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Diamondbacks Sign Albert Almora To Minor League Deal

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The Diamondbacks have signed outfielder Albert Almora to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Reno. The move was announced by the minor league affiliate. Almora had been playing in Triple-A with the Marlins but was released last week.

A former sixth overall pick by the Cubs, Almora played parts of five seasons with Chicago as a light-hitting defensive specialist in center field. He logged a bit of time with the Mets in 2021 and appeared in 65 games for Cincinnati three seasons ago. The right-handed hitter turned in a .223/.282/.349 line through 235 plate appearances with the Reds in what remains his most recent big league action.

Almora spent all of last year in the Arizona system. He tallied nearly 600 plate appearances with Reno, batting .292/.349/.438 with nine home runs. That’s a solid slash line on the surface but is below average once one accounts for Reno’s status as one of the most hitter-friendly parks in affiliated ball. Almora never got an MLB look from the Snakes and signed a minor league deal with his hometown Marlins over the winter. He was batting .240/.289/.315 with their top affiliate in Jacksonville when they released him.

Griffin Canning Believed To Have Suffered Achilles Injury

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Mets starter Griffin Canning had to be helped off the field in the third inning of tonight’s win over the Braves. He injured his left leg in what initially seemed to be a small, harmless hop after a Nick Allen chopper to shortstop (video via Awful Announcing). Replay showed Canning’s foot appear to buckle as he hit the ground, immediately raising concern about a potential Achilles tear.

The team initially announced that Canning was being evaluated for a left ankle injury and was headed for an MRI. The club won’t provide a specific diagnosis until the imaging results come back, but manager Carlos Mendoza confirmed postgame that they believe it is an Achilles injury. While there’s no timeline yet, Canning’s season certainly seems to be in jeopardy.

Canning has been a surprisingly important piece of the Mets pitching staff. He signed for $4.25MM as a free agent after being let go by the Angels (in a salary dump trade) and Braves (via non-tender) earlier in the offseason. The former second-round pick might’ve opened the season in long relief had everyone been healthy. Injuries to Sean Manaea, Frankie Montas and Paul Blackburn pushed him into the starting five. He ran with the opportunity.

The 29-year-old Canning took a 3.91 earned run average across 73 2/3 innings into tonight’s start. His abbreviated outing dropped that to a 3.77 mark. He has gotten ground-balls half the time while recording a league average 21.3% strikeout rate. The strikeout rate is up nearly four percentage points while he has cut his ERA by about a run and a half relative to his final season with the Angels. The Mets encouraged Canning to use his slider a little more often than he had with the Halos to positive results.

While Canning struggled last season, he’d shown the potential to pitch at the back of a rotation earlier in his career. He’d struggled to rack up many innings because of various injuries, though. He lost a good portion of ’21 and the entire following year to a stress reaction in his lower back. Canning also missed time with elbow soreness at the beginning of his career. He had avoided the injured list for the past year and a half.

The Mets have lost three starters this month. Tylor Megill is going to miss at least a month with an elbow sprain, and they’ll need to closely monitor his progress to try avoid any setbacks. Kodai Senga will be down for a couple weeks with a hamstring strain. Canning’s injury seems the most severe of all.

Montas returned to make his season debut this week. Manaea is expected back next week despite a brief setback after he received an injection to treat a loose body in his elbow. Blackburn, who was briefly the subject of trade chatter when he seemed to be seventh on the depth chart, is now entrenched in the rotation behind Clay Holmes and David Peterson. The Mets will go with Peterson, Blackburn and Montas for this weekend’s series in Pittsburgh. They’re off on Monday and could activate Manaea to take Canning’s rotation spot next week. Blade Tidwell and Justin Hagenman are candidates for a spot start if they want to give Manaea a few extra days.

The Mets probably would have been in the rotation market at the deadline even if Canning were healthy. There’s a lot of risk in counting on Megill to make a smooth return from an elbow injury. Montas got through five scoreless innings in his season debut but had been knocked around on his minor league rehab stint.

Canning will reach six-plus service years and return to free agency this offseason. A significant Achilles injury would threaten a good portion of his ’26 availability and would obviously deal a huge hit to his market value.

A’s Release Seth Brown

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Outfielder Seth Brown has become a free agent after being waived by the A’s. The MLB.com transaction log indicates that he was released. MLBTR has learned that Brown, who recently crossed the five-year service threshold, elected free agency after going unclaimed on waivers. It’s an immaterial distinction, as he’ll hit the market while retaining the remainder of this season’s $2.7MM salary in either case. The A’s had not previously designated Brown for assignment, so this drops their 40-man roster count to 39.

It does not impact their active roster. Brown has been on the injured list since June 13 with a minor left elbow injury. Once he reached the five-year service mark, Brown earned the right to refuse an optional assignment back to Triple-A. That meant the A’s would have needed to keep him in the majors once he was ready to return from the injured list. They instead opted to place him on waivers and allow him to move on entirely.

The lefty-hitting Brown has struggled at the major league level this year. He’s hitting .185/.303/.262 with one homer and 23 strikeouts over 76 plate appearances. He spent a couple weeks in Triple-A after being outrighted off the 40-man roster in late May. Brown obliterated minor league pitching, collecting 21 hits and seven home runs in nine games to quickly get selected back onto the MLB roster. He unfortunately was limited to five games before going on the injured list. The A’s welcomed Gio Urshela back from the IL at the same time and have decided to stick with Max Schuemann and JJ Bleday for the final two bench spots.

Brown reached 20+ home runs in consecutive seasons in 2021-22. His numbers have dropped since then, though he hit .263/.304/.413 in the second half last year to persuade the A’s to tender him an arbitration contract. They’ll remain on the hook for the rest of that money aside from the prorated portion of the $760K league minimum for whatever time he spends on another club’s MLB roster. Whichever team signs Brown would only pay the league minimum this year and could control him via arbitration for another season. That’d require a salary in a similar or higher level as this year’s $2.7MM mark, though, so he’d be a non-tender candidate in the offseason even if he finds an immediate MLB opportunity as a free agent.

Royals’ Picollo On Trade Deadline Approach

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The Royals dropped their fifth straight game last night, falling 4-0 to the Rays. They’re now 38-43, dropping into fourth place in the AL Central behind a Twins club that has also struggled mightily over the past couple weeks. After playing winning baseball in both April and May, the Royals are 7-15 in June, due largely to an offense that has consistently struggled to produce runs. They’ve been shut out in consecutive games and have been held to two or fewer runs in five straight.

Like most clubs around the league, the Royals don’t seem inclined to punt on the season anytime soon. General manager J.J. Picollo told Anne Rogers of MLB.com earlier this week that so long as the team is in “striking distance” of a postseason spot — Kansas City is presently four games back from a Wild Card berth — there’s no sense in panicking and thinking the season is over. “…[T]here are just too many games left in the season,” said Picollo.

If anything, the Royals’ baseball ops leader gives the tone of someone hopeful of adding to the club barring a major collapse. Picollo used phrases like “trying to build off of something that was really positive last year” and referenced the importance of repeat playoff appearances to the city and fan base. MLBTR readers are encouraged to check out Rogers’ entire interview, as it contains several quotes from the Royals’ GM on his mindset and the team’s situation with the deadline beginning to appear on the horizon. Notably, Picollo implied that there’d perhaps be more willingness to part with talent if he were acquiring a player with multiple years of club control (presumably, a bat to bolster a flailing Royals offense):

“If you get a lot of years of control, there are some guys you might not have wanted to trade, but are more willing to do it because you’re getting a Major League player for a number of years,” said Picollo before emphasizing the importance of keeping an open mind in trade talks. The GM went on to add that owner John Sherman has promised support of whatever direction Picollo recommends.

If the Royals are to add, the middle of the lineup would be an obvious starting point. Kansas City’s 263 runs scored this season rank last in Major League Baseball. Royals hitters entered play Thursday tied for 19th in the majors with a .244 batting average but rank 26th with a collective .298 on-base percentage and 27th with a .366 slugging percentage. Only the Pirates (55) have fewer than Kansas City’s 56 home runs. Major league home run leader Cal Raleigh has equaled 57% of the Royals’ team-wide home run output.

Entering Thursday, the Royals only had three league-average or better hitters, per the wRC+ metric (excluding Luke Maile and his 10 plate appearances). Vinnie Pasquantino’s .266/.325/.405 batting line comes out to exactly average (100 wRC+) after weighting for the Royals’ home park. Bobby Witt Jr. has been excellent but not nearly as good as last year’s MVP-caliber season, hitting .282/.338/.484 (121 wRC+). Maikel Garcia, meanwhile, has erupted with a .310/.369/.484 slash that’s 37% better than average.

Not only are those the only three hitters producing at average or better rates — no one else is even close. Jonathan India was acquired over the winter in hopes of providing some needed on-base help at the top of the lineup. He’s batting .236/.313/.330 (80 wRC+). Salvador Perez has been a rock in the heart of the lineup at Kauffman Stadium for more than a decade, but age and an ironman workload behind the plate for so many years may be catching up to him, if the 35-year-old’s .232/.273/.387 line (77 wRC+) is any indication. Top prospect Jac Caglianone has struggled to a .186/.240/.314 output through his first 75 plate appearances replacing the released Hunter Renfroe. Outfielders Drew Waters and Kyle Isbel are receiving regular playing time, but neither is hitting.

The Royals rank in the bottom-four of all major league teams in terms of production from their second basemen (.215/.295/.293, 29th), left fielders (.225/.295/.314, 27th) and designated hitters (.205/.269/.329, 27th). That leaves ample room to explore upgrades, particularly since Garcia could theoretically slide from third base to second base if Kansas City were to find a controllable solution at the hot corner. Garcia has been primarily a third baseman in his career, but he’s played just shy of 500 professional innings at second base, including 339 over the past three big league seasons in Kansas City.

The Royals opened the season about $17MM shy of the franchise-record $143MM payroll. Granted, that high water mark was established under the late David Glass, who sold the team to Sherman in Nov. 2019. However, Picollo’s comment that Sherman pledged to be “’open to anything you bring to me'” at the trade deadline bodes well for some support for a notable salary. There are surely limitations to that — it’s doubtful Kansas City was ever going to pick up the $250MM or so remaining on Rafael Devers’ contract, for instance — but the addition of a mid-range contract seems feasible.

That’s particularly true if it extends beyond the current season, as the Royals only have $50MM in guaranteed money on next year’s books. They’ll owe notable arbitration raises to Garcia, Pasquantino, Kris Bubic, Daniel Lynch IV and Lucas Erceg (among others).

Mariners Looking For Corner Infield Bats; Ownership Willing To Bump Payroll

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The Mariners are currently 41-38 and in possession of the final American League Wild Card spot, putting them in position to add at the deadline. Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports that the club is looking to add an impact bat at a corner infield spot, though he adds that they could also just get the best bat available and worry about the positioning later. An extra leverage arm for the bullpen is another reported target. Kramer also reports that “ownership will green light increased spending” at this year’s deadline.

The note about the payroll is quite relevant. Throughout the offseason, reporting indicated that the club had about $15MM of spending capacity for upgrading the roster. The M’s then spent a combined $11.25MM on signing Jorge Polanco and Donovan Solano. In early May, they claimed Leody Taveras off waivers from the Rangers, taking on the roughly $3.7MM he had left to be paid out on this year’s salary. The M’s later outrighted Taveras to Triple-A.

Given that the M’s had seemingly spent their budget, it would have been fair to wonder about their ability to make deadline additions. While it’s unclear exactly how much increased spending ownership is willing to approve, any extra pocket money should help the front office pursue external additions.

As for the specific targets, they are not surprising, as the M’s have question marks at both infield corners. Ben Williamson has received the lion’s share of playing time at third base this year and has been solid with the glove, but has hit just .255/.291/.311 for a 77 wRC+. At first base, Rowdy Tellez was the regular there before his subpar bat got him bumped off the roster. He was designated for assignment last week and put on release waivers today.

Solano is now getting most of the playing time at first. He’s not having a great season overall but has been heating up after a dreadful start. He was hitting .131/.156/.148 through May 17th but has a massive .420/.463/.640 line since then. That latter line is a small sample of just 54 plate appearances and inflated by an unsustainable .474 batting average on balls in play but there’s no harm in riding the hot hand in the short term. He also slashed .294/.353/.413 for a 112 wRC+ from 2019 to 2024, so he has a track record of strong offense.

Considering that he’s 37 years old and slumped early in the year, it’s understandable that the M’s may not want to be totally reliant on him. A lot of his damage has also come against lefties in recent years, so they could consider a platoon, though he has reverse splits in this year’s small sample of work.

As for specific targets, Kramer relays that the Mariners have considered a reunion with old friend Eugenio Suárez, currently of the Diamondbacks. Suárez played for Seattle in 2022 and 2023, hitting a bunch of home runs but also striking out a lot. The M’s made a concerted effort to reimagine their offense with fewer punchouts and traded him to Arizona ahead of the 2024 season.

With the Snakes, Suárez got out to a rough start but has been one of the best hitters in baseball for about the past year. He had a .216/.302/.366 line and 87 wRC+ in the first half of 2024 but then exploded for a .307/.341/.602 showing and 153 wRC+ in the second half. Here in 2025, he already has 25 home runs, a .251/.323/.569 line and a 141 wRC+. He’s also been striking out less in the process. He struck out more than 30% of the time as a Mariner but dropped that rate to 27.5% last year and is down to 25.7% so far this year.

His defense isn’t as strong as Williamson’s but he would obviously provide a huge boost to the lineup from the third base spot. Suárez is making a notable salary of $15MM this year, which would leave about $5MM left to be paid out as of the deadline. As mentioned, it’s unknown how much wiggle room the M’s will have to take on money.

It’s possible the Diamondbacks would be willing to eat some of the money but it’s also not entirely clear if they want to make Suárez available at all. Despite a rash of injuries, they are currently 41-39 and just three games out of a playoff spot in the National League. If they fall back in the next few weeks, the possibility of a Suárez trade should increase.

There’s also an argument for Arizona to trade Suárez even in a win-now move. They have lost several arms to injury and could flip him for help on the pitching staff, with Jordan Lawlar then taking over at third. However, there is risk in that path. Lawlar is a top prospect and keeps hitting in the minors but hasn’t yet taken advantage of his major league chances.

Kramer also mentions Arizona first baseman Josh Naylor, noting that he had been linked to the M’s prior to being traded from Cleveland to Arizona in the offseason. Naylor, like Suárez, is an impending free agent. He is making $10.9MM this year while slashing .307/.363/.479 for a 132 wRC+.

Kramer also mentions some other players as possible fits, including Jarren Duran of the Red Sox as well as Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins and Félix Bautista of the Orioles, though those appear to be more speculative suggestions. He also throws out Isiah Kiner-Falefa of the Pirates and Jesús Sánchez of the Marlins as other possibilities.

Duran and Mullins are outfielders but, as mentioned, the Mariners might just grab the best bat they can and figure out the defense later. Luke Raley is currently spending most of his time in the outfield corners but could perhaps spend more time at first base if the M’s added an outfielder.

O’Hearn and Mullins are both impending free agents on a struggling Baltimore club, so they seem likely to be moved. O’Hearn is having a terrific year, with a .301/.384/.485 line and 149 wRC+. His $8MM salary is not nothing but it’s barely half of what Suárez is making. Mullins was hot to start the year but has gone cold lately. He had a .278/.412/.515 line and 168 wRC+ at the end of April but has since put up a line of .167/.201/.348 for a wRC+ of 50. He is making $8.725MM this year.

Duran is still controllable for three years after this one but the Sox have a crowded long-term outfield mix that also includes Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony, Masataka Yoshida and Jhostynxon Garcia. Perhaps the Sox would consider making Duran available as a way to preemptively clear out that logjam while simultaneously adding talent somewhere else. They are currently 40-42 and 2.5 games back of a Wild Card spot.

As for the bullpen, all contenders generally look for upgrades at the deadline. Bautista should be highly attractive if the O’s are willing to make him available but it’s unclear if they would. Unlike Mullins and O’Hearn, he can be retained for two more seasons beyond this one. But given the general volatility of relievers, Baltimore might think about cashing him in during a down year for the club overall.

After missing the 2024 due to Tommy John surgery recovery, Bautista’s control has been a problem, with a 15% walk rate. But he’s still been effective overall, with a 2.60 earned run average and 33.6% strikeout rate. It’s possible he is reining in his command as the season goes along as he has dropped that walk rate to 9.4% in June.

Kiner-Falefa is a glove-first utility guy, hitting .273/.319/.346 this year for the Bucs, which translates to a wRC+ of 85. He is making $7.5MM this season but the Blue Jays are on the hook for part of that as part of the trade that sent him to Pittsburgh at last year’s deadline. Sánchez has generally been a league average hitter for the Marlins. He is in his sixth big league season and has a .240/.309/.425 line and 99 wRC+. He is making $4.5MM this year and can be controlled for two more seasons via arbitration.

There are many possibilities for Seattle, which should make for a very interesting deadline. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has a reputation as being one of the most trade-happy executives in the sport and the Mariners have one of the best farm systems. Reportedly, they wanted to deal prospects for big leaguers during the offseason but found few clubs willing to make that kind of pact since so many teams came into the year hoping to contend. As the season goes along and some clubs fall back in the standings, they might be more willing to take some of those prospects off the Mariners’ hands.

Photo courtesy of Joe Nicholson, Imagn Images.

Pirates Sign Génesis Cabrera, Designate Hunter Stratton For Assignment

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The Pirates announced that they have signed left-hander Génesis Cabrera to a major league contract. In corresponding moves, they have optioned right-hander Michael Darrell-Hicks and designated righty Hunter Stratton for assignment.

Cabrera, 28, has some major league success on his track record but has been inconsistent. Since he can’t be optioned to the minors, he has bounced around the league this year. He started the year with the Mets on a minor league deal. That club called him up and put him into six games before designating him for assignment. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and then signed with the Cubs. He made nine appearances for Chicago before the process repeated, with the southpaw again getting designated for assignment and electing free agency in recent days.

Between those two clubs, he has a 6.35 earned run average in 17 innings on the year. His 21.1% strikeout rate and 8.5% walk rate are both close to average but the home run has been a problem. He’s already allowed five, halfway to his personal high, a rate of 19.2% per fly ball.

Ultimately, it’s a small sample of work. As mentioned, he had good seasons in the past. In 2021, he tossed 70 innings for the Cardinals with a 3.73 ERA. His 12.2% walk rate was high but he struck out 26% of batters faced. In the years to come, his walk rate would stay a bit on the high side but the punchouts would oscillate. He only struck out 16.5% of batters faced in 2022, got that back up to 24.3% in 2023, but it dipped again to 18.5% last year.

The Pirates have lost two lefty relievers to the injured list, with Ryan Borucki and Tim Mayza both currently on the shelf. Cabrera can slot in alongside Caleb Ferguson and give the Bucs a second southpaw in the relief corps.

Stratton, 28, started the year with the Bucs on a minor league deal but cracked the Opening Day roster. He has since been shuttled to Triple-A and back a few times. He’s only been put into three big league games, allowing seven earned runs in 2 2/3 innings for an unsightly 23.63 ERA.

His Triple-A work has been far better, with a 3.65 ERA in 24 2/3 innings this year. He struck out 23.8% of batters faced at that level, walked 7.9% and generated grounders on 50% of balls in play. That’s more in line with his previous big league work. With the Bucs over 2023 and 2024, he tossed 49 2/3 innings with a 3.26 ERA, 21% strikeout rate, 4.9% walk rate and 41% ground ball rate.

He now heads into DFA limbo, which can last as long as a week. The waiver process takes 48 hours, so the Pirates could take as long as five days to talk explore trade talks. He has a full slate of options and his numbers have generally been good, so he could appeal to a club looking for extra relief depth. He has less than three years of service time and has not been previously outrighted in his career, so he would not have the right to elect free agency if he passes through outright waivers unclaimed in the next week.

Photo courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski, Imagn Images

Wander Franco Found Guilty Of Sexual Abuse

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Wander Franco has been found guilty of sexual abuse of a minor in the Dominican Republic, according to reporting from Juan Arturo Recio and Jeff Passan of ESPN. He has received a two-year suspended sentence and will have to serve the sentence if he doesn’t meet certain conditions. The primary condition is that he does not approach minors with sexual intentions.

In August of 2023, investigators in the D.R. began looking into accusations that the Rays shortstop had engaged in a sexual relationship with a 14-year-old girl while he was 21. The age of consent in that country is 18. In July of 2024, Franco was formally charged with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a minor, as well as human trafficking. In September of last year, it was reported that the case would proceed to trial.

Major League Baseball placed Franco on administrative leave in August last year when the accusations first emerged, standard procedure for players who are being investigated under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy. He was reinstated for the offseason in a procedural move but placed back on administrative leave when the 2024 campaign began. He was moved to the restricted list in July of 2024, at which point he was no longer receiving big league pay or service time.

Throughout the proceedings, accusations had also emerged against the girl’s mother, that she received payments from Franco worth thousands of dollars to remain silent about her daughter’s abuse. Per Recio and Passan, she has been found guilty of trafficking her daughter and sentenced to ten years in prison.

Major League Baseball released a statement on the verdict today, relayed by Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. “Major League Baseball is proud to have a collectively bargained Joint Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Policy that reflects our commitment to these issues. We are aware of today’s verdict in the Wander Franco trial and will conclude our investigation at the appropriate time.” Per that policy, the league can impose discipline even in the absence of legal charges.

Back in 2021, Franco and the Rays signed an 11-year, $182MM extension which was set to run through 2032. In the wake of his conviction, it’s unclear if he’ll be able to get the work visa necessary for him to return to the United States.

Photo courtesy of Brad Penner, Imagn Images.

Mets Notes: Vientos, Manaea, Outfield

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Mets third baseman Mark Vientos, out more than three weeks due to a hamstring strain, tells the team’s beat that he expects to be activated from the injured list tomorrow (via Will Sammon of The Athletic). The Mets will need to make a decision as to how they’ll create active roster space for Vientos. Fellow young infielders Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio are both struggling at the moment, as is outfielder/designated hitter Jared Young.

The 25-year-old Baty shook off a terrible start to the season, finding his swing in mid-April and slashing .296/.352/.580 over his next 89 plate appearances. That production came in a fairly limited role — those 89 turns at the plate came over a span of about six weeks — but it was encouraging from the former top prospect. He’s since fallen back into a swoon, hitting just .179/.233/.299 this month (albeit with five hits in his past three games).

Mauricio, 24, has popped three homers in 62 plate appearances but slashed only .224/.274/.414 overall. He’s fanned at a 30.6% clip and has just eight hits in his past 41 plate appearances (including a home run last night). That marks his first MLB action since 2023. He missed the entire 2024 season after suffering a torn ACL during winter ball in the 2023-24 offseason.

Young, 29, is a journeyman in his first season with the Mets organization. The former Cubs and Cardinals farmhand posted huge numbers in the Korea Baseball Organization last year and has produced well in Triple-A Syracuse, but he’s hitting just .171/.227/.415 in 44 big league plate appearances. Like Mauricio, he’s swatted three homers in minimal playing time but generally struggled outside that flash of power.

Both Baty and Mauricio are in the last of their option years. Mauricio was already optioned once this season but spent fewer than 20 days in the minors and thus technically has not yet burned that final option year. Young has still has an option remaining beyond the current season.

A healthy Vientos could go a long way toward rejuvenating some of the Mets’ floundering offense — at least if he can get back to his 2024 form. The former second-round pick broke out with a .266/.322/.516 slash and 27 homers in just 111 games last year, but he’s hitting only .230/.298/.380 in 2025 — despite lowering his strikeout rate from 29.7% to 23.6%.

The Mets are also eagerly awaiting the return of left-hander Sean Manaea. The rotation suffered a pair of losses in the past two weeks, with both Kodai Senga (hamstring) and Tylor Megill (elbow) hitting the injured list. Frankie Montas returned and pitched well in his season debut this week, which helps to patch over some of that lost depth, but Manaea was arguably the Mets’ best starter down the stretch last season and is ticketed for a key role in the rotation.

Manaea has been out with an oblique strain. He was gearing up for a return and progressing through a rehab assignment when, earlier this week, imaging revealed a loose body in his elbow. President of baseball operations David Stearns downplayed concerns that it’s a serious issue. Manaea received an injection and was shut down for a couple days. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports that Manaea is playing catch today — his first throwing since that injection — and remains on track to return at some point next week.

Setbacks or new injuries for any of Senga, Megill, Montas or Manaea could guide the Mets’ approach at the trade deadline, but for now it seems the expectation is that there are no catastrophic injuries among them. Megill is about 10 days into what’s expected to be an absence of four to five weeks, at least, but that’s the longest-reaching outlook.

A greater need at the deadline could rest in the outfield. Mets outfielders are among the most productive group in the majors overall, but a disproportionate amount of that production has come from scorching-hot Juan Soto and continued steady production from Brandon Nimmo in left field. Mets center fielders are batting just .240/.302/.364 as a group this season, and the resulting 88 wRC+ checks in 18th in the majors. Even that modest batting line is a bit misleading, as it includes productive small-sample output from both Nimmo and Jeff McNeil. Tyrone Taylor has received the lion’s share of center field reps in 2025 but batted just .227/.284/.333 when patrolling the position. Jose Siri, José Azocar and Luisangel Acuña have combined for 31 plate appearances in center field and hit poorly as well.

McNeil is doing fine work at the plate and even robbed Marcell Ozuna of a home run in center the other day, but he had all of 16 major league innings of experience at the position entering the season. The Mets are currently choosing between McNeil’s hot bat and Taylor’s steady glove in center on any given day, but an acquisition could change that.

SNY’s Andy Martino writes that he expects the Mets to be in the market for a center fielder over the next five weeks, speculating on the possibility of Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins and Boston’s Jarren Duran. There’s no indication the Mets have reached out to inquire on either AL East outfielder, to be clear, nor have either the Orioles or Red Sox signaled that they’re planning to operate as deadline sellers. Still, given the struggles of most of the Mets’ center fielders, it’s a natural area of focus, and those would be two logical targets among a broader base of possible trade candidates.

If two of Vientos, Baty, Mauricio and Acuña were hitting well enough to justify regular playing time, perhaps living with McNeil playing out of position in center would be more palatable. As it is, with that quartet scuffling — Acuña has already been optioned to Syracuse — there’s an argument to be made that the Mets ought to shift McNeil back to the more familiar position and explore some center field possibilities as the deadline draws nearer. There’s still plenty of time for that group of young infielders to get right at the plate, and their performance over the next month will be telling, as it’ll likely have a direct impact on the team’s goals.

Alex Bregman Open To Extension Talks With Red Sox

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Alex Bregman has an upcoming opt-out in his contract but he is willing to talk with the Red Sox about sticking around longer. “I always tell the team — and Alex directs me to tell them — we’re always open to any conversation,” Bregman’s agent Scott Boras said to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “Any player who plays well somewhere, it’s something that’s important for the team and important for the player. It’s an additive.” Boras also mentioned that Bregman and his family have been happy with their time being in Boston so far.

It’s not especially surprising that Bregman and Boras would be open to a long-term offer. While Boras clients have a reputation for being averse to extensions, that’s normally for early-career players who don’t want to give up future earning power by delaying their path to free agency. In Bregman’s case, he already reached free agency after last season. He didn’t quite get the long-term deal he was looking for, so he pivoted to a short-term pact. He and the Sox signed a three-year deal with a $120MM guaranteed, though with notable deferrals that knocked the net present value closer to $90MM, with opt-out chances after each season.

The goal in signing a contract of that nature is to bank some high earnings on an annual basis while still maintaining the ability to get a larger guarantee down the line. The Bregman situation has a lot of parallels with that of Matt Chapman, another Boras client. Chapman also found the offers lacking in his first foray to free agency, settling for a three-year, $54MM deal with the Giants. His first season in San Francisco was going well enough that they didn’t want him to return to free agency, so they signed him to a six-year, $151MM deal in September of last year.

Bregman would presumably be happy with a similar sequence of events playing out for him and he has mostly done his part so far. By all accounts, he has been a positive force in taking on a clubhouse leader role on a roster with plenty of young players. He has also hit .299 /.385/.553 for a 158 wRC+ this season, his best offensive showing in years. He’s been out of action for about a month due to a quad strain but should be back in the not-too-distant future. Manager Álex Cora recently said Bregman would likely stay on the IL through the All-Star break, per Healey.

Given his contributions on and off the field, the Sox are naturally happy with Bregman as well. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow recently discussed the matter with The Greg Hill Show on WEEI. Breslow declined to get into specifics on the contract negotiations but heaped praise on Bregman and expressed an openness to having future talks. “What I’m very comfortable saying is Alex has been everything we could have asked for both on the field,” Breslow said, “but also in the clubhouse from a leadership standpoint. Not just in the way he’s helped younger players and our staff but in the ways that he’s helped me and many of us in the front office. And so right now while we’re focused on doing everything we can to get him back on the field as quickly as possible, when the right time comes to have those conversations, very, very confident that we will.”

When Bregman first signed, it was fair to wonder if it was going to be a short-term arrangement. The Sox had Rafael Devers at third, signed for years to come. Bregman could have played second base for a year, opted out and signed elsewhere.

Much has changed since then, of course. The Sox moved Devers to a designated hitter role and put Bregman at his natural third base position. That appeared to sour the relationship between Devers and the club, which eventually led to him getting flipped to the Giants earlier this month.

That trade blew a big hole in the Boston lineup but it also freed up a lot of spending capacity, with Devers still owed about $250MM at the time of the swap. The Sox also took on Jordan Hicks and the roughly $30MM remaining in his deal but they nonetheless opened up a lot of money that was previously tied to Devers.

In the wake of that swap, the baseball world immediately began speculating if the Sox pivot to locking up Bregman with that money. That seems to be a distinct possibility, though the two sides will have to agree on a price point.

In the winter, Bregman apparently got long-term offers of $156MM from the Astros and around $170MM from the Tigers, though the latter would have come with some amount of deferred money. Bregman was reportedly looking for something around $200MM but couldn’t quite get there, which is why he accepted the short-term deal with the Sox.

Getting offers in that range again may be enough to get it done. If Bregman were offered something around $160MM on a new deal, he and Boras could argue that he hit the $200MM target, when factoring in this year’s $40MM salary. That doesn’t account for the deferrals lowering the net present value of that salary, but that’s generally the point of deferrals, to mask the true value of a contract.

Perhaps the two sides will start talking again as Bregman’s potential opt-out looms. If the Sox want Bregman locked up for the long term, they might want to get it done while he’s under contract, like the Giants did with Chapman. The Sox could always re-sign him in the offseason but then they would face competition from other clubs. In the meantime, Bregman will focus on getting healthy for a second half push.

Marcelo Mayer has largely been covering third base in Bregman’s absence but he has also started dabbling at second base, as Nate Eaton has played third, with Kristian Campbell having been recently optioned to the minors. Campbell has been playing some first base on the farm and could be a candidate to slide over there if Bregman is the long-term third baseman, though Triston Casas will be back from his injury next year. The DH spot is now open with the Devers trade though the Sox also have a crowded bunch of outfielders spilling into that spot.

Photo courtesy of Eric Canha, Imagn Images

Mariners Place Rowdy Tellez On Release Waivers

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June 26: The Mariners announced Thursday that Tellez is on unconditional release waivers. Assuming he clears, he’ll be free to sign with any team for the prorated league minimum.

June 20: The Mariners have designated first baseman Rowdy Tellez for assignment, per a team announcement. His spot on the roster will go to outfielder/first baseman Luke Raley, who’s been activated from the injured list after missing seven weeks with an oblique strain.

Tellez, 30, is in his eighth big league season and has popped 11 home runs while serving as Seattle’s primary first baseman. Early in the year, he was expected to see more time at designated hitter for skipper Dan Wilson, but the injury to Raley and ongoing injury issues for infielder Jorge Polanco (who was accordingly relegated to DH work) pushed Tellez into the field on a regular basis.

After a disastrous start to his season, Tellez righted the ship in mid-April and has been a serviceable but flawed source of power in the heart of the Mariners’ order. He reached base just once in his first 23 plate appearances but has since swatted 11 homers and slugged .484. That power comes with a low average and bottom-of-the-barrel OBP, however. Tellez rarely walks, is easy to position against defensively due to his extreme-pull approach, and is measured by Statcast as the slowest player in baseball (eliminating virtually any chance of him reaching via infield hit).

Dating back to April 11, Tellez has taken 162 turns at the plate and is hitting .229/.265/.484. He’s been shielded almost entirely from left-handed pitching, receiving just 14 plate appearances and reaching base only twice (one single, one hit-by-pitch). He’s hitting .219/.257/.463 against right-handed pitching this year.

With Raley nearing a return, it seemed likely that either Tellez or fellow veteran first base option Donovan Solano could be pushed off the roster. Since both Tellez and Raley hit left-handed, the Mariners opted to move on from the veteran who can keep a platoon intact. Solano has helped his cause by hitting better over the past month, albeit in an excessively limited role. He’s batted .333/.394/.467 since May 20 but done so in only 33 plate appearances (26 of them against lefties).

For the time being, Solano and Raley will presumably platoon at first base. That’s not an ideal setup, as Raley is more comfortable in the outfield than at first and Solano has struggled this season overall. The Mariners will, at the very least, likely explore the trade market for righty-swinging options at first base in the weeks ahead. Dominic Canzone has provided slightly better-than-average offense in right field since being called up earlier this month (.233/.303/.400 in 33 plate appearances), but if he struggles like he has in two prior MLB seasons, the Mariners could move Raley to right field. That would set them up to either give prospect Tyler Locklear a run at first base or explore the trade market for a full-time upgrade either at first base or in right field.

The Mariners will have five days to trade Tellez or place him on waivers. He originally signed a minor league contract with Seattle but locked in a $1.5MM salary when he made the roster after a big spring performance. He’s still owed about $806K of that sum, as of this writing.

Any team that claims Tellez off waivers would assume the entirety of that remaining salary. If the M’s find an interested trade partner, they could include some cash to offset the salary in exchange for what would still likely be a nominal prospect return. Since waivers are a 48-hour process, we’ll know the outcome of Tellez’s DFA within a maximum of one week’s time. In the event that he clears waivers, Tellez has enough service time to elect free agency and retain the remaining money on this year’s salary.

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