Worldwide Sports News

Former Rangers midfielder Andy Halliday on BBC Sportsound

Rangers are a work in progress and will definitely improve on what they've shown over the two legs.

There are a lot of things for them to work on and new faces will help as well.

Ex-Rangers striker Kris Boyd on Sky Sports

Some exciting players have arrived at Rangers - but Russell Martin is not silly, he will know that there is a lot of work to be done.

It's another tie out of the way, but they will have to tighten up defensively. Yes, Panathinaikos harassed Rangers and forced them into mistakes - but they were asking question after question of Rangers.

Former Rangers goalkeeper Cammy Bell on BBC Sportsound

That's the big thing with Russell Martin - he thrives on the training ground.

The longer he has with his players, the better they will get. This Rangers team showed a bit of character today. It's all positive at the moment, they just need to keep this momentum going.

Ex-Rangers striker Peter Lovenkrands on BBC Sportsound

If you keep playing that way with those type of players you are going to get caught out. They have not been good enough over the last two legs.

Rangers don't really have time. The style of play right now seems like it's not really working. That needs to be tidied up before the next round."

Former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson on BBC Sportsound

Yes, they were lucky at times, but I liked the mentality of the players. Can it be better? Of course it can.

I was a little worried before the game and we really saw the seasons why, because Rangers were cut open so many times. They need a few more in the building if they are going to progress further.

Athletics trade Mason Miller, J.P. Sears to Padres for four prospects originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics shook up their roster in a major way on Thursday.

The Green and Gold traded star closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher J.P. Sears to the San Diego Padres for shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, and right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez, the team announced after ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the news.

The 26-year-old Miller was an MLB All-Star for the Athletics in 2024, and in 38 games this season, posted a 3.76 ERA with 59 strikeouts, 18 walks and 20 saves in 38 1/3 innings pitched.

Sears, the Athletics’ staff ace, posted a 4.95 ERA with 97 strikeouts to 29 walks in 111 innings pitched this season.

While both pitchers certainly were beloved by fans and within the organization, it appears the A’s got a haul from the Padres.

As mentioned, De Vries is the third-best prospect in all of baseball, per MLB.com, and in 82 games at the High-A level, the 18-year-old shortstop is batting .245/.357/.410 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases with a .767 OPS in 368 plate appearances.

Nett, a 23-year-old starting pitcher, is San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, and in 17 starts at the Double-A level, posted a 3.39 ERA with 86 strikeouts to 34 walks in 74 1/3 innings pitched.

Báez, a 22-year-old starting pitcher, is San Diego’s No. 13 prospect, and in 20 starts at the Double-A level, posted a very impressive 1.96 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 31 walks in 96 2/3 innings pitched.

Finally, Nuñez, a 26-year-old relief pitcher and San Diego’s No. 17 prospect, posted a 2.83 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 17 walks in 35 innings pitched across the Double- and Triple-A levels this season while surrendering two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work at the major-league level.

Athletics reportedly trade Mason Miller, J.P. Sears to Padres for four players originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The Athletics shook up their roster in a major way on Thursday.

The Green and Gold traded star closer Mason Miller and starting pitcher J.P. Sears to the San Diego Padres for shortstop prospect Leodalis De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball, and right-handed pitchers Braden Nett, Henry Báez and Eduarniel Nuñez, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported, citing sources.

The 26-year-old Miller was an All-Star for the Athletics in 2024, and in 38 games this season, posted a 3.76 ERA with 59 strikeouts, 18 walks and 20 saves in 38 1/3 innings pitched.

Sears, the Athletics’ staff ace, posted a 4.95 ERA with 97 strikeouts to 29 walks in 111 innings pitched this season.

While both pitchers certainly were beloved by fans and within the organization, it appears the A’s got a haul from the Padres.

As mentioned, De Vries is the third-best prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB.com, and in 82 games at the High-A level, the 18-year-old shortstop is batting .245/.357/.410 with eight home runs, 46 RBI and eight stolen bases with a .767 OPS in 368 plate appearances.

Nett, a 23-year-old starting pitcher, is San Diego’s No. 3 prospect, and in 17 starts at the Double-A level, posted a 3.39 ERA with 86 strikeouts to 34 walks in 74 1/3 innings pitched.

Báez, a 22-year-old starting pitcher, is San Diego’s No. 13 prospect, and in 20 starts at the Double-A level, posted a very impressive 1.96 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 31 walks in 96 2/3 innings pitched.

Finally, Nuñez, a 26-year-old relief pitcher and San Diego’s No. 17 prospect, posted a 2.83 ERA with 56 strikeouts and 17 walks in 35 innings pitched across the Double- and Triple-A levels this season while surrendering two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings of work at the major-league level.

Red Sox acquire Steven Matz in trade to bolster pitching depth originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The Boston Red Sox have made their first move ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

The Red Sox acquired left-handed pitcher Steven Matz from the Cardinals in a trade that sends infield prospect Blaze Jordan to St. Louis, the teams announced late Wednesday night.

Matz, 34, is a longtime starter turned reliever who found success in the Cardinals’ bullpen this season, posting a 3.44 ERA and 1.182 WHIP over 55 innings. He’s made 172 career starts over an 11-year MLB career primarily split between the New York Mets and Cardinals but transitioned to a bullpen role late in the 2024 season.

Matz is a rental making $3.8 million on the final year of a four-year, $44 million contract, so the Red Sox will either need to re-sign him to a new deal this offseason or let him walk in free agency. Still, the veteran is a welcome addition to a staff that could use relief help behind All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman, who currently is dealing with a minor back injury.

Matz’s past experience as a starter also gives Boston the flexibility to use him in spots starts or as a long reliever if necessary.

The Red Sox paid a price to land Matz, however. While Jordan was the 19th-ranked prospect in Boston’s system per SoxProspects.com, he’s skyrocketed through the minors and earned the call-up to Triple-A Worcester in June. The 22-year-old was slashing .298/.341/.480 with six home runs and 25 RBIs in 44 games with Worcester and boasts plenty of raw power.

The Red Sox are clearly in win-now mode, though, and trading for a rental signals their intention to bolster the roster for a playoff push. At 59-51, the team currently occupies the second Wild Card spot in the American League and is five games behind the Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East.

Boston still could use a legitimate mid-rotation starter, a catcher and a first baseman ahead of Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET MLB trade deadline, so we’ll see if chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has more moves to make.

What’s the opposite of a splash?

Because that’s how the Dodgers started their trade deadline activity late Wednesday night.

On the eve of MLB’s annual trade deadline (which is Thursday at 3 p.m. PDT), the Dodgers were the tertiary party in a three-team trade with the Cincinnati Reds and Tampa Bay Rays.

While the biggest piece in the deal — starting pitcher Zack Littell — went from Tampa Bay to Cincinnati, the Dodgers were included in a swap of some lesser-name players.

Minor league catcher Hunter Feduccia, a longtime Dodgers farmhand having a nice season with triple-A Oklahoma City, was sent to Tampa Bay.

In return, the Dodgers received pitching prospect Adam Serwinowski from the Reds, as well as reliever Paul Gervase and catcher Ben Rortvedt from the Rays, according to multiple people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.

Serwinowski is the most intriguing name the Dodgers acquired. A 21-year-old left-hander who was ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Reds’ farm system by MLB Pipeline, the former 15th-round draft pick has been a favorite of Dodgers’ evaluators for a while, according to another person with knowledge of the team’s thinking.

While Serwinowski has a 4.84 ERA in high-A this season, the Dodgers are excited by his potential and add him to a farm system that is lacking the depth of impact pitching prospects it usually touts.

Read more:Shohei Ohtani leaves pitching start because of cramping, Dodgers go on to lose to Reds

Gervase is a 25-year-old reliever who debuted in the majors this year with the Rays, posting a 4.26 ERA in five outings this year.

Rortvedt is a 27-year-old journeyman catcher who will help provide organizational depth in Feduccia’s absence, alongside current triple-A backstops Chris Okey and Chuckie Robinson.

For a team that has been linked to some of the bigger names on this year’s trade market, it was far from the blockbuster many fans have been waiting on.

Granted, the Dodgers are still expected to be active on Thursday.

Their need for a reliever remains, even though they remained idle on Wednesday as other top options, from Jhoan Durán to Ryan Helsley to Tyler Rogers, were dealt elsewhere.

The club is still hoping to add another hitter to their lineup too, with an upgrade in the outfield (especially defensively) seen as a priority, according to a person with knowledge of the club’s thinking.

Whether the Dodgers can land the impact additions they seek, in what has been a seller’s market defined by high acquisition costs to this point, remains to be seen.

But at least they won’t go into deadline day without having made any deals, with Wednesday night’s late-night transaction expected to be the first of several moves they make ahead of Thursday’s trade cutoff.

Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.

If the Mets are truly all-in at this trade deadline, as it seems after a whirlwind few hours on Wednesday, David Stearns still has work to do in addressing center field and starting pitching, but with closing time still a day away, he has already accomplished his most important task -- transforming the ballclub’s weakest link.

That is, a bullpen lacking depth and quality suddenly has a chance to be as deep and dominant as any in baseball after three trades for high-leverage relievers, two of them on Wednesday.

In acquiring submariner Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and 100-mph man Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals, in addition to last week’s deal for left-hander Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles, Stearns landed a haul of big-time bullpen arms.

Throw in Edwin Diaz as closer, a second lefthander in the recently returned Brooks Raley, while sliding Ryan Stanek and Reed Garrett down on the depth chart, with one more spot ideally for a multi-inning reliever…that’s an impressive array of arms.

A ton of swing-and-miss potential and a variety of different looks.

“That’s a bullpen you can win a championship with,” one NL scout told me Wednesday night. “I’ve got to give Stearns and that front office credit. They turned a weakness into a strength and with the moves they made, and I have to believe they’re not done.

“You don’t bring in a couple of big rentals if you’re not going for it. And they’ve built their farm system the last few years, so it’s deep enough to take some hits when you have this type of opportunity. So I’m curious to see what else they’re willing to do.”

Mets fans no doubt second that intriguing thought: after all, if this was Wednesday, what the heck could Thursday bring before the 6 p.m. deadline?

And just how high will Stearns go up his prospect list if it means acquiring a starting pitcher, say, Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera? As it is, they landed Rogers and Helsley -- and Soto too -- without giving up any of their true blue-chip prospects, but it will take more to acquire either of those two starters.

It might be what they need, especially as Clay Holmes has struggled lately, raising the question of whether it’s time to move him back to the bullpen. That may not be as likely after all the bullpen trades, but there could still be a role for Holmes as a multi-inning reliever if indeed they were to acquire a front-line starter.

And then there is Chicago White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr., who could be the impact bat the Mets’ offense needs, in the perfect spot as an above-average center fielder.

But that won’t come cheap either. Would the Mets give up Luisangel Acuna and a couple of prospects for Robert? What about Mark Vientos?

For the moment, anything seems possible after Stearns’ dramatic bullpen makeover.

The quality of the arms speaks for themselves. But the depth the trades create was equally important, especially because the lack of length the Mets are getting from their starting pitchers has taxed and overtaxed the bullpen.

Now Carlos Mendoza can go to the likes of Garrett or Stanek in the middle innings, if necessary, and still have plenty of ammunition for the later innings.

He can also get aggressive in his use of two left-handers, perhaps bringing in Soto for a key matchup against Bryce Harper in, say, the sixth inning, knowing he still has Raley for later. Or vice versa.

And most importantly, in Rogers and Helsley, he has two very good options as the primary setup man for Diaz, depending on matchups.

The surprise move of the day was getting Rogers, in part because the Giants had been in the thick of contention until their current six-game losing streak knocked them way down in both the NL West and NL wild card standings.

And Rogers had been a huge piece of their bullpen, pitching to a 1.80 ERA in a league-high 53 appearances, with a 0.860 WHIP. Perhaps the best indication of his brilliance this season is his OPS+ number, which takes into account league and ballpark factors. League average is 100 – Rogers’ number is 216.

He doesn’t do it with velocity, but with the deception built into his submarine-style arm angle, throwing a frisbee slider and a hard-sinking two-seamer with arm action that hitters rarely see _ and most hate.

“Nobody squares him up,” said one scout.

Francisco Alvarez, who faced Rogers last weekend in San Francisco, summed it up just as succinctly as he talked to reporters on Wednesday in San Diego, “Thank God we don’t have to face him anymore.”

Rogers can be a free agent this winter, but the Mets gave up more than what is typical for a rental, likely because they had to outbid other teams. On first blush the package of Drew Gilbert, Blade Tidwell, and Jose Butto seemed like a lot, but scouts I spoke to said the stock for both Gilbert and Tidwell has dropped over the last couple of years, with one saying “neither of them projects as an above-average major leaguer.”

As for Helsley, he’s having an up-and-down season but has been very good lately, allowing one run in his last 11 appearances. His 100-mph fastball has been hit hard, which speaks to a lack of command, but his slider has been lights-out _ opponents are hitting .042 against it.

To get him, the Mets sent a package headed by infielder Jesus Baez, a solid prospect but hardly a can’t-miss.

“He’s got tools but doesn’t have great baseball instincts,” one scout told me.

Scouts have been wrong before, of course, so we’ll see. But the bigger point is that this is the right time for Stearns to make calls on his prospects, after the Mets did a good job creating a surplus the last few years, and that’s exactly what he’s doing.

With perhaps more to come.

Wednesday's back-and-forth game between the Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays saw New York come out on top before the 2025 MLB trade deadline, and a recent acquisition was the hero in the 11th inning.

Third baseman Ryan McMahon, whom the Yankees landed in this past Friday's deal with the Colorado Rockies, capped a 2-for-4 evening by delivering the walk-off single that gave New York (59-49) a much-needed win over the Rays (54-55).

"Just feels good to come through for the team," McMahon said. "Every win matters right now in this chase, so just happy to come through."

Through five games with the Yankees, McMahon is 6-for-17 with four RBI.

"He's got a good presence to him," said New York manager Aaron Boone. "... He looks good in the room, and he's a player. He's got pop -- not much to show for it until that last at-bat, again, back-to-back nights. But I feel like (he's) having pretty good at-bats where he's getting swings off, getting the ball with authority in the air. Just missed a couple. So, he's been great."

What more general manager Brian Cashman does before Thursday's 6 p.m. cutoff remains to be seen, but McMahon is doing his part.

"The win's the goal, at the end of the day," he said. "Like I said, every single one counts and means a lot down the stretch. So, to fight like we did and come through, it's big for us, big for confidence and I feel like that can carry over in situations when we're down in other games."

On the eve of the 2025 MLB trade deadline, the Yankees' 5-4 win over the Tampa Bay Rays saw New York waste Will Warren's start and the offense's initial comeback as Devin Williams unraveled in the ninth inning, but Ryan McMahon's walk-off single two frames later capped a fight-filled effort by New York.

Takeaways

1. Will Warren (6-5, 4.64 ERA) deserved a win. The right-hander allowed one run on six hits while striking out four and walking one in six innings. His 102-pitch outing included 64 strikes. The Rays' lone run came on Brandon Lowe's third-inning double to right field that scored Taylor Walls from third base, a play where Warren's 2-2 curveball at 82 mph landed over the outside lower half of the strike zone but got roped down the line. If not for Warren, the Yankees (59-49) would not have had a chance late.
2. The Zack Littell-led Rays (54-55) kept New York in check with only two hits -- Ryan McMahon's third-inning double and Jazz Chisholm Jr.'s fourth-inning single -- until the decisive eighth inning. Trent Grisham's leadoff home run against Bryan Baker injected new life into the Yankees, who rattled off three consecutive singles to take the lead. After knocks by Ben Rice and Cody Bellinger, Giancarlo Stanton's line drive up the middle put the Yankees in front by a score of 2-1 entering the ninth. The Yankees were lifeless until Grisham's solo shot, and the spark spread into what should have been Stanton's game-winning poke.
3. Williams unraveled in the ninth inning, immediately walking Junior Caminero before delivering a go-ahead home run to Josh Lowe. Williams' second blown save of the season overshadowed an otherwise great game by the bullpen, which saw Brent Headrick and Yerry De los Santos combine for four strikeouts and one hit across two scoreless innings after relieving Warren. Still, the Yankees' need for bullpen help was on display in a big spot. Will Brian Cashman respond?
4. Picking up where Grisham and Stanton left off, Anthony Volpe's game-tying home run against Pete Fairbanks with one out in the ninth inning reinforced that the Yankees did not tap out. Unfortunately for New York, Austin Wells literally walked the Yankees out of a potential ninth-inning walk-off. Wells singled after Volpe's homer, but he appeared not to know how many outs there were while making his way back in the director of first base following Grisham's ground out. Wells went from being in scoring position with one out to getting caught in a rundown between first and second before an inning-ending double play, and it cost the Yankees a shot at walking off in the ninth.
5. Credit Bellinger, whose one-out triple against Edwin Uceta in the 10th inning wiped away Wells' miscue and scored Grisham -- who started the frame on second base -- to tie the game at 4-4. After a two-hit effort, Bellinger has a .283/.336/.517 slash line with 20 home runs and 62 RBI through 99 games -- an undoubted bright spot, especially in what is currently an Aaron Judge-less lineup.
6. McMahon's walk-off single in the ninth inning scored Chisholm, who started the frame on second base and scored from third after advancing on Kevin Kelly's balk, and capped a back-and-forth game that lingered into extras. McMahon's fly ball to the warning track in center field was enough for the Yankees to finally come out on top and send New York into Thursday's trade deadline with a positive.

Who's the MVP?

Warren, whose gutsy start should not go unnoticed.

Highlights

Will Warren picks off Junior Caminero! pic.twitter.com/vYRaqswxp6

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 30, 2025

Strike him out ✅️
Throw him out ✅️ pic.twitter.com/QwiKSeaTxv

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

What a tag by Jazz Chisholm Jr.! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/FhK2uMZLxv

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

TRENT GRISHAM TIES THE GAME WITH A HOME RUN! pic.twitter.com/TyYknALxki

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

Giancarlo Stanton puts the Yankees in front in the 8th! pic.twitter.com/ZwQVusbXvJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

ANTHONY VOLPE HITS A GAME-TYING HOME RUN IN THE 9TH! pic.twitter.com/jj4uLoJMUU

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

Austin Wells wandered away from second base and got tagged out in a rundown after Trent Grisham made the second out trying to bunt for a hit pic.twitter.com/jN71zC0UkL

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

CODY BELLINGER TIES THE GAME WITH A TRIPLE! pic.twitter.com/8RqxD7XCkJ

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

RYAN McMAHON IS THE WALK-OFF HERO! pic.twitter.com/cHAg7gOiIi

— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) July 31, 2025

What's next

The Yankees and Rays finish their four-game series with Thursday's 1:05 p.m. start at Yankee Stadium. Right-handers Marcus Stroman (2-2, 6.09 ERA) and Ryan Pepiot (6-8, 3.42 ERA) are set to pitch.

The Mets may have dropped Wednesday's game to the Padres, but the talk was of the newest acquisition to the bullpen, Tyler Rogers.

New York traded for the Giants reliever earlier in the day, adding an impactful arm to a relief corps that needed it.

"I like it, we got better as a team," manager Carlos Mendoza said of the trade after the game. "We just faced him the other day, he’s pretty tough on righties and lefties. Gives you a different look, a guy that throws strikes and is pretty durable. He’s been healthy and takes the ball. Again, we got better."

Last weekend, Rogers allowed just one hit and struck out two batters in his two innings of work against the Mets, and the players haven't forgotten going up against the submariner.

"He’s a good arm. Faced him many times. He’s gotten me out many times," Francisco Lindor said of Rogers. "From what I heard around the league, he’s a good guy, good person and someone who is going to pitch in big situations. It’s something that is going to help us."

"He’s got good pitches," Francisco Alvarez said. "He’s a good pitcher, thank God he’s now on our side and we don’t have to face him anymore."

Although the Mets are gaining a reliever, they lose one as well. Jose Butto was part of a package sent to the Giants for Rogers. The young right-hander found out about the deal during the game and was able to say his goodbyes to his teammates. When asked about Butto's contributions to the team, Mendoza had nothing but a glowing review.

"It’s a tough one there, especially going down like that in the middle of the game," Mendoza said. "Nothing but great things to say about him. His ability to take the ball, we used him in a lot of different roles. Great teammate, great human. We’re going to miss him. It’s a business, we all understand that. He’s going to help that team, too. He’s getting a great opportunity here and I’m pretty sure he’s going to impact that team as well."

Hugs for José Buttó in the Mets' dugout pic.twitter.com/yA8ES1QRsC

— SNY (@SNYtv) July 30, 2025

Rogers was just the first name that David Stearns will add to the Mets' bullpen. A few hours later, Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley was acquired, giving the Mets a power-packed bullpen for a postseason run. Rogers and Helsley join a bullpen that already had Edwin Diaz, Ryne Stanek, Gregory Soto, Reed Garrett and Brooks Raley.

Mendoza raved about how Rogers benefits his bullpen and gives him more flexibility every day.

"When we’re facing some of the best teams with elite bullpens, they have a lot of different looks. This adds to it," he said. "You have two lefties with different pitch mix, a lot of righties and now you talk about a guy who throws from that angle, who can get either hand out. It allows me to have more flexibility, matchup, be more aggressive when I need to. It makes our unit a lot deeper back there."

After an off day on Thursday, the Mets will activate Rogers when they host, ironically enough, the Giants for a three-game set.