Latest on Griffin Jax, Steven Kwan

New York Times

3 days ago

The 2025 MLB trade deadline has passed. Follow along for live reaction and analysis after an active week around the league. Getty Images Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays continue to talk to the Minnesota Twins about reliever Griffin Jax and the Cleveland Guardians about outfielder Steven Kwan, according to sources briefed on the discussions.
Neither player is seen as particularly likely to be traded. The Los Angeles Dodgers also are talking to the Guardians about Kwan, but consider a trade for him a longshot.
Earlier in the day, a Twins official acknowledged increased activity on Jax, but expressed skepticism a team would meet the threshold necessary to acquire him.
Want to follow along with some of The Athletic's MLB expert as all the trade deadline drama ramps up?
Then you're in luck as Eno Sarris , Derek VanRiper , and Britt Ghiroli are hosting a Rates & Barrels livestream starting in just a few minutes at 5 p.m. ET/2 p.m. PT on the Rates & Barrels YouTube channel, breaking down all of the moves and news coming out of his year's Trade Deadline.
Watch on YouTube or below:
On July 7, the Texas Rangers were 44-47, trailing the Astros by 11 games in the AL West, and had just lost in a walk-off to the Los Angeles Angels. With less than a month to go before the deadline, it seemed pretty obvious what direction they were headed: sell, sell, sell.
Since then, they're 13-5, and despite two more losses to the Angels this week, they're tied with the Mariners for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. The sale is off, and the acquisition of LHP Danny Coulombe (1-0, 1.16 ERA) from the Twins was a buy. We're still waiting to learn two things:
The first: what was the prospect price for Coulombe? But more importantly, with just over an hour left to the deadline, is this … it?
Sure, they needed a reliever, particularly with Chris Martin (calf, 4-6 weeks) and Jacob Webb (back spasms, 10-day IL) out of commission. But it sure seems like they could use one more bat to boost an offense that flailed for the first 3.5 months of the year, even if they have been hitting much better of late. Getty Images
Ke'Bryan Hayes will wear No. 3 for the Reds. He'd worn 13 with the Pirates and said he'd worn 13 or 8 most of his life, because those are the two numbers his dad wore the most in his career.
Neither of those numbers were available in Cincinnati because both have been retired in honor Dave Concepción (13) and Joe Morgan (8), both of whom won five Gold Gloves.
Boston Bateman is among the prospects going to Baltimore in the Padres' deal for Ryan O'Hearn and Ramón Laureano, MLB sources tell The Athletic . Getty Images
The Padres are collectively slugging .380 this season. That's basically the same as Tommy Pham but with a much lower on-base percentage. The Royals, who notoriously need offensive help, are slugging .382.
So, yeah, the Padres needed offense.
Getting Mason Miller was a blockbuster, but trading for both Ramon Laureano and Ryan O'Hearn might have done more to help the Padres in the short-term. Laureano's 144 wRC+ is higher than every Padres player except Manny Machado (146), and O'Hearn's 134 is just slightly better than Fernando Tatis Jr.'s 133.
Laureano will presumably step in as the Padres' regular left fielder. O'Hearn isn't a perfect fit as another left-handed hitter — first baseman Luis Arraez and regular DH Gavin Sheets also hit lefty — but O'Hearn could also get some time in left field, and Sheets hasn't done much since the end of May (.646 OPS). Getty Images
There is one prospect going back to the Minnesota Twins in the Carlos Correa deal, a team source tells The Athletic . The Twins are eating some of the money. The deal is pending medical review.
The Padres are going all in at the trade deadline, now acquiring All-Star Ryan O'Hearn from the Orioles.
Just how good has he been this season? Here are the numbers: .283/.374/.463 slash line
.837 OPS (12th in AL)
13 home runs
49.0% hard-hit percentage (82nd percentile)
11.6% walk rate (82nd percentile)
.478 expected slugging percentage (73rd percentile)
82nd percentile in fielding run value
93rd percentile in range
GO FURTHER
Padres double dip, adding Ryan O'Hearn, Ramón Laureano in trade with Orioles Getty Images
One thing that made San Diego's blockbuster move for Mason Miller and JP Sears earlier today so surprising is that the Padres' offense, not their pitching staff, was in dire need of upgrading.
But never doubt A.J. Preller at the deadline. He's come through with a deal highlighted by 2025 AL All-Star Ryan O'Hearn headed from San Diego to Baltimore.
More from O'Hearn from Michael Charles in a moment... Getty Images
The Houston Astros are in the bottom half of the league in OPS against right-handed pitching (.716). Take a guess which NL non-factor ranks ahead of them.
It's the Marlins.
So, the Astros just traded for the Marlins' second-best hitter against righties. Jesús Sánchez doesn't really hit lefties at all (.393 OPS, which is comically low) but he has an .814 OPS against righties. That's not quite as good as superstars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (.829) or Bobby Witt Jr. (.827) but it's not far away. He's not a bad right fielder either (3 Outs Above Average with a good arm).
Astros rookie Cam Smith has destroyed lefties but struggled against righties, Yordan Alvarez was supposed to be the Astros' big left-handed hitter, but he's been hurt most of the year. Sánchez should help fill that void and bring some balance to the lineup.
One Minnesota Twins player just told The Athletic :
💬 'Now no one wants to stay if they are selling like this.'
The Blue Jays woke up on deadline day seeking more bullpen help, starting pitching depth and potentially a bat.
After acquiring Shane Bieber, they are not done, a league source said, with two hours until the deadline. At the very least, bullpen remains a priority. Though the Jays asked on Mason Miller, they were priced out by the Padres' massive offer, a source said. Duran was seen as more attainable, with Toronto holding the top prospects to acquire him, but he's now the Phillies closer.
Other top relief options continue to fall off the board — including David Bednar to the Yankees — but many arms remain. Getty Images
Houston selected Carlos Correa with the No. 1 pick in the 2012 draft and witnessed him blossom into one of the faces of its current golden era, leading the team to a 2017 World Series title. Correa won American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2015 and started an ascension to superstardom.
He became one of the most influential voices inside Houston's clubhouse, helping to shepherd it through the fallout from the electronic sign-stealing scandal in 2020 and 2021. Getty Images
Astros fans are no strangers to Carlos Correa but here's an update on how he's performed this season: .267/.319/.386 slash line
92 OPS+
Seven home runs and 31 RBIs
.282 expected batting average (83rd percentile)
91.1 mph average exit velocity (73rd percentile)
47.4% hard-hit percentage (79th percentile)
29.8% chase rate (34th percentile)
Fielding run value (36th percentile)
27th percentile in range Getty Images
The Astros are 'working hard' to acquire Dylan Cease from the Padres, source tells The Athletic.
No indication at this point that a deal is close. Getty Images
The Minnesota Twins have been the most aggressive sellers on the market. They've made four trades, and including two for long-term assets that seemed unlikely to move just a few days ago.
Here's who they've traded away. S P Chris Paddack — Free agent this winter
— Free agent this winter RP Randy Dobnak — Team option (to be declined)
— Team option (to be declined) OF Harrison Bader — Mutual option
— Mutual option RP Jhoan Durán — Arbitration eligible through 2027
— Arbitration eligible through 2027 SS Carlos Correa — Signed through 2028 (with club options through '32)
The Twins could still make a splash by trading any one of SP Joe Ryan, SP Pablo López or RP Griffin Jax, but even without dealing another long-term asset, the Twins could still make several moves in the next hour and a half. INF Willi Castro, LHP Danny Coulombe, 1B Ty France, and C Christian Vázquez are all heading to free agency this winter. The Twins could trade any of all of them... and sure enough, Coulombe was just dealt, per our Ken Rosenthal . Getty Images
Source confirms: Rangers are acquiring LHP Danny Coulombe from the Twins.
This was first reported by ESPN. Getty Images
Astros are acquiring outfielder Jesús Sánchez from Marlins, source tells The Athletic .