Pitcher traded from one dugout to the other, plus MLB's messy standings

New York Times

2 days ago

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Yesterday put the 'dead' in deadline, as the most interesting development was a trade that wasn't. That'll likely change today. Plus: determining MLB's most (and least) frequent trade partners, Ken on the Astros' pursuit of Dylan Cease, and… who is the best team in baseball, anyway? I'm Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
I grew up in Texas, where we learned pretty young: There's a tornado watch (which means, 'The conditions for a tornado are present, so keep an eye out'), and then there's a tornado warning (which means, 'AHHH! There's a tornado!!').
'Hug watch' has, in the social media era, been a way for fans, broadcasters and writers alike to get a heads up that a player might have been traded in the middle of a game — they go around hugging their teammates goodbye, and off they go.
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Last night, Twins closer Jhoan Duran was caught on the broadcast giving a hug to his bullpen catcher Frank Nigro. And look, Minnesota is 51-56. Duran is a top-tier closer having a great year. He's one of a few Twins whose names keep popping up in trade rumors. 'The conditions for a trade are present, so keep an eye out …'
But sometimes a hug is just a hug. Duran is still a member of the Twins. For now.
There was one trade yesterday, though. Between games of a doubleheader, the Blue Jays and Orioles made a swap — Baltimore sent reliever Seranthony Dominguez to the visitors' clubhouse in exchange for 23-year-old RHP Jauron Watts-Brown who — believe it or not — was also playing against the team to whom he was traded. (Here's Keith Law with analysis.)
By the way, if it seems like yesterday was a calm-before-the-storm day, you're not wrong. Chad Jennings and Will Sammon tell us why that's been the case — and why it's about to change.
And once it pops off … We have all the significant trades and grades, all in one place! Feel free to bookmark this, especially over the next 36 hours or so.
From my latest story, with Chandler Rome:
Astros owner Jim Crane fancies star power. Padres right-hander Dylan Cease is one of the biggest stars available on the trade market.
Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that Cease is at the top of the Astros' wish list as the trade deadline nears, according to sources briefed on the team's discussions.
Cease, 29, would stabilize the Astros' injury-depleted rotation for the rest of the season, and join All-Star right-hander Hunter Brown and left-hander Framber Valdez to give the team a potentially dominant trio in a postseason series.
The Astros, while dealing with lingering injuries to designated hitter Yordan Alvarez, All-Star shortstop Jeremy Pena and All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes, also are in the market for a hitter.
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The challenge for the Astros might be finding a suitable match with the Padres, who are only interested in trading the pitcher if they can improve their current major-league roster.
Acquiring Cease and the remainder of his $13.75 million salary also would almost assure the Astros will cross the luxury tax for a second consecutive season.
With a league-leading 17 players on the injured list, the Astros would prefer not to trade young, controllable major leaguers. Yet their farm system, according to Keith Law, ranks 29th in the league.
More here.
This three-part series has been one of my favorite things to read this year. First, it was Andy McCullough outlining the various personalities of MLB front office executives. Then he gave us the four simple rules for GMs to navigate the trade deadline without irking their peers.
Today, it's Zack Meisel, who dove deep on a topic I've always found fascinating: Why do some teams seem to hook up on trades regularly, while others seem not to even have each other's phone numbers?
I'm not sure I've ever given our graphics department a shout in this newsletter, but I need to do just that today. Look at this cool thing, showing how often teams have hooked up on trades since 2024:
And what's more: In the article itself, you can hover over any of those squares to get more details. I love it.
After watching the Blue Jays drop both ends of a doubleheader to the Orioles yesterday, I had the thought: 'Wait, didn't they have the best record in baseball recently?'
First of all, yes they did. But it sent me down a rabbit hole, with two questions in mind:
To the first question: I built a spreadsheet, and I have an answer. Here's the list of who has spent the most days this season with the best record in baseball.
But while the Tigers have been the best team more often than anyone else this year, they've been in the middle of a rough stretch lately. That left a void at the top, meaning that in the 13 days since the All-Star break, we've seen the 'best record' change hands or become tied seven times.
That includes three teams — the Cubs, Brewers and Blue Jays — who took the throne for the first time this season, all within a seven-day period.
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So, what does all of this mean? I'm not sure, I just thought it was really interesting. If there needs to be a point, maybe it's that the commissioner picked a bad time to talk about how the league needs more parity?
Speaking of which: Ian O'Connor talks about Curt Flood's legacy, and lays out the reasons why MLB should never have a salary cap.
Jacob Wilson of the A's was looking like the AL Rookie of the Year. Now he's on the IL with a fractured left forearm, and his teammate Nick Kurtz — who hit four home runs in a game last week — might be the new favorite.
The Ryne Sandberg memorials keep coming.
After losing 12 of 13, the Tigers have now won three straight. Was it random variance? The return of Kerry Carpenter? Or was it Riley Greene's mustache? Who can say?
An NL East star outfielder left the game early with an injury. Choose your own link: Ronald Acuña, Jr. or Juan Soto.
The Reds need a bat. Their positional flexibility means they can cast a wider net than most.
The Dodgers need to acquire a reliever at the deadline? OK, but the Dodgers already have a recently acquired reliever at home.
Bad news: the Royals DFA'd Rich Hill. Good news: maybe now he'll break an MLB record and pitch for a 15th team?
On the pods: It's a podcast-heavy day. Check this out:
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Framber Valdez questioning the Astros' defensive positioning after a fifth straight loss.
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