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Royals Acquire Bailey Falter

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The Royals have acquired left-handed starter Bailey Falter from the Pirates, with lefty Evan Sisk and minor league first baseman Callan Moss headed back to Pittsburgh in return. Both teams have announced the trade.

Falter, 28, settled in as a capable back-end starter for the Pirates over the past two seasons. From 2024-25, he has made 50 starts, averaging just over five innings per game. He has a 4.12 ERA and a 4.99 SIERA in that time. Neither a strikeout pitcher nor a groundball pitcher, none of Falter’s pitches stand out as especially dangerous, but he survives thanks to average control and elite extension. He will offer the Royals some much-needed rotation depth, with Kris Bubic out for the season and Cole Ragans, Michael Lorenzen, and Alex Marsh also on the IL. Falter might not be the kind of pitcher the Royals want starting in a postseason series, but he can help them in the uphill climb they’re facing to get to the playoffs. He is making $2.22MM this year and will be under team control through arbitration for another three seasons.

Sisk, now 28, was drafted by the Cardinals in 2018 and traded to the Twins in 2021 as part of a package for J.A. Happ. A year and a half later, the Twins flipped him to the Royals as part of the deal that brought Michael A. Taylor to Minnesota. Almost seven years after he was drafted, Sisk made his MLB debut for KC earlier this year. He threw a total of 5 1/3 innings in two separate stints with the big league club, giving up just one earned run and striking out 11. He also pitched to a 3.77 ERA and 3.83 FIP in 28.2 innings with the Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers. Sisk has never been a top prospect, in no small part due to questions about his ability to retire right-handed hitters at the highest level. That helps explain why he has pitched at Triple-A with two different organizations in parts of four separate seasons, and he’s only managed to earn five big league appearances.

Moss, now 21, signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent last summer. While he is not a highly-regarded prospect, the righty batter crushed the baseball last year at Single-A (177 wRC+ in 22 games) and has continued to hit well this year at High-A (123 wRC+ in 92 games). He’s also added a total of 17 stolen bases in 24 attempts.

Jon Heyman of The New York Post was the first to report that Falter was heading to Pittsburgh, while Alex Stumpf of MLB.com was first on the return of Sisk and Moss.

Angels Acquire Oswald Peraza

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The Yankees have traded infielder Oswald Peraza to the Angels in exchange for outfield prospect Wilberson De Pena, as well as international bonus pool money. Both teams have announced the deal. To make room for Peraza, the Angels have designated Kevin Newman for assignment.

Peraza, now 25, signed with the Yankees as an international free agent in 2016, and as he rose through the ranks of their minor league system, he also rose up organizational prospect rankings. Entering the 2022 season, when he made his big league debut, he was a consensus top-100 prospect. He impressed during a cup of coffee that September, hitting .306 with a 145 wRC+, and was once again a top-100 prospect entering 2023. Since then, however, his stock has fallen fast. He has slashed .190/.262/.285 in 429 plate appearances from 2022-25, with seven home runs and nine stolen bases in 145 games. Spending time at second base, third base, and shortstop, he has graded out as an average-to-slightly-above-average defender, but his versatile glove has not been nearly enough to make up for his ineffective bat. His offensive numbers at Triple-A over the past few years have also been less than impressive.

After the Yankees traded for infielders Ryan McMahon and Amed Rosario last week, the clock began to tick on Peraza’s tenure with the club. Their deal to acquire José Caballero today was surely the final nail in the coffin, even though the Peraza trade was technically reported shortly before the Caballero agreement. The Yankees have revamped their infield and bench as part of their efforts to take down the Blue Jays to defend their AL East crown. A floundering former top prospect no longer fit into the picture.

Peraza is a textbook change-of-scenery candidate. The Angels acquire him with four years of team control remaining after 2025, although he is out of options. For now, he will offer them depth off the bench and a potential alternative to the slumping Luis Rengifo. If he impresses, he should be in the mix for the second or third base job next season, with Rengifo and Yoán Moncada set to hit free agency at the end of the year. On the other hand, if he continues to hit as poorly as he did with the Yankees, he’ll soon be staring down the barrel of a DFA.

Meanwhile, De Pena is a textbook example of a lottery-ticket prospect. The 18-year-old has not has not yet had much of a chance to make an impression in his professional career. He signed with the Angels as an international free agent last January and has spent the past two seasons as a corner outfielder in the Dominican Summer League. He has hit .211 with four home runs and five doubles in 31 games this year.

Newman signed with the Angels in the offseason on a one-year, $2.75MM guarantee. While he has never been known for his bat, he hit just well enough to offer some value as a utility infielder for the Pirates, Reds, and Diamondbacks from 2022-24. In 2025, however, he has hit just .202 with only four extra-base hits in 57 games. He has a .481 OPS and -0.7 FanGraphs WAR. Given his poor performance and the not-insignificant amount of money remaining on his contract, he is almost certain to pass through waivers, after which he is likely to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.

Peraza to the Angels was first reported by Jack Curry of the YES Network. Joel Sherman of the New York Post added that the Yankees would receive De Pena and international bonus pool money in return.

Yankees Acquire Jake Bird

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4:27pm: The deal has been officially announced. Outfielder Bryan De La Cruz was designated for assignment to make room for Bird on the 40-man roster. De La Cruz did not appear in a game with the Yankees but hit .191/.240/.213 in 16 games with Atlanta earlier this year.

2:42pm: The Yankees are reportedly in agreement to acquire reliever Jake Bird from the Rockies for two minor leaguers. Second baseman Roc Riggio and pitcher Ben Shields are going back to Colorado.

Bird is the second, lower-profile bullpen pickup for the Yanks this afternoon. They’re adding two-time All-Star David Bednar in a deal with the Pirates. While Bednar will join Devin Williams and Luke Weaver at the back of the bullpen, Bird projects more as a middle relief type. The 29-year-old righty has a 4.57 earned run average over parts of four seasons with the Rox. That includes a 4.73 mark across 53 1/3 innings this year, though he’s only a few weeks removed from what seemed to be a breakout season.

Through the end of June, Bird was sitting on a 2.68 ERA across 47 innings. He had punched out 29.1% of batters faced while getting ground-balls at a 48% rate. The past few weeks have been a disaster. Bird has been rocked for 15 runs on 16 hits and four walks with five strikeouts in his last 6 1/3 innings. It’s an unfortunate way to end his Colorado tenure.

Bird has been durable and logged almost 90 innings out of Bud Black’s bullpen a couple seasons ago. He has gotten above-average grounder rates in all four MLB seasons — a common trait for Yankee relievers — and has still shown decent swing-and-miss stuff this year. He’s a three-pitch pitcher who sits around 94 MPH with his fastball and leans most often on a mid-80s breaking ball. The horrendous past few weeks didn’t completely detract from Bird’s strong start to the season.

This is Colorado’s second significant trade of deadline season — both of which have involved the Yankees. They sent third baseman Ryan McMahon to the Bronx last week. While the McMahon trade also involved a significant contract changing hands, Bird won’t cost the Yankees much financially. He’s in his final pre-arbitration season and controllable for three years after this. Bird doesn’t have any kind of closing experience that tends to lead to significant arbitration earnings for a reliever. He should be fairly cheap throughout the arbitration window.

The McMahon and Bird trades demonstrate that Colorado is more willing to deal controllable pieces than they’ve been in past seasons. They’re trending towards the worst season in modern history and have a tough time justifying making anyone untouchable. Riggio placed 22nd on Baseball America’s writeup of Yankee prospects, while he checked in 10th in the system at MLB Pipeline. Shields ranked 28th at MLB Pipeline and was not in the top 30 at BA. Both players will not be eligible for the Rule 5 draft until after the ’26 season.

Riggio, a left-handed hitting second baseman, has split the season between High-A and Double-A. He has put together a huge .264/.370/.567 slash between the two levels. Riggio has taken walks at a strong 12.2% clip while striking out at a league average 22.2% rate. He has drilled 18 home runs, 14 doubles and a triple. A fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2023, Riggio is viewed as a bat-first player. Scouting reports question his pure hitting ability, but there’s no question he’s putting together a huge statistical season in the minors.

Shields is a 6’4″ left-handed pitcher who went undrafted out of George Mason in 2023. Despite lacking amateur pedigree, Shields has put together a solid minor league résumé. He posted a 3.48 ERA in 26 minor league appearances a season ago. He missed the first few months of this season due to injury but has since returned to start five games with Double-A Somerset. He has turned in a 3.42 ERA with 26 strikeouts across 23 2/3 innings. Shields is already 26 and facing mostly younger competition, but MLB Pipeline credits him with a potential plus slider. He could be short-term rotation or long relief depth for the Rockies.

Jack Curry of The YES Network first reported the Yankees were acquiring Bird. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com had Colorado’s return.

Image courtesy of James A. Pittman, Imagn Images.

Dodgers Acquire Alex Call

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The Dodgers have added to their outfield mix by adding Alex Call in a trade with the Nationals, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports.  MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says the Nats will get two pitching prospects in return, and the Washington Post’s Andrew Golden specifies the two pitchers as Eriq Swan and Sean Paul Linan.

Los Angeles dealt James Outman to the Twins earlier today for Brock Stewart, so adding Call essentially fills Outman’s spot in the Dodgers outfield.  It’s not a perfect match since Call is a right-handed hitter and Outman is left-handed, though between lefty-swinging Michael Conforto and switch-hitting Tommy Edman, the Dodgers still have plenty of balance in their outfield.

Call has two minor league options remaining, so L.A. has some roster flexibility if the team decides to move Call to Triple-A.  Call is also set to reach arbitration for the first time this winter, as he will almost surely qualify for Super Two status.  He’ll be in line for some higher paydays through four arb years rather than the usual three, and the Dodgers control him through the 2029 season.

A veteran of four MLB seasons, the 30-year-old Call can play all three outfield positions but is probably best suited to corner outfield work.  He is hitting .274/.371/.386 over 237 plate appearances this season, and has performed better in a part-time capacity than he did when in a more regular role in 2023.  As expected, Call has performed better against left-handed pitching than against righties in his career, with a .263/.346/.405 slash against southpaws.

To obtain a controllable outfielder, the Dodgers had to give up two pitching prospects.  MLB Pipeline had Swan 16th and Linan 20th in their ranking of the L.A. farm system, while Baseball America put Linan 19th and Swan 24th.  Linan was an international signing in 2022, and Swan was a fourth-round pick in the 2023 draft.

Swan has a high-90s fastball that can top 100mph on occasion, and Pipeline’s scouting report praises his easy delivery of the pitch.  His control is still a work in progress, as indicated by his 46 walks over 69 innings at high-A Great Lakes this season. Swan’s slider and sweeper both receive 60 grades from Baseball America, so the stuff is clearly there if Swan can polish his repertoire and harness his control.  It’s a high-upside addition for the Nationals, and Swan perhaps has a good future as a reliever if he doesn’t make it as a starting pitcher.

Linan’s bread-and-butter is an outstanding changeup, and his ability to develop his fastball and slider will determine how well he advances up the ladder.  He has looked dominant in the lower minors, though a temporary two-outing stint in Triple-A this season didn’t go well.  Linan has worked mostly as a starter this season, but could be best suited for relief work if he can’t develop at least a decent secondary pitch.

Padres Acquire Will Wagner

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The Padres announced that they have acquired infielder Will Wagner from the Blue Jays for minor league catcher Brandon Valenzuela.

Wagner made his MLB debut last season, and impressed by hitting .305/.337/.451 over his first 86 plate appearances in the Show.  The offense hasn’t been there this year, as Wagner has batted only .237/.336/.298 in 132 PA while playing mostly third and first base in part-time duty.

Wagner was primarily a second baseman in 2024 and throughout his minor league career, so he brings some multi-positional versatility to San Diego’s infield.  He is a left-handed hitter, adding to a bevy of lefty-swinging bats on the Padres’ current roster, but naturally there’s plenty in flux on what has been a very busy deadline day in San Diego.  It is very easy to imagine more moves taking place to further shake up the Friars’ 26-man roster, but Wagner also has three minor league options remaining, so the Padres could easily move him to Triple-A as depth.

Toronto’s infield situation was crowded enough that Wagner was something of a spare part.  With Daulton Varsho expected back from the injured list soon, Addison Barger or Davis Schneider could get more time in the infield.  Moving Wagner also opens up a 40-man roster spot for the Blue Jays, which could be a hint at more moves to come today.

The 24-year-old Valenzuela is in his seventh year of pro ball, and he has hit .229/.313/.387 over 374 PA with Double-A San Antonio this season.  This is his third straight season of Double-A action, as a 27-game stint in Triple-A last year saw Valenzuela struggle at the plate, and it was enough to convince the Padres to bump him down a level for more seasoning.  MLB Pipeline ranked Valenzuela as San Diego’s 26th-best minor league, noting that his hitting is his biggest question mark but his overall defense is very strong.

Rangers Acquire Danny Coulombe

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The Rangers are acquiring left-hander Danny Coulombe, according to a report from Jeff Passan of ESPN. The club subsequently announced the move, with left-handed pitching prospect Garrett Horn headed to the Twins in exchange for Coulombe.

Coulombe, 35, made his big league debut back in 2014 with the Dodgers. He was a fairly pedestrian middle reliever with the Dodgers and A’s throughout his 20s, and posted a 4.27 ERA and 4.09 FIP across his first five seasons in the majors before being outrighted off the A’s roster back in 2018. He spent the 2019 season in the minors and re-emerged with the Twins during the 2020 campaign. Since then, he’s looked like an entirely different pitcher with a 2.40 ERA and 2.96 FIP across 161 1/3 innings of work between the Twins and Orioles.

Coulombe has not only avoided taking a step back as he’s aged, but he’s actually looked better than ever in his mid-30s. Over the last three seasons, Coulombe has posted a 2.17 ERA with a 2.59 FIP while striking out 27.6% of his opponents and walking just 5.9%. He’s paired that quality strikeout stuff and strong command with a knack for missing barrels with a minuscule 4.5% barrel rate to go with a 36.2% hard-hit rate, and his 3.07 SIERA in that time is on-par with top-shelf leverage relievers like David Robertson and Emmanuel Clase. This year, he’s been even better, with a microscopic 1.16 ERA and 1.96 FIP in 31 innings of work for Minnesota.

That’s a massive addition to a Rangers bullpen that has enjoyed solid seasons from players like Chris Martin and Robert Garcia. The Rangers weren’t hurting for bullpen help this season as they have been in previous years, but in a season where their offense has under-performed across the board and their rotation is stacked with elite options further strengthening the relief corps is an understandable path to take.

Coulombe was surely an extremely attractive piece for the Rangers in part because of his bargain salary. Coulombe is making just $3MM total this year, meaning the Rangers will have to pay him only around $1MM for the remainder of the season. That’s a crucial factor for a club that has remained stalwart in its desire to duck under the $241MM luxury tax threshold this year. Texas is just barely under that threshold at this point, with RosterResource suggesting they have a payroll of just over $235MM for luxury tax purposes. That’s likely slightly below where they’ll ultimately end up given the possibility of contract bonuses and incentives that will impact the final line.

As for the Twins, they’ll receive a young lefty pitcher as they continue their fire sale. A sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft by the Rangers last year, Horn has made nine starts between rookie ball and the Single-A level this season. The 22-year-old has posted a strong 2.92 ERA across 24 2/3 innings of work with a 35.4% strikeout rate, though that dominance isn’t exactly unexpected for a 22-year-old in the lowest levels of the minor leagues. Still, Horn is an intriguing addition for a Twins farm system who Baseball America ranked as the #25 prospect in the Texas system this year. His mid-90s fastball is impressive, but his curveball is viewed as average at best and his changeup is completely undeveloped. He’s unlikely to be more than a reliever in the majors unless his secondary pitches develop substantially, but mid-90s velocity from the left side has a place in the majority of big league bullpens.

Latest On Ryan O’Hearn

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All-Star first baseman/DH/right fielder Ryan O’Hearn will be a free agent after the season, making him an obvious trade candidate given the Orioles’ struggles this year.  MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand says Baltimore’s price on O’Hearn is nonetheless “very high,” though that may be standard posturing with the trade deadline about two hours away.

O’Hearn, 32, has an excellent 134 wRC+ in 361 plate appearances this year.  It’s worth noting, however, that most of his production came in the season’s first two months, as the lefty slugger has slipped to a 92 wRC+ since June.  Also consider that O’Hearn requires a platoon partner; the Orioles sit him against southpaws on a regular basis.

The “very high” price tag, then, feels like a bit of a stretch, but O’Hearn is still a solid bat in a market light on those.  One potential suitor is the Rangers, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, althoughEvan Grant of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t see the fit. The Brewers were connected to O’Hearn two days ago.  Feinsand notes that the Astros were interested in O’Hearn, but the Marlins’ Jesus Sanchez is “now high on Houston’s radar.”

O’Hearn is earning $8MM this year, meaning about $2.5MM remains.  Given that the 2026 qualifying offer will likely be north of $21MM, the Orioles almost have to trade O’Hearn prior to the deadline to recoup some value.

Dodgers, Twins To Swap Brock Stewart For James Outman

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The Dodgers and Twins are reportedly in agreement on a one-for-one swap of reliever Brock Stewart for center fielder James Outman. Both players are on the 40-man roster, so there won’t need to be any corresponding transactions.

Stewart hasn’t gotten as much attention as former teammates Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax at the back of Minnesota’s bullpen. He’s a strong late-game weapon in his own right. As with most Dodger pitching targets, he’s very effective on a rate basis but comes with significant durability questions. Stewart is healthy at the moment, and his presence should be a major boost to a floundering L.A. relief group.

The 6’3″ Stewart has fired 34 innings of 2.38 ERA ball on the year. He has struck out almost 30% of batters faced behind an excellent 14.7% swinging strike rate. He pairs that with a league average 7.9% walk rate and has done a good job avoiding hard contact. Stewart leads a five-pitch mix with a 96 MPH fastball and gets big swing-and-miss numbers on both his sweeper and changeup.

It’s a back-end profile. Stewart has picked up 14 holds and only blown one lead all season. Minnesota skipper Rocco Baldelli has used him behind only Duran and Jax on their leverage hierarchy over the past month. This is the second time in the past three years in which Stewart has been an underrated bullpen weapon. He posted a 0.95 ERA with a near-36% strikeout rate in 28 appearances two seasons back.

Health is the drawback. Stewart has appeared in parts of seven MLB seasons. He has never reached 40 innings. He’ll establish a new career-high workload in his first appearance after the trade. Stewart began his career with the Dodgers as a 2014 sixth-round pick. He logged parts of four seasons as a swingman before being lost on waivers to Toronto in 2019. He was out of MLB entirely over the next three seasons, largely because of 2021 Tommy John surgery.

Stewart reemerged with Minnesota in 2023. He was suddenly sitting around 97 MPH after working in the 91-94 range before the surgery. Stewart dominated for a couple months until experiencing renewed elbow discomfort that shut him down in late June. Last season, he was limited to 18 appearances by shoulder problems that necessitated arthroscopic surgery in August. He has been healthy this year aside from a brief season-opening IL stint related to a left hamstring strain.

The atypical career arc and lack of volume have tamped down Stewart’s earning power. He’s playing on an $870K salary that is barely above the league minimum. Stewart will go through arbitration twice more and won’t hit free agency until the end of his age-35 season. While the affordability meant that the Twins didn’t need to trade him, they also presumably felt this was the peak of his value. Stewart’s age and injury history meant there’d be real risk in holding onto him and hoping he’d remain this effective going into 2026.

It’s the first of what should be multiple bullpen acquisitions for Los Angeles. Dodger relievers rank 22nd in MLB with a 4.24 earned run average. They’re top 10 in strikeout rate but have not been as strong as expected. Tanner Scott has been wobbly and is now battling elbow inflammation. Kirby Yates has a 4.31 ERA despite excellent strikeout and walk numbers. Evan Phillips is done for the year. Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol could make late-season returns but have notable injury concerns.

While Stewart himself is far from a sure thing to stay healthy, he’s a nice get for a player whose hold on a roster spot seemed tenuous. The 28-year-old Outman hit 23 home runs and finished third in NL Rookie of the Year balloting two seasons ago. That came with a concerning level of swing-and-miss, however, and he hasn’t come close to that kind of production over the past couple years. Outman fanned at a 35% clip while hitting .147 in 53 big league contests last season. He’s batting .103 with 18 strikeouts in 44 trips to the plate this year.

Outman has remained productive against minor league pitching. He’s hitting .289/.378/.592 with 20 homers and 14 stolen bases in 70 Triple-A games this season. His .286/.386/.585 batting line over parts of three season there is strong even in the context of the Pacific Coast League. Outman’s production still comes with significant strikeout caveats. He’s a plus runner and defensive center fielder who doesn’t need to hit a ton to be a fourth or fifth outfielder. He’ll nevertheless obviously need to produce more than the .137/.245/.269 slash that he has managed at the MLB level over the past two seasons.

This is Outman’s final minor league option year. He can back up Byron Buxton in center or spend the remainder of the season at Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins would need to decide whether to carry him on the Opening Day roster next season or expose him to waivers.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan first reported the Dodgers were nearing a deal for Stewart. Alden González of ESPN reported Outman was going back, while Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star-Tribune confirmed it was one for one.

Images courtesy of Matt Krohn and Patrick Gorski, Imagn Images.

Latest On Marlins Pitchers, Outfielders

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2:38pm: MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch reports that the Yankees have pitched the Marlins on a potential package deal involving Alcantara and Bender.

10:25am: All eyes are on Sandy Alcantara today, with less than seven hours to go until the MLB trade deadline.  The former Cy Young winner sports an ugly post-Tommy John 6.36 ERA in 21 starts, but he has totaled 12 scoreless innings in his last two starts against the Padres and Cardinals.

Alcantara is controlled through 2027 by virtue of the contract extension he signed over three years ago.  The Astros and Red Sox were linked to him yesterday, while the Mets, Padres, and Cubs are among those previously connected.  This morning, Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds another potential suitor: the Yankees.

The Yankees have Luis Gil set to make his season debut Sunday against the Marlins following his spring lat strain, which may send Cam Schlittler back to Triple-A (if the latter isn’t included in a trade today).  Gil will join veterans Max Fried, Carlos Rodon, and Marcus Stroman, as well as Will Warren.  As Greg Joyce of the New York Post wrote yesterday, a rotation acquisition by the Yankees would force a choice between Warren and Stroman.

With a competitive balance tax payroll around $314MM after additions of Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, and Austin Slater, the Yankees face a 110% tax on every dollar they add this summer.  Alcantara is earning $17MM this year and next, with a club option for 2027.  Acquiring Alcantara would mean adding more than $6MM to the Yankees’ CBT ledger for this year, plus a tax of around $6.7MM.

Teams seeking starting pitching are also intrigued by hard-throwing Marlins righty Edward Cabrera.  Cabrera, 27, is having a better season than Alcantara and is under team control through 2028 at much lower (expected) salaries than Alcantara.  As such, it makes sense that the Yankees are interested in Cabrera, as Jon Morosi of MLB Network reports today with five hours left until the deadline.  The Marlins are eyeing powerful Yankees outfield prospect Spencer Jones, notes Morosi.  According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, “interest in both Alcantara and Cabrera is very high.”

Sammon also notes that a pair of Marlins righty relievers are drawing interest in Ronny Henriquez and Calvin Faucher.  Henriquez’s 32.4 K% ranks 20th among relievers this year, and he’s been mentioned as an under-the-radar trade candidate by MLBTR several times this month.  Given that Henriquez was a February waiver claim who had limited MLB experience with the Twins, he’s under team control through 2030.

As you might expect, Sammon reports that Faucher is more likely to be traded today.  Faucher, 30 in September, has a 3.73 ERA, 23.2 K%, and 10.7 BB% this year with a 44.2% groundball rate.  He’s less intriguing than Henriquez, but is under control through 2029.  Righty Anthony Bender has also been in rumors this month.

Finally, Sammon points out that Marlins outfielders Jesus Sanchez and Dane Myers are also drawing interest.  Sanchez, 28 in October, is under team control through 2027.  He’s a left-handed hitter who has a slightly above average 104 wRC+ since 2023, though against righties he’s at 119 during that time.  Myers, a December 2022 waiver claim from the Tigers, is under team control through ’29.  He’s a righty hitter who can serve as a lefty masher, given his 141 wRC+ against southpaws in 172 plate appearances dating back to 2023.

Sanchez has been playing right field for the Marlins, often sitting against lefties.  Myers has been taking most starts in center, occasionally sharing with Javier Sanoja.

Padres Leaning Towards Holding Robert Suarez

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The Padres just landed a superstar reliever in the biggest move of deadline season. Mason Miller’s presence theoretically gives the Padres more freedom to trade incumbent closer Robert Suarez in the next three hours. That doesn’t appear to be the team’s plan, though.

Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune and Dennis Lin of The Athletic each wrote this afternoon that the Friars were leaning towards holding Suarez. Both reports note that they’re still entertaining a trade of impending free agent starter Dylan Cease. Suarez is likely to hit free agency this winter as well. He’s expected to opt out of the remaining two years and $16MM on his contract. Cease is a pure rental who is making $13.75MM.

Suarez’s opt-out makes him a more complicated trade candidate. Other teams could have trepidation about the possibility of a late-season injury that causes him to bypass the out chance. That’s something they’d want to price into the prospect return they’re offering San Diego. It could explain why the Padres don’t appear to have found much traction on a return they consider compelling. Instead, they seem inclined to stick with a monster bullpen including Miller, Suarez, Jeremiah Estrada, Jason Adam and Adrian Morejon to shorten games for what they hope will be a deep playoff run.

The focus now appears to be on an outfielder. San Diego has reportedly addressed their catching need by landing Freddy Fermin from Kansas City for back-end starters Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek. They still need to add a left fielder; Acee writes that acquiring a right-hand hitting outfielder would be ideal.

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