Phillies unwilling to move Andrew Painter

New York Times

4 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
By Ken Rosenthal and Matt Gelb
If the Phillies were willing to trade top pitching prospect Andrew Painter, they would be in play for both Athletics closer Mason Miller and Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran. But they refuse to even entertain the thought of moving Painter, just as they were in previous talks for top lefty starter Garrett Crochet.
The Phillies view Painter as perhaps their best pitching prospect since Cole Hamels - yes, perhaps even better than Aaron Nola. And at some point after the deadline, they likely will deploy him as a weapon for their major-league club.
Painter started Wednesday afternoon at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, and produced one of his best outings at that level. He eclipsed the 100-pitch mark for the first time in his professional career while going a season-high 6 1/3 innings. He allowed one run, struck out four, and walked two while featuring more secondary stuff than usual. His 103rd and final pitch was 96.1 mph.
He's struggled with command in his first full season after Tommy John surgery, but he's now gone six innings in consecutive starts. It is the best he's pitched so far in 2025.
Is this Eugenio Suárez's last game as a Diamondback?
With his name swirling in trade rumors, he is batting cleanup as the designated hitter this afternoon in Detroit but so far, he is 0-2 with a strikeout.
Suárez will have a chance to rectify his hitless day when he bats in the top of the 7th inning.
Starting pitcher Jeffrey Springs, who ranks 46th on The Athletic's MLB trade deadline Big Board, will be on the hill tonight in Sacramento as the Athletics face the Seattle Mariners. He is 9-7 this season with a 4.13 ERA.
Here are a few notable stats regarding the 32-year-old lefty: 82nd percentile in breaking ball run value
88.4 mph average opponent exit velocity (71st percentile)
36.9% hard-hit percentage (78th percentile)
9 wins (9th in AL)
20 home runs allowed (6th-most in AL)
1.20 WHIP (15th in AL)
This could be Cedric Mullins' last series as an Oriole, and he's putting on an absolute show.
He just climbed the center field wall to rob his second homer of the series and got a ovation in Baltimore. Imagn Images
Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran, who is No. 2 on The Athletic's Big Board of top 50 trade candidates, just knocked an RBI single in Boston's series finale against the Minnesota Twins to give the Red Sox a 4-1 lead. Roman Anthony actually came around to score from first thanks to a misplay by Twins center fielder Harrison Bader — another outfielder on the trade block, and No. 30 on our big board.
Bader, a versatile outfielder and above-average hitter on a one-year contract, is a much more likely candidate to move by 6 p.m. tomorrow than Duran, who's under team control through 2028 and whose spot in Boston's crowded outfield has become clearer after Marcelo Mayer hit the injured list with a sprained wrist.
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Trade candidate Adrian Houser (2.10 ERA) was supposed to make his 12th start of the season today, but the Chicago White Sox announced that lefty Tyler Alexander will start instead. There has been no immediate word of a trade, but it makes sense that the White Sox might be holding him out in anticipation of a deal. Getty Images
With MacKenzie Gore's name being floated around as a potential trade candidate, this afternoon could be his last start as a Washington National, facing the Astros in Houston.
It's been a solid campaign so far for the 26-year-old, recording a 3.52 ERA in 21 starts. He's struck out 144 batters in just 117.2 innings, which ranks fourth in the National League.
Gore's breaking ball has been his go-to, ranking in the 91st percentile in breaking run value, per Baseball Savant. He also ranks in the 88th percentile in both chase percentage and strikeout percentage.
By Chandler Rome and Dan Hayes
The Houston Astros and Minnesota Twins have discussed a trade of shortstop Carlos Correa, but multiple sources from both teams on Wednesday downplayed the likelihood of a deal manifesting before Thursday's 5 p.m. CT trade deadline.
Twins sources said the Astros approached them to discuss Correa, who in January said, 'I've got a full no-trade clause. Let me tell you something: I love Minnesota, and I love the fishing here.'
Even so, the Twins believe the Astros are the one team Correa might approve for a trade because he maintains an offseason home in the Houston area. The two sides have discussed parameters, but people with knowledge of the situation indicated the teams initially were far apart.
Read more below.
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A Carlos Correa return to Houston via trade with Twins seems unlikely — for now: Sources Getty Images
Ian Happ fouled a ball off his shin last night and is day-to-day, leaving the Chicago Cubs with perhaps some meaningful at-bats available, including in today's series finale against the hard-charging Milwaukee Brewers.
Interesting, then, that the team chose to promote Moisés Ballesteros over Owen Caissie. Patrick Mooney explains:
Ballesteros, 21, batted .188 during his brief exposure to the majors in May. He is regarded as a smooth left-handed hitter who still has to answer questions about whether he can handle catching at the highest level. How the rest of the baseball industry values him is one of many unanswered questions for Thursday's 5 p.m. CT deadline.
Caissie, 23, is a powerful left-handed slugger who's already on Chicago's 40-man roster and still waiting to make his major-league debut. His performance at Triple A this season (20 home runs and a .938 OPS) has made him a popular name in trade chatter.
Mooney goes on to explain that the Cubs need pitching, and they have a good amount of Triple-A position talent that's blocked at the big league level and could be traded for an arm. Ballesteros and Caissie are among those potential trade chips.
The Los Angeles Angels are… buying?
As Ken Rosenthal reported, that the Angels are acquiring 35-year-old lefty Andrew Chafin and 38-year-old righty Luis García from the Washington Nationals for lefty Jake Eder and Double-A first baseman Sam Brown.
This could be setting the stage for a future trade of closer Kenley Jansen and lefty Reid Detmers, but it's the Angels, so who knows?
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Angels add relievers Andrew Chafin, Luis Garcia in hopes of playoff push Getty Images
As this trade market came into focus in recent weeks, it the relief market that seemed most robust. There was no ace readily available, and even the right-handed hitters seemed relatively limited, but there were a ton of high-end relievers who could be moved, including some of the biggest names in the sport.
As Matt Gelb writes, though, the relief market has shifted, and the Minnesota Twins hold the key.
But, with Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase and Baltimore's Félix Bautista off the market, the pool of high-end controllable relievers is shallow. A lot hinges on the Minnesota Twins, who boast Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax.
It is unclear whether the Twins intend to deal either pitcher; they could delay a decision until the offseason after gaining information from interested clubs this summer. It's possible neither of Minnesota's two best relievers will be traded in the next two days.
Gelb notes that the Philadelphia Phillies are among the teams interested in Pirates closer David Bednar and Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley. The Blue Jays, who already traded for setup man Seranthony Domínguez, are still looking for a swingman-type reliever. The Cardinals are dangling several relief pitchers — the Padres are interested in lefty JoJo Romero — with the Dodgers, Tigers, Mets and Blue Jays believed to be among the teams interested in Helsley. Rays closer Pete Fairbanks is also reportedly available, and it's worth wondering if the Padres could get creative and make Robert Suarez available in a sell-to-buy maneuver. The Twins, even if they don't trade Jax or Duran, are still expected to trade free-agent-to-be Danny Coulombe (who's been really good).
Other relievers who made our Big Board: Angels lefty Reid Detmers, Royals closer Carlos Estévez, and setup men Jake Bird (Rockies) and Dennis Santana (Pirates). Getty Images
The Braves designated reliever Enyel De Los Santos for assignment to open a roster spot after trading for Colorado reliever Tyler Kinley. De Los Santos had a 4.53 ERA in 43 appearances for Atlanta this season, including an 8.18 ERA in his past 15 outings.
Jesse Chavez has retired, so reliever Luis García and the Angels have assumed the "Can't quit you" mantle. This will be García's third stint with the Angels in his career and the third team this season for García, who started the season with the Dodgers and was claimed off waivers by the Nationals before being flipped back to Southern California. Getty Images
The Los Angeles Angels are acquiring LHP Andrew Chafin from the Washington Nationals, source tells The Athletic, with Washington acquiring 1B Sam Brown and LHP Jake Eder in the deal.
RHP Luis Garcia also headed to the Angels, as first reported by ESPN.
In their trade for Rockies reliever Tyler Kinley, the Braves are sending 26-year-old Double-A pitcher Austin Smith to Colorado. Smith was an 18th-round draft pick in 2021 and has a 5.07 ERA in 107 minor league appearances over five seasons, including 4.88 this season in 29 appearances in High A and Double A, with 34 strikeouts and 15 walks in 31 1/3 innings.
The Braves will be responsible for the $750,000 buyout of the $5 million option on Kinley's contract for next season. Getty Images
Tyler Kinley is a rental for the Atlanta Braves, who entered the day 13 games back of the final Wild Card spot in the National League. That said, he's an interesting acquisition because of a few elite metrics: 86.3 mph average exit velocity (95th percentile)
30.5% whiff rate (84th percentile)
31.5% chase rate (83rd percentile)
6.0% barrel percentage (82nd percentile)
30.6% hard-hit percentage (97th percentile)
On Monday, the Detroit Tigers acquired pitchers Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for minor-league catcher Enrique Jimenez.
In a matter of moments, Paddack will make his first start for the Tigers at Comerica Park against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In 21 starts this season, the 29-year-old is 3-9 with a 4.95 ERA, tallying 83 strikeouts in 111 innings. He's also allowed 115 hits so far this season, already tied for the most he's given up in a single season in his career.
Updates on the directions of two teams, from major-league sources briefed on their respective plans: As expected, the Texas Rangers are trying to add with the goal of making a run at the AL West title. The Los Angeles Angels also are trying to add, but perhaps only bullpen help Nothing major, most likely. Getty Images
The St. Louis Cardinals are shopping several relief pitchers, and closer Ryan Helsley could be their best trade chip who's likely to move. But there remains at least some chance the team will trade its third baseman. Here's Kate Woo's latest:
St. Louis continues to make calls on Nolan Arenado, but no substantial traction has formed. The third-base market is robust, and only one team will land the top target, Eugenio Suarez of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds are all looking to upgrade the hot corner. However, it's unlikely the Cardinals would trade within their division — especially with their long-time rival. It's also unclear which teams Arenado would waive his full no-trade clause for, if any.
At 34 years old, Arenado has regressed to a well below average offensive player this season (84 wRC+), but he's been worth 5 defensive runs saved and 2 outs above average at third base, enough to make him basically a 1 WAR player. The problem is, he's signed through 2027 — his salary does drop the next two years, but he's still overpaid for this level of production — and his no trade protection could stand in the way of any potential deal.
Cardinals starters Sonny Gray and Miles Mikolas also have full no-trade clauses.
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