Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Latest On Athletics’ Deadline Plans

By | at

The Athletics entered this season with their first significant offseason expenditures in years under their belt. Since leaving Oakland, the club has not only extended Brent Rooker but also traded for Jeffrey Springs and signed both Luis Severino and Jose Leclerc to significant deals. Unfortunately, those moves haven’t helped the club get back into contention. Now the 46-63 A’s are one of the deadline’s most obvious sellers, and most of those offseason additions are going right back onto the market. Leclerc underwent shoulder surgery this month and won’t be a factor this trade season, but both Springs and Severino are known to be available, among other pieces.

While both Severino and Springs can be had in trade, it’s an open question as to whether or not either player will move. Both are in the midst of lackluster seasons, and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic reported recently that the A’s aren’t viewed by rival clubs as willing to retain a large portion of any contracts on their books if moved. Severino is set to make $25MM in 2026 with a $22MM player option for the 2027 season, while Springs will make $10.5MM next season with a $15MM club option for 2027.

Both of those contracts are clearly underwater given the hurlers’ respective performances. Severino has a lackluster 4.95 ERA (84 ERA+) in 22 starts this year, and while there are some positive signs like a more respectable 4.21 FIP and his solid road splits (3.03 ERA away from Sutter Health Park), a 16.7% strikeout rate is very concerning. Springs, meanwhile, has a solid enough 4.13 ERA (100 ERA+) that comes with very worrying peripherals. An 18.9% strikeout rate is quite low, and while some of his home run problems can be blamed on his home ballpark his home run rate isn’t far out of line with his career norms. Springs’s 4.70 FIP is a bottom-15 figure among pitchers with at least 100 innings of work this year, and his 4.55 SIERA (17th worst) is not much more impressive.

Perhaps there’s a team out there desperate enough for pitching help that they’d be willing to take on an underwater contract in order to avoid parting with prospect capital, but such a situation seems unlikely. Of the two starters, Springs seems more likely to move given his previous experience as a reliever, better on-paper results, and much less onerous contract. If Severino is to be dealt without the A’s parting with salary, he’d likely need to be attached to another player and even then would likely bring back a minimal return.

Expensive pitchers aren’t the club’s only trade chips, however. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reported earlier today that Miguel Andujar is drawing interest from multiple teams this summer. A pending free agent, Andujar has primarily split time between third base and left field this year. He’s a fairly reliable bet to offer league-average production at the plate, as his .296/.323/.395 (96 wRC+) slash line this year isn’t all that different from his .276/.308/.428 (101 wRC+) career slash line or the .282/.318/.398 (101 wRC+) slash line he’s posted across 163 games since the start of the 2023 season.

It seems unlikely that Andujar would bring back an especially significant return given his league average offense and rough defensive metrics (-7 Outs Above Average this season). Even so, he could be a useful bench bat or depth piece for a team in need of help at any of the infield or outfield corners given his experience at all four positions, though his lackluster defense means he likely profiles best as a DH. The Cubs, Brewers,  Reds, Rangers, and Royals are among the many teams who could use a right-handed hitter who could pitch in at one or more of the corner positions.

Rangers, Tigers Interested In David Bednar

By | at

With this year’s trade deadline just a matter of days away, the Pirates could be one of the more active sellers over the next few days. According to a report from Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Pirates GM Ben Cherington is “looking to sell high” on closer David Bednar as he fields inquiries from multiple contenders regarding the 30-year-old. The Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, and Cubs have all previously been connected to Bednar this summer. Hiles reiterates the Phillies’ interest in the righty and adds two additional suitors to the pile: the Rangers and the Tigers. What’s more, Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports this morning that Pittsburgh has discussed the possibility of a deal with the Blue Jays that would send a reliever to Toronto, although it’s unclear whether that relief arm would be Bednar or another piece like Dennis Santana.

It’s hardly a shock that any of these newly-reported clubs would be interested in Bednar’s services. The two-time All-Star has been one of the league’s best closers for years now. Dating back to the 2021 season, Bednar has a 3.01 ERA and 101 saves in 275 1/3 innings of work. He’s struck out 29.4% of his opponents and has a 2.94 FIP. Those are already very impressive numbers, but they become all the more significant when one considers that Bednar struggled badly last year with a 5.77 ERA and 4.80 FIP across 62 appearances.

That his overall numbers remain that strong despite his brutal 2024 shows how utterly dominant Bednar has been the rest of the time, and 2025 is no exception. This year, he’s pitched to a 2.37 ERA with 17 saves and a 33.1% strikeout rate to go with a 1.96 FIP in 38 innings of work. He surrendered his first run since May 23 during last night’s save against the Giants and sports an eye-popping 1.70 ERA and 1.47 FIP dating back to April 19. That’s the day Bednar returned to the majors after three rough outings in Pittsburgh’s first four games of the season convinced the Pirates to option him to Triple-A for the reset. To say that reset has worked out would be an understatement, as Bednar’s elite play since his return has made him perhaps the club’s most valuable trade chip this summer.

Bednar’s value has risen enough that Hiles writes the Pirates are asking potential suitors to include one prospect within their organization’s top five in the return package for his services. The Pirates are known to be targeting upper-level hitting prospects and big league ready offensive talent this summer as they look to build a stronger position player corps to support Paul Skenes and the rest of their vaunted pitching core in 2026 and beyond. That makes some clubs a difficult fit for the Pirates’ needs. The Rangers, for example, surely wouldn’t consider parting with top prospect Sebastian Walcott in this sort of deal but have few other highly-rated, upper-level positional prospects in their system. Likewise, six of the Blue Jays’ top seven prospects according to MLB Pipeline are pitchers. By contrast, teams like the Tigers, Cubs, and Dodgers have a bevy of positional talent, some of which is in Double- and Triple-A already, from which they could deal if so inclined.

A club not being a perfect fit for the Pirates’s preferred return doesn’t necessarily mean a deal can’t be made as long as the buying club is sufficiently motivated, however. The Rangers seem like a particularly strong fit for Bednar. They enter trade season pressed up against the luxury tax with minimal room to take on salary barring a sudden change of heart from ownership, and taking on the final two months of Bednar’s $5.9MM salary for the season would be an extremely light financial burden for a player of Bednar’s caliber. Additionally, their recent struggles with putting together a quality bullpen could make someone controlled beyond the 2025 season like Bednar (who will reach free agency after 2026) an especially attractive option.

Speculatively speaking, perhaps there’s a deal to be made between the Rangers and Pirates involving a big league hitter like Adolis Garcia supported by lower-level prospects from Texas’s system. Likewise, the Blue Jays have a number of young position players who have graduated from prospect status who they could consider trading in the right deal, whether that’s for Bednar or another reliever like Santana or Caleb Ferguson. Toronto’s bullpen could certainly use the boost Bednar would provide given that incumbent closer Jeff Hoffman’s season has come off the rails after an elite month of April, and with players like George Springer and Kevin Gausman getting older as they approach the end of their contracts there’s plenty of urgency to make a deep postseason run.

The Tigers might be best positioned to make a deal for Bednar of this trio of teams, however. Bednar’s team control window lines up with that of ace southpaw Tarik Skubal, so adding him to the fold would allow Detroit to maximize Skubal’s time with the organization. The bullpen has emerged as a clear weak spot in an otherwise impressively deep organization, and Bednar closing out games with Will Vest and Tyler Holton setting him up would make for a much more imposing relief corps this October. What’s more, the Tigers have a number of well-regarded position player prospects in the upper levels of the minors, to say nothing of pieces with big league experience like Jace Jung and Trey Sweeney. It’s unclear just how much the Tigers would really be willing to part with in order to acquire Bednar, but they certainly have the sort of deep group of positional talent that could make them a very enticing trade partner for the Pirates.

Giants Sign Diego Cartaya To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Giants have signed catcher Diego Cartaya to a minor league contract, according to a report from Daniel Alvarez-Montes of El Extrabase.

Cartaya, 23, was a consensus top-20 prospect in the game as recently as 2023. He dominated the lower levels of the minors impressively for the Dodgers during the 2022 season with a .254/.389/.503 slash line between the Single-A and High-A levels, and the Dodgers resisted trade inquiries from clubs regarding the young catcher. Cartaya’s value began to dip as he struggled at the upper levels of the minors. He hit a lackluster .189/.278/.379 in 93 games at the Double-A level in 2023, and while a repeat of the level in 2024 saw him improve he posted an anemic .208/.293/.350 in 208 plate appearances after being promoted to Triple-A. That’s a rough slash line in most offensive environments, but especially that of the Pacific Coast League.

After Cartaya’s rough 2024 season, the Dodgers initially kept him on their 40-man roster but designated him for assignment in early January. He was traded to the Twins less than a week later and found himself outrighted off of their 40-man in late April. Cartaya’s Triple-A numbers only got worse upon his arrival in St. Paul, as he slashed just .085/.217/.136 in 20 games for the Twins’ affiliate. He made his last appearance in the Minnesota organization in late June and was released last week.

That all led Cartaya to the Giants, for whom he’ll provide depth behind the plate for the time being. Gold Glover Patrick Bailey is being backed up by Andrew Knizner as things stand, and Cartaya will now join a number of non-roster catchers at the upper levels of San Francisco’s minor league system as potential depth behind that tandem. Max Stassi, Sam Huff, Logan Porter and Austin Barnes are all already in the organization. Each of those other pieces have big league experience and may be more likely to join the MLB club in the event of an injury down the stretch.

For Cartaya, who won’t turn 24 until September, the goal may be as simple as looking to get his career back on track. The catcher is still plenty young enough that there’s room for continued development, especially considering the fact that catchers often take a bit longer to develop than players at other positions. Cartaya was considered one of the game’s best prospects just a few short years ago due to his impressive upside, and the Giants will now try their hand at unlocking that upside after the Dodgers and Twins were both unsuccessful in doing so.

The Opener: Suarez, Robert, Alcantara

By | at

As this year’s trade deadline approaches, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. Suarez undergoing testing:

The Diamondbacks (and a number of interested contenders) were holding their breath last night when third baseman Eugenio Suarez underwent an x-ray after getting struck in the hand by a pitch. Those initial tests came back negative, but Arizona figures to put Suarez through additional tests to ensure he’s completely healthy with the trade deadline just a few short days away. Suarez told reporters (including David Hogg of The Associated Press) after last night’s game that he’s scheduled to undergo additional testing today on his ailing hand, but that he plans to “come back as quickly as [he] can.” Concerns over Suarez’s health could scare away some suitors for the slugger’s services in the coming days, particularly given the fact that Suarez is viewed as the consensus top rental player available this summer and will surely come at a high price.

2. Robert eyeing a milestone:

This may finally be the summer where Luis Robert Jr. is traded away by the White Sox. The center fielder has found himself in the rumor mill constantly in recent years, but Chicago has always hesitated to trade him for fear that they were selling too low. He’s in the final guaranteed year of his contract now, however, and while the South Siders have recently begun suggesting they view holding onto Robert and picking up his club option as a viable alternative to a trade, it would be something of a shock if he isn’t traded in the next few days.

Meanwhile, Robert himself has caught fire at the plate for the White Sox in recent weeks. Since July 11, Robert is hitting .333/.422/.590 (179 wRC+) with three homers. Those three home runs leave him with 99 long balls for his career, meaning that if he can swat just one more homer before he’s traded he’ll be able to walk away from his White Sox career with 100 homers for the South Siders. He’d become just the 23rd player in White Sox history to hit 100 homers for the club.

3. Alcantara’s final start in Miami?

Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara is scheduled to take the mound for the club today against the Cardinals. With the trade deadline set to pass before his next turn through the rotation, it’s possible the right-hander is about to make his final start for the club. It’s been a tough season for the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner as he’s worked his way back after missing all of last season rehabbing Tommy John surgery. Alcantara has a 6.66 ERA and 4.47 FIP through 20 starts so far this year, though his most recent start saw him throw seven scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no walks. That encouraging outing could be enough to get pitching-needy contenders to bite on Alcantara’s upside as a true front-of-the-rotation arm, the sort of player who is otherwise expected to be mostly unavailable this summer. Will his start today further increase his trade value, or raise more questions about his ability to contribute?

Rays Outright Coco Montes, Release Jacob Waguespack

By | at

The Rays announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned infielder Coco Montes outright to Triple-A. In addition, right-hander Jacob Waguespack has been released. Both players had previously been designated for assignment by the club last week.

Montes, 28, appeared in five games for the Rays this year. The infielder went 2-10 with three strikeouts and one RBI during that limited exposure to the majors while playing both second and third base as well as left field. He’d previously slashed a meager .221/.272/.344 for the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham this year and last made the big leagues with the Rockies back in 2023. He appeared in 18 games with Colorado where he slashed .184/.244/.316 with two doubles and a home run across 41 plate appearances. Between his two stints in the majors, Montes played for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yoimiuri Giants. He slashed a somewhat pedestrian .272/.308/.391 for the Giants in 46 Central League games during the 2024 season. He’ll now return to Triple-A Durham as non-roster depth for the Rays going forward this year.

As for Waguespack, the 31-year-old was a 37th-round pick by the Pirates all the way back in 2012 who made his big league debut back in 2019 as a member of the Blue Jays. He pitched in parts of two seasons with Toronto and posted a 5.08 ERA in 95 2/3 innings of work split between 13 starts and 14 relief appearances. He struck out just 18.6% of his opponents while walking 8.9%, and after spending the 2021 season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate in Buffalo he moved on to NPB’s Orix Buffaloes. Waguespack posted an impressive 2.97 ERA in 72 2/3 innings of work during his first year of Pacific League play, but his production cratered in 2023.

He’s spent the past two seasons in the Rays organization, primarily at the minor league level, but posted a 5.40 ERA in ten appearances with the big league club this year. He’ll now head into free agency in search of another opportunity, though it seems he’ll be limited to minor league offers unless he once again ventures outside of affiliated ball to pitch elsewhere. Waguespack had been on the minor league injured list, meaning he could not be outrighted to the minor leagues after being designated for assignment.

Mets Discussing Mark Vientos In Trade Talks

By | at

The Mets are clear buyers this summer with a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for control of the NL East, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible that they would deal from their big league roster. As the club seeks help in multiple areas of it’s roster, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the club has been discussing infielder Mark Vientos with rival clubs ahead of this week’s trade deadline. He adds that teams have inquired after not only Vientos but also fellow infield youngsters Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, though Martino notes that teams have come away with the belief that Vientos is the most available of those three names.

It’s a position that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season last year when he slashed .266/.332/.516 with 27 homers and 22 doubles across just 111 games. That seemed to position Vientos as the club’s third baseman of the future in spite of his lackluster work with the glove last season. Unfortunately for the Mets and Vientos, however, things have gone off the rails this year. The Mets were surely hoping that his glove would improve at least somewhat with time, but he’s remained one of the worst defenders in the sport this year. This time, however, his offense isn’t carrying the overall package. Vientos has slashed just .226/.280/.358 (81 wRC+) across 73 games this year amid a power outage that’s seen his barrel rate collapse from 14.1% last year to just 7.3% in 2025.

With Vientos unproductive on both offense and defense, he’s arguably expendable on a club with better options at first base (Pete Alonso) and DH (Starling Marte). Baty, Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil can all hold their own on the infield as well, to say nothing of the anticipated eventual return of Jesse Winker from the injured list, at which point he’ll likely return to sharing time with Marte at DH. All of those options leave Vientos somewhat squeezed out of the mix for playing time, but another club could look at Vientos’s 2024 performance and the fact that he remains under team control through the end of the 2029 season and see an opportunity to buy low on a bat with an All-Star caliber ceiling.

The White Sox, for instance, have interest in Vientos according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale suggests that the Sox would want Vientos in return for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. after months of connections between Robert and the Mets in the rumor mill. Robert’s value is unlikely to be high enough to land Vientos in a one-for-one trade at this point, though speculatively speaking it’s at least possible he could be had if Robert was packaged with pitching help that would help address New York’s other needs.

Chicago is far from the only team that should have interest in Vientos if he’s available, however. The Diamondbacks are primarily targeting young pitching, but Vientos would be an intriguing fit given the recent loss of first baseman Josh Naylor and the club’s impending plans to trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez in the coming days. The Padres are dangling Dylan Cease in hopes of adding a bat or two this summer, and Vientos’s combination of upside and cheap team control could be attractive to a cash-strapped contender. The Rays are always creative and appear to be at least considering dealing incumbent first baseman Yandy Diaz this summer. The Red Sox are in need of first base help and could benefit from another right-handed bat in their lineup.

A handful of those clubs mentioned remain in playoff contention alongside the Mets, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a pair of buy-side GMs managed to get creative and work out a trade that benefits both clubs. Vientos should have broad appeal to teams looking for help on the infield corners or at DH regardless of their competitive timeline thanks to his combination of near-term upside and long-term team control. Of course, it’s far from a lock that the Mets will actually move Vientos. New York stands to benefit as much as anyone from the slugger’s upside in 2026 and beyond, particularly in the likely event that Alonso opts out of his contract this winter. Even in 2025, the depth Vientos provides could prove essential in the event of an injury sidelining a player like Marte or any of the club’s infielders. While the slugger isn’t the key cog in the Mets’ lineup he was last year, all the traits that make him an attractive buy-low candidate would make it difficult for the club’s front office to justify selling low on him.

Diamondbacks Open To Moving Both Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly

By | at

The Diamondbacks remain a sub-.500 baseball team with just days to go until the trade deadline. They’re ten games back of the Dodgers in the NL West and six games out of a playoff spot, leaving them with minimal hope of a miracle run back into postseason contention. As a result, they’ve turned their attention more fully towards selling with deals that shipped Josh Naylor to Seattle and Randal Grichuk to Kansas City in the past week. That sell-off only figures to get more substantial from here, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested over the weekend that after initially resisting the idea of trading both Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly in the coming days the pair could both be pitching for other teams in August if the club receives strong enough return packages for them.

As the team’s downward trajectory in the standings has continued, the value in keeping one of Gallen or Kelly around in the second half has diminished considerably due to the lack of a realistic path to the postseason. Still, either one would receive and reject a Qualifying Offer this winter if retained, allowing the Diamondbacks to recoup value in the form of draft pick compensation. Additionally, Rosenthal suggests that Arizona brass is concerned about the club’s pitching depth if it were to lose both Gallen and Kelly from the fold. Given that, the Diamondbacks would need to not only receive more than the value of the draft pick they could recoup over the winter to move their two starters, but also enough to make up for the additional strain on their rotation.

That the Diamondbacks would at least consider trading both Gallen and Kelly makes sense. After all, Fangraphs projects them for a meager 5.4% chance at the postseason entering today, and with a core of talent still in place to help bring the club back into contention for 2026 and beyond augmenting those years ought to be the club’s priority. It’s understandable, however, that Arizona is looking at its group of injured pitchers (including Corbin Burnes, A.J. Puk, and Justin Martinez) and the strain losing reliable arms like Gallen and Kelly would put on their remaining healthy arms with some trepidation. That’s why the club is already reportedly targeting young pitching this summer, and it stands to reason that if the Diamondbacks can land a big-league ready starting pitcher or two who can be reliably plugged into their rotation to eat innings down the stretch, that would go a long way to convincing them to part with their veteran rentals.

As noted by Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, GM Mike Hazen acknowledged over the weekend that he was receiving “strong interest” in both of his rental starters. That’s hardly a shock, as both Kelly and Gallen have an argument as the best rental pitcher available. Kelly has pitched to a 3.22 ERA with solid peripherals this year that’s consistent with his status as a solid #2 starter, while Gallen is in the midst of a down season but has shown ace upside in the past with third-, fifth-, and ninth-place finishes in NL Cy Young voting over the years. Both pitchers offer solid enough track records of success in the postseason as well, something that other intriguing rentals like Dylan Cease and his 12.91 career ERA in the postseason cannot boast, though Kelly’s excellent 2.25 career ERA in the playoffs shines much brighter than the 4.54 figure of Gallen.

Interest in starting pitching in general is strong league wide this year, so it’s hardly a shock that Gallen and Kelly are no exception to that. The Blue Jays and Cubs are among the teams to have been directly connected to at least one of Kelly or Gallen at this point, but a number of other teams are known to be on the prowl for a starter. That includes the Yankees and Giants, both of whom appear to be prioritizing rotation help, although other clubs like the Padres, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox, and Astros all also expected to be at least somewhat involved in the rotation market. With so many teams looking for starters, it seems likely that the Diamondbacks will have plenty of intriguing offers for their pair of veteran hurlers that they can sort through in the coming days.

Latest On Yankees’ Deadline Plans

By | at

The Yankees nearly had their season upended when reigning AL MVP Aaron Judge suffered a flexor strain in his right elbow. The issue required a trip to the injured list, but fortunately for the Bronx Bombers their superstar is expected to avoid the operating table and could be back in the lineup as a DH shortly after the trade deadline. Even so, there are some signs that the Yankees may not be fully all-in this summer. Andy Martino of SNY reported yesterday that the Yankees actually “seriously considered” a pivot towards selling this summer if Judge was out for the remainder of the season.

It goes without saying that Judge, who has emerged as the consensus best hitter in the sport with an absurd .312/.436/.681 slash line over the past four seasons, is a transformational player. With that being said, baseball is a team sport and for a team to be willing to pivot from buying to selling based on an injury to one player suggests a level of uncertainty that might not otherwise be expected from a club that’s already gone out and acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon and utility bat Amed Rosario within the past week. Martino even wonders if a Yankees club that’s 8-12 in the month of July and 22-28 over their last 50 games could still consider selling off rental players like Cody Bellinger and Devin Williams, even in spite of Judge’s expected return to the lineup.

That seems very unlikely to actually happen at this point, and even Martino acknowledges that such an outcome is an “extreme longshot.” Still, the fact that there’s any reason to doubt the Yankees’ status as buyers at this point could suggest that they won’t be the most aggressive suitors for high-end talent on the market. Gerrit Cole will be back next year, Judge will presumably have moved past his elbow issues, and the club could hope for better health for an arm like Luis Gil as well, not to mention further development from young pieces both at the big league level (Ben Rice, Jasson Dominguez) and in the minors (Spencer Jones, George Lombard Jr.).

All of that could be enough to opt for lower-cost additions rather than shopping aggressively in the most impactful tiers of the market. We’ve already seen them take that approach in their efforts to upgrade at third base. It’s well-known that the Yankees were engaged with the Diamondbacks on third baseman Eugenio Suarez in recent weeks, but Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports that talks between the sides stalled when New York balked at the price tag Arizona hat set, which Romero reports consisted of one MLB player, one prospect from the upper levels of the minors, and at least one prospect from the lower-levels of the minors.

It must be cautioned that proximity to the big leagues, while an attractive factor in a player’s profile, does not necessarily indicate trade value. Oswald Peraza, for example, is much less valuable on the trade market now as a struggling big leaguer without options remaining than he was a few years ago when he was a consensus top-50 prospect in the game with only eight games at the Triple-A level. That means Romero’s report does little to pin down the exact quality of the return Arizona requested from the Yankees, but it does seem likely that New York thought it was giving up less value by surrendering Clayton Beeter, Browm Martinez, Griffin Herring, and Josh Grosz to acquire the combination McMahon and Rosario than they would have had to in order to land Suarez.

Could that apparent hesitance to trade at the top of the market impact New York’s pursuits on the pitching side of things? Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicates that the Yankees are looking to add two relievers (including one lefty) and a starting pitcher “at minimum” this summer. If the Yankees were turned off by the price tag associated with Suarez, it’s possible they could prefer to shop at the lower levels of the market to avoid meeting Arizona’s asking price on Zac Gallen or Merrill Kelly. On the other hand, maybe the prospect capital they saved by passing on Suarez could be used to gun for an even more significant piece with multiple years of control like Jhoan Duran or Emmanuel Clase for the club’s bullpen.

Regardless of how big the Yankees decide to go on the pitching side of things, Sherman reports that the club may not be done augmenting its positional corps just yet. He writes that the Yankees have talked to the Rays about infield pieces Jose Caballero, Taylor Walls, and Ha-Seong Kim. The Rays rarely make any player on their roster off limits and Cabellero specifically came up in the rumor mill recently, so it’s not necessarily a shock to hear that Tampa would listen on some of its infield depth. Sherman suggests that players like Willi Castro of the Twins, Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Pirates, and David Hamilton of the Red Sox could also be of interest to the Yankees as they look to upgrade the speed and versatility of their bench, preferably with a player who can be relied upon to back up shortstop Anthony Volpe.

Sherman suggests that the Yankees have “long-liked” Castro in particular and suggests that it would be “ideal” for the club to acquire him as part of a package that includes one of Minnnesota’s relievers. Danny Coulombe is a pending free agent who would make plenty of sense if New York hopes to stick with lower-cost acquisitions, but he doesn’t rule out a pursuit of a more expensive, controllable impact piece like Duran and Jax. Minnesota’s relief arms are getting plenty of attention on the trade market, however, and Castro himself would be an excellent fit for not just the Yankees but also teams like the Cubs and Astros. Given the Yankees’ possible reluctance about going all-in on 2025, it seems likely that they’ll continue examining a wide array of options at varying price points over the coming days.

Phillies Interested In Luis Robert Jr, Still Prioritizing High-End Reliever

By | at

The Phillies have been connected to a number of impact position players this summer. Reportedly, the club has already expressed interest in Guardians All-Star Steven Kwan and has interest in Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suarez as well. Now, Ari Alexander of KPRC2 reports another star player the Phillies have interest in: Luis Robert Jr. of the White Sox. That apparent interest in bolstering the lineup doesn’t necessarily mean Philadephia is focused on that sort of addition, however. Even with rumors connecting Philadelphia to a number of significant hitters, Matt Gelb of The Athletic writes the the club’s priority remains adding a “high-end” relief arm even after they signed David Robertson last week.

Robert, an All-Star back in 2023 who has struggled in each of the past two seasons with injury and ineffectiveness, has hit .206/.293/.343 (76 wRC+) this season. He’s hit incredibly well (.325/.426/.500 with a 159 wRC+) since coming off the injured list, however, and that performance has been enough to convince the White Sox to take a hard stance on their asking price for his services. Robert certainly won’t keep that torrid pace up, but at his best he was a 129 wRC+ hitter, with a .287/.331/.511 slash line in 311 games between 2021 and ’23. While Robert would be a massively valuable addition to the Phillies if he were able to bounce back to that form, it would be a substantial gamble for a club that is looking to patch a hole in the lineup caused by unproductive seasons by talented outfielders like Max Kepler and Johan Rojas to bring in yet another talented outfielder in the middle of an unproductive season, particularly given the White Sox’s asking price.

Perhaps those concerns are (at least in part) why the Phillies remain focused on acquiring bullpen help even after signing Robertson, a veteran of 16 MLB seasons who has pitched to a 2.82 ERA with 40 saves over the last three years. Robertson is a talented reliever, but even the most talented players can face a steep cliff at age-40. Between Robertson’s age and the fact that he missed the first half of the season, the club has no guarantee he’ll offer the sort of shutdown production in high-leverage situations that he’s been able to provide in the past. Fortunately for the Phillies, there are a large number of extremely talented high-leverage arms being dangled this summer. Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Mason Miller of the A’s, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax of the Twins, Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith of the Guardians, and David Bednar of the Pirates are just some of the elite relief arms who have seen their names floated in the rumor mill in recent days.

While many of those controllable arms likely won’t end up moving when all is said and done, the number of teams at least willing to listen on players of that caliber affords Philadelphia (and other buyers) plenty of flexibility as they figure out how best to improve their roster this summer. The Phillies have plenty of reason to be aggressive with key pieces like Kyle Schwarber, Ranger Suarez, and J.T. Realmuto  set to hit free agency, to say nothing of ace Zack Wheeler’s impending retirement after the 2027 season. Perhaps that motivation will convince the club to pay a high price for the help of a controllable relief ace, although it’s also possible that the club could benefit from spreading its prospect capital across multiple deals in order to maximize the 2025 roster as much as possible.

The pursuit of high-end bats also offers a backup plan in case the Phillies are unable to secure any of the top closing options. With Robertson already in the fold as an experienced closer, perhaps the Phillies could pivot to second-tier options like Atlanta closer Raisel Iglesias or Twins southpaw Danny Coulombe and trust the tandem of that addition and Robertson to handle high leverage duties in the bullpen. The theoretical prospect capital saved by acquiring one of those arms relative to the top options could then be used in a trade for a significant bat like Suarez or Robert, offering a solid Plan B that could have just as much impact as acquiring one of the market’s top relievers in the event that asking prices remain prohibitively high on those players.

The Opener: Giants, Pirates, Lugo, Cubs, Brewers

By | at

With the trade deadline a matter of days away, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world today:

1. Giants top prospect set to debut against top trade candidate:

Well-regarded Giants prospect Carson Whisenhunt is reportedly headed to the majors to take the ball in tonight’s start against the Pirates at 6:45pm local time in San Francisco. The 24-year-old Whisenhunt has posted a relatively pedestrian 4.42 ERA in 18 starts at Triple-A this year, but the inflated offensive environment found in the Pacific Coast League is at least partly to blame for that inflated figure. Whisenhunt is not yet on the 40-man roster, meaning the Giants will have to either trade away or designate someone for assignment before Whisenhunt’s start tonight unless the club transfers someone to the 60-day injured list.

Whisenhunt’s opponent will be well-regarded right-hander Mitch Keller, who sports a 3.53 ERA and is one of the league’s top trade candidates. The 29-year-old has been ultra-consistent this season, holding opponents to three or fewer runs in 18 of 21 starts. That includes a run of eight such starts in a row, during which he’s pitched to a pristine 2.59 ERA. Keller’s 18.7% strikeout rate this season is the second-lowest of his career, but his 5.8% walk rate is a career-best. He’s drawn interest from a variety of contenders and is affordably signed all the way through 2028. The Pirates aren’t necessarily dead-set on trading Keller, but tonight could still be his last start for the only team he’s known to this point in his career.

2. Lugo, Royals to finalize extension?

The Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo are reportedly finalizing an extension, but there has been no official announcement of the deal yet by Kansas City. Perhaps that’s set to come as soon as today. Assuming the extension is completed, it will remove the veteran right-hander from any trade conversations by re-asserting him as a key part of the Royals’ core. Lugo’s extension will be the latest move in an effort to surround Bobby Witt Jr. with a playoff-caliber supporting cast, joining other deals like those signed with Michael Wacha and Carlos Estevez this past winter. Lugo, the 2024 AL Cy Young runner-up, sports a 2.95 ERA in 19 starts this year.

3. Series Preview: Cubs @ Brewers

The Cubs and Brewers have been locked in a battle for the NL Central ever since Milwaukee’s surge toward the top of the standings that began last month. They’ll get the chance to face off for the first time since the Brewers’ win streak this week with a three-game set that begins at 6:40pm local time this evening. A pair of 2025 All-Stars will square off in Game 1, as veteran southpaw Matthew Boyd (2.20 ERA) takes on rookie right-hander Jacob Misiorowski (2.45 ERA in six starts). Game 2 of the series will see Colin Rea (4.06 ERA) square off against Brewers righty Quinn Priester (3.28 ERA), while the series finale will pit Shota Imanaga (3.12 ERA in 14 starts) against Freddy Peralta (2.81 ERA). The winner of this series will come out on top of the NL Central, as the Cubs and Brewers are currently tied for the National League’s best record.

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top