For some, the MLB Trade Deadline can be one of the most exciting and unpredictable times of the year. It presents an opportunity for all 30 teams to improve their chances to win now or in the future. For others, it can be a daunting, tedious, repetitive grind of information that may or may not come to fruition. The Viva El Birdos comment section famously has evoked it’s displeasure with the constant trade talk of a former individual who created content for us with soup recipes of all things! So, I thought, what a funny way to both have a reasonable conversation around the upcoming trade deadline and give a hat tip and wink at the comment section.
So, if we are to create Trade Deadline Soup, we need a recipe to follow!
The 2024 Detroit Tigers finished the season at 86-76 as the final Wild Card team into the playoffs. They swept the Houston Astros in the AL Wild Card round before being eliminated in the ALDS by the Cleveland Guardians. This seems like a plausible best-case scenario for the 2026 Cardinals team that has surprised just about every corner of the baseball world this season. The 2024 Tigers sold 4 players at the players at the deadline; old friend Jack Flaherty was traded to the Dodgers, OF Mark Canha was traded to the Giants, another old friend C Carson Kelly and LHP Andrew Chafin were both traded to the Texas Rangers.
The Tigers acquired power-hitting C/1B prospect Thayron Liranzo and MLB SS Trey Sweeney, Minor league RP Eric Silva, RHP Joseph Montalvo, and C Liam Hicks.
The Cardinals could follow this “recipe” by trading impending FA Dustin May, OF Lars Nootbaar, C Pedro Pages/Jimmy Crooks, and RP JoJo Romero/Ryne Stanek. I’m slightly more optimistic about the Cardinals’ chances to get better upside in return than the Tigers were able to, given that Nootbaar and the Catchers have control remaining beyond this season.
Reinforcements for St. Louis are ready to backfill the roster if President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom chooses to execute this strategy. LHP Quinn Matthews has been on a HEATER at Memphis over the last month plus, Hunter Dobbins has already shown an ability to get big league hitters out, Memphis OF Joshua Baez has been making Triple-A pitching pay all season with his thump and prodigious right handed power, Catcher Leonardo Bernal has been a steady force behind the plate with no glaring flaws in his game as a switch hitting Catcher with a minor league gold glove to his name to boot. LHP Brycen Mautz and RHP’s Hancel Rincon and Cade Winquest offer upside out of the pen. As with the Jack Flaherty trade as the example above, don’t discount the Cardinals’ ability to get MLB-ready talent in return.
The biggest question on the roster would be what to do with All-Star Closer Riley O’Brien, and has been for this topic for some time now. The return would have to be overwhelming, but, at 31 years old, a serious case could be made that this is peak value for O’Brien, and with reliever volatility, there is no guarantee he ever performs at this level again, so the opportunity to maximize on the asset would appear to be now, despite the remaining 4 years of control. According to MLB.com, as many as 7 teams are in the primary pursuit of relief help. The Orioles, Twins, Mariners, Rangers, Nationals, Phillies, and Pirates. Among those teams exist a plethora of exciting prospect talent that the Cardinals could use to really set themselves up as they appear on the cliff’s edge of perennial contention once more.
But the approach to this year’s deadline has the potential to be more complex than we’ve seen in St. Louis. Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom has a history of a hybrid approach to the deadline where he both buys and sells. I do believe that there could be an opportunity to add a young controllable reliever, and there are teams on the West Coast that are defined sellers that could contribute to what has evolved as the Cardinals’ biggest, most glaring weakness. Since May 1st, the Cardinals’ bullpen ranks 20th in FIP (4.26), 17th in Win Probability Added (WPA) at 0.89, and 23rd in K% at 20.5%. Those are the 3 primary stats that I look at when trying to evaluate the effectiveness of relievers. How would they perform in a defensive neutral environment? Do they positively contribute to their team’s ability to win? Do they have the capability to get a strikeout when a ball in play could dramatically swing win probability in high-leverage situations?
As I’m prone to do, I have 3 names to watch that could fit as pieces that could contribute to the next winning Cardinals team.
RHP Ryan Zeferjahn – Los Angeles Angels
The Angels ascended closer Ryan Zeferjahn since June 1st; in his last 20.1 IP has a 3.30 FIP, 40.0 K%, and +0.99 WPA. Zeferjahn comes with 5 additional years of control and 3 options remaining, and won’t be a free agent until 2031. It’s a 5-pitch mix for the Halo righty: Sweeper, 4-Seam, Sinker, Slider, Curveball. 34% Whiff rate and .160 xBA (expected batting average) are both elite performance markers. I won’t speculate on cost because it’s so hard to be predictive of what value they have internally on an emerging closer on the verge of entering a true long-term rebuild, assuming John Mozeliak can effectively persuade Arte Moreno that the good of the long-term health of the Angels organization is to take a step back, sell, and build up their pipeline.
RHP Elvis Alvarado – Athletics
Another young emerging back-end option on the West Coast, Elvis Alvarado is 6’6 253 lbs, a true mountain of a man. He throws that classic 100 MPH heat we’ve come to expect from late-inning relievers, with 5 inches above-average arm-side run. Alvarado also throws a slider and a sinker and a very scantily used Splitter. The 5.14 FIP is not all that encouraging, though the xFIP is 3.54, but that’s probably me cherry-picking, so do with that what you will. 30.4 K% on the season gets us tethered back to why he is so intriguing, and the win probability added of -0.77 isn’t all that encouraging, but also taking into account that it’s likely a combination of poor defense and ball park effects of a minor league stadium working against him, I’m willing to look past some of those struggles and would be fascinated with getting him in St. Louis, much like the George Soriano situation from the spring, to see what this big league pitching staff and development staff can get out of this really encouraging ball of clay. You have essentially 6 years of control with Alvarado, only 2 option years remaining, and Alvarado is already 27, so the player acquisition cost for Alvarado would likely be relatively low, but presents exciting upside.
LHP Erik Miller – San Francisco Giants
This one admittedly is the most far-fetched; however, there likely wouldnt be a more impactful and immediate boost to the Cardinals bullpen than Erik Miller. It’s a 4-pitch mix, primarily Sinker/Slider, which he throws about 85% of the time. He will mix in a 4-Seam and Changeup against right-handed hitters. At 6’5 269 lbs, another gigantic human, I guess, emerging closers is the true theme of these guys, as well. 32.3 k%, 3.42 FIP, and a +0.10 WPA. Miller comes with 4 additional years of control and would be the true lefty weapon the bullpen is missing to pair with Riley O’Brien at the back end of games to give them a legitimate back end of games that would create heartburn for the opposition who would have the misfortune of facing them on any given night. This cost would likely be for players that the Cardinals wouldnt want to part with. More of a dream than a reality, I surmise, but Miller is 100% the ideal trade acquisition for the Cardinals at the 2026 deadline.
Ultimately, the Cardinals’ roster has 2 weeks to make its case not to engage in a significant sell-off. Things have been trending in the wrong direction for some time now, and the NL Wild Card race has muddied itself to the point that “clear and convincing evidence” against following through on the initial plan coming into the season becomes harder and harder to justify. That’s not to suggest that a Cardinals team that has been spiteful in the face of adversity wouldnt be capable of sneaking their way into the final spot even if they sell off short-term players and promote from within more exciting upside talent from this percolating Cardinals farm system. Key ingredients are missing from this recipe before it takes its final and most flavorful form of “deadline soup.” The Cardinals are running out of time, and Chef Bloom is ready to cook. What comes to boil could still be anyone’s guess, but our appetites for answers continue to increase with each passing day. I, for one, with spoon and bowl in hand, am ready to eat it up!
Let me know in the comments your thoughts on the direction you think the Cardinals will go. Who would you like to see them acquire? Who would you try to move out to try and extract value from? I’m eager to see where everyone’s palate for change is driving their craving!
-Thanks for reading
Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday
Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday
High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday
Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday
Florida Complex League Yankees: Suspended by rain in first inning vs. FCL Phillies — this was to be 2025 first-rounder Dax Kilby’s second game back from a hamstring injury, though he grounded out in the first before the game was called
Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 9-3 vs. DSL Blue Jays Red
CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K, 2 SB
SS Stiven Marinez 1-4, BB, K, SB, throwing error
RF Yostin Pena 3-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI, K, SB, CS
2B Juan Torres 0-3, BB, 2 SB
C Juan Martinez 1-3, 2 RBI, K
DH Cesar Lopez 1-2, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K
1B Poly Ojeda 0-1, 2 BB, K, SB — eight steals from the Yanks in this game, typical DSL stuff
LF Miguel Aguilar 1-4, 3 K
3B Adrian Feliz 1-4, SB, throwing error
Hector Moreno 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Fredy Penuelas 4 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 4 BB, 3 K (win)
Brauilo Jaquez 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 8-7 (9) at DSL Cardinals
CF Ruben Castillo 0-3, RBI, SF
2B Dariel Santana 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K
C Alfiery Rodriguez 0-4, K
3B Carlos Bello 2-3, BB, 3 SB
DH Kenneth Melendez 1-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB, SB
RF David Carrera 2-4, RBI, BB, SB
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-5, RBI, 2 K, SB — the Bombers also stole eight bases on the day
1B Stalen Ramirez 0-2, BB, 2 SB
LF Sebastian Pinto 0-3, RBI, K, SF
Randy Angomas 2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 7 BB, 3 K
Kevin Centeno 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 2 K
Andre Avila 2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Ronald Tejada 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K
Josue Silvestre 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R (1 ER), 2 BB, 3 K (loss) — gave up a walk-off two-run double, including the zombie runner, in extra innings (the game ended in nine but was scheduled to end in seven)
The Detroit Tigers opened up their three-game road series against the Chicago Cubs on Monday night with a nail-biting 8-6 victory in 10 innings. It began with a half-hour rain delay and ended in extra frames, and in between the two was plenty of action and zaniness. But what’s important is that the good guys won.
With a chance to clinch the series, left-hander Framber Valdez gets the start looking to build upon his last outing before the All-Star break. The 32-year-old earned his 10th quality start of the 2026 campaign against the Athletics, matching his season high with seven innings, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out nine — another season high — en route to his fifth win in a 4-1 final at Comerica Park.
Opposite him is Ethan Roberts, who gets his first start in his 24th appearance of the season after putting up sub-replacement player numbers as a reliever. This will also be the 29-year-old’s first outing of July after a brutal June that saw him post an 8.38 ERA and an 8.27 FIP over 11 games stretching across 9 2/3 innings, serving up 13 hits (three home runs) and seven walks while striking out five plus a hit-by-pitch.
Here is a summary of both pitchers’ stats ahead of Game 2 of the series in the Windy City.
Time (ET): 8:05 p.m.
Place: Wrigley Field, Chicago, Illinois
SB Nation Site:Bleed Cubbie Blue
Media: Detroit SportsNet, MLB.TV, Tigers Radio Network
Game 101: LHP Framber Valdez (5-6, 4.10 ERA) vs. RHP Ethan Roberts (0-2, 4.21 ERA)
| Player | G | IP | K% | BB% | GB% | FIP | fWAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Valdez | 19 | 107.2 | 18.6 | 7.7 | 52.3 | 4.10 | 1.3 |
| Roberts | 23 | 25.2 | 15.5 | 12.7 | 48.7 | 5.28 | -0.2 |
VALDEZ
ROBERTS
NEW YORK — Pittsburgh Pirates reliever Dennis Santana said he yelled at José Caballero for taking too long to get ready in the batter’s box, triggering a heated altercation in Monday night’s 8-5 loss to the New York Yankees.
Both benches and bullpens emptied after Caballero bounced into an inning-ending double play in the eighth. Santana got angry following the play, gesturing and shouting a few times at Caballero on the field.
“Just don’t (take) that long (at) home plate and that’s it,” Santana said when asked what he said to Caballero.
The right-hander was restrained by teammates Rafael Flores and Bryan Reynolds before order was restored after a few minutes without any punches or ejections.
“Dennis just got frustrated by something,” Pittsburgh manager Don Kelly said. “Thankfully it didn’t end up being a big deal.”
Since the pitch clock was implemented in 2023, hitters are required to be in the batter’s box and facing the pitcher with eight seconds remaining on the clock. Caballero was trying to wait until the last second available during his at-bat, which lasted three pitches.
“I just grounded into a double play, turning my back to the coach at first base to give my guards to him, and he was chirping at me,” Caballero said. "I was a little bit surprised about it.”
Caballero had two hits, including a two-run double, before his at-bat against Santana, who has a 6.05 ERA in 44 appearances and gave up a game-ending two-run homer to Cleveland rookie Travis Bazzana on Saturday.
“At this point, he’s lucky he doesn’t get a ball right away because at this point, it’s been four years with the same rules, which we all should know about the rules,” Caballero said. “The whole league should know who I am, what I do (in) the box, and they should be aware of it. For you to get mad at something that the league’s implementing — you shouldn’t be mad at me, you should be mad at someone else.”
During New York’s 8-3 win in Toronto on June 14, Caballero was issued a warning for intentionally delaying an at-bat. He was warned by plate umpire Stephen Jaschinski that he would get an automatic strike called if it happened again, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone spoke to Major League Baseball officials about it the following day.
“I know he does it every pitch. It’s his thing,” Reynolds said.
Caballero’s deliberate style in the batter’s box has periodically irked opponents, including the Yankees, who acquired him from Tampa Bay on July 31 last year.
As a rookie with the Seattle Mariners in June 2023, Caballero annoyed Yankees ace Gerrit Cole so much the right-hander threw a 97 mph fastball to him that landed high up on the backstop.
Cole’s pitch was in response to Caballero stepping out repeatedly during his first two plate appearances until the pitch clock was down to the eight-second requirement to be in the batter’s box and alert.
Any moment now we could be receiving alerts from X, formerly Twitter, about where LeBron James chooses to play next season.
We know the teams involved in the conversation surrounding James' decision: Cleveland Cavaliers, Golden State Warriors, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Multiple reports have concluded that there are truly three teams in contention between the Cavs, Sixers and Heat.
The Warriors feel like a pipe dream but also remain a team to look out for that could really shift the narrative. James and his camp have all the information they need, according to USA TODAY Sports' Lorenzo Reyes. Now, he just weighs out all of his options.
As James continues to breakdown those options and select his team, rumors are still flying. Speculation is rampant.
Here's the latest news, updates and whispers about the LeBron James Decision 4.0:
After NBA Commissioner Adam Silver expressed his desire for LeBron James to make his decision so the league can finish its schedule for the regular-season, it fell on deaf ears.
Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, James' agent. told Max Kellerman during their Game Over podcast that James won't "be rushed" into making a free agency decision.
"I saw Adam in New York and we discussed it," Paul said. "If (LeBron) doesn’t know – you can’t rush it … we’re not going to be rushed. It’s his choice to make.
"There’s been several people who called and said ‘hey Rich is there anymore that we should be doing?’ And my answer is no. We don’t need you to go above and beyond."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: LeBron James selects his next team: Latest updates, rumors, news
Dallas Mavericks rookie Morez Johnson Jr. is leaving the Las Vegas Summer League with a mixed bag of tape to look over until the start of training camp.
Johnson started off hot in Las Vegas but eventually cooled down, which isn’t what Mavericks fans want to see. ESPN analyst Ben Golliver listed Johnson as the most inconsistent rookie at the Las Vegas Summer League.
“Johnson’s debut was a sight to behold: 27 points, eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and two blocks against the Golden State Warriors. As that line suggests, the No. 9 pick was a wrecking ball on both sides of the court. To top off an excellent showing filled with above-the-rim highlights on both ends, the 6-foot-9 forward even stepped out to hit a 3-pointer. This was everything Dallas could have wanted to see: physicality, energy, versatility and a stretch element on offense,” Golliver wrote.
“Unfortunately, Johnson looked like a completely different player in the Mavericks’ next game, a loss to the Lakers. He committed seven fouls in 28 minutes, looked a step slow to react to the action in the paint and finished with just 10 points and five rebounds as the Mavericks were outscored by 22 points in his 28 minutes.”
Johnson will get opportunities to compete for minutes in his rookie season, especially with his former Michigan head coach Dusty May now leading the Mavs. There won’t be as much breathing room in Dallas as there was in Ann Arbor. There are other players who bring a lot to the table that could challenge Johnson for minutes, including the team’s newest trade acquisition, Zaccharie Risacher, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NBA draft.
Johnson showed the best of what he can bring, along with the worst. He is coming into the league as a rookie, and that will come with its fair share of growing pains, but he needs to learn how to move on from those quickly.
Johnson’s role likely won’t feature him as much offensively as he played against Golden State, which means he has to learn how to fit in alongside Cooper Flagg as a role player. If he can find his lane, he’ll be just fine, but he needs to figure out how to complement his teammates while using the elite energy and physicality that made him a top-10 pick to begin with.
We’re within two weeks of the MLB Trade Deadline, and things are pretty unsettled across the league. In the 12-team, three-Wild Card playoff era, it gets harder and harder to discern buyers from sellers, with so many teams within striking distance of a postseason spot. This year, a number teams that many figured would be also-rans, like the Cardinals and Marlins, are contending, while some presumed contenders, like the Mets and Tigers, are fading. Some teams that looked sure to sell not long ago (looking at you, Boston), look like they might buy, while other teams that perpetually seem to go all in (hello, San Diego, might now need to sell.
We have little idea what anyone’s going to do over the next couple of weeks, and that includes the Yankees. The baseline assumption is that they’ll buy, because of course they will, they’re the Yankees. But beyond that, exactly what kind of deadline New York has is an open question.
To my eye, the last decade of Yankees’ trade deadlines gives us a few archetypes. There’s the most flashy one: the full-scale renovation, the deadline that sees the Yankees part with buckets of prospects for several major-league contributors. Seasons like 2025 and 2017 come to mind for this archetype, and 2022 also might fit the standard as well. After that, there’s a deadline of still-impactful but more measured buying, where Brian Cashman makes a few significant moves, without overhauling a third of the roster at once. Years like 2018, 2021, and 2024 are probably the best examples here. And then there are the years where the Yankees mostly stand still, content to make one or two moves without really shaking the boat; think 2019, 2020, and 2023. There’s also, lastly, the Selling Deadline, which the Yankees have pursued just once this century in 2016, though the odds of that kind of deadline are low (but not zero with Aaron Judge still hurt!).
Which type of deadline do you think is most likely in 2026? For my money, the solid deadlines of 2018, and 2021, and 2024 feel like the best analogs. 2018 saw Cashman add a few pitchers (J.A. Happ, Lance Lynn, and Zack Britton), while taking a flyer on a bat in Luke Voit. In 2021, he brought in Anthony Rizzo, Joey Gallo, and Andrew Heaney, while in 2024 it was Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Mark Leiter Jr. That kind of deadline, where the Yankees target a few legitimate big-league contributors but don’t go crazy, generally feels like the median outcome for a Cashman deadline.
But there’s always a chance things go off script, in either direction. Maybe the Yankees see fit to turn over the roster like they did last year, or maybe they’ll make like 2023, the last time they entered the deadline with an injured Judge, when Cashman added an interesting relief arm in Keynan Middleton before calling it a day.
What do you think? Which route is most likely? And which do route do you think would be best for the Yankees with the roster in its current state?
On the site today, our Trade Deadline target series rolls along, with John analyzing Luis Arraez, a player the Yankees were often linked to a couple years ago. John will also profile Carsten Charles Sabathia on the occasion of his 46th birthday, while Matt will hand up the day’s Rivalry Roundup. Later, Michael recaps the last week of action down on the farm, and Peter delivers his At-bat of the Week.
New York Yankees vs. Pittsburgh Pirates
Time: 7:10 p.m. EST
TV: YES Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh
Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY
We’ve talked a lot about Larry Bird in this space, largely because Bird had a genius for basketball that is exceedingly rare. A lot of people think that Bird was too slow and couldn’t jump, and that he wouldn’t be able to play today.
People like JJ Redick, for one, who really should know better (Redick said that he didn’t think Bird was a top-five all-time three-point shooter).
Redick was born in 1984, so he was too young to see Bird in his prime, and may not have watched him much in his later years either to understand why he was such a feared shooter. That’s hard to know. However, the idea that Bird would struggle in today’s game is ludicrous, and this video partially demonstrates why.
You’ll see several things repeated here. For one, Bird on several occasions is on the floor and nonetheless still delivers pinpoint, lethal passes.
You’ll also see him make several passes to players behind him that he cannot possibly see. Nonetheless, he knows where they will be and delivers perfect passes for easy baskets, sometimes with 2-3 defenders in the way.
You’ll also see plays where he just touches the ball long enough to direct it to a teammate. It’s not exactly a pass; it’s more like a redirection.
As the narrator notes, Bird has superb situational awareness, and perhaps the best hand-eye coordination in the history of the game. But he also played as hard as anyone, and with an amazing amount of self-confidence.
This is a guy who said that he knew, on his third day of practice as a rookie, that he would dominate the NBA.
There are Larry Bird trash talking videos out there on the YouTubes, where he told his defenders exactly what he was going to do, and then did it.
And then there’s this: Bird played in an era when guys sometimes tackled each other in the open court and pulled each other down like they were in WrestleMania, not the NBA.
In this era, where you can’t defend physically as you could in the 1980’s, no one could have stopped Bird. He might have averaged 40 points in the modern NBA.
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CHICAGO — All-Star pitcher Joe Ryan, sitting in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Wrigley Field, figured he’d be gone with everyone else in the infamous Minnesota Twins fire sale a year ago.
He heard the rumors all winter that he’d be traded, again in spring training, yet now that the MLB trade deadline is here, the Ryan trade talks have suddenly stopped.
Funny how a team’s outlook changes when the American League stinks.
The Twins, despite a 49-52 record, are only three games out in the wild-card race and four games back in the AL Central.
And Ryan, who could be the most sought-after starter on the trade market, now believes he’ll be actually staying put.
The Twins, after tearing the hearts out of their fanbase a year ago, certainly don’t have the audacity to do it again.
Entering Monday with a 2.88 ERA, striking out 128 batters in 110 ⅓ innings, Ryan also is under team control for one more year before he can hit free agency after the 2027 season.
“Last year there’s just kind of this unknown and we didn’t know that it was going to go down the way it did," Ryan said. “I don’t even know if the organization knew it was going to go down the same way it did. But at the same time, I think it was probably inflamed publicly with the 'fire sale' because we had a lot of guys on expiring contracts that you’re going to move, regardless.
“Then, all offseason I was kind of like, 'He’s going to get traded. He’s going to be traded.’ In spring training. And the beginning of the year. It was constant. But we’ve just played good baseball, and it’s allowed me to really just hone in on the team and keeps you present.
“It’s just given me peace."
Ryan is one of the 12-most intriguing players on this year’s trade bubble, executives believe, with teams still trying to figure out whether they’ll be traded or kept.
Prediction: He’ll stay.
Here's a look at other players on the bubble:
Skubal, the defending two-time AL Cy Young winner, realizes his fate depends on how the Tigers fare these next weeks. If they keep winning – and they're 24-15 since June 1 – he’s staying.
If they have a relapse and start losing like they did when they went 6-22 in May, he’s gone. And if he’s gone, why hang onto Casey Mize, who’s also a free agent after the season?
“I mean it's all out of my control,” Skubal said after his last start.
Certainly, he’s doing everything in his power to stay, pitching seven shutout innings Saturday with nine strikeouts against the Angels. It was the first time he went seven innings since April 29, his last start before undergoing elbow surgery, and everyone’s taking notice.
Prediction: STAYING
Holmes hasn’t pitched in a game since May 15 when he fractured his right fibula on a comebacker, but it hasn’t stopped scouts from monitoring his minor-league rehab stint, knowing he should return shortly after the Aug. 3 trade deadline. This is a guy who was dominant before the injury, yielding a 2.38 ERA in his first 52 ⅔ innings.
Holmes is in the second year of a three-year, $38 million contract, but he could opt out of the remaining $12 million in his deal and hit free agency after the season. He expressed interested in signing a long-term extension, but David Stearns, Mets president of baseball operations, has been reluctant to give out long-term deals to pitchers.
Prediction: GOING
Would the Pirates dare trade one of their potential young stars while fighting for their first playoff berth since 2015?
Likely not, but they desperately need bullpen help and could aways use depth in the starting rotation. They also have a powerful offense, depth in the outfield with Jake Mangum and Esmerlyn Valdez, and the desire to keep their payroll at its current level. If they choose, they can always move him in the winter, too.
Prediction: STAYING
The Blue Jays have been one of the game’s most underachieving teams, and nothing after the break has changed their plight, losing two of three games to the Chicago White Sox.
The Blue Jays hate to raise the white flag after being just two outs of winning the World Series last year, but they also have to be realistic about their most attractive trade chip.
Prediction: GOING – along with a few of his teammates
The Nationals dangled Abrams over the winter, but no one came close to stepping up and making a bid to pry him away. It may be no different this time around, but Abrams is having an All-Star season and has already set career highs with 21 home runs and 70 RBIs. And he still has two years of club control. They are still hanging around the wild card race, and could instead trade first baseman Luis Garcia Jr.
Prediction: STAYING
There are plenty other high-salaried players on long-term contract the Giants would love to trade, including Matt Chapman, Willy Adames and Rafael Devers, but Lee is having the best season at the best price. He’s hitting .303 with a .787 OPS, with about $70 million remaining through 2029. He also has an opt out after the 2027 season. Still, with only five home runs this season, teams may instead covet power-hitters.
Prediction: STAYING
Detmers just may be the most valuable pitcher to hit the trade market.
Detmers, who is striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings, is coming off a dominant six-inning shutout performance against the Tigers, yielding just four hits with seven strikeouts. This not only is a breakout season for the 27-year-old lefty, but he’s also not earning much money ($2.625 million) and is even under team control through 2028.
If owner Arte Moreno gives his blessing, John Mozeliak, interim president of baseball operations, will trade him, and perhaps Jose Soriano too, knowing how it could instantly inject an abundance of talent into their farm system.
Prediction: Detmers goes, Soriano stays
This is the type of player the Orioles could get a handsome return for with the lack of power hitters on the market. Yet, after winning six games in a row to be in the middle of the wild-card race, can they really afford to part with Ward? He hit 36 homers with 103 RBIs for the Angels last season, which has dropped to seven homers and 27 RBIs, and is a free agent after the season.
Do they give up on him or believe he’ll turn it around?
Prediction: STAYING
The New York Yankees are salivating over the chance to acquire Ryan Jeffers, and the Rays are in the mix, too.
Who wouldn’t want a power-hitting catcher who’s back healthy with a .941 OPS?
The Twins’ dilemma is that they are still hanging in the race, just 3 games behind the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central race and 2 back in the wild-card race. They do have reliable Victor Caratini, but he’s not Jeffers.
“There's nothing you can do about it,’’ Jeffers said this weekend in Chicago. "You just go out there and continue to play baseball. If I wanted to be a GM, I'd stop playing. So, I'll keep on playing and figure out the future career path after I'm done."
Prediction: GOING
The Padres gave up their top prospect and three other prospects to acquire him a year ago, believing he would make their bullpen so powerful that they would never blow a lead.
They never envisioned that they’d become so mediocre this year that 14 times already he has had three or more days of rest, including a stretch in June where he never appeared for six days. He has had only 10 save opportunities since May 30.
Simply, he’s too valuable to sit around and rot in the bullpen, and the Padres could use their return to bolster their woefully thin rotation.
Prediction: GOING
It’s crazy to think that the Reds would trade Greene, right? He’s one of the most talented young pitchers in the game, but injuries have limited him to just 123 ⅔ innings since the end of the 2024 season. He also is under team control through the 2029 season at $52 million.
So why would the Reds even think about it?
Well, with so few sellers on the market, and Greene not turning 27 until three days after the trade deadline, the Reds are intrigued just to see what they could command on the market, seeing if someone blows them away.
Prediction: STAYING
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB trade deadline predictions: Will these 12 players on the bubble stay or go?
The hype heading into this year’s draft was tremendous, and through the small sample size of 10 or so days in the Las Vegas summer heat, this year’s class has lived up to its billing.
AJ Dybantsa, now a Washington Wizard, looked every bit the No 1 overall pick in his Summer League debut, where he bested the player drafted directly behind him, Darryn Peterson. This was notable, as Peterson had won the pair’s previous head to head matchups, and the noise was starting to swell that perhaps the Wizards had made the wrong selection with the No 1 pick. But Dybantsa showed his high ceiling, looking every bit the crafty and athletic offensive engine he has been touted as. Peterson, to his credit, also had a solid Summer League outing, especially in the California Classic (the mini version of the league that takes place before the big shebang in Las Vegas), showcasing his excellent shot creation skills.
The third overall pick, Cameron Boozer, who many trendy media folks picked to go first, showed exactly why he’s attracted so many fans while leading his team to the NBA Summer League Final: he’s not particularly flashy or exciting, rather more of a high level metronome. Boozer is a super smart, strong, and mature offensive hub who may not put butts in seats, but he really understands how to play basketball at an NBA level.
And Caleb Wilson, drafted fourth by the Chicago Bulls, may have seen his stock rise the most of the four during his time in Vegas. He scored a scintillating 35 points (with seven threes) in his Vegas debut, and if that shooting can hold up in the NBA, his athleticism, shot creation and swagger make him a bona fide franchise cornerstone, the kind of guy who can finally poster dunk the Bulls out of mediocrity.
Before Lendeborg was an NBA Summer League champion and Summer League Finals MVP with the Golden State Warriors, who drafted him with the 11th overall pick this year, he was winning an NCAA championship with the Michigan Wolverines. Simply put, the guy is a winner. With his size (6ft 9in, with a 7ft 4in wingspan), skillset (a swiss army knife with a high basketball IQ) and personality (not afraid of the big moment, swagger for days), he most likely would have gone even higher had he not been 23 years old at the time of the draft in June. In some ways, though, his age is an asset; especially for a team as win-now (or, rather, win-yesterday) as the Warriors. Lendeborg is ready for the NBA fresh out of the box, he’s smart and savvy and the epitome of plug and play. On top of all of this, he’s a walking pull-quote: he told ESPN’s Ben Golliver of the Grizzlies’ blown lead in the championship game: “Man, their butts got tight. They puckered up, you know what I mean? Some of us are built for the moment and some aren’t.”
The most glaring roster hole after an aggressive summer of moves for the Los Angeles Lakers (all five starters from game one of their first round series against the Houston Rockets this playoffs are gone) is at the wing/forward. While rumors are still aflutter in regards to players like the Hawks’ Jonathan Kuminga and Dallas’s PJ Washington, the Lakers’ time in Las Vegas showed heartening signs that they may have rotation-caliber wings at home. To start with, Cameron Carr, who fell to Los Angeles all the way down at No 24 in this year’s draft, looks like he may be a steal who should have gone in the lottery. He showed athleticism and shooting that the Lakers have lacked, and seemed right at home in pseudo NBA level competition. Adou Thiero, the freak athlete 2025 draft pick who spent most of his rookie campaign recovering from injury, also seemed to be making substantial strides.
But the surprise of the week was Arthur Kaluma, who spent last season with the Lakers’ G-League affiliate. He had a 34-point game against the Mavericks, and generally seemed prime to emerge as the 3 & D wing the Lakers are looking to shore up their rotation with. While the team fell short of making the Summer League Final, they have to be feeling pretty good about what they have in-house. They went 4-1 in Vegas, only losing to the ultimate champion Warriors in the semi-finals.
Milwaukee have had a rough go of things in recent years, to say the least. Their fence-swing for Damian Lillard went about as poorly as it could have, culminating in an achilles tear and the decision to waive and stretch his contract. Then came the somewhat inexplicable decision to throw the bag at center Myles Turner. Another year of Giannis Antetokounmpo injuries later, and it was finally time to face the music: the Bucks traded the Greek star to the Miami Heat, who had long courted him. As much as it hurt to break up with their multi-time MVP sweetheart, it was for the best for all parties. Hope that there are sunnier days ahead came in the form of guard Brayden Burries, who the Bucks selected No 10 overall in this year’s draft. He was one of the standouts in Vegas, averaging 23.5 points (with 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists), and putting a cherry on top of his outing with a game-winning bucket in his final game. Burries looks like he could end up being the best of what was a crowded guard class in the mid lottery, scoring efficiently and showing poise in his time in the desert.
At the time of writing, the jury is still out on whether or not one LeBron James, the best thing to ever happen to sports in the Cleveland metro area, will be back for a third rodeo in a Cavaliers uniform. But regardless of that outcome, there are silver linings to be found for Cavs fans this July. Thomas, a guard out of Arkansas, was the surprise standout of the week, averaging just over 27 points (!) at 50% (!) from the field. He may struggle to find substantial rotation minutes on the Cavs next year, as they just gave Donovan Mitchell a tremendous amount of money and are allegedly planning to bring back James Harden on a more team-friendly contract, but Thomas was the best player on the floor in several of his contests in Vegas, and for the 34th overall pick, that’s pretty damned remarkable. Thomas didn’t look out of place among his higher drafted peers; if anything, he was often the most confident among them. We may well look back on the 2026 draft and wonder how Cleveland snagged such a gem in the second round.
MLB.com | Mark Feinsand: Although the team’s top two prospects, George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange, appear to be off-limits at this year’s Trade Deadline, the Yankees still have quite a bit of prospect ammunition to make a deal at this deadline, with former top prospects Jasson Domínguez and Spencer Jones joining current prospects Dax Kilby and Elmer Rodríguez as players the Bombers could look to move to augment this year’s big league club.
The Athletic | Brendan Kuty: With a series loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the rearview mirror and the Trade Deadline looming, the conversation has turned to whether or not the Aaron Judge-less Yankees have the means to compete in the American League. With that in mind, Brendan Kuty makes three proposals to immediately give the Yankees a boost: get rid of Camilo Doval, call up Spencer Jones, and platoon Jazz Chisholm Jr., who has struggled against southpaws this season, with Max Schuemann, who has thrived versus them. While, in a vacuum, none of these suggestions would move the needle, in the aggregate, they might give the team a jolt.
MLB.com | Bryan Hoch: The Yankees got a bit of good injury news this weekend, as Clarke Schmidt — out since last summer after undergoing Tommy John surgery — took the mound and threw 15 pitches before Saturday night’s game was postponed due to weather. Facing Anthony Volpe and Ali Sánchez, he threw only four-seam fastballs, following the same rehab schedule that Gerrit Cole did earlier this season; should all go well, he will start incorporating breaking balls in his next session. Schmidt may be able to return to the Bronx in a bullpen role in August, or as a starter in September.
Baseball America: (subscription required) Now that the draft is behind us, Baseball America has updated their Top 30 prospect lists. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Lombard took the top spot, while Lagrange — who turned heads with his high velocity during the spring — comes in fourth, behind Rodríguez and Kilby. This year’s top pick, Hunter Dietz, debuts at seventh with second-rounder Sean Duncan hot on his heels, while Jones drops to ninth.
On June 7, 1998, Brigadier-General Ansumane Mané attempted to oust João Bernardo Vieira, the president of Guinea-Bissau, a small African nation of about two million people about half as large as Massachusetts. Vieira had served as president of the nation since 1984, and was not especially popular.
Mané had been suspended earlier that year for dereliction of duty. Weapons belonging to the Guinea-Bissau military had been found in the possession of separatists that were waging a campaign for independence in neighboring Senegal. For his part, Mané claimed innocence and accused other members of the defense ministry of trafficking in arms with the Casamance separatists.
The day after his official dismissal on June 6th, Mané and his allies within the Guinea-Bissau armed forces seized control of critical infrastructure and demanded the ouster of Vieira, to be followed by free elections in July.
Guinea-Bissau had been a Portuguese colony, and in response to the fighting that broke out, they dispatched a detachment of marines to enforce a cease-fire and to protect Portuguese nationals as well as helping them repatriate.
The rebels eventually ended up controlling 99% of the country, at which point in time, an end to hostilities was negotiated.
As it turned out, Mané was exonerated from accusations of trafficking in arms with the Casamance separatists, while Vieira’s presidential guard were heavily involved in the trade.
The truce allowed Vieira to remain in power, but when he apparently refused to allow his personal guard to be disarmed in May of 1999 another coup took place and Vieira surrendered unconditionally, bringing an end to a civil war that had displaced about four hundred thousand residents at various times.
Refugees from the Guinea-Bissau civil war ended up in a variety of places. According to the UN high council on refugees (UNHCR), about four thousand ended up in camps in neighboring African states. Over four thousand also ended up in Portugal.
Two of those refugees were Mica and Djaneuba Queta. They fled first to Cape Verde, an island archipelago off the coast of Africa, and from there to Portugal. The two had a son around a year after the civil war started.
Neemias Queta was born in Portugal on July 13, 1999.
He was raised in Vale da Amoreira, a small town across the Tagus River from Lisbon that is a haven for African refugees and immigrants.
When he was ten years old, his older sister was invited to try out for what was, essentially, her high school basketball team, the Sports Group of the Secondary School of Santo André. Neemias tagged along and caught the attention of one of the coaches of the local club, Barrierense.
Like many European basketball clubs, as opposed to American professional teams, Barrierense does not just field a team that plays in the first division of the Portuguese basketball league; they also sponsor youth teams, and at age ten, Neemias was invited to join one of those teams.
He would play for the Barrierense youth teams right up until he began his college career.
But before he started college, he put on a clinic at the FIBA U20 tournament in Europe. He averaged a double-double for the tournament, and recorded a near triple-double against the Netherlands, a game in which he tallied twenty points, fourteen rebounds and nine blocks.
Utah State was looking overseas for talent in 2018, and Eric Peterson, an assistant to head coach Craig Smith, was put in charge of the task. Peterson asked some of the guys he knew overseas for tips on who to recruit. According to Eric, “there was one name on every single text message and it was Neemias.”
Fortunately for Peterson, the Aggies already had a Portuguese player on the roster, Diogo Brito, who knew Queta. Brito helped recruit Queta from Portugal to Logan, Utah, a medium sized city between the Bear Range and the Wasatch Mountains near the Idaho border.
Peterson has nothing but praise for Queta’s work ethic. “Neemi made himself a pro. It takes a lot to show up every single day. Some kids you coach, you have to say, ‘Hey, let’s get in the gym’ or ‘hey, do you want to get in the gym today?’ Nemi was just constantly, ‘Coach, you got film for me?’ ‘Coach, can we shoot this morning at 7am?’”
After a single standout season in the Mountain West Conference, Neemi participated in the NBA draft combine, but did not hire an agent, which at the time, was an irrevocable step that would terminate college eligibility.
Queta was not ready for the pro game. Peterson, who accompanied Neemias to the workouts, relates that his first challenge was going up against future Celtic legend Tacko Fall. According to Peterson, Queta got his “butt kicked,” and knew that he needed to continue to work on his game.
After two more seasons of accumulated accolades, including a school record for most blocks and a Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year award, Queta was ready for the NBA Draft.
He officially declared in 2021, and was taken by Sacramento as a second round pick, the 39th overall. He thus became the first Portuguese player selected by an NBA team.
Sacramento has been bad for a very long time; this has resulted in a succession of high picks that they have principally used on overrated players, or on players that they have failed to develop. Queta fits into the second category.
Queta spent a lot of time playing for the Stockton Kings, Sacramento’s G League affiliate, but appeared in 15 games for the parent squad his rookie year. That number dropped to five in his sophomore season. Neemias played these seasons on two-way contracts, which, unlike standard NBA contracts, allow players to be assigned to the G League for an extended period of time.
In August of 2023, the Kings signed Queta to a standard contract, and then promptly waived him a month later on September 12.
The Celtics snapped him up a week after he was cut, signing him to a two-way contract, and making him an NBA champion when the Celtics secured Banner 18 the following summer.
That summer the Celtics signed Queta to an NBA contract, and unlike the Kings, they did not waive him a month later. Instead, Queta saw his role increase during the 2024/25 season. After appearing in just 28 games in the previous campaign, Neemias saw action in 62 contests.
With the departure of veteran Celtics bigs during the summer of 2025, Neemias ended up being the Celtics’ starting center going into a season where everyone but the team itself seemed to have low expectations.
Queta made a solid case for the league’s Most Improved Player, starting 75 of 82 games while averaging 1.3 blocks per game, to go with 10.4 points and 8.4 rebounds, in a surprising 56 win campaign that saw the Celtics finish with the second best record in the NBA’s Eastern Conference.
He was rewarded with a four year, $56 million contract.
His progress would not surprise Eric Peterson, who recruited him to Utah State because he fit the type of player they were looking for. “We want guys that are not done getting better, that have their best basketball ahead of them.”
Doc Rivers shoots down notion Warriors are too old to compete for NBA title originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
The Warriors ended the 2025-26 NBA season as the league’s oldest team at 29 years, 199 days on April 12, per SportRadar.
After the team re-signed Al Horford (40 years old) and Kristaps Porziņģis (30), along with their likely re-signing of Draymond Green (36) paired with the potential to land LeBron James (41), that designation likely will remain true when next season starts.
Add that to the 36-year-old Jimmy Butler and 38-year-old Steph Curry, the “unc” label given to Golden State is fitting. But NBA title-winning coach Doc Rivers doesn’t necessarily think the Warriors’ age is a bad thing.
“I think, yeah, they’re older players but the whole team’s not old,” Rivers told NBC Sports Bay Area’s Monte Poole at the American Century Championship. “And I think if you mix with the right guys.”
Rivers says he believes having the veteran presence on the team paired with younger talent – for the Warriors, names like Yaxel Lendeborg, Moses Moody, Gui Santos and Brandin Podziemski – is the right recipe to winning a title.
“I thought when we won it in 2008, we had the perfect mix,” Rivers told Poole. “We had the old guys at the front of the team and then we actually had the really old guys at the back of the team and then we had the young guys in the middle. It was like a push-pull thing. The old guys would just pull the young guys along, the young guys would push the old guys every day in practice and I think it’s a good mix and that’s what you have to have.”
The Warriors’ championship pedigree also shouldn’t be overlooked with Curry, Green and coach Steve Kerr already the proud owners of four NBA championships, Horford winning a title in 2024 with the Boston Celtics and Jimmy Butler infamously carrying the Miami Heat to the brink of a title in 2020 and once again helping the team reach the Finals in 2023.
Whether or not James joins the Warriors, it’ll be interesting to see if the team can put together that same recipe that helped Rivers and the Celtics hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy.
José Caballero claimed “the whole league should know who I am” after he enraged Dennis Santana with his time-wasting in the batter’s box and caused the benches to clear in the eighth inning.
The Yankees infielder has gained a reputation for not engaging with pitchers until the last possible moment, and it set off the Pirates pitcher Monday night — even after he grounded Caballero into a double play.
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Try it freeCaballero hit a tame grounder to the pitcher before being thrown out moments later, but the pair jawed after the play concluded as things quickly escalated.
Caballero said after the game that he didn’t believe he and Santana could actually hear each other’s barbs — but that didn’t stop both benches and bullpens from swarming the field as the game was delayed several minutes.
“The whole league should know who I am, what I do in the box, and they should be aware of it,” Caballero said.
“And for you to be mad at something the league implemented in this league [batters have until eight seconds left in the pitch clock to engage], he shouldn’t be mad at me — he should be mad at someone else.”
For his part, Santana admitted he was aware of Caballero’s strategy “a little bit” before the game, but that it’s “not my problem.”
He admitted that he got “caught up in the game,” and that he didn’t think Caballero should be delaying him on every pitch with the Yankees already leading 8-5.
Aaron Boone, meanwhile, cracked that “sometimes boys will be boys,” but admitted that pitchers can be caught off guard by Caballero’s antics.
“I completely understand, it’s part of his process getting ready mentally to hit. And frankly, I think more guys should,” Boone said.
“If you’re not used to it, you should practice,” Caballero added.
