Reds Designate Jake Fraley For Assignment
The Reds announced this morning that they’ve designated outfielder Jake Fraley for assignment. Outfielder Will Benson was recalled to replace Fraley on the active roster. Right-hander Connor Phillips was also recalled to the MLB roster after the club optioned southpaw Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A last night.
Fraley, 30, began his career with the Mariners and was shipped to Cincinnati as part of the trade that sent Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to Seattle. Since making his Reds debut in 2022, Fraley has been a roughly league average bat for the club. He’s hit .260/.336/.421 (105 wRC+) in 362 games for the club over the past four seasons and has never posted a wRC+ below 96 over a full season. He’s proven to be a solid baserunner as well, with 20-steal campaigns in both 2023 and ’24, though his defense has left him mostly limited to being a middling defender in the outfielder corners.
The biggest flaw in Fraley’s game is his massive platoon split, however. He’s virtually unplayable against lefties, with a .187/.263/.260 (44 wRC+) slash line against southpaws in 137 plate appearances during his time with the Reds. That’s offset by his solid .269/.346/.441 (113 wRC+) line against right-handed pitchers, of course, but Fraley is also in a 1-for-17 slump since the start of August and is hitting a lackluster .226/.305/.377 (83 wRC+) dating all the way back to June 20. That’s not substantially better than Benson, who sports an 80 wRC+ in 201 plate appearances this year. Perhaps the Reds are hoping that giving Benson opportunities down the stretch will get him into position to take over Fraley’s role as a left-handed platoon outfielder for 2026, when Fraley would’ve been due a raise on his $3.125MM salary for 2025 via arbitration and likely found himself non-tendered come November.
As for Phillips, the righty was once a consensus top-100 prospect but suffered a brutal season at Triple-A last year as he walked 15.3% of his opponents in 19 starts. He’s converted to relief this year and done better for himself with a 2.84 ERA in 38 innings, though his 14.6% walk rate remains elevated. He’s made just four appearances at the big league level this year but will now get an opportunity to try and harness his high-octane stuff as the Reds shuffle out La Sorsa, who surrendered a three-run homer to infielder Andruw Monasterio in the 11th inning of yesterday’s brutal 6-5 loss to Milwaukee.
Cardinals Place Victor Scott II On IL, Select Nathan Church
The Cardinals have selected the contract of outfielder Nathan Church, as noted by Katie Woo of The Athletic. St. Louis had multiple spots available on its 40-man roster, so there was no need to create space for Church’s addition. He’ll be taking the active roster spot of center fielder Victor Scott II, who has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a left ankle sprain.
Scott, 24, has appeared in 116 games for the Cardinals this year while serving as the club’s primary center fielder. While his offensive numbers leave something to be desired (he’s hit .233/.311/.312 with a wRC+ of 81 this year), he’s improved substantially relative to last year’s 40 wRC+ thanks to much stronger plate discipline. His elite defense and 31-for-33 record on the bases has made him a two-win player according to both Baseball Reference’s and Fangraphs’ versions of WAR. He’s been used less often in recent weeks, with just 39 plate appearances since July 29, but the Cardinals have kept him as a regular presence in games even as his playing time has dwindled by using him as a pinch runner and defensive replacement.
That makes losing Scott for any amount of time a tough blow, particularly given that super utility man Brendan Donovan and first baseman Willson Contreras are both already out of the lineup with day-to-day injuries. All of this has created an opportunity for Church, who was an 11th-round pick by St. Louis back in 2022. He’s scaled the minor league ladder over the past few years in order to reach Triple-A this season, and he’s looked quite good at the level through 53 games. He’s hitting .335/.400/.521 in 242 plate appearances since being promoted, with nine steals and 22 extra-base hits, including seven homers. He’s also managed to walk (24) nearly as many times as he’s struck out (25). That impressive all-around profile is certainly intriguing, and now it appears to have been enough to earn him a look at the big league level.
Church has split his time between all three outfield spots in the minors fairly evenly, and it’s unclear where he’ll spend most of his time in the majors at this point. Jordan Walker is entrenched in right field, while Lars Nootbaar figures to handle either left field or center field on a regular basis but could switch between the two as needed. Burleson typically plays left field but has been handling first base in Contreras’s absence, which could create an opening for Church to get some playing time while Contreras nurses his injury. Once the rest of the roster is healthy, Church is likely to operate in mostly a bench role but his lefty bat could be used to spell the right-handed Walker in tougher matchups.
Marcelo Mayer To Undergo Season-Ending Wrist Surgery
Marcelo Mayer‘s rookie season is over. The youngster has been on the shelf due to a wrist sprain since late July, and now manager Alex Cora has told reporters (including Christopher Smith of MassLive) that the infielder will undergo season-ending surgery on his ailing wrist. The surgery comes with a three-month recovery period, so he’s expected to be ready for Spring Training 2026.
Mayer, 22, entered the season as a consensus top-20 prospect in the sport. Selected fourth-overall by the Red Sox back in 2021, Mayer’s climb up the minor league ladder was stymied by injuries at times but he made both his Triple-A and big league debuts this year in spite of those obstacles. He hit a solid .271/.247/.472 in 43 games with Worcester this year but scuffled a bit in the majors, with a below-average .228/.272/.402 (79 wRC+) slash line and a 30.1% strikeout rate. He posted those numbers while splitting time between second and third base as well as shortstop at the big league level, with most of his work coming at the hot corner while Alex Bregman was on the injured list earlier this year.
Now that Mayer’s own 2025 campaign has come to an abrupt close due to his ailing wrist, it’s safe to say that the youngster didn’t have the rookie campaign he and the Red Sox were surely hoping for. That’s hardly a surprise, of course. While some top talents (such as teammate Roman Anthony) immediately take to the big leagues, it’s become increasingly common for even the very best prospects in the game to struggle mightily early in their careers due to the growing skill gap between Triple-A and the majors. For Mayer, getting some of those growing pains out of the way this year can only be a good thing, and will hopefully leave him better equipped to impact the big league club in 2026.
Fortunately for the Red Sox, they’ve been able to do just fine without Mayer producing at a high level. Bregman (156 wRC+) earned his third career All-Star nod and has been a game changer for Boston’s lineup at third base, while Trevor Story has bounced back from years of injury-marred campaigns to be a roughly average (98 wRC+) everyday shortstop. That’s solidified the left side of the club’s infield, and while the struggles of both Mayer and Kristian Campbell have made second base into a bit of a question mark, super utility man Ceddanne Rafaela has settled in at the keystone admirably amid a decent offensive season of his own (97 wRC+). Fellow youngster Kristian Campbell is also available to help chip in at second base, though he’s struggled after a hot start to the year and is currently getting regular reps at Triple-A.
Looking ahead to next year, the Red Sox figure to have an embarrassment of riches on the positional side of things. Bregman seems increasingly likely to opt out of his contract and return to free agency, but even setting him aside the returns of Mayer and Triston Casas should give the team a full lineup on paper with both Campbell and Rafaela capable of moving between the infield and outfield as needed. Should Bregman opt into his deal or wind up getting re-signed or replaced in free agency, the Red Sox figure to have more players than positions to play them at between their solid regulars and unproven young players like Mayer and Campbell. Players like Jarren Duran and Masataka Yoshida have frequently been the subject of trade rumors over the years due to this impending logjam, and while no deals have come together to this point that figures to remain a storyline surrounding the club headed into the offseason.
Phillies Release Cal Stevenson, Activate Aaron Nola
The Phillies announced this morning that they’ve released center fielder Cal Stevenson. It had not been previously reported that Stevenson was placed on waivers, but he evidently must have cleared waivers will now head into free agency. Stevenson could not be outrighted to the minor leagues after being placed on the minor league injured list earlier this week.
Stevenson’s departure from the 40-man roster makes room for Aaron Nola‘s return from the 60-day injured list. Nola will take the active roster spot of Zack Wheeler, who was placed on the injured list with a blood clot yesterday. In addition, the Phillies announced that third baseman Alec Bohm has been activated from the 10-day injured list. Bohm will take the roster spot of utility man Otto Kemp, who has been optioned to Triple-A. Both Bohm and Nola’s returns to action were previously reported last week.
Stevenson, 29 next month, was a tenth-round pick by the Blue Jays back in 2018. He’s played in parts of four MLB seasons but has yet to establish himself as more than a depth option. He made his big league debut in Oakland back in 2022 and moved on to San Francisco for the 2023 campaign before spending each of the past two seasons with the Phillies. In Philadelphia, Stevenson has appeared in just 23 games and been used primarily as a bench piece when on the roster. At the plate, he’s gone 8-for-32 with three walks, six strikeouts, and three doubles between the past two seasons. A career .178/.276/.238 hitter in 118 big league plate appearances, Stevenson has spent most of this season playing for Triple-A LeHigh Valley with middling offensive numbers.
Now that he’s a free agent, he’ll have the opportunity to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs or perhaps look at opportunities outside of affiliated ball. The specifics of Stevenson’s injury aren’t known, and if it’s a significant one it’s possible he’ll go unsigned over the final weeks of the season before looking to find a new club for the 2026 campaign. A skilled defensive center fielder with 22 steals in the minors this year, he should garner at least some interest as a depth option for teams in need of center field help.
As for Nola and Bohm, both have been out of commission for quite some time. Bohm missed about a month due to due a fractured rib, and while his 98 wRC+ doesn’t look like much it’s worth noting he was hitting a far more robust .299/.360/.410 in his final 150 plate appearances before heading to the injured list. Nola, meanwhile, last pitched in May due to an ankle injury and a stress reaction in his rib cage. His nine starts prior to hitting the injured list weren’t pretty, as he allowed a 6.16 ERA with a 5.05 FIP in 49 2/3 innings of work. Some of that is due to a 3 2/3 inning, nine-run blowup immediately before his placement on the IL, but he allowed four or more earned runs in five of his nine starts prior to the injury. A healthy and effective return from both players would do a lot to help the Phillies get ready for the postseason, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding Wheeler’s availability going forward.
As for Kemp, the utility man made his big league debut with the Phillies earlier this year and has gotten into 46 games so far while splitting time between the infield corners and left field. He’s slashed just .228/.298/.359 in 161 plate appearance, but his versatility and decent numbers (.740 OPS) against left-handed pitching make him a solid depth option for the club to have at Triple-A going forward.
Orioles Promote Samuel Basallo
The Orioles announced a flurry of roster moves this morning, highlighted by the club’s decision to select the contract of top prospect Samuel Basallo. Basallo will take the 40-man roster spot of right-hander Zach Eflin, who was transferred to the 60-day injured list and was already known to be done for the 2025 season. In addition, Baltimore activated outfielder Colton Cowser from the 7-day concussion-related injured list. Ryan Noda and Daniel Johnson were optioned to the minor leagues to make room for Basallo and Cowser on the active roster.
Basallo, who celebrated his 21st birthday just last week, entered the year as a consensus top-15 prospect in baseball and has more than proved himself worthy of that status with his work at Triple-A this year. The Santo Domingo native was signed as an international amateur by the Orioles back in 2021 and, after struggling in his first taste of Triple-A late last year, has slashed an incredible .270/.377/.589 (151 wRC+) in 76 games for the club’s Norfolk affiliate this year. He’s crushed 23 homers in that time, and while his 23.7% strikeout rate is the highest he’s posted in a full season so far that’s more than made up for by his aforementioned power and a strong 13.7% walk rate.
Those numbers would be impressive for any player, but they become all the more incredible with the context that Basallo is a catcher in the midst of his age-20 campaign. Basallo’s aforementioned 151 wRC+ is the fourth-highest figure in Triple-A’s International League this year, and he’s done that despite being the youngest qualified hitters at the level. Just ten hitters in their age-22 season or younger have qualified, and among them only four others (Justin Crawford of the Phillies as well as Owen Caissie, Moises Ballesteros, and Kevin Alcantara of the Cubs) have posted above-average numbers. All four of those youngsters are top-100 prospects in their own right, and only Caissie’s 142 wRC+ comes within spitting distance of Basallo’s elite numbers.
All of that is to say that Basallo has absolutely nothing left to do offensively at Triple-A. The youngster’s defense behind the plate has been the subject of some questions both from outside evaluators and even from the brass within his own organization, however. GM Mike Elias suggested back in June that Basallo’s defense needed some work before he could be called up to the majors, but it appears the youngster has either assuaged those concerns about his glove or simply done so much with the bat that the Orioles can’t justify holding him back for the sake of his glove any longer.
It will be worth watching how the Orioles use Basallo in the coming weeks. He’s only played catcher, first base, and DH in the minor leagues. That should leave him limited to those three positions at the big league level as well, but the O’s already have starters at all three positions at the moment. Adley Rutschman is back in the lineup behind the plate after missing some time earlier this year and figures to remain the primary option at the position for now even in the midst of a middling season. Youngster Coby Mayo is in the midst of his own long-awaited tryout at first base, and it makes little sense for the Orioles to limit the 23-year-old’s playing time as they look to decide if he can serve as their first baseman of the future headed into 2026. That’s left Ryan Mountcastle to shift off first base and take the lion’s share of playing time at DH in recent days. The 28-year-old has struggled to a .250/.285/.373 (81 wRC+) this year, but spent most of the season on the injured list due to a hamstring strain and has slashed an excellent .276/.333/.517 with two homers, two steals, and a double in eight games since being activated.
Perhaps everyone in that quartet will be able to start four or five games a week with pinch-hitting opportunities on days they aren’t starting. It’s also possible that Mayo could get some occasional looks at third base (currently held down by Jordan Westburg) to help create more vacancies at first base. Mountcastle even has some experience in the outfield, although he hasn’t played on the grass since 2021 so it’s unclear if he’s still capable of handling the position. If making an occasional appearance in left wouldn’t be an injury risk for Mountcastle, it would be fair to say that his bat could make up for whatever defensive miscues he might be vulnerable to after a long layoff at the position.
Now that Cowser is back from the injured list, Jacob Calvin Meyer of the Baltimore Sun notes that (according to interim manager Tony Mansolino) the 25-year-old will slide into center field upon his return. Cowser’s been entrenched as the club’s regular left fielder since his excellent rookie campaign last year, and while injuries and ineffectiveness have limited him to an 89 wRC+ in 56 games he’ll still be a substantial offensive upgrade over the players tasked with holding down the position since Cedric Mullins was traded to the Mets last month like Johnson and Greg Allen.
That leaves two outfield spots for the taking. One figures to be left to Dylan Beavers, another one of the club’s top prospects who made his big league debut just yesterday and went 1-for-5 with a double and two strikeouts. Like Basallo, he clearly has nothing left to prove in the minors after hitting .304/.420/.515 (152 wRC+) at the level with a 16.3% walk rate, 23 steals, and 18 home runs in 94 games this year. Beavers should get regular playing time in one corner going forward, but the short-term solutions at the other corner don’t inspire confidence.
Jeremiah Jackson and Dylan Carlson are the options available on the roster at present now that Noda and Johnson are ticketed for Triple-A, but both come with questions. Carlson has a meager 56 wRC+ this year and hasn’t been an above-average player since 2021. Jackson, meanwhile, is a 25-year-old who only just reached the Triple-A level earlier this year and was promoted primarily due to a scorching hot stretch of 40 games at the level where he bashed 11 homers and hit .377. That sort of performance is surely unsustainable at the big league level, and while his 107 wRC+ at the big league level so far is decent, a .435 BABIP and a 31.4% strikeout rate don’t appear likely to be sustainable.
That could leave room for Mountcastle to pick up occasional reps in left field, health permitting. Even if he can patrol left without risk of re-injuring his balky hamstring, however, it’s worth noting that would surely be a temporary solution to the logjam Basallo’s promotion creates given that the Orioles have two options for regular at-bats in left field on the injured list at present. Tyler O’Neill has been sidelined by wrist inflammation in recent weeks but should be a fixture of the club’s lineup once he returns. The 30-year-old has the opportunity to opt out of the final two years of his contract with Baltimore but seems unlikely to exercise that option after appearing in just 43 games and posting a pedestrian 98 wRC+ when on the field.
Heston Kjerstad is another option to get reps in the outfield at some point, but seems less certainty to be called upon than O’Neill. Kjerstad was placed on the minor league injured list due to what was described at the time as fatigue in late July and hasn’t appeared in a game since, but the former top prospect has struggled badly this year with a .192/.240/.327 (56 wRC+) slash line. Even in spite of those brutal numbers, however, the club’s commitment to playing youngsters like Basallo, Beavers, and Mayo down the stretch could suggest that they’ll try to get Kjerstad another look in the majors during these final weeks of a lost 2025 season.
Poll: Who Had The Best Deadline In The AL Central?
The trade deadline has come and gone. While trade season was slow to get started this year, when all was said and done, there were several dozen trades made in a flurry of movement over the final few days before the deadline arrived. The full impact of these trades won’t be known for years to come, but that doesn’t mean we can’t analyze the deals and decide whose haul looks the best right now. Over the next week-plus, MLBTR will be running a series of polls asking which club in each division had the best deadline. So far, the Phillies, Reds, Padres, and Mariners have each come out on top in their respective divisions. Today, we’ll be continuing on with the American League with the AL Central. A look at each of the five clubs, listed from best to worst record in 2025:
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have the biggest lead in their division in all of baseball, and that might have led them to a much more cautious deadline than previously expected. Aside from a handful of minor trades of players (Matt Manning, Dietrich Enns, Brewer Hicklen) who had been squeezed off of the 40-man roster, the Tigers acquired seven pitchers across six trades. It was clearly a quantity over quality approach, however, as the rotation was deepened by adding Charlie Morton (5.42 ERA at the time of the trade) and Chris Paddack (4.95 ERA at the time of the trade) to the back of the staff.
That pair of starters was joined by five relievers: Randy Dobnak, Codi Heuer, Rafael Montero, Paul Sewald, and Kyle Finnegan. Dobnak and Heuer have both made just one MLB appearance this year. Montero carried a 5.40 ERA when he arrived in Detroit, and Sewald won’t pitch again until September due to injury. That leaves Finnegan and his 95 ERA+ in a Nationals uniform this year as the most impactful addition of the Tigers’ deadline this year, at least on paper. While Detroit added plenty of pitching depth to the roster without surrendering any of the prospects within their Top 15 according to Baseball America, it’s hard not to see a quiet deadline in what could be Tarik Skubal‘s penultimate season with the club as a potential missed opportunity.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians’ performance this trade season must be viewed in the context of the potentially franchise-altering reality that struck just days before the deadline: superstar closer Emmanuel Clase, a potential trade candidate and foundational piece of the Guardians’ roster, was placed on administrative leave as part of a sports betting investigation. That news not only severely damaged whatever hopes the Guardians may have had of making it to the playoffs this year, but also took one of their most valuable trade chips off the market.
That led the Guards to make just two trades this summer: one that shipped Sewald to the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash, and a second one that sent Shane Bieber to Toronto for right-hander Khal Stephen. Both trades were sensible moves. Stephen is a particularly well-regarded prospect to receive for a pitcher who hasn’t thrown at the big league level this year, and the Sewald trade cleared the remainder of a currently injured rental reliever’s $7MM salary. Bigger than the moves they did make, arguably, is the ones they did not: outfielder Steven Kwan and star reliever Cade Smith, among other rumored trade candidates, remain in Cleveland as controllable building blocks for the future.
Kansas City Royals
Despite sitting around .500 for the majority of the year, the Royals were actually the most aggressive buyer in their division. They made their intention to eschew selling clear when they extended Seth Lugo on a deal that could keep him in town through the end of the 2028 season. Aside from locking up Lugo, the Royals deepened their lineup and pitching staff.
A trio of controllable, starting-caliber arms were brought in to join Lugo and Michael Wacha in the short-term while providing depth behind Cole Ragans and Kris Bubic for the future. Bailey Falter was acquired from the Pirates, while the Royals surrendered backup catcher Freddy Fermin to the Padres in a deal that netted both Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert. Aside from those rotation additions, the club made a trio of rental acquisitions to try and boost the offense. Adam Frazier is unlikely to be a needle-mover, but both Mike Yastrzemski and Randal Grichuk have been impactful complementary pieces for playoff clubs in the past.
Even if the Royals end up missing the postseason, they won’t have lost much by pushing in this year; their best trade chip (Bubic) suffered a season-ending injury shortly before the deadline, and No. 15 prospect (per Baseball America) Yunior Marte was the top young talent they surrendered (in return for Yastrzemski).
Minnesota Twins
The Twins completely changed the trajectory of the trade deadline when they kicked off a massive fire sale. The club made ten trades in total while moving 11 players out of the organization. Paddack and Dobnak were shipped to Detroit in a deal for catching/first base prospect Enrique Jimenez that also cleared the remainder of Dobnak’s low-cost but ill-fated $9.25MM extension off the books. Rentals Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, and Danny Coulombe were shipped out in deals that should help to fill out the middle ranks of the Minnesota farm system. Fellow rental Ty France was packaged with dominant young reliever Louis Varland to bring back a big league-ready outfielder, Alan Roden, and Triple-A southpaw Kendry Rojas (The new No. 7 prospect in the Twins’ revamped system, according to MLB Pipeline).
Varland wasn’t the only star reliever to move. The Twins traded both Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax to the Phillies and Rays, respectively. Duran netted a pair of top-100 prospects from the Phils, who surrendered catcher Eduardo Tait and right-hander Mick Abel to get the deal done. Jax was traded away in a one-for-one swap that brought back young starter Taj Bradley. A slightly less impactful bullpen arm with control remaining was also moved when Brock Stewart was shipped to the Dodgers in a deal for post-hype outfielder James Outman. Of course, the most shocking trade of the deadline was the Twins’ decision to deal Carlos Correa back to the Astros in what amounted to a salary dump. 26-year-old High-A southpaw Matt Mikulski was the only player who Correa brought back to Minnesota, even as the Twins ate $33MM of the $103.5MM Correa is owed going forward.
On the one hand, the Twins undeniably did well with the return for several of the players they moved. Abel, Bradley, and Rojas form a wave of young, upper-level starting pitching talent that could impact the team as soon as 2026. They should form an organizational strength in conjunction with young arms like Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, and David Festa going forward. On the other hand, dumping two-thirds of Correa’s salary for no prospect return and decimating a bullpen that has been a major strength are tough pills to swallow for fans.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox had a surprisingly quiet deadline for one of the league’s most obvious sellers. They acquired Will Robertson and Blake Sabol while dealing away Tristan Gray in three separate cash deals with the AL East, though none of those moves is much of a needle-mover. Outside of those minor transactions, they added a rental veteran starter in Aaron Civale and change-of-scenery first baseman Andrew Vaughn to the Brewers in order to get the deal done. Vaughn has blossomed (albeit in a small sample) with Milwaukee, which would surely be easier for fans in Chicago to swallow had the White Sox managed to flip Civale for a prospect return. Civale is pitching well of late but remains on the South Side.
The White Sox made just two sell-side trades ahead of the deadline. Outfielder Austin Slater was shipped to the Yankees in a deal that brought back right-hander Gage Ziehl (the club’s new No. 14 prospect, per Pipeline), and the biggest deal of the club’s deadline sent righty Adrian Houser to Tampa. In return for Houser, the White Sox brought in infielder Curtis Mead, Triple-A reliever Ben Peoples, and Triple-A starter Duncan Davitt. Davitt seems likely to be a back-end starter or swingman in the mold of Houser. Peoples seems unlikely to be more than a middle reliever. Still, it’s a solid return for a rental arm signed in-season, particularly when considering that Mead was a consensus top-50 prospect in the sport just a few short years ago. Chicago didn’t make many trades for a selling club, but the ones they made look like strong ones.
Most surprising was the South Siders’ decision to hang onto Luis Robert Jr. The talented center fielder finally began to come alive at the plate in early June, and many thought the Sox would capitalize on his first productive stretch since 2023 to bring in some young talent, even if it meant paying down Robert’s contract. Instead, they held onto Robert and will now consider picking up the first of two $20MM club options for the 2026 season. If Robert keeps raking down the stretch, it may prove to bring a better return in the long run (assuming he eventually is traded), but there’s plenty of risk in this approach.
No division in baseball did less buying than the AL Central this year. While the Royals made some savvy additions and the Tigers at least bolstered their depth, no impact additions were made as the Guardians, Twins, and White Sox all focused on selling at varying levels. Who did the best of this quintet during trade season? Have your say in the poll below:
Which AL Central team had the best deadline?
-
Minnesota Twins 33% (919)
-
Kansas City Royals 31% (861)
-
Detroit Tigers 18% (513)
-
Cleveland Guardians 9% (258)
-
Chicago White Sox 8% (229)
Total votes: 2,780
The Opener: Trout, Naylor, Scherzer, Kershaw
Here are three things to keep an eye on around the baseball world headed into the weekend:
1. Trout approaching milestone:
Angels franchise face Mike Trout is in the midst of his healthiest season in years, even as he’s been relegated to DH-only duties by knee issues. He’s made it into 87 games this year and clobbered his 20th home run of the season in his last game on Wednesday night. Trout’s .240/.364/.471 (126 wRC+) slash line this year isn’t quite on the level of his previous MVP-caliber performances, but that hasn’t stopped him from progressing towards major career milestones.
Trout currently sits at 398 home runs for his career, leaving him just two long balls away from joining the 400 homer club. He’d be the 59th member of the club in MLB history and join Giancarlo Stanton as the second active player to reach the 400-homer plateau. He’ll have his work cut out for him in tonight’s game against the Tigers given that reigning AL Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal (2.18 ERA) is poised to take the mound for Detroit. Trout and the Angels will face Charlie Morton and Casey Mize on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. He’s had three multi-homer games this season, most recently against the Rangers on July 9, so fans can be on milestone watch for any of the three-time MVPs upcoming games.
2. Naylor day-to-day:
Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor has been everything fans in Seattle hoped he would be in 13 games with the club so far. He’s slashed .261/.320/.478 with three home runs, a double, and a shocking ten-for-ten record on the basepaths since arriving in the Pacific Northwest. Unfortunately, his impressive start may be slowed somewhat going forward. As noted by MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer, Naylor exited yesterday’s game in the top of the fourth inning due to shoulder soreness. Manager Dan Wilson told reporters (including Kramer) yesterday that he believes the injury to be “just a day-to-day kind of thing,” so perhaps the 28-year-old won’t require a trip to the injured list. Losing Naylor would be a particularly significant blow to the Mariners given the fact that the depth options behind him have dwindled substantially recently. Luke Raley is already on the IL himself, while Tyler Locklear was traded to the Diamondbacks as part of the Eugenio Suarez deal.
3. Future Hall of Famers face off in L.A.:
Today’s contest between the Blue Jays and the Dodgers figures to be a very special one, as a pair of future Hall of Famers will be battling it out on the mound. Max Scherzer is taking the ball for Toronto in his eighth start of the 2025 season, while Clayton Kershaw is poised to suit up for the Dodgers in his 13th start of the year. Neither veteran is exactly in top form in 2025. Both have missed significant time due to injuries, and neither’s rate numbers are where they used to be. Scherzer’s 4.39 ERA is the second-highest of his storied career, while Kershaw’s 3.29 is (impressively) the third-highest figure of his own 18 years in the majors. Even though both hurlers are in the twilight of their careers, a duel between a pair of three-time Cy Young winners who’ve combined for 19 All-Star appearances and four World Series rings is sure to be one worth watching.
Poll: Who Had The Best Deadline In The AL West?
The trade deadline has come and gone. While trade season was slow to get started this year, when all was said and done, there were several dozen trades made in a flurry of movement over the final few days before the deadline arrived. The full impact of these trades won’t be known for years to come, but that doesn’t mean we can’t analyze the deals and decide whose haul looks the best right now. Over the next week-plus, MLBTR will be running a series of polls asking which club in each division had the best deadline. So far, the Phillies, Reds, and Padres have each come out on top in their respective divisions. Today, we’ll be moving on to the American League with the AL West. A look at each of the five clubs, listed from best to worst record in 2025:
Houston Astros
The Astros made one of the most shocking moves of the deadline when they brought Carlos Correa home in a trade with the Twins. Adding Correa back to the mix creates something of a positional logjam on the infield for the club in the long-term, but with third baseman Isaac Paredes unlikely to return this season due to a severe hamstring injury, Correa shores up the infield in a big way and cost the club virtually nothing other than money. Two more players were acquired to help round out the club’s position player mix: infielder Ramon Urias and outfielder Jesus Sanchez.
All three are controlled beyond the 2025 season, and while Sanchez cost the Astros rookie right-hander Ryan Gusto, no upper-level prospects changed hands in the club’s trio of deals. That ability to add long-term talent without surrendering the best prospects in the system was impressive, though the roughly $70MM they’ll be paying Correa over the life of his contract is a significant outlay and they failed to add the starting pitcher they were hoping could fill out the middle of the rotation behind Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown.
Seattle Mariners
The Mariners’ moves at the deadline were arguably even splashier than those in Houston. While the club acquired three rental players without any team control beyond the current campaign, it’s hard to argue against the fact that they’ve significantly upped their chances of winning both the AL West and even the World Series this year. Adding Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor to the infield corners in separate deals with the Diamondbacks represents a sizable upgrade over Luke Raley and Ben Williamson.
Meanwhile, the return (Tyler Locklear and a quartet of pitching prospects outside of Top 100 consideration) was lighter than what was required to bring in high-end controllable talents at this deadline. The Caleb Ferguson trade with the Pirates follows a similar path. The swap gives a club in need of left-handed help in the bullpen a steady, capable setup man who throws from the left side and can partner with Gabe Speier. That deal cost only Class-A pitching prospect Jeter Martinez, who has a 6.18 ERA in 16 starts this year. The Mariners opted to maximize short-term impact while doing so on a budget, and if they can overtake Houston in the West down the stretch, it would be hard to argue with them as the winners of the deadline.
Texas Rangers
With one-and-a-half games currently sitting between the Rangers and a postseason berth, it’s understandable that they acted quite aggressively this trade season. The focus of their haul was a trio of veterans: starter Merrill Kelly, setup lefty Danny Coulombe, and relief arm Phil Maton. Kelly stands out as arguably the best starting pitcher traded this summer, and the high cost (by the standards of a rental player) reflects that. The Rangers had to surrender their #5, #9, and #13 prospects according to MLB.com to get the deal done. Coulombe and Maton weren’t quite that expensive, but cost Texas a trio of prospects led by southpaw Garrett Horn, who was recently added to the club’s top 30 prospects list over at Baseball America at #25.
Shelling out significant prospect talent in order to make a serious run at a Wild Card berth is understandable, but what’s worth noting is that the Rangers also blew past the luxury tax in order to make those additions. Texas had worked meticulously throughout the season in order to stay below the first threshold and reset their penalties, but all of that work has now been thrown out in an effort to maximize their odds at making the postseason in 2025. The potential impact is clearly significant, but was that worth it for a team not even in playoff position on deadline day?
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels had a quiet deadline that was somewhat incongruent with their status as fringe (at best) contenders. The Halos are currently six games out of an AL Wild Card spot with a middling 55-60 record, but that didn’t stop them from doing some light buying this summer. Adding former top prospect Oswald Peraza in a minor swap with the Yankees made some sense, given the club’s long-term needs on the infield, Peraza’s many years of remaining team control and a low cost of acquisition.
Acquiring a pair of rental veterans for their bullpen in the form of Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia was a bit more questionable, but the cost do so was low. Former 13th-round pick Sam Brown and 26-year-old lefty Jake Eder (whom the Angels had picked up off waivers earlier in the year) went back to the Nats in that swap.
The Angels didn’t really damage the farm, but they missed an opportunity to listen on players like Yoan Moncada, Taylor Ward, Luis Rengifo, and maybe even Reid Detmers. Selling even some short-term pieces could have helped restock a farm system that’s been viewed as below-average for quite some time. The urge to push in during a rare, mostly-healthy season for Mike Trout is an understandable one, but it’s hard to say with confidence that doing so was the right move.
The Athletics
Unlike the rest of the division, the Athletics were sellers this summer. They made just two trades. Shipping Miguel Andujar to the Reds wasn’t a major move but netted a 2022 fourth-rounder (right-hander Kenya Huggins) who now sits 25th among their prospects at MLB.com.
The vast majority of their deadline focused on the single biggest blockbuster that happened this July: the deal that sent closer Mason Miller and lefty starter JP Sears to the Padres. Acquiring a consensus top-five prospect in the sport by bringing in Leo De Vries is arguably enough to win the deadline by itself, but he was also joined by well-regarded prospects Braden Nett and Henry Baez, Double-A starters who could be part of the rotation mix in West Sacramento sometime next year.
Rounding out the package is rookie reliever Eduarniel Nunez, who struggled in his first appearances with the A’s but could bolster their bullpen in the future. It was a very strong return, with De Vries in particular standing out as the sort of elite prospect that almost never gets dealt at all, much less in a deadline trade for a reliever. On the other hand, giving up Miller with four-plus years of team control remaining (not to mention the possibility he could be converted into a rotation role in the future to further raise his value) could make this deal a tough pill to swallow, particularly if the 18-year-old De Vries does not blossom into an All-Star caliber player.
A number of different approaches characterized this deadline for the AL West. The Rangers and Mariners were very aggressive on bringing in short-term additions, while the Astros focused on bringing in controllable talent, the A’s brought in a haul for the future and the Angels largely stood pat. Who had the best deadline of that quintet? Have your say in the poll below:
Which AL West team had the best deadline?
-
Seattle Mariners 62% (3,627)
-
The Athletics 15% (853)
-
Houston Astros 14% (807)
-
Texas Rangers 7% (416)
-
Los Angeles Angels 3% (149)
Total votes: 5,852
The Opener: Marlins, Reds, Encarnacion
Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Pérez on a hot streak:
The Marlins suffered their first series loss in a month when they dropped two of three against the Astros this week, though they avoided a sweep with yesterday’s victory. They’ll send their best starting pitcher to the mound today in hopes of starting a new streak of series wins. Most think of Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera when thinking of the Miami rotation, but it’s 22-year-old right-hander Eury Pérez who increasingly looks like the staff leader for the Fish. The towering 6’8″ righty was regarded as the top pitching prospect in baseball prior to his 2023 debut, and he’s picked up right where he left off after missing 2024 due to Tommy John surgery. Pérez has roared back with a 2.70 earned run average, 26% strikeout rate and 9.2% walk rate in 50 innings.
That’s impressive in and of itself, but it includes a handful of short and uninspiring performances as he eased back into the league. Over his past six turns, Pérez has been borderline untouchable. He’s pitched 34 innings and held opponents to four runs (1.06 ERA) on just 15 hits and eight walks with 37 strikeouts. Pérez squares off against an underperforming Braves lineup that has lost Austin Riley and Ronald Acuña Jr. to the injured list within the past ten days. A win today would get Miami back to .500, but the Marlins are still six back in the Wild Card chase.
2. Reds push for Wild Card:
The Reds took a step forward in the NL Wild Card this week when they took two of three from the Cubs at Wrigley Field. Chicago is the top Wild Card team, but that series win coincided with a four-game slide in Queens that leaves Cincinnati just three games behind the Mets entering play today. New York is off today, meaning that the Reds have an uncontested opportunity to make up ground as they push towards a potential spot in the postseason. In order to capitalize on that opportunity, however, they’ll need to take down the Pirates during a game started by superstar Paul Skenes. The righty has a 2.02 ERA and 2.41 FIP in 138 innings of work this year.
Despite his status as a frontrunner for the NL Cy Young award, Skenes enters today looking to bounce back from a rough start at Coors Field where he surrendered four runs in five innings of work against the Rockies. The Reds will counter with Brady Singer, who has a 4.36 ERA in 22 starts but is coming off back-to-back gems against Tampa Bay and Atlanta where he struck out 18 batters in 13 1/3 innings of one-run ball.
3. Encarnacion to undergo MRI:
It sounds as though Jerar Encarnacion‘s stretch of poor injury luck is continuing. Giants manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that the slugging outfielder will miss some time after suffering a hamstring injury in yesterday’s game. He’s scheduled to undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of the issue. Encarnacion has made it into just ten games this year due to a broken hand, an oblique strain and now this hamstring issue. The 27-year-old made an improbable return to the majors in 2024 after demolishing Mexican League pitching, signing with the Giants and going on a similar tear through Triple-A. He’s belted seven homers in 149 plate appearances since reaching the bigs late last year, though a lack of walks (3.4%) and plenty of strikeouts (27.5%) has left him with an overall .231/.255/.420 slash.
Poll: Who Had The Best Deadline In The NL West?
The trade deadline has come and gone. While trade season was slow to get started this year, when all was said and done, there were several dozen trades made in a flurry of movement over the final few days before the deadline arrived. The full impact of these trades won’t be known for years to come, but that doesn’t mean we can’t analyze the deals and decide whose haul looks the best right now. Over the next week-plus, MLBTR will be running a series of polls asking which club in each division had the best deadline. So far, the Phillies and Reds have each come out on top in their respective divisions. Today, we’ll be rounding out the National League with a review of the NL West. A look at each of the five clubs, listed from best to worst record in 2025:
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers are, predictably, one of the best teams in the National League this year. They aren’t quite as overwhelming as some expected them to be, however, and that left them with some work to do ahead of the stretch run. Despite the holes in the club’s roster, however, L.A.’s deadline was a surprisingly quiet one where they did as much selling as they did buying. Dustin May was shipped to Boston for a pair of prospects headlined by 2024 first-rounder James Tibbs, and they downgraded from Hunter Feduccia to Ben Rortvedt for the club’s third catcher in order to bring in rookie reliever Paul Gervase and A-ball prospect Adam Serwinowski.
In terms of buy-side moves, they swapped depth outfielder James Outman to the Twins in order to bring Brock Stewart back home to the Dodgers’ pen. They followed that up by replacing Outman on the depth chart with a right-handed complement to Michael Conforto in the form of Alex Call. L.A.’s moves were strong ones on paper. They gave up very little meaningful talent in order to make a couple of legitimate improvements to their bullpen and bench mix, and it’s easy to see them emerging as the clear winners of the two sell-side trades they did make. Still, this summer could wind up feeling like a missed opportunity for the Dodgers given the lack of impact talent acquired—especially if they wind up getting chased down in the NL West by their rival 100 miles to the south.
San Diego Padres
No front office executive in the league operates quite like Padres GM A.J. Preller, and that frenetic aggressiveness was on full display on the day of this year’s trade deadline. San Diego completed five trades in the final seven hours before the deadline. The first one was the biggest, as they swapped a massive package headlined by consensus top-5 prospect Leo De Vries to the Athletics in exchange for superstar closer Mason Miller and lefty starter JP Sears.
They didn’t stop there, however. Outfielder Brandon Lockridge was surrendered to land Nestor Cortes from the Brewers (alongside prospect Jorge Quintana), and Preller immediately replaced Lockridge in the outfield by picking up both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O’Hearn from the Orioles. The acquisitions of Sears and Cortes created enough starting pitching depth that the Friars could move Stephen Kolek and Ryan Bergert to add Freddy Fermin behind the plate, and for good measure San Diego rounded out its deadline by upgrading the infield with a controllable young talent in Will Wagner.
It was a massive flurry of moves that should substantially improve the Padres in the near-term, but the cost was heavy. Prospects of De Vries’ caliber rarely get moved for a reason. Even aside from the risk that they’ve traded the league’s next superstar, they also surrendered some important depth in Kolek and Bergert, not to mention a huge chunk of their 2024 draft class. Preller’s win-now aggression allowed his club to improve its odds of winning the World Series this year more than any other team. But was the cost too great?
San Francisco Giants
Despite a strong start to the season and the aggressive decision to swing a deal with the Red Sox for Rafael Devers back in June, the Giants have mostly fallen out of the postseason race and now have a 58-57 record. That led the club to pivot towards selling at the deadline, and they brought back an impressive haul of talent in doing so. A trade of pending free agent Tyler Rogers to the Mets brought back a trio of well-regarded talents nearing or already in the big leagues: Triple-A outfielder Drew Gilbert, rookie starter Blade Tidwell, and young MLB reliever Jose Butto. They also landed A-ball starter Yunior Marte for rental outfielder Mike Yastrzemski despite his down 2025 campaign.
Impressive as those deals were, the package they received for Camilo Doval was somewhat light. That deal was led by catching/infield prospect Jesus Rodriguez and Double-A starter Trystan Vrieling. The return for Rogers and Yastrzemski was phenomenal, as the Giants acquired their #12, #13, and #25 prospects (per MLB Pipeline) along with Butto for aging veterans on expiring contracts. Parting with Doval for two-plus seasons in exchange for a package headlined by the club’s #16 prospect, according to Pipeline, puts a bit of a damper on the club’s deadline, but it was still a strong infusion of talent to the upper levels of San Francisco’s minor league system and should result in better days for the Giants in the future.
Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks teetered on the edge of buying and selling for most of July but kicked off trade season by dealing Josh Naylor to the Mariners and never looked back. The club executed four trades that brought back players in return and a fifth that saw them deal Shelby Miller to the Brewers in exchange for Milwaukee taking on a portion of Jordan Montgomery‘s contract. Big league ready talent and pitching prospects were the focus for Arizona this summer, and they mostly accomplished that goal of bolstering those parts of the organization. Eugenio Suarez brought back a potential first baseman of the future in Tyler Locklear as well as rookie reliever Juan Burgos. Randal Grichuk and Naylor also both brought back rookie relief arms in Andrew Hoffmann and Brandyn Garcia, giving the club a number of big league ready relief arms who can help fill out the bullpen next year.
Between the trades of Suarez, Naylor, and Merrill Kelly, the Diamondbacks also picked up five pitching prospects who have yet to make their big league debut. Kohl Drake (#7 in Arizona’s system at MLB Pipeline) leads that group, which also includes Mitch Bratt (#10), David Hagaman (#14), Ashton Izzi (#15), and Hunter Cranton (#23). Locklear (#6) and Garcia (#20) also rank within the top 30, meaning that nearly a quarter of the club’s top 30 prospects were acquired at this deadline. As solid as those moves were, some view the return for Suarez as too light, and there’s reason to question why the team held onto Zac Gallen rather than bringing back additional prospects and salary relief by letting him go. Even without Gallen moving, however, the Diamondbacks breathed new life into their farm system and saved a considerable amount of money that can be repurposed for the 2026 campaign come the offseason.
Colorado Rockies
Perhaps the most notable thing about Colorado’s deadline this year is that they did anything at all, given their years of relative inaction and refusal to part with veteran talents. The club made just three trades this summer, but the deals they did make were notable ones. Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird were traded to the Yankees for lefty Griffin Herring (#5 in the Rockies’ system at MLB Pipeline), second baseman Roc Riggio (#11), righty Josh Grosz (#19), and lefty Ben Shields (#27).
Their third deal was a smaller one, as the club dealt struggling reliever Tyler Kinley to the Braves in exchange for Double-A reliever Austin Smith. It wasn’t the flashiest deadline for Colorado, but the return in exchange for McMahon was strong and the activity should help prop up one of the weakest farm systems in the majors as the Rockies toil through the worst season in franchise history.
With the exception of the Dodgers, the NL West was busier than usual this summer. San Diego did enough buying for the entire division, while the Giants, Diamondbacks, and Rockies each made some savvy sell-side moves. L.A. stands out from the crowd for their quiet approach to the deadline as they did some light buying to address areas of need and also managed to sneak in some light selling to take advantage of areas of depth. Which team did the best of this quintet? Have your say in the poll below:
Which NL West team had the best deadline?
-
San Diego Padres 67% (2,509)
-
San Francisco Giants 10% (387)
-
Arizona Diamondbacks 9% (321)
-
Colorado Rockies 8% (315)
-
Los Angeles Dodgers 6% (237)
Total votes: 3,769