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It’s the MLB trade deadline! The most speculative, bizarre, and usually personally disappointing day in the baseball calendar is upon us, and I’m grading every major deal as they happen. From prospect hauls to rental pitchers all the way to the Dodgers probably trading for the Star Wars force ghost of Ted Williams (or something like that), I’m here for the intrigue and chaos all day. Let’s have some fun!

This story will be updated as new deals are reported. 

Boston Red Sox receive: C Adley Rutschmann

Baltimore Orioles receive: RHP Anthony Eyanson, CF Enddy Azocar, RHP Kyson Witherspoon, C Carlos Narvaez

Red Sox grade: A

Rutschmann hasn’t necessarily lived up to the hype of “holy moly this guy is the cornerstone of our franchise” that he reached after his first two seasons… otherwise he would not be getting traded within the division to the Boston Red Sox. But it’s impossible to overstate how big of an upgrade Rutschmann is over the current catcher platoon of Carlos Narvaez and Connor Wong. He’s an elite defender and power hitter that adds 4.0-5.0 WAR into a lineup in a spot that has been a black hole for years. The Red Sox managing to grab a player of his quality without including top prospect Franklin Arias is a massive win.

Orioles grade: B-

Eyanson is an excellent prospect in the Red Sox system, and he’s been tearing up AA this season in Portland. That’s a real asset to get back, but many Orioles fans will be angry that their former savior got traded for a package that did not even include Boston’s top prospect in Arias. It’s a tough pill to swallow, but with Samuel Basallo extended long term, it made sense to get as much value as you could. Still, doing it in the division has the potential to really sting down the road. 

Los Angeles Dodgers receive: LHP Kris Bubic

Kansas City Royals receive: RHP Carlos Duran

Dodgers grade: B+

Bubic has fallen way back to earth after a stellar 2025, but the Dodgers can afford to gamble on a player they are conceivably hoping to turn back into an All-Star. There’s very little risk with a player making so little money on a one-year deal, so this is well worth it.

Royals grade: C+

Apparently Bubic’s reputation in the league was not much, but I still thought the Royals could have gotten more for a lefty rental from a needier team. Evidently, they could not. 

San Diego Padres receive: LHP Robbie Ray

San Francisco Giants receive: SS Joniel Hernandez, RHP Miguel Mendez

Padres grade: C

You can only make so many “win now” trades without actually winning now. The Padres just traded their fourth-overall prospect, Mendez, to a division rival for a 34-year-old starter rental with San Diego still on the outside looking in to the playoff picture. I understand this team isn’t exactly primed for a rebuild, but this seems to be heading down a very specific street: it either works or AJ Preller is fired. That’s a dangerous spot for any organization.

Giants: B+

Robbie Ray is going to do effectively nothing for the Giants anymore as their season descends into nothingness, but he has been one of the best pitchers in baseball since June even if his underlying data hasn’t been all that great. He’s not the star he used to be but clearly still has real value to a desperate Padres team. Even in division, I like the return for San Francisco.

Tampa Bay Rays receive: C Liam Hicks

Miami Marlins receive: INF Brayden Taylor, RHP Jacob Kisting, SS Adrian Santana

Rays grade: B

Hicks is a fine defensive catcher and very controllable bat with bizarre underlying metrics. He has showed excellent plate discipline and slugged a good amount in 2026 but with really low bat speed for how much power he’s creating. He also has zero opposite field power, pulling all 14 of his home runs sharply to right field. He could be a good, long-term option for Tampa, or this could be a major overpay.

Marlins: A-

Brayden Taylor was a first-round pick and a 50 FV prospect who will need to develop his plate discipline if he’s going to make it as a big leaguer. The Marlins probably feel that an infielder with pedigree and fixable issues is a solid return for their perplexing catcher, a presumption I agree with.

Philadelphia Phillies receive: 2B Luis Arraez, RHP Caleb Kilian

San Francisco Giants receive: RHP Ramon Marquez, RHP Marty Gair

Phillies grade: B

The Phillies certainly had to do something, and reconfiguring the ever-living heck out of their infield appears to be that thing. Arraez will slot into second base, moving Bryce Harper into the outfield as Alec Bohm ends up at first. Arraez immediately becomes Philadelphia’s third-best offensive player on a team seriously wanting for contact hitting. He’s become a really interesting player, and one I’ve come to believe in as an asset. Still, they gave up a real guy to get him.

Giants grade: A-

To net a Top 100 pitching prospect in Marquez for a player you signed to a one-year prove-it deal after it became clear he had zero market is an absolute win. It’s just a shame that this Giants team, which was banking on a lot of shaky propositions from the jump, couldn’t ultimately benefit from such a great signing. But in terms of price to value? This is a slam dunk situation. 

Seattle Mariners receive OF Taylor Ward

Baltimore Orioles receive: RHP Alex Hoppe, RHP Harrison Kreiling, RHP Brock Moore

Seattle Mariners grade: B+

The Mariners got a solid player in Ward for a cheap rental price in what looks to be a last-ditch effort to save their season. He’s been startlingly consistent the past few years, a 3.0ish WAR guy who walks a lot and hits to both fields. The Mariners must now do the harder thing than trading for 32-year-old rentals: winning enough games to get back in the AL Wild Card race.

Baltimore Orioles grade: C+ 

They were never going to get anything for Ward, who was almost certainly going to walk after this season, and so this is a pure “thank you for your service” type trade. Nothing really special going on here for Baltimore, who appears to be packing it up for 2026 in more ways than one. 

Chicago Cubs receive: RHP Kevin Gausman

Toronto Blue Jays receive: CF Brett Bateman, 2B Ty Southisene

Cubs grade: A

The Cubs needed a starting pitcher, and they got one. He may be a 35-year-old rental, but in the grand scheme of rental pitchers, you could do a lot worse than Gausman. The Cubs believe they can win the NL this year, and Gausman will be key to any chance they have against the Dodgers and the Brewers. 

Blue Jays grade: B

As with every one of these rental pitchers, you’re just not going to get major beans for a guy with every ability to walk after 50 games. Both are 35+ grade prospects, so we’re not really reinventing the franchise here. The Blue Jays are all-but cooked in 2026, so getting something (anything really) for Gausman is good stuff. 

Blue Jays receive: RHP Jose Soriano

Los Angeles Angels receive: SS Arjun Nimmala, OF Eddie Micheletti, RHP Angel Rivero

Blue Jays grade: D-

???. I’m not sure Soriano is the kind of guy you want to be trading Top 50 prospects like Nimmala for, as the inconsistent righty had an unhittable start to 2026 before massively tailing off. Trading Gausman was an admission of defeat, but getting Soriano (who is more controllable and thus more expensive) feels like a step backward. Was there no better option in the starter market? Could they not have waited until the winter?

Angels grade: A

I love this for the Angels. Soriano’s beginning of the season was a total mirage, and Nimmala is the kind of prospect that will allow the Angels to reset their timeline somewhat. If we just accept that the Mike Trout Era is not likely to yield results, we need to be talking future — like, the far future. Trading a questionable starter for serious value is excellent work.

Tampa Bay Rays receive: RHP Freddy Peralta

New York Mets receive: CF Aidan Smith, RHP Gary Gill Hill, 2B Emilien Pitre

Rays grade: B-

The Skubal backup plan could have been worse, but Peralta has been legitimately terrible in 2026 after the New York Mets invested in him as their big-name addition. The Rays needed to add to their rotation if they want a prayer in October, though, and it’s hard to think Peralta will continue to be this bad after his Brewers tenure so recently. A necessary move, but a sour consolation after losing out on Skubal.

Mets grade: D+

An admission of defeat in a season filled with nothing but defeats. The Mets got some decent pieces back in the trade given that Peralta is a rental, but the whole fiasco deserves a low mark. It could not realistically be going worse for the Mets in 2026, and Peralta is the image of that failure. 

New York Yankees receive: 1B Luis García Jr.

Washington Nationals receive: RHP Yovanny Cruz, RHP Jake Bird, RHP Jack Cebert, RHP Ben Grable

Yankees grade: A-

A healthy Yankees roster does not want for power hitting, but this is not a healthy Yankees roster. They gave up a pretty serious prospect haul for Luis Garcia Jr., who only has one more year of team control after this, but it’s necessary in a year when the American League is so up for grabs it may as well have a sign pinned to it that reads “FREE” like a couch on the curb. Garcia has seen a major production spike this season, and the Yankees will hope it continues this fall.

Nationals grade: B-

I flirted with including Garcia Jr. in some previous trade candidates list, but I felt they would be best served hanging onto him as part of their young core. Of course, he would be worth even less next season as a true expiring deal, and then you’re in real trouble. If they knew they couldn’t sign him when he hits the open market, it’s not the worst idea to get the Yankees premium price while you still can.

Los Angeles Dodgers receive: LHP Tarik Skubal

Detroit Tigers receive: OF Zyhir Hope, RHP River Ryan, RHP Brady Smith

Dodgers grade: A+ (obviously)

Oh, what, you thought there was some other angle to this? Nope. The Dodgers traded a comparatively low sum for the best pitcher on planet earth and have ascended from “overwhelming World Series favorite” to “overwhelming World Series favorite.” Huh, maybe it’s not an A+ (sarcasm). 

It’s obviously pretty lame that the Dodgers once again got the best player available, but honestly, who cares at this point? Until some kind of salary cap takes shape, the Dodgers will be the presumptive favorites to sign every really-super-duper good player on the market until the end of time. And short of a cap, there appears to be nothing anyone can do about it.

Tigers grade: B-

The Tigers are getting some bad press for this trade given Ryan is 27 years old and it feels unlikely that neither the Tampa Bay Rays or Milwaukee Brewers could have beaten that offer. Conspiracy theories that the Dodgers are being gifted all the best players to convince fans of the necessity of a salary cap are hilarious but ultimately absurd; if the Brewers and Rays wanted to beat that offer, they would have, so why didn’t they?

No reporting suggests this is the case, but as a theory: I wonder if Skubal’s camp made it clear that he would be signing with the Dodgers this offseason and other teams refused to give up real value for what was truly a 1/3rd of the season rental. The calculation of “just make the Dodgers give up something for the guy before they sign him anyway” would explain why nobody trumped that offer, and the Dodgers still have no special advantage in signing him. You can’t really get above a B when you’re giving up a godly player, but for such a franchise-altering trade, the Tigers surely netted the best deal they could get for their ace. 

The San Francisco Giants are continuing their busy trade deadline. On Monday, about four hours before the deadline, it was reported that the Giants are trading left-handed starting pitcher Robbie Ray to the San Diego Padres. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was first to report the news.

According to a report from Jon Heyman, the return for Ray is right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez and shortstop Joniel Hernandez. The teams are splitting the cost of Ray’s trade bonus, though it seems like the Padres are paying for the rest of Ray’s deal.

Mendez, who is 24 and was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, is a well-regarded pitcher, who was ranked No. 4 in San Diego’s system by both Fangraphs and MLB Pipeline. He has a mid-high 90s fastball that can reach triple digits, with an excellent slider. He also has a changeup. Mendez had a breakout 2025 but has been a little less sharp this year: in 11 starts with San Diego’s AA affiliate, he has a 4.93 ERA and a 3.21 FIP, with 38 strikeouts to 17 walks in 34.2 innings. He will be Rule 5 eligible this winter.

Hernandez is more of a flier, which is always exciting. Signed in January out of Cuba for $1.4 million, the right-handed hitter only turned 17 in March. He’s been having a strong debut season in the Dominican Summer League, where he’s hitting .303/.424/.503, for a .927 OPS and a 120 wRC+, with just a 16.1% strikeout rate, and made the All-Star team. MLB Pipeline ranks him as the No. 9 prospect in San Diego’s system, and notes that he has tremendous speed with both his bat and his legs. He has the potential to develop into a plus-power, plus-speed prospect up the middle, and you can never have enough of those.

It’s been a foregone conclusion for a while that the Giants would trade Ray. He’s a proven starter with a lot of pedigree — he’s a two-time All-Star and a former Cy Young winner — and his contract runs out after this year. The Giants, who have been out of the playoff picture for months, were always going to sell off their rentals at the deadline.

After some serious struggles, Ray rebuilt his trade value massively over the summer. In his last eight games, Ray has posted a 1.09 ERA and a 3.04 FIP, with 41 strikeouts and 21 walks in 49.1 innings. That included back-to-back outings at the end of June in which the southpaw threw eight innings with no earned runs allowed, which really brought his trade value back up.

The Padres got a very close look at Ray’s recent resurgence. His final start as a Giant came on Thursday in San Diego, when he held his new team to one run in six innings. That, apparently, was all that AJ Preller needed to see.

Ray’s trade follows a trade of Luis Arráez on Monday morning, and Tyler Mahle on Sunday night. With that, the Giants have traded all of their rentals and obvious candidates. It wouldn’t be at all surprising if they have a few more moves up their sleeves, though. The team is widely considered likely to trade a few relievers (they’ve already traded one, as Caleb Kilian was part of the Arráez trade), and they have reportedly been fielding offers for Heliot Ramos as well. The Giants have also reportedly been looking at unloading one or more of their big contracts (Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, and Willy Adames), though that seems unlikely to materialize.

The Tampa Bay Rays have a made a major addition to their roster by acquiring catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins in exchange for three prospects.

Hicks is currently hitting .282/.363/.432 with 14 HR this season, registering a 119 wRC+ (140 vs RHP, 47 vs LHP) and has accrued 1.6 fWAR over 409 PA. He will be expected to enter into a fairly strict platoon with Nick Fortes moving forward.

A Rule 5 selection from the Tigers following the 2024 season, Hicks has appeared at catcher in 100 games (81 starts) and at first base (54 games, 42 starts) across two seasons in Miami, and dramatically cut his strikeouts at the plate this year.

The Rays are sending three prospects in the deal:

• INF Brayden Taylor — 2023 19th overall selection, resurgent after a down 2025 at the plate
• SS Adrian Santana — 2023 31st overall selection, who boasts a 108 wRC+ in High-A this year
• RHP Jacob Kisting — 2024 14th rounder and helium pitching prospect that we profiled over the weekend

Two-time Gold Glove winner Brenton Doyle is heading to the Chicago White Sox from Colorado, as GM Chris Getz has entered his “defensive replacement” phase of team-building.

The cost is not nothing, as preseason No. 10 South Side Sox prospect Mason Adams is the headliner shipped out west to the Rockies. Carlos Vielma, a 16-year-old infielder positively crushing the DSL in his first pro season, is also wedged into the deal.

Two years ago, this trade would have set pulses racing, as Doyle won his second Gold Glove in two MLB seasons but more significantly added some pop to his game: 23 homers, 72 RBIs and a 3.9 WAR that seemed to predict multi-tool minor stardom ahead. But in the two years since, the center fielder has badly regressed. His 2025 was a stumble to a 0.2 WAR that apparently affected his defense as well, and this season Doyle battled oblique and groin injuries that saw him sent to Triple-A for a rehab assignment before his call-up just two games ago.

Sam Bradfield over at our sister site Purple Row offered her insight on the trade, promising that “when [Doyle] is on, he’s on” and that the speedster ran into both bad injury luck and struggles with altitude. He’ll face no such problems with the latter in the flatlander climes of Chicago, so perhaps the White Sox coaching staff can coax back more of the speed-D-pop excellence we saw from Doyle two seasons ago.

Triple-A starter Adams struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery in 2026, but had worked his way back to Triple-A and logged a 3-3 record and 4.25 ERA — and that includes getting lit up last night after being pulled from his Sunday start and getting inserted for three relief innings to end the Charlotte loss. For those needing translation, a 4.25 ERA in homer-happy Charlotte plays way differently than a 4.25 down in stingy Birmingham. The White Sox should have been prepping Adams for spot starts in September, not sending him out into even thinner air in Denver. Atone for your sins, Mason.

If not for a player named Fernando Tatís Jr., the inclusion of Vielma in the deal would cause no night sweats. However, in just 34 games as a pro, the 16-year-old infielder has twice the walks as strikeouts and is slashing .337/.508/.474. If you’re not sure you trade Adams straight for Doyle, you sure as hell don’t wedge this lottery ticket beefcake into the proceedings.

This, quite honestly, has the makings of a trade you’ll end up regretting. We’ll see.

The trade deadline ends at 4:00 pm today, and this morning, the Colorado Rockies traded CF Brenton Doyle to the Chicago White Sox.

Since we’ve got a long way to go and many trades awaiting us, we’ve set up an overflow thread to keep the conversation moving.

Let’s go, Rockies! Make some trades!

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

Hello, and welcome to the 2026 White Sox MLB trade deadline tracker!

Below, you’ll find every trade and acquisition the White Sox made over the past two weeks, anticipating the near-freeze of transactions after August 3. Where applicable, there are links to our trade deadline stories, which pack more detail.

A reminder, the trade deadline is 5 p.m. CT on August 3.

August 3
Acquire CF Brenton Doyle from the Colorado Rockies for Triple-A RHSP Mason Adams and DSL INF Carlos Vielma
So, now we have a bad trade, for a defensive replacement CF who may even have lost his defensive edge for a likely MLB starter in Adams (SSS preseason No. 10 prospect, holding a 4.25 ERA with the Knights as he battles back from TJS) and definition of a lottery ticket with DSL masher Vielma. Doyle was outstanding in 2024 but has seen his road to stardom severely sidelined since, including a demotion back to Triple-A in May.

Acquire RHRP Huascar Brazobán from the New York Mets for RHSP Gabe Davis and RHRP Zach Franklin
An absolute masterstroke of a minor deal that could pay huge dividends, beyond 2026. Brazobán is young by MLB standards but ancient (36 years old) for a pitcher who is controllable for the rest of this decade. He’s a little wild but allows hits like Jerry Reinsdorf hands out nine-figure contracts. At worst, he’s an upgrade of the departed Seranthony Domínguez, at 10% of the price. Franklin will see some time with the Mets, probably immediately, as he’s been a pro long enough to be Rule 5 draft-eligible next winter, while Davis projects long-term as a relief arm.

August 2
David James put together hisbiggest White Sox needs ahead of Monday’s trade deadline.

August 1
Acquire RHSP Luis Castillo from the Seattle Mariners for RHRP Seranthony Domínguez, Triple-A OF Nolan Jones and Double-A C Boston Smith
The first major move of GM Chris Getz’s 2026 deadline was a bit of a yawner. No doubt, snagging Castillo helps fill the most pressing need for the White Sox, starting pitching. But the 2026 version of Castillo has been horrific, worse even than an arm in Domínguez the entire fan base seemed so desperate to drop. Plus, Castillo’s 2026-27 salary will hamstring the White Sox going forward if the club continues to operate with the budget of a Triple-A team. If Castillo flounders and best-in-system catching prospect Smith continues to mash, this swap could be disastrous.

July 28
Sign free agent C Eric Haase to a minor-league contract, send him to Triple-A Charlotte
Haase hasn’t been a true MLB contributor since 2022, and as such is mere catching depth in case of catastrophe. That said, his -0.3 WAR in 29 games with the Giants this season is right in line with the production of current White Sox catchers Drew Romo (-0.6 WAR) and Edgar Quero (-0.9 WAR).

July 26
Acquire RHSP José Urquidy from the Pittsburgh Pirates for RHRP Felix Doroteo
A somewhat bizarre deal, as Urquidy provides deep emergency rotation depth (the White Sox immediately sent him to Triple-A Charlotte), but nothing that will assist in winning the AL Central. The return for Urquidy is the only thing more puzzling than the acquisition itself: 21-year-old Arizona Complex League reliever Doroteo, who was part of Chicago’s international signing class in 2025 but missed the entire year with injury.

We also published the results of our deadline-centered Reacts poll, which saw Noah Schultz as the rostered rookie the fan base would most be willing to part with in a deal to improve the team for the stretch run.

July 17
Hannah Filippo took a look at three possible starting pitcher rentals the White Sox could pursue at the deadline: Michael Wacha, Foster Griffin and Logan Webb

LOS ANGELES — Max Muncy homered once during the Dodgers’ homestand last week, and his home run last Tuesday against the Seattle Mariners tied Eric Karros for most regular season home runs in Dodger Stadium history.

Muncy and Karros each hit 130 regular season homers at Chavez Ravine, but if you factor in postseason home runs too, Muncy has the edge, 137-132.

So I asked Muncy over the weekend of all his home runs at Dodger Stadium — excluding his 18th-inning home run in Game 3 of the 2018 World Series to end the longest postseason game of all-time — was his favorite.

Muncy thought about this for a moment. First he remembered his walk-off home run on April 10 against the Texas Rangers, when he joined Don Demeter in 1959 as the only Dodger to cap off a three-homer game with a walk-off shot.

“One it’s a walk-off, two it’s the third home run of the night,” Muncy reasoned.

But after a few more moments cycling through his memories of nine seasons hitting home runs in Los Angeles, Muncy suddenly remembered another important dinger.

On August 21, 2019, Muncy hit a walk-off home run to beat the Toronto Blue Jays 2-1 in the 10th inning at Dodger Stadium. “Max Muncy saves the Dodgers tonight,” said Joe Davis on his home run call.

This home run was hit off Toronto southpaw Tim Mayza. Of the 137 home runs Muncy has hit at Dodger Stadium, 102 have been against right-handers and 35 against left-handers.

Winning the game was nice, but off-field events were what made it special for Muncy, who was four days shy of his 29th birthday at the time.

“That one might actually be my favorite, because of the circumstances outside the field surrounding it. It was on or around my birthday,” Muncy explained. “My wife flew home to pick up the puppy we just bought. I hadn’t met the puppy yet. She came to the stadium, and that was going to be the first night that I met him.”

That puppy is Jax, a french bulldog who was 14 weeks old at the time.

The Muncys still have Jax, now along with their three kids. But thinking back to that Wednesday night seven years ago and the ensuing few days made for a special memory.

‘We went into extra innings,“ Muncy said of his 2019 home run, ”and the circumstances surrounding it might be the most memorable.“

The Texas Rangers are trading infielder Josh Smith and pitcher Josh Stephan to the Toronto Blue Jays for lefthanded reliever Adam Macko, per multiple reports.

Macko, 25, was a 7th round pick of the Mariners in 2019, and was sent to the Jays after the 2022 season, along with Erik Swanson, in the Teoscar Hernandez deal. Macko has split the season between AAA and the majors, putting up a 4.07 ERA in AAA and a 4.91 ERA in the majors. He relies primarily on a fastball and a slider, with the occasional changeup and knuckle curve. He has average velocity but struggles with his control and command. He will have six years of team control remaining after this season.

This is a sad ending to Josh Smith’s time in Texas. Acquired as part of the Joey Gallo deal in 2021, Smith spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons as a regularly-used bench guy who didn’t hit much, then broke out with two very good seasons in 2024 and 2025, when he slashed .254/.336/.380 with a 6.4 bWAR in 293 games, though he faded badly in the final two months of those seasons.

Smith started the 2026 season as the replacement for Marcus Semien at second base, but ineffectiveness, a strained glute, and then a case of viral meningitis while he was on the i.l. with a strained glute resulted in his losing his job to either Ezequiel Duran or Nicky Lopez, depending on who else was on the i.l. Smith will have two years of arbitration eligibility remaining after this season, and is making just $3.23 million this year. This deal saves the Rangers about $1 million in the remaining obligation to him for 2026, and let’s them avoid having to make a decision as to whether to non-tender him if he doesn’t turn things around over the final two months.

Stephan, 24, is a Texas native who the Rangers signed as an undrafted free agent in 2020. A pitchability guy, was very good in the lower levels but struggled in AA and AAA, as is often the case with pitchability guys. He was slated to be a minor league free agent after the season and the Rangers almost certainly weren’t adding him to the 40 man roster.

UPDATE — Just read this on Baseball America’s write-up on Macko:

Macko grew up in Slovakia and learned to pitch by watching YouTube videos. 

So that’s something…

UPDATEII — The trade is official: Josh Smith and Josh Stephan to the Jays for Adam Macko.

UPDATE III — Macko has been optioned to AAA Round Rock.

The third of their pure rental pieces to go, Brooks Raley landed with the Phillies on deadline day. Once again, the Mets received a portfolio return, acquiring two minor league arms from their division rivals.

John Spikerman was the Phillies’ 3rd round pick in 2024 out of Oklahoma (NOT the same school as Carson Benge / Nolan Mclean / new Met Gabe Davis). The profile is pretty easy to understand here; potentially elite CF defense with the added bonus of passable up-the-middle infield ability; a bit of speed on the basepaths; decent feel for contact enhanced (or inflated) by a passive approach; and literally zero power. That final flaw is what kills the profile here and makes him more an organizational depth piece than an exciting prospect. The plus side is that there is an outlier skill (the defense) that makes him a potential contributor as a 5th or 6th outfielder type.

The more interesting and valuable part of the return is Luke Gabrysh, a 23-year-old right hander. While the surface-level ERA in High-A this season is ugly, but he’s already demonstrating the ability to generate a ton of in-zone whiffs with a 5-pitch mix – two fastballs, two breakers, and a change. Grabbing an arm with these sort of traits is what you want to be doing at the deadline when dealing rentals; if you’re getting someone with shiny surface stats, they’re likely underwhelming on true talent.

That said, this feels a touch light for Raley, who has been quite good since returning from his Tommy John recovery. Even with peripherals that don’t support a sub-2 ERA, Raley is likely to be the best lefty reliever moved this deadline. Getting a slightly better second piece than Spikerman, or a slightly better arm than Gabrysh would’ve made this look a bit better. Perhaps that changes once we evaluate the deadline as a whole.

We’ll have full grades for every deadline deal the Mets make once all the moves for the deadline have been made. Check back in for those next week.

Early reporting this morning from Francys Romero indicated that the Colorado Rockies were in discussions with multiple teams, including the Chicago White Sox, about a trade involving Brenton Doyle.

Ken Rosenthal has since reported that a deal sending Doyle to the White Sox had been agreed to pending medical review. Mark Feinsand followed up, indicating that the return for the Rockies is RHP Mason Adams and SS Carlos Vielma.

The last two seasons have been a struggle for Doyle as he fought to come back from injury. Most recently, he was injured during a game on May 19th against the Texas Rangers when he made a diving play in the outfield.

Doyle originally started a rehab assignment for this left oblique injury in late June but that was shut down before he was activated due to a groin injury.

Over the course of two separate rehab appearances with the Triple-A Isotopes, Doyle played in 11 games and slashed .395/.447/.651. Before being placed on the IL in May, Doyle had struggled at the plate in 43 games and slashed .207/.279/.270.

On Friday, he returned to the Rockies lineup and has been solid offensively since rejoining the team. In seven plate appearances, he has two hits, including a double and an RBI.

The move begins to make space in a crowded Rockies outfield but Doyle may not be the last Rockies outfielder to be on the move today.

Adams is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher in Triple-A for the White Sox and was drafted in the 13th round of the 2022 draft and ranked as the White Sox’s No. 8 prospect per MLB Pipeline due to his good command and ability to spin the ball.

He has performed relatively well in 49 innings in the minors this year with a 3.86 ERA and a 4.05 xFIP between Triple-A and High-A, where he began the season after finishing his rehab from Tommy John surgery.

Vielma, the other player coming over from the White Sox, is a 16-year-old shortstop currently playing in the Dominican Summer League. He was signed in January for $400,000. Vielma has made consistent contact in his first taste of the DSL, batting .337/.507/.474 through 34 games, making him an intriguing lottery ticket despite being unranked by MLB Pipeline.

UPDATE: 12:16 pm

The Rockies have annouced their trade with the White Sox.

This is a developing story and Purple Row will provide more information as it becomes available.

Please keep in mind our Purple Row Community Guidelines when you’re commenting. Thanks!

The Toronto Blue Jays have emerged as both a buyer and a seller at the MLB trade deadline, acquiring right-hander Jose Soriano on Monday from the Los Angeles Angels.

The deal comes less than 12 hours before the 6 p.m. ET deadline.

Jays GM Ross Atkins has been quite busy the last few days, sending ace Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs for a pair of prospects, while also acquiring veteran starter Jameson Taillon from the Cubs in a separate deal.

In his fourth MLB season, Soriano, 27, has posted a record of 9-6 with a 3.29 ERA in 123 innings for the Angels.

In return, the Angels pick up a trio of minor leaguers, headlined by shortstop Arjun Nimmala, who rates as the game's No. 43 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.

As the Trade Deadline approaches, Joel Sherman and Mark Feinsand are reporting that interest in Clay Holmes remains high. The Milwaukee Brewers are among those with the most interest in Holmes, and the Mets are expected to make a deal for him by the 6 PM ET deadline today.

Holmes had a strong start to the season, among the best in the Mets’ rotation, with an ERA of 2.39 and WHIP of 1.10 through nine starts, but his season was abruptly interrupted by a comebacker that fractured his fibula Spencer Jones during his start against the Yankees. He has been on the 6o-day IL, and instead of making his scheduled major-league start on Sunday, made another rehab start in Brooklyn.

Holmes has a player option for next year that he is expected to decline, though he has expressed interest in an extension in New York. Despite that, no meaningful extension talks have materialized, and he has been floated as a trade candidate for weeks. The Brewers need starting pitching as Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester are both out for the season.

While most of you are focused on today’s MLB Trade Deadline, which comes up at 5 p.m. CT, I thought I’d take time to update you on some good — and not-so-good — Cubs performances over the past week.

Here’s who’s been hot and not for the Cubs over their seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees.

Three up

Nico Hoerner is on a hot streak

The Cubs second baseman batted .423/.444/.654 (11-for-26) over the seven games. He had a four-hit game in St. Louis and hit two home runs, his first since April. One of those homers was a key part of the win against the Yankees Saturday — it tied the game in the seventh inning.

Here’s that home run [VIDEO].

Since the All-Star break, Hoerner is batting .400/.409/.523 (26-for-65) with nine runs scored and 13 RBI in 16 games.

Alex Bregman is also heating up

Bregman’s bat began getting stronger just before the All-Star break and over the seven games against the Cardinals and Yankees he had three multi-hit games and overall batted .429/.484/.750 (12-for-28) with six doubles, a home run, three walks and eight runs scored.

Overall in 17 games since July 11: .304/.385/.580 (21-for-69) with seven doubles, four home runs, eight walks, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored.

Keep that up and he’ll be near his career norms by the end of the year.

David Peterson put together two outstanding starts

In his two starts against the Cardinals and Yankees, Peterson allowed three earned runs in 12 innings and struck out 11. The Cubs won both those games. Since Peterson’s awful start at Wrigley July 3 against St. Louis, he has posted a 1.52 ERA and 0.887 WHIP and has returned to being the ground-ball pitcher the Cubs thought they were getting — in those four starts, 35 ground-ball outs of 71 total outs recorded.

This was a very good trade by Jed Hoyer.

A hat tip to Pedro Ramirez, who started five of the seven games and batted .333/.474/.400 (5-for-15). That OBP is an eye-opener — Ramirez walked four times over the week and has a .370 OBP in 109 PA this season. Looks like a keeper to me.

Three down

Ian Happ remains ice cold

Despite a two-hit game in St. Louis, Happ batted just .148/.233/.259 (4-for-27) over the seven games. He did have three doubles and walked three times, but had eight strikeouts.

Craig Counsell has been giving his infielders rest from time to time. I think Happ could use a day off, too.

Dansby Swanson’s bat is also chilly

Swanson did get a day off during the week, but it didn’t seem to help, as he batted .048/.091/.048 (1-for-21) in the six games he did play, with eight strikeouts.

Swanson has become a real streaky hitter, much as Happ is. It would be nice for them both to go on hot streaks starting … right now.

Michael Busch is also not hitting

Busch had a rough week, batting just .161/.188/.161 (5-for-31).

He could probably also use a day off. The thing is, the Cubs don’t really have a backup first baseman — Carson Kelly played first for an inning Sunday after Counsell sent Justin Dean in to run for Busch. But I don’t think Counsell really wants Kelly to start at first base — he’s done that just once this year, April 13 vs. the Phillies.

If that happens, I doubt it would happen during the Dodgers series, anyway.

The trade deadline has arrived. The final dots and crosses must made made to all the letters and all the agreements must be in to the Commissioner’s Office by 3:00 p.m. MST. As is often the case, there is an expectation that there will still be some contracts with wet ink at the time. However, as long as the paperwork is completed on time, smudged ink will not hold things up.

Saturday night saw the big deal happen that everyone had been fully expecting since last November. Finally, the Tigers admitted they were not going to be able to retain Tarik Skubal and that they were furthermore not contenders in 2026. As such, the Dodgers mad a move late on Saturday to acquire him. In exchange for two months plus the playoffs of one of the best pitchers in the game, Detroit receives right-hander River Ryan, outfielder Zyhir Hope, and righty Brady Smith. A fuller accounting of the move can be found over at MLB Trade Rumors.

Freddy Peralta
The Diamondbacks were one of many teams linked to the New York Mets’ struggling rental right-hander, Freddy Peralta. However, the Tamps Bay Rays struck first (and likely much harder than Arizona could). Freddy Peralta was shipped off to Tampa during the rain-lengthened affair between the Snakes and the Indians yesterday. If Arizona is going to find themselves a rental starter, it will have to be somebody else. (Frankly, this author is actually glad about that. Freddy Peralta had too many red flags similar to ones already residing on the Arizona roster in one form or another.)

Luis Garcia Jr.
While there was not much buzz linking the Diamondbacks with a move to acquire Washington’s Luis Garcia Jr, the slugging first baseman was very much the sort of help Arizona is in the market for. The Yankees have acquired first baseman Luis Garcia Jr. from the Nationals. Washington will receive four players in return, with right-hander Yovanny Cruz headlining a package that also includes right-handers Jack Cebert, Ben Grable, and Jake Bird. (Link to article at MLBTR)
Even slow trade deadlines still have flurries of minor activity. This projects to be a rather slow deadline. It also seems quite likely that Arizona will indeed make at least one of those various minor moves. Stay tuned to the Pit to see what happens and feel free to discuss today’s deadline moves below.

Welcome back to Monday Stat Party, a weekly series showcasing some of the most curious and nostalgia-inducing statistical developments from the past week of Mets baseball. What unites each entry is the sense of intrigue which they aim to spark, and the unbridled love of the game’s anomalies from which they arise. Without further ado, let the stat party begin.

MONDAY

The Mets beat the Braves 14-3 after having lost to them 14-3 on July 4 in Atlanta. It’s the first time an MLB team has won 14-3 and lost 14-3 to the same opponent in the same season since 1996, when the Yankees lost to the Angels 14-3 on August 29 and beat them 14-3 on August 31. Prior to this season, the Mets had only played six games with a 14-3 final in franchise history, with three wins and three losses.

A.J. Ewing, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, Tyrone Taylor, and Marcus Semien each recorded three hits, marking the first time five Mets recorded three or more hits in a game since August 22, 2025, when five Mets (including Lindor and Taylor) did it in Atlanta. The Mets have accomplished the feat on eight different occasions in their history, and four of those eight have come against the Braves.

Lindor, Semien, and Francisco Alvarez each reached base four times, marking just the third time three Mets reached base four or more times in a game at Citi Field. The previous two came on July 1, 2013, against the Diamondbacks (Eric Young Jr., David Wright, Josh Satin, Omar Quintanilla) and March 29, 2018, against the Cardinals on Opening Day (Brandon Nimmo, Adrián González, Kevin Plawecki).

Zac Thornton posted a 2.43 ERA over his first five career outings, ranking seventh-best among Mets pitchers with a minimum of five innings per outing, behind: Nolan McLean (1.42), Steven Matz (1.80), Mike Bruhert (1.82), Tom Seaver (1.91), Dillon Gee (2.18), and Jason Jacome (2.38).

Thornton also became one of eight Mets pitchers with four or more quality starts among their first five career outings, joining Ron Darling (5), Jacome (5), Gee (5), Seaver (4), Gary Gentry (4), Alay Soler (4), and Jacob deGrom (4).

Luis Robert Jr. has played in just 35 games this season, but he is tied for second on the Mets with six batted balls of 110 mph or higher, including Monday’s fifth-inning single off Martín Pérez which registered at 111.7 mph. Only Juan Soto (7) has more such batted balls for the Mets this year.

Lindor recorded three extra-base hits in a game for the 10th time in his career, and for the third time as a Met (after having done so on July 6, 2023, in Arizona, and September 12, 2021, in his three-homer game against the Yankees).

The Mets notched 19 hits in a game for the second time this season. They are one of only five teams with multiple 19-hit games this year, along with the Giants (3), Braves (2), Royals (2), and Pirates (2). Monday also marked the fifth time the Mets had 19 hits in a game at Citi Field, and the first since July 14, 2017, in a 14-2 win over the Rockies.

The Mets recorded nine hits with an exit velocity of 100 mph or higher, marking their most such hits in a game this season.

WEDNESDAY (GAME ONE)

A.J. Ewing stole two bases, marking the second time he’s done that in his short big league career. He’s the fourth Met with two multi-stolen-base performances in his first 68 career games, along with Bud Harrelson, Mookie Wilson, and and Darryl Strawberry.

WEDNESDAY (GAME TWO)

Christian Scott completed six innings for the first time this season. Prior to Wednesday, he had gone 14 consecutive starts without completing six innings to begin the season, currently tied with the Athletics’ Jacob Lopez (who has an active streak of 14) for the most in the Majors this year. The Nats’ duo of Jake Irvin (12) and PJ Poulin (11) also have active streaks close behind.

THURSDAY

With a first-inning strikeout of Heriberto Hernández, Nolan McLean recorded his 200th career strikeout in his 30th career game, making him the fifth-fastest Met to reach that total behind Dwight Gooden (25 games), Matt Harvey (27 games), Noah Syndergaard (28 games), and Kodai Senga (29 games). Jacob Misiorowski and Paul Skenes are the only other starters since Senga to debut and reach 200 strikeouts in 30 or fewer games.

McLean posted his sixth consecutive quality start, the most by a Met since Kodai Senga (8) from August 7-September 20, 2023. It was also McLean’s eighth consecutive start in which he completed six innings, the most by a Met since Sean Manaea (8) from August 16-September 21, 2024.

McLean had seven total chances in the field (three putouts, three assists, and one error), marking the most in a game by a Mets pitcher since Armando Reynoso’s seven on August 15, 1998, in Arizona. (source: SNY broadcast)

Kyle Stowers’ 112.8-mph home run was the hardest-hit homer the Mets have allowed since Shohei Ohtani’s 114.0-mph shot off Max Kranick on June 2, 2025 at Dodger Stadium.

FRIDAY

Francisco Lindor’s seventh-inning solo shot was his 150th home run as a Met, passing Carlos Beltrán for seventh on the franchise’s all-time leaderboard behind Pete Alonso (264), Darryl Strawberry (252), David Wright (242), Mike Piazza (220), Howard Johnson (192), and Dave Kingman (154).

With his fifth-inning single, Lindor extended his hitting streak against the Marlins to 21 games, setting a record for the longest hitting streak by any player against the Marlins. Tom Pagnozzi (1993-1996) and Quilvio Veras (1997-2000) were previously tied for the record at 20 games. Lindor got hits on Saturday and Sunday to make it a 23-game hitting streak against the Marlins. He’ll have the chance to extend it to 26 games later this season when the Mets play in Miami on September 7-9.

Kodai Senga completed four innings on just 33 pitches. That’s the fewest pitches a Mets starting pitcher has thrown to make it through the first four innings of a game since Bartolo Colon completed four innings on 32 pitches on September 23, 2015 against the Braves at Citi Field. (credit: PIX broadcast)

Senga took the loss on Friday night, giving him an 0-8 record on the season. He’s the fifth Met to begin a season with at least eight consecutive losing decisions, after Bob Miller (0-12 in 1962), Anthony Young (0-13 in 1993), John Franco (0-8 in 1998), and Shaun Marcum (0-9 in 2013).

SATURDAY

After Saturday, Tyrone Taylor had hit seven home runs over his past 19 games. Prior to this season, his previous career-high in homers during a 19-game span was five.

The Mets issued multiple walks for the 100th game this season, second-most of any team in MLB behind the Reds (101).

SUNDAY

Making his first Major League appearance in over a year, Robert Stock shattered his career high by racking up 12 whiffs, including at least three on three different types of fastballs (cutter, four-seamer, and sinker). His previous career high had been nine.

Stock has made 58 career appearances, and in only three of those has he completed at least four innings. All three have come at Citi Field, and in all three he has been pinned with the loss. The first was on June 16, 2021, when he started for the Cubs against the Mets. The second was on June 7, 2021, when he started for the Mets in the second game of a doubleheader against the Brewers. The third was Sunday, when he tossed five innings for the first time in his career while allowing just one earned run. (credit: SNY broadcast)

Luke Weaver recorded his 37th appearance with at least one inning pitched and no earned runs allowed this season, tied for fifth-most in MLB. Only Louis Varland (42), Tyler Rogers (41), Mason Miller (40), and Taylor Clarke (38) have more such appearances.

Sandy Alcantara made his 19th career start against the Mets, tying Tom Koehler and Dontrelle Willis for the second-most by a Marlin behind Ricky Nolasco (23).

The Mets suffered their eleventh shutout loss of the season, tied with the Pirates for the most in MLB.

The Mets scored two runs or fewer through nine innings for the 47th time this season. Only the Angels (48) have more such games in MLB.

Miscellaneous Mets stat of the week:

The last two Mets pitchers to record triples were Steven Matz and Dillon Gee, and both triples were hit against former Mets left-handers. Matz’s came on June 7, 2016, against Jon Niese in Pittsburgh, while Gee’s came on August 14, 2013, against Chris Capuano at Dodger Stadium.