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Shintaro Fujinami Signs With NPB’s Yokohama DeNA BayStars

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Former big leaguer Shintaro Fujinami has returned to Japan. He signed with the Yokohama DeNA BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced. The hard-throwing righty was released from a minor league deal with the Mariners last month.

This probably marks the end of Fujinami’s two and a half seasons in affiliated ball. The 6’6″ righty has an upper-90s fastball but hasn’t been able to harness his stuff. The rebuilding A’s took a one-year, $3.25MM flier on Fujinami in advance of the 2023 season. They initially gave him a rotation opportunity, but he struggled mightily in seven starts and quickly moved to the bullpen.

While Fujinami had an 8.57 ERA in 34 appearances with the A’s, they managed to flip him to the Orioles at the trade deadline. He tallied 29 2/3 frames of 4.85 ERA ball for Baltimore. Fujinami secured a big league split deal from the Mets in his return to free agency. He never made an MLB appearance with New York, spending time on the injured list before being designated for assignment.

Fujinami pitched in Puerto Rico over the winter to land another affiliated opportunity. He secured a minor league contract with Seattle in January but struggled to a 5.79 ERA with 26 walks in 18 2/3 Triple-A innings. He’ll now head back to NPB, where he owns a 3.41 earned run average in parts of 10 seasons.

Manfred On Twins Sale, Media Rights, Potential For Bay Area Expansion

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MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media ahead of tonight’s All-Star game, touching on various topics, including the sale of the Twins, the ongoing media rights situation and the possibility of the Bay Area getting a future expansion franchise.

The Twins have been on the block for almost a year now, as it was back in October that the Pohlad family announced it would be exploring a sale. Per Dan Hayes and Evan Drellich of The Athletic as well as Phil Miller of the Star Tribune, Manfred chalked up the ongoing delay to the Justin Ishbia situation.

Justin Ishbia and his brother Mat were connected to the Twins early in the sale process. However, Justin abandoned his pursuit of the Twins and doubled down on his connection with the White Sox. Justin was already a minority owner of the Sox and, by early June, had a deal in place to become the eventual owner of that franchise.

The way Manfred frames it, Ishbia was initially viewed as such a frontrunner for the Twins that other potential bidders backed off. “You know this is a small business, right?” Manfred said. “All those bankers that are out there, there ain’t that many of them, they all talk to each other. When it becomes clear that you have a leader in the clubhouse, everybody else kind of backs away, right? Because they kind of get a feel for price. And unless they’re prepared to top, they’re going to move on and do something else. So a big part of the delay in Minnesota was associated with the leader in the clubhouse made a decision to do something else.”

However, interest has supposedly ramped up since Ishbia pivoted to the Sox. “I know some things that you don’t know,” Manfred said. “I can tell you with a lot of confidence that there will be a transaction there, and it will be consistent with the kind of pricing that has taken place. There will be a transaction. We just need to be patient while they rework.”

It has been reported since March that the Pohlad family is hoping to get $1.7 billion for the Twins. A $1.5 billion number which was floated by one potential bidder was considered “a non-starter.” Last year, the Angelos family sold the Orioles for $1.725MM. Rays owner Stuart Sternberg reportedly has an agreement in principle to sell the Rays for $1.7 billion this year. Perhaps the market has been set in a way which will allow the Pohlad family to get their asking price, though today’s piece from The Athletic notes that the Twins are carrying a fairly high debt load of $425MM.

Manfred also addressed the league’s media rights situation, per Drellich. Manfred previously noted that he hoped to have something to announce before the All-Star game in relation to the collapsed ESPN deal but it appears nothing is across the finish line yet. He said today that progress is being made but he didn’t specify a new target date for getting something done.

It was reported back in February that ESPN opted out of their deal with MLB for the 2026 through 2028 seasons. That deal included broadcast rights for Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby and the Wild Card round of the playoffs. ESPN still has the rights for the current season but those products are still up for grabs after 2025.

ESPN’s deal would have seen them pay $550MM annually, had they not opted out. They were reportedly willing to go as high as $200MM in order to keep the rights but MLB balked at that price. NBC reportedly made some kind of offer in May but it’s unknown what kind of number was floated, apart from it being “much less” than $550MM. Last month, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported that MLB and ESPN had renewed talks and that Apple and Fox had also been connected to the package, in addition to NBC.

On another note, Manfred left the door open for a future expansion franchise coming to the Bay Area, per Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle and John Shea of the San Francisco Standard. “In terms of expansion,” he said, “open book. You know what? People who want baseball should participate in the expansion process when we start that process, and I think by being wide open, with no predeterminations as to where it’s going, we’re going to end up with the best locations if we want to expand.”

The Bay Area still has the Giants but recently lost the Athletics, who are in the process of moving from Oakland to Las Vegas. Manfred cited recent changes in government as increasing the odds of a new franchise coming back to Oakland. “I don’t have any problem with any government official in Oakland,” Manfred said. “I thought Mayor [Sheng] Thao was not particularly helpful when we got down to brass tacks, but I don’t think I’m going to have to deal with her going forward.”

Thao was mayor of Oakland in 2023 and 2024 but was ousted in a recall election in November. Various reports have indicated that the relationships between Thao, A’s owner John Fisher and Manfred were not especially rosy. Slusser reports that Manfred previously swore off Oakland due to the unsuccessful negotiations, so his more neutral tone today is perhaps noteworthy. Both Slusser and Shea float San Jose as another possibility for the area, even if Oakland isn’t viable.

For the theoretical possibility to become a reality, a viable group would have to emerge and enter the bidding. Over the years, various groups have formed with the hopes of getting expansion franchises in places like Nashville, Salt Lake City, Orlando and Portland.

Manfred has consistently said expansion won’t be on the table until the A’s and Rays have new homes figured out. The A’s are scheduled to open their new stadium in Vegas in 2028. The Rays had a deal which fell apart in the wake of hurricane damage to The Trop, which then led to the aforementioned in-process sale. It expected that the Rays’ new ownership group will eventually pursue a new stadium in Tampa proper, as opposed to the club’s previous home in St. Petersburg.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Manfred: Longer Break In 2028 For All-Star Game And Olympics Is Possible

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred spoke to the media today, ahead of tonight’s All-Star game, addressing various topics relevant to the league. One subject that got a lot of discussion was the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and the potential of MLB players participating. Baseball will be an event at the Olympics, with Dodger Stadium being the venue, but it’s still not confirmed if MLB players will be able to play. Manfred suggested it could be possible for the league to have a slightly longer midsummer break to include both the All-Star game and the Olympics, while also not impacting the regular season.

“It is possible to play the All-Star game in its normal spot, have a single break that would be longer but still play 162 games without bleeding into the middle of November,” Manfred said, per Chelsea Janes of The Washington Post. “That is possible.”

MLB players have never participated in the Olympics. Baseball has occasionally been an event in the games, but has been played by minor leaguers or college players. In recent years, it has not been unusual for MLB players to compete in international play. The World Baseball Classic has been running every few years since 2006, even though the COVID-19 pandemic threw the normal schedule off for a bit.

The main difference with the Olympics would be the timing. The WBC is held in March, ahead of the MLB regular season. The ’28 Olympics are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from July 14th to 30th. Per J.J. Cooper of Baseball America, the baseball field would include six teams, set by qualifying tournaments, who would then play from July 15th to 20th. Per Evan Drellich of The Athletic, the league would prefer that to be a little earlier. The All-Star break is usually the second Tuesday of July, which would be July 11th in 2028. The opening ceremony of the Olympics is scheduled for July 14th.

There are logistical challenges but it’s theoretically possible to line everything up. The fact that the games are taking place in the United States is also convenient, compared to a distant country where travel would be more of a concern.

It has been suggested in the past that perhaps the league could look to skip the All-Star game for one year, with the Olympics taking over as the main midsummer event. Manfred’s comments today point to both taking place, which would raise some interesting questions. Presumably, there could be a lot of overlap in terms of All-Star selections and Olympic rosters. If a player is planning to play in the Olympics and is also selected for the All-Star game, would they simply skip the latter like injured players do? Would some try to do both?

In terms of the scheduling, the details there aren’t clear either. In recent years, the MLB season has sometimes had some teams start the regular season in mid-March in order to play games in other countries such as Japan or South Korea. Starting the regular season earlier for all teams could perhaps allow for a longer midseason break, though that would lead to many weather-related annoyances in certain parts of the country.

Per Cooper, insurance is another potential hurdle. For the WBC, there are insurance policies in place to compensate an MLB team if one of their players is injured. But the WBC is put on by MLB, whereas the Olympics are put on by the International Olympic Committee. As noted by Cooper, it’s unclear if the IOC would be willing to pay the insurance premiums or if MLB would be willing to do so. MLB wouldn’t be directly benefiting from the event, since the IOC receives the proceeds, though the league would obviously hope that the Olympics would help to grow the MLB brand and expand its reach. Cooper mentions the possibility of Olympic committees of individual countries covering the insurance premiums but says this is the least likely scenario.

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the logistical challenges could lead to San Francisco hosting the 2028 All-Star game. She says the league and the MLBPA would prefer a West Coast club host that year, in order to be near the Olympics in Los Angeles. She points out that San Diego, Seattle and Arizona have all hosted the All-Star festivities fairly recently, whereas the Giants last hosted back in 2007.

Slusser adds that MLBPA executive director Tony Clark also seemed open to the players agreeing to the Olympic plans, though with some details still to be worked out. “There’s just a lot of conversation that needs to be had sooner rather than later to see how viable this is,” Clark said. “But we’re hopeful that we can figure our way through it for the benefit of the game.”

If it comes to pass that the Giants host in 2028, it will kick things down the road for other clubs that have been waiting their turn. Last year, Manfred acknowledged that the Blue Jays were due, since they haven’t hosted since 1991. However, the Phillies are hosting in 2026, a decision that was made long ago to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. It seems likely that the Cubs, who haven’t hosted since 1990, will be hosting in 2027. Putting the 2028 game in San Francisco would mean the Jays and other teams hoping to host would probably have to wait until 2029 at the earliest.

Manfred still seems to have a Toronto All-Star game on his radar, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet. “Obviously, (the Blue Jays) are kind of perking up to the top of the list based on time,” he continued. “I’d like to be back in Toronto. Rogers has made a really significant investment in terms of improvements in the stadium. TBD at this point, beyond that.” Davidi adds that the Orioles and Red Sox are also interested. Baltimore last hosted in 1993 and Boston in 1999.

Photo courtesy of Brett Davis, Imagn Images

Rays To Play Home Games At Steinbrenner Field Throughout Playoffs

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If the Rays are able to engineer a deep postseason run, they will be allowed to stay at Steinbrenner Field. “Our rule has always been that people play in their home stadiums during the World Series Game,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said this week, per Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times. “And I’m not of a mind to change that rule. I understand it’s a unique situation. It’s different, but that’s where they’re playing. That’s where they’re going to play their games.”

The issue has been a theoretical talking point for a while. Tropicana Field suffered significant hurricane damage in the offseason, making it unplayable for the 2025 season. The Rays made arrangements to move to Steinbrenner Field for the year. The facility is normally the home of the Tampa Tarpons, the Single-A affiliate of the Yankees.

The capacity of the field is a bit more than 10,000. During the 2024 season, all 3o MLB venues had a capacity of at least 34,000. This year, the Rays and Athletics are both playing in minor league parks on a temporary basis. As mentioned, the Rays had to move due to the hurricane damage to The Trop. The A’s are building a new stadium in Las Vegas but couldn’t work out a deal to stay in Oakland for the interim, so they are playing at Sutter Health Park in West Sacramento. That’s the home of the Sacramento River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants.

For the Rays and A’s, playing in those venues was generally viewed as acceptable for the regular season but it was fair to wonder if the league would allow postseason games to be played at either spot. For the A’s, it quickly became a non-issue for this year as that club slipped in the standings. But the Rays have been in contention all year, having been in a postseason spot for much of the season.

Last month, it was reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that some preliminary conversations had occurred about what to do. Having playoff games in such a small venue would be less than ideal. “The league sets aside about 7,500 tickets for players, umpires, visiting teams, sponsors, broadcast partners, media and others” for World Series games, Rosenthal wrote last month. For pre-World Series games, the number is smaller but still notable. That lesser capacity would be a concern for the Players Association as well as the league, since players get a cut of gate receipts in playoff games. Beyond that, there would be concerns around the aesthetics of the broadcast as well as the straightforward logistics of getting all the media into the smaller facility and properly set up to cover the game.

But forcing a team to vacate its home turf for the postseason could be seen as a competitive disadvantage and it seems the league has opted to let the Rays stay. It may be a moot point, as they are not guaranteed to make the playoffs. They are currently a game and a half back of the Mariners for the final American League Wild Card spot. They would need to get the top Wild Card spot or win the East division to play any home games in the first round. Under the current playoff format, the top two division winners get a bye past the first round. The third division winner and the top Wild Card team each get to host the opening round for a best-of-three, with the two lesser Wild Card clubs being on the road for that entire series.

Last month’s reporting indicated that the league was comfortable with the Rays hosting the earlier rounds but was more concerned about the ALCS and World Series. It now seems that, if that becomes a reality, the league is willing to let the Rays stay at their temporary home and figure out how to make it work. Manfred tells Topkin that they will have conversations about potentially finding ways to add more capacity. “We’ll do the best we can to make the facilities good and service as many fans as we can,” Manfred said.

Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times provides a bit more info on the Rays and their upcoming sale. It was reported this week that owner Stuart Sternberg has an agreement in principle to sell to a group led to Patrick Zalupski for $1.7 billion. Though that could become official as soon as September, Topkin notes that the transfer of power wouldn’t occur until the offseason. If the Rays manage to win the 2025 World Series, Sternberg would be handed the Commissioner’s Trophy.

Photo courtesy of Kim Klement Neitzel, Imagn Images

MLBTR Chat Transcript

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Steve Adams

  • Good morning! Hope everyone enjoyed the Derby last night! We’ll get going at 1pm CT today, but feel free to submit questions ahead of time.
  • Greetings!
  • Let’s begin.

Tim

  • What’s a comparative contract to what bichette is looking for?

Steve Adams

  • He’s going to hit free agency ahead of his age-28 season and as (assuming this keeps up) a well above-average hitter in six of his seven MLB seasons, with an injury-ruined 2024 campaign being the outlier.I don’t see any reason he wouldn’t be looking to top the deals signed by Javier Baez (6 years, $140MM), Trevor Story (6/140), Dansby Swanson (7/177) and Willy Adames (7/182) — especially since he’s going to hit free agency a year younger than all of them were when they got to the market.

Brian

  • Biggest Phillies need at deadline…OF help or bullpen arms?

Steve Adams

  • Bullpen help, but it doesn’t have to be one or the other.

Steve Cohen

  • Who would you list as the leading Candidates for ROY in each league? Does Jacob  Misorowski have a legitimate shot?

Brewers Fan

  • Assumig Misiorowski wins the ROY, how does that change his status with us? Do we lose a year of control? He wasn’t promoted early enough to get a draft pick through the promotional program thing right? The rules around that stuff always confuse me…

Steve Adams

  • I love Misiorowski, but Rookie of the Year talk is pretty premature with only five starts. I think it’s fine that they took the buzzworthy rookie and put him on the All-Star team, but to call him the ROY favorite when Drake Baldwin is hitting .279/.351/.479 with plus defense in 65 games feels aggressive.Miz could absolutely end up getting there, but he needs to stay healthy and needs to remain as effective as he’s been, which isn’t a surefire thing for a guy who’s walking 11% of his opponents and benefiting from a .160 BABIP.

    Misiorowski will earn a full year of service if he finishes first or second in ROY voting. The Brewers wouldn’t get a pick for that since he wasn’t called up until  midseason.

Curious A’s Fan

  • Is JJ Bleday the A’s best (realistic) trade chip at the deadline?

Steve Adams

  • They’d be selling low, but I can see it. Jeffrey Springs is a more realistic trade option who’d net a decent return, though.

My Name

  • With Buxton’s comments about having a no trade clause, will reporters be done with the trade rumors?

Read more

Guardians Place Paul Sewald On Injured List

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The Guardians placed right-hander Paul Sewald on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain, reports Tim Stebbins of MLB.com. The move is retroactive to July 12, and a corresponding transaction has not yet been announced by the club. It’s not clear how long Sewald is expected to be out.

It’s the second time this season that the 35-year-old Sewald has been placed on the injured list due to a strain in his throwing shoulder. The former D-backs and Mariners closer signed a one-year, $7MM deal with Cleveland in free agency and struggled for much of April before heading to the IL for what would wind up being a stay of more than two months. Sewald was only reinstated from the injured list on July 5, but it seems his return will only last for a week.

In his limited time with the Guardians, Sewald has pitched to a 4.70 ERA with terrific strikeout and walk rates of 29% and 6.5%, respectively. That’s all come in a sample of just 15 1/3 innings. Sewald allowed eight runs in 11 2/3 innings prior to his original IL stint (6.17 ERA) and returned with 3 2/3 shutout frames before now heading back to the 15-day IL. He’s been more homer-prone than usual in that small sample (1.76 HR/9) and has seen his fastball velocity dip from an average of 91.4 mph last year to just 90.3 mph this season.

Sewald has never thrown particularly hard, but his velocity has been in a steady decline in recent seasons. He averaged a career-best 92.5 mph in 2022 but dipped to 92.2 mph, 91.4 mph and 90.3 mph in subsequent seasons. His swinging-strike rate has dropped accordingly in each season, though he’s still managed to continue posting strong strikeout rates.

Sewald’s placement on the injured list just over two weeks before the trade deadline is increasingly notable, given his team’s recent slide in the standings. The Guardians dropped 10 straight games from June 27 through July 6, though they lessened some of that sting by closing out the first half with six wins in seven games. They’re now three games under .500 and four and a half games out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League.

Cleveland will open the second half with winnable series against the A’s, Orioles, Royals and Rockies — all of whom have records that are comparable to or worse than the Guardians’ own mark of 46-49. If the Guards slip further down the standings, they’d be increasingly likely to listen to offers on short-term veterans like Sewald. If he’s facing a notable absence, that scenario is off the table. Conversely, if the Guardians slice through that slate of opponents in the two weeks between now and the trade deadline, they’d presumably be more apt to add to the club, and Sewald’s absence could increase the front office’s desire to add to the bullpen.

Mets, Yankees Among Teams To Show Recent Interest In David Robertson

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Free agent reliever David Robertson has been throwing for interested clubs recently, reports Will Sammon of The Athletic. Two of his former clubs, the Mets and Yankees, have at least looked into the possibility of signing Robertson, per the report. Several other clubs are expected to scout a throwing session for Robertson over the next week or so.

Robertson, who turned 40 in April, hasn’t signed with a team since the 2024 season concluded. The right-hander was one of several notable older veterans who didn’t find offers to his liking in free agency. Lance Lynn encountered a similar situation and opted to retire. J.D. Martinez is unsigned as well and recently received some interest from the Rangers. Robertson’s recent and upcoming showcases for interested teams serve as a notable update on his status, signaling both an intent to play and at least some level of readiness to take the mound.

The lack of a compelling offer for Robertson wasn’t due to any downturn in results. The former All-Star and 16-year MLB veteran was terrific for Texas in 2024, pitching 72 innings of 3.00 ERA ball. Robertson picked up 34 holds and two saves while fanning a huge 33.4% of opponents against a 9.1% walk rate. He averaged 93.3 mph on his go-to cutter, which tied his 2023 mark for the highest of any single season in his career. Robertson’s 11.7% swinging-strike rate was a dip from his 2022-23 levels (13.3%) but right in line with his career 11.8% mark.

Back in April, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported that Robertson had been seeking a $10MM annual salary in free agency over the winter. He earned $11.5MM with the Rangers last year ($5MM of it deferred). The Phillies also showed some interest in Robertson early in the season, even before Jose Alvarado was hit with an 80-game PED suspension, and they’re known to be on the lookout for bullpen help. It would stand to reason that they’re still interested in a reunion with Robertson themselves.

Presumably, Robertson will be prioritizing a deal with probable contenders. The Yankees, Mets and Phillies all fit that billing and are all among the top eight teams in terms of current playoff odds, per FanGraphs. The Tigers, Cubs, Astros, Blue Jays, Brewers and Mariners are all in extremely favorable postseason position as well, holding at least an 80% postseason chance per the odds at FanGraphs and/or Baseball Prospectus.

Poll: Who Will Win The 2025 All-Star Game?

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The All-Star game is later today, and fans around the game are waiting eagerly for the star-studded event while baseball’s best players prepare to take the field. These days, the Midsummer Classic doesn’t hold the same influence as it did when it decided home field advantage for the World Series prior to the 2017 season. Even so, the exhibition remains a point of pride for players. The AL has historically dominated over the years, as they won every year between 2013 and 2022 until the NL finally snapped that streak in 2023. The junior circuit took the crown back last year, however. Who will emerge victorious this year? There’s a level of randomness to a one-game event like this one that can’t be ignored, but that doesn’t mean we can’t evaluate the talent on each roster and attempt to predict who will come out on top.

The starting pitchers for each league are difficult to choose between. Tarik Skubal and Paul Skenes are two of the most dominating arms in the sport. Skenes has a 2.01 ERA and 27.9% strikeout rate this year, while Skubal has a 2.23 ERA backed up by an absurd 33.4% strikeout rate. Perhaps Skubal’s overwhelming strikeout stuff could give the American League a slight edge, but a number of other arms will appear throughout the game as well. The National League has a couple of more unconventional picks, as veteran lefty Clayton Kershaw will take the mound at some point during the game as a “Legend Pick” by the commissioner’s office despite his numbers in ten starts this year being more solid than spectacular. Another wild card on the NL roster is rookie Jacob Misiorowski, who has started just five MLB games so far but has a 33.7% strikeout rate that rivals that of Skubal.

While there are some reasons to think the pitching options favor the junior circuit, the NL benefits from having arguably the stronger group of position players. Perhaps no one in the NL can hold a candle to the pairing that is Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh, but with Jose Ramirez sitting the game out this year and the unconventional pick of Javier Baez patrolling center field to start the game for the AL it’s not hard to see how the senior circuit could stake out an advantage. All nine of the NL’s elected starters figure to participate in the game, meaning Skubal and the rest of the AL’s pitchers will have to contend with a heart of the order that figures to feature Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuna Jr., and Kyle Tucker. The NL also figures to be no slouch defensively, with Francisco Lindor and Pete Crow-Armstrong offering two of the sport’s very best gloves up the middle.

Of course, it’s not just the starters who will play in the game. Jonathan Aranda, Byron Buxton, and Bobby Witt Jr. are among the options on the AL’s star-studded bench, though players like Pete Alonso, Elly De La Cruz, and Corbin Carroll are hardly slouches in their own right. Should Boone and Roberts opt to go for traditional closers in this evening’s game, both will have formidable options as well. Edwin Diaz is representing the Mets this year with a 1.66 ERA and 19 saves so far, while Astros southpaw Josh Hader sports a 2.53 ERA and 25 saves.

Both rosters are extremely impressive from top to bottom, as any collection of All-Stars should be. Which side will come out on top in tonight’s contest? Have your say in the poll below:

The Opener: All-Star Game, Trade Season, MLBTR Chat

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Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day:

1. 2025 All-Star Game:

The main event of the All-Star break is set to take place later today when some of the biggest stars from the AL and NL take the field for the Midsummer Classic. Reigning American League Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal will take the mound to represent the junior circuit, managed by Yankees skipper Aaron Boone. The National League, led by Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, will counter with 2024 National League Rookie of the Year and Cy Young finalist Paul Skenes. Skubal has a 2.23 ERA in 19 starts this year and leads the majors with a 2.01 FIP, while Skenes leads the majors with a 2.01 ERA in 20 starts. Cubs center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, Mariners catcher and Home Run Derby champ Cal Raleigh, Orioles first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn, and A’s shortstop Jacob Wilson will all start the game in their first career All-Star appearances. The game is slated to begin at 8pm local time in Atlanta and will air on FOX.

2. Trade season to begin?

The 2025 draft has now officially concluded, and that means the attention of front offices around the game can turn fully towards the impending trade deadline. There have already been a handful of deals, including last month’s shocking Rafael Devers blockbuster and the swap that sent draft capital from the Orioles to the Rays in exchange for reliever Bryan Baker last week. For the most part, teams have held off on making moves of real significance. Several clubs on the fringes of playoff contention are still weighing whether to sell off for the future or make an effort to push in this year — or some combination of both. While fans wait for the deals to start rolling in, MLBTR Front Office subscribers and check in on our Trade Deadline Outlook series. Our Top 40 Trade Candidates for the 2025 Deadline, meanwhile, is available to all readers as a primer for trade season.

3. MLBTR chat today:

With the All-Star break underway and the draft in the rearview mirror, MLB’s trade deadline is just over two weeks away! Plenty of deals should be expected between now and then now that trade season can finally kick into full swing, with a number of contenders surely interested in patching holes in their roster ahead of the stretch run. Whether you’re looking ahead to the deadline or still trying to sort between the contenders and pretenders, MLBTR’s Steve Adams has you covered in a live chat scheduled for 1pm CT today. You can click here to ask a question in advance, join in live once the chat begins, or read the transcript once the chat is complete.

Trade Deadline Outlook: San Diego Padres

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Our team-by-team Trade Deadline Outlook series continues with the Padres. San Diego's top-heavy roster makes it easy to identify the priorities. If they remain resistant to trading either of their top prospects, they could pivot to under-the-radar or rental trade targets.

Record: 52-44 (48.3% playoff probability, per FanGraphs)

Other series entries: Rockies, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Astros, Marlins, Athletics, Orioles, White Sox, Nationals, Cubs, Rays, Dodgers, Braves, Yankees, Angels, Mets, Blue Jays, Mariners

Buy Mode

Potential needs: Catcher, left field, starting pitcher, utility infielder

San Diego has had the same top few needs going back to the offseason. Free agent departures of Kyle Higashioka and Jurickson Profar left them without answers at catcher and in left field, respectively. The rotation depth has been a question since Joe Musgrove underwent Tommy John surgery. The late-offseason Nick Pivetta signing has been massive, but the back of the rotation still feels tenuous. Low-cost pickups in catcher and left field have not panned out, leaving the Padres to address both positions over the next two and a half weeks.

The Padres have had arguably the worst catching tandem in MLB. Elias Díaz and Martín Maldonado have combined to hit .195/.255/.306 over 327 plate appearances. Neither player rates highly as a pitch framer. While both players, especially Maldonado, have a strong reputation for the unquantifiable aspects of catcher defense (e.g. game-calling, managing a pitching staff), the production has not been there. It speaks to how far former top prospect Luis Campusano has fallen in the organization's eyes that he hasn't gotten an opportunity this year.

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