Buxton: Still No Plans To Waive No-Trade Clause
With rumors of the Twins potentially operating as deadline sellers swirling amid this year’s All-Star break, star center fielder Byron Buxton publicly indicated that he had no desire to waive his full no-trade clause and looked forward to being a Twin for the rest of his career. Minnesota indeed went the route of the seller and did so with far more vigor than anyone might’ve foreseen. The Twins shipped out ten players, including shortstop Carlos Correa (signed through at least 2028) and a quartet of controllable relievers: Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland and Brock Stewart. Even after their aggressive roster purge, Buxton has doubled down on his full intention to remain in Minnesota.
“Just because we go through these tough roads … it is what it is,” Buxton told reporters two days after the trade deadline (video link via Twins.TV). “We’ll be better once we get on the other end of it and figure things out a little bit more. End of the season, we’ll talk a little bit more, but I ain’t going nowhere.”
Some may latch onto Buxton’s comment about talking “a little bit more” at season’s end, but Buxton was even more emphatic when chatting with Dan Hayes of The Athletic:
“It’s always good to be wanted. Don’t get me wrong. But the only place I want is Minnesota. All of my choices are easy. I ain’t got but one place on my mind. That’s how it’ll be.”
Hayes reports that six or more teams reached out to Buxton’s agent to gauge the outfielder’s willingness to waive his no-trade protection as Minnesota embarked on a far broader-reaching teardown than anyone anticipated heading into the deadline. Both the Braves and the Mets had particularly strong interest, per Hayes. Dennis Lin of The Athletic tweets that the Padres were also among the teams to inquire, as one would expect, given president of baseball operations A.J. Preller’s tendency to check in on virtually every high-profile name that hits the market. Obviously, Buxton was uninterested in pursuing a change of scenery.
Buxton, 31, is in the fourth season of a seven-year, $100MM contract extension that covers the 2022-28 seasons. He’s being paid $15MM annually, though the contract contains up to $8MM of yearly incentives based on MVP voting and a potential $2.5MM of annual bonuses based on plate appearances. Of course, if the talented but oft-injured Buxton were ever to stay healthy for a full season and max out those incentives with an MVP win, he’d still be a bargain even at the inflated $25.5MM in that given season.
The 2025 season is among the best of Buxton’s career to date. He’s hitting .282/.343/.561 with 23 home runs, 14 doubles, four triples, 17 steals (in 17 tries), an 8% walk rate and a 26.6% strikeout rate in 364 plate appearances. By measure of wRC+, he’s been 45% better than league-average from an offensive standpoint, and Statcast’s Outs Above Average (+4) views him as a continually strong defender (though Defensive Runs Saved has a -1 mark on him — the first negative of his career). Statcast measures Buxton’s average sprint speed (30.2 ft/sec) as second best in the game, trailing only Bobby Witt Jr.‘s 30.3 ft/sec.
Perhaps down the road, Buxton will eventually soften his stance on that no-trade provision, but even in the wake of seeing nearly 40% of the major league roster traded elsewhere, he sounds intent on staying in the Twin Cities.
It’s still not clear how far the Twins’ roster teardown will span when the offseason rolls around. The Pohlad family, which has owned the team for four decades, is exploring a sale of the franchise. That clearly played a major role in the team’s deadline flurry — particularly in the move to trade away Correa (a move that trimmed more than $70MM off the long-term payroll). If there’s a new owner in place or an agreement to sell the club, perhaps the new group will be willing to spend and make a renewed push for contention next year. If the Pohlads remain in place, it seems plausible that veterans like Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Ryan Jeffers and Bailey Ober could all find themselves on the market with an eye toward further scaling back the financial commitments a new owner would be inheriting.
Rob Manfred Downplays Salary Cap Dispute With Bryce Harper
An altercation between MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and Phillies star Bryce Harper made headlines in July, with the two-time MVP reportedly standing “nose to nose” with the commissioner and telling him he could “get the [expletive] out of our clubhouse” if he was going to talk about implementing a salary cap (per ESPN’s Jeff Passan). Manfred was holding his annual meeting with the Phillies’ players at Citizens Bank Park.
Reports from Passan and the New York Post’s Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman differ on when the confrontation occurred. Passan writes that Harper sat quietly for most of the meeting, which lasted over an hour, before tensions boiled over and he approached the commissioner. In contrast, Heyman and Sherman write that his comments came “about five minutes into” Manfred’s opening remarks. Regardless of certain discrepancies, what’s clear is that, while Manfred never directly mentioned a salary cap, Harper believed it was implied. He felt strongly enough to claim that players “are not scared to lose 162 games” in their fight against a cap (per Passan). He also questioned what Manfred has ever done “to benefit the players” (per Heyman and Sherman). Despite Harper’s comments, Manfred stayed to finish the meeting, doubling down on the importance of talking about, in Passan’s words, “threats to MLB’s business and ways to grow the game.”
Afterwards, Harper’s teammate Nick Castellanos described the ordeal to ESPN as intense and passionate, and he seemed to confirm it went both ways. “The commissioner [was] giving it back to Bryce and Bryce [was] giving it back to the commissioner,” he explained.
Afterwards, Manfred declined to comment to ESPN or the New York Post, while Harper later told reporters (including Bob Cooney of NBC Sports Philadelphia): “You guys saw what was in the article. But I won’t be getting into the details of what happened or how I felt or anything else like that…I’m just trying to worry about baseball…Everybody saw the words and everything that happened. I don’t want to say anything more than that.”
Harper continued: “I’ve talked labor and I’ve done it in a way that I don’t think I need to talk to the media about it…I’ve always been very vocal, just not in a way that people can see.”
Yesterday, however, Manfred spoke at Wrigley Field to announce that the Cubs would host the 2027 All-Star Game, and he finally addressed his dispute with Harper, claiming: “It was an individual picking a particular way to express himself, and I don’t think you need to make more out of that than that” (per Patrick Mooney of The Athletic).
Perhaps that’s true. Yet, there is no denying it would be in Manfred’s best interests to downplay his altercation with one of the most influential players in the league. It’s also in his best interests to believe this was an isolated incident of an “individual” expressing himself rather than a reflection of how many players feel across all 30 teams.
With the current collective bargaining agreement between MLB and the MLBPA set to expire on December 1, 2026, it’s no secret that several owners are interested in instituting a salary cap. Indeed, according to ESPN’s Jorge Castillo, the MLBPA believes Manfred is pushing for a cap in his clubhouse meetings this year – even if he isn’t using those exact words. Unsurprisingly, the players association is strongly against a cap, arguing it would primarily serve to artificially suppress player salaries rather than increase parity around the league or help to grow the game.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the All-Star Game last month, MLBPA executive director Tony Clark described a salary cap as “institutionalized collusion” (per Castillo). “A cap is not about growing the game,” he said. “A cap is about franchise values and profits. That’s what a cap is about.”
What’s more, while Manfred might not be willing to say “salary cap,” he has already mentioned the possibility of a lockout. Back in March, Clark said that he is expecting a work stoppage after the 2026 season, and many around the league are concerned about the possibility of contentious CBA negotiations eating into the 2027 campaign. It’s not hard to guess what the sticking point in those negotiations might be.
Castellanos told Hannah Keyser and Zach Crizer of The Bandwagon (who first reported on the “heated” meeting between Manfred and the Phillies) that the commissioner was “very eloquently speaking around” the idea of a salary cap. He later said to ESPN: “Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap because he’s floating the word ‘lockout’ two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiring].”
Manfred began holding annual meetings with each team’s players three years ago, following the lockout that lasted much of the 2021-22 offseason and delayed the start of the 2022 campaign. One reason for these meetings? He wants to communicate directly to the players rather than have his messages go through the MLBPA. During a recent investor event held by the Braves, he said: “The strategy is to get directly to the players. I don’t think the leadership of this union is anxious to lead the way to change. So we need to energize the workforce in order to get them familiar with or supportive of the idea that maybe change in the system could be good for everybody” (per The Athletic’s Evan Drellich).
One way to read those comments? Manfred knows the MLBPA is staunchly opposed to a salary cap. It certainly seems as if he’s hoping to pit the union’s membership against the union’s leadership, in an effort the push through changes that would, in Clark’s words: “add to the owners’ profits and franchise values, while prohibiting clubs from fully competing to put the best product on the field for the fans and limiting player compensation, guarantees and flexibility” (per Drellich).
If Harper’s reaction is any indication, Manfred might not be having as much success connecting with players as he hoped, even as he has, at times, been accompanied at his clubhouse meetings by respected former players in the Commissioner’s Ambassador Program (CAP). But at least for now, the commissioner insists it’s not that serious: “I think more has been made out of this than needs to be made out of it. Bryce expressed his views. At the end of the meeting, we shook hands and went our separate ways. Not all that significant” (per Andrew Seligman of the Associated Press).
Photo in article courtesy of Bill Streicher, Imagn Images.
Tanner Houck To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Red Sox starting pitcher Tanner Houck will undergo Tommy John surgery. Manager Alex Cora broke the bad news to reporters today, including Christopher Smith of MassLive. The right-hander has been on the injured list since mid-May with a flexor pronator strain, and he was recently transferred to the 60-day IL after the team pulled him off a rehab assignment. Even in a best-case scenario, he will not return to the Red Sox until late in the 2026 season, and possibly not until 2027.
Boston’s first pick (24th overall) in 2017, Houck pitched well for the Sox from 2020-22 (3.02 ERA, 3.50 SIERA in 146 IP). Yet, rotation battles and a bad back kept him from earning a full-time job in the starting five until 2023, and a terrifying liner to the face that summer kept him from pitching his first full season until 2024. It proved to be a year worth waiting for, however, as Houck made 30 starts with a 3.12 ERA and earned an All-Star selection that summer.
Houck came into the 2025 season as Boston’s number two starter, but he struggled badly over the first six weeks of the year. He pitched to an 8.04 ERA with a 15.8% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate through nine starts. Those numbers were heavily affected by two different outings in which he gave 11 earned runs and failed to escape the third inning. In fact, as MLBTR noted back in May, “If those two games were scratched from the register, his ERA would drop to 3.92, and his strikeout and walk rates would look much closer to what they were last season.” That said, to overlook two starts of such poor quality would be a mistake. Something was clearly wrong.
Houck began a rehab assignment in mid-June. While he wasn’t particularly sharp in his first three rehab outings, he looked much better in the latter two, tossing a total of 9 1/3 innings while giving up just one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out 10. In his outing against the Rochester Red Wings on July 9, he averaged close to 95 mph on his sinker, topping out at 96.8. Yet, he has not pitched since. He suffered a setback, either during that start or sometime shortly after, and the Red Sox officially returned him from his rehab assignment on July 19. MLB.com’s Ian Browne reported at the time that the issue was most likely “a recurrence of the right pronator strain” that landed him on the IL in the first place.
Earlier this week, Chris Cotillo of MassLive reported that Houck was seeking more opinions on his arm. A couple of days later, the Red Sox transferred him to the 60-day IL, making room for trade acquisition Dustin May on the 40-man roster. Houck had already missed more than 60 days, so the move itself said nothing about his timeline, but chief baseball officer Craig Breslow seemed to imply the righty could be done for the season (per Cotillo). That is indeed the case, and now the question is if he will be able to return at all in 2026. The generally accepted timeline for a pitcher to return from UCL reconstruction is 12-18 months.
Breslow’s quiet trade deadline now looks even more disappointing. May adds depth to a pitching staff that has been severely hampered by injuries this year, but he’s not a high-upside arm. His days as a top-100 prospect are a ways behind him, and he has a 4.85 ERA and 4.30 SIERA in 19 games (18 starts) this year. He is also already well past his previous career-high in innings pitched. In other words, he’s not an arm the Red Sox can feel confident about starting in the playoffs (although they very well might have to). Until today, Red Sox fans could at least dream about Houck returning late in the season, pitching like he did in 2024, and taking the ball for game two of a postseason series. Now, however, that job will likely go to either Brayan Bello or Lucas Giolito, should the Red Sox hold onto their Wild Card spot.
Yankees Release Marcus Stroman
The Yankees announced Friday that they’ve released veteran right-hander Marcus Stroman. New York also formally added deadline acquisitions Camilo Doval, David Bednar, Jake Bird and Jose Caballero to the active roster.
Stroman, 34, is midway through the second season of a two-year, $37MM contract. By releasing him, the Yankees are committing to eating the remaining $5.61MM in what’s now dead money. They’ll remain on the hook for that sum, minus the prorated league minimum for any time Stroman spends on the major league roster or injured list with another team.
A knee injury sidelined Stroman for nearly two months, from mid-April to mid-June. He pitched poorly prior to landing on the shelf (12 runs in 9 1/3 innings) but has been better since returning, tossing 29 2/3 frames with a 4.55 ERA. Stroman’s 14.8% strikeout in that time is perilously low, but he’s shown good command (7% walk rate) and kept 48% of his opponents’ batted balls on the ground.
Stroman’s contract contained a vesting provision for an $18MM player option for the 2026 season, but that option was contingent upon him pitching 140 innings during the 2025 season. He’s only at 39 innings on the year due to that lengthy injury absence, so even if the Yankees had held onto him, there was no way he’d have unlocked the option.
The Yankees recently gave prospect Cam Schlittler his major league debut and are seemingly more comfortable moving forward with the flamethrowing young righty in the rotation than the veteran Stroman. Manager Aaron Boone‘s staff will now include Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, Will Warren and Schlittler. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is on a minor league rehab assignment after missing the entire season to date with a lat strain. He’s made four minor league starts, so he’s presumably on the cusp of rejoining the staff in the near future.
Though he’s clearly not the quality mid-rotation arm he was from 2014-23, when he pitched more than 1300 innings of 3.65 ERA ball between the Blue Jays, Mets and Cubs, Stroman started 29 games and logged a 4.31 ERA for the Yankees as recently as 2024. There aren’t many options for clubs in need of pitching depth to add it post-deadline, so Stroman ought to latch on with a new organization before too long.
Cubs Release Ryan Pressly
August 1: As expected, Pressly has been released, per the MLB.com transaction log.
July 31: The Cubs have designated right-hander Ryan Pressly for assignment, according to The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney. The move opens up roster space for newly-acquired reliever Taylor Rogers.
Pressly has well over 11 years of MLB service time, so he can’t be optioned to the minors without his consent. In all likelihood, the DFA will end with the Cubs just releasing the veteran reliever, as he still has roughly $4.5MM in salary owed to him over the remainder of the season. The Astros are covering $5.5MM of Pressly’s $14MM total 2025 salary, but the bottom line is that any interested new team can sign Pressly to a contract after he is released, and then just owe him a prorated Major League minimum salary while the Cubs or Astros cover the rest of the $4.5MM.
When Chicago acquired Pressly from Houston in January, the thinking was that Pressly would be the favorite for save situations in the Cubs bullpen. Unfortunately, Pressly’s run as closer was run short by mid-May, with Daniel Palencia eventually emerging as the top choice in ninth-inning situations.
Pressly’s 15.4% strikeout rate was his lowest since 2014, as the K% continued its sharp decline from the righty’s 35.7% career best in 2022. His 9.3% walk rate was also Pressly’s worst since the 2015 season, and he was near the bottom of the league in hard-contact rate. The result was a 4.35 ERA over 41 1/3 innings, and while that ERA was inflated by some rough numbers after the All-Star break, the advanced metrics indicated that Pressly’s bottom-line numbers were due for regression.
As a 13-year veteran and two-time former All-Star, Pressly’s resume will get him plenty of looks once he presumably clears waivers and is released. A return to Houston wouldn’t be out of the question, with the idea that a return to his old stomping grounds could spark a bounce-back. Any number of other contenders might be willing to take a virtually no-cost flier on Pressly now that the deadline has passed and a few clubs are still in need of bullpen help.
Cubs To Host 2027 All-Star Game
The 2027 Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be hosted by the Cubs at Chicago’s Wrigley Field, commissioner Rob Manfred announced Friday morning. MLB’s 97th midsummer classic will take place on July 13 that year.
“This is an honor for our team, our city and our state,” Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts said in this morning’s press release. “We can’t wait to showcase how we have preserved this iconic ballpark. Wrigley Field means so much to Cubs fans and millions of people who have visited what we believe is a baseball cathedral and one of Illinois’ top tourist destinations. We play in a world-class city that is especially beautiful in the summer and we’re looking forward to hosting the best players in our great game and fans from around the world.”
It’ll be the Cubs’ fourth time hosting the All-Star Game — including their first since 1990. The Cubs also hosted All-Star Games in 1947 and 1962. Wrigley Field now becomes the only active MLB stadium to host the All-Star Game four times. Cleveland’s Municipal Stadium (closed in 1995) and old Yankee Stadium (closed in 2008) are the only other MLB venues to host four All-Star Games.
“I applaud the Ricketts family, the entire Cubs organization, the City of Chicago and the Chicago Sports Commission for presenting an impressive vision for 2027 All-Star Week,” Manfred said in his own prepared statement within this morning’s release. “The hard work put in to transform all of Wrigleyville into an outstanding destination deserves to be celebrated and shared on a national stage. We look forward to bringing the Midsummer Classic back to historic Wrigley Field and working alongside the Cubs, city and state officials, and the local organizing group to bring an extraordinary experience to the baseball fans of Chicago. Most importantly, Major League Baseball and its partners will leave behind a lasting impact on the communities across Chicago through the meaningful initiatives of the All-Star Legacy program.”
Of course, the 2027 All-Star Game is shrouded by the looming specter of a potential work stoppage. The active collective bargaining agreement spans the 2022-26 seasons and concludes on Dec. 1 of next year. With several owners and Manfred himself publicly referencing their desire for a salary cap — and the union’s swift retort that a cap would amount to “institutionalized collusion” — another league-implemented lockout has been widely speculated upon.
Major League Baseball locked out the players in the 2021-22 offseason — a decision which resulted in a 99-day transaction freeze and for months jeopardized the 2022 season. The two parties agreed to an eleventh-hour deal and an abbreviated spring training that allowed a full 162 games to be played. A similar stalemate could play out in the 2026-27 offseason, though if the league is earnest in its desire to steadfastly hold out for a salary cap, that’s expected to be a nonstarter for the union and would more seriously threaten the loss of games in the 2027 season.
Asked today about a contingency plan for Wrigley Field’s All-Star hopes in the event of a 2027 labor stoppage, Manfred replied only: “My contingency plan is to make an agreement with the players and play the 2027 season” (link via ESPN’s Jesse Rogers).
MLB Trade Tracker: July
The 2025 MLB trade deadline has passed, and it was a good one with plenty of surprises. This post lists all July trades for each of the 30 teams, plus a bonus trio of June acquisitions. Check out the “acquired” links below to read our write-ups on the trades. Let me know in the comments if any of the Baseball-Reference player page links are wrong; that’s an automated process and I’ll fix them manually.
Arizona Diamondbacks
- Acquired Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and David Hagaman for Merrill Kelly
- Acquired a player to be named later or cash for Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery
- Acquired Tyler Locklear, Juan Burgos and Hunter Cranton from Mariners for Eugenio Suarez
- Acquired Andrew Hoffmann from the Royals for Randal Grichuk
- Acquired Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi from Mariners for Josh Naylor
Athletics
- Acquired Kenya Huggins from Reds for Miguel Andujar
- Acquired Leo De Vries, Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez for Mason Miller and JP Sears
Atlanta Braves
- Acquired Jim Jarvis from Tigers for Rafael Montero
- Acquired Tyler Kinley from Rockies for Austin Smith
- Acquired Carlos Carrasco from Yankees for a player to be named later or cash
- Acquired Erick Fedde and cash from Cardinals for cash considerations or a player to be named later
- Acquired Dane Dunning from Rangers for Jose Ruiz and cash
- Acquired cash considerations from Marlins for Michael Petersen
- Acquired Hunter Stratton from Pirates for Titus Dumitru and cash
Baltimore Orioles
- Acquired Micah Ashman for Charlie Morton
- Acquired Boston Bateman, Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower, Victor Figueroa, Tyson Neighbors, and Tanner Smith from Padres for Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano
- Acquired Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh from Mets for Cedric Mullins
- Acquired Dietrich Enns from Tigers for cash
- Acquired Wilfri De La Cruz from Cubs for Andrew Kittredge
- Acquired Twine Palmer from Astros for Ramon Urias and cash considerations
- Acquired Juaron Watts-Brown from Blue Jays for Seranthony Dominguez
- Acquired Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster from Mets for Gregory Soto
- Acquired 2025 Competitive Balance (Round A) draft selection, No. 37 overall, for Bryan Baker
- Acquired Alex Jackson from Yankees for international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations
Boston Red Sox
- Acquired Dustin May from Dodgers for James Tibbs and Zach Ehrhard
- Acquired Steven Matz from Cardinals for Blaze Jordan
- Acquired cash considerations from White Sox for Blake Sabol
- Acquired Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs, and Jose Bello for Rafael Devers
Chicago Cubs
- Acquired Willi Castro for Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong
- Acquired Taylor Rogers from Pirates for Ivan Brethowr
- Acquired Andrew Kittredge from Orioles for Wilfri De La Cruz
- Acquired Michael Soroka from Nationals for Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin
Chicago White Sox
- Acquired Curtis Mead, Duncan Davitt, and Ben Peoples for Adrian Houser
- Acquired Gage Ziehl from Yankees for Austin Slater
- Acquired cash considerations from Rays for Tristan Gray
- Acquired Blake Sabol from Red Sox for cash considerations
- Acquired Will Robertson from Blue Jays for cash
- Acquired Aaron Civale from Brewers for Andrew Vaughn
Cincinnati Reds
- Acquired Miguel Andujar from Athletics for Kenya Huggins
- Acquired Zack Littell from Rays, gave up Brian Van Belle and Adam Serwinowski
- Acquired Ke’Bryan Hayes from Pirates for Taylor Rogers and Sammy Stafura
Cleveland Guardians
- Acquired Khal Stephen from Blue Jays for Shane Bieber
- Acquired a player to be named later or cash from Tigers for Paul Sewald
Colorado Rockies
- Acquired Roc Riggio and Ben Shields from Yankees for Jake Bird
- Acquired Austin Smith from Braves for Tyler Kinley
- Acquired Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz from Yankees for Ryan McMahon
Detroit Tigers
- Acquired Charlie Morton for Micah Ashman
- Acquired Josueth Quinonez from Phillies for Matt Manning
- Acquired cash from Orioles for Dietrich Enns
- Acquired Codi Heuer from Rangers for cash
- Acquired Kyle Finnegan from Nationals for Josh Randall and R.J. Sales
- Acquired Paul Sewald from Guardians for a player to be named later or cash
- Acquired Rafael Montero from Braves for Jim Jarvis
- Acquired Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from Twins for Enrique Jimenez
- Acquired cash considerations from Phillies for Brewer Hicklen
Houston Astros
- Acquired Jesus Sanchez from Marlins for Ryan Gusto, Chase Jaworsky, and Esmil Valencia
- Acquired Carlos Correa and $33MM from Twins for Matt Mikulski
- Acquired Ramon Urias and cash considerations from Orioles for Twine Palmer
Kansas City Royals
- Acquired Mike Yastrzemski for Yunior Marte
- Acquired Bailey Falter from Pirates for Evan Sisk and Callan Moss
- Acquired Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek from Padres for Freddy Fermin
- Acquired Randal Grichuk from Diamondbacks for Andrew Hoffmann
- Acquired Joey Krehbiel from Rays for cash
- Acquired Adam Frazier from Pirates for Cam Devanney
Los Angeles Angels
- Acquired Oswald Peraza from Yankees for Wilberson De Pena and international bonus pool money
- Acquired Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia from Nationals for Jake Eder and Sam Brown
- Acquired LaMonte Wade Jr. and cash from Giants for cash considerations or a player to be named later
Los Angeles Dodgers
- Acquired James Tibbs and Zach Ehrhard from Red Sox for Dustin May
- Acquired Alex Call from Nationals for Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan
- Acquired Brock Stewart from Twins for James Outman
- Acquired Adam Serwinowski from Reds, and Paul Gervase and Ben Rortvedt from the Rays, gave up Hunter Feduccia
- Acquired cash considerations from Twins for Noah Davis
- Acquired cash from Brewers for Steward Berroa
Miami Marlins
- Acquired Ryan Gusto, Chase Jaworsky, and Esmil Valencia for Jesus Sanchez
- Acquired Matthew Etzel from Rays for Nick Fortes
- Acquired Michael Petersen from Braves for cash considerations
Milwaukee Brewers
- Acquired Shelby Miller and Jordan Montgomery from Diamondbacks for a player to be named later or cash
- Acquired Brandon Lockridge from Padres for Nestor Cortes, Jorge Quintana, and cash considerations
- Acquired Danny Jansen from Rays for Jadher Areinamo
- Acquired Steward Berroa from Dodgers for cash
- Acquired Andrew Vaughn from White Sox for Aaron Civale
Minnesota Twins
- Acquired Taj Bradley for Griffin Jax
- Acquired Ryan Gallagher and Sam Armstrong for Willi Castro
- Acquired Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden for Louis Varland and Ty France
- Acquired Matt Mikulski from Astros for Carlos Correa and $33MM
- Acquired Garrett Horn from Rangers for Danny Coulombe
- Acquired James Outman from Dodgers for Brock Stewart
- Acquired Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria from Phillies for Harrison Bader
- Acquired Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel from Phillies for Jhoan Duran
- Acquired Enrique Jimenez from the Tigers for Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak
- Acquired Noah Davis from Dodgers for cash considerations
New York Mets
- Acquired Cedric Mullins from Orioles for Raimon Gomez, Anthony Nunez and Chandler Marsh
- Acquired Ryan Helsley from Cardinals for Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Elissalt
- Acquired Tyler Rogers from Giants for Jose Butto, Blade Tidwell, and Drew Gilbert
- Acquired Gregory Soto from Orioles for Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster
New York Yankees
- Acquired Camilo Doval for Jesus Rodriguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, and Carlos De La Rosa
- Acquired Jose Caballero from Rays for Everson Pereira and a player to be named later
- Acquired Wilberson De Pena and international bonus pool money from Angels for Oswald Peraza
- Acquired Jake Bird from Rockies for Roc Riggio and Ben Shields
- Acquired David Bednar from Pirates for Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez
- Acquired Austin Slater from White Sox for Gage Ziehl
- Acquired a player to be named later or cash from Braves for Carlos Carrasco
- Acquired Amed Rosario from Nationals for Clayton Beeter and Browm Martinez
- Acquired Ryan McMahon from Rockies for Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz
- Acquired international signing bonus pool money and a player to be named later or cash considerations from Orioles for Alex Jackson
Philadelphia Phillies
- Acquired Matt Manning from Tigers for Josueth Quinonez
- Acquired Harrison Bader from Twins for Hendry Mendez and Geremy Villoria
- Acquired Jhoan Duran from Twins for Eduardo Tait and Mick Abel
- Acquired Brewer Hicklen from Tigers for cash considerations
Pittsburgh Pirates
- Acquired Ivan Brethowr from Cubs for Taylor Rogers
- Acquired Evan Sisk and Callan Moss from Royals for Bailey Falter
- Acquired Rafael Flores, Edgleen Perez, and Brian Sanchez for David Bednar
- Acquired Jeter Martinez from Mariners for Caleb Ferguson
- Acquired Taylor Rogers and Sammy Stafura from Reds for Ke’Bryan Hayes
- Acquired Cam Devanney from Royals for Adam Frazier
- Acquired Titus Dumitru and cash from Braves for Hunter Stratton
San Diego Padres
- Acquired Nestor Cortes, Jorge Quintana, and cash considerations from Brewers for Brandon Lockridge
- Acquired Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano from Orioles for Boston Bateman, Brandon Butterworth, Cobb Hightower, Victor Figueroa, Tyson Neighbors, and Tanner Smith
- Acquired Will Wagner from Blue Jays for Brandon Valenzuela
- Acquired Freddy Fermin from Royals for Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek
- Acquired Mason Miller and JP Sears from Athletics for Leo De Vries, Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez
San Francisco Giants
- Acquired Jesus Rodriguez, Trystan Vrieling, Parks Harber, and Carlos De La Rosa for Camilo Doval
- Acquired Yunior Marte for Mike Yastrzemski
- Acquired Jose Butto, Blade Tidwell, and Drew Gilbert from Mets for Tyler Rogers
- Acquired Rafael Devers for Kyle Harrison, Jordan Hicks, James Tibbs, and Jose Bello
- Acquired cash considerations or a player to be named later from Angels for LaMonte Wade Jr. and cash
Seattle Mariners
- Acquired Eugenio Suarez from Diamondbacks for Tyler Locklear, Juan Burgos and Hunter Cranton
- Acquired Caleb Ferguson from Pirates for Jeter Martinez
- Acquired Josh Naylor from Diamondbacks for Brandyn Garcia and Ashton Izzi
St. Louis Cardinals
- Acquired Mason Molina and Skylar Hales from Rangers for Phil Maton
- Acquired Blaze Jordan from Red Sox for Steven Matz
- Acquired Jesus Baez, Nate Dohm, and Frank Elissalt from Mets for Ryan Helsley
- Acquired cash considerations or a player to be named later from Braves for Erick Fedde and cash
Tampa Bay Rays
- Acquired Griffin Jax for Taj Bradley
- Acquired Adrian Houser from White Sox for Curtis Mead, Duncan Davitt, and Ben Peoples
- Acquired Everson Pereira and a player to be named later from Yankees for Jose Caballero
- Acquired Brian Van Belle from Reds and Hunter Feduccia from Dodgers, gave up Zack Littell, Paul Gervase, and Ben Rortvedt
- Acquired Nick Fortes from Marlins for Matthew Etzel
- Acquired Jadher Areinamo from Brewers for Danny Jansen
- Acquired Tristan Gray from White Sox for cash considerations
- Acquired cash from Royals for Joey Krehbiel
- Acquired Bryan Baker from Orioles for 2025 Competitive Balance (Round A) draft selection, No. 37 overall
Texas Rangers
- Acquired Merrill Kelly for Mitch Bratt, Kohl Drake and David Hagaman
- Acquired Danny Coulombe from Twins for Garrett Horn
- Acquired Phil Maton from Cardinals for Mason Molina and Skylar Hales
- Acquired cash from Tigers for Codi Heuer
- Acquired Jose Ruiz and cash from Braves for Dane Dunning
Toronto Blue Jays
- Acquired Louis Varland and Ty France for Kendry Rojas and Alan Roden
- Acquired Brandon Valenzuela from Padres for Will Wagner
- Acquired Shane Bieber from Guardians for Khal Stephen
- Acquired Seranthony Dominguez from Orioles for Juaron Watts-Brown
- Acquired cash from White Sox for Will Robertson
Washington Nationals
- Acquired Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan for Alex Call
- Acquired Josh Randall and R.J. Sales from Tigers for Kyle Finnegan
- Acquired Ronny Cruz and Christian Franklin from Cubs for Michael Soroka
- Acquired Jake Eder and Sam Brown from Angels for Andrew Chafin and Luis Garcia
- Acquired Clayton Beeter and Browm Martinez from Yankees for Amed Rosario
Rumored Players Who Were Not Traded
Padres Acquire Mason Miller, JP Sears
The Padres are once again grabbing deadline headlines, as they’ve swung a trade that’ll bring star closer Mason Miller and lefty JP Sears to San Diego while sending a four-player package led by top shortstop prospect Leo De Vries back to the Athletics. The A’s will also add right-handers Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Nunez in the blockbuster deal. The deal is now official.
It’ll go down as one of the more stunning trades of the 2025 deadline. Miller is one of the sport’s most highly regarded relievers — an All-Star and fourth-place finisher in American League Rookie of the Year voting just last season. He’s controlled for another four years beyond the current season. De Vries, meanwhile, currently sits as the No. 5 prospect in the entire sport on Baseball America’s latest rankings.
It also sets the stage for a fair bit of other dealing from the Padres, who’ve been discussing current closer Robert Suarez and righty Dylan Cease in trade talks. Either or both could change hands now in trades that simultaneously net younger talent and free up payroll space for San Diego to pursue upgrades in left field, behind the plate and/or on the bench. Both Miller and Sears are still in their pre-arbitration years and thus earning just over the league minimum. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale suggests that there are no current plans to trade Suarez, though with president of baseball operations A.J. Preller at the helm for the Padres, nothing should ever be expressly ruled out. ESPN’s Buster Olney reports that both Suarez and Cease are still being discussed.
The addition of Miller strengthens what was already a powerhouse San Diego bullpen (though, as mentioned, could set the stage for a Suarez trade as well). San Diego relievers have pitched to an MLB-best 2.97 earned run average on the season and rank fifth with a collective 24.1% strikeout rate.
Miller, despite carrying a fairly pedestrian 3.76 ERA, will provide a massive upgrade. The majority of his trouble this year came in a rough month from early May to early June. He’s rattled off 14 innings of one-run ball with 18 strikeouts and four walks since June 15 and, of course, was one of the most dominant bullpen arms in the game a year ago. Miller has pitched 136 2/3 big league innings and carries a 3.16 ERA with a superlative 37.3% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. He’s saved 48 games and tallied one hold in his career to date and has blown only six opportunities.
Certainly, the tools are there for Miller’s bottom-line results to align with the very best arms in the sport. No one in baseball throws harder than his average 101.1 mph four-seamer, and Miller’s 20.4% swinging-strike rate trails only Josh Hader and Fernando Cruz for the top mark among pitchers with even 10 innings pitched this season. Dating back to 2024, he’s fanned nearly 41% of his opponents and kept his walk rate under 10%. Even in an era where power arsenals with premium bat-missing ability seem to proliferate the sport, the 6’5″ Miller stands above the rest in a tier nearly unto himself.
It’s worth at least considering the possibility that Miller could return to the rotation at some point down the road. Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin of The Athletic suggested last night that it was an idea the Padres had considered. Miller was drafted as a starter and made his big league debut in the Athletics’ rotation. Given the Friars’ lack of rotation depth and plethora of talented relievers, they could at least explore the idea of returning Miller to a starting role beginning next season, though there’s obviously some risk in removing him from a role in which he’s found such success.
Regardless of which role Miller holds in the long run, it seems likely he’ll work in relief for the balance of the current season. He’s not yet arbitration-eligible — though he will be this winter — and is controlled for four additional seasons, so it’s only natural that the asking price on the right-hander was exorbitant. The Padres have repeatedly rebuffed teams who’ve come calling for De Vries or top catching prospect Ethan Salas, but San Diego ultimately relented in order to acquire four-plus seasons of arguably the game’s most dominant reliever and Sears — a respectable back-of-the-rotation arm who can help solidify the staff for three-plus years in his own right.
Sears, 29, came to the A’s alongside Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina in the trade sending Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino to the Yankees. He’s the only one of the pitchers (on either side of the deal) that has held up without a major injury.
While Sears is a pure back-end starter, he’s been a durable source of competitive innings for the A’s. The 5’11” southpaw started 32 games in both 2023 and 2024, and he’s taken the mound 22 times in 2025. This year’s 4.95 ERA is a career-high, though like teammate Luis Severino, more of those struggles have come at home in what’s proving to be a hitter-friendly setting at West Sacramento’s Sutter Health Park. Sears has a 5.48 ERA and has allowed 14 homers in 47 2/3 innings at home, compared to a 4.55 mark and nine round-trippers in 63 1/3 innings on the road.
Over Sears’ past 464 innings with the A’s, the lefty has worked to a combined 4.58 ERA. He’s fanned 20.1% of his opponents in that time and kept his walk rate to a strong 6.7%. Sears sits 92.2 mph on his four-seamer and couples that pitch with a slider that sits 79.5 mph and a changeup that’s averaging 83.4 mph this year. He’s averaging just over five innings per start.
Sears now slots into a rotation group that includes Cease (for now), Nick Pivetta, Yu Darvish, Ryan Bergert and Randy Vasquez. Top starter Michael King has been out for more than two months but is expected to return before season’s end. Both Cease and King are free agents at season’s end.
San Diego has been hopeful of re-signing King, though that’s no guarantee. Next year, they’ll get Joe Musgrove back from Tommy John surgery. A 2026 rotation could well include Musgrove, Pivetta, Darvish, Sears and one of Bergert/Vasquez/Stephen Kolek, though the return of King or acquisition of other rotation arms obviously can’t be ruled out. Regardless, Sears adds some nice depth and will remain affordable. He also still has a pair of minor league option years remaining, giving the Friars plenty of flexibility with the composition of that staff.
The A’s have been reluctant to move Miller, but San Diego’s willingness to include De Vries surely pushed things over the edge. He’s the best prospect moved at a trade deadline since the Padres gutted their farm system to acquire Juan Soto three years ago. Today’s front offices are generally loath to part with prospects who’ve reached this level of acclaim, but the Preller-led Padres are the most aggressive in baseball when it comes to the trade market.
Still just 18 years old, De Vries is a switch-hitting shortstop with power who’s having success in High-A despite his youth. More advanced and experienced opponents haven’t fazed him. He’s hitting .245/.357/.410 (116 wRC+) with eight homers and eight steals despite being one of the youngest players in the league. He draws above-average grades across the board in most scouting reports, with his raw power, in particular, generating plus marks.
De Vries is listed at 6’2″ and 183 pounds, although given his age, he could still grow into more bulk and tap more into his raw power. Baseball America describes him as a potential “centerpiece of a big league club,” touting an all-fields approach from the left side of the plate and a pull-heavy approach from the right side that lets him get to that power more frequently. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen is a bit more bearish, albeit only relative to his elite ranking at BA and at MLB.com (where he’s ranked third in the game). Citing questions about his defensive aptitude and some swing-and-miss, FanGraphs’ report calls De Vries “only” a top-40 or so prospect in the game and has him as more of a strong regular than a superstar.
As with any prospect, there’s a fairly broad range of outcomes, but De Vries’ ceiling is higher than most and he’s on track to reach the majors at an uncommonly young age, giving the A’s more control over his peak physical seasons. A call to the majors in 2027 seems quite feasible, and in a best-case scenario he could even debut late next year. If De Vries incurs injuries or takes a bit longer to adjust to upper-level pitching, that debut could push back to 2028, but even then he’d be in just his age-21 season. Regardless, when the range of likely outcomes is generally agreed upon as something between “above-average everyday shortstop” to “superstar centerpiece of a team,” we’re talking about one of the game’s premier young talents.
De Vries is the clear headliner of the deal, but the three arms headed back to the A’s are hardly mere throw-ins. Nett and Baez were reportedly among the more sought-after prospects in the second tier of a thin Padres farm system. Both are posting strong numbers in Double-A this season.
Nett, 23, has started 17 games and pitched 74 1/3 innings. He’s logged a 3.39 ERA, 26.3% strikeout rate, 10.4% walk rate and 42.3% ground-ball rate. Nett signed with the Padres as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and has pitched his way into genuine prospect status.
Baseball America ranked Nett seventh among San Diego prospects earlier this month. He sits third in their system at MLB.com and 12th at FanGraphs. He sits 95-97 mph with a fastball that can climb to 99 mph. Nett’s slider gets above-average grades from scouts and works with a cutter, changeup and curveball that could all use some additional refinement. He’ll be Rule 5 eligible this offseason and will surely be selected to the A’s 40-man roster by November — if he’s not called upon for a major league look in the season’s final two months.
Baez, meanwhile, ranked 16th in the system at BA, 13th at MLB.com and 27th at FanGraphs. He’s posted a 1.96 ERA in 20 Double-A starts this season but has averaged under five innings per outing. Baez sits in the low to mid-90s with his fastball and tops out around 97. He has better command than Nett but lesser velocity and misses fewer bats. He also features a curveball in the upper 70s and a mid-80s changeup. Baez was already on San Diego’s 40-man roster and will thus go right onto the Athletics’ 40-man roster as well.
The 26-year-old Nunez has already made his major league debut, tossing 4 2/3 innings out of the Padres’ bullpen this year. He’s a pure bullpen prospect who can step right into manager Mark Kotsay‘s relief corps, if the A’s choose. He’s sat 97.9 mph with his four-seamer in his brief big league look, and Nunez has sat even higher (98.8 mph) in Triple-A. He couples that pitch with an upper-80s slider and a seldom-used curveball in the low to mid-80s.
San Diego signed Nunez as a minor league free agent over the winter, and he’s made huge gains with what had been previously poor command in the Cubs’ system. Nunez walked 22% of his opponents with Chicago’s Triple-A club a year ago. His 14% mark in Triple-A this season is still problematic but nowhere near as alarming. He also boasts a massive 38.6% chase rate in the minors and an outrageous 21.5% swinging-strike rate.
If Nunez can even come close to replicating those rates in the majors, he’d have the potential to be a high-end relief arm himself. That said, it’s worth bearing in mind that Nunez is already older than the elite reliever for whom he was just traded (Miller), and this is the first time he’s really shown any semblance of command in the upper minors. There’s upside here, but Nunez is still very much a work in progress.
There’s rarely a dull deadline when it comes to Preller, and this morning’s early and still fairly stunning swap of one of MLB’s most coveted prospects for one of its best big league relievers leaves plenty of time for further dealing. The Padres have been connected to left fielders like Cleveland’s Steven Kwan and Boston’s Jarren Duran while simultaneously exploring deals involving Cease, Suarez and other members of the current big league roster. More fireworks are surely on the way, but Preller and his Oakland West Sacramento counterpart, David Forst, have kicked things off with a bang.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the trade of Miller and Sears to the Padres and was also first with the full details on the Athletics’ return. This post was originally published at 10:25am.
Astros Acquire Carlos Correa
Carlos Correa is coming home to play third base. The Twins have agreed to trade Correa to the Astros, according to MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart, and Jon Morosi of MLB Network says he’ll man the hot corner for Houston. Pitching prospect Matt Mikulski is going to Minnesota, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Twins are paying down $33MM of the approximate $103.4MM remaining on Correa’s deal. The trade is now official.
The idea of the Astros bringing Correa back into the fold first surfaced yesterday in a report from Nightengale. Rome and Dan Hayes of The Athletic went on to report that the Astros approached the Twins with the concept of bringing back Correa, a favorite of owner Jim Crane.
With $103.4MM remaining on Correa’s contract through 2028, reporting today suggested that the two clubs were too far apart on dollars to consummate a deal. However, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports, the teams bridged their financial gap, Correa waived his no-trade clause, and the deal was resuscitated. As Correa told McTaggart, “I let them know there was only one team I would allow that to happen.”
The Astros and Crane have a history of letting star players depart for longer free agent deals elsewhere. In this case, Correa left after the 2021 season. Nearly three years later third baseman Alex Bregman turned down the Astros’ overtures and landed in Boston, after the club had already landed his replacement in Isaac Paredes (acquired from the Cubs in part because the Astros knew they couldn’t win the bidding on Kyle Tucker). Paredes tore his hamstring on July 19th, which may be season-ending.
Jeremy Peña has flourished in Correa’s absence, making his first All-Star team this year after hitting the IL in late June for a fractured rib. Peña could rejoin the Astros tomorrow in Boston, playing next to his predecessor on the left side of the infield against Bregman and the Red Sox. The Astros had picked up Ramon Urias from Baltimore last night, a move that paled in comparison to the division-rival Mariners adding Eugenio Suarez. Now with Correa, Urias will be pushed into a utility role that could include time at second base.
Correa, 31 in September, owns an uninspiring 97 wRC+ in 364 plate appearances this year for the Twins. His Twins career has been up-and-down in that regard, with a stellar 136 wRC+ in 2022, a down year in ’23, and a career-best 155 mark last year.
Correa played in only 86 games for the Twins in 2024, missing time due to an intercostal strain and plantar fasciitis. He spent time on the seven-day concussion list in May this year, but has otherwise avoided the IL despite some minor injuries.
Injuries have long been part of the story for Correa, who was drafted first overall by the Astros in 2012. He played 110 or fewer games in 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2024, so he had a four-year run of good health encompassing his multiple free agencies.
Despite his injury history, Correa has been worth 3.7 WAR in seven separate seasons. He won the AL Rookie of the Year in 2015, made his first All-Star team and garnered MVP votes in 2017, made another All-Star team and finished fifth in the MVP voting in 2021, and made a third All-Star game with the Twins last year. Certainly Correa’s 2017 performance and the Astros’ championship are tarnished by the sign-stealing scandal, but the star players involved have largely been able to move on with minimal effects aside from perhaps extra boos from certain fanbases.
Correa has been a regular on the pages of MLBTR, perhaps beginning with that sign-stealing scandal in late 2019. Though Correa suffered some reputational damage for cheating at the time, his first run at free agency seemed largely unaffected. Hewing to their organizational philosophy on long-term contracts, the Astros topped out at a five-year, $160MM offer, even though Correa was heading into his age-27 season.
Though some major free agents such as Corey Seager signed before the 99-day 2021-22 lockout, Correa did not. Correa switched to the Boras Corporation during the lockout, and “settled” for a three-year, $105.3MM deal with the Twins in March 2022 with opt-out clauses after each season. After an excellent debut season with the Twins, Correa opted out as expected, but his second run at free agency was anything but easy.
Correa agreed to a 13-year, $350MM deal with the Giants in December 2022, which shockingly fell apart after his physical revealed concerns over his right leg. Correa then agreed to play third base for the Mets on a 12-year, $315MM deal, only to have that deal fall apart for similar reasons. That led to a January 2023 reunion with the Twins on a six-year, $200MM deal, ending one of the wildest free agencies this website has ever seen.
As Rome and Hayes wrote recently, “Though the Twins are enamored with Correa, believing he’s a difference-maker on the field, the team’s financial picture has changed drastically in the 30 months since he signed his six-year deal. The club has been up for sale since October, which is limiting how much the team can spend on players. Correa’s salary represents 25 percent of the Twins’ current $141 million payroll.”
Now, Correa will return to Houston and play a position other than shortstop for the first time in his 11-year MLB career. He told McTaggart, “We were waiting for a shortstop to come in [with Twins] and now that I get to play third base, it will be great for me at this stage of my career.” Whether Paredes moves to the right side of the infield next year or becomes offseason trade bait remains to be seen.
Correa is owed $103.4MM through 2028, which would represent a $31.4MM CBT hit for the Astros. Given the approximate $33MM the Twins are kicking in, we estimate the Astros’ CBT hit to be around $21MM. Future reporting will surely confirm the figure. The Astros’ CBT payroll sits just below the $241MM threshold, so this trade easily vaults Houston into second-time tax payor status. The trade has echoes of one the Astros made two years ago, when they re-acquired Justin Verlander after letting him go to the Mets via free agency.
Known to be seeking a left-handed bat, the Astros nonetheless added Urias and Correa within a short span at the deadline. But shortly after landing Correa, they finally did get a lefty stick in the Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez. Clearly in go-for-it mode, GM Dana Brown pursued the Padres’ Dylan Cease as well, but that did not come to fruition.
While the Astros have added to their first-place team, the 51-57 Twins have conducted a full-on fire sale. Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey traded a whopping 10 players off his active roster in July, including both rentals and controllable players.
This post was originally published at 3:05pm central time.
Rays, Twins Swap Griffin Jax For Taj Bradley
The Rays and Twins orchestrated a fascinating one-for-one swap at the deadline. Minnesota traded setup man Griffin Jax to Tampa Bay for young starting pitcher Taj Bradley.
Jax, 30, is one of a staggering five relievers whom the Twins traded in the past two days. He followed Jhoan Duran, Brock Stewart, Danny Coulombe and Louis Varland out the door. Minnesota dismantled what had been one of the best bullpens in the game. Of course, that doesn’t even address their biggest deal of the day.
A former third-round pick out of Air Force, Jax has developed into a high-end reliever. This year’s 4.50 ERA may not reflect that, but he misses bats an elite rate. Jax has punched out 36.4% of opposing hitters while running a 19.5% swinging strike rate. He ranks comfortably among the top 10 relievers in MLB in both categories. Jax posted very similar underlying numbers across 72 appearances a year ago. Last season’s ERA reflected that dominance, as he turned in a 2.03 mark through 71 innings.
Opposing hitters have a .389 average on balls in play against Jax. That’s the highest against any pitcher in MLB with at least 40 innings. Jax had allowed a sub-.300 BABIP in each of the previous three seasons. This season’s mark is a clear outlier, and teams continue to view him as a weapon at the back of the bullpen. Jax has the ability to run his fastball to 97 MPH on average, but his best two offerings are his sweeper and changeup. It’s a plus three-pitch mix.
Jax joins Pete Fairbanks, Bryan Baker and Garrett Cleavinger towards the back of a revamped Tampa Bay bullpen. He’s likely to work in a setup role in front of Fairbanks for the remainder of the season. The Rays opted not to trade their closer despite what appeared to be significant interest. Fairbanks could be the subject of trade chatter again during the offseason. If Tampa Bay pulls the trigger on a deal at that point, Jax would have a good chance of stepping into the ninth inning.
The Rays control Jax for two seasons beyond this one. He’s playing on a $2.365MM salary in his first arbitration year. Duran kept him from accruing many saves in Minnesota that would’ve built his arbitration earnings. He’ll likely land a salary in the $4-5MM range next season and could get between $6-8MM for his final run through the process. Tampa Bay straddled the line between buying and selling this summer, but they didn’t abandon hope of erasing what is currently a three-game deficit in the Wild Card picture. Even if they don’t make the playoffs, they’ll have Jax for another couple seasons.
It’s appealing enough that the Rays were willing to move on from Bradley. A former top prospect, the 6’2″ righty has held a rotation spot in Tampa Bay for most of the past three seasons. He has never really put it all together, allowing an ERA of 4.11 or higher in each season. Home runs were the biggest culprit over the first two years, but he missed bats at plus rates with league average control. It has been a different story in 2025. Bradley’s strikeout rate has dropped to a career-low 20.2% as he’s getting fewer swinging strikes. He has upped his ground-ball rate and gotten the longball under control, but his 4.61 ERA across 21 starts is right in line with his career mark.
Around the All-Star Break, it was reported that the Rays were open to offers on Bradley. It seemed clear that he’d fallen out of favor when they optioned him to Triple-A last week after he gave up four runs without escaping the second inning against the White Sox. That didn’t mean they’d trade him for whatever they could get, of course, but there was presumably a growing frustration with Bradley’s inconsistent results. Tampa Bay traded a pair of starting pitchers in Bradley and Zack Littell, but they’re giving the former’s rotation spot to hard-throwing righty Joe Boyle. They replaced the latter by acquiring Adrian Houser from the White Sox.
Coaxing more out of Bradley now falls on the Twins. He figures to return to the rotation in Minnesota. He’ll slot behind Joe Ryan, Zebby Matthews and eventually Pablo López in the starting staff. Minnesota also landed talented rookie right-hander Mick Abel from the Phillies in the Duran return. They’re clearly looking ahead to a 2026 season that might be under new ownership and hoping to build around young starting pitching.
Bradley may not have had sustained MLB success, but it’s easy to see the appeal. Controllable starting pitching is the most difficult asset to acquire. Minnesota has Bradley under team control for four seasons after this one. He has a four-pitch mix led by a 96 MPH fastball with the command to start. If the Twins can marry this year’s batted ball results with the swing-and-miss ability he has shown in prior seasons, Bradley would be a more valuable long-term asset than a reliever — even one as good as Jax.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Rays were acquiring Jax. Dan Hayes of The Athletic had Bradley’s return. Images courtesy of Lon Howedel and Jonathan Dyer, Imagn Images.