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While the Yankees were largely quiet at this year’s deadline, making just two trades that they hope provide a jolt to a lineup that has been downright disastrous without Aaron Judge, Cody Bellinger, and Giancarlo Stanton, the Yankees’ division rivals turned the trade meter to high and spun a whopping 21 combined deals. Whether you think the Yankees’ promotion of George Lombard Jr. counts among all this is up to you. Anyway, with so much turmoil, you’ll be forgiven for not being quite sure what the rest of the division looks like, and so, let’s take a dive into what the rest of the AL East was up to.

Let’s start with the team currently occupying the top spot in the division, the Tampa Bay Rays. Heading into the deadline, Tampa Bay was in the market for a starting pitcher and another bat to add into the lineup, and with one of the league’s premier farm systems, they were in position to make a play for pretty much anybody they wanted. In the end, though, the Rays had a measured deadline, making three additions: starting pitcher Freddy Peralta from the Mets, platoon catcher/first baseman Liam Hicks from the Marlins, and reliever Tyler Wells from the Orioles.

All three moves represent high-risk, high-reward moves. One year after a top-five finish in the NL Cy Young, Peralta has been absolutely dreadful for the Mets, with a 4.99 ERA in 22 appearances. Just in his second season, the 27-year-old Hicks is a force against righties, slashing .307/.387/.489 this season against righties, while posting just a .200/.278/.238 line against lefties; his Statcast data, though, is not too high on his performance at the plate (he can avoid strikeouts, but doesn’t hit the ball hard). Only Wells, a reliever with strong peripherals, represents a relatively safe move. When you’re in first place with a solid floor, though, you can take risks like these to raise your ceiling.

Sitting right behind the Yankees in the standings is the Boston Red Sox, a team that started the season ice cold but has been hotter than hot over the last month. While, ultimately, they are neither as bad as they were to start the season or as good as they are now, their two stretches combined to put them right where everyone expected them — in the thick of the playoff race. As such, Boston had a very active deadline, headlined by arguably the highest profile addition made by an AL East team: Adley Rutschman, the now-former Orioles catcher who was targeted by the Yankees.

A week after sending Connelly Early to the Nationals for Curtis Mead, Boston sent its top-ranked right-handed pitching prospect Anthony Eyanson, outfield prospect Enddy Azocar, pitcher Kyson Witherspoon, and catcher Carlos Narvaez to the Orioles for the former No. 1 overall pick. The move represents a big risk with major upside for the Red Sox, because Rutschman has a career 115 OPS+ (identical to his cumulative performance this season), but he has just a .671 OPS since May 1st — and he’s currently on the IL with a wrist injury. Depending on which version of Rutschman they get, Boston will either see a major boost to a lineup that has been performing well, but has been very inconsistent this season, or will drop an anchor into the lineup.

Supplementing these moves, the Red Sox cut bait with 2021’s No. 4 overall pick Marcelo Meyer, sending him to the Giants for lefty reliever Erik Miller and minor league outfielder Carlos Gutierrez. They also acquired Eli White, a right-handed outfielder, from the Atlanta Braves; his overall numbers aren’t great (89 OPS+), but he has a swing that could play up in Fenway.

In fourth place, we have the Baltimore Orioles. Can you believe that the Yankees and O’s were battling for the division crown just two years ago? Aside from the 2023 and 2024 seasons, Baltimore’s stretch of tanking and retooling for six seasons has produced almost nothing. Earlier this week, they sent Dean Kremer to the Twins straight up for outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes. Yesterday, they sent outfielder Taylor Ward to the Mariners for a trio of right-handed pitchers in Alex Hoppe, Brock Moore and Harrison Kreiling. They sent Wells to the Rays, receiving in return Michael Forret — one of the players sent to Tampa Bay in exchange for Shane Baz over the winter.

And, of course, the biggest haul came from Rutschman. It’s a loaded prospect package to be sure, but you’d forgive Baltimore fans for not being terribly interested in talks about the future when Mike Elias made a name off doing that with Rutschman and company just a few years ago.

In a pair of minor moves, the O’s brought in minor league outfielder Christian Franklin from the Nationals, sending pitcher Joe Glassey the other way, and reliever Codi Heuer from the Brewers and outfielder Rece Hinds for cash considerations. Oh, and they also extended Yennier Cano, so there’s that.

Sitting in last place in the division, the defending AL champion Toronto Blue Jays engaged in a mixture of buying and selling that was clearly geared towards improving the team for 2027. They sent Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs, Daulton Varsho to the Astros, Jeff Hoffman to the Twins, and Adam Macko to the Rangers. In came José Soriano (from the Angels), Josh Smith (from the Rangers), Spencer Arrighetti (from the Astros), and Team Canada alum Jameson Taillon (recently DFA’d by the Cubs). Through these trades, the farm added middle infield prospect Ty Southisene, outfield prospect Brett Bateman, left-handed pitcher Dasan Hill, right-handed pitcher John Klein, and infielder Dameury Pena, but subtracted top shortstop prospect Arjun Nimmala, minor league outfielder Eddie Micheletti and minor league righty Angel Rivero.

The end result? Toronto has basically pulled the plug on 2026, but is looking to get right back into the hunt next season.

On June 3, 2019, my family and I headed to Camden Yards. It wasn’t to see the Orioles play; they had the day off. As season ticket holders, we had been invited to a draft day party at the now-defunct Dempsey’s. The odds were in favor of first-year General Manager Mike Elias drafting Adley Rutschman, a catcher out of Oregon State University. But there was still a chance they could go with Bobby Witt, Jr.

It was a party atmosphere at Dempsey’s that day. The weather was beautiful, the beer was cold, The Bird was on hand to make funny faces at my almost two-year-old daughter. The Orioles weren’t supposed to lose 115 games in 2018, but they did. The number-one overall pick was the consolation prize for having to experience that travesty of a season. Elias was going to take that pick and use it to turn this franchise around. He was upfront about it. There would be losing. A lot of losing. But starting with that first pick, the future was bright.

As the draft began, the sound was turned on on the TVs throughout the bar. Elias made the first pick from inside the Warehouse, and when it was announced on TV the crowd at Dempsey’s went wild. With the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, the Orioles selected Adley Rutschman. Not long after the pick was made, Elias appeared at Dempsey’s to cheers and applause. He made a few remarks about Rutschman and the franchise’s future. After the rather quick demise of the Orioles in 2017 and 2018, things felt right again. We knew there were tough times ahead, but Mike Elias was going to lead us back to glory.

Yesterday, Mike Elias traded Adley Rutschman to the Boston Red Sox, the Orioles’ division rival and a team they had been chasing in the Wild Card race until this weekend, apparently. The news broke while I was at work. I sat at my desk, stunned. I tried to work, but couldn’t concentrate. About a half hour after the trade was finalized, I left the office. I got into my car and just sat for a bit, answered a few text messages from people also feeling some way about the trade. Then I started to cry. Just a little bit.

It wasn’t about Adley. Or rather, it wasn’t just about Adley. There are multiple ways in which this trade demonstrates failure by the Orioles and, specifically, Mike Elias.

When the 2018 Orioles had their fire sale, run by previous GM Dan Duquette, it was sad but almost cathartic. That team was beyond awful, and it was impossible to imagine success from either the Major League team or its barren Minor League counterparts. But this 2026 team wasn’t that. Yes, they obviously have their troubles. They are not playing like a good baseball team.

But the bones are there. You can squint and see a good team. And in a particularly mediocre year for the American League, they were hanging in there. They probably wouldn’t have made the postseason, but it was close enough to try. Because this is a team that has the potential. So to go from the fringes of the playoff race to trading the face of your team is jarring, to say the least. It feels like, after what we were promised versus what has been delivered, they shouldn’t punt on yet another season even if it’s a long shot. Not to mention any setbacks for 2027.

Then there is the bigger picture. Starting with Adley Rutschman, Mike Elias was supposed to be building a dynasty. A team with the potential to reach the World Series every single year. It’s the reason we sat through 108 losses in 2019 and 110 losses in 2021. But in the end, what did Mike Elias build?

In 2022, the year Rutschman made his Major League debut, the Orioles finally finished above .500 at 83-79. As a fanbase, we accepted the trades of Trey Mancini and Jorge López because Elias had earned that trust. Everything came together in the incredible season that was 2023, and things started off well in 2024. But the team faltered after the All-Star break and stumbled into the playoffs, where they were once again swept away in the first round.

They finished 75-87 in 2025, a disappointment from start to finish. Elias made some big moves over the off-season, and I thought they’d be back to winning in 2026. So far, they haven’t been. The 2026 Orioles have been one of the most frustrating baseball teams I’ve ever watched. And they are a failure again. Mike Elias has to own that. He has to own that the team he built, starting with Adley Rutschman, is a failure. His plan is a failure. He has been running this team since November 2018, and the franchise has nothing to show for it. Instead of Adley Rutschman leading this team to the postseason, he has been sent away for more prospects who can help in the nebulous “future.”

And please note, none of this is a commentary on the trade return itself, which by many accounts is quite good. It’s about this team being set back another year (at least) without having achieved its goal once again. For that, Mike Elias should be fired. I don’t think he will be, unfortunately. Maybe I’ll be wrong.

Finally, it’s sad to see Adley go because he is a delightful player to have on our favorite team. And yes, he wasn’t going to spend his career here. But for him to go out like this is very painful. The player that helped bring us back from the abyss, on whom this franchise hung its hopes, is not going to the postseason with the Orioles in 2026. He is going to the postseason with the Red Sox, a team that has brought us so much pain over the years. Because of that it’s hard to even wish him well, this player who I loved so much.

Right now, all I want to do is forget about the Orioles for a while. Unfortunately, I have tickets to tonight’s game and telling my nine-year-old that I’m too cranky to go isn’t really an option. The starting pitcher for the Angels? Grayson Rodriguez.

Links

Red Sox-Orioles trade grades: Both teams win in bold Adley Rutschman deal – The Athletic
If you want some trade analysis without the emotional baggage, here is a breakdown that gives both teams an A.

Adley Rutschman helped Baltimore fall in love with the Orioles again. Trading him is devastating. – The Baltimore Banner
And if you want to feel some emotions about it all, here is Jon Meoli’s excellent story.

Liftoff 2.0? After sell off, Mike Elias says Orioles’ ‘future is strong,’ starting now. – The Baltimore Banner
And here are Mike Elias’s comments after he traded away Rutschman, Taylor Ward, Tyler Wells, and Dean Kremer. Is the future strong? Maybe. But I stopped believing anything Elias says awhile ago.

Red Sox Give Rutschman a New Birth in New England – FanGraphs
Over at FanGraphs, Michael Baumann (not that one) gives his analysis on the trade. The big takeaway line: [The Orioles are] well-positioned to reset for 2027…But 2027 wasn’t supposed to be Year 1 of Phase 2 of Baltimore’s contention window after two years out of the playoffs. It was supposed to be Year 5 of a perennial contender’s prime. And Rutschman’s career could not be a better microcosm for the fortunes of the team that drafted him.

Birthdays and History

Is today your birthday? Happy birthday! You have three Orioles birthday buddies, including B.J. Surhoff (62). Surhoff spent eight seasons with the Orioles, divided into two stints: 1996-2000 and 2003-05. Surhoff was a fan favorite and his trade from the Orioles to the Braves during the 2000 season was another heart-wrencher.

Also born on this day in history are former Orioles Jon Knott (48) and Jahmai Jones (29). Jones played for the Orioles in 2021, before Rutschman joined the team. But they’ll be teammates now in Boston.

On this day in 1975, the Orioles defeated the Red Sox 12-8. Starter Paul Mitchell was knocked out after just 2.2 innings, but his offense picked him up. Ken Singleton went 3-for-5 with a double and a homer. Brooks Robinson hit his 5th home run and Bobby Grich hit his 10th. Don Baylor had a five-hit game.

In 1998, Mike Mussina took a no-hitter into the 8th inning against the Tigers before Frank Catalanatto broke it up with a double. Mussina settled for a two-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.

In 2005, the Orioles fired manager Lee Mazzilli and replaced him with interim manager Sam Perlozzo.

In 2006, the Orioles traded Javy López to the Red Sox for a PTBNL, who ended up being Adam Stern. So the Orioles have a history of trading handsome catchers to the Red Sox.

In 2016, the Orioles signed 21-year-old Félix Bautista. Bautista had been released the year before by the Marlins after two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. I miss that guy and hope he returns soon.

And one year ago today, the Orioles lost to the Phillies 13-3. Cade Povich allowed four runs in 5.2 innings, followed by Corbin Martin, who allowed six runs without recording an out. Someone named Elvin Rodriguez pitched the final inning and gave up two solo homers. It was his only game with the Orioles.

We’ll miss you, Adley

Baseball fans got a glimpse of Tarik Skubal wearing Dodger blue.

It happened when the two-time Cy Young Award winner was in his new team’s dugout on Sunday, Aug. 2. Now the baseball world can see Skubal wearing Dodger blue where he’s at his best: On the pitcher's mound.

Skubal, 29, is scheduled to make his first start for the Dodgers since Los Angeles acquired him in a trade with the Detroit Tigers. He's set do it Tuesday, Aug. 4 at Wrigley Field in the second game of a three-game series against the Chicago Cubs.

He'll head to the mound with a 7-5 record and 2.79 ERA, and he's been better than that over the past five weeks. In his past six outings, Skubal has given up only eight earned runs in 37 innings for an ERA of 1.95. But his last outing with Detroit captured his life as a Tiger.

On July 29, Skubal gave up three earned runs in 6 2/3 innings. The Tigers led the Baltimore Orioles 7-1, only for the Orioles to rally for a 10-9 victory in 12 innings.

He looked dispirited after the game.

He looked ecstatic when he greeted Dodgers manager Dave Roberts in the team’s dugout Sunday night.

His scheduled start against the Cubs will be the chance for Dodgers fans to see Skubal on the mound in Dodger blue. And a chance for the baseball world outside of Los Angeles to grind their teeth in resentment.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are going to be without one of their top starting pitchers for the rest of the season. The team announced that Mitch Keller has a teres major muscle injury in his right shoulder and that he will be out. 

Keller won’t be eligible to be activated back on the active roster till October 2 and the regular season ends on September 27. 

Keller won’t be allowed to throw for six to eight weeks, preventing a possible return. The teres major is one of the major muscles controlling the shoulder joint, extending from the shoulder blade to the top of the arm.

The injury could have something to do with the offseason that Keller is having. He has 5.29 ERA in 22 starts and a 6-8 record. 

The 30-year-old’s last outing was one his worst starts of his career, only lasting two innings and allowing seven earned runs in the 10-2 loss to the Cincinnati Reds. The start was frustrating for Keller because it also came after he put together two starts where he allowed two earned runs over 10 1/3 innings to seemingly start to get his season back on track.

Even though Keller has been inconsistent this season, it is still a big loss for a Pirates starting rotation that has been pretty healthy. Jared Jones started the season on the 60-day IL but has been playing well since coming back. 

The Pirates recalled Brandon Eisert from Triple-A Indianapolis to join the roster as a replacement for Keller. The Bucs went all in on relief pitchers during the trade deadline and didn’t go after a starting pitcher. 

We could see Carmen Mlodzinski be put back into the rotation after leaving to go to the bullpen in late May. The right-hander is 6-3 with a 3.15 ERA in 25 appearances/nine starts this season.

Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders: Offday, though not in terms of impact. George Lombard Jr. was promoted to the Yankees, with Anthony Volpe, Jasson Domínguez, and Angel Chivilli heading down to Triple-A. Jake Bird (dealt to Washington) and Kervin Castro (promoted) will also need replacements in the bullpen. Max Schuemann is one, as he was a big-league roster casualty with Luis García Jr. in tow.

Double-A Somerset Patriots: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Ben Grable and Jack Cebert, who both went to the Nationals in the García trade.

High-A Hudson Valley Renegades: Offday; they’ll need to replace trade chips Henry Lalane and Kaeden Kent, who both went to the Giants in the Heliot Ramos trade.

Low-A Tampa Tarpons: Offday

Florida Complex League Yankees: Season over

Dominican Summer League Yankees:W, 12-0 vs. DSL Rockies

CF Isaias Castillo 1-4, K, SB
PH-LF Emmanuel Orozco 0-0, BB
SS Stiven Marinez 0-4, BB, SB
2B Juan Torres 3-3, 2 2B, HR, 3 RBI, BB, SB, fielding error — 18-year-old has crushed rookie ball with a 1.059 OPS this year
LF-CF Luis Cruz 2-4, 2 RBI, BB
C Juan Martinez 1-5, 2 RBI
1B Cesar Lopez 1-4, HR, RBI, BB, 2 K
DH Poly Ojeda 2-5, RBI, K
RF Stalen Ramirez 1-4, 3B, 2 RBI, K
3B Adrian Feliz 0-3, 2 K

Hector Moreno 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 K
Fredy Penuelas 4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K (win)
Cesar Vivanco 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K — an impressive 16 K’s for the Yanks staff

Dominican Summer League Bombers:L, 14-3 at DSL Colorado

CF Ruben Castillo 1-4, HR, RBI
2B Dariel Santana 1-4, 2 K
C Alessandro Rodriguez 2-3
PH-C Jesus Guerrero 0-1, K
3B Carlos Bello 0-3, BB, K, GIDP, fielding error
RF David Carrera 1-3, K
RF Eliezer Adames 0-1, K
DH Kenneth Melendez 0-4, 2 K
SS Germayhoni Beltre 1-4, 2B, SB, fielding error
LF Sebastian Pint 0-3, K
1B Alfred Ciriaco 2-3, HR, RBI

Sebastian Castillo 3 IP, 6 H, 6 R (3 ER), 1 BB, 1 K (loss)
Randy Angomas 3.1 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 1 HR, 2 HBP — Randy had a good go of it his last time out, but this is now the seventh time in ten appearances he’s allowed five-plus runs
Breidy Adames 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 2 HR

How much higher can the Boston Red Sox fly?

It's starting to feel like revenge season in Boston, where a club that went 10-17 with the fired Alex Cora is now a seemingly unbeatable 50-34 with interim-but-probably-permanent manager Chad Tracy.

Lost in the hubbub of Tarik Skubal's arrival in L.A. was the Red Sox schooling the Dodgers over three games, running their unstoppable streak to 23 wins in 26 games, moving within five games of first place.

They now have a virtual lock on the No. 2 wild card and also Adley Rutschman in the fold, ready to upgrade their putrid production at catcher while Cedanne Rafaela continues his MVP run. All that's left is home cooking: The Red Sox are 25-29 at Fenway Park and welcome the Central-leading White Sox and free-falling Athletics to the Fens this week.

It wouldn't be surprising if they had a winning home record by week's end.

A look at our updated rankings:

1. Los Angeles Dodgers (-)

• Forget Tarik Skubal. Benny Biceps is a Dodger again. .

2. Milwaukee Brewers (-)

• The game's best farm system remains intact. But at what cost?

3. Atlanta Braves (-)

• The Eli White Era is over.

4. Tampa Bay Rays (-)

• Liam Hicks might have been the best under-the-radar deadline add.

5. New York Yankees (-)

• Camilo Doval's addition by subtraction might be Yankee fans' deadline highlight.

6. Chicago Cubs (-)

• Clay Holmes, David Peterson, Michael Conforto, Tyrone Taylor...is this Queens Midwest?

7. Boston Red Sox (+3)

• Imagine telling a Red Sox fan two years ago that Kyle Teel and Marcelo Mayer were gone, Roman Anthony slipping out of favor and Kristian Campbell buried in the minors.

8. Chicago White Sox (-)

• Wise to have a modest deadline.

9. Arizona Diamondbacks (-)

• Surge into No. 2 wild card spot and only add Lars Nootbaar?

10. Philadelphia Phillies (-3)

• Bryce Harper looks more Harperlike in right field, anyway.

The dust has settled on the MLB Trade Deadline. After weeks of anticipation, the Yankees came away with a thinner haul than most probably expected, picking up a pair of hitters in Luis Garcia Jr. and Heliot Ramos but not doing much else, content to maintain the status quo with their pitching staff, and with their catching situation. The latter decision stuck out like a sore thumb, as their direct division rivals, the Red Sox and Rays, made major backstop additions yesterday, Boston landing Adley Rutschman in a blockbuster, and the Rays picking up Liam Hicks from the Marlins.

It’s not the deadline most fans were hoping for, and though the Yankees are better today than they were a few days ago (heck, even a few hours ago, as they swapped out Anthony Volpe for top prospects George Lombard Jr. and demoted Jasson Domínguez to make room for Ramos), it remains to be seen if they’ve done enough to either win the division or the American League. So, now that the stage has been set, let’s ask: where do the Yankees rank among AL contenders? Can you make a case that the Yankees are favorites to win the American League?

I can already hear a loud chorus of fans ready to answer an incredulous “No!”. The case against seems fairly obvious: the Yankees have been unable to hit their way out of a paper bag the last eight weeks, their offensive production at catcher has been a nightmare, and multiple players on the infield dirt have not played to expectations. The Yankees have struggled of late, still are waiting to get some key players back from the injured list, and are behind in the standings 3.5 games back of the first-place Rays.

But I think there’s an equally plausible case for the Bombers. No, they didn’t add pitching at the deadline, content to go with what they have. In this case, though, playing to the status quo is in the Yankees’ favor (last night’s Cam Schlittler dud and Angel Chivilli meltdown notwithstanding). They entered the deadline with the best ERA in baseball by distance this season, and that’s with arguably four of their five most talented starting pitchers all missing significant chunks of the season due to injury. The conventional wisdom heading into the deadline was that the Yankees were pitching the lights out, but needed to add bats, and that’s what happened.

And after doing that, their roster projects as well as any in the (American) League. In fact, by FanGraphs projections, the roster is tops in the AL the rest of the way, and not only that, FanGraphs’ playoff odds have the Yankees with the best pennant odds in the Junior Circuit. That is thanks in no small part to the wide-open nature of the AL. FanGraphs gives the three AL division leaders a combined chance of winning the league of roughly one-in-three, compared to roughly three-in-four odds for the NL division leaders.

There are a couple hinge points in those projections that forecast the Yankees as tops in the AL. One, of course, is the status of Aaron Judge, who is projected to produce a .986 OPS in 78 plate appearances. Is that OPS figure, and that plate appearance amount, optimistic? Pessimistic? It’s possible Judge returns in September and hits at a high level (Brian Cashman has indicated that’s what the team expects), but it feels just as plausible that Judge doesn’t play again this year. Also highly influential is one’s estimation of the Yankees’ catching situation; FanGraphs rather charitably pegs the team’s catcher’s room as tenth best rest-of-season, partially because Austin Wells and Co. have always rated well defensively, and because Wells in particular has underperformed his offensive peripherals in 2026.

It can be hard to feel optimistic through long periods of iffy play and avalanches of injuries, but the Yankee roster at anything resembling full health should be favored against any AL team. What do you think? Is that an overly optimistic view? Or do you believe the projections that still see this as the top squad in the AL?

On the site today, we’ll have loads more reaction to the Trade Deadline, with analysis of both of the Yankees’ major moves. We’ll also have a recap of a light Monday of action from Andrew, and a profile of Roger Clemens, who turns 64 today. Later, Michael analyzes the week that was down on the farm, while Josh and John our AL West and Central monthly rundowns.

Today’s Matchup:

New York Yankees vs. St. Louis Cardinals

Time: 7:05 p.m. EST

TV: YES Network, Cardinals.TV

Venue: Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

The Pittsburgh Pirates are on a bad streak of games since coming back from the All-Star break, and could be slipping out of the playoff race.

FanDuel Sportsbook has released their current odds for teams to make the postseason, and currently project Pittsburgh being on the outside looking in come October. The Pirates have the 17th best odds to make the playoffs with +520 odds. Unfortunately for Pirates’ fans the team is more likely to miss the playoffs with -870 odds to miss the postseason.

After the Pirates recent collapse against the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cincinnati Reds there are definitely some questions that need to be answered if the team is going to make a serious push towards October. The team now sits at 57-57 on the season, while placing third in the National League Central. They’re 4-6 in their last ten and are now 3.5 games back from the last Wild Card spot in the NL. Since returning from the All-Star break the team is 7-10 and have been allowing their opponents to score a lot of runs against them in recent contests.

Although it looks like the team is looking to buy and add to this squad, the odds are stacked against them as August gets underway. They have not been able to beat the teams that on paper they should like the cellar dwelling Reds, and they haven’t looked very competitive against the better teams in the league like the Cubs or the Dbacks.

The stacked NL Central isn’t going to make their path to the playoffs any easier either as it’s been difficult all season to find any breathing room within the division. The Pirates embark on a four game series against the Milwaukee Brewers next, a team that is currently tied for the best record in baseball with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. The second place Chicago Cubs also seem to be surging while the Pirates are sliding, going 6-4 in their last ten, and of course have a recent series victory over Pittsburgh. The Cubs currently have a four game advantage in the Wild Card race, holding firmly onto the first place spot.

The Pirates are certainly not out of the race yet, but this is the wrong time of the season to be looking as flat as they are right now. The lineup has lacked run production, the pitching staff has been erratic in both the rotation and the bullpen, and management has made some bone-headed decisions as of late. This squad needs to regroup if they hope to prove the odds makers wrong and secure a spot in the postseason.

NY Post | Greg Joyce: The Yankees’ top prospect, George Lombard Jr., has rapidly climbed his way up prospect rankings as he’s jumped through each level of the minors. This year he’s really turned on the burners, crushing Double-A before getting a midseason promotion to Triple-A and whittling down his adjustment time to a mere month or so before finding his groove. An injury slowed down his ETA and raised some doubts about whether he could contribute to the 2026 team’s playoff push, but doubt no more: Lombard is getting the call to The Show. The 21-year-old shortstop is expected to officially debut tomorrow after the team demoted Anthony Volpe (alongside Jasson Domínguez and Angel Chivilli). The team held off on trading their blue chip infielder, and for a change they’re going to immediately plug him into the big league lineup alongside new additions Luis García Jr. and Heliot Ramos to revamp what has been a lifeless offense.

AP | Larry Fleisher: Speaking of the deadline, the Yankees ended up not doing nearly as much as they were expected to on the final day. They came to an agreement with the Giants to land Ramos, but couldn’t get traction on anything else as they failed to land an upgrade at catcher or in the bullpen. Brian Cashman said that he tried for several flashier moves though, checking in with the Tigers on Tarik Skubal and Baltimore with Adley Rutschman. The former didn’t go far as the Tigers apparently were set on the deal they got from the Dodgers while the Yankees were the ones unwilling to continue negotiating with Baltimore as the price was set too high for them.

NY Daily News | Peter Sblendorio: While all of the trades were being completed, one other significant topic on reporters’ minds was the status of Aaron Judge and his injured ribs. Cashman gave an update of sorts when addressing the media following the deadline, saying that there was a “pretty high likelihood” that Judge will return this season. The team couldn’t rule out the possibility of Judge sitting on the shelf for the rest of 2026 but expressed optimism that he was still on pace to return, adding that they’ll have a clearer picture once Judge goes through re-imaging on his ribs. Not exactly reassuring, but also not surprising considering how vague his timeline has been since getting placed on the IL in the first place.

Central Jersey | Mike Ashmore: Mickey Mantle’s legacy with the Yankees needs no introduction, and even after 30 years since his passing his family remains a beloved part of the organization. Mantle’s two living sons, David and Danny, were in Somerset on Saturday to throw out the ceremonial first pitch, and got to meet with a crowd of folks wearing their father’s retired No. 7 on their backs.