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Rangers, Mariners Eyeing Rockies’ Relievers

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The Rockies, more open to dealing at this year’s deadline than in seasons past, have been open to offers on controllable young relievers in their bullpen. The Rox have several power arms who could appeal to bullpen-needy contenders, and two teams that have been eyeing them recently are the Rangers (per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News) and Mariners (per Daniel Kramer of MLB.com).

Grant reports that the Rockies are under the impression that right-handers Jake Bird, Victor Vodnik and Tyler Kinley are all available via trade. As a veteran in the final guaranteed season of his contract, Kinley is a fairly straightforward trade candidate. But Bird, who’s controlled three years beyond the current season, and especially Vodnik, who’s controlled for an additional four years, stand as the types of player Colorado wouldn’t even consider moving at prior trade deadlines.

Kinley, 34, is making $3MM in 2025 and has a $5MM club option with a $750K buyout. He’s sporting an ugly 5.66 ERA but more appealing secondary marks. The 6’4″ righty is averaging 95.2 mph on his four-seamer but uses his slider as his primary offering (60.1%), which has surely contributed to a hefty 14% swinging-strike rate. That’s a well above-average mark and could portend an uptick in Kinley’s 23.8% strikeout rate, which is only a bit better than average. Kinley’s 12.6% walk rate needs work, but he’s shown better command in the past. Metrics like FIP (4.14) and SIERA (4.15) both feel he’s been better than his ERA, and other clubs might be intrigued to see what he could do with more analytical input than the Rockies provide.

Bird, 29, was excellent through the end of June but has had a brutal month in July. He’s been rocked for 15 runs (14 earned) in just 6 2/3 innings since the calendar flipped, ballooning his once-terrific 2.63 ERA all the way to 4.73. He has roughly average velocity but makes good use of a sinker/slider/curveball repertoire to miss bats and keep the ball on the ground at above-average levels. In 53 1/3 innings — Bird frequently works more than one inning per outing — he’s fanned 26.3% of his opponents against a 9.7% walk rate. Bird’s 48% ground-ball rate is well above average, and he’s done a nice job avoiding home runs both in 2025 (0.84 HR/9) and in his career (0.90).

The 25-year-old Vodnik would be valued most highly of the trio mentioned by Grant. He’s in just his second big league season and is sporting a tidy 3.19 ERA with an above-average 23.9% strikeout rate and a massive 56.6% ground-ball rate in 31 frames. Vodnik averages a blistering 98.6 mph on his fastball and just under 92 mph on his “changeup.” However, Vodnik doesn’t quite miss bats at the level one might expect from someone with such a powerful arsenal. The results have been strong nonetheless, though Vodnik’s 4.12 FIP and 4.11 SIERA (driven by his shaky command) point to some potential regression.

Vodnik and Bird, in particular, seem like they’d hold appeal to a Rangers club that has some reluctance to exceed the luxury tax threshold. Neither has reached arbitration yet, so neither would add to the club’s luxury obligations. Kinley would have just $951K left on his contract by the time the deadline rolls around, though the $750K buyout on his 2026 option would also come into play.

Bird is also on the Mariners’ radar, per Kramer, who notes that Seattle has “heavily” scouted him and bullpen-mates Juan Mejia and Seth Halvorsen. Mejia is a particularly obscure trade candidate, given that he just made his MLB debut earlier this year. He’s pitched 36 innings and logged a 4.50 ERA but with a 3.78 FIP and 3.60 SIERA. He’s set down 23.7% of his opponents on strikes and walked 8.6% of the hitters he’s faced.

Mejia is a pure two-pitch reliever with a four-seamer that averages 96.2 mph and a slider sitting 82.9 mph. He’d be controllable for a full six years beyond the current season and is in the second of two minor league option years. That’d give Seattle plenty of long-term control and flexibility.

Halvorsen, 25, is arguably the most appealing of the whole group. His 4.99 ERA is pedestrian, but he’s averaging 100 mph on his four-seamer, inducing chases off the plate at an above-average rate and sporting a 13.2% swinging-strike rate. The flamethrowing young righty has punched out just 20.9% of his opponents but fanned batters at a 28.9% rate during last year’s debut (albeit in a smaller sample of innings). His 11.6% walk rate is too high, but his 54.4% grounder rate is excellent.

Halvorsen only briefly got a look late last season and hasn’t been optioned since first being selected to the big leagues. As such, he has a full slate of three option years. He’s controlled for five more years beyond the current season. Pitchers who average 100 mph or better and keep the ball on the ground at such high rates are rare breeds, and Halvorsen’s chase rate, swinging-strike rate, minor league numbers and 2024 results all suggest there could be more strikeouts in the tank as well. His command has never been great, and that’ll be the challenge for the Rockies or another club to unlock, but the raw tools in Halvorsen’s arsenal are tantalizing.

Whether the Rockies actually bite the bullet and trade any of their controllable relievers is an open question, but there’s a relatively limited supply of relievers controlled beyond the current season and a large number of teams hoping to acquire such pitchers. Beyond the Rangers and Mariners, each of the Phillies, Tigers, Yankees, Dodgers, Mets and Cubs have been linked to relievers with multiple years of club control. One long-shot possibility, Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase, was removed from consideration earlier this week when he was placed on administrative leave amid MLB’s ongoing gambling investigation.

While there are plenty of bullpen arms available on the market, many of them (e.g. Ryan Helsley, Raisel Iglesias) are free agents at season’s end. Teams like the Pirates (David Bednar, Dennis Santana), Guardians (Cade Smith) and particularly the Twins (Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax) have set lofty asking prices on the bullpen arms they control beyond the current season. The Rox will surely have a hefty asking price on relievers like Vodnik and Halvorsen, but the demand for controllable bullpen help could present them with an opportunity to provide a jolt to a weak farm system.

Mets Re-Sign Chris Devenski

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The Mets announced that they have signed right-hander Chris Devenski to a one-year major league deal. Fellow righty Huascar Brazobán has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse as the corresponding active roster move. The 40-man roster already had a vacancy.

Devenski was just removed from the Mets’ roster a week ago when he was designated for assignment. He later cleared waivers and elected free agency, but he has quickly returned to the Mets on a fresh pact.

Before losing his spot, Devenski gave the Mets 11 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on seven hits, three walks and hitting three opponents, striking out nine along the way. He has spent more time in Triple-A this year, tossing 25 innings with a 4.32 ERA, 17.2% strikeout rate, 4% walk rate and 50.6% ground ball rate.

The Mets have suffered a number of pitching injuries this year and have been churning through veterans at the fringe of the roster. A.J. Minter, Danny Young, Max Kranick and Dedniel Núñez have all been felled by season-ending surgeries. The club has responded by grabbing guys like Devenski, José Castillo, Génesis Cabrera, Richard Lovelady, José Ureña and others, bouncing them on and off the roster.

The Mets are reportedly setting the bullpen as a high priority ahead of Thursday’s deadline. They have already acquired Gregory Soto from the Orioles and should be making further moves in the next 48 hours. Devenski could get bumped off the roster yet again as those moves get finalized in the coming days.

Photo courtesy of Gregory Fisher, Imagn Images

Orioles Select Houston Roth, Recall Elvin Rodríguez

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After trading Seranthony Domínguez to the Blue Jays this afternoon, the Orioles have made some additional transactions to shake up their bullpen ahead of game two of a doubleheader against Toronto. They have recalled right-hander Elvin Rodríguez and selected the contract of fellow right-hander Houston Roth, both from Double-A Chesapeake. The Domínguez trade freed up one roster slot, and to open another spot on the active roster, Baltimore optioned Yaramil Hiraldo to Double-A.

While Rodríguez and Roth are coming up from the Double-A (and Hiraldo is headed down to the Chesapeake Baysox), it’s worth noting that all three pitchers have spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Norfolk. However, Chesapeake is significantly closer to Baltimore than Norfolk. So, the O’s were presumably stashing Rodríguez and Roth at Double-A in case they were needed as depth. With that in mind, Danielle Allentuck of The Baltimore Banner suggests these are likely “temporary moves” to quickly replace Domínguez and replenish the bullpen after game one of the doubleheader.

Rodríguez, 27, signed a split major league deal with the Brewers over the offseason after a strong showing in Japan in 2024. However, he gave up 18 runs in 18 2/3 innings with Milwaukee, leading the team to designate him for assignment earlier this month. Baltimore scooped him up off waivers, and if he gets in a game, he will be making his Orioles debut. Before his time overseas, the right-hander pitched for the Tigers in 2022 and the Rays in ’23. All in all, he has a career 9.23 ERA in 51 2/3 MLB innings. The O’s will hope he can look more like the pitcher who put up a 1.80 ERA over 45 innings in NPB last season.

Roth, also 27, has spent his entire professional career with the O’s, rising through their minor league ranks since the 2019 campaign. If he gets in a game, he will be making his major league debut. In 24 appearances (36 2/3 innings) between Double-A and Triple-A this year, the right-hander has a 2.21 ERA but a 4.02 FIP and 4.55 xFIP. He has posted impressive strikeout rates at High-A and Double-A over the past two seasons but struggled to miss bats upon his promotion to Triple-A earlier this year. His double-digit walk rate only exacerbates that problem.

Hiraldo, 29, was recalled earlier today for his fourth stint with the Orioles this season. He pitched two innings in game one of the doubleheader, giving up one run on a solo home run by Joey Loperfido. All told, he has pitched 4.1 MLB innings in 2025 with two strikeouts, no walks, and three hits allowed. He has a 4.19 ERA in 38 2/3 minor league innings this year, but his 32.9% strikeout rate and 5.78 strikeout-to-walk ratio are more promising. Those numbers are all the more impressive considering he spent the 2022-24 seasons in the Atlantic and Mexican Leagues. Prior to 2025, he had not pitched in affiliated ball since the Diamondbacks released him in 2021.

Blue Jays Designate Chad Green For Assignment

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After acquiring right-handed reliever Seranthony Domínguez from the Orioles this afternoon, the Blue Jays have designated fellow righty reliever Chad Green for assignment to open up space on their active and 40-man rosters.

Green, 34, has some good seasons on his track record but 2025 isn’t one of them. He has thrown 43 2/3 innings for the Jays this year with a 5.56 earned run average. He came into today’s game with a subpar 18.6% strikeout rate. He has allowed 14 home runs on the year, the most of any reliever in the majors.

The Jays are in first place in the American League East and looking to bolster their roster ahead of the deadline. That includes making bullpen additions. Domínguez is the first but there are likely more relievers coming in the next 48 hours. Green’s subpar results have made him the first casualty of the club’s deadline moves.

He’ll now go into DFA limbo. The Jays can try to trade him before the deadline but likely won’t find much interest. In addition to his struggles this year, Green is making a $10.5MM salary. That came about as part of the convoluted deal he signed with the Jays going into 2023. He was recovering from Tommy John surgery at the time. The deal paid him $2.25MM in 2023, then there was a multi-stage option. The Jays first had to decide about a three-year, $27MM club option. If they declined, Green would then have to decide on a one-year, $6.25MM player option. If he declined that, the Jays had a second option, valued at $21MM over two years.

Green returned from his surgery layoff late in 2023 and tossed 12 innings for the Jays. His 5.25 ERA wasn’t great but he struck out 30.8% of batters faced. The Jays turned down the three-year option and Green turned down his player option, but then the Jays triggered the two-year option. That came with a higher average annual value than the other choice, though it was a lesser overall commitment.

The Jays got 53 1/3 innings with a 3.21 ERA out of Green last year, though his strikeout rate dropped to 21.9%. It fell even farther this year, which led to worsening results and pushed him off the roster.

Any interest in Green would be based on a return to form. With the Yankees from 2016 to 2022, he tossed 383 2/3 innings with a 3.17 ERA, 32.5% strikeout rate and 6.3% walk rate. His stuff still appears to be there, as he’s still averaging in the mid-90s with both of his fastballs, but it’s getting lit up.

Unless the Jays eat a bunch of his salary to facilitate a trade, Green will likely be released in the coming days. If that comes to pass, they will remain on the hook for what’s left of his salary. Any other club could then sign him and pay him the prorated league minimum for any time spent on the roster. That amount would be subtracted from what the Jays pay.

Photo courtesy of Jeff Curry, Imagn Images

Astros Interested In Dylan Cease

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The Astros have Padres right-hander Dylan Cease atop their deadline wish list, according to a report from Ken Rosenthal and Chandler Rome of The Athletic. Houston is also known to be looking for a bat and the report lists Willi Castro of the Twins, Jesús Sánchez of the Marlins and Jake McCarthy of the Diamondbacks as names the Astros are considering. MLBTR covered Houston’s interested in Castro earlier this week.

The Houston rotation has had a rough go in terms of health this year. They started the season with Luis Garcia, J.P. France and Cristian Javier on the injured list due to surgeries in previous years. They’re all still on the shelf. Since the start of the season, Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski have required Tommy John surgery, putting them out for the rest of the year. Spencer Arrighetti suffered a fractured thumb in a freak accident, getting hit during batting practice, and has been out for almost three months now. In the past two weeks, Lance McCullers Jr. hit the IL with a blister and Brandon Walter was sidelined by elbow inflammation.

They still have a strong one-two punch atop the rotation with Framber Valdez and Hunter Brown but things get dicey after that. Currently, Colton Gordon, Ryan Gusto and Jason Alexander are filling in. The Astros will naturally want to add some arms and push those guys down the depth chart. It’s possible they could get some guys off the IL in the coming months, but it’s understandable that they don’t want to rely on that.

Cease has been one of the most reliable pitchers in the game. Since getting promoted in 2019, he hasn’t gone on the injured list, apart from a two-day stint on the COVID list in 2021. He made 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season. He has made at least 32 starts in each full season since. He’s already up to 22 this year.

That reliability would certainly be attractive to the Astros amid all the injuries, though the quality has often been quite strong as well, as Cease has regularly struck out roughly 30% of batters faced. His earned run average has oscillated over the years thanks to some wobbles in his batting average on balls in play, strand rate and home run rate. His advanced metrics have held more steady. For his career, he has a 3.69 FIP and 3.82. In a full season, he’s never had a SIERA higher than 4.10 or a FIP higher than 3.72.

This year’s 4.79 ERA in on the high side, though at least part of that seems to be beyond Cease’s control. His .323 BABIP, 68.5% strand rate and 13.3% homer to fly ball rate are all to the unfortunate side. His 3.64 FIP and 3.37 SIERA suggest he’s largely been the same guy as in previous seasons. His ERA is also inflated a bit by a nine-run shellacking in his third start of the year.

Though Cease makes plenty of sense for the Astros on the field, there are other matters to consider. He is making $13.75MM this year, which leaves about $4.5MM left to be paid out. The Astros have clearly tried to avoid the competitive balance tax this year, dumping money in the offseason by trading Kyle Tucker and Ryan Pressly. RosterResource currently pegs the club’s CBT number at $236MM, just $5MM from the base threshold of the tax. That’s just an estimate and it might be off by a few million in either direction.

Perhaps the Astros can add Cease and stay under the line but they also want to add a bat, which could make it tricky. On the other hand, the report from The Athletic suggests that owner Jim Crane likes star players and might be willing to cross the line in order to get someone like Cease. He was reportedly willing to cross the line in the offseason in order to re-sign Alex Bregman, though Bregman ultimately landed with the Red Sox.

The Astros will also have to offer the Padres something they would like. The Friars aren’t selling in the commonly understood sense. Their plan with dealing Cease is to perhaps save some money, add a left fielder or a catcher, or prospects, or some combination of those goals. They could then use either the prospects or the saved money to acquire another starting pitching to replace Cease.

Houston doesn’t have a strong farm system, so perhaps the prospect part will be hard for them to pull off, though they could help out in some of the other areas. Catcher Victor Caratini is having a good year, though Yainer Diaz is struggling, so perhaps the Astros wouldn’t want to part with Caratini. Though if they did, Caratini is making $6MM this year, so flipping him would give the Astros some extra CBT space.

In the outfield, the Astros are currently without Jake Meyers and Yordan Alvarez. Their current mix includes Cam Smith, Taylor Trammell, Jose Altuve, Jacob Melton, Cooper Hummel and Chas McCormick. Houston’s not giving a ton of playing time to McCormick, who has some decent seasons on his track record. However, he hasn’t been good for a couple of years now, so the Padres probably don’t have too much interest. Trammell has been hitting well lately but while striking out in more than 30% of his plate appearances. Hummel has been DFA fodder all year. Altuve and Smith aren’t going anywhere. Melton might be hard to pry loose because he hits left-handed, something the Astros lack, and is covering center field with Meyers out.

The report from The Athletic points out that the Astros traded three notable prospects to get a rental pitcher at last year’s deadline, flipping Jake Bloss, Joey Loperfido and Will Wagner to the Jays for Yusei Kikuchi. Perhaps they could do so again, though it’s unclear if they have the farm system to do it.

If they have some guys the Padres like, it’s theoretically possible that the Friars could then use those guys to upgrade elsewhere. A sequence of events like this helped them land Cease in the first place. They traded Juan Soto to the Yankees for a bunch of pitchers, including Michael King and Drew Thorpe. They then quickly put Thorpe in a package to send to the White Sox to get Cease. Perhaps the Astros can make it work but they will have competition. Cease has also been connected to the Mets, Cubs, Blue Jays, Rays, Red Sox and Yankees.

As for the hitters, the Astros have also suffered a number of injuries to the lineup. As mentioned, Alvarez and Meyers are on the shelf, as well as shortstop Jeremy Peña, third baseman Isaac Paredes and others. Astros general manager Dana Brown has said the club would love to get a lefty bat, ideally one who could play the infield and/or left field. Players like Altuve, Mauricio Dubón and Zack Short have some defensive versatility, giving the Astros a bit of flexibility in what kind of bat they add.

Sánchez has been a roughly league average bat in his time with the Marlins. He has a .243/.310/.425 career batting line and a wRC+ of exactly 100. He is making $4.5MM this year, which leaves about $1.5MM left to be paid out. He can be controlled via arbitration for another two seasons. He’s been far better against righties in his career, which could appeal to Houston. He has a .179/.228/.287 slash against southpaws but a .258/.330/.459 line otherwise. The rebuilding Marlins likely aren’t clinging too tightly to him.

McCarthy has been good in the past but not this year. He slashed .285/.349/.400 for a 110 wRC+ in 2024, also adding 25 steals and quality defense. This year, he has a brutal .158/.232/.277 line and was sent to the minors for a few months. He did hit well in Triple-A, slashing .314/.401/.440, so perhaps the Astros see a path to getting him back on track. He still hasn’t qualified for arbitration and is being paid around the league minimum, which would be attractive for the Astros.

Photo courtesy of Sam Navarro, Imagn Images

Orioles Trade Seranthony Dominguez To Blue Jays

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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.

Athletics Place Jacob Wilson On 10-Day IL With Fractured Forearm

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The Athletics have placed rookie shortstop Jacob Wilson on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left forearm, the team announced today. He had been nursing what the team initially described as a left hand contusion since he was hit by a pitch before the All-Star break (per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com) and had not played since Friday. Darell Hernaiz has been recalled from Triple-A to fill Wilson’s spot on the active roster.

A hamstring strain and a month-long stint on the injured list prevented Wilson from exceeding rookie limits in 2024. However, he hit the ground running in 2025 and quickly established himself as a favorite for the AL Rookie of the Year. He produced a .339/.380/.473 slashline through the end of June, with a 137 wRC+ and 2.8 FanGraphs WAR, earning the starting shortstop spot on the AL All-Star squad. Yet, in nine games since he was hit by a pitch on July 8, he went just 4-for-38 with a .312 OPS and a -24 wRC+. His fWAR dropped by close to half a win in that short span, and even before the news of his IL stint, he seemed to have fallen behind his teammate Nick Kurtz as the AL Rookie of the Year frontrunner. (Of course, that has as much to do with Kurtz’s phenomenal performance as it does Wilson’s injury-induced slump.)

Until the A’s provide further information, it’s hard to guess how much time Wilson could miss. With only two months left on the calendar, a fractured forearm could be a season-ending injury. At the very least, it’s likely to keep the young shortstop out until September, though it remains a possibility that this is as minor as the wrist fracture Corbin Carroll suffered earlier this year, which only kept him out for two weeks. Regardless, it’s surely disappointing for Wilson that his fracture went undiagnosed for so long. Per Gallegos, he will be shut down from baseball activities for the time being, and the A’s will presumably provide some sort of timeline for his return in the coming days.

Needless to say, this is a tough blow for Wilson and a big loss for the Athletics. That said, it’s not as if the A’s have any dreams of contending for a playoff spot this season, so they have no reason to rush Wilson back onto the field, and this shouldn’t have much of an impact on their trade deadline plans. While Wilson is out, they can give the shortstop job to Max Schuemann, and Hernaiz will get a chance to show what he can do in a utility role off the bench.

Cubs Designate Chris Flexen

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The Cubs have designated right-hander Chris Flexen for assignment, according to multiple members of the Cubs beat (including Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times).  Right-hander Gavin Hollowell was called up from Triple-A Iowa in the corresponding move.

Signed to a minor league deal this past winter, Flexen’s contract was selected to Chicago’s roster at the start of May and he immediately reeled off 21 1/3 innings over 12 outings without allowing an earned run.  Even through 29 innings and 16 appearances, Flexen’s ERA stood at a minuscule 0.62, making him look like a gem of an under-the-radar signing.

Unfortunately, the magic has worn off, as Flexen has given up 13 ER over his last five outings, translating to a 7.98 ERA over his last 14 2/3 innings of work.  The warning signs were apparent before Flexen’s rough July got underway, as he has only a 12.4% strikeout rate over his 43 2/3 total innings, and the right-hander has benefited greatly from a .226 BABIP.  Since Flexen’s 3.09 ERA is dwarfed by a 4.94 SIERA, the Cubs have decided to move on from the 31-year-old.

Flexen worked primarily as a multi-inning reliever, and his tenure in Wrigleyville included one four-inning start.  He has been a starter for most of his career and tossed 160 innings for the White Sox just in 2024, but his low-strikeout and contact-heavy approach makes him a risk for regular turns in a rotation, as Flexen’s 2021-22 seasons with the Mariners represent his only consistent run of results as a starter at the MLB level.  Eating innings in any capacity is a valuable skill, however, so it certainly seems as though another club in need of some bullpen depth might claim Flexen on waivers or work out a low-level trade with the Cubs.

The contract selection locked in a $1.5MM salary for Flexen over the $1.5MM season.  With 91 days of Major League service time logged this season, Flexen now has over five years of career service time, so he can now reject an outright assignment to the minors and elect free agency if he clears waivers.

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

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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.

Royals Designate Rich Hill For Assignment

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The Royals announced that veteran southpaw Rich Hill has been designated for assignment.  The move opens up roster space for right-hander Thomas Hatch, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Omaha.

After being released by the Red Sox last September, the 45-year-old Hill didn’t sign a contract until inking a minors deal with Kansas City in May.  Hill pitched 11 outings of ramp-up work in the minor leagues before his contract was selected to the Royals’ roster a week ago today, and he’ll head into DFA limbo with a 5.00 ERA to show for his two starts in a K.C. uniform.

Hill allowed just one earned run over five innings against the Cubs but received no run support in a 6-0 loss on July 22, and the Braves touched him up for four earned runs (on six walks, three hits, and two homers allowed) in as many innings in a start yesterday.  That was apparently enough for the Royals to designate Hill, and he may now be headed for yet another chapter in a career that has now stretched across 21 Major League seasons.

If Hill clears waivers, he obviously has more than enough service time to reject an outright assignment to Triple-A, so the ball is in his court as to his next step.  Hill may opt to just remain with the Royals, and while the club could release him, the Royals may want some rotation depth available in Omaha with so many other starters on the injured list.

A waiver claim isn’t out of the question, given how many teams need starting depth right now, and could still need more arms depending on how the trade deadline shakes out.  Pitching-needy clubs could wait until after the 5pm CT deadline on Thursday to put in a claim on Hill, should they have a sudden hole to fill in a rotation following a trade or two.

Should Hill head to free agency once more, it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to find another minor league contract elsewhere, given how long it took him to land with the Royals.  Yet another reunion with the Red Sox can’t be ruled out, or Hill could try to find a brand-new organization in an attempt to secure a unique place in the record books.  Hill and Edwin Jackson share the record for most career teams (14), so suiting up with a 15th different club at the big league level would make Hill the most well-traveled player in MLB history.  Retirement is naturally another option, if Hill decides to finally hang up his cleats after 24 total years in pro ball.

To put it in perspective, Hatch was only seven years old when Hill was drafted by the Cubs in 2002.  Hatch signed a minor league deal with K.C. during the offseason and has yet to see any big league action — his contract was previously selected on June 5 but just for the first game of a doubleheader, and Hatch was DFA’ed before the nightcap.

Assuming that this stint with the Royals leads to an in-game appearance, it will mark Hatch’s first time on a Major League mound since the 2023 season.  The 30-year-old Hatch posted a 4.96 ERA over 69 MLB innings with the Blue Jays and Pirates from 2020-23 before he spent the 2024 campaign in Japan with the Hiroshima Carp.  Hatch has a 4.22 ERA, 20.1% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate across 91 2/3 innings and 18 Triple-A starts this year, and he’ll be the next pitcher to try and fill a hole in Kansas City’s injury-riddled rotation.

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