizona.
Marino has 23 goals and 134 assists in seven NHL seasons with Utah, New Jersey and Pittsburgh.
The left-hander will throw a rehab assignment with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Wednesday, throwing 60 pitches ahead of a big league return, the skipper added.
“And then hopefully be with us in Chicago for his next one,” Boone said, referring to the Yanks' three-game series against the White Sox beginning on Monday, July 27.
“Obviously not all the way built up at that point,” he continued. “But, hopefully, in a spot where we can build him [up] in his next outing.”
Boone pushed back on reports that the DH was “not close.”
“That’s not true,” the manager said of those reports.
“Someone in our front office came to me and [said], ‘Did you tell the media that G wasn’t close?’” Boone said later. “I’m like, no. I just said I don’t know when it is. So I think people just assumed that it was gonna be this long time, which I don’t anticipate it’s gonna be too long.”
“He’s actually doing pretty well. I think he’ll be back in a reasonable amount of time,” the manager said Tuesday.
Asked if Stanton would play rehab games or return without them, Boone said, “We’ll see.”
“It’s obviously been a long time, so we’ll have that conversation when we get closer to that,” he said about rehab plans. “But I think he’s closer than [media reports indicated]."
In 24 games this season, the 36-year-old had three home runs and 14 RBI with a .724 OPS.
The news on the Yankee slugger was more of the same, with Boone saying Judge will undergo imaging “again at some point,” but he didn’t know when that would be for sure.
“Kinda based on symptoms,” Boone said about the timetable for Judge to get his ribs re-imaged. “Over the last couple of weeks, feel like the symptoms have improved, which is good. And obviously, the last image showed healing.
“So, yeah, just paying attention to that and hopefully, as those symptoms subside, we start upping the things that he’s able to do and then hopefully we get more confirmation [with] the next imaging that it’s healing even more, and we keep on rolling.”
In 59 games before the injury, the reigning AL MVP had 17 home runs and 38 RBI with a .248/.375/.533 slash line, good for a .908 OPS (151 OPS+, 149 wRC+).
“The idea is that he throws side today, another side, I believe, Friday or Saturday, and then a live [BP] probably next week,” Boone said. “So he’s doing well; he’s responded well to the treatments.”
Rodon originally landed on the IL with left elbow inflammation in early July, but the manager was encouraged about his progress.
In nine outings this year, the southpaw has posted a 3.30 ERA and 1.252 WHIP with 52 strikeouts in 46.1 innings.
Schmidt, who Boone said could return as a starter or into the Yanks' bullpen depending upon need, will throw a second live BP that should take place on Wednesday.
"Twenty pitches where he'll use all his pitches; last time he didn't spin it," the managers said of his 15-pitch effort on Saturday. "He looks good. He's kinda going through his live progressions, spring training, and hopefully be an option for us."
As far as Schmidt's role and being built up as a starter, the manager said, "We're at the building stage now, so we'll see as we go."
Of course, the timeline for Schmidt, who underwent Tommy John surgery last summer, is still up in the air.
Former San Jose Sharks forward Andrew Agozzino has announced his retirement from professional hockey.
On Tuesday morning, Agozzino posted a short, but clear goodbye to hockey on Instagram.
Agozzino was a mainstay in the American Hockey League for the majority of his career. While he did play a few NHL games, including four for the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, he’ll mainly be remembered for his contributions in the AHL.
That same season, Agozzino served as the captain of the Sharks’ AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. As it turns out, that would be the only time he wore the “C” at a professional level.
Across 15 seasons, Agozzino appeared in 847 games at the AHL level with a multitude of different teams. During that time, he scored 284 goals and 662 points. He also played in 53 NHL games, registering 12 points.
Agozzino was originally planning on continuing his career overseas, signing in the Swiss National League, but opted to retire for unknown reasons.
