NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 26: Luke Weaver #30 of the New York Mets (L) is greeted by Bo Bichette #19 after making a play in the field during the eighth inning of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Citi Field on July 26, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Dustin Satloff/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Meet the Mets
Within the span of a few hours, the Mets managed to get a win over the Los Angeles Dodgers and Carlos Beltrán became the third member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame to sport a Mets cap. It can only go down from here.
After 11 innings and despite the bases being loaded when the last out was recorded, the Braves capped their weekend series in Baltimore with a win over the Orioles, 3-2.
On Sunday Night Baseball, the Phillies finally won a game against the Yankees with Alec Bohm and Bryson Stott driving in a combined nine runs in an 11-4 victory.
Jun 12, 2026; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago White Sox third baseman Miguel Vargas (20) is doused by shortstop Colson Montgomery (12), left, and pitcher Davis Martin (65) after the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | Matt Marton-Imagn Images
What a difference a year makes. The White Sox weren’t quite historically bad in 2025, but they still lost 102 games and were very much in the wilderness. Now they’re a game and a half clear of anyone in the division, and while they’re not necessarily projected to stay in that slot, first place is first place and someone in the annual AL Central Rock Fight needs to knock them off that perch.
The team has a couple real stars, after multiple seasons of trading away the only players that were halfway interesting. There are five hitters in the lineup that boast plus production, led by Miguel Vargas at third base, and a rotation that bounces between solid and quite good. You can see the pieces being set into place for what would be a genuinely good baseball team, and the Yankees can’t afford to assume this version of the Sox will just roll over and die.
The Yankees will be without Cody Bellinger, who was put on the IL with a bad hamstring on Sunday. With another All Star-caliber player unavailable, the pitching needs to once again carry the load — fortunately, the team has the three guys you want going to start the series, a good preview of a potential playoff deployment, and the fourth guy is coming off a damn good outing in his own right.
Monday — Max Fried vs. Noah Schultz (7:40pm Eastern)
Fried roared back into the rotation against the Pirates last week, throwing five innings with a 7:1 K:BB ratio while still on a limited pitch count. He lowered his season ERA to below 3.00 and certainly assuaged early concerns that he would need to be handled with kid gloves returning from his bone bruise. Now he’ll be brought to bear against a White Sox side that’s relatively mediocre against southpaws, managing just a 98 wRC+ so far this season.
Schultz was a first-round pick by the Sox, 12th overall back in 2022, but hasn’t really found his footing in his first taste of MLB action. He throws a four-seam/sinker combo that is mediocre, but the real problem has been a complete lack of anything resembling secondary stuff. One of the worst sweepers in baseball is paired with one of the worst changeups, and for a Yankee team that is dead set on having a lefty-specialist lineup, the goal has to be to hunt heaters and spit on any other offering.
Tuesday — Gerrit Cole vs. Anthony Kay (7:40pm Eastern)
Dadbod Cole is probably past the AL Cy Young frontrunner days, but has been solid enough outside of two rocky starts following Tommy John surgery. His last outing against Pittsburgh was a great test for what you see as valuable in pitching — he gave up two home runs but just two other hits, and struck out 11 against no walks in seven innings. He has the lowest walk rate of his career across the 11 starts he’s made this season, but that’s been paired with the second-highest home run rate he’s ever posted. He fills up the zone but has yet to figure out how to manage contact quality, and the White Sox can elevate the ball.
Anthony Kay, formerly of the Blue Jays, hasn’t had the best 2026. I tend to consider K-BB rate as the best singular stat to examine pitchers with, and Kay has just a 9 point separation between those two numbers. Cam Schlittler might just win the Cy Young award so it may be unfair to compare him to Kay, but HIS K-BB rate is over 25 percent. Good pitchers, you’re looking at somewhere between 15-20 percent. Kay doesn’t strike many men out, and walks his share, so the trick to success against him is going to be avoiding the chase. Make him bring the ball into the zone and there are hits to be found.
Wednesday — Cam Schlittler vs. Davis Martin (7:40pm Eastern)
We have an ace-off in game three. Writing about Schlittler is getting to be a bit superfluous, like Aaron Judge in the peak of an MVP campaign, there are only so many ways to say he’s standing above every other pitcher in the Junior Circuit. We’re fresh off his dominant Friday night performance against the Phillies, striking out a dozen across 7.1 shutout innings, hand-delivering the Yankees a 1-0 win. He is the most exciting player to watch on this Yankee roster, and we’ve begun to expect to win on every fifth day.
For his part, Davis Martin will give as good as he gets. Already worth 3.1 fWAR on the season, he’d be someone that gets Cy Young murmurings if not for the year Cam’s having. He was absolutely thumped in mid-June against the Yankees though, surrendering nine earned runs on a trio of home runs and not making it out of the fourth inning, He’ll be out for redemption on Wednesday night, and righties in the Yankee lineup will need to be particularly careful when facing one of baseball’s best changeups.
Thursday — Ryan Weathers vs. Sean Burke(2:10pm Eastern)
You can’t exactly copy and paste what I said above about Schlittler here. Weathers isn’t nearly as good and won’t get Cy Young consideration, but he is also coming off a stellar start against the Phillies. For me, the thing to watch about Weathers the rest of the year is fastball usage. His four-seam is honestly pretty pathetic, and I’ve been wondering all year when he’ll move his secondary pitches into his primary offerings, “pitching backwards” as the saying goes. He did that well on Saturday, and I think if he continues to do so he’ll move on the favorable side of average.
Burke, 26, is the second piece of a good 1-2 tandem with Martin, posting 2.5 fWAR so far in 2026. The opposite of Weathers in many ways, his four-seam is his bread and butter pitch while the changeup is an offering he’s best left leaving on the table. He was stellar in his one start against the Yankees this year, throwing 7.1 innings and allowing a single run, striking out eight with one walk. If he’s gonna do that again this go around, it’s a good thing the Yankees face him last.
Jul 25, 2026; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill (29) delivers a pitch against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images | Michael McLoone-Imagn Images
Welcome to week 18 of our 2026 NL Central Power Rankings — let’s rank some teams!
1. Milwaukee Brewers (66-39); 4-2 this week; 99.8% chance to make postseason (FanGraphs)
The Brewers continue to set the pace in the division, as they went 4-2 with a pair of series wins against the Mets and Rockies to wrap up a 7-2 homestand.
Cooper Pratt set the pace offensively, as the rookie led the team with nine hits, including the first two homers of his career to go with a double and a pair of steals. He also drove in a team-high six runs. Andrew Vaughn added two homers of his own, while Joey Ortiz, Brice Turang, and Christian Yelich each had one. Rookie Luis Lara also had a big weekend, picking up four hits, including three doubles, and driving in five.
Jacob Misiorowski continues to dominate opposing lineups, as he picked up an incredible 18 strikeouts in just nine innings of work this week, allowing two runs (one earned). Robert Gasser went six frames with two runs allowed, striking out four in a win, while Logan Henderson went five frames and struck out nine with two runs allowed in his outing. Aaron Ashby, Abner Uribe, and Craig Yoho totaled 7 1/3 scoreless innings for the bullpen, striking out nine.
Milwaukee now heads out west, as they’ll visit the Giants and Angels for a pair of three-game series through the weekend.
2. Chicago Cubs (59-46); 3-3 this week; 87.4% chance to make postseason
The Cubs went 3-3 this week, dropping two of three against the Tigers before taking two of three against the Pirates.
Seiya Suzuki led the Cubs with three homers but had just one hit outside of that, batting .160 for the week, while Pete Crow-Armstrong continues to build an MVP case as he led the team with nine hits, including seven extra-base hits (three doubles, two triples, and two homers), slashing .391/.517/.957. Michael Busch added eight hits, including a homer, and Ian Happ and Michael Conforto also homered.
Shota Imanaga and David Peterson both turned in scoreless starts, as Imanaga went six frames with four strikeouts and Peterson went 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Matthew Boyd went seven innings with one run allowed and four strikeouts, and Javier Assad and Gavin Hollowell each earned a save this week. Caleb Thielbar and Jacob Webb combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.
Chicago now heads to St. Louis for a four-game set with the rival Cardinals before returning home to host the Yankees over the weekend.
3. Pittsburgh Pirates (54-52); 2-4 this week; 41.5% chance to make postseason
The Pirates had a rough week, dropping both of their series against the Yankees and Cubs for a 2-4 stretch.
Esmerlyn Valdez picked up two homers this week, while Nick Gonzales led the squad with nine hits, including a homer. Ryan O’Hearn added six hits, including a homer, and Jake Mangum also picked up six hits.
Bubba Chandler and Mitch Keller turned in the best starts of the week for Pittsburgh. Chandler went 6 1/3 innings with no runs and five strikeouts, while Keller went five scoreless frames with six strikeouts. Jared Jones added six innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts. Wilber Dotel, Dennis Santana (who was DFA’d this week), and Gregory Soto totaled seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts out of the bullpen.
Pittsburgh will stay home to host the D-backs for three games before heading to Cincinnati to take on the Reds for four games over the weekend.
4. St. Louis Cardinals (53-52); 2-5 this week; 19.0% chance to make postseason
The Cardinals had a busy week without much success. They dropped two of three against the lowly Angels in Los Angeles before hosting the D-backs for a makeup game on Thursday, losing 10-6. They then lost two of three to the Reds over the weekend.
Iván Herrera and JJ Wetherholt had the only homers of the week for St. Louis, while Alec Burleson raked his way to 12 hits, including three doubles. Jordan Walker added six hits, and Bryan Torres had three hits in just seven at-bats, driving in three.
Andre Pallante and Hunter Dobbins each picked up a win in their starts this week, with Pallante going seven scoreless with eight strikeouts and Dobbins spanning six scoreless innings with five strikeouts. Dustin May added a quality start with one run allowed over six innings, and Scott Blewett and Ryne Stanek totaled five scoreless innings with five strikeouts for the bullpen.
St. Louis now hosts their rival Cubs for four games before a visit to the Blue Jays for three games over the weekend.
5. Cincinnati Reds (49-55); 4-2 this week; 2.1% chance to make postseason
The Reds went 4-2 this week, as they’re now 6-3 out of the break after taking two of three against both the Mariners and Cardinals.
Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez both slugged a pair of homers this week, while JJ Bleday, Ke’Bryan Hayes, Sal Stewart, and Nathaniel Lowe added one each. Lowe also led the team with six hits as the only player to bat over .300 this week.
Chase Burns had another strong start, totaling five innings with no runs allowed and six strikeouts. Andrew Abbott made a pair of starts, spanning 12 innings with three runs allowed (two earned) and a team-high 10 strikeouts, while Emilio Pagán led the bullpen with three scoreless innings to pick up a trio of saves.
The Reds head back home to host the Guardians and Pirates over the next week.
LAS VEGAS — The best ability, in LJ Cryer’s case, really is availability.
“The main thing for me is just getting my body healthy, because when I’m healthy, I’m able to help the team,” Cryer said to reporters at Chase Center during Warriors Summer League Media Day. “… With me being a younger guy, I just got to be more available. … The more healthy I get, the more I’ll be able to bring to the table.”
Aside from a right foot injury that sidelined him for a large chunk of his sophomore year at Baylor, Cryer was relatively healthy throughout his five-year college career. But the start to his Warriors career didn’t go as smoothly from a health perspective.
Cryer dealt with a back injury off and on throughout December and January prior to him making his NBA debut with the Warriors on Jan. 19. He didn’t play a single game in February – not in the G League or NBA – because of a recurring hamstring issue. The same problem caused him to miss two games in March.
An illness in April sidelined him for another two games, and then in the third-to-last game of the regular season on April 10, Cryer sprained his right ankle coming down from a shot when he landed on Jarred Vanderbilt’s left foot in the fourth quarter against the Los Angeles Lakers.
LJ Cryer had to be helped off the court after injuring his ankle on this play pic.twitter.com/4mjP4cFKoj
All in all, Cryer played in 36 games throughout his rookie year. He appeared in 18 games for Golden State, and another 18 for the Warriors’ G League affiliate in Santa Cruz. That’s a strong number for someone who went undrafted. However, the inconsistency of Cryer’s availability was far from satisfactory in his own self-evaluation.
So, Cryer got to work. He stayed back in the Bay and could be seen running on the Embarcadero after a long workout at Chase Center. Injuries can often be out of a player’s control. Bad luck, as the Warriors learned all last season, is as real as it gets. Preparation is what athletes can control.
The change for Cryer started before the weight room. His focus has been how he serves his body, starting with how he fuels it. And he already can feel the results.
“I changed my diet, that was the main thing,” Cryer said in Las Vegas after the Warriors’ summer league win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. “And then I’ve been tracking my sleep. Those are the two most important things.”
Cryer, 24, played for two prestigious college programs in Baylor and Houston. He comes from a family of athletes, following in the footsteps of his parents who met as collegiate athletes at Grambling State. His younger brother was a college football player at Florida State, and Cryer has a long family lineage of other college athletes as well.
Discipline always has been a part of Cryer’s DNA. Stepping into the NBA also opened his eyes to a new understanding of what it takes, including the smallest details.
“Oh, I cut out a lot of foods,” Cryer said. “Just understanding what to put in your body. Obviously I had an idea of what to do, but sitting down with the performance staff and getting the detailed plan has helped me.”
What he eliminated is what we all could cut back on from time to time.
“Probably sweets, like candy. Stuff like that,” he says.
Cryer’s comments about no longer eating junk food and improving his sleep actually came after his lowest-scoring game of the summer when he tallied eight points, yet led the Warriors in assists (five) without any turnovers and was a game-high plus-17. It was Cryer, not top draft pick Yaxel Lendeborg, who led the Warriors in scoring during their summer league championship run in Las Vegas. Cryer, in six games in Las Vegas, averaged 15 points per game and had a 2.5 assist-to-turnover ratio.
Cryer’s summer league began with hot shooting at the California Classic on his home court, and it only continued for him in the desert. Cryer, in eight total games, averaged 14.0 points, second to Lendeborg’s 14.9. Each led the Warriors with 32 assists. Beyond the arc is where Cryer made his money, just like he can for Golden State.
Cryer this summer took 7.9 threes per game and made them at a 41.3 percent clip. His 63 3-point attempts were 26 more than any of his teammates, and they accounted for 75 percent of his total shots. The role Cryer can have on the Warriors in Year 2 is clear, and he’s making sure to show the franchise he’s ready to step into bigger shoes.
The way he can shoot the ball from long distance stands out most, but Cryer feels like a much better overall player as he prepares for his second pro season.
“Just all around,” Cryer said. “I think it’s due to me to working on my body this summer, just being more healthy. So I feel like I’ve taken a jump in every aspect of my game.”
The microwave scorer the Warriors still need might already be on their roster. Cryer, in his 18 games with the Warriors last season, averaged 5.2 3-point attempts and shot 39.4 percent. He made multiple threes in 11 games, which came after letting it fly in Santa Cruz. In his 18 G League games, Cryer shot 44.9 percent from 3-point range while taking 10.3 threes per game.
Pat Spencer’s departure opens a spot for Cryer to be the Warriors’ third point guard as the roster is currently constructed, whether he’s on a two-way contract or the 15-man roster. Even if they add another ball-handler, there still needs to be a spot for Cryer, who already is the Warriors’ second-best 3-point shooter, behind only Steph Curry, the greatest of all time.
Size isn’t on Cryer’s side. Generously listed at 6-foot, Cryer is a strong 202 pounds. Getting his body right and being available as much as possible for an older Warriors team is his ticket to next season and beyond.
One small change can lead to big results for Cryer and the Warriors.
Steph Curry is not surprised by LeBron James’ long-awaited decision.
Despite the former’s efforts to recruit the latter to join the Warriors in NBA free agency this offseason, James ultimately signed a two-year contract with the Philadelphia 76ers over the weekend after weeks of recruitment by a handful of prominent teams.
Curry, speaking exclusively to The Athletic’s Marcus Thompson for a recent story, shared his reaction to James choosing Philadelphia over other teams, like Golden State.
“That’s why you don’t envision anything until it happens,” Curry told Thompson. “There’s a lot of moving parts.”
When James initially left the Los Angeles Lakers earlier this offseason, the Warriors were believed to be the most likely landing spot, but Golden State adding the 22-time All-Star became less and less likely in the weeks to follow.
James probably was the Warriors’ most realistic big-ticket addition this offseason, and after he chose to sign elsewhere, Golden State now must figure out where it goes from here and how it will improve and round out its roster for the 2026-27 NBA season with key players, like star forward Jimmy Butler and sixth-year wing Moses Moody, likely to miss significant time.
“The through line,” Curry shared with Thompson, “which is hard on anybody in this situation, especially with us keeping this thing together, is knowing that when Jimmy got hurt and Moses got hurt, the whole calculus of everything changes. How do you get through their absence and still stay at a certain level? And then how that goes into this year. It’s the same deal. So I’m a realist on that.”
“You hope that they both come back healthy and we can play at a level that keeps us relevant and competitive and builds a foundation so that we can figure out what it looks like. But that is the situation. We don’t live in any alternative universe.”
Golden State still has multiple roster spots to fill, so additional moves are expected before the start of training camp in late September.
Who will those players be? That remains a mystery to Curry. And probably the Warriors, too.
DETROIT, MI - APRIL 8: Wendell Moore Jr. #14 of the Detroit Pistons dribbles the ball during the game against the Milwaukee Bucks on April 8, 2026 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2026 NBAE (Photo by Brian Sevald/NBAE via Getty Images) | NBAE via Getty Images
Former Blue Devil Wendell Moore has been in the NBA for four years now, and he hasn’t really established himself, and it looks like he’s going to go a different direction.
Moore is reportedly talking to several European teams, including Partizan Belgrade and Hapoel Tel Aviv. However, he may be more interested in BC Roma SPQR.
The ownership includes Donnie Nelson and Luka Doncic, and the team plays in Serie A, which is the highest level in Italy.
The thing about the NBA is that the margin of error is razor-thin. For most of us, Moore would be a stunning athlete, but on the NBA level, as it has turned out, he’s probably marginal.
In Europe though, he could have a long and lucrative career. It’s probably a smart move.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JULY 22: Dalton Rushing #68 of the Los Angeles Dodgers walks to the dugout during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies on July 22, 2026 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Since Will Smith last played on June 5, Dalton Rushing has started 30 of the Dodgers last 42 games behind the plate, by far the busiest stretch of catching of his career, as he moved around often in the minors as a bat-first prospect, playing some designated hitter, some first base, and even left field, though those positions are now occupied on the major league team.
“He’s proven that he certainly can play here on an every-day basis,” Roberts said. “When you’re an every-day catcher, you don’t get to cherry-pick when you play. I can’t cherry-pick matchups for him. So he’s playing against really good pitchers. He’s catching different pitchers. So he’s growing.
“I think he’s also understanding that to play more you’ve got to manage your emotions more. It’s just hard to be hot and cold when you’re playing five days a week. It’s all a part of his growth, which has been fun for me to watch.”
The Braves decided to keep the drama high over the weekend. They were fortunate enough to win two of three in Baltimore, as each game was decided by one run. Sunday’s win may have been the most dramatic of all, as the Braves tried multiple times to give the game away. But in the end, Atlanta continues to thrives since the All-Star Break, as they are now 7-3 over their last ten games.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JULY 12: Franklin Arias #19 of the Boston Red Sox on the American League Team warms up at Citizens Bank Park on July 12, 2026 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Franklin Arias is still looking for his first AAA hit, but Kristian Campbell is finding plenty of ways to get on base. He had two doubles, while Braiden Ward had the only other hits on a day when the rest of the team struggled to produce. It wasn’t a pretty win, to say the least, but two members of the lineup were on their game. I wouldn’t worry too much about two games of Arias adjusting to AAA; he’s still the youngest player at his level, two of the the pitchers he faced (Zach Pop and Zack Brzykcy) have had a mentionable amount of Major League pitching time, and he reached on a fielding error that scored Ward, which would end up being the game-winning run. All in all, could have been worse!
Gage Ziehl, who may have read my article stating he may be leveraged in a trade, picked a bad time to have a rough outing. He avoided being taken out of the house, but needed 75 pitches to get nine outs. From there, the bullpen didn’t help matters, and despite the Sea Dogs going blow for blow, giving up six total runs in the first four innings to the Rumble Ponies (Mets AA) left the Sea Dogs in dire straits they couldn’t even surmount with another Jack Winnay home run and Mason White’s first since being promoted to Double-A.
It’s always good when you can make the other team pay for committing three defensive errors, it’s even nicer when it results in a walk-off the way Greenville’s Sunday afternoon game against Spartanburg (Astros High-A) did. The Drive came into the bottom of the ninth down by one with just a 20% chance of winning the game, but, fortunately for the Drive, Justyn Gonzales is a prospect to watch. He hit his fourteenth home run of 2026 directly after yet another Enddy Azocar knock to start the inning, and the rally was very anti-climactic.
The Green Jackets (Braves A) got to Williams Montero extremely early in his first A-level start, and the RidgeYaks turned to Leighton Finley to take the bulk of this game. Finley allowed eleven hits and seven runs, but someone was going to have to wear it against a Green Jackets lineup who was ready to mash. Andruw Mussett and Justin Barry each got a ball over the fence with zero outs, but not much of a fighting chance could have possibly been recouped when down 10-2 after six.
PHOENIX, ARIZONA - APRIL 07: Kevin Durant #7 of the Houston Rockets reacts to a three-point shot against the Phoenix Suns during the first half of the NBA game at Mortgage Matchup Center on April 07, 2026 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Welcome to the start of the NBA’s second wave of player movement.
LeBron James’ prolonged free agency seemingly held up other moves around the league while he was making up his mind on where to play next season. Now that James has committed to the Philadelphia 76ers, the rest of the NBA is back open for business, and there’s likely another round of transactions coming. Restricted free agents like Jalen Duren and Peyton Watson will finally get some clarity on their futures in short order, and there are still plenty of possible trade candidates before rosters are finalized for the 2026-27 season.
Training camps around the league don’t open until the final days of September. Buzzer-beater trades have become a regular occurrence over the last few years, with blockbusters like Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, and the Timberwolves trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, immediately coming to mind. With tanking dead and so many teams having dreams of contention in both the East and the West, the regular season could be set for active trade deadline, too. These are the big names who could be available on the trade market over the next year.
Kevin Durant, F, Houston Rockets
Kevin Durant’s first year in Houston checked every box: there was a weird, unresolved Twitter burner scandal, a first-round playoff loss to the Lakers without Luka Doncic, and another hyper-efficient scoring season with 26 points per game on 64.1% true shooting. Durant is about to turn 38 years old, and he’s under contract for this season and next season. The Rockets could be really good this season if everything goes according to plan. Fred VanVleet is back from injury, Amen Thompson again feels like he’s on the verge of a true breakout, and there are multiple other young players who could level up with Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr., Reed Sheppard, and Tari Eason. Then again, the West is loaded, and if Houston doesn’t rise to the challenge, there’s bound to be a fall guy. It could be Sengun, or head coach Ime Udoka, but Durant has a history of wearing out his welcome pretty quickly in the latter stages of his career. KD has become the NBA’s ultimate mercenary, and no one should be surprised if he’s on the move again in the next year.
Kyrie Irving, G, Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs could really use Kyrie Irving’s ball handling to take pressure off Cooper Flagg to begin this season. I just wonder how long that will last with Dallas projecting as a likely lottery team this year. The Mavs need to align everything around the 19-year-old Flagg, and unfortunately for them, they don’t control their own first-round pick until 2031 due to trades originally intended to build around Luka Doncic. I’d expect more changes in Dallas with Masai Ujiri and Mike Schmitz now running the front office, and Irving should have plenty of suitors if he looks good early as he returns from a torn ACL. At 34 years old, Irving doesn’t fit Flagg’s timeline, and I doubt the Mavs are good enough in a loaded West to reject trade interest when it comes. The Mavs need all the future assets they can get if they hope to build a contender around Flagg by the time he reaches his prime, and trading Kyrie, P.J. Washington, and others is the best way to start that process.
Anthony Davis, C/F, Washington Wizards
Davis is extension eligible on Aug. 6, and that puts the Wizards in a tough spot. You know agent Rich Paul is going to want a lucrative contract, but Davis hasn’t played a game for Washington yet, and his age (33) and lack of durability make him a risky bet into his mid-to-late 30s. The Wizards already gave Trae Young a nonsensical max extension, so maybe Davis will get what he wants. If he doesn’t, I wouldn’t be surprised if the trade winds start blowing with AD aiming to land on a more competitive team. The Wizards could be pretty decent this year if everything comes together, but to me this is probably still a lottery team given the depth of the Eastern Conference. Washington can probably trade Davis for a lot more than they gave up for him if he starts the season strong. I have a hard time believing he’ll be in D.C. long term.
James Harden, G, Cleveland Cavaliers
Harden is still a free agent at the time of writing, but everyone expects he’ll return to the Cavs on a multi-year deal. The veteran guard helped Cleveland reach the conference finals last season, but it’s hard to feel good about that after the rest of the East improved this summer while the Cavs swung-and-missed on a LeBron reunion. Donovan Mitchell is locked in long-term, but the rest of this core shouldn’t be feeling too comfortable, and that’s especially true for Harden. On the brink of his 37th birthday, Harden is still a very good regular season player whose pull-up three-point shooting and playmaking brings value to any contender. If the Cavs take a step back this year, I’d imagine Cleveland tries to move off Harden before it finally listens to offers for Evan Mobley.
Tyler Herro, G, Milwaukee Bucks
Herro is entering the final year of his contract on a team that is just beginning what’s sure to be a long and painful rebuild. The Bucks have other guards who need opportunities with Ryan Rollins, Brayden Burries, and Kasparas Jakucionis. Herro feels likely to be on the trade regardless of whether he inks an extension. His next contract could be a bit dicey from a team perspective, but he’s still an excellent offensive player with true three-level scoring ability who can help juice any offense off the bounce. He’s firmly in his prime as he turns 27 years old in January, and he deserves to be spending these years with a team that is actually building toward something in the short-term. The Bucks would be wise to act quickly, let their young players get reps in a lost season, and help Herro get to his next destination before he hits free agency.
Zion Williamson, F, New Orleans Pelicans
Williamson’s nearly $45 million contract isn’t guaranteed for the 2027-28 season, and that gives New Orleans plenty of options if this season goes off the rails. The main objective for the Pelicans this season should be figuring out if Williamson can play with last year’s lottery picks Derik Queen and Jeremiah Fears. Queen and Williamson just feel like an odd match in the front court as two guys who need the ball in their hands and don’t play any defense. It would be nice to fully turn this team over to the young guns, and let Trey Murphy III, Herb Jones, and Yves Missi surround them in supporting roles, but that can’t happen until they finally turn the page on the Zion era. New Orleans has some talent, but the West is so unforgiving, and it just feels like the injury bug always hits this team at the worst time. New head coach Jamahl Mosley is known for his demanding defensive principles, and it’s hard to see how Zion and Queen will fit into that. It sure seems like New Orleans’ front office likes Williamson quite a bit, but they fully have an out on his contract, and aren’t going to win many games. That usually signals a breakup is coming eventually.
Michael Porter Jr., F, Brooklyn Nets
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez helped Porter Jr. turn in the best season of his career at age-27, and it came at a good time with the wing now entering the final year of his contract. Will the Nets want to give MPJ an extension? His always treacherous health situation makes that a risky bet, and there will certainly be suitors for his off-ball scoring and floor spacing if he hits the trade market. If the Nets are scared to give Porter Jr. an extension, then they have to trade him because they can’t afford to lose him for nothing. Brooklyn is expected to be terrible this year, but there’s actually a decent foundation here with Porter Jr., Julius Randle, Egor Demin, Mikel Brown Jr., and Day’Ron Sharpe. It feels like MPJ has been waiting his whole career to play for a coach like Fernandez, so I’d like to see both sides reach a deal. If it doesn’t happen, expect there to be substantial trade interest as a rental.
Bradford Doolittle grades the deal. He’s likes the Nats end of the deal better.
Mike Axisa also grades the trade. He also likes what the Nats got more, but he’s more positive on the Red Sox return.
Chad Jennings and Tim Britton offer separate grades for the deal. (The Athletic sub. req.) Jennings thinks Boston will win the trade and Britton likes Washington’s end better.
Keith Law offers his own Top 70 prospects (The Athletic sub. req.) for those wondering who has stuff to trade. Josiah Hartshorn and Jefferson Rojas are the Cubs prospects that made his list.
Jul 25, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez (13) receives receives congratulations from teammates after he hits a home run in the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images | Rick Osentoski-Imagn Images
“Being down one and to give us the lead there, you know, felt really good,” Massey said. “Obviously, I don’t get a ton of ABs (off left-handed pitchers), but trying to stay ready. Trying to prepare as best I can in the cage with the machine on the left side. The hitting coaches are always doing a great job working those drills in there for me so I can stay sharp.”
“It’s incredible seeing him do that in that situation, too,” Royals first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino said after the game. “I thought it was really cool that the Tigers gave him a second to (celebrate). So yeah, that was pretty special. Home plate umpire (Erich Bacchus) did a great job of just kind of letting the moment breathe. Yeah, (Perez) is just fantastic, right.”
“I don’t want any of my records to be broken, to be honest with you,” Brett said recently in an interview with MLB.com. “But he’s a home run hitter — that record is going to be broken, there’s no doubt in my mind. It just means that he’s been here for a long time, he’s been a very productive player, and if anybody was going to break it, I’m glad it’s him.
“I thought Alex Gordon might have a chance when he came up here. Mike Sweeney if he had played 15 years here. But I’m happy for Salvy. I really am.”
And the big reason? Well, Cameron called his own pitches after consultation with the Royals pitching coaches and veteran catcher Salvador Perez.
“It has nothing to do with obviously the pitch calling from the catchers because they have been amazing all year,” Cameron said. “Just a little bit of yeah, I guess my idea, a little stubbornness from me. And yeah, it obviously, you know, worked.” Cameron said he began calling his pitches in a recent bullpen. It allowed him to pitch with more conviction — as evident by his start on Friday night.
“It was good, and I felt comfortable,” Cameron said. “I felt like I could work a little faster and just kind of go at guys and have full confidence in the pitch that was thrown.”
“I feel like the first few months of the year, I was trying to do way too much,” Collins said.
Now? Collins is looking much more settled in, and he’s producing like the hitter the Royals believed they were acquiring.
“I really just honed in on what I’m trying to do each time I get to the plate,” Collins said. “Looking where I need to look and getting my pitch. Just staying on my approach and just being really convicted. That’s kind of been the big theme for me lately, is just being convicted in who I am as a hitter and who I am as a player.
“There were some good games in the first few months of the year, but then it would just feel like I would take a step back two or three games later. But lately, it’s just been building, keep climbing the mountain.”
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - APRIL 24: A general view of Oracle Park prior to during the game between the Miami Marlins and the San Francisco Giants on Friday, April 24, 2026 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Bryan Kennedy/MLB Photos via Getty Images) | MLB Photos via Getty Images
Good morning, baseball fans!
A new week of San Francisco Giants baseball is upon us. I’m starting to interpret that sentence as a threat, but I guess there’s not really much we can do about that part.
This week, the Giants continue their homestand by welcoming the Milwaukee Brewers to Oracle Park tonight to begin a three-game series. After that, they head south to begin a four-game series against the San Diego Padres starting on Thursday.
Personally, I’m never going to pick a Padres series as the series I’m most interested in. No offense to the Padres, they’re a more compelling team than the one we’re following. But we also see them approximately seven thousand times throughout the year (or it feels like it anyway). So I’m going to pick the Brewers series.
Which series are you most interested in this week?
What time do the Giants play today?
The Giants begin this three-game series against the Brewers tonight at 6:45 p.m. PT.
ANAHEIM, CA - JULY 20: St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Riley O'Brien (61) pitching during an MLB baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels played on July 20, 2026 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA. (Photo by John Cordes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Though the offense has been on a monthlong slump, I think it is fair to say that the bullpen is the clear weakness of the team. For what is largely considered a rebuild season, I actually think this is more of a positive than a negative. I am not worried about the bullpen long-term. The bullpen is a perpetual short-term concern. Who is good today may not be good tomorrow.
And they also can be found anywhere. Riley O’Brien and George Soriano are arguably the two best relievers on the team. O’Brien was purchased because the Seattle Mariners didn’t have room on the 40 man for him. Soriano was DFA’d and claimed a few times before the Cardinals decided for him using Andre Granillo, an okay relief prospect who is already on his second team after being DFA’d himself. JoJo Romero was traded for a (very good) bench player.
And on top of that, the Cardinals are littered with pitching prospects who we want to see start, but may have to go to the bullpen, which will probably be to the bullpen’s benefit. If the Cardinals solely wanted to build a good bullpen, we may have even seen some of them already: Liam Doyle certainly, Tanner Franklin, a healthier Brandon Clarke and Cooper Hjerpe fit this too. Not all of these guys will start. So I am certainly not worried about the bullpen.
But because they have a bad bullpen, I’d expect to have some changeover by Opening Day of next season. And I wanted to see if I could guess what it might look like. And I wanted to do it before the trading deadline, because this will also function as sort of a prediction from myself on what I expect to happen some of to the relievers
Riley O’Brien
Here Opening Day 2027? Yes
For me, this would have been an interesting debate when you could truly claim you were selling high on O’Brien. I’m just not seeing this great return available. It’s not that I’m not open to trading him, I just look at his numbers and if I’m an opposing team, I don’t know why I would give up that much for him. I could be wrong, which I will put the necessary disclaimer that if a team will give you some fantastic return, sure trade him.
The other aspect of this, and really the only reason anyone is considering trading O’Brien, is that he’s 31 and had injury problems in the past. So I do get it. But to me, the return I imagine O’Brien getting back, it’s a worthwhile risk to just keep him. I would just be surprised if I feel immense regret at the loss of the prospects he’d bring back. I almost think he’d need to be paired with a catcher or something, which is something the Cardinals may do!
But by himself? Injury is the biggest risk. But if he’s pitching the exact same for the next year (and his advanced stats are pretty similar to last season’s), he will not get a worse return. Years of control for a 31-year-old reliever do not matter like they do for a 25-year-old SS. It does matter that he has multiple years of control, but I don’t think the difference between 4 years and 2 months and 3 years and 2 months is going to meaningfully change the return. I really don’t. You’ll be trading for the rest of that particular year and maybe two years in both instances. Anything beyond that, you probably aren’t counting on.
George Soriano
Here Opening Day? Yes
Not to disparage George Soriano, but he probably looks like a better pitcher than he is because of the bullpen he’s in. His numbers are okay honestly. An okay strikeout rate, an okay walk rate, a normal groundball rate. He was essentially a waiver claim at the beginning of this year. Nobody is giving you a haul for this dude. And if you take offense to what I’m saying, that you think he’s a really good pitcher, that’s even more reason not to trade him. Because it hasn’t shown up in the numbers yet. You think his numbers will improve? Why would you trade him now before he’s about to take the next step into being a high leverage reliever?
There is one argument to trade him, and that’s if you view Soriano as found money, that you think he’s essentially a fringe MLB reliever and you want to capitalize on a first half that he won’t repeat. But I don’t think many think of Soriano like that. In order to trade Soriano, I would need a team to view him as a much better pitcher than his numbers say he is, and I would be surprised if that happens.
Ryne Stanek
Here Opening Day 2027? God no
He’s been a bad reliever for like four straight years, I’m good. I don’t even know if he’s good enough to trade.
Gordon Graceffo
Here Opening Day 2027? No
Heavy, heavy disclaimer here: the year is not up, and Graceffo has recently rediscovered his strikeout stuff. So this is a July 27th, I’m looking at his situation and I’m not bringing him back. If his numbers significantly improve by the end of the year, different answer. But Graceffo is going to be out of options, and currently has a 15.5 K%, 11.7 BB%, 4.65 FIP, 5.17 xFIP, 5.03 SIERA, and 5.47 xERA. Yes, I am leaving out ERA. Literally the only stat that has him as a good reliever. He won’t have a good ERA if all the other stats stay the same, which we’ve seen a little recently.
Objectively speaking, there is no good argument to bring back Graceffo with the current stats he has. Again, he has two months to change this. He has 6 strikeouts in his last two appearances. If the strikeouts are truly back, okay we’ll see it in these next two months.
Justin Bruhl
Here Opening Day 2027? No
Similar to Graceffo, he could change things by the end of the year. We all know how he began the year, and he’s already turned his season around. Still, I picked out a few dates to see how much better of a pitcher he has been in the last two months, and I tried different dates to see if the stats changed enough, and I kind of shrug my shoulders. He still doesn’t strike people out, he just stopped walking them. I have to think the Cardinals were hoping for a better pitcher than this when they claimed him.
It was a good claim, we gave it a good shot, he’s just not a guy who I want to HAVE to carry on a roster all year. I know I keep hammering the options, but why keep a mediocre or bad reliever who you can’t send them down? Once again, I am emphasizing if the season ended today, this is where I stand. Both Bruhl and Graceffo have a chance to change minds, but their current stats are not worth keeping next year.
Luis Gastelum
Here Opening Day 2027? Yes
Good minor league pedigree, all three options remaining – possibly two by the end of the year – and if the Cardinals’ usage of him is any indication, they clearly view him as the future. I don’t actually know if he will literally be on the Opening Day roster, he will be on the 40 man however.
Matt Svanson
Here Opening Day 2027? Yes
Me including Svanson and not Graceffo or Bruhl for performance reasons will probably confuse fans who don’t know how this works. Svanson has an option and therefore he can be sent to AAA next season. The other two can’t. It’s that simple. Svanson also was straight up elite last year and the other two weren’t and because of that I may even had brought Svanson back if he had no options. With one more option remaining, it’s a no brainer.
JoJo Romero
Here Opening Day 2027? No
Sorry, he’s getting traded in a week, and I don’t think the Cardinals are going to sign him to free agent prices.
Ryan Fernandez
Here Opening Day 2027? Yes
But probably not on the actual roster. Would it surprise me if the Cardinals moved on? Absolutely not. Their actions speak loudly. In terms of how Fernandez has actually pitched this year, I don’t see why you wouldn’t bring him back. He’s pitched very well in the majors, despite limited opportunities, striking out 33% of hitters with a 2.70 ERA. His numbers in AAA are not terrible, and trust me that’s sometimes as good as you can ask for in Memphis.
All that said, he’s got two months to screw it up. Which is kind of why I want to see Fernandez in the majors. Cause I would like more than 13 innings in the MLB to base my decision. He’s pitched well enough in the majors to keep getting chances, and if you’re not a fan of Fernandez, don’t worry, if he’s as bad as you think, it’ll be reflected in the numbers after two months. And if he still looks like a capable MLB reliever after two months, okay he’s worth bringing back.
It’s just bizarre that they refused to send him down for as long as they did last year, and now he’s the literal last option they go to, and only when they’re truly desperate. And I must point out: Ryan Fernandez has one more MLB option.
Those are established 40 man relievers right now. And by my count, I have five relievers coming back, one of whom is very likely to start in Memphis (at least). I need to figure out the other four relievers on Opening Day. My hot take is that I think the Cardinals are going to keep trying Matthew Liberatore at starting, so that’s why he’s not mentioned. His numbers are extremely similar to Andre Pallante last year, who they stuck with.
Brycen Mautz
No brainer choice here. They recently moved him to the bullpen, he’ll probably get some MLB time after the deadline. He’ll definitely still be in the organization, it’s just a matter of if he’ll be in Memphis or St. Louis.
Cade Winquest
Winquest has been hit hard by the homer bug in Memphis, but otherwise looks like a future MLB reliever pretty easily. He has a 29.5 K%, 6.3 BB%, and 46.4 GB%, leading to a 3.49 xFIP. I would actually be surprised if the Cardinals don’t promote him at any point this year, because he needs to be added to the 40 man roster in November anyway. And we can be pretty sure he’d be selected in the Rule 5, because the Yankees literally just did and they only had 8 starts in AA to base their decision. A fantastic K/BB ratio in AAA surely would interest at least one team.
Tekoah Roby
No, I am not permanently moving Tekoah Roby to the bullpen. I am however recognizing that he will throw zero innings in 2026. He threw 78 innings in 2025. He threw 38 innings in 2024. He will, hopefully, be completely healthy at the start of 2027. I do not see a situation where you aren’t forced to heavily manage his innings and guess what, easy way to limit someone’s innings is to put him in the bullpen.
On top of that, he does have the issue of coming into next season with just one option. You retain that option when he spends 60 or so innings in the MLB bullpen, and then hopefully he pitches well enough that you want to move him to starter or at least try starting, and then you have the ability for him to be in Memphis when you’re not sure if he can start. Ideally, you don’t have to send him to Memphis.
But the main reason is just that if you only want him to throw 60 innings, it feels like a waste for that to be in Memphis and not St. Louis, where he can also learn how to get MLB hitters out. Again, I don’t know how the Cardinals plan to manage his workload, maybe they’ll just say “we’ll see if he can start 30 times” but looking at his innings history, I would be surprised if that were the case. If they have a low innings goal for him, and that may be a big if, MLB bullpen would be my choice.
And that’s all I got. They’re probably going to sign an MLB reliever or put in a few waiver claims or something. I’m not seeing it with Hancel Rincon, I’ll be honest. Maybe he’ll be a guy, I don’t think I use a 40 man spot on him. Might be worth calling him up this year to see how he plays at the MLB level to better inform a decision. He’ll certainly be eligible for minor league free agency, so it’s probably 40 or not in the organization. I wanted to say Sem Robberse, and if he looks good the rest of the year, he’s certainly in play, but that requires a bit more optimism than I was aiming for. Maybe it’ll be Peter Strzelecki, but I’ll certainly need MLB success this year for him to be on this list.
Interestingly, even though I have Roby on this list, it’s about a year early before the big guns might need to be moved to the bullpen. I don’t think they’ll give up on Cooper Hjerpe at starting by Opening Day next year, but maybe by the following year. So they might scrap heap the bullpen waiting to see who needs to move to the bullpen next year.
Triple-A: Charlotte Knights (White Sox) 7, Norfolk Tides 4
The Tides fell to Charlotte on Sunday, as starter Trace Bright and a stable of relievers—Dietrich Enns, Cameron Weston and Enoli Paredes—allowed a combined seven runs on ten hits, three of them home runs (one by Knights’ outfielder and former Oriole Austin Hays). Bright’s four runs allowed in 4.1 innings put him at a regrettable 0-8 record with a 7.39 ERA in 18 starts this year.
But there was good news, too. Heston Kjerstad, hitting in the three-spot, bashed two home runs, one an Earl Weaver Special, to give him four RBIs on the day—all of his team’s runs. Kjerstad is hitting .299 and OPS’ing .796 right now. Creed Willems had two hits. Jud Fabian singled.
The Baysox never trailed in this one. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead off the bat of Griff O’Ferrall, who hit a two-run second inning home run. In the sixth, Adam Retzbach hit a two-run double to put the Baysox up 4-1. Two more home runs—solo shots each by Tavian Josenberger and Patrick Lee made it 6-2. Not to be forgotten is Aron Estrada’s three-for-three day. O’Ferrall homered and singled. Brandon Butterworth singled and walked.
Chesapeake starter Luis de León pitched a gem, throwing 6 1/3 innings with just one run allowed and nine strikeouts. He’s now 5-6 with a 4.33 ERA. Richard Guasch pitched 1 2/3 innings and struck out three. Micah Ashman allowed one run on a solo home run.
High-A: Rome Emperors (Braves) 6, Frederick Keys 2
Two bad innings bookended the Keys’ Sunday loss. In the first inning, Boston Bateman left early with right hip flexor discomfort, after just eight pitches. Five pitchers combined to allow five runs in 7 2/3 innings, Cohen Achen, Ben Vespi, Cameron Foster, Ryan Cabarcas and Todd Kniebbe.
Despite posting eight hits, an Ike Irish-less Keys lineup still struggled to score runs. One run came home on a Victor Figueroa single. The hard-hitting first baseman went 3-for-4 and is OPS’ing .914. The Keys’ second and final run was on a home run by Yasmil Bucce. Wehiwa Aloy finished 0-for-3. The rehabbing Reed Trimble and Payton Eeles finished a combined 1-for-9.
Low-A: Hill City Howlers (Guardians) 10, Delmarva Shorebirds 6
It’s tough to climb out of a 6-0 hole after two innings. But starter Brayan Orrantia, a fourteenth-rounder in 2025 out of Mexico, had a terrible day, allowing six runs in 1.2 innings. Relievers Teddy Sharkey, Jack Crowder, Zac Lampton, Kenny Leiner, and Luis Beltrán threw 6 1/3 innings allowing four combined runs between them.
Several Delmarva hitters had a good day. First baseman Miguel Rodriguez went 3-for-4. DH Andrés Nolaya finished 4-for-5. And Elvin García had two hits and walked twice. Jaiden Lo Re singled.
