Pirates Trade Ke’Bryan Hayes To Reds
The Reds and Pirates have come together on an intra-division swap that will send third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati, per announcements from both clubs. The Pirates are receiving veteran reliever Taylor Rogers and minor league shortstop Sammy Stafura. The Reds will reportedly take on the entirety of Hayes’ contract, which runs through the 2029 season.
Hayes, 28, is a former first-round pick and top prospect who looked to be on the cusp of stardom early in his career. He graded as an elite defensive third baseman throughout his time in the minors and hit well as he climbed the minor league ladder. Hayes made an electric debut in the shortened 2020 season, showing off that plus-plus glove while hitting .376/.442/682 in his first 95 big league plate appearances.
Hayes didn’t replicate that output in his first full big league season in 2021, but he held his own with a .257/.316/.373 batting line in 396 plate appearances despite missing significant time due to a wrist injury. He hit just six homers but played outstanding defense and swiped nine bags. The following April, Pittsburgh signed him to an eight-year, $70MM deal which, at the time, was the largest in franchise history.
Unfortunately for Hayes and the Pirates, back injuries have become a recurring problem in Hayes’ still-young career. He’s spent significant time on the injured list due to back troubles in 2022, 2023 and 2024 — totaling five IL stints due to his back in that period of three years. Hayes still managed a league-average season at the plate in 2023 (.271/.309/.453, 100 wRC+, 15 homers, 10 steals) but he’s been a well below-average hitter since. In 788 plate appearances dating back to Opening Day 2024, he’s mustered only a .234/.281/.290 batting line (58 wRC+).
The Pirates frontloaded Hayes’ extension, paying him $10MM in each of the contract’s first two seasons and then cutting the salary back to $7-8MM per year thereafter. He’s making $7MM in 2025, with about $2.26MM of that sum yet to be paid out. He’ll then be owed $36MM from 2026-29 ($30MM in salary plus at least a $6MM buyout on a $12MM club option for the 2030 season).
It’s a relatively hefty sum to take on, though Hayes remains such a premium defender that his glove alone is arguably worth the remaining $9MM annual value on the contract (including the 2026 buyout). Hayes has been credited with an astonishing 91 Defensive Runs Saved and 73 Outs Above Average in 4796 career innings at third base, including 16 DRS and 15 OAA in 861 innings this year already. Since Hayes debuted in 2020, he leads all of Major League Baseball (at all positions) in both DRS and OAA. Andres Gimenez‘s 63 DRS and Francisco Lindor‘s 68 OAA are the second-highest marks in each category.
On top of a legitimate claim to being the game’s top defensive player, Hayes does have some encouraging offensive trends. His 20.7% strikeout rate in 2025 matches his career mark and checks in lower than the league average. He also regularly posts strong batted-ball metrics. Hayes has averaged 90.7 mph off the bat in his career, and 46.3% of his batted balls have traveled 95 mph or faster. The downside, however, is that far too much of that hard contact comes in the form of ground-balls. A hefty 49.5% of Hayes’ career batted balls have been hit into the ground, and his lack of consistent elevation offsets his average power.
A move to Cincinnati’s Great American Ball Park could prove beneficial. Pittsburgh’s PNC Park is the toughest park in MLB on right-handed power over the past three years, per Statcast’s Park Factors. Great American, meanwhile, has been the second most conducive park to right-handed home runs in that time. It’s feasible that Hayes might at least eke out a few extra home runs just from the more favorable dimensions in his new home park.
The acquisition of Hayes could push infielder Noelvi Marte into the outfield on a more permanent basis. Marte is enjoying a nice rebound year at the plate, batting .276/.329/.500 with seven home runs and six steals in 146 plate appearances. Cincinnati has been having Marte go through outfield drills and has given him eight innings of actual right field (three games) over the past couple weeks.
Rogers’ inclusion in the Hayes return is solely for financial purposes. The 34-year-old is an impending free agent earning $12MM in the final season of a three-year $33MM contract, though the Giants are paying half that salary under the terms of the offseason trade that shipped him to Cincinnati. The Pirates, in all likelihood, will turn around and try to trade Rogers before tomorrow afternoon’s deadline.
So far in 2025, Rogers has pitched to a 2.45 ERA with a 23.3% strikeout rate and 13% walk rate in 33 innings. Rogers has a track record as a closer and setup man but hasn’t been used frequently in high-leverage spots by the Reds this year. He should draw some interest, especially if Pittsburgh is willing to pay down some of the $1.94MM he’s still owed through season’s end.
Beyond shedding the entirety of an unwanted contract, the Pirates’ return in the trade is the 20-year-old Stafura. He’s just two years removed from being the No. 43 overall pick in the draft and receiving an over-slot bonus of nearly $2.5MM. Stafura was regarded as a potential first-round pick in 2023. He’s spent the 2025 season in Class-A, hitting .262/.393/.411 (131 wRC+) with four home runs, 18 doubles, nine triples and 28 stolen bases (in 33 attempts).
Stafura possesses well above-average speed and has walked in more than 15% of his plate appearances in his professional career. His 23.9% strikeout rate is a bit high and there have been some concerns about Stafura’s hit tool. He’s played 170 of his 172 games in the field at shortstop (plus two at second base). Baseball America, in ranking Stafura ninth among Reds farmhands, noted that while Stafura has a roughly average arm, it’s quite accurate and he has the other defensive skills needed to stick at shortstop. It’s always possible Stafura will eventually slide to second or move into a utility role, but for now, the Pirates figure to keep him at shortstop.
Cincinnati has spent much of the past few weeks looking for offensive upgrades. Hayes is quite possibly an offensive downgrade, but he’ll be a massive boost to the team’s defense. The Reds, presumably, will remain in the market for a hitter who can more meaningfully upgrade their lineup.
Mark Feinsand, Mark Sheldon and Alex Stumpf of MLB.com first reported that Hayes had been traded to the Reds. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported the return. Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Reds were taking on Hayes’ entire contract.
Guardians Reportedly Shopping Steven Kwan, Shane Bieber
The Guardians seem to be getting closer to selling significant pieces. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that Cleveland is “trying to move” both left fielder Steven Kwan and starting pitcher Shane Bieber. Both players have been mentioned in plenty of trade rumors over the past few days, though Kwan has generally been seen as more of a long shot candidate.
If the Guardians are truly motivated to deal Kwan, they’d have no issue doing so. He’s one of their most valuable trade chips and would bring back a huge return. Kwan is playing on a $4.175MM salary and is under arbitration control for another two seasons. The two-time All-Star is hitting .286/.351/.410 with nine homers and 11 stolen bases in 448 plate appearances. He’s one of four hitters with at least 300 plate appearances who has walked more often than he has struck out.
Kwan is a career .285/.358/.398 hitter. He’s also probably the game’s best defensive left fielder. He has won a Gold Glove in each of his first three seasons. While Statcast’s Outs Above Average gives him an uncharacteristically average grade this season, Defensive Runs Saved (+13) still views him as the gold standard at the position. The well-rounded skillset makes Kwan an ideal leadoff hitter. The Dodgers, Blue Jays, Padres and Phillies have previously been linked to him. Jon Heyman of The New York Post adds the Reds to the list of interested teams. Speculatively speaking, the Astros could also use a left fielder and are known to be targeting left-handed bats.
While the Guardians will sort through plenty of offers on Kwan, Bieber is a more challenging trade candidate. That’s not an indictment on him as a player but a reflection of his contract structure. The former Cy Young winner underwent Tommy John surgery last April. That was his walk year, and he re-signed with Cleveland on a two-year deal that allowed him to opt out after the first season. Bieber is playing on a $10MM salary and has to decide between a $16MM player option or a $4MM buyout at year’s end.
An acquiring team would take on a little more than $3.2MM in salary the rest of the way. That’s plenty manageable, but the buyout would push that above $7.2MM. That’s what a team would owe for two months if Bieber were playing on a $22MM salary as opposed to a $10MM sum. That also doesn’t account for the risk that he suffers an injury setback or simply doesn’t pitch well and decides to stick with next year’s $16MM salary — which he’d only do if he feels he couldn’t beat that on the free agent market.
Bieber has not made a major league start this season. He’s closing in on his season debut after making his fourth minor league rehab appearance last night. He reached four innings and 58 pitches with Double-A Akron. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic wrote yesterday that other teams would have a heavy scouting presence in attendance. While those scouts’ opinions on Bieber’s stuff will hold far more weight than the results against Double-A hitters, the veteran righty had an impressive outing — one run on three hits and a hit batter with seven strikeouts.
While the Guardians could hold firm to a huge ask on Kwan, they should be more motivated to deal Bieber if they’re committed to selling. They have to expect him to opt out if he looks like his pre-surgery self — even more as the #3 type starter he was in 2023 as opposed to a return to the top of a rotation. Cleveland is a manageable 3.5 games back in the Wild Card chase, but they have three teams to jump and saw the path get a lot steeper when Emmanuel Clase was placed on administrative leave pending a gambling investigation.
Rockies Trade Tyler Kinley To Braves
The Braves and Rockies have agreed to a deal sending right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley from Colorado to Atlanta in exchange for Double-A righty Austin Smith. Both teams have announced the deal. Kinley, who’s earning $3MM in the final year of his contract, has an affordable $5MM club option for the 2026 season.
The 34-year-old Kinley has an unappealing 5.66 ERA on the season but has fanned 23.8% of his opponents on the season. Metrics like FIP (4.14) and SIERA (4.15) feel he’s been far better than that earned run average should indicate. He’s been on an excellent run of late, pitching to a 2.37 ERA with a 31.1% strikeout rate and 6.7% walk rate in 19 innings since mid-June.
Kinley’s overall 12.6% walk rate this season is an eyesore, but he’s also been plagued by a fluky 59.4% strand rate that’s well shy of his 68% career mark and the 72% league average. The 6’4″ righty sits 95.2 mph on his heater and boasts a terrific 14% swinging-strike rate, which could give Atlanta some optimism that Kinley’s strikeout rate has room to improve. He’s also among the league leaders in terms of limiting hard contact.
It’s a surprise to see the Braves add a veteran player, given the team’s 45-61 record in an increasingly injury-decimated season. Kinley deepens the current relief corps and brings a hint of upside which, if unlocked, would make him a bargain option for next season. His ’26 club option has a $750K buyout, so Atlanta will be making a net $4.25MM decision in the offseason after Kinley has had a 2025 audition.
In that sense, the Braves — who fully intend to compete in 2026 — are getting a proactive jump start on some offseason shopping. Braves relievers Raisel Iglesias and Rafael Montero are free agents at season’s end. Pierce Johnson is also in the final guaranteed season of his deal, though like Kinley, he has a 2026 club option. Each of Iglesias, Montero and Johnson has been a reported trade candidate as Atlanta begrudgingly concedes to listening on short-term veterans at this year’s deadline.
Going back to the Rockies is the 26-year-old Smith, Atlanta’s 18th-round pick back in 2021. He posted decent numbers in the low minors in 2021-22 after being drafted out of Arizona, but he missed nearly all of the 2023-24 seasons recovering from Tommy John surgery. Smith tossed 26 innings last year across three minor league levels and posted a 6.92 ERA with nearly as many walks as strikeouts.
He’s been far better this year between High-A and Double-A but still has pedestrian numbers against far younger competition. He’s logged a combined 4.31 ERA with a 26.2% strikeout rate and much improved (but still higher than average) 11.5% walk rate. Smith has yet to climb to the Triple-A level in the minors.
Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported that Kinley was headed to the Braves in exchange for a prospect. David O’Brien of The Athletic reported Smith’s inclusion in the deal.
Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays
The Blue Jays and Orioles executed a bit of business between games of their doubleheader today, as Baltimore traded right-hander Seranthony Dominguez and cash to the Toronto in exchange for minor league righty Juaron Watts-Brown. Both clubs have announced the swap. The Jays designated veteran reliever Chad Green for assignment to open 40-man and 26-man roster spots for their new acquisition.
Dominguez, 30, is earning $8MM in his final season of club control. He’s spent the past year in Baltimore after coming over from the Phillies at the 2024 trade deadline. The 6’1″, 225-pound righty has been among the Orioles’ top setup options this season, pitching 41 2/3 innings of 3.24 ERA ball with an excellent 30.9% strikeout rate but also a troubling 13.7% walk rate. Command has been a problem for the hard-throwing Dominguez at times in the past, but never quite to this extent.
Even with the glut of free passes, Dominguez has still enjoyed a strong year. This year’s strikeout rate is the second-highest of his career (second to only his rookie season), as is his 14.3% swinging-strike rate. He’s sitting 97.7 mph with his four-seamer and 97.9 mph with his sinker, per Statcast, pairing those blistering primary offerings with a pair of newly implemented secondary weapons: a splitter averaging 87.4 mph and a more seldom-used curveball that’s sitting 83.7 mph.
Dominguez has picked up 13 holds and a pair of saves. He’s been charged with three blown saves on the season. Outside of closer Felix Bautista, no reliever in the Baltimore bullpen has been used more frequently in high-leverage situations. He’s no stranger to protecting late leads, either, evidenced by the 40 saves and 71 holds he’s tallied in 298 major league appearances dating back to his 2018 debut in Philadelphia.
Toronto’s bullpen entered play today tied for seventh in the majors with a collective 3.72 ERA — although that was before serving up a whopping 12 runs to the Orioles in the first game of today’s twin bill. (Two of those runs were yielded by backup catcher Ali Sanchez pitching in mop-up duty.) They’ve gotten terrific work out of Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher, in particular.
Offseason signee Jeff Hoffman has a 4.73 ERA, though that’s skewed a bit by a five-run meltdown back in May. He’s pitched to a flat 3.00 ERA with a 33.8% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 18 innings dating back to June 1. Fellow veteran Yimi Garcia, who re-signed as a free agent with the Jays this winter after being traded to the Mariners last July, missed more than a month with a shoulder impingement and then was placed back on the IL day due to an ankle sprain just three days after returning. He’s still on the shelf but has posted a 3.86 ERA in 21 innings when healthy.
The Jays are eyeing a variety of upgrades as they look to keep their spot atop the standings in the American League East. They’ve been in the hunt for bullpen upgrades — and still are even after acquiring Dominguez, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com — in addition to rotation arms like Dylan Cease and prominent bats like Steven Kwan (though Kwan, in particular, is a long shot to change hands). In an effort to obtain upgrades of that nature, they’ve been willing to listen to trade offers on some controllable young big leaguers who’ve gotten their feet wet in the majors already, though that didn’t prove necessary with regard to Dominguez.
Dominguez will net the Orioles the 23-year-old Watts-Brown, whom the Blue Jays selected with their third-round pick back in 2023. The Oklahoma State product has spent the season in the rotation at High-A and Double-A, logging a combined 3.54 ERA with a 30.5% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 89 innings. He ranked 14th among Jays prospects, per Baseball America’s most recent midseason update of their system.
Listed at 6’3″ and 190 pounds, Watts-Brown sits 92-94 mph with his four-seamer and can run it up a couple ticks higher when he needs to reach back for more. Scouting reports at BA, MLB.com and FanGraphs all laud the lanky right-hander’s slider and curveball as plus pitches, but command troubles and a lack of missed bats with his heater have led to some thought that he might be better suited for a relief role down the road. The Jays have continued to develop him as a starter, and that’ll presumably be the case as well for an Orioles club that is quite thin on upper-level pitching.
Watts-Brown walked an untenable 13.2% of hitters in 2024 and, after notching a much-improved 7.7% walk rate in High-A to begin the season, is back up to an 11.8% walk rate in 11 Double-A starts. He’s also plunked four hitters in 51 innings there. Watts-Brown will need to further refine his command to thrive as a starter, but his frame and four-pitch arsenal lend themselves well to rotation work if he can scale back on the free passes. That he’s already in Double-A suggests a potential 2026 debut for the former third-round pick if things go well.
Dominguez is the third reliever shipped out by a disappointing Baltimore club this month. The O’s sent Bryan Baker to the Rays prior to the All-Star break and traded Gregory Soto to the Mets last week. Dominguez and Soto were obvious trade candidates, given their impending free agency on a team that has fallen well shy of expectations. Other O’s veterans who are set to hit the market at season’s end (e.g. Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton) are likely to follow.
Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first reported the trade.
Dodgers Promote Alex Freeland, Place Hyeseong Kim On 10-Day IL
TODAY: The Dodgers officially selected Freeland’s contract, and placed Kim on the 10-day injured list in the corresponding move. Kim is dealing with bursitis in his left shoulder, and manager Dave Roberts said over the weekend that Kim had been dealing with shoulder discomfort for about a week.
JULY 28: The Dodgers are calling up top infield prospect Alex Freeland, reports Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. They already have an opening on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need a corresponding active roster move.
Freeland, 23, ranks third among Dodger farmhands at MLB Pipeline and sixth at Baseball America. A switch-hitter who mostly divides his time between shortstop and third base, Freeland has raised his stock since being selected in the third round of the 2022 draft. The University of Central Florida product has hit .253/.372/.416 across four minor league seasons. That’s almost an exact match for this year’s .253/.377/.421 showing over 453 plate appearances at Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Evaluators praise Freeland’s advanced strike zone discipline. He has walked at a massive 16.6% rate while very rarely expanding the zone in Triple-A. He takes a lot of strikes as well, leading to deep counts and slightly elevated strikeout rates despite relatively few whiffs. Freeland has shown solid bat speed. He hit 18 homers a year ago and has connected on 12 longballs and 26 doubles this season. His Triple-A exit velocities are strong as well.
Freeland is viewed as more of a solid athlete than a spectacular one. Many scouts believe he fits better at third base than shortstop as a result. Third base is obviously the much cleaner positional fit for his first MLB action. Since the Dodgers lost Max Muncy to the injured list on July 3, their third basemen have hit .203/.261/.359 in 70 plate appearances. Most of that falls on Tommy Edman, who has been mired in a three-month slump after an excellent April. Edman is capable of playing plus defense almost anywhere on the diamond, so he’ll remain a regular lineup presence. That could come more at second base, where Hyeseong Kim is hitting .204/.218/.222 this month.
Muncy is expected to begin a minor league rehab assignment tomorrow. That’ll put him in position to return to MLB action not long after the trade deadline. It’s unlikely the Dodgers would’ve called Freeland up if they anticipated sending him back down in a week or two. Even after Muncy reclaims the third base job, Freeland could stick as a multi-positional bench bat who plays three or four times a week. The Dodgers have gotten rookie catcher Dalton Rushing his first MLB action in that type of role.
Rays Acquire Nick Fortes From Marlins
TODAY: Both clubs have officially announced the Fortes-for-Etzel trade.
JULY 28: The Rays and Marlins are reportedly in agreement on a trade that will send catcher Nick Fortes to Tampa Bay for minor league outfielder Matthew Etzel. Once completed, this will backfill the Rays’ catching depth. Tampa Bay traded Danny Jansen to the Brewers for an infield prospect on Monday evening. The Rays expect to announce the Fortes deal on Tuesday.
For the Rays, they often try to straddle a buy/sell line at the deadline and it seems that will be the play this week. They are 53-53 this year, three games back of a playoff spot. While they don’t want to punt their season, they seemingly want to strike a balance between doing things that work for the club now and in the future.
Jansen is a 30-year-old veteran on a one-year deal. He’s better than Fortes right now but Fortes is younger, cheaper and controllable for three more seasons after this one. Presumably, the Rays feel that going from Jansen to Fortes doesn’t significantly harm them in 2025, while adding a few seasons of Fortes and also grabbing Jadher Areinamo in the Jansen trade will help them in the long run more than Etzel.
Fortes, 28, doesn’t do a ton in the batter’s box. In 1,073 plate appearances, he has 25 home runs but a .225 batting average and a 5.2% walk rate. Overall, his .225/.277/.344 line translates to a 70 wRC+. Jansen, on the other hand, has 11 home runs this season alone and is drawing walks at a 12.7% pace. His .204/.314/.389 line in 2025 translates to a 99 wRC+.
Behind the plate, Fortes grades out well. He’s been credited with 17 Defensive Runs Saved in his career. Outlets like FanGraphs, Statcast and Baseball Prospectus all consider him a strong framer. Jansen gets strong marks from BP but not the other two systems. In short, Fortes might be a downgrade from Jansen at the plate but might be a slight upgrade defensively.
It’s certainly a cost-saving switch. Jansen signed a one-year deal with the Rays which guarantees him $8.5MM. He’s making $8MM in terms of salary and then there’s a $500K buyout on a mutual option for 2026. Fortes just qualified for artbitation for the first time after the 2024 season, as a Super Two player. He is making $1.86MM this year and is lined up for three further raises via arb.
For the Marlins, they don’t really need Fortes. They already have Agustín Ramírez and Liam Hicks on the big league roster. It’s possible that Ramírez might not have the defensive chops to stick behind the plate, but the Fish also have Joe Mack lurking. Mack has shown up on some top 100 prospect lists and is already at the Triple-A level. Perhaps he will get a big league look in the wake of this Fortes deal. Or if not now, maybe he could be a September call-up.
They Marlins have exchanged a light-hitting placeholder catcher for an outfield prospect. Etzel is a deadline pickup for the second year in a row. He went from the Orioles to the Rays last summer as part of the Zach Eflin deal.
A tenth-round pick of the O’s in 2023, he’s not ranked as one of Tampa’s top 30 prospects by either Baseball America or FanGraphs. MLB Pipeline has him in the #28 slot. Broadly speaking, he seems to be a contact-based hitter with speed. Since the start of 2024, he has 723 plate appearances, mostly at the Double-A level. He has just 16 home runs but a 12.2% walk rate, .259/.350/.404 line and 119 wRC+ in that time. He’s also stolen 62 bases, though while also getting caught 19 times.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic first reported that the Rays were working on a Fortes trade. Robert Murray of FanSided reported Etzel’s inclusion. Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times confirmed the Fortes trade agreement was in place.
Photos courtesy of Katie Stratman and Sam Navarro, Imagn Images
Ryne Sandberg Passes Away
Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg has passed away at age 65. The Cubs announced the devastating news on Monday evening. Sandberg had battled metastatic prostate cancer since at least January 2024.
“Ryne Sandberg was a legend of the Chicago Cubs franchise and a beloved figure throughout Major League Baseball. He was a five-tool player who excelled in every facet of the game thanks to his power, speed and work ethic. Ryne earned 10 consecutive All-Star selections, nine straight Gold Gloves, seven Silver Sluggers and 1984 National League MVP honors,” MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“Ryne remained active in the game he loved as an ambassador for the Cubs, a manager for the Phillies and in the Minor Leagues, and a frequent participant at the Hall of Fame. His many friends across the game were in his corner as he courageously fought cancer in recent years. We will continue to support the important work of Stand Up To Cancer in Ryne’s memory. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I extend my deepest condolences to Ryne’s family, Cubs fans everywhere and his admirers throughout our national pastime.”
Cubs owner Tom Ricketts released his own statement of condolences. “Ryne Sandberg was a hero to a generation of Chicago Cubs fans and will be remembered as one of the all-time greats in nearly 150 years of this historic franchise,” Ricketts said. “His dedication to and respect for the game, along with his unrelenting integrity, grit, hustle, and competitive fire were hallmarks of his career. He was immensely proud of his teammates and his role as a global ambassador of the game of baseball, but most of all, he was proud of Margaret, his children and his role as husband, father and grandfather.”
While Sandberg would become an iconic figure in Cubs history, he began his career in Philadelphia. The Phillies signed the Spokane native away from a commitment to Washington State after drafting him in the 20th round in 1978. Sandberg debuted with the Phils as a September call-up in 1981, going 1-6 while appearing in 13 games. His first hit, a single off Mike Krukow as a visitor at Wrigley Field, would be the only one of his major league career that did not come in a Cubs uniform.
During the 1981-82 offseason, the Phillies traded a 22-year-old Sandberg alongside veteran shortstop Larry Bowa to the Cubs for outfielder Iván de Jesús. It was one of the best moves in Chicago’s franchise history. Sandberg opened the season as their starting third baseman. He earned a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year balloting after hitting .271 with 33 doubles and seven home runs. The Cubs acquired six-time All-Star third baseman Ron Cey from the Dodgers the following offseason. Sandberg moved permanently to second base by 1983.
He’d go on to become one of the greatest ever at the position. Sandberg won a Gold Glove in his first full season at the keystone. While he was mostly a light-hitting defensive stalwart in ’83, Sandberg truly broke out offensively in his third year in the big leagues. He batted .314/.367/.520 while leading the National League in runs scored and topping MLB with 19 triples. He hit a matching 19 home runs, two of which were game-tying shots off future Hall of Famer Bruce Sutter in the so-called “Sandberg Game” against the Cardinals in June. He reached 200 hits for the only time in his career.
Sandberg won his second straight Gold Glove and led the Cubs to a 96-win season and an NL East title — the franchise’s first playoff berth in 39 years. Sandberg was resoundingly voted the Senior Circuit’s most valuable player. He hit .368 in what was then a best of five NL Championship Series, but the Cubs dropped three straight after taking a 2-0 series lead and fell a game shy of a World Series berth.
That was the first of 10 consecutive All-Star seasons for Sandberg. He won the Gold Glove nine straight times between 1983-91 while claiming the Silver Slugger in all but two years from 1984-92. He hit .306 with 26 longballs and a career-high 54 stolen bases as a follow-up to his MVP season.
After a trio of relatively average seasons with the bat in the mid-1980s, he had a four-year resurgence as one of the best hitters in MLB. Sandberg finished fourth in MVP balloting in both 1989 and ’90. He led the Cubs back to the playoffs in ’89, where he hit .400 in a losing effort against the Giants in the NLCS. The 1990 campaign was arguably the best of Sandberg’s career. He led National Leaguers with a career-high 40 home runs and paced the NL with 116 runs scored. He drove in 100 runs in consecutive seasons in 1990-91.
The Cubs signed Sandberg to a four-year, $28.4MM extension going into the ’92 season. That made him MLB’s highest-paid player at the time, and he responded with a monster .304/.371/.510 showing with 26 homers and 87 RBI. He hit .309 in 1993 but was off to a very slow start to the ’94 season. Sandberg shockingly announced his retirement that June, later explaining that he’d lost the drive to play every day and felt he’d be doing a disservice to the organization, fans and himself by playing at less than 100%. He sat out the ’95 season before making a comeback, finishing his playing career with two more seasons in Wrigleyville.
Sandberg retired for good after the 1997 campaign. He finished his illustrious career with a .285/.344/.452 batting line. Sandberg tallied 2386 hits, drilled 282 home runs, and drove in more than 1000 runs. He topped 400 doubles, hit 76 triples, and stole 344 bases. He ranks fourth in Cubs history in hits, fifth in homers, and seventh in runs batted in. According to Baseball Reference, only Cap Anson and Ron Santo had more Wins Above Replacement in a Cubs uniform among position players.
That kind of production from a middle infielder is almost unheard of — much less from as sure-handed an infielder as Sandberg was. Among second basemen, only Roberto Alomar topped Sandberg’s nine Gold Gloves. He still ranks fifth all time at the position in career home runs, surpassed only by Jeff Kent, Robinson Canó, Rogers Hornsby and Craig Biggio. Sandberg is 11th among second basemen in bWAR and by Jay Jaffe’s JAWS score, which measures a player’s career value and peak seasons as a proxy for his Hall of Fame candidacy.
Sandberg’s numbers compared favorably to other Hall of Famers at the position. It took three years on the ballot, but he was deservedly voted into Cooperstown in 2005. The Cubs retired his #23 not long after his Hall of Fame induction. Sandberg took a managerial position in their farm system a year later, hoping to eventually work his way up to manage the franchise with which he’d starred.
While that never came to pass, Sandberg did get an opportunity to manage his former team in Philadelphia. The Phillies hired him on an interim basis after firing Charlie Manuel midway through the 2013 season. Sandberg signed a three-year contract to take the position permanently the following offseason. He resigned during the 2015 campaign when the rebuilding club had a 26-48 record, finishing with a 119-159 record overall. He returned to the Cubs in a part-time instructional role and worked with the team as recently as this past Spring Training.
On top of his laundry list of on-field accomplishments, Sandberg was held in high esteem by teammates, fans and colleagues for his work ethic and humility. The Cubs will wear a jersey patch honoring him for the remainder of the season. His legacy will live on far beyond this year in the memories of generations of fans within and outside Chicago. MLBTR joins others throughout the game in sending condolences to Sandberg’s family, loved ones, friends and the countless people whose lives he impacted.
Image courtesy of David Banks, Imagn Images.
Brewers Have Interest In Ryan O’Hearn
The Brewers are among the teams with interest in Orioles first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. He adds that Milwaukee was one of the clubs in contact with the Diamondbacks about another lefty-hitting first baseman, Josh Naylor, before Arizona dealt him to Seattle.
O’Hearn is arguably just behind Naylor as the next-best impending free agent lefty hitter on the trade block. The 32-year-old O’Hearn was a first-time All-Star this season. He tore the cover off the ball for the season’s first two months, batting .333/.420/.542 with nine homers and eight doubles through the end of May. He’s down to a far less impressive .215/.318/.331 slash since the beginning of June. O’Hearn has been plagued by a meager .245 average on balls in play over this most recent stretch. His strikeout and walk profile remains strong, but his power output has dropped significantly. He only has three longballs over the past two months.
The slump is naturally a slight hit to O’Hearn’s trade value as Thursday’s deadline approaches. He’ll nevertheless be a popular target for teams looking for a boost against right-handed pitching. O’Hearn has a patient plate approach and has good if not elite batted ball metrics. He carries a strong .283/.348/.463 batting line when holding the platoon advantage going back to the start of 2023.
Baltimore is all but guaranteed to trade O’Hearn, who is a couple months from free agency. They presumably wouldn’t want to make him a qualifying offer, and they could give 23-year-old Coby Mayo everyday first base reps for the stretch run. O’Hearn is playing on an affordable $8MM salary, leaving roughly $2.5MM to be paid from the deadline on.
That should be a manageable sum for Milwaukee. They took on some money to fortify the backup catcher spot with tonight’s Danny Jansen trade. Jansen is another right-handed bat on a team that skews a little bit towards that side of the plate. They’re without lefty-hitting first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Bauers right now due to a shoulder impingement. O’Hearn is a better hitter than Bauers regardless. Andrew Vaughn has been playing first base every day with Rhys Hoskins also on the injured list. Vaughn has raked through his first 14 games in a Milwaukee uniform but hit .189/.218/.314 across 48 contests with the White Sox earlier in the year.
Brewers Acquire Danny Jansen
The Rays and Brewers announced a trade sending catcher Danny Jansen from Tampa Bay to Milwaukee in exchange for infield prospect Jadher Areinamo. The Rays are including some cash to help pay down the remaining $2.667MM on Jansen’s one-year, $8MM contract. It’s a homecoming for Jansen, who’s a native of Appleton, Wisconsin. The Rays’ changes behind the plate don’t stop there, as they’re reportedly in agreement to acquire Marlins catcher Nick Fortes in a separate trade (full breakdown on that swap available here).
Catching wasn’t a prominent need for the Brewers entering the season. William Contreras has emerged as one of the best backstops in the sport, slashing .283/.363/.472 from 2022-24. His once-panned defense has improved to premium levels in Milwaukee. However, Contreras has been playing through a fracture in his left middle finger and struggled considerably at the dish this season, slashing just .242/.342/.340 this season. Backup catcher Eric Haase hasn’t picked up the slack with the bat. Over the past month, Contreras and Haase have combined to hit .228/.294/.289.
As the Brewers’ catchers have struggled to increasing levels, Jansen has picked up the pace. He’s hitting just .204/.314/.389 on the season overall, but that’s dragged down by a brutal start to the year. Since May 11, he’s batting .232/.321/.486 in 163 trips to the plate.
Notably, while Jansen is hitting only .197 against lefties, he’s still getting on base against them at a big .356 clip and slugging .465 versus southpaws. Contreras is hitting .223/.373/.266 against lefties on the season. Haase is batting only .160/.192/.280 in his 26 plate appearances against left-handers. Jansen struggled against lefties mightily early in his career but has above-average on-base and power numbers against them each year since 2022. In that time, he’s slashing .216/.344/.442 when holding the platoon advantage
Jansen has graded as a plus defender in the past, but his framing and throwing grades have dwindled in recent years. Milwaukee has a knack for vastly improving catcher defense — framing in particular — which could bode well for a Jansen rebound in that regard. He’ll presumably move into a timeshare behind the plate with Contreras, who is penciled into tonight’s Brewers lineup. That could spell the end of Haase’s time on the roster, but it’s certainly possible the Brewers will carry three catchers or that they’ll give Contreras some extended downtime to allow his ailing left hand to heal.
Areinamo, 21, was an amateur signee out of Venezuela during the 2021-22 international signing period. Baseball America ranked him 10th among Milwaukee prospects on their latest midseason update of the system. He sat 17th at FanGraphs in mid-May and is currently 24th at MLB.com.
Though he’s primarily been a shortstop in High-A this season, Areinamo has more experience at second base than at short. He’s also dabbled at the hot corner. He’s turned in a .297/.355/.463 batting line in 415 plate appearances and popped 11 home runs on the year. Areinamo also has 24 doubles, a pair of triples and 15 stolen bases — albeit in 23 tries (65.2% success rate).
Scouting reports on Areinamo tout his plus hit tool but question an overaggressive approach that could be exposed as he moves up the ladder and faces more advanced pitching. Accordingly, he’s fanned in just 11.6% of his plate appearances in what is his second run through the High-A level. Listed at just 5’8″ and 160 pounds, Areinamo unsurprisingly possesses what scouts feel is below-average power. He has a chance to develop into an everyday option at second base, where his average arm profiles better than it does on the left side of the infield. He could also wind up being a contact-oriented utilityman who bounces between several positions.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported that the Rays and Brewers were finalizing a Jansen trade. Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported that the deal was done and that the Rays were in the process of adding another catcher. MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that Areinamo was the prospect return for the Rays and that Tampa Bay was including some cash in the swap.
Nationals’ Travis Sykora To Undergo Tommy John Surgery
Nationals announced to reporters today that pitching prospect Travis Sykora will require Tommy John surgery. He will miss the remainder of this season and probably all of 2026 as well. Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com was among those to relay the news.
It’s a brutal development for both Sykora and the Nats. The young righty was a third-round pick in the 2023 draft. Since then, he has raised his prospect stock with some strong results in the minors. Last year, he tossed 85 innings over 20 Single-A starts as a 20-year-old. He had a 2.33 earned run average, 8.2% walk rate and massive 39.2% strikeout rate. This year, he made another 12 starts across multiple levels, getting as high as Double-A. He had thrown 45 1/3 innings with a 1.79 ERA. His 10.1% walk rate was a bit high but he pushed his strikeout rate even higher to 46.7%.
Those numbers have pushed him up prospect boards. Baseball America currently ranks him the #36 prospect in the league, FanGraphs #28 and MLB Pipeline #24. Since he had already climbed to Double-A by the end of June, it was possible to imagine him being a key part of Washington’s roster next year. That won’t happen now. He could perhaps be a factor by 2027, but that will come with concerns about his workload and effectiveness after the long surgery layoff. He’ll be eligible for the Rule 5 draft in December of 2026, so the Nats will have to add him to the 40-man before that to protect him.
The Nats haven’t had a winning season since their 2019 championship campaign. They’ve largely been mired in a rebuild since then. It has been hoped in recent years for them to turn a corner but they haven’t been able to do that. This year’s 43-62 record is the worst in the National League, apart from the lowly Rockies. The struggles became magnified enough that both president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez got fired recently.
The club’s rotation outlook already had plenty of question marks before this. DJ Herz and Trevor Williams required Tommy John surgery this year. Josiah Gray is still recovering from last year’s Tommy John. Michael Soroka is an impending free agent and should be traded this week. MacKenzie Gore has established himself as an ace but he’s only under club control through 2027. Mitchell Parker, Jake Irvin and Brad Lord are back-end types. Cade Cavalli is posting mixed results in the minors.
Getting guys like Sykora and Jarlin Susana up to the big leagues would have been a huge help but now Sykora will be out for over a year. Susana missed a few months due to a sprain of his UCL, though he recently returned to the mound.
Put it all together and it’s less than ideal for the Nats. They clearly recognize changes are required, given the aforementioned firings. In the most recent offseason, they decided not to heavily invest in the team because they decided that they weren’t ready to take the next step. Time will tell if they stay in that lane or want to get more aggressive. Perhaps this news will impact that decision.
Photo courtesy of Henry Huey, Imagn Images