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New York Times
5 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
The players and teams whose next month could shape the MLB trade deadline
The MLB playoff odds at FanGraphs suggest half of the postseason field is relatively secure (six teams have a better than 85 percent chance of making it), and half of the non-contenders can accept their fate (nine teams have playoff odds in the single digits). A lot can happen in the next four months, but at the very least we can safely lump half the league into buyer and seller categories less than two months before the trade deadline. Advertisement It's the other half of the league — the 15 teams stuck somewhere in between — that could determine just how robust the trade market becomes. A few modest deals already have come together in the past week or so (Alexis Díaz to the Los Angeles Dodgers, Matt Thaiss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Sean Newcomb to the A's), but last year's trade market began to pick up meaningful steam in the first week of July. A similar timetable would put this season a month away from more meaningful deals. Here are 12 teams and players whose next month could help define the July 31 deadline. Rhys Hoskins First baseman The Brewers made the playoffs in six of the past seven seasons, but this year has been a fight simply to reach .500, and the Brewers' 29.2 percent playoffs odds are modest (but also a meaningful improvement since late May). Meanwhile, Hoskins is having a strong bounce-back season at the plate (127 wRC+) and could be one of the biggest rental bats available if the Brewers decide to sell. Seven playoff contenders (the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Houston Astros, Seattle Mariners, Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants) have gotten below-average wRC+ from the first base position. Two others (the San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals) have been below average at DH. That's a big market for a slugger like Hoskins. The Rays, should they sell, could find a similar market for first baseman Yandy Díaz, who's been less productive than Hoskins but does have a substantial track record with a team option for 2026. Sandy Alcantara Starting pitcher Of course the Marlins are going to be sellers at the deadline. They entered this season with only a 1.3 percent chance of making the playoffs, and their chances have now dropped to essentially zero. They should have a massive trade chip in Alcantara, a 29-year-old Cy Young Award winner who's returned from Tommy John surgery with one year plus a team option left on his contract. Problem is, Alcantara's been awful with an 8.47 ERA through 11 starts. The question isn't whether the Marlins will play their way out of sell mode in the next month. It's whether Alcantara will pitch his way back to elite trade chip status. Same thing applies to Chicago White Sox center field Luis Robert, who should be a massive chip if not for the fact he's playing below replacement this season. Bo Bichette Shortstop The Blue Jays tried to build a winner. They spent on free agents, traded for a second baseman, and extended All-Star first basemen Vladimir Guerrero Jr. But, still, it's taken a recent surge to get above .500, and their playoff odds are 43.1 percent, which is close to a season high. If the Blue Jays fall behind again, they'll have to at least consider trading one of their cornerstone players. Starter Chris Bassitt and reliever Chad Green are also performing well in a walk year, but it's Bichette who stands out as a key piece of a supposed-to-be-transcendent core who might instead become trade fodder on the way to yet another disappointing season. Bichette has rebounded quite a bit from his disappointing 2024 season. He could lift the Jays over the next month, or he could be traded in two months. Advertisement Ryan Helsley Closer Helsley has been an obvious trade candidate since Opening Day. He's an All-Star closer approaching free agency, and the Cardinals came into the season openly in rebuild mode. The last thing a rebuilding team needs is a walk-year closer. But the Cardinals are winning, and their run differential — ninth-best in the majors — suggests it's not a fluke. So, now what? Helsley hasn't been nearly as good as last year, but every contender would love to have Helsley's 99 mph fastball in their bullpen. The contender that needs him most just might be the Cardinals. Seth Lugo Starting pitcher One of the feel-good stories of 2024, the Royals have maintained a winning record in 2025, but they've done so within a surprisingly deep AL Central. The Detroit Tigers have separated themselves atop the division, while the Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Twins have jockeyed for position in the wild-card race. Right now, the Royals are the lowest of that trio with a 36.7 percent chance of making the playoffs. If they can't play their way firmly into the hunt, the Royals will have to consider Lugo a possible trade chip. He's 35 years old with a player option for next season, meaning he's no sure thing to be an important part of whatever's next in Kansas City. What the Royals do over the next month-plus could determine whether last year's AL Cy Young Award runner-up stays or goes. Nick Martinez Starting pitcher The Reds made a one-year bet on Martinez and have been rewarded, though it's not been enough to get them atop the NL Central. The Reds have a positive run differential — better than the built-to-contend Philadelphia Phillies — yet have a losing record, and the result is a 3.3 percent chance of making the playoffs. Martinez accepted a qualifying offer last fall and, at 34, he's continued to thrive in the rotation. His strikeouts and velocity are modest, but he mixes pitches and avoids hard contact. The Reds can't extend him another qualifying offer, and so might have to trade him to get any meaningful return on their investment. Reds outfielder Austin Hays and closer Emilio Pagán are also having good seasons with free agency up ahead. Tyler Mahle Starting pitcher Mahle has been one of the best starting pitchers in baseball, delivering a 1.64 ERA for a team many expected to compete for the American League pennant. Mahle has done his part to make that happen. The bulk of the Rangers have not. Stuck in the middle of the AL West, the Rangers have a 24.4 percent chance of making the playoffs and might have to decide whether to sell high on Mahle or hope he can pitch them back into contention within a seemingly volatile division. (Other playoff odds in the AL West: Mariners 71.8, Astros 67.4.) The Rangers are built to win, and they won it all two years ago, but they've been as on-the-fence as it gets these first two months. If the Rangers sell, Mahle's hot start could make him a hot commodity. Pete Fairbanks Closer For five years, the Rays always found a way. Despite a notoriously low payroll, they made the playoffs every year from 2019 to 2023, but when that streak ended last season, the Rays traded (or sold) nine players in the month of July. Playing right at .500 again this year (with ace Shane McClanahan again on the IL), the Rays have a 32 percent chance of making the playoffs and could be forced to sell again. That could mean mainstays like Fairbanks, Brandon Lowe and Yandy Díaz are on the trading block. Fairbanks' strikeout numbers are down from his 2022 peak, but he's otherwise having a typically strong season as the Rays' primary closer. Picking up a team option for 2026 would mean basically doubling Fairbanks' salary, which might not be in the budget for a cost-conscious organization like the Rays that's been willing to trade away popular franchise players in the past. Advertisement Aroldis Chapman Closer A pair of proven, 37-year-old closers were free agents last winter. Aroldis Chapman signed a one-year, $10.75 million deal with the Red Sox while Kenley Jansen left the Red Sox to sign a one-year, $10 million deal with the Angels. Similar contracts, wildly different results. While Jansen has struggled to maintain his elite standards, Chapman has been nearly as good as ever, still generating extreme velocity while excelling in basically every ninth-inning metric. He's been exactly what the Red Sox needed to return to relevance, except the team as a whole hasn't kept pace. There's an argument to be made that the Red Sox should trade an outfielder no matter what — to open a spot for top prospect Roman Anthony — but if they continue to hover around .500, Boston could become the second team in three years to deal Chapman at the deadline. The last team to do it was the 2023 Royals, who got ace Cole Ragans in the deal. Eugenio Suárez Third baseman The Diamondbacks were a sneaky NL pennant contender coming into the season. They had a deep rotation with a lot of interesting up-the-middle talent, and they seemed like the kind of team that might surprise some folks (and not for the first time). But the NL West is loaded, the Diamondbacks have been more solid than sneaky, and now Corbin Burnes is hurt. FanGraphs is giving them a 28 percent chance of making the playoffs. Meanwhile, Suárez is in his walk year, hitting a ton of home runs, and playing a position that could be filled by bringing back top prospect Jordan Lawlar. Suárez could be a player the Diamondbacks trade for a long-term asset without necessarily giving up on short-term ambition. Marcell Ozuna Designated hitter Look, the assumption here — and just about everywhere, it seems — is that the Braves eventually are going to get on a roll that makes the playoffs a foregone conclusion. And when they do, there's just no way they're going to trade away the second- or third-best DH in baseball. But two months into the season, they're still a sub-.500 team with a 50-50 shot of making the playoffs. The Twins have far better playoff odds, and the lowly Washington Nationals moved ahead of the Braves in the standings this weekend. Ozuna, meanwhile, is approaching free agency while posting typically excellent offensive numbers, though he recently revealed he is playing through a hip injury. What if this Braves run to relevance never materializes? Wouldn't Ozuna have to be on the trade block? Michael King Starting pitcher Similar to the Braves, it's hard to think of the Padres as potential sellers at the moment, but they too are getting roughly 50-50 playoff odds from FanGraphs, and in the past month their odds have dropped as low as 38.6 percent (after spiking as high as 65.4 percent). The NL wild-card race is a bit of a free-for-all at the moment, and the Padres are particularly interesting because of the significance of their soon-to-be free agents. King has a mutual option for next season, closer Robert Suarez has a player option, and both co-ace Dylan Cease and first baseman Luis Arraez are also approaching free agency. The Padres don't look like sellers at the moment, but if this next month goes poorly, they have the assets to flood the trade market with incredibly valuable rentals.
Miami Herald
13 hours ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
Marlins fall for second consecutive game to Rockies despite better start for Alcantara
The Miami Marlins lost to the worst team in the majors for the second consecutive night Tuesday, but that didn't seem to matter afterward because Sandy Alcantara was smiling. And how many times have we seen a smile on the face of the Marlins' ace after a start during this frustrating season coming off Tommy John surgery? But it was there after Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Colorado Rockies at loanDepot park, and there was incredible optimism inside the home clubhouse that his second quality start of the season — two runs on four hits over six innings — can begin to turn things around for him. 'Right now, it feels way better,' Alcantara said. 'You have to start from the bottom, step by step, and today I think I made a great step. It seems today, everything will change.' Alcantara said he felt good vibes driving to the ballpark and 'my mentality was completely different' from usual when he arrived at the clubhouse. He played some Pop-a-Shot basketball with teammates leading up to the game, and then took the mound and struck out two of the first three batters he faced. In the fifth inning, he ran into trouble. Alcantara gave up a walk to Mickey Moniak on four consecutive balls and an infield single on a high chopper to Tyler Freeman, who then stole second. Jordan Beck struck an RBI single and Thairo Estrada hit a sacrifice fly to knot the score at 2. Alcantara bore down and struck out Hunter Goodman swinging with a 97-mph four-seam fastball to limit the damage to two runs, and then came back out and ripped through a 1-2-3 sixth inning. 'It was great. Finally, I got up to six innings today,' Alcantara said. Alcantara's other quality start came in an April 23 loss at home when he allowed three runs in six innings to the Reds. He entered Tuesday's outing having allowed 31 earned runs in his past six starts. 'From start to finish, this was overall the most complete game he's put together this season,' Marlins manager Clayton McCullough said. 'The quality of the misses and the quality of the throws were terrific.' McCullough gave the ball to reliever Calvin Faucher after the sixth inning, deciding not to send Alcantara back out even though he had only thrown 70 pitches. 'It was just how things have gone this season,' McCullough said, explaining why. 'For him to be able to take this one and go home and feel really good about how the entire outing went, to get through six and limit them to just a couple of runs…there were so many qualities about this outing he can take away and continue to build on.' Alcantara said he didn't ask McCullough to go out for the seventh. The Rockies scored the go-ahead run on Goodman's home run to left off Anthony Bender in the eighth inning. It was Goodman's third homer in two nights. He was 3-for-5 with three RBI and three runs scored in Monday's 6-4 win and 2-for-4 with a double Tuesday as the Rockies snapped their streak of 22 consecutive series lost, dating back to September of last season — an MLB record for futility, according to Elias. The Marlins struck first Monday, taking a 2-0 lead in the third inning on RBI singles by Jesús Sánchez and Kyle Stowers. THIS AND THAT ▪ Max Meyer, who allowed five runs on 10 hits in five innings Monday, was placed on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a left hip impingement. Fellow right-hander George Soriano was recalled from Triple-A Jacksonville. 'He's been feeling it for a few starts,' McCullough said of Meyer. 'Nothing that we felt was really limiting or hindering. [Monday] was the first time he felt like in the outing it was starting to inhibit his ability to finish and make pitches. Looking back, you could see that some.' In his past two outings, Meyer has surrendered 17 hits and eight earned runs in 8 1/3 innings. 'It needs a chance to calm down,' McCullough said of the impingement. 'Try to knock out some of that inflammation and get Max back when this has had the proper amount of time to heal and he can go out there in a spot where he's not having to think about having to pitch around an ailment.' ▪ Eury Pérez allowed one earned run on three hits in 4 1/3 innings (he was scheduled to pitch five innings) Tuesday night for Jacksonville in his final rehab start. He threw 82 pitches (44 for strikes), struck out four, and walked three. Barring a setback, McCullough said Pérez will return from Tommy John surgery during the Marlins' upcoming road trip to Tampa, Pittsburgh, and Washington. ▪ First baseman Matt Mervis was outrighted to Jacksonville, for whom he homered Tuesday, after no team claimed him following the Marlins designating him for assignment. ▪ Tuesday's announced attendance at loanDepot park was 7,583, an improvement on Monday's total (5,894), which was the lowest for any major league game this season and the lowest for a Marlins' home game since 2022.
Time of India
28-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Baseball's big names headed for deadline deals? MLB insiders point to four major likely trades in the trade market
The trade market is heating up with speculation surrounding several high-profile players, as the 2025 Major League Baseball season approaches its midpoint. Teams are assessing their positions, whether to bolster their rosters for a playoff push or to rebuild for the future. Top trade candidates identified by MLB executives A recent survey of MLB executives highlighted four players as the most likely to be traded before the July 31 deadline: by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Importador de perfumes quiebra y quema existencias: Consigue 3 por el precio de 1 Euro Parfum Más información Undo Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins (12 votes) Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox (5 votes) Live Events Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals (1 vote) Framber Valdez, Houston Astros (1 vote) Sandy Alcantara Alcantara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, has struggled this season with an ERA over 8. Despite this, his track record and potential make him an attractive target for teams seeking to strengthen their pitching rotation. The Marlins, currently out of playoff contention, may look to trade Alcantara, who is under team control through 2026 with a 2027 team option. Luis Robert Jr. Robert Jr., a dynamic outfielder for the White Sox, has been the subject of trade rumors as Chicago considers a roster overhaul. With five executives identifying him as a likely trade candidate, Robert Jr.'s combination of power and speed could provide a significant boost to teams in need of outfield talent. Nolan Arenado Arenado, a ten-time Gold Glove third baseman, has seen a decline in offensive production over recent seasons. With a weighted runs created plus (wRC+) dropping from 149 in 2022 to 95 this season, and a substantial salary commitment, the Cardinals may consider trading him to reallocate resources and infuse young talent into their system. Framber Valdez Valdez, a consistent performer for the Astros, is in the final year of his contract, earning $18 million. Houston, known for its fiscal prudence, might trade Valdez to avoid losing him in free agency without compensation. Despite being a rental, his reliability makes him a valuable asset for teams seeking to solidify their starting rotation. Other notable trade possibilities The Baltimore Orioles, amid a disappointing season, are reportedly considering trading key players such as Cedric Mullins and Ryan Mountcastle. Additionally, pitcher Félix Bautista, despite recent struggles, retains trade value and could be moved as the Orioles reassess their roster strategy. The availability of high-profile players like Alcantara, Robert Jr., Arenado, and Valdez adds intrigue to the midseason landscape, promising a dynamic and potentially transformative period for Major League Baseball.
Miami Herald
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Alcantara shows glimpses of dominance, but Marlins ace plagued by one bad inning in loss to Rays
It was going so well for Sandy Alcantara through four innings. The Miami Marlins' ace had retired 11 batters in a row when he took the mound to start the fifth inning of Saturday's 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at loanDepot park. He had worked out of trouble at the start, regularly clocked 99 mph, and was looking increasingly like the pitcher he was before Tommy John surgery — the 'swaggy version of Sandy,' as manager Clayton McCullough calls him. In the fifth, even after allowing two singles — including an RBI hit by Chandler Simpson — and three stolen bases and hitting a batter, Alcantara had Yandy Díaz in an 0-2 hole — one filthy pitch away from escaping with only one run allowed. But Díaz banged a two-run single up the middle, and Jonathan Aranda followed with a broken-bat RBI knock for a 4–0 lead. Alcantara then retired the next batter, Kameron Misner, which ended the Rays' turn at bat and his afternoon. One rough inning to end an otherwise encouraging outing. 'A good step. It feels like he's a little snake-bitten,' McCullough said. 'Some of those balls are going to get hit at people, which will make the overall outing look different. But as far as how he threw the ball and the quality of his stuff, how he's utilizing it, it bodes well as we move forward.' 'Just no luck out there for me today,' said Alcantara, who allowed four of his five hits in the fifth. 'The first four innings, everything was good. Fifth inning, they just hit the ball right there in the hole. 'It feels good. I'm trusting the process,' he added two minutes later. 'But I don't know. I'm just getting tired of being out there and don't have that success I'm looking for. I know the hard work, the patience, everything I put into this start — to have this type of result today, I don't like that.' The former Cy Young winner's ninth start of the season began ominously. Josh Lowe smacked Alcantara's first delivery off the left-field wall for a double. Alcantara then walked Brandon Lowe on four consecutive balls. After an out at second on a fielder's choice, Alcantara bore down. He struck out Aranda swinging with a 99-mph sinker and then fanned Misner with a 100-mph four-seam fastball — his fastest pitch of the season. He hit 100 mph again in the second, which he ended by striking out Danny Jansen staring at a 99.5-mph sinker. 'The big punches there to get out of the inning, that was great,' McCullough said. 'He was getting some early contact and getting some ground balls. He looked sharp. He was in a really good rhythm through the early part of the game.' Rays starter Drew Rasmussen's velocity didn't reach as high as Alcantara's, but he was masterful in six scoreless innings. Rasmussen allowed only four hits, struck out five, and didn't walk a batter. He threw 55 of his 81 pitches for strikes. The Marlins finished the game with just six hits. Kyle Stowers and Liam Hicks each went 2 for 4 at the plate. The rest of the lineup combined to go 2 for 25. 'We just weren't able to string a whole lot together,' McCullough said. 'Rasmussen threw a good game, and we just didn't get enough going and scattered our hits instead of getting them in bunches.' ▪ Shortstop Xavier Edwards is day-to-day after 'imaging turned out OK' on his lower back, McCullough said. 'Not as sore [Saturday],' he noted. Edwards started the Marlins' first 42 games before sitting out Friday with back tightness. Javier Sanoja replaced him in the lineup for the second game Saturday. ▪ Edward Cabrera is scheduled to make his next start Monday against the Cubs, McCullough said. The right-hander was slated to take the mound against the Rays, but fluid buildup near his fingernail pushed back his start. ▪ Eury Perez pitched four innings for Single A Jupiter on Friday — his fifth rehab start since undergoing Tommy John surgery in April 2024. The right-hander gave up three hits and one run (a solo homer) while striking out three, walking none, and reaching 99 mph with his fastball. 'His stuff was very strong. He was efficient. He felt great,' McCullough said. 'He continues to check all the boxes necessary, move forward, and build his stamina. Another really encouraging positive step for Eury.' ▪ Matt Mervis was 0 for 3 Saturday and has two hits in his past 28 at-bats, with 15 strikeouts. 'Missing too many pitches he should hit,' McCullough said, adding, 'When Merv's been at his best this year, it's not a passive approach, it's aggressive.' ▪ About two dozen East Carolina University alumni, clad in purple and gold, watched batting practice from in front of the home dugout. Marlins' third baseman Connor Norby (2019-21) and McCullough played for ECU (2000-02). McCullough also was a volunteer assistant coach for the Pirates for one season, and his father, Howard, played for them as well. 'I had a terrific experience at East Carolina. My folks still live in Greenville [North Carolina.],' McCullough said. 'Fond memories for me playing collegiately there … so cool to see some Pirates down here supporting us today.'
Winnipeg Free Press
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Winnipeg Free Press
Rasmussen throws 6 shutout innings, Rays beat Marlins 4-0
MIAMI (AP) — Drew Rasmussen threw a season-high six innings of four-hit ball, Yandy Díaz had two hits and two RBIs and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Miami Marlins 4-0 on Saturday. Jonathan Aranda and Chandler Simpson singled twice and drove in a run each for the Rays, who scored their runs in the fifth inning against Marlins starter Sandy Alcantara. Rasmussen (2-4) struck out seven for his first win since March 31. Simpson left in the ninth after he was thrown out the plate and collided with Marlins catcher Nick Fortes. Simpson remained on the ground while tended to by the training staff before walking to the dugout. Alcantara (2-6), who lost his sixth straight outing, gave up four runs and five hits in five innings. Aranda capped the outburst against Alcantara with an RBI single. Díaz hit a two-run single and Simpson opened the scoring with an RBI single. Alcantara (2-6) flashed his 2022 NL Cy Young form over the first four innings. The right-hander retired 11 straight before José Caballero reached on an infield single and Danny Jansen was hit by a pitch in the fifth. Alcántara also struggled holding base runners as Caballero stole two bases and Simpson swiped one. Edwin Uceta, Garret Cleavinger and Pete Fairbanks each threw an inning of relief for the Rays. Key moment Facing an 0-2 count against Alcantara with two out, Díaz took back-to-back balls before hitting an opposite-field line drive to right that made it 3-0. Key stat Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. Simpson is hitting is .404 (21 of 52) in 14 road games this season. Up next Shane Baz (3-2. 5.02) is scheduled to start the series finale for the Rays on Sunday against Cal Quantrill (2-4, 7.00). ___ AP MLB:
