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Inside the Deadline War Room: What Really Happens When GMs Make Their Moves

By Zack Scott | July 30, 2025 at 1:59am CDT

Zack Scott is a 4x World Series Champion with the Red Sox and former Mets Acting GM who applies championship leadership principles across professional sports and corporate environments. As Founder & CEO of Four Rings, he consults with teams like the 2023 World Series Champion Texas Rangers while coaching senior executives at growing companies to build winning leadership cultures. He also founded The Sports Ops Launchpad, helping aspiring sports ops pros break into the industry with a proven 20x success rate.

I’ve been in war rooms where a single phone call can change three franchises, end careers, or create legends. Most of the time, though, absolutely nothing happens.

I spent 20 consecutive years in trade deadline war rooms, including 17 with the Red Sox and one each with the Mets, Pirates, and Rangers. The reality is more mundane and less dramatic than fans probably expect.

How the War Room Works

The real work starts weeks before the deadline. For much of my career, a big part of the job was ensuring decision-makers were prepared when deals started moving. We gathered performance analyses, scouting evaluations, contract data, medical history, makeup reports, and intelligence on who was buying, who was selling, and what each team wanted.

The trade deadline has a unique rhythm. Long stretches of nothing, then everything happens at once.

You’ll sit in a conference room, which typically includes the GM, assistant GMs, scouts, analytics staff, and other baseball ops folks, for hours making small talk, going over the same reports, and waiting for phones to ring. Some GMs set up too early, and you end up with a room full of people staring at each other for weeks.

Most of the time, we’re doing exactly what fans do: refreshing MLBTR and X, hoping to catch something we missed.

But then something shifts in those final hours. Teams that were “just checking in” suddenly get serious. The pace picks up, conversations get urgent, and that’s when the real drama begins.

When Every Second Counts

People think the 6 PM deadline is just a formality. It’s not.

I’ll never forget when we traded Nomar Garciaparra. Hours of waiting, scattered conversations, then suddenly we’re in a four-team deal with the clock ticking down to the final minute.

This was the face of the franchise, with multiple teams trying to coordinate. Someone called out: “We’ve got ten minutes!” You have people on phones with different teams, trying to ensure everyone’s on the same page while the minutes disappear.

We got it done, but barely. Those kinds of deadline deals show you who can handle pressure and who can’t.

The Human Side of Historic Trades

Not every great trade comes from sophisticated analysis. Sometimes it’s about delegating and setting others up to succeed.

The Dave Roberts trade almost didn’t happen. And if it hadn’t, the 2004 Red Sox probably wouldn’t have become the first team in history to come back from down 3-0.

Theo Epstein asked an intern to research available outfielders. The initial list was terrible, but instead of dismissing it, he challenged the young staffer to think differently. That’s when the intern heard the Dodgers were trying to acquire Steve Finley. Since they already had plenty of outfield talent, maybe they’d be willing to trade away Dave Roberts. The intern rushed to Theo’s office with the idea. Within hours, we’d made the trade.

You know how that story ended—bottom of the ninth, Game 4 of the ALCS. Roberts steals second, scores the tying run, and we complete the greatest comeback in baseball history. That trade happened because Theo had created an environment where everyone’s input was valued.

When Deals Fall Apart

But not every story has a happy ending. You can get so close to a franchise-changing trade, then watch it disappear overnight.

In 2009, we had a three-team deal almost done: Adrian Gonzalez from San Diego to Seattle, Felix Hernandez from Seattle to us, and several young players, including Josh Reddick, Daniel Bard, and Justin Masterson, going to the Padres.

Seattle’s GM slept on it, then decided he couldn’t move the King. Just like that, a deal that could have changed three franchises was dead.

When Everything Gets Complicated

The complexity isn’t always about multiple teams. It can be about competing priorities and external pressure.

In 2008, we had to move Manny Ramirez. He was threatening not to play for us if we didn’t trade him. As defending champs with aspirations to repeat, we couldn’t just give away a great hitter. We needed to find another impact player to replace him.

That’s how Jason Bay entered the picture, but it required multiple teams to make it work. We had two options: get an established impact player like Bay, or ask for a prospect who wouldn’t help us immediately. At one point, we even asked the Marlins for 18-year-old Mike Stanton (now Giancarlo) straight up for Manny. That move would have hurt us immediately but helped us in the long term. That took huge stones to even consider.

The situation became a stalemate that required Commissioner Selig to mediate. We finished after the deadline, but Selig allowed it because he felt it was in the best interest of the game. We got it done: Manny to LA, Jason Bay to us, and prospects to Pittsburgh.

When I Finally Ran a War Room

When I became Acting GM at the Mets in 2021, I finally got to run a war room. After 17 years of observing various approaches, I had developed clear ideas about how to do it effectively.

I kept multiple conversations going simultaneously because more opportunities meant a better chance of finding the right deals. I also made sure we had a room packed with people, because I’d learned that good ideas can come from anywhere. But instead of letting people sit idle, I came prepared with specific questions and tasks for each staff member throughout the day.

The challenge was that we were working with incomplete information: missing projection systems, gaps in scouting reports, and limited data on our own prospects. We were trying to rebuild these systems while competing for a playoff spot.

That pressure led to trading Pete Crow-Armstrong for Javy Baez and Trevor Williams, players who made a positive short-term impact. Even with our limited information, the underlying intelligence suggested the long-term risk was higher than the expected short-term gain. But being in first place created enormous pressure to improve immediately. I chose the short-term need over long-term value, and I own that decision.

It taught me that no matter how well you structure your war room, external pressure can still override your process.

What Really Matters

A trade deadline war room is loaded with technology, including multiple screens, databases, and video systems. But here’s what I learned after 20 years. The deadline isn’t just about having the best information. It’s about creating an environment where the best ideas can come from anywhere.

The deals that change franchises often come from unexpected places. That’s what makes it electric and maddening all at once.

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Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays

By Steve Adams | July 30, 2025 at 1:58am CDT

The Blue Jays and Orioles executed a bit of business between games of their doubleheader today, as Baltimore traded right-hander Seranthony Dominguez and cash to the Toronto in exchange for minor league righty Juaron Watts-Brown. Both clubs have announced the swap. The Jays designated veteran reliever Chad Green for assignment to open 40-man and 26-man roster spots for their new acquisition.

Dominguez, 30, is earning $8MM in his final season of club control. He’s spent the past year in Baltimore after coming over from the Phillies at the 2024 trade deadline. The 6’1″, 225-pound righty has been among the Orioles’ top setup options this season, pitching 41 2/3 innings of 3.24 ERA ball with an excellent 30.9% strikeout rate but also a troubling 13.7% walk rate. Command has been a problem for the hard-throwing Dominguez at times in the past, but never quite to this extent.

Even with the glut of free passes, Dominguez has still enjoyed a strong year. This year’s strikeout rate is the second-highest of his career (second to only his rookie season), as is his 14.3% swinging-strike rate. He’s sitting 97.7 mph with his four-seamer and 97.9 mph with his sinker, per Statcast, pairing those blistering primary offerings with a pair of newly implemented secondary weapons: a splitter averaging 87.4 mph and a more seldom-used curveball that’s sitting 83.7 mph.

Dominguez has picked up 13 holds and a pair of saves. He’s been charged with three blown saves on the season. Outside of closer Felix Bautista, no reliever in the Baltimore bullpen has been used more frequently in high-leverage situations. He’s no stranger to protecting late leads, either, evidenced by the 40 saves and 71 holds he’s tallied in 298 major league appearances dating back to his 2018 debut in Philadelphia.

Toronto’s bullpen entered play today tied for seventh in the majors with a collective 3.72 ERA — although that was before serving up a whopping 12 runs to the Orioles in the first game of today’s twin bill. (Two of those runs were yielded by backup catcher Ali Sanchez pitching in mop-up duty.) They’ve gotten terrific work out of Yariel Rodriguez, Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher, in particular.

Offseason signee Jeff Hoffman has a 4.73 ERA, though that’s skewed a bit by a five-run meltdown back in May. He’s pitched to a flat 3.00 ERA with a 33.8% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate in 18 innings dating back to June 1. Fellow veteran Yimi Garcia, who re-signed as a free agent with the Jays this winter after being traded to the Mariners last July, missed more than a month with a shoulder impingement and then was placed back on the IL day due to an ankle sprain just three days after returning. He’s still on the shelf but has posted a 3.86 ERA in 21 innings when healthy.

The Jays are eyeing a variety of upgrades as they look to keep their spot atop the standings in the American League East. They’ve been in the hunt for bullpen upgrades — and still are even after acquiring Dominguez, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com — in addition to rotation arms like Dylan Cease and prominent bats like Steven Kwan (though Kwan, in particular, is a long shot to change hands). In an effort to obtain upgrades of that nature, they’ve been willing to listen to trade offers on some controllable young big leaguers who’ve gotten their feet wet in the majors already, though that didn’t prove necessary with regard to Dominguez.

Dominguez will net the Orioles the 23-year-old Watts-Brown, whom the Blue Jays selected with their third-round pick back in 2023. The Oklahoma State product has spent the season in the rotation at High-A and Double-A, logging a combined 3.54 ERA with a 30.5% strikeout rate and 10.1% walk rate in 89 innings. He ranked 14th among Jays prospects, per Baseball America’s most recent midseason update of their system.

Listed at 6’3″ and 190 pounds, Watts-Brown sits 92-94 mph with his four-seamer and can run it up a couple ticks higher when he needs to reach back for more. Scouting reports at BA, MLB.com and FanGraphs all laud the lanky right-hander’s slider and curveball as plus pitches, but command troubles and a lack of missed bats with his heater have led to some thought that he might be better suited for a relief role down the road. The Jays have continued to develop him as a starter, and that’ll presumably be the case as well for an Orioles club that is quite thin on upper-level pitching.

Watts-Brown walked an untenable 13.2% of hitters in 2024 and, after notching a much-improved 7.7% walk rate in High-A to begin the season, is back up to an 11.8% walk rate in 11 Double-A starts. He’s also plunked four hitters in 51 innings there. Watts-Brown will need to further refine his command to thrive as a starter, but his frame and four-pitch arsenal lend themselves well to rotation work if he can scale back on the free passes. That he’s already in Double-A suggests a potential 2026 debut for the former third-round pick if things go well.

Dominguez is the third reliever shipped out by a disappointing Baltimore club this month. The O’s sent Bryan Baker to the Rays prior to the All-Star break and traded Gregory Soto to the Mets last week. Dominguez and Soto were obvious trade candidates, given their impending free agency on a team that has fallen well shy of expectations. Other O’s veterans who are set to hit the market at season’s end (e.g. Ryan O’Hearn, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton) are likely to follow.

Ben Nicholson-Smith and Shi Davidi of Sportsnet first reported the trade.

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Padres Interested In JoJo Romero

By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2025 at 1:55am CDT

The Cardinals’ bullpen should look quite a bit different in 36 hours than it does now. Closer Ryan Helsley is one of the most coveted available relievers and is very likely to move. Phil Maton and Steven Matz are impending free agents who should be traded as well. There hasn’t been as much public attention on southpaw JoJo Romero, but he’s another trade candidate.

Katie Woo of The Athletic reports that the Padres are among the teams to show interest in Romero. St. Louis has presumably received interest from a few clubs on the 28-year-old lefty, who carries a 2.12 ERA across 34 innings. Romero has fanned 24% of batters faced with a 52.9% ground-ball rate. He has collected 16 holds without blowing a lead all year, and he’s coming up on three months of quiet excellence.

Romero had a rocky April, allowing eight runs (seven earned) with seven walks and strikeouts apiece in 10 1/3 innings. He has allowed just four runs, one earned, since that point. Romero owns a 0.38 ERA with a 28.1% strikeout rate while keeping opposing hitters to a .200/.277/.271 slash line over his past 27 appearances. While he’s obviously not going to maintain that level of dominance, he has fired 93 innings of 2.90 ERA ball while picking up 46 holds over the past season and a half. He has gotten plus ground-ball marks with solid swing-and-miss rates while sitting around 94 MPH on his fastball.

Unlike the trio of more frequently mentioned rentals in the St. Louis bullpen, Romero is under club control for another season. He’s playing on a $2.26MM salary this year and should land in the $4-5MM range for his final arbitration campaign. The Cardinals should nevertheless look to move him to a clearer contender this summer, especially if they lower their already diminished playoff odds by trading Helsley and Maton.

San Diego has a trio of left-handers in the bullpen. Adrian Morejon is among the best in baseball. Romero would be a more reliable second option than Wandy Peralta or Yuki Matsui. Adding to the bullpen could be viewed as a luxury buy for a team with clearer holes in left field and throughout the bench. President of baseball operations A.J. Preller has left the door open to further adding to an already excellent relief group. It’s also possible they could acquire a leverage reliever while dealing away one of their current late-inning arms (most likely closer Robert Suarez) for outfield or rotation help.

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Astros, Cody Bolton Agree To Minor League Deal

By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2025 at 1:12am CDT

The Astros signed right-hander Cody Bolton to a minor league contract last week, according to the MLB.com transaction log. He has been assigned to the team’s Florida complex. Bolton hasn’t logged any game action since April 23, so the Astros will give him runway to build up before presumably assigning him to Triple-A Sugar Land.

Bolton was released by the Guardians on June 6. The 27-year-old had been on the Triple-A injured list for the previous five weeks. MLBTR has learned that Bolton had unfortunately sustained injuries in a car accident in late April. The Guardians wound up designating him for assignment a month later when they needed a 40-man roster spot to active David Fry from the 60-day IL. Injured players cannot go on outright waivers, so Bolton was subsequently released.

The 6’2″ righty made one appearance for the Guardians in late April, allowing three runs in two innings. He spent time with the Pirates in 2023 and Mariners last year. Bolton owns a 5.79 earned run average in 42 big league frames. He has a stronger Triple-A track record, posting a 3.42 ERA while striking out a quarter of opponents in four seasons at the top minor league level. He sits in the 94 MPH range with both his four-seam fastball and sinker and leans fairly heavily on a low-80s breaking ball.

Bolton has worked from the bullpen over the past couple seasons but was a starter in the Pittsburgh system early in his career. Once he’s back in game shape, he could serve as either middle relief or rotation depth. Bolton has less than a year of MLB service and still has a minor league option, so the Astros would be able to bounce him between Daikin Park and Sugar Land if he secures a 40-man roster spot.

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Blue Jays Remain In Bullpen Market

By Anthony Franco | July 30, 2025 at 12:40am CDT

The Blue Jays landed Seranthony Domínguez in a trade with the Orioles on Tuesday afternoon. That could be one of multiple bullpen pickups for Toronto. Mark Feinsand of MLB.com suggested the Jays remain in the mix for Ryan Helsley. More generally, Mitch Bannon and Will Sammon of The Athletic report that Toronto would like to add another high-leverage piece as well as a swingman.

Potentially available late-game arms aside from Helsley include David Bednar, Dennis Santana, Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Phil Maton, Anthony Bender and Pierce Johnson. Washington’s Michael Soroka, the White Sox’ Adrian Houser and Tyler Alexander, old friend Steven Matz and the A’s Sean Newcomb all have experience working as starters or in multi-inning relief. Players like Cal Quantrill, Austin Gomber and Andrew Heaney have mostly worked as starting pitchers throughout their careers. They’re impending free agents and could get squeezed into a long relief role somewhere if they’re dealt to a contender.

Toronto has a late-inning group of Jeff Hoffman, Domínguez, Yariel Rodríguez, Brendon Little and Braydon Fisher. Righties Nick Sandlin and Yimi García are on the 15-day injured list with uncertain return timelines. Hoffman, Domínguez and middle reliever Tommy Nance are the only pitchers in the current bullpen with even two years of MLB service. Rodríguez, Fisher and Little have pitched well this year but don’t have any experience shouldering significant innings down the stretch in a pennant race.

A swingman would provide some insurance at the back of the rotation. All five of their starters are at least 30 years old. Max Scherzer’s injury history is a concern. Eric Lauer has been great and deserves to hold his rotation spot, but he was a fringe MLB roster player just a few months ago. Toronto’s bullpen has shouldered a fairly heavy workload, and adding a Soroka or Alexander type could take some pressure off their late-inning arms.

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Mets, White Sox Have Reportedly Discussed Luisangel Acuna In Luis Robert Talks

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2025 at 11:43pm CDT

The Mets have been tied to White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. in trade rumors for months. Talks between New York and Chicago are ongoing, and MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand writes that the Mets remain one of the more aggressive suitors.

According to Feinsand, Mets infielder Luisangel Acuña is among the players whom the teams have discussed. USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote over the weekend that the White Sox wanted Mark Vientos included in a Robert return. Even with Vientos amidst a down year, that’s a significant ask given Robert’s offensive inconsistency. The 23-year-old Acuña has not shown anywhere close to the same upside as Vientos did a season ago, when he batted .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs.

Acuña is a much better defensive player than Vientos, but he has a more limited offensive profile. The righty-hitting Acuña has a career .253/.300/.354 line with a trio of homers in 91 games. He has a similar .260/.303/.356 slash in 640 Triple-A plate appearances. Acuña is a decent contact hitter but has minimal power.

With Francisco Lindor locked in at shortstop, Acuña has mostly played second base in Queens. Prospect evaluators credit him with the athleticism and arm strength to play shortstop. That could make him more valuable to another team than the Mets. The White Sox are using Colson Montgomery more often at third base. Fellow rookie Chase Meidroth is playing more shortstop. Meidroth has a good approach but only has managed three homers in his first 82 MLB games. Most scouting reports while he was in the minors projected him as a long-term second baseman.

It’s not clear how likely the Mets are to land Robert, nor is it a guarantee that Acuña would be in the return. He’s presumably one of many players whom the teams have discussed as they kick around potential frameworks. The Sox have at least floated the idea of holding their center fielder beyond the deadline if they don’t get a strong prospect package. Robert is technically controllable for two more seasons via successive $20MM club options.

It’d seem more likely that he’ll be bought out for $2MM next offseason, but the White Sox have pushed the idea that they could exercise the first option rather than accept a suboptimal trade return. Their actions over the next 36 hours will reveal whether that’s a genuine consideration or a mere negotiating stance. In addition to New York, the Padres and Phillies have shown recent interest in Robert.

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Braves To Place Ronald Acuna On Injured List

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2025 at 10:19pm CDT

The Braves are losing another star to the injured list. Ronald Acuña Jr. is headed to the 10-day IL after making an early exit from tonight’s loss in Kansas City, the team told reporters (including David O’Brien of The Athletic). The club announced the injury as right Achilles tightness. Mark Bowman of MLB.com observed that the former MVP was in a walking boot postgame.

It’s the latest hit in an utter disaster of a season. The Braves are 16 games under .500. They’re almost certainly going to trade Raisel Iglesias and Marcell Ozuna in the next two days. Acuña had been one of the few bright spots. The superstar outfielder is hitting .306/.429/.577 with 14 homers in 55 games since returning from his second ACL tear. He’s now headed back to the IL, where he joins Chris Sale, Spencer Schwellenbach, Reynaldo López, Grant Holmes and AJ Smith-Shawver.

This shouldn’t have any impact on the team’s deadline plans. The Braves are long buried in the playoff race, so their impending free agents were getting dealt regardless. They obviously weren’t going to entertain offers on Acuña. The team will provide a timeline after he goes for further testing in the next few days. There’s no reason to take any chances with another lower body injury for the face of the franchise in a lost season.

Eli White finished tonight’s game in right field. He’ll probably get the majority of the playing time. The Braves have Jarred Kelenic and Carlos Rodríguez as depth outfielders on the 40-man roster. Kelenic is batting .217 in Triple-A and trending towards a non-tender. The 24-year-old Rodríguez, who signed a split deal as a minor league free agent last offseason, carries a .276/.348/.347 line over 82 Triple-A contests. He has never appeared in the big leagues.

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Rays, Rangers Have Had “Preliminary” Talks On Pete Fairbanks

By Anthony Franco | July 29, 2025 at 9:55pm CDT

The Rangers and Rays have had “at least preliminary” conversations about Tampa Bay closer Pete Fairbanks, writes Evan Grant of The Dallas Morning News. Fairbanks is one of a handful of Rays veterans whose status is up in the air as the team considers its deadline approach.

Tampa Bay lost to the Yankees tonight, falling back to .500 in the process. They’re now three games back in the Wild Card race. That’s hardly insurmountable, yet the trend lines are not good. The Rays have a 7-16 record this month, an ill-timed skid that seemingly has forced the front office to more seriously consider a sell-off. ESPN’s Buster Olney relayed this afternoon that other teams expect the Rays to serve as one of the bigger sellers in the next two days.

It was less than a week ago that The Athletic reported that the Rays preferred to hold Fairbanks. Perhaps that’s still the case, but the Rays have dropped five out of six since then. A bubble team’s plans can change quickly this time of year. If the Rays do sell, Fairbanks would be an obvious candidate. He’s in the final guaranteed season of his three-year contract. There’s a club option for next season that’ll very likely be in eight figures after accounting for various escalators. That’d be a significant price for Tampa Bay to spend on a relief pitcher.

The 31-year-old Fairbanks is playing this season on a much cheaper $3.667MM salary. That’d be appealing to any team but would take on extra importance for Texas given their proximity to the luxury tax threshold. There’s no indication that Fairbanks is a specific priority for the Rangers, however. They’re casting a wide net in the search for a late-inning reliever and have also been tied to Ryan Helsley, David Bednar and Colorado’s Jake Bird within the past 12 hours.

Fairbanks would be a familiar face for some in the organization. Texas drafted him in the ninth round in 2015 and called him up for an eight-game cameo four years later. They traded him to the Rays in a regrettable 2019 deadline deal for Nick Solak. Fairbanks has become a high-leverage piece in Tampa Bay. He’s currently carrying a 2.75 ERA with 18 saves in 21 opportunities across 39 1/3 innings. This year’s 20.2% strikeout rate is a career low, which is a red flag, but he’s averaging his customary 97 MPH on his fastball and would immediately be the top power arm in the Texas bullpen.

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Mets Have Considered Ramón Laureano

By Leo Morgenstern | July 29, 2025 at 8:48pm CDT

8:48pm: Heyman posts that Laureano appears to be behind Robert and Mullins on the Mets’ priority list, presumably because of the positional fit. Heyman adds that a few other teams are more likely suitors in the event that Laureano gets moved.

8:25pm: With the trade deadline fast approaching, the Mets have already been linked to some big bats, namely Eugenio Suárez and Brandon Lowe, and a handful of outfielders, including Harrison Bader, Luis Robert Jr., and Cedric Mullins. Now, you can add Ramón Laureano to both lists. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported this afternoon that the Mets have “considered” trading for Laureano, as well as noting their continued interest in Robert and Mullins.

In his eighth big league season, Laureano is on pace for a career year at the plate. Entering play today, his strikeout rate (25.1%) had never been lower, his isolated power (.247) had never been higher, and his .866 OPS, 139 wRC+, and .369 xwOBA were all career-bests. As for the other half of his game, he’s certainly not going to win a Gold Glove, but his elite throwing arm helps him make up for poor range, and he can more than hold his own in a corner spot. He is no longer well-suited for center field, but he has enough experience out there that he can play the position in a pinch. Indeed, that could be one reason why the Mets are interested. With Jose Siri out since April and Tyrone Taylor struggling badly at the plate, the club has been asking Jeff McNeil to play more center field lately. McNeil is well known for versatility, but he had only played three career games in center prior to this season. What’s more, every inning that McNeil plays in center is an inning that either Brett Baty or Luisangel Acuña plays at second base, and neither Baty nor Acuña is having a strong year at the plate. It’s hard to know whether Laureano would be a better defensive center fielder than McNeil, but there is little doubt that New York’s offense would be stronger with Laureano in center field and McNeil at second base. Ultimately, neither McNeil nor Laureano (nor Taylor nor Brandon Nimmo) is a great option in center field, but without a good solution, at least it helps to have depth.

Starling Marte and Mark Vientos have both come up in trade rumors recently, and if either one is dealt, that could also allow the Mets to slot in Laureano as their designated hitter as needed. Prior to this year, it would have been strange to suggest Laureano play DH; from 2020-24, he produced a perfectly mediocre .709 OPS and 101 wRC+. However, it’s impossible to argue with his production so far in 2025. He ranks 11th among AL batters (min. 200 PA) in OPS and 12th in wRC+. His hard-hit rate, barrel rate, and xwOBA all place him within the top quartile of Statcast qualified hitters. Perhaps most impressive, the righty-batting Laureano has done most of his damage against same-handed pitching. He has a 111 wRC+ against southpaws this year compared to a remarkable 154 wRC+ against right-handers. He’s likely due for some regression against righties, but that wouldn’t be the worst thing for the Mets, considering they already rank fifth in MLB with a 115 wRC+ against right-handed pitching. Conversely, they rank 17th with a 91 wRC+ against lefties. Laureano, who has a career 122 wRC+ with the platoon advantage, could help boost that number.

While payroll is obviously not a huge concern for the Mets, they are third-time luxury tax payers in the top tier of penalties, which means there is a 110% tax on all salary they take on. So, they surely like the fact that Laureano’s $4MM contract is significantly cheaper than those of other impact bats like Suárez and Lowe. His deal also includes a $6.5MM team option for 2026, which would be an absolute bargain if he keeps hitting like he has been for the rest of the year.

Laureano is not a perfect fit for the Mets’ roster. He is primarily a corner outfielder, and the team already has fixtures in both corner spots: Nimmo in left and Juan Soto in right. Still, he’s enjoying a tremendous season, and there is little doubt that the 2025 Mets would be a better team with Laureano in their lineup than they would be without.

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Twins Place Byron Buxton On 10-Day IL With Ribcage Inflammation

By Leo Morgenstern | July 29, 2025 at 6:39pm CDT

The Twins announced today that they have placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list with left ribcage inflammation. Catcher Ryan Jeffers, who was activated from the paternity list, will take Buxton’s spot on the active roster. In an additional transaction, the Twins officially selected right-hander Pierson Ohl’s contract from Triple-A. He will take the roster spot left vacant after yesterday’s Chris Paddack trade.

Buxton left Saturday’s game early with what the team then deemed left side soreness (per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic). His MRI revealed he had suffered rib cartilage irritation, which manager Rocco Baldelli described as positive news on Sunday (per Gleeman). At the time, the team believed Buxton to be day-to-day. Evidently, they have now decided he’ll need more than a couple of days off to recover. He is now eligible to return next Wednesday, though it’s not yet clear how long he’ll be out.

The All-Star center fielder is in the midst of a phenomenal season that’s shaping up to be the best of his career. He is slashing .282/.343/.561 with 23 home runs, 17 stolen bases, and 4 OAA. His 3.9 FanGraphs WAR ranks him among the top 10 players in the American League. Of course, playing at a superstar level has never been a problem for Buxton. Rather, his problem has always been staying on the field. He has dealt with injury issues in every season of his career. Only once has he qualified for the batting title, and even then, he just barely reached the cutoff, taking 511 plate appearances over 140 games in 2017. Since then, he has yet to even surpass 400 plate appearances in a season, and only once has he surpassed 100 games (102 games played in 2024). This is already his second IL stint of 2025; he previously spent two weeks on the concussion IL. The Twins and Buxton will hope his rib injury is not much more serious than they initially thought, allowing him to get back on the field in time to set new career highs in plate appearances and games played.

While Buxton is out, the Twins have an excellent backup plan in Harrison Bader – as long as he isn’t traded in the next two days. Bader is a Gold Glove-winning center fielder, and he also happens to be enjoying the best offensive season of his career. He has played most of his games in left field this year (marking the first time in his career he’s spent more time in a corner than in center), but he was one of the game’s premier defensive center fielders over the previous seven years. When the Twins signed Bader over the offseason, they were presumably hoping he’d spend as much time in a corner spot as possible, but they surely knew he might eventually have to fill in for Buxton in center.

Things will become more complicated for Baldelli if the Twins trade Bader ahead of the deadline, especially if they also part with utility man Willi Castro. That would likely leave rookie DaShawn Keirsey Jr. as Minnesota’s starting center fielder in Buxton’s absence. Keirsey’s speed should help him hold his own in center, but he is batting .120 with a .354 OPS this year in 78 plate appearances. That’s a big drop-off from Bader’s production and a massive drop-off from Buxton’s production. Regardless, if the Twins are planning to continue selling before the deadline, it seems unlikely that Buxton’s injury would prevent them from parting with Bader or Castro.

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