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Latest On Brewers’ Deadline Decisions

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The Brewers have vaulted to the top of the National League standings. They won 11 in a row earlier this month to give themselves very strong odds of at least securing a Wild Card berth. They’re a half-game up on the Cubs in the NL Central and slightly ahead of the Dodgers, Phillies and Mets in the race for first-round byes.

For as well as they’ve played of late, there hasn’t been much clarity on what they’re prioritizing at the deadline. That’s largely because they’re deep across the board, making it more difficult to identify specific areas to upgrade. Their bullpen runs seven or eight deep. The rotation is strong enough that they kicked Tobias Myers to Triple-A and/or long relief and traded Aaron Civale to the White Sox. Assuming Sal Frelick returns in short order from a hamstring strain, they’re well set around the outfield. Rookie Caleb Durbin has solidified third base, and they’re even getting strong fill-in work from Andrew Vaughn across the diamond while Rhys Hoskins is on the shelf.

ESPN’s Jeff Passan wrote earlier this week that Milwaukee’s strength could allow them to have a fairly quiet deadline. Passan noted that they’re not actively seeking an upgrade at shortstop over Joey Ortiz, who is hitting just .217/.273/.316 over 342 plate appearances. That’s not especially surprising in a market devoid of everyday shortstops. The 27-year-old Ortiz didn’t hit at all for the first two months of the season, but he owns a .269/.310/.418 slash going back to the beginning of June.

While they don’t need to add an everyday player, Milwaukee could stand to upgrade the bench. Utility infielders Andruw Monasterio and Anthony Seigler aren’t providing anything offensively. Backup catcher Eric Haase rarely plays, but he’s hitting .224/.278/.358 and has never been a well-regarded defender. FanSided’s Robert Murray suggested this afternoon that Milwaukee could look to upgrade at that spot — though William Contreras shoulders as heavy a workload as any starting catcher in MLB. Miami’s Nick Fortes, Tampa Bay’s Danny Jansen and Cleveland’s Austin Hedges are among the catchers who could be available.

While the Brewers obviously aren’t deadline sellers, there’s at least one veteran player whom they could trade away in the coming days. Joel Sherman of The New York Post pointed out this morning that the Brewers may prefer to deal Nestor Cortes rather than find a spot for him in the rotation. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggested similarly tonight.

Cortes has been on the injured list since early April with a flexor strain. He has been on a rehab assignment since July 2 and built up to 5 2/3 innings in yesterday’s start for Triple-A Nashville. Pitchers can spend a maximum of 30 days on a rehab stint. Milwaukee needs to activate Cortes by the beginning of August.

They don’t have a clear rotation spot available. Freddy Peralta, Brandon Woodruff, Jacob Misiorowski and Quinn Priester are locked into the top four spots. Cortes could displace Jose Quintana, but it’s not clear that’d be an upgrade after a nearly four-month absence. Using a six-man rotation would require dropping to a seven-man bullpen. Milwaukee could shop Quintana as well, but Curt Hogg of The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel notes that might be difficult to sell to the clubhouse.

While Cortes is a respected veteran in his own right, it’d probably be easier to explain trading him when he’s been limited to two MLB starts this year. Quintana has taken the ball 14 times. Cortes is playing on a $7.6MM salary in his final season of arbitration. He’ll be owed nearly $2.5MM for the stretch run. Quintana is making a $2MM salary and on the verge of unlocking $125K incentives for every other start up to 24 appearances — up to $625K in total. He’s also owed a deferred $2MM buyout on a 2026 mutual option.

Rangers Release Luke Jackson

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July 25: Jackson has been unconditionally released, the Rangers announced.

July 23: The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jon Gray from the 60-day injured list. To make space on the active and 40-man rosters, reliever Luke Jackson has been designated for assignment.

Gray, 33, is in the final season of a four-year, $56MM contract signed in free agency. He’s been a solid if unspectacular presence in the middle of the Texas rotation, tossing a combined 387 1/3 innings of 4.16 ERA ball while fanning 22.4% of his opponents versus a 7.5% walk rate. Gray has yet to pitch this season after suffering a fracture when a comeback line-drive struck him in the forearm late in spring training.

It’s not immediately clear when or whether Gray will slot back into the rotation. The Rangers had given some thought to using him out of the bullpen over the winter, and the rotation in Texas has generally been strong. Kumar Rocker has been the least-effective Texas starter overall, but he’s rattled off a 3.34 ERA over his past six starts. Jack Leiter has pitched well of late as well. There were also plenty of trade rumblings about Gray in the winter, but his value isn’t exactly at a high point after missing the entire season to date.

At least for today, there’s no urgent rush to answer the question. Gray pitched on July 19, so his would-be turn in the rotation isn’t up yet. Texas is off tomorrow, too, affording them extra time to plan things out. Patrick Corbin gets the nod in tonight’s start against the visiting A’s. The Rangers have Rocker listed as probable for Friday, a TBD listed for Saturday and Leiter listed as Sunday’s probable starter. Gray’s return and tomorrow’s off-day could impact plans.

Jackson, 33, leads the Rangers with nine saves but hasn’t pitched especially well. He currently owns a 4.11 earned run average with rate stats that make even that number feel a bit fortunate. The right-hander’s 15.8% strikeout rate is the eighth-lowest mark among the 175 major league relievers to have tossed at least 30 innings this season. Only 17 of those 175 relievers have a higher walk rate than Jackson’s 12.5% clip, and he’s also plunked a pair of batters. Metrics like FIP (5.01) and SIERA (4.79) paint a rather unfavorable picture.

The Rangers signed Jackson to a one-year, $1.5MM deal in free agency. He’s already earned $450K of incentives based on appearances. He’s one game shy of a $175K bonus, but if the Rangers were truly concerned about him reaching those incentive milestones, they’d likely have made a move sooner. Jackson earned $75K for reaching 20 games, $100K for reaching 25 games, $125K for 30 games and $150K for 35 games.

Texas will have five days to trade Jackson, place him on outright waivers or place him on release waivers. He has enough service time to reject an outright and retain the remainder of his guaranteed salary anyhow, so it seems unlikely he’d accept an outright upon clearing waivers. A release is the most probable outcome, given that any team trading for Jackson would remain on the hook for the rest of his incentives (which continue in increasing increments up through 60 appearances). Upon clearing release waivers, he’d be free to sign anywhere for only the prorated league minimum, and the remainder of those incentives would become moot. Texas would be on the hook for the rest of his $1.5MM guarantee, minus the prorated minimum for any time he spends on another club’s roster.

Yankees Pursuing Righty-Hitting Infielder, Bullpen Help

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The Yankees made one of deadline season’s biggest moves so far, acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon from Colorado for a pair of pitching prospects. That addressed their most glaring need on the position player side. It nevertheless might not be their only acquisition on the dirt.

Chris Kirschner of The Athletic reports that the Yankees are looking to add an infielder who can hit from the right side. Kirschner specifically adds that New York is interested in switch-hitting Twins utilityman Willi Castro. He also floats Washington’s Amed Rosario as a player whom the front office has liked.

They’re two of a number of potential options. Old friends Thairo Estrada (Rockies) and Isiah Kiner-Falefa (Pirates) are short-term pieces on bad teams. The A’s Luis Urías and Baltimore’s Ramón Urías (Luis’ older brother) should each be available. The Angels could listen on switch-hitting rentals Yoán Moncada and Luis Rengifo.

Castro is the best of that group — and consequently, the one who should draw the most interest from various teams. He entered play tonight with a .257/.346/.429 slash line with 10 homers across 319 plate appearances. Castro has been a slightly above-average hitter in three consecutive seasons. He’d be a particular boost versus left-handed pitching, against whom he’s hitting .284/.341/.519. His .246/.348/.392 slash against righties is closer to average but hardly unplayable.

Minnesota is four games below .500 and five games out of a Wild Card spot. They’re open to offers on rentals. The 28-year-old Castro is playing on a $6.4MM salary for his final arbitration season. He’s not a great defensive player at any spot, but he’s able to move between second base, third base, and the corner outfield positions. He has plenty of shortstop experience as well, though he shouldn’t be playing there regularly.

If Castro fits the superutility mold, Rosario is more of a short-side platoon bat. He hits lefties well, including a .299/.333/.483 showing this season. He makes contact against right-handed pitching but almost never walks and doesn’t hit for power off righties. Rosario was a shortstop earlier in his career but is now mostly limited to second/third base. He’s playing on a $2MM salary and is an impending free agent.

The Yanks will give the majority of playing time between second and third base to Jazz Chisholm Jr. and McMahon. They each hit from the left side. Chisholm is a career .224/.286/.354 hitter against southpaws. McMahon has a lifetime .231/.307/.378 line without the platoon advantage. Oswald Peraza is their right-handed complement for now, but he hasn’t shown he can hit MLB pitching of either handedness. He’s a superior defender to Castro and Rosario but hasn’t provided anything with the bat. Peraza is out of options, so the Yankees would need to expose him to waivers before they could send him to the minors. If they acquire a right-handed hitting infielder, that’d almost certainly squeeze him off the roster.

Kirschner adds that the Yankees — like virtually every contender — are also pursuing bullpen help. He lists Pittsburgh’s David Bednar and the Minnesota trio of Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax and Danny Coulombe among the presumably dozens of bullpen options whom the Yanks are considering.

Durán and Jax are each questionable to move; the Twins are reportedly demanding multiple top prospects for either controllable late-game weapon. Bednar, who is playing on a $5.9MM salary and arbitration-eligible for one more season, is likely to go but would require a big return in his own right. Coulombe would come with the lowest prospect cost of that group. He’s a rental playing on a $3MM deal. Pittsburgh and Minnesota are surely getting calls from a number of teams on those pitchers (as well as the likes of Dennis Santana and Brock Stewart).

Orioles Outright Chadwick Tromp

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The Orioles activated catcher Chadwick Tromp from the 10-day injured list and outrighted him off the roster. Tromp has already declined the minor league assignment in favor of free agency. This drops Baltimore’s 40-man roster tally back to 39.

Tromp has had two separate stints on the O’s active roster. His most recent began on June 23, as they called him up after losing Adley Rutschman and Maverick Handley to the injured list. Tromp himself got hurt a week later, landing on the shelf with lower back inflammation. The O’s called up Jacob Stallings to take his place. Gary Sánchez became the next Baltimore catcher to get injured, forcing them to acquire minor leaguer Alex Jackson and promote him to back up Stallings.

The Orioles decided to stick with the Stallings-Jackson pairing even though Tromp is now healthy. He’s out of options, so the Orioles had to waive him and allow him to elect free agency once they decided not to reinstate him onto the active roster. The 30-year-old Tromp has combined for eight appearances between the Braves and Orioles this season. He’s a career .221/.230/.390 hitter in 178 MLB plate appearances. The Aruba native owns a .253/.327/.416 batting line in parts of eight Triple-A campaigns.

Jose Leclerc To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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A’s reliever José Leclerc will undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, reports Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. The hard-throwing righty has been out since April 23 with a lat strain. Leclerc will remain on the 60-day injured list for the rest of the season and become a free agent after the World Series.

The A’s surprisingly signed Leclerc to a $10MM free agent contract. The A’s needed to spend to ensure they weren’t subject to a grievance from the MLB Players Association about their use of revenue sharing money. They’d also played reasonably well in the second half last season and felt that a few additions to the pitching staff could make them a fringe Wild Card contender during their first year in Sacramento. None of the pitching investments have worked out. They’re the second-worst team in the American League as a result.

Leclerc made 10 appearances. He allowed six runs on 13 hits (three homers) and five walks with eight strikeouts across nine innings. That’ll be all they get out of that eight-figure signing because of the injury. Specifics on the surgery aren’t clear, nor is it known if he’ll be ready for Opening Day next season.

Over parts of eight seasons with the Rangers, Leclerc turned in a 3.27 earned run average. That included 57 frames of 2.68 ERA ball during their World Series season. He posted a 4.32 ERA in 66 2/3 innings a year ago, but that came with a near-31% strikeout rate that made him one of the better available relievers last winter.

Mets Have Shown Interest In Sandy Alcantara

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The Mets are among the teams that have shown interest in Sandy Alcantara, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. They’d seemingly remain one of the longer shots to land the former Cy Young winner. Intra-division trades of controllable players aren’t easy to make, and the Mets have reportedly been more focused on bullpen upgrades than the rotation.

New York already made the first of what’ll likely be multiple bullpen pickups this afternoon. They sent a pair of pitching prospects to the Orioles for hard-throwing southpaw Gregory Soto. They’re at least exploring the starting pitching and center field markets in addition to their reliever pursuits.

Alcantara has a 6.66 earned run average across 20 starts. His career-low 16.7% strikeout rate is well below average. Alcantara has gotten far fewer chases and swinging strikes this year than in any prior season. For all those alarming trends, he’ll intrigue teams as a change-of-scenery candidate. Alcantara’s 97.6 MPH average fastball velocity is back to where it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is signed with Miami for $17MM this year and next and is guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a $21MM club option for 2027.

President of baseball operations David Stearns suggested this week that the Mets would be comfortable with a potential playoff rotation comprising some combination of Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. Holmes is already at a career-high workload in his first full MLB season as a starter. He has struggled in July after a strong first three months. Senga, Manaea, and Montas have all had injury issues this year. The Mets could also get Tylor Megill back next month, yet he’s a question mark as he rehabs an elbow sprain.

Stearns also indicated the Mets could be content with the combination of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center field. Still, they’re on the periphery of that market. The Post’s Jon Heyman suggests they’re showing continued interest in long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr. Earlier this week, SNY’s Andy Martino called Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins a “consideration.”

Mullins is an impending free agent who’ll definitely be moved, but he hasn’t hit since April. Robert, whose contract contains consecutive $20MM team options for 2026-27, had an awful first few months offensively but has picked things up over the past couple weeks. Robert hits left-handed pitching well, plays plus defense, and steals bases, so he’s the more desirable trade candidate of that duo.

Rays Designate Jacob Waguespack For Assignment

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The Rays announced today that infielder Ha-Seong Kim has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 22nd, due to a low back strain. Outfielder Jonny DeLuca has been reinstated from the 60-day IL to take Kim’s active roster spot. To open 40-man space for DeLuca, right-hander Jacob Waguespack has been designated for assignment.

Kim was removed from Monday’s game with lower back tightness and he sat out the games on Tuesday and Wednesday. Perhaps the club wanted to see how his back would respond to a bit of rest before committing to an IL stint. However, three days is the maximum amount of time an IL move can be backdated. It’s possible it didn’t improve as hoped, so they decided to just put him on the shelf.

That’s an unfortunate development but the fact that the club waited to make the decision perhaps suggests it a fairly minor issue. Due to the backdating, he can return a week from now if his back improves between now and then. Taylor Walls and José Caballero will likely take over the shortstop spot again, as they did when Kim was on the IL earlier this year.

DeLuca hit the IL a week into April with a right shoulder strain. He started a rehab assignment in late May but was shut down with continued soreness. He was able to start a new rehab assignment more recently and seems to be ready to go. He’ll jump into the outfield mix alongside Chandler Simpson, Josh Lowe, Jake Mangum and Christopher Morel.

The victim of DeLuca’s return is Waguespack. The right-hander was selected to the Rays’ roster ahead of the 2024 season. He spent most of last year either on optional assignment or battling a rotator cuff injury. He tossed just ten innings for the big league club with a 5.40 earned run average.

The Rays signed a new deal with him for 2025 but it seems this year is following a similar script to 2024. He was optioned to Triple-A Durham at the start of this season. He was placed on the minor league injured list in May with an undisclosed issue and hasn’t pitched since May 20th.

Though his health status is unclear, the Rays have decided to clear him off the 40-man. Injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, so he’ll likely be released in the coming days. He’ll then be free to sign with any club, though the interest will depend on his injury status.

Photo courtesy of Reinhold Matay, Imagn Images

Giants Place Landen Roupp On IL With Elbow Inflammation

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The Giants announced today that right-hander Landen Roupp has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to July 23rd, due to right elbow inflammation. Righty Tristan Beck has been recalled from Triple-A Sacramento as the corresponding move.

At this point, it’s unclear how severe Roupp’s elbow issue is. He took the ball on Tuesday against Atlanta, throwing 87 pitches over five shutout innings. Presumably, something has cropped up in the days following that start. Time will tell if it’s a minor issue or something more serious, though it’s always somewhat concerning when a pitcher’s throwing elbow is injured.

It’s a notable blow to the Giants regardless. Roupp has been a key cog in the rotation this year, having made 20 starts with a 3.11 earned run average, 21.3% strikeout rate, 9.4% walk rate and 45.7% ground ball rate.

The San Francisco rotation has taken a few hits in recent months. Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks were both included in the Rafael Devers deal. Hayden Birdsong hit a rough patch, posting a 10.38 ERA in his five most recent starts, which led to him getting optioned to the minors a few days ago.

Subtracting Birdsong and Roupp now leaves the Giants with a rotation of Logan Webb, Robbie Ray and Justin Verlander. Webb and Ray still form a strong one-two punch at the front but Verlander has a 4.70 ERA on the year. Without Harrison and Hicks, there’s a bit less depth to provide cover.

The Giants are still in the race, currently just one game back of the Padres for the final Wild Card spot in the National League. President of baseball operations Buster Posey recently stated that the Giants are scouring the market for rotation additions. Perhaps he already knew about Roupp’s injury when he made those comments, but regardless, the development could increase the club’s aggressiveness on that front between now and Thursday’s deadline.

Webb is taking the ball tonight and Ray tomorrow. Verlander is slated for Monday. The Giants will have to figure out plans for Sunday and Tuesday. Perhaps they will deploy bullpen games with guys like Beck, Sean Hjelle or Carson Seymour doing some long relief work. Guys like Carson Ragsdale and Mason Black are on the 40-man roster, though Ragsdale just started yesterday and Black the day before. Prospect Carson Whisenhunt is stretched out in Triple-A but isn’t on the 40-man and the club may not want to promote him if they’re going to acquire pitchers at the deadline and have to bump him back down again.

Photo courtesy of Darren Yamashita, Imagn Images

Fantasy Baseball: Power Surgers

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Hello, friends.

With the All-Star break behind us, and the inevitable trade deadline shakeup just now crossing the horizon, let's pause to appreciate power. Or, at least, appreciate those who've seemingly leveled up in an area that often portends more round-trippers.

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Red Sox Place Marcelo Mayer On IL; Ceddanne Rafaela To Play More Second Base

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The Red Sox announced today that infielder Marcelo Mayer has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 24th, with a right wrist sprain. Infielder David Hamilton has been recalled as the corresponding move.

At this point, the severity of Mayer’s sprain is still being determined. “We’re gathering information,” Álex Cora responded when asked if surgery was a consideration, per Tim Healey of The Boston Globe. “We’ll get more over the weekend, during the week. Whenever we get to the point to see what’s going to happen, we’ll let you know.”

Time will tell if Mayer is facing a brief absence or an extended one. While the Sox surely don’t want Mayer to miss any time, there is a silver lining of his absence, as it seems it will help out a bit with their outfield logjam. Cora told reporters, including Chris Cotillo of MassLive, that the club will frequently have Ceddanne Rafaela at second base. That will lead to a regular outfield alignment of Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran and Wilyer Abreu, with Masataka Yoshida as the designated hitter.

The outfield picture, and the position player group in general, has been cluttered for most of the season. The Sox signed Alex Bregman in the winter and put him at third base, moving Rafael Devers to the designated hitter spot. That left Yoshida stuck on the IL, even though he was healthy enough to hit. His shoulder hadn’t recovered enough from offseason surgery to throw, so he couldn’t play the field. Anthony was also blocked, since the club had Duran, Rafaela and Abreu in the outfield.

A lot has changed since earlier in the year. The relationship between the team and Devers soured, which led to him being traded to the Giants. That opened up the DH spot for Yoshida. Anthony came up while Abreu had an oblique strain and has quickly found big league success. Abreu eventually returned from the IL, which jammed things up a bit again. It left four outfielders and Yoshida jockeying for four lineup spots.

Rafaela has some middle infield experience but the Sox seemed reluctant to move him there, which was understandable since he’s actually an elite defensive center fielder, whereas Duran’s glovework may be better suited to left field. More recently, they have softened that stance, with Rafaela taking the keystone here and there with Duran in center.

It now seems that could be the regular alignment for as long as Mayer is out. Perhaps it’s not ideal defensively but it will get the Sox out of a situation where one of their key players is on the bench every night.

It’s also possible that the situation further decreases the chances of the Sox dealing an outfielder. Due to that logjam, it had been speculated that they might trade one of their outfielders in order to bolster another part of the roster. Duran’s name came up in rumors most often for this kind of scenario, though recent reporting has suggested the Sox weren’t particularly interested in such a plan. Perhaps Rafaela’s move to the infield makes it even less likely.

In another bit of Red Sox news, Cora also provided an ominous update on lefty Patrick Sandoval, per Cotillo and Healey. The southpaw has been progressing slower than expected and has been downgraded from bullpens to just playing catch. His return this year is now doubtful.

Sandoval underwent UCL surgery last June while with the Angels. They non-tendered him and sent him into free agency. The Sox signed him to a two-year, backloaded deal with an $18.25MM guarantee. He is making $5.5MM this year and will make $12.75MMM next year.  The Sox knew that they wouldn’t get anything out of Sandoval in the first half of 2025 but likely hoped for some kind of second-half return.

That now seems less and less likely. Even if he were to continue throwing bullpens soon, he would then have to ramp up to live batting practice and/or simulated games before going out on a rehab assignment. A rehab assignment usually is capped at 30 days for a pitcher but it’s common for guys recovering from UCL surgery to push that closer to two months. Given that there’s barely two months left in the season, it’s understandable why Cora would say that the clock is running out.

Photo courtesy of Bob DeChiara, Imagn Images

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