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New York Times
9 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
More on Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax
The 2025 MLB trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. (ET) Thursday. Join us for live updates and analysis on trades around the league. Getty Images Getty Images With the Minnesota Twins, it's wise to follow the money. Jhoan Duran earns more than fellow reliever Griffin Jax, and that's one reason the Twins might be more inclined to trade him. The other reason, of course, is that Duran would yield a higher return. Duran is earning $4.125 million this season to Jax's $2.365 million, and the salaries of each will rise in their respective final two years of arbitration. If Duran is moved, Jax also can easily replace him as the Twins' closer. Getty Images Baseball Savant values the Reds infield defense at 7 Outs Above Average this season. That's 11th-best in the Majors but only fourth-best in the NL Central, well behind the Cardinals (25) and Pirates (19), basically tied with the Brewers (7) and barely ahead of the Cubs (6). First base and second base have been strengths, but Elly De La Cruz has rated as a -2 this season (he was worth 14 OAA last year). Reds third basemen have been collectively worth 1 OAA. Now, into that infield comes Ke'Bryan Hayes, regarded by OAA to be by far the best defensive third baseman in baseball. Hayes has been worth 15 OAA. The second-best third baseman, Matt Chapman, has been worth 4. Noelvi Marte, who's a better hitter than defender, was the Reds best internal option at third base, but he'll now move to the outfield, where the Reds have needed an offensive boost. Getty Images The Athletics, in their talks for closer Mason Miller, have focused on teams with top-end young pitching. But whether they find a club to meet their price remains to be seen. Miller is under club control for four additional seasons. From the Philadelphia Phillies, the A's asked for Andrew Painter, according to sources briefed on the discussions. The New York Yankees also have been involved in the talks, but are more focused on adding pitching than subtracting it. The New York Mets, whose farm system includes perhaps more elite young arms than the Yankees', are also a team in the mix. The Los Angeles Dodgers are not playing at the high end of the relief market for pitchers such as Miller and the Minnesota Twins' Jhoan Duran, sources say. Shortstop Sammy Stafura is the main prospect heading to the Pirates in the trade sending third base defensive wizard Ke'Bryan Hayes to the division rival Reds, sources told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The Athletic's Keith Law ranked Stafura the No. 7 prospect in the Reds' farm system before the 2025 season. Here's what Law had to say about Stafura: Stafura does everything you want except for his contact quality, a true shortstop and 60 or 70 runner who knows the strike zone and plays hard all the time. He's already a solid-average defender, at worst, and might end up a 55 or 60 there given some more experience. He was the Reds' 2023 second-round pick out of a Westchester County high school in New York, so the move from there to Low A was a big jump in the caliber of pitching he was facing. He's lean but well-built, so some of his contact quality issues are a function of his unconventional swing, as he pushes the barrel a bit rather than using his legs to power through the ball. GO FURTHER Cincinnati Reds top 20 prospects: Chase Burns, Rhett Lowder lead the way Getty Images Ke'Bryan Hayes is now a Red. What can Cincinnati expect from their new third baseman? Let's see what the numbers say: 97th percentile in fielding run value 99th percentile in range 70th percentile in baserunning run value 31.0% squared-up percentage (87th percentile) 21.1% whiff rate (71st percentile) .236/.279/.290 slash line Pretty close to the best version of Chris Paddack in his Tigers debut. A lot of strikes, a lot of outs. D-Backs had an average exit velocity of 96.4 mph. But the scoreboard results were great. 6 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K Getty Images Even after acquiring right-handed infielder Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals earlier this week, the New York Yankees were still searching for a right-handed-hitting outfielder to bolster their depth. On Wednesday morning, the Yankees acquired corner outfielder Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox for minor-league right-hander Gage Ziehl. Slater will be a free agent at season's end after signing a one-year, $1.75 million contract with the White Sox last offseason. The Yankees needed a righty outfielder because Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez have struggled against left-handed pitching this season. Combined, the pair has hit .195/.299/.299 versus lefties in 2025. Slater has hit .261/.338/.522 with five home runs in 69 at-bats against lefties this season. Adding another right-handed bat made sense for the Yankees as they look ahead to October, where they could face Tarik Skubal of the Detroit Tigers, Garrett Crochet of the Boston Red Sox and Framber Valdez of the Houston Astros. Ziehl had a 4.15 ERA across 16 appearances for Low-A Tampa and High-A Hudson Valley this season. A fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft, Ziehl was not among Keith Law's top 20 Yankees prospects entering this season. The addition of Slater signals that the Yankees may lean into platoon splits, something that manager Aaron Boone hasn't always done in his tenure. When a lefty starter is on the mound, expect both Slater and Rosario to be in the lineup. The Yankees now have a bit of a roster crunch on the position player side. That should be noted as they are still active in the reliever and starter markets. Trade Grades The Reds' search for a right-handed outfield bat came from within its roster, with Noelvi Marte's recent foray from third base to the outfield. Adding Hayes allows Marte to go the outfield while also boosting the team's infield defense. Whether Hayes can return to form offensively from where he was two years ago, is to be seen, but Great American Ball Park is as good a place as any to rediscover your offensive prowess. In 112 career plate appearances at GABP, Hayes has hit .264/.304/.434 in Cincinnati with four homers. Marte has just one start in right field, at the New York Mets on July 20, but has appeared in two other games in the outfield since then. Getty Images The Pirates have traded Gold Glove third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds, sources told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo. We'll have a full story coming shortly, but the long and short of it is: Hayes is one of the best defenders in baseball, but he has been well below average with the bat since his rookie season. Two years ago, the Pirates signed Hayes to what at the time was a club-record contract: eight years, $70 million plus $6 million more if a 2030 option as picked up. That record was soon surpassed by Mitch Keller's and Bryan Reynolds' deals. Meanwhile, Hayes has a 60 OPS+ (40 percent worse than league average) over the past two seasons. More to come. Getty Images The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell The Athletic . Pittsburgh acquires minor league shortstop Sammy Stafura and MLB relief pitcher Taylor Rogers. Getty Images The A's are drawing considerable interest in left-hander JP Sears, according to sources briefed on the team's discussions. Sears, 29, is earning only $770,000 and is under club control through arbitration for three more seasons. His ERA this season is a pedestrian 4.95, but he made 32 starts each of the past two years and is up to 22 in 2025. 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. GO FURTHER How the Rafael Devers trade prepared the Red Sox for the trade deadline 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. GO FURTHER A Carlos Correa return to Houston via trade with Twins seems unlikely — for now: Sources
Newsweek
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Dodgers Reportedly Calling On Twins Relievers As Deadline Looms
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly called the Minnesota Twins about their pair of back-end relievers, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, per MLB Insider Jon Morosi. The Dodgers have endured injuries to their bullpen and are looking to patch the holes before Thursday's trade deadline. MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 30: Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning at Target Field on July 30, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The... MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - JULY 30: Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Boston Red Sox in the ninth inning at Target Field on July 30, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Red Sox defeated the Twins 13-1. More Photo byThe Dodgers are still expected to have reinforcements arriving for their bullpen from the injured list before the season's end. But with the loss of Evan Phillips for the entire season, the reigning World Series champions are looking to add to their bullpen for the final stretch. This has led them to call up the Twins and inquire about Jax and Duran, both pitchers with controllable years left and who have been effective in their careers. Duran is coming off back-to-back seasons of 20 saves or more and is headed for the mark once more this year. Jax is the least valuable piece that the Twins have to offer, as he has taken a step back from his career-best season last year. The right-hander has still been above league average in the Twins bullpen this season. While he has not been as effective as he was last season, he has increased his strikeout rate. The Dodgers are entering crunch time and will have to continue to talk with the Twins to sway one of the relievers their way ahead of the trade deadline. With Clase off the board, the Twins are likely to be busy in conversations about their reliever duo. More MLB: MLB Insider Reports Rangers Will Be Active At MLB Trade Deadline
Newsweek
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Dodgers-Twins Projected Trade Sends Two High-Powered Pitchers To LA
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Los Angeles Dodgers have all the talent in the world, but injuries have stopped them from running away with the No. 1 seed in the National League. Because of that, it's hard to look at the Dodgers as favorites for the World Series despite all the talent they have. The front office is going to need to make some moves before Thursday's trade deadline. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter recently suggested the Dodgers could acquire pitchers Griffin Jax and Danny Coulombe in a trade that would send Alex Freeland, Patrick Copen, and Brendan Tunink to the Twins. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 22: Relief pitcher Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after striking out Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last out of the seventh inning... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 22: Relief pitcher Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after striking out Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last out of the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on July 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. More"Injuries to the starting rotation have put a heavy burden on the Dodgers' relief corps," Reuter wrote. "Their bullpen leads the majors with 465 innings pitched -- a staggering 37.2 more innings than any other team -- and reinforcements will be necessary at the trade deadline. "Flame-throwing closer Jhoan Durán is the Twins' best trade chip, but there's a case to be made that a package of Jax (49 G, 21 HLD, 3.91 ERA, 14.1 K/9) and Coulombe (40 G, 8 HLD, 1.16 ERA, 9.0 K/9) would be more valuable to the Dodgers at a similar acquisition cost. Jax is controllable through 2027, while Coulombe would be a straight rental." This is the kind of deal that would boost the Dodgers back to the top of the NL. Both Jax and Coulombe have been lights out for the Twins this season, and they'd slot in perfectly at the backend of the Dodgers' bullpen. If Los Angeles could land a deal like this, it would have the best bullpen in baseball, especially if a few injured players can return healthy. Unfortunately for the Dodgers, this trade package wouldn't be enough. They'd have to throw in another highly ranked prospect in order to grab both star relievers from Minnesota. More MLB: Mets Blockbuster? New York Linked To Superstar Closer As Deadline Nears
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Phillies Predicted To Land Two Stars In Huge MLB Trade Deadline Deal
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Philadelphia Phillies desperately need to add to their outfield and bullpen ahead of the trade deadline. While the team is very talented, they fell flat in the postseason last year. Upgrading the outfield and bullpen this week would help prevent that from happening again. Could they kill two birds with one stone? ESPN's Paul Hembekides recently predicted the Phillies would acquire both Minnesota Twins reliever Griffin Jax and utilityman Willi Castro in a massive deadline deal. LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 22: Relief pitcher Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after striking out Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last out of the seventh inning... LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JULY 22: Relief pitcher Griffin Jax #22 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates after striking out Will Smith #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers for the last out of the seventh inning at Dodger Stadium on July 22, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. More"The Phillies' need for a reliever is well-documented -- Jordan Romano has pitched to a 6.99 ERA, and Jose Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason because of his PED suspension," Hembekides wrote. "Jax's underlying metrics (40.7% chase rate, 39.7% whiff rate, 36.9% strikeout rate) are cartoonishly good and suggest his 3.91 ERA is artificially inflated. "Philadelphia's need for another bat is likewise acute: Since May 1, second baseman Bryson Stott (60 wRC+) and left fielder Max Kepler (72 wRC+) have been among baseball's worst regulars at the plate. Not only has Castro posted an above-average batting line in each of the past three seasons (105 OPS+ over that span), but the utility player has also logged more than 300 innings this season in both the infield and the outfield." Jax and Castro would be a pair of huge additions for the Phillies, but it would likely cost a solid prospect return. However, this would be much cheaper than chasing trades for Ryan Helsley, Jhoan Duran and Luis Robert Jr. The Phillies would have to cut ties with a few prospects, but that's the cost of doing business. If the team wants to win in October, which they're very capable of doing, this is a move that needs to be made. More MLB: David Bednar Trade? Tigers Linked To Deadline Deal For Pirates Closer
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Blue Jays blockbuster 3-for-2 trade proposal brings 2 relievers to Toronto
The Toronto Blue Jays have turned themselves into a contender and could be looking to load up on talent at the trade deadline. The team could target relievers. The Blue Jays have a 3.72 bullpen ERA. However, they could benefit from adding some more arms to the group as they look to make a deep run in October. FanSided's Christopher Kline proposed this trade that would bring Griffin Jax and Jhoan Durán to Toronto from the Minnesota Twins. Blue Jays receive: RHP Jhoan Durán and RHP Griffin Jax Twins receive: RHP Khal Stephen (No. 5 prospect), LHP Kendry Rojas (No. 6 prospect) and 2B/OF Sam Shaw (No. 26 prospect) "Both Durán and Jax are under contract through 2027, meaning the Twins face very little pressure to pull the trigger on a deal unless it's undeniable in quality," wrote Kline. "Toronto does not sacrifice its very best prospects here, but Khal Stephen and Kendry Rojas — a pair of 22-year-olds with Double-A New Hampshire right now — are both trending up in a big way. Minnesota gets a pair of future starters, a righty and a lefty, to mold in their strong development program, along with a potential utility bat in 20 year-old Sam Shaw." Durán would be the headline player going to the Blue Jays. He has a 1.86 ERA and 16 saves on the year. He has a 2.44 career ERA and would step in as the new closer for the team. Jax has a 4.00 ERA, but had a 2.03 ERA last year and a 3.23 ERA since 2022."This has been a horridly unlucky season for Jax, whose 4.00 ERA does not do justice to his incredible swing-and-miss stuff," wrote Kline. "He's in the 99th percentile for both strikeout and whiff rate. It's only a matter of time until Jax's ERA regresses to the mean and the numbers start to mirror his elite talent. A better situation in Toronto, will more help in the field and at the plate, should amplify Jax quite well." More MLB:
