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Yankees Acquire David Bednar

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The Yankees have added one the biggest prizes of the relief market to their bullpen, acquiring David Bednar from the Pirates for catching prospect Rafael Flores, minor league catcher Edgleen Perez, and minor league outfielder Brian Sanchez.

Bednar, 30, has been a staple of the Pirates’ bullpen for five years. The hard-throwing 6’1″ righty is making $5.9MM this season and is under club control for one more year. He’s owed about $1.87MM of that sum for the balance of the season, though the Yankees will have to pay a 110% luxury tax on him, making the total financial outlay closer to $3.9MM.

Yankees relievers have been mediocre on the season overall, sitting 21st in the majors with a 4.24 ERA. However, they’ve been the second-worst group in baseball over the past month, recording a 6.29 ERA that’s worst in the American League and leads only the Rockies among all 30 teams. Struggles from Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have played a significant role, and the Yankees have also been without Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. in that time. Cruz has an oblique strain, and Leiter has a stress fracture in his fibula.

Bednar, a two-time All-Star, will provide some much-needed support. Although he struggled through a brutal 2024 season and had a rough start to his 2025 campaign, those hardships feel like a distant memory. The Bucs optioned him to Triple-A in late March, and Bednar has been an absolute behemoth since returning. In 37 frames, he’s posted a dazzling 1.70 ERA with a 34.5% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. It’s some of the best work of Bednar’s career — even better than what had been a 2021-23 peak that saw him post a combined 2.25 ERA, 31.2% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.

Bednar is averaging 97.1 mph on his heater this season. His curveball, the righty’s go-to secondary pitch, is sitting nearly 20 mph slower. Bednar also features a splitter that’s averaging 92.3 mph this year. He’s used that arsenal to induce chases off the plate at an excellent 34.4% clip and garnered a 12.7% swinging-strike rate as well. Left-handed opponents, in particular, have been flummoxed by Bednar. They’re hitting just .162/.240/.276 against him. His mastery over lefties is all the more important, given Yankee Stadium’s short right-field porch.

That Bednar is controllable for an additional season surely holds extra appeal for the Yankees, given that both Weaver and Williams are both set to reach free agency at season’s end. Bednar can pitch in any high-leverage role necessary in 2025 and could step into the ninth inning for the 2026 season, depending on whether Williams and/or Weaver are retained.  After striking the deal for Bednar, the Yankees further augmented their bullpen by acquiring Camilo Doval from the Giants and Jake Bird from the Rockies.

Flores, 24, is the big get for the Pirates in return. He ranked eighth among Yankees prospects on Baseball America’s recent update on their system. He opened the season at the Double-A level and ripped through opposing pitchers at a .287/.346/.496 clip (146 wRC+) before being recently promoted to Triple-A. He’s hitting just .211/.288/.289 there, but that’s in a tiny sample of 49 plate appearances. Overall, Flores is hitting .279/.351/.475 between the two levels. He’s never had a below-average year offensively in the minors.

Flores has already popped 16 homers on the season, leaving him just five shy of his career-high mark. He’s listed at 6’4″ and 230 pounds, making him on the larger end for a catcher. He’s viewed as more of a bat-first option whose calling card is raw power, and Flores has accordingly spent a fair bit of time at first base as well.

The Pirates have been searching for a catcher of the future for what feels like an eternity. They selected Henry Davis with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 draft and acquired both Endy Rodriguez and Joey Bart via trade in recent years. They’ve also cycled through veterans like Jacob Stallings, Elias Diaz and several other journeymen over the course of the past five to six years. Despite the sizable investment and cast of rotating characters, none have managed to stick.

It’s a similar situation at first base. Neither Davis nor Rodriguez has staked a claim to the position. Pittsburgh acquired Spencer Horwitz over the winter in hopes that he could hold the position down for years to come. It’s too early to firmly pass judgment on that acquisition, particularly after Horwitz missed the first few months of the season due to wrist surgery, but his .252/.323/.359 batting line through his first 229 plate appearances surely isn’t what the Pirates had hoped to see. Flores adds another possible option to the mix in the long term, though the Bucs will hope that he can handle catching work while Horwitz improves his production at first base.

The other two players in the swap are further from big league readiness. Perez, 19, has spent the season with the Yankee’s Class-A affiliate. He’s turned in a disappointing .209/.368/.236 batting line in 380 trips to the plate. He’s a considered a solid defensive catcher and still ranked 16th among Yankee prospects at BA despite his struggles this year, due in large part to his glove and his exceptional pitch recognition. As Baseball America points out in their scouting report, he chased off the plate than any player in the minors last year (just 7.7%). Perez walked in nearly 21% of his plate appearances last season and is at 17.9% in 2025.

If Perez can begin to hit the ball with more authority as he fills out physically, he has the potential to be an OBP-focused hitter who can stick behind the plate. He has below-average power, but players with this type of discipline and swing decisions can still be impactful, particularly if they’re playing serviceable defense behind the plate.

Sanchez, 21, ranked 24th on BA’s update of the Yankees’ system. He’s having a nice season in A-ball, hitting .281/.373/.438 with four home runs, 16 doubles, five triples and 24 steals (in 28 attempts). He’s drawn a walk in 12.6% of his plate appearances against a 23.4% strikeout rate. He’s an above-average runner who’s capable of handling center field and could likely be above-average in the corners.

None of the three players acquired by the Pirates are on the 40-man roster, though they’ll need to add Flores to the 40-man before mid-November in order to protect him from this year’s Rule 5 Draft. Neither Perez nor Sanchez needs to be protected until the 2027-28 offseason. Adding a near-MLB-ready catcher/first baseman and a pair of mid-range prospects from the Yankees’ system is a fine return in and of itself, though there’ll surely be a contingent of Pirates fans frustrated by the team’s repeated inability to secure long-term options at these positions — and that said inability has led them to expend another high-end trade chip in an effort to do so.

This post was originally published at 1:50pm.

Yankees Acquire Camilo Doval

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The Yankees are acquiring right-handed reliever Camilo Doval from the Giants, reports Jack Curry of YES Network. In exchange, the Giants will receive four minor leaguers: Jesus Rodriguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, and Carlos De La Rosa. Curry was the first to report that Rodriguez, Vrieling, and Harbor were included in the deal, while FanSided’s Robert Murray later reported the complete package.  The deal is now official.

In adding Doval, David Bednar, and Jake Bird today, Yankees GM Brian Cashman was able to acquire three relievers with control beyond this season.  That should be useful given the impending free agencies of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver.

Doval, 28, has a 3.09 ERA, 26.2 K%, 12.6 BB%, and 52.6% groundball rate in 46 2/3 innings for the Giants this year.  Doval burst onto the scene in 2021 as one of baseball’s hardest-throwing relievers.

Unlike most baseball executives, Giants president of baseball operations Buster Posey had firsthand experience with Doval’s talent, having served as his catcher in Posey’s final season.  As a rookie, Doval made three appearances in the NLDS for the Giants.

A few months in the 2022 season, Doval was entrenched as the Giants’ closer.  He had a couple of strong years, including 39 saves and an All-Star appearance in 2023.  However, with his walk rate spiking to 14.4% in 2024, Doval was sent to Triple-A in August as Ryan Walker took over closing duties.  By the end of May this year, Doval had won his closer job back.

Doval has had better results this year with a 3.09 ERA, though his still lives in dangerous territory with a 12.6% walk rate.  Some of that is mitigated by his ability to keep the ball on the ground.  Doval likely won’t be tasked with the ninth inning for the Yankees, given the presence of Williams, Bednar, and Weaver.

Doval is under team control through 2027.  He’s earning $4.525MM in his first arbitration year, about $1.44MM of which remains this season.  Given the Yankees’ 110% competitive balance tax bracket, they’ll spend about $3MM to have Doval for the remainder of this season.  The club has run its CBT payroll up to about $316MM, according to RosterResource.

Posey’s Giants, meanwhile, save money and further stock the cupboard with minor leaguers, having also traded Mike Yastrzemski and Tyler Rogers in the last few days.  According to Baseball America, De La Rosa has the best upside of the four acquired for Doval.  The 20-year-old righty was graded 45/extreme risk by BA, who called him a “fine lottery ticket” who is on the upswing.  BA graded Rodriguez as 40/high risk, suggesting he “could have a future as a second-division regular who takes reps behind the plate and occasionally at third base.”

Though unranked by BA, Vrieling is more highly regarded by MLB.com, who assigned the righty a 40 grade.  They concluded, “he’ll have no more than a back-of-the-rotation ceiling unless he can develop a better-than-average offering.”  Harber, now 23, was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Yankees.  He’s reached High-A this year as a corner infielder.  He may be a bit old for his level, but Harber has a 156 wRC+ in 152 PA and may soon prove ready for Double-A.

This post was originally published at 5:29pm.

Rays, Yankees Swap Jose Caballero For Everson Pereira

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The Yankees have acquired utilityman Jose Caballero from the Rays in exchange for outfielder Everson Pereira and a player to be named later, per announcements from both clubs. Both players were on their respective teams’ 40-man rosters, so no corresponding 40-man moves were needed.

The versatile Caballero adds plenty of speed and defensive flexibility to the Yankees’ bench mix. The 28-year-old is hitting just .226/.327/.311 on the season but is tied for a share of the major league lead with 34 stolen bases (in 44 attempts). He’s played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield positions this season.

Caballero draws plus defensive grades all over the infield and in the outfield corners as well. He’s controllable for another four years beyond the current season but will be arbitration-eligible as a Super Two player in the offseason.

The 24-year-old Pereira ranked among Baseball America’s top-100 prospects in the 2022-23 and 2023-24 offseasons. His path to the majors has been slowed by injury, most notably a UCL repair surgery performed last June. Because of injuries and the shortened 2020 season, the Yankees were granted a fourth option year over the Venezuelan-born outfielder. He’ll be out of options next season.

Pereira got a brief big league debut with the 2023 Yankees but looked overmatched as a 22-year-old who’d only played 35 games above the Double-A level. He hit .151/.233/.194 and fanned 40 times in 103 trips to the plate (38.8%). He’s now in his third partial season at the Triple-A level and hitting .254/.357/.507 with 19 homers and nine steals in 314 plate appearances. Pereira has gone down on strikes in 29.5% of his plate appearances but walked at a stout 12.1% clip. He’s averaging 92.1 mph off the bat and sporting a huge 50% hard-hit rate

Pereira can play all three outfield spots and brings some upside to the Rays, though he’s continually shown a worrying lack of contact skills in the upper minors. He’ll give Tampa Bay some depth in the outfield. Notably, speedy outfielder Chandler Simpson exited today’s game with a hand injury, so the acquisition of Pereira could be tied to concerns that Simpson will miss time. Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum, Jonny DeLuca and Kameron Misner are among the other Rays options on the 40-man roster.

Jack Curry of the YES Network first reported the trade.

Angels Acquire Oswald Peraza

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The Yankees have traded infielder Oswald Peraza to the Angels in exchange for outfield prospect Wilberson De Pena, as well as international bonus pool money. Both teams have announced the deal. To make room for Peraza, the Angels have designated Kevin Newman for assignment.

Peraza, now 25, signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2016, and as he rose through the ranks of their minor league system, he also rose up organizational prospect rankings. Entering the 2022 season, when he made his big league debut, he was a consensus top-100 prospect. He impressed during a cup of coffee that September, hitting .306 with a 145 wRC+, and was once again a top-100 prospect entering 2023. Since then, however, his stock has fallen fast. He has slashed .190/.262/.285 in 429 plate appearances from 2022-25, with seven home runs and nine stolen bases in 145 games. Spending time at second base, third base, and shortstop, he has graded out as an average-to-slightly-above-average defender, but her versatile glove has not been nearly enough to make up for his ineffective bat. His offensive numbers at Triple-A over the past few years have also been less than impressive.

After the Yankees traded for infielders Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario last week, the clock began to tick on Peraza’s tenure with the club. Their deal to acquire José Caballero today was surely the final nail in the coffin, even though the Peraza trade was technically reported shortly before the Caballero agreement. The Yankees have revamped their infield and bench as part of their efforts to take down the Blue Jays to defend their AL East crown. A floundering former top prospect no longer fit into the picture.

Peraza is a textbook change-of-scenery candidate. The Angels acquire him with four years of team control remaining after 2025, although he is out of options. For now, he will offer them depth off the bench and a potential alternative to the slumping Luis Rengifo. If he impresses, he should be in the mix for the second or third base job next season, with Rengifo and Yoán Moncada set to hit free agency at the end of the year. On the other hand, if he continues to hit as poorly as he did with the Yankees, he’ll soon be staring down the barrel of a DFA.

Meanwhile, De Pena is a textbook example of a lottery-ticket prospect. The 18-year-old has not has not yet had much of a chance to make an impression in his professional career. He signed with the Angels as an international free agent last January and has spent the past two seasons as a corner outfielder in the Dominican Summer League. He has hit .211 with four home runs and five doubles in 31 games this year.

Newman signed with the Angels in the offseason on a one-year, $2.75MM guarantee. While he has never been known for his bat, he hit just well enough to offer some value as a utility infielder for the Pirates, Reds, and Diamondbacks from 2022-24. In 2025, however, he has hit just .202 with only four extra-base hits in 57 games. He has a .481 OPS and -0.7 FanGraphs WAR. Given his poor performance and the not-insignificant amount of money remaining on his contract, he is almost certain to pass through waivers, after which he is likely to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Peraza to the Angels was first reported by Jack Curry of the YES Network. Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the Yankees would receive De Pena and international bonus pool money in return.

Yankees Acquire Jake Bird

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4:27pm: The deal has been officially announced. Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz was designated for assignment to make room for Bird on the 40-man roster. De La Cruz did not appear in a game with the Yankees but hit .191/.240/.213 in 16 games with Atlanta earlier this year.

2:42pm: The Yankees are reportedly in agreement to acquire reliever Jake Bird from the Rockies for two minor leaguers. Second baseman Roc Riggio and pitcher Ben Shields are going back to Colorado.

Bird is the second, lower-profile bullpen pickup for the Yanks this afternoon. They’re adding two-time All-Star David Bednar in a deal with the Pirates. While Bednar will join Devin Williams and Luke Weaver at the back of the bullpen, Bird projects more as a middle relief type. The 29-year-old righty has a 4.57 earned run average over parts of four seasons with the Rox. That includes a 4.73 mark across 53 1/3 innings this year, though he’s only a few weeks removed from what seemed to be a breakout season.

Through the end of June, Bird was sitting on a 2.68 ERA across 47 innings. He had punched out 29.1% of batters faced while getting ground-balls at a 48% rate. The past few weeks have been a disaster. Bird has been rocked for 15 runs on 16 hits and four walks with five strikeouts in his last 6 1/3 innings. It’s an unfortunate way to end his Colorado tenure.

Bird has been durable and logged almost 90 innings out of Bud Black’s bullpen a couple seasons ago. He has gotten above-average grounder rates in all four MLB seasons — a common trait for Yankee relievers — and has still shown decent swing-and-miss stuff this year. He’s a three-pitch pitcher who sits around 94 MPH with his fastball and leans most often on a mid-80s breaking ball. The horrendous past few weeks didn’t completely detract from Bird’s strong start to the season.

This is Colorado’s second significant trade of deadline season — both of which have involved the Yankees. They sent third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Bronx last week. While the McMahon trade also involved a significant contract changing hands, Bird won’t cost the Yankees much financially. He’s in his final pre-arbitration season and controllable for three years after this. Bird doesn’t have any kind of closing experience that tends to lead to significant arbitration earnings for a reliever. He should be fairly cheap throughout the arbitration window.

The McMahon and Bird trades demonstrate that Colorado is more willing to deal controllable pieces than they’ve been in past seasons. They’re trending towards the worst season in modern history and have a tough time justifying making anyone untouchable. Riggio placed 22nd on Baseball America’s writeup of Yankee prospects, while he checked in 10th in the system at MLB Pipeline. Shields ranked 28th at MLB Pipeline and was not in the top 30 at BA. Both players will not be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the ’26 season.

Riggio, a left-handed hitting second baseman, has split the season between High-A and Double-A. He has put together a huge .264/.370/.567 slash between the two levels. Riggio has taken walks at a strong 12.2% clip while striking out at a league average 22.2% rate. He has drilled 18 home runs, 14 doubles and a triple. A fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2023, Riggio is viewed as a bat-first player. Scouting reports question his pure hitting ability, but there’s no question he’s putting together a huge statistical season in the minors.

Shields is a 6’4″ left-handed pitcher who went undrafted out of George Mason in 2023. Despite lacking amateur pedigree, Shields has put together a solid minor league résumé. He posted a 3.48 ERA in 26 minor league appearances a season ago. He missed the first few months of this season due to injury but has since returned to start five games with Double-A Somerset. He has turned in a 3.42 ERA with 26 strikeouts across 23 2/3 innings. Shields is already 26 and facing mostly younger competition, but MLB Pipeline credits him with a potential plus slider. He could be short-term rotation or long relief depth for the Rockies.

Jack Curry of The YES Network first reported the Yankees were acquiring Bird. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had Colorado’s return.

Image courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images.

Latest On Marlins Pitchers, Outfielders

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2:38pm: MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that the Yankees have pitched the Marlins on a potential package deal involving Alcantara and Bender.

10:25am: All eyes are on Sandy Alcantara today, with less than seven hours to go until the MLB trade deadline.  The former Cy Young winner sports an ugly post-Tommy John 6.36 ERA in 21 starts, but he has totaled 12 scoreless innings in his last two starts against the Padres and Cardinals.

Alcantara is controlled through 2027 by virtue of the contract extension he signed over three years ago.  The Astros and Red Sox were linked to him yesterday, while the Mets, Padres, and Cubs are among those previously connected.  This morning, Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds another potential suitor: the Yankees.

The Yankees have Luis Gil set to make his season debut Sunday against the Marlins following his spring lat strain, which may send Cam Schlittler back to Triple-A (if the latter isn’t included in a trade today).  Gil will join veterans Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman, as well as Will Warren.  As Greg Joyce of the New York Post wrote yesterday, a rotation acquisition by the Yankees would force a choice between Warren and Stroman.

With a competitive balance tax payroll around $314MM after additions of Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater, the Yankees face a 110% tax on every dollar they add this summer.  Alcantara is earning $17MM this year and next, with a club option for 2027.  Acquiring Alcantara would mean adding more than $6MM to the Yankees’ CBT ledger for this year, plus a tax of around $6.7MM.

Teams seeking starting pitching are also intrigued by hard-throwing Marlins righty Edward Cabrera.  Cabrera, 27, is having a better season than Alcantara and is under team control through 2028 at much lower (expected) salaries than Alcantara.  As such, it makes sense that the Yankees are interested in Cabrera, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports today with five hours left until the deadline.  The Marlins are eyeing powerful Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones, notes Morosi.  According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, “interest in both Alcantara and Cabrera is very high.”

Sammon also notes that a pair of Marlins righty relievers are drawing interest in Ronny Henriquez and Calvin Faucher.  Henriquez’s 32.4 K% ranks 20th among relievers this year, and he’s been mentioned as an under-the-radar trade candidate by MLBTR several times this month.  Given that Henriquez was a February waiver claim who had limited MLB experience with the Twins, he’s under team control through 2030.

As you might expect, Sammon reports that Faucher is more likely to be traded today.  Faucher, 30 in September, has a 3.73 ERA, 23.2 K%, and 10.7 BB% this year with a 44.2% groundball rate.  He’s less intriguing than Henriquez, but is under control through 2029.  Righty Anthony Bender has also been in rumors this month.

Finally, Sammon points out that Marlins outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Dane Myers are also drawing interest.  Sanchez, 28 in October, is under team control through 2027.  He’s a left-handed hitter who has a slightly above average 104 wRC+ since 2023, though against righties he’s at 119 during that time.  Myers, a December 2022 waiver claim from the Tigers, is under team control through ’29.  He’s a righty hitter who can serve as a lefty masher, given his 141 wRC+ against southpaws in 172 plate appearances dating back to 2023.

Sanchez has been playing right field for the Marlins, often sitting against lefties.  Myers has been taking most starts in center, occasionally sharing with Javier Sanoja.

Yankees, Pirates Discussing David Bednar Trade

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The Yankees and Pirates are in talks on a trade that would send closer David Bednar from Pittsburgh to the Bronx, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. New York is seen by others pursuing Bednar as a front-runner to acquire him, though a deal is not yet in place. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand adds that the Bucs are still discussing Bednar with several clubs, but the Yankees consider him their top option.

Bednar, 30, is one of the top controllable relievers on the market. The hard-throwing 6’1″ righty is making $5.9MM this season and is under club control for one more year. He’s owed about $1.87MM of that sum for the balance of the season, though the Yankees would pay a 110% luxury tax on him, making the total financial outlay closer to $3.9MM.

A former All-Star, Bednar struggled through a brutal 2024 season and had a rough start to his 2025 campaign. The Bucs optioned him to Triple-A in late March, and Bednar has been an absolute behemoth since returning. In 37 frames, he’s posted a dazzling 1.70 ERA with a 34.5% strikeout rate and 5.5% walk rate. It’s some of the best work of Bednar’s career — even better than what had been a 2021-23 peak that saw him post a combined 2.25 ERA, 31.2% strikeout rate and 7.7% walk rate.

Bednar surely holds extra appeal for the Yankees, given that additional season of club control. Top relievers like Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are both set to reach free agency at season’s end. Bednar would be able to pitch in any high-leverage role necessary in 2025 and could step into the ninth inning for the 2026 season, depending on whether Williams and/or Weaver are retained.

The Pirates have looked into trading Bednar in the past, though he’s a Pittsburgh native and favorite of owner Bob Nutting, who has reportedly intervened in some of his front office’s past discussions surrounding a Bednar trade. With the Pirates in the midst of another disappointing season and already having dismissed manager Derek Shelton, it’s seen as more likely that ownership will step to the side and let the front office earnestly explore the possibility.

The Rangers, Tigers, Phillies and Dodgers have all reportedly shown interest in Bednar this month as well, although the Phillies are likely done adding to the ’pen after acquiring Jhoan Duran, and the Tigers have already acquired a trio of veteran relievers (Kyle Finnegan, Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald).

Latest On Twins’ Deadline Plans

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The Twins have already moved Chris Paddack and Jhoan Duran, but they’re expected to remain active on the selling front right up until this afternoon’s deadline. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that as of last night, Minnesota was far more focused on negotiations pertaining to relievers Danny Coulombe and Brock Stewart than on anything involving top starter Joe Ryan, who still seems like a long shot to move. Meanwhile, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports that the Twins have had about six clubs looking into utilityman Willi Castro and haven’t ruled out trading righty Griffin Jax even after moving Duran — but the price remains extremely high.

Coulombe is one of the most straightforward trade candidates on the market. He’s a rental reliever on a clear seller who’s having a terrific season while playing on a low-cost contract. He signed a one-year, $3MM deal to return to the Twins in the offseason and has rewarded that investment with a 1.16 ERA, 25.4% strikeout rate and 7.4% walk rate in 31 innings. He’s thrived versus lefties and righties alike. It’d be a surprise if Coulombe somehow wasn’t traded before today’s deadline.

Stewart, 33, isn’t necessarily as likely to go but could have some sneaky value. He’s 33 years old and has had plenty of injury concerns in his career, including Tommy John surgery while with the Dodgers and shoulder surgery with the Twins just last year.

That said, when Stewart has been healthy in Minnesota, he’s been excellent. He’s pitched 77 1/3 innings since landing with the Twins on a minor league deal in the 2022-23 offseason, and in that time he’s posted a 2.33 ERA with a huge 31.7% strikeout rate and a 9.5% walk rate. Stewart is sitting 96.1 mph on his four-seamer this year and has run his heater up to 100 mph at times. He’s sporting an outstanding 15.1% swinging-strike rate and has a massive 16.5% mark over the past three seasons combined.

The Twins don’t need to move Stewart, who’s earning just $870K this year and has two seasons of club control remaining. However, as a reliever in his mid-30s who was originally added on a minor league deal, there’s a bit of a “found money” aspect to the hard-throwing righty. His lengthy history of arm troubles also surely has to tempt the Twins to sell high right now, while he’s performing well. Stewart isn’t going to garner headlines like Duran, Jax and other controllable arms on the relief market (e.g. David Bednar, Mason Miller), but he’s quietly posted high-end results at near league-minimum salary.

Castro feels like another surefire trade candidate today. Like Coulombe and Stewart, he was originally signed by the Twins on a minor league deal before revitalizing his career in Minnesota. He’s hitting .245/.335/.407 with 10 homers and nine steals in 344 plate appearances on the season and has slashed .250/.335/.398 in his three years as a Twin.

The switch-hitting Castro is earning $6.4MM in 2025 and is a free agent at season’s end. He’s a 28-year-old with average power and above-average speed who can handle just about any position on the field. He’s played second base, third base, shortstop and all three outfield spots in 2025, though he’s stretched defensively at shortstop or in center field and is more of a backup option than a candidate for regular playing time at those positions. Given his versatility, Castro would deepen any contending club’s bench, and he’d be a starting option for several playoff contenders. The Mariners, Yankees and Astros have all shown interest this month, though the first two of those teams have obviously added some new infield options already, which could impact their current level of interest in Castro.

With Duran out the door and Coulombe and Stewart possibly following him, a trade of Jax would really deplete the Twins’ bullpen. The Twins will remain open to the idea, it seems, but they’re not likely to deviate from their asking price. They’ve been seeking multiple top-100 prospects for both Duran and Jax. They secured a strong return for Duran (catching prospect Eduardo Tait and MLB-ready starter Mick Abel) and will hold out for the same with regard to Jax.

The 31-year-old Jax is a former third-round pick. A look at his 4.50 ERA isn’t going to turn any heads, but the right-hander posted a 2.03 ERA last season and misses bats more than nearly any pitcher in the game. His 36.4% strikeout rate is fifth in all of baseball among the 293 pitchers (starter and relievers alike) with at least 40 innings pitched this season. His 19.5% swinging-strike rate sits third, trailing only Josh Hader and Aroldis Chapman. Jax’s 1.97 SIERA ranks second in baseball, trailing only the 1.96 mark of breakout Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez.

Jax is under club control for two more years beyond the current season. He had a brutal outing yesterday — three runs without recording an out — but even including that tough day has a 3.08 ERA and 1.49 FIP in 38 innings dating back to late April. He’s the clear favorite to close games for the Twins moving forward. The Yankees are among the clubs looking into Jax, Jon Heyman of the New York Post suggests, and the Mariners have been in the mix as well.

Padres, Twins Among Teams Interested In J.C. Escarra

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Reports earlier in July indicated that J.C. Escarra was drawing trade interest, and Francys Romero writes that the Padres and Twins are two of the clubs most recently asking about the Yankees catcher.  Escarra was optioned to Triple-A just today, leaving Austin Wells and Ben Rice as the catching options on New York’s active roster, and underlining the team’s depth at the position.

Escarra earned his first taste of MLB playing time by making the team out of Spring Training, and acting as Wells’ primary backup while Rice has seen more time at DH and first base than behind the plate.  The backstop’s chief calling card has been his outstanding framing ability, even if his blocking and caught-stealing numbers leave much to be desired.

Escarra’s first 97 career plate appearances in the Show have seen him hit .205/.299/.337, with a .217 BABIP that is perhaps obscuring some better production.  Though Escarra isn’t making much hard contact, he is making a lot of contact period, as he has almost as many walks (11) as strikeouts (14).  His hitting record beyond the majors is inconsistent, but Escarrra hit well at the Triple-A level in 2024, and he got himself on the Yankees’ radar after crushing the ball in 2022-23 during stints in the independent leagues and in the Mexican League.

Given this journeyman background, Escarra is basically found money for the Yankees, so he may be expendable given the team’s other available catchers at both the MLB and minor league levels.  Wells, Rice, and Escarra are the only catchers with any big league experience in the organization, though another veteran could be signed to a minors contract to provide some depth if Escarra did get moved.

The appeal is obvious for the Padres, whose cumulative -0.7 bWAR from the catching position is the lowest in the majors.  With Elias Diaz and Martin Maldonado providing almost nothing, the Padres would have little to lose in seeing what Escarra can do with some regular playing time.  San Diego has one of the lowest strikeout rates of any team in baseball, so Escarra’s high-contact ways are a fit with the Padres’ approach.

Diaz and Maldonado are both free agents after the season.  The Twins have Ryan Jeffers arbitration-controlled through 2026 but Christian Vazquez is an impending free agent.  Like with San Diego, Minnesota’s catching position has also been a weak link, with Jeffers, Vazquez, and (for one game) Mickey Gasper combining for 0.3 bWAR.

At age 30, Escarra may not exactly be a long-term prospect, but he is controllable through the 2030 season.  Either the Padres or Twins could see the catcher as a fairly inexpensive upgrade to their needs behind the plate both this year and in the future.  The Twins are in seller mode, and such players as Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, Griffin Jax, and Danny Coulombe have been linked to New York in recent rumors.  It isn’t known if these Minnesota players could still be on the radar or not, as the Yankees’ acquisitions of Amed Rosario and Austin Slater specifically might’ve made Castro or Bader redundant.

Yankees, Mets, Phillies Have Discussed Mason Miller With A’s

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The Yankees, Mets, and Phillies have all engaged in talks with the Athletics regarding closer Mason Miller, reports The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. This update comes 10 days after USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported in no uncertain terms that Miller was off the market. While Rosenthal does not suggest a trade is likely, it seems the A’s are at least entertaining offers.

Any conversations between the A’s and Phillies may have been brief. Rosenthal notes the A’s asked for Philadelphia’s top pitching prospect, Andrew Painter, in return for Miller. But as Rosenthal and colleague Matt Gelb reported earlier today, the Phillies “refuse to even entertain the thought of moving Painter.” Rosenthal and Gelb suggested that the Phillies’ refusal to part with Painter likely eliminates them from the market for Miller or Twins closer Jhoan Duran.

Rosenthal also throws a bit of cold water on the Yankees connection. The A’s, he explains, are seeking top-tier young arms (hence their interest in Painter). Meanwhile, he mentions that the Yankees are “more focused on adding pitching than subtracting it.” In other words, the A’s are presumably seeking close-to-MLB-ready pitchers (as their interest in Painter implies), and the Yankees, who have learned a lot about the value of pitching depth this season, might not be willing to part with the sort of players who meet the Athletics’ criteria.

As for the Mets, they might not be quite as interested in Miller after they dealt for Tyler Rogers this afternoon. Rogers might not have Miller’s closing experience, high ceiling, or years of team control, but he’s arguably having a better season than Miller, and he and Edwin Díaz give the Mets a strong one-two pairing of right-handers at the back end of their bullpen. The Mets also traded for left-hander Gregory Soto last week, so they might now prefer to focus their efforts on improvements in other areas.

All this to say, the chances of Miller being moved this summer still seem slim, but it might not be out of the question. Perhaps if fellow closers Duran or Ryan Helsley fetch a high enough price for the Twins and Cardinals, respectively, the Athletics will be convinced to take advantage of a relatively weak trade market and the high number of contenders seeking bullpen help.

Featured image courtesy of Troy Taormina, Imagn Images.

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