DETROIT, MI - JULY 29: Tarik Skubal #29 of the Detroit Tigers takes off his cap after recording his 1,000th strikeout during the first inning of a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Comerica Park on July 29, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Dodgers’ quest for the first threepeat in Major League Baseball in a quarter-century saw them shop in the high end during the free agent market. Now they’ve acquired the best player available at the trade deadline, getting two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal, permultiplereports.
Heading to Detroit are pitcher River Ryan, on the 40-man roster but currently on the injured list in Triple-A, plus top-100 prospect Zyhir Hope and High-A pitcher Brady Smith, per Jeff Passan at ESPN.
Skubal this season has a 2.79 ERA and 2.98 xERA in 16 starts, with 116 strikeouts against only 14 walks in 96 2/3 innings. He missed six weeks after arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow, and just had a 2.03 ERA with 41 strikeouts against six walks in five July starts.
Skubal last pitched on Wednesday for the Tigers, putting him in line to start at some point during the Dodgers’ series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field, which runs from Monday to Wednesday.
Skubal famously won his salary arbitration case and is making $32 million this season, before entering free agency this winter. If the deal is finalized on Sunday, the Dodgers would be on the hook for roughly $9.8 million for the rest of the season.
Tarik Skubal, winner of the past two American League Cy Young Awards and one of the finest pitchers in the rich history of the Detroit Tigers, is being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, a baseball official familiar with the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports, ending an epic tenure in the Motor City while giving a significant boost to the Dodgers' World Series three-peat chances.
The baseball official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the deal is not yet official.
Going to Detroit are outfielder Zyhir Hope and right-handed pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith.
And now, Major League Baseball’s super team has an otherworldly rotation: Skubal will join forces with 2025 World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell, All-Star lefty Justin Wrobleski, former All-Star Tyler Glasnow and, oh, if he’s up to it, Shohei Ohtani.
Skubal, 29, will become a free agent after this season and is expected to command a record-setting salary for a pitcher, an asking price the Tigers likely would not be willing to meet. He's already set a record for an arbitration-eligible pitcher with a $32 million salary this season, and now the Dodgers will be responsible for the last $9 million for the remainder of the season.
But oh, what a potential payoff: After missing 45 days due to elbow surgery, Skubal has roared back to top form, posting a 1.95 ERA and 50 strikeouts to six walks over a half-dozen starts. It's a level of efficiency approaching his past two seasons, when Skubal posted a 2.30 ERA over 62 starts, struck out 10.9 batters per nine innings and won a pair of Cy Youngs, the latter in unanimous fashion.
The Dodgers now have an excellent shot at retaining Skubal, though they know he could just be a rental. Yet he also comes with a proven postseason record, leading the Tigers to an improbable 2024 stretch drive that resulted in a wild-card berth and upset of the Houston Astros in the wild card series. Skubal tossed six shutout innings to beat the Astros, and has a 2.04 ERA – with 56 strikeouts in 39⅔ innings – the past two postseasons.
For the Tigers, an all-in season has tacitly ended with the trade of Skubal. They signed left-hander Framber Valdez during the offseason, knowing he'd be a more affordable long-term option than Skubal. Yet for 2026, the Tigers would have both of them.
Those dreams were dashed when Skubal required surgery to remove loose bodies in his elbow. Though an innovative surgical technique reduced his time on the sidelines, the Tigers lost 16 of 18 games during a grim stretch of May, creating a situation that manager A.J. Hinch termed "playing Game 7 every night" in an effort to get back in the race.
And for a minute, they responded, winning 15 of 20 games from June 29 to July 24, the last game in that stretch a dominant Skubal start against Kansas City.
That brought them within five games of the AL Central lead and within 2½ games of a wild-card spot with eight games remaining before the trade deadline.
But they dropped the final two games of their series against the last-place Royals and then two of three to Baltimore, the last loss including a blown 7-0 lead, almost all of it coming after Skubal handed a 7-1 lead to the bullpen.
Skubal is eligible for free agency at the conclusion of the 2026 season and will be one the most sought-after player on the market. Turning 30 this offseason, Skubal is likely to break Yoshinobu Yamamoto's $325 million record contract for a pitcher.
Tarik Skubal played college baseball for the Seattle University Redhawks, earning Freshman All-American honors in 2015 before undergoing Tommy John surgery during his sophomore year in 2016.
Despite missing the 2017 season while recovering, he was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 29th round of the 2017 MLB Draft but chose to return to school. He was ultimately selected by the Detroit Tigers in the ninth round (255th overall) of the 2018 MLB draft and signed for a $350,000 bonus.
Even in a year in which they didn’t have any big trade deadline needs, and signaled a willingness to make only marginal midseason moves in pursuit of a third consecutive World Series title, the two-time defending champions went out and made the biggest splash of the deadline season anyway.
Two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, welcome to Los Angeles.
Tarik Skubal was traded to the Dodgers after winning two Cy Young Awards with the Tigers. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
In a blockbuster deal with the Tigers on Saturday, the Dodgers acquired Skubal, according to multiple sources and as the Post’s Jon Heyman first reported, in exchange for a trio of prospects: outfielder Zyhir Hope, right-handed pitcher River Ryan and right-handed pitcher Brady Smith.
Just like that, the Dodgers will add yet another superstar talent to their world-beating roster.
Now, an already probable World Series in 2026 feels that much more inevitable.
The Dodgers, of course, didn’t need Skubal before MLB’s Monday trade deadline, not after expressing confidence in recent weeks that their already talented, but currently banged-up, starting rotation would be healthy come the stretch run of the season.
On the other hand, the Dodgers don’t sit out sweepstakes for “needle-moving” players.
And for this year’s deadline, no one moved the needle for their championship odds more than Skubal — who will be a free agent after this season but has also been arguably the best pitcher in the sport over the last three years.
Skubal might be a short-term rental in the Dodgers’ quest for a third consecutive World Series crown. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
A 29-year-old left-hander from Northern California, Skubal long ago emerged as the best player likely to be moved at the deadline.
The Tigers considered trading him this offseason, as it became clear he would likely end up somewhere else as a potential record-setting free agent this winter.
However, they held onto him then in hopes of competing again in 2026, following back-to-back postseason trips spearheaded by his back-to-back Cy Young campaigns.
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Instead, the Tigers’ season went off the rails quickly, with the club going 22-38 through the end of May. Skubal was out for much of that stretch, after undergoing a procedure to have a loose body removed from his elbow on May 6.
A brief uptick in form — the Tigers went 28-16 from June 1 to July 24 — was followed by another poorly timed skid this past week, cementing the Tigers’ status as a seller ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
Thus, Skubal became the top target on the market, thanks to another strong season in which he is 7-5 with a 2.79 ERA this year (including a 2.87 mark since coming off the injured list).
The Dodgers will send back three prospects in their trade package, which is headlined by Hope –– the No. 4 ranked player in their pipeline, according to Baseball America, and No. 55 overall prospect in the sport.
A 21-year-old former 11th-round draft pick whom the Dodgers acquired from the Cubs before the 2024 season, Hope has impressed over his minor-league career with a .281 average, 48 home runs and .862 OPS.
However, in what will be seen as a win within the Dodgers’ front office, he is behind three other outfielders in the club’s farm system: Josue De Paula (the No. 4 prospect in the sport), Mike Sirota (No. 14) and Eduardo Quintero (No. 18).
The Dodgers managed to keep all of them.
Another surprise in the final deal: Neither Justin Wrobleski nor Emmet Sheehan, two current members of the Dodgers’ MLB rotation, was required to complete the trade.
Instead, the Dodgers are sending back Ryan, who is a hard-throwing right-hander with a deep pitch mix, but has made just four MLB appearances as he closes in on his 28th birthday because of repeated injuries (including Tommy John surgery in 2024, and an ongoing hamstring issue this year that has currently sidelined him in triple-A); and Smith, a raw 21-year-old right-hander in high-A whom the club drafted in the third round in 2023, but who also has a 4.72 ERA in his minor-league career.
Per Baseball America, Ryan was the team’s No. 13 prospect, while Smith was outside the Top 30.
That means, Skubal will now join a Dodgers starting pitching group that –– when fully healthy –– also features a reigning World Series MVP in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, a fellow two-time Cy Young Award winner in Blake Snell, a former All-Star in Tyler Glasnow, a current All-Star in Wrobleski, a gifted (albeit recently struggling) right-hander in Sheehan, a 24-year-old phenom in Roki Sasaki … and, oh yeah, four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.
Rarely, if ever, in the history of baseball has so much talent been amassed on one staff.
The health of that unit still is a big if, of course.
Snell has almost completed a rehab assignment after undergoing his own elbow procedure earlier this year to remove bone chips. Glasnow is set to begin a rehab stint next week as he works his way back from a back spasms issue. And Ohtani has not made a pitching start in nearly a month because of an ongoing knee issue, which has not prevented him from hitting but has kept him shut down from throwing for more than a week.
The Dodgers had expressed confidence in getting each of them back for the stretch run of the season. But their current absences had added uncertainty to their postseason pitching plans.
Not anymore.
Now, the team boasts the ultimate insurance policy, bringing aboard another bona fide supertsar in Skubal who, over the last three seasons, ranks second in the majors in ERA (2.40), third in strikeout rate (31.2%), third in batting average against (.201), fifth in innings pitched (484, even with the time he missed this year), and first in Fangraphs’ version of WAR (15.5).
All along, the industry figured the Dodgers would lead the race to land him.
And once he became available, they didn’t miss the mark –– again.
Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto delivers during a 3-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox at Dodger Stadium on Saturday night.
Dodgers right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto’s start Saturday would have been dominant if it weren’t for Red Sox center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela.
Rafaela’s pair of home runs accounted for most of Boston’s damage against Yamamoto in the Dodgers’ 3-2 loss. Yamamoto held the Red Sox to three runs and four hits through eight innings.
The Dodgers dropped the series to the Red Sox, needing a win Sunday to avoid a sweep.
Shortly after the loss, the Dodgers finalized a deal to acquire two-time AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal in a trade with the Detroit Tigers.
Rafaela jumped all over the first pitch he saw from Yamamoto in the first inning, a splitter, according to Statcast, that drifted up and in. He drove it into the left-field stands.
Two innings later, Yamamoto held off Rafaela for longer. But Rafaela battled back from a 0-2 count. On the fourth pitch of the at-bat, Yamamoto turned to his splitter for the first time, barely clipping the inside edge of the strike zone. Rafaela turned on it and sent a towering solo homer three rows deep in left-center field.
It was the second multi-homer game of Rafaela’s career.
It wasn’t until Yamamoto’s third time through the order that he finally set down Rafaela, who had the Red Sox’s only hits at that point.
Yamamoto went with a first-pitch fastball up and in. Rafaela was a little late to it but still made hard contact, sending the opposite-field fly out to the warning track.
In the eighth, Yamamoto gave up a leadoff ground-rule double to Andruw Monasterio. He made it to third on Jarren Duran’s push-bunt single and scored the go-ahead run when Connor Wong grounded into a double play.
The Dodgers got a boost early from Teoscar Hernández on a two-run home run in the second inning. But they failed to score again after leaving seven runners stranded.
Bullpen shuffle
Before the game, the Dodgers put reliever Will Klein on the 15-day injured list with discomfort in his right elbow.
Klein had a 2.29 ERA one week into July. But over his last six appearances, he has surrendered 13 runs, including eight earned runs (11.37 ERA).
“We’re still trying to dig into it,” Roberts said Friday after Klein gave up three runs (one earned run) to the Red Sox in 1⅓ innings. “I thought there were some good fastball throws in there tonight, but the secondary stuff, that’s kind of what’s getting him. The sweeper is not a strike, he’s not getting chase from it. The curveball has a different shape to it than it did last year. So I don’t know if it’s an arm thing, a mechanics thing, but that’s something we’re trying to dig in on.”
Klein is the second right-handed reliever the Dodgers have put on the IL in as many days, joining Brock Stewart. And MRI scan Saturday showed tendinitis in Stewart’s right shoulder.
He felt some discomfort in his shoulder, the same one he had surgically cleaned up in September, since last Saturday in New York, Stewart said. But until then, it hadn’t bothered him all season, minor-league rehab stints included.
“It’s almost embarrassing,” said Stewart, who began the season on the IL while recovering from shoulder surgery and had another IL stint when he aggravated a bone spur in his left foot. “I’d like to think that I do everything in my power to stay healthy and help out. I know I’m proud of the work I put in each day, and that’s all I can really control. Other than that, I can’t really control how my arm reacts. Just frustrating, especially after last year having it cleaned up.”
The Dodgers also designated left-hander Cole Irvin for assignment on Saturday. Irvin covered six innings and yielded six runs in the Dodgers’ pseudo-bullpen game Saturday, his first major-league appearance since 2024.
To replace Irvin and Klein, the Dodgers recalled right-handed relievers Kyle Hurt and Wyatt Mills.
The Golden State Warriorsmissed out on LeBron James and immediately pivoted to filling their roster with familiar names in an attempt to run it back — but they hope they stay healthy this time.
The first order of business was bringing back the heart and soul of their team, four-time All-Star Draymond Green, for his 15th NBA season. Green inked a one-year, $27.7 million contract, a person with direct knowledge of the deal confirmed to USA TODAY Sports.
He averaged 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists in 27.5 minutes over 68 games during the 2025-26 season. One of his most valuable assets is his level of commitment on the defensive end, where he's compiled nine all-defensive selections and the 2016-17 Defensive Player of the Year award.
After finalizing Green's contract, the Warriors continued to focus on rounding out the roster with guys who know exactly what to bring to the table.
Golden State remains committed to continuity. The Warriors brought back veteran center Al Horford, who turned 40 in June, on a multi-year contract. The team announced Saturday, Aug. 1, it had signed both De'Anthony Melton and Gary Payton II, bringing both back for the 2026-27 season.
Melton averaged a career-high 12.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.6 steals in 23 minutes after missing the first 22 games recovering from a torn left ACL. Melton is going into his eighth NBA season.
Payton played a career-high 73 games last season with the Warriors, where he averaged 7.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 15.6 minutes per game. He also led the team with 58.3% field goal shooting.
What's next for Warriors after missing out on LeBron?
It's back to business as usual. The Warriors were reportedly never sold on James truly considering the Bay Area as a home for his 24th season. They hoped James would pick them, but did not lean on that possibility.
So naturally, they move on.
For the Warriors that means looking internally. There's feeling around the Warriors organization that the team could have been in legitimate postseason contention if it had not faced as many untimely injuries. Key players, such as Stephen Curry (jumper's knee), Jimmy Butler (torn ACL) and Moses Moody (torn patellar tendon), missed considerable time. The Warriors acquired Kristaps Porzingis at the trade deadline, but with injury-riddled lineups, they never got to see the full potential of their addition.
The hope is that they come back healthy for the 2026-27 season and get a true look at what the team could be through the course of the season.
Anticipate moves during summer 2027
As players heal and gear up for the 2026-27 season, it should be noted that many of the Warriors' top contracts expire next summer. That includes those of veterans Curry, Green and Butler.
Melton, Payton and Brandin Podziemski are also in need of new deals. Porzingis has a player option to return in 2027-28 or he could become a free agent.
There is plenty of superstar talent that will potentially be unrestricted free agents next July. That list includes Curry, Michael Porter Jr. and Tyler Herro.
An even bigger list is the number of stars with player options who could become free agents in 2027, which includes superstars like Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis, to name a few.
Don't expect all those names to become available — some will opt in while others will opt out but are committed to their teams while seeking a bigger payday.
LOS ANGELES, CA - AUGUST 01: Yoshinobu Yamamoto #18 of the Los Angeles Dodgers celebrates during the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, August 1, 2026 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Nicole Vasquez/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Yoshinobu Yamamoto pitched eight strong innings, but the Dodgers offense didn’t support him, falling to the Boston Red Sox 3-2 on Saturday night at Dodger Stadium.
Yamamoto, who leads MLB averaging 6.68 innings per start, completed eight innings for the fourth time this season, tying Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara for the major league lead. Yamamoto struck out three and walked one, needing only 96 pitches to complete his eight frames. But he left trailing.
Ceddanne Rafaela, who homered in a three-hit game on Friday night, got the scoring started on Saturday with a solo home run with one out in the first inning, just three pitches into the game. He hit another solo shot in the third inning.
Those were the only hits off Yamamoto until the eighth inning, when Andruw Monasterio hit a leadoff ground rule double then scored two ground balls later.
Teoscar Hernández went out to right field for a two-run shot in the second inning for his second home run in three days, after hitting two home runs in his previous 28 games before that.
Hernández fouled a ball off his left foot in the fourth inning, and crumpled to the ground. After a long visit by manager Dave Roberts and assistant athletic director Yosuke Nakajima, Hernández remained in the game and singled, though he limped to first base.
Two batters later, Miguel Rojas fouled a ball off his left ankle and also dropped to the ground. Rojas stayed in after the obligatory visit by Roberts and Nakajima, and struck out. Both Rojas and Hernández remained in the game on defense in the top of the fifth inning. Rojas played three more innings before he was replaced at shortstop by Mookie Betts in the eighth inning.
Freddie Freeman had three more hits, his fifth three-hit game in his last nine contests, Dating back to July 21, Freeman has 22 hits in his last 39 at-bats, and his career batting average, through 9,830 career plate appearances, is up to .30009385. Freeman’s 21 hits over his last nine games are the most by a Dodger since Shohei Ohtani had 25 hits in his superhuman stretch in September 2024.
The Dodgers only had one hit in three innings off the Red Sox bullpen, and Aroldis Chapman retired all three batters he faced to close out the game in the ninth.
Saturday particulars
Home runs: Teoscar Hernández (10); Ceddanne Rafaela 2 (14)
The homestand concludes with a nationally televised affair on Sunday evening (4:20 p.m.; NBC, Peacock), with Emmet Sheehan on the mound against yet another Red Sox lefty, Jake Bennett.
Jul 28, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Seattle Mariners pitcher Luis Castillo (58) delivers a pitch during the second inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Liang-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Luis Castillo’s tenure as a Seattle Mariner has apparently come to an end. The Mariners announced tonight they have traded Castillo to the White Sox in exchange for reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones, and catching prospect Boston Smith. Per Daniel Kramer, the Mariners aren’t sending any money to offset the remainder of what Castillo is owed on the extension he signed in 2022, which runs through 2027 with a vesting option for 2028 if he reaches 180 innings.
In exchange, the Mariners will be absorbing Dominguez’s not-insignificant salary for the remainder of this year and the next year of his contract, when he’s slated to make $10.5M. Dominguez also has an option for 2028, but it’s a mutual option (with a $2M buyout).
The 31-year-old Dominguez is on pace for the worst season of his career; he still collects strikeouts but his walk rate has ballooned over the past two seasons; he’s currently walking over 14% of batters faced. Compounding that problem is a serious case of dingeritis – a career-high 16.7% of fly balls he’s allowed have gone for homers, even in Chicago’s spacious confines. But he does still strike a lot of batters out and generate whiffs, he can still rush the fastball up at 97+, and he’s got a full complement of pitches for the Mariners pitching coaches to work with, even if he’s primarily a heater-sweeper pitcher as a reliever. It’s an expensive gamble, but the Mariners are both solving their rotation logjam (temporarily) and shedding Castillo’s contract in the move; if Dominguez can be Mariner-pitching-hive-minded into even a serviceable mid-innings arm, that’s a boon to the beleaguered bullpen.
The other pieces coming over in the trade are interesting in their own right. Nolan Jones is probably a name you’re familiar with if you were big into prospects a decade-ish ago; he was a second-rounder drafted by Cleveland in 2016 as a highly athletic two-sport athlete and attracted a lot of prospect attention as he made his way up the ladder for his 6’4” frame, easy raw power from the left side, and a star turn in the Arizona Fall League and the Futures Game in 2019. Unfortunately, injuries derailed his ascent, and he was dealt to the Rockies in 2023 for Juan Brito shortly after making his big-league debut. Now 28, Jones has spent time in the bigs but never really latched on consistently (outside of one 2023 season where he seemed to put it all together for Colorado), mostly due to a monstrous K rate compounded by the length of his swing. He’s been with the White Sox Triple-A team this season, blocked by the surprisingly good play at the big-league level, and will likely serve a similar role for Seattle as outfield depth at Tacoma.
Columbus Clippers OF Nolan Jones breaks up the no-hitter in the 6th inning with his 3rd HR of the season a 2-run opposite field shot 101.5 mph off the bat vs Indianapolis. #GuardsBallpic.twitter.com/S6EJAxIBBY
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) April 3, 2026
Boston Smith is the third piece of the trade, and maybe the most interesting one, as he’s currently ranked as Chicago’s #15 prospect. To save you all time even though it’s lazy: the blueprint here is lefty-hitting Harry Ford, Take Two, with a power upgrade. A year after going undrafted, Smith was originally drafted by the Nationals in the sixth round in 2025 as a senior sign after a stellar year at Wright State that saw him tie for the lead in home runs in all of Division 1 baseball (26). The 5’10” Smith is listed as a C/OF, but despite being a plus athlete, as a catcher his skills are fringy enough he might not stick behind the dish, so he’s seen time in the outfield corners as well. Smith is selective at the plate, almost too much so – see, the Harry Ford comparisons weren’t that lazy after all – with a hilarious walk rate over 20%, but he’s been impressive in his first pro year, rocketing from single-A all the way up to Double-A and doing damage at every stop. The strikeouts are a wee bit concerning (~27% is a bit high for the minor leagues), but this is a Fun Player who will be Fun To Follow, especially if the big-league team continues to be disappointing. The Arkansas Travelers just got a lot more interesting!
Boston Smith is killing it for the High-A Affiliate Winston-Salem Dash.
This is definitely a quantity-over-quality trade with the Mariners taking chances on fringe players and a reliever who’s had a career-worst year, but moving Castillo out of the rotation (and moving his contract along with him) streamlines things for the Mariners. Still, that feels like a dispassionate way to discuss Castillo, who has been such a good Mariner over his time here, from mentoring the younger pitchers, to pitching in post-season games, to being a steady hand in the rotation last year when seemingly every pitcher went down for at least a while with some kind of injury. With the White Sox making a surprising run at the division title in a weak AL Central, theoretically Castillo will have an opportunity to play in the post-season again. But it does feel like the first brick to fall from a rotation that has so long been the core of the current team’s identity, with more moves possible. Change is hard. At least we have Boston Smith and his rec specs to see us through these trying times.
SEATTLE — The Seattle Mariners have traded right-hander Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for right-hander Seranthony Domínguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith and cash considerations, the Mariners announced Saturday night.
The struggling Mariners, who are four games below .500 and trail the Houston Astros by three games in the AL West, elected to part ways with one of their longest tenured players ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.
The White Sox, meanwhile, lead the AL Central by 2 1/2 games with a 58-52 record.
Castillo, 33, is under contract through the 2027 season with a vesting option for 2028. He is 3-9 with 86 strikeouts and a 5.06 ERA across 99 2/3 innings.
The Mariners have a surplus of starting pitching options. At one point in the 2026 season, manager Dan Wilson paired Castillo and right-hander Bryce Miller in a “piggyback” to ensure Seattle’s six starting pitchers were all able to regularly appear in games.
Without Castillo, the Mariners still have Miller, former first-round pick Emerson Hancock, George Kirby and former All-Stars Logan Gilbert and Bryan Woo.
Domínguez, 31, is 4-3 with a 4.10 ERA in 42 games this season. Jones, 28, did not appear in a game for Chicago, instead splitting his time between Triple-A Charlotte and Triple-A Columbus, the top affiliate for the Cleveland Guardians.
Smith, 23, is hitting .291 with 22 home runs and 58 RBIs across stints at three minor league levels.
The Washington Nationals selected Smith in the sixth round of the 2025 MLB draft, and traded him to Chicago in March for utility man Curtis Mead.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUINE 28: Ha-Seong Kim #7 of the Atlanta Braves fields during the game against the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park on June 28, 2026 in San Francisco, California. The Giants defeated the Braves 3-2. (Photo by Michael Zagaris/Getty Images) | Getty Images
The Atlanta Braves will be reinstating infielder Ha-Seong Kim to the big league roster, according MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. With the Braves off on Monday and the trade deadline looming, the 48-hours the Atlanta has to make a corresponding move may have numerous moving parts. The term of Kim’s rehabilitation assignment ended on August 1, necessitating the move.
Ha-Seong Kim has been reinstated. The Braves have 48 hours to make the move necessary to create a roster spot for him.
It’s been a disappointing 2026 for Kim who signed with Atlanta in the off-season after ending the 2025 season with the Braves before becoming a free agent. He missed Spring Training and the beginning of the season after suffering a hand injury after slipping on ice in his native South Korea.
In 27 games with Atlanta this season he has hit .068 with only 5 hits in 82 plate appearances. He does not have any extra-base hits with Atlanta this season. He was expected to be the team’s starting shortstop but that role has been filled by Mauricio Dubon, Jorge Mateo and, of late, rookie Jim Jarvis.
With or not Kim will get another – and likely final – opportunity to re-claim the starting shortstop role is to be seen. He is a free agent after the season.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JULY 29: Lane Thomas #15 of the Kansas City Royals looks on prior to the game between the Kansas City Royals and the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on Wednesday, July 29, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Andrew Ritter/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
The first few innings of this game were pretty fun. Still, the Royals ultimately lost 12-6 thanks to some bad pitching and the bats cooling off.
The Royals got a leadoff walk from Carter Jensen and a single from Lane Thomas to put runners on at first and second with no outs. Jac Caglianone hit a hard grounder up the middle, but, as has been the custom for several years, an infielder was waiting to turn what was once one of the prettiest hits in baseball into a routine double play.
In the top of the second, Isaac Collins led off the inning by lacing a triple into right-center that appeared to be misplayed by Brenton Doyle. He scored two batters later on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Michael Massey.
In the top of the third, Tyler Tolbert roped a double off the wall in right-center. It seemed like he should have gotten a triple, but he stopped at second. Moments later, he stole third to repair the mistake. Then it seemed the Royals would waste the opportunity when Carter and Lane grounded out and popped out respectively. Add another potential baserunning mistake by Tolbert for not going home on the groundball which required extra effort from Will Castro.
Still, Jac Caglianone came through. And then Salvador Perez went back-to-back.
Luinder Avila pitched two scoreless innings to start the game but things came unraveled in the bottom of the third. He allowed six runs, including a three-run bomb from Hunter Goodman, and was relieved by Easton McGee.
The Royals immediately got back on the basepaths when Michael Massey and John Rave singled with one out in the fourth inning, but they were stranded. From there, the Royals bullpen (including McGee, Matt Strahm, Alex Lange, and Lucas Erceg) did bullpen things. None of us were paying attention because Lane Thomas was pulled from the game in the bottom of the fourth as he was traded to Atlanta. You can read more about that here.
Rave did hit a home run in the ninth inning, his MLB OPS this year continues to ride above 1.000 as he waits to be allowed to get his sample sizes larger. Hopefully he’ll get that opportunity with Thomas and likely Starling Marte leaving in the next couple of days. The Royals scored their final run when Carter Jensen tripled into right and came home on a Marte single.
For a game that was over after three innings, it took forever to turn final. The Royals have dropped their first two game in Colorado to a team that is on its way to 100 losses. Things are not looking up. They get a chance to avoid the sweep tomorrow. Seth Lugo (4.22 ERA, 4.55 SIERA) will face off against Kyle Freeland (7.34 ERA, 4.16 SIERA). See you then.
SAN DIEGO — An injury that initially wasn’t supposed to force Matt Chapman to miss more than the minimum 10 days has kept the Giants third baseman sidelined for more than a month now, with no clear timeline for when he could return to the field.
Chapman provided the unfortunate update on his health Saturday from the visitors’ clubhouse at Petco Park, where he traveled with the team in hopes of being activated from the injured list.
The Giants’ Matt Chapman is making progress, but he still hasn’t been able to return to the lineup after getting hurt in late June. Getty Images
That won’t happen this series, after all, and it’s not clear what Chapman’s outlook is after his rehab from an abdominal strain hit a bump in the road when he tried to run the bases.
“The plan was for me to try to be ready to play this weekend,” Chapman said. “Unfortunately … it’s just not in a place where I can be of help to the team. If I can’t run the bases and I can’t run, it’s gonna be hard for me to help the team.”
Chapman said he is able to swing pain-free, but running at full speed and some defensive plays are still causing him discomfort. He had been dealing with soreness in his midsection since the first month of the season but aggravated it making a barehanded play in a June 30 loss to the Diamondbacks.
Although Chapman said Saturday that “four weeks was our hope,” manager Tony Vitello initially said he expected Chapman back before the All-Star break, which would have meant an IL stint of less than two weeks. Chapman now says he could miss up to four times that amount of time.
“It can be anywhere from four to six to eight weeks,” he said. “It just depends on how it heals.”
Still, Chapman refuted the idea that he was back to “day zero” in his recovery.
“Before then, just walking and getting out of bed hurt,” Chapman said. “Now, [I’m] actually swinging and running and doing things. So, it’s still progressed.”
Chapman aggravated an injury June 30 against the Diamondbacks. Getty Images
The Giants have fallen only two games further below .500 in Chapman’s absence, but their fate as sellers ahead of Monday’s trade deadline had already been sealed.
That doesn’t mean Chapman isn’t doing everything in his power to return as quickly as possible. Some fans have speculated that he is pushing his recovery past the trade deadline to nix a possible deal, but he has the contractual power to do that anyway with a no-trade clause.
“It doesn’t matter what our record is, we still have something to play for every day,” Chapman said. “For me, I mean, I would like to play today. But I can’t.”
It was already a longshot that Chapman would be going anywhere, but his injury as well as the torn meniscus that ended Casey Schmitt’s season puts a damper on their post-deadline infield.
The latest chapter of Schmitt’s breakout season had seen him filling in at third for Chapman, but he was also in line to take over every day at second base if and when Luis Arraez is traded.
With Arraez scratched from the lineup with cramps and Chapman still on the mend, the Giants offered a preview Saturday of what’s to come with Christian Koss at third and Osleivis Basabe at second.
Schmitt faces a recovery of six to eight weeks, putting the rest of this season just out of reach but setting him up for a healthy offseason. Chapman hadn’t spoken to him since his surgery Friday but said he believes Schmitt, who played five positions, deserves an everyday role.
“I think he’s earned himself an everyday position and spot to start every single day, wherever that may be,” Chapman said. “He hadn’t put it together for a full season and maybe really shown that he’s an everyday player. But I told him that he should be proud because he solidified himself as an everyday player and somebody this team needs and can count on.”
Tarik Skubal reacts during his July 29 start for the Tigers.
In the outcome that the rest of the major leagues feared the most, the two-time defending champion Dodgers added to their starry stockpile Saturday night by agreeing to acquire Tarik Skubal from the Tigers.
The Yankees and Brewers were viewed as the two other teams trying at the finish line to land the two-time defending AL Cy Young winner.
The concern the rest of the league has with the Dodgers is that they not only have the greatest willingness to spend money on payroll and a refusal to ever stop adding elite players, but they possess a deep farm system from which to trade.
Tarik Skubal reacts during his July 29 start for the Tigers. AP Photo
Outfielder Zyhir Hope and pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith were the cost to land Skubal — and make the Dodgers even greater favorites of becoming the first team since the 1998-2000 Yankees to three-peat.
The Dodgers lead the majors with a 3.36 starter ERA and have a rotation presently with Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Roki Sasaki and first-time All-Star Justin Wrobleski. Two-time Cy Young award winner Blake Snell is due to make one more rehab start before rejoining the rotation. Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani are viewed as possible to return to the rotation around Sept. 1. And now the Dodgers are adding Skubal, who since returning from a new surgery to remove bone chips from his left elbow had a 2.87 ERA in his final nine starts as a Tiger.
Skubal can be a free agent after this season. The Dodgers lead the NL West by 10 games. They certainly want to seal the best record in the league to assure that they get a first-round bye. But mainly they are obtaining Skubal to make postseason starts considering their current status.
Tarik Skubal throws a pitch during the Tigers’ July 29 game. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
The Brewers were viewed as the other team going hardest after Skubal. They have arguably the best system in the majors and there was the dream of teaming Skubal with Jason Misiorowski atop the rotation. But it did not occur.
The Tigers began Saturday just 3 ¹/₂ games out of a wild card, but are six games under .500. Thus, they began to notify teams early in the day to make offers while giving concepts of what they wanted in return.
The Yankees had stayed engaged even as they heard a Tigers’ initial price that would involve two major leaguers, including a current starting pitcher, and two minor leaguers. It was not believed that Detroit requested the Yankees’ top prospect, George Lombard Jr., the son of Tigers bench coach George Lombard Sr.
If the Yankees were able to pull off a trade for Skubal, they would be improving what already is their strength — their starting pitching. The hope would be that maybe they could then more comfortably use another starter as a way to get much needed hitting.
But the Dodgers were always lurking — always seen as the team that could come in and close because of their willingness to never stop and the depth of their farm system to feed that philosophy.
And so the best team got better. It is everyone against the Dodgers — now plus Tarik Skubal.
Aug 1, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; New York Yankees center fielder Spencer Jones (78) celebrates scoring a run during the fifth inning against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
No loss is a good one, but this one is annoying because the things the team is normally good at, they weren’t so good at. We accept the Yankees’ lineup is going to struggle to score, but we expect the bullpen to get the outs after a big night from the starter. Two of those three things happened today — the Yankees struggled to score, and the starter had a big night. Handed a slim 2-1 lead late, the New York bullpen collapsed in the late innings, and the Cubs tied up this series, with 5-2 your final score.
We had about one inning of worry about Max Fried tonight. He was a little scattershot in the first, with Pete Crow-Armstrong working his was back from 0-2 into an eight-pitch leadoff walk, before a pair of spiked curveballs allowed the NL MVP frontrunner to scamper home and put the Cubs up 1-0. Just like earlier this week against the White Sox, we had to contend with the fact the Yankee co-ace would labor his way through the opening frame.
And then, he was pretty well academic. Fried allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter after PCA in the first, freezing out the league’s second-best offense and taking advantage of heavy winds blowing in off Lake Michigan. Neither team had the best day at the plate but Fried had a slightly higher degree of difficulty — for as good as he was against Pittsburgh I would argue this outing is more impressive.
At 73 pitches through five innings, many of us assumed Fried’s day was done, but an in-depth discussion with Ali Sánchez while the Yankees batted had me wondering if they’d let the lefty face PCA one more time. Sure enough, Aaron Boone rolled the dice against one of the better players in all of baseball, and Fried rewarded his skipper’s confidence.
On the offensive side, this side as constructed was always going to be a tough watch. They took advantage of Michael Busch’s error in the fifth, letting Spencer Jones reach first. Sánchez and José Caballero had singles in stereo to bring Jones in and tie the game at one.
The Yankees’ big prospect was front and center for the second run of the game too, taking David Peterson deep to the opposite field on a windy night at Wrigley:
That’s three dingers this week for Jones, who in 105 ABs this season is looking like a respectable enough hitter with some upside. I don’t know that I’ll ever enjoy the aesthetics of Spencer Jones, but if he can lengthen a lineup that’s awful short right now, runs are runs.
The Yankees briefly threatened for more after the Jones homer. Sánchez punched one through the right side but was thrown out at second on a botched hit-and-run with Caballero up. Cabbie then walked and swiped second before a pinch-hitting Trent Grisham earned a free pass as well. Paul Goldschmidt couldn’t do anything though, fouling out on the first pitch to end the rally.
Unfortunately, the vaunted Yankee bullpen couldn’t hold out forever. Nico Hoerner hit a near-impossible home run just over the left-field wall to re-tie the game at two against Fernando Cruz, and then PCA did PCA things with a Cub aboard and Brent Headrick on the mound:
Crow-Armstrong is very good, but boy do I need Aaron Judge back in right field so Jasson Domínguez is not there. Seiya Suzuki followed up with a single to bring PCA in, and although the Yankees did get Suzuki at second base, an insurance run was in. The newly-recalled Yovanny Cruz also allowed a run in the eighth to give the Cubs that three-run lead they wouldn’t reliquinsh. (Another Yankees rally has gone by the wayside in the top of the eighth when Jacob Webb retired Domínguez, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and a pinch-hitting Ben Rice in order.)
On the whole this isn’t a particularly remarkable loss, the Cubs are a good team and the Yankee lineup is quite weak right now. One thing I do want to complain about is how the Yankees deployed their ABS challenges today. Max Schuemann challenged a called third strike at the top of the zone on the very first at-bat of the game, he was wrong, and the Yankees were down to one review before many fans had even taken their seats. Yes, having the leadoff hitter walked aboard is a good thing — see the bottom of the first — but I don’t think it’s worth burning a challenge on so early, especially when the hitter challenging isn’t exactly Juan Soto.
Angel Chivilli, who has impressed as a relief option, also burned a challenge in the sixth inning, a reminder why pitchers generally should not be allowed to challenge calls. This loomed large in the ninth, where after Jones singled to lead off the frame, Sánchez took a first pitch that was awful inside:
Now if you have an ABS challenge left, you can now start your ninth inning at bat up 1-0 instead of 0-1. But you don’t have any challenges left, because a journeyman leadoff hitter and former Colorado reliever decided to use them instead.
The Yankees have been pretty mediocre on the year with the ABS system, and going into a stretch run and hopeful playoff push, they need to be better at this. They also probably need to designate players that are and aren’t allowed to challenge. It’s becoming one of those little things that adds up, and when the Yankees are this depleted, the little things have to be done right.
It’s easier to swallow a loss like this when the Yankees won last night and can win the series tomorrow. Gerrit Cole will be the man charged with delivering that victory, but he has to be aware there won’t be that much run support. The finale of this road trip comes at 2:20pm Eastern. It will be the final game before the Trade Deadline hits at 6pm ET on Monday.
ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 26: St. Louis Cardinals President of Baseball Operations Chaim Bloom speaks to media prior to the game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium on Thursday, March 26, 2026 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
It would appear that the MLB Trade Deadline market is starting to kick into high gear with some major moves starting to happen. We’ll drop the latest trade news here as we learn of them.
BREAKING: The Los Angeles Dodgers are finalizing a trade for Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, sources tell ESPN.
The New York Yankees are acquiring minor leaguers Omar Alfonzo and Luis Cruz from the Pirates’ Dominican Summer League affiliate in exchange for Camilo Doval, per sources.
BREAKING: The Chicago White Sox are acquiring right-hander Luis Castillo in a trade with the Seattle Mariners for reliever Seranthony Dominguez, outfielder Nolan Jones and catching prospect Boston Smith, sources tell ESPN.
Lane Thomas singles during the Royals' Aug. 1 game.
Cross one right-handed hitting option off the list of names for the Yankees to possibly pursue ahead of the trade deadline.
The Braves acquired outfielder Lane Thomas — alongside left-handed pitcher Bailey Falter — from the Royals on Saturday, The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman confirmed.
Minor-league pitchers Carter Holton and Lucas Braun will both head back to Kansas City, the team announced.
Lane Thomas singles during the Royals’ Aug. 1 game. AP Photo/David Zalubowski
Thomas, in his first season with the Royals, was pulled from the middle of Kansas City’s game Saturday night and had hit .230 with a .717 OPS and 10 homers this season entering the game.
Falter has dealt with elbow inflammation this season and appeared in five games, with two starts, for the Royals, collecting a 13.97 ERA.
Kansas City Royals Lane Thomas (15) strikes out swinging during the first inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Tuesday, July 28, 2026, in Minneapolis. AP Photo
But Thomas, who was limited to just 39 games last season in Cleveland due to an injury, will get a chance to boost a Braves lineup ahead of another playoff push, with Atlanta leading the National League East by 8½ games.
Braun is the No. 8 prospect in Atlanta’s system, according to MLB.com.
