Latest news with #JeffPassan
Newsweek
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Could Trade to Dodgers Be Secret Recipe to Return Ace to 'Former Glory'?
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 came into the season with seemingly the best pitching staff in baseball, but injuries have destroyed most of the top arms. Los Angeles' pitching staff is barely averaging four innings per start at this point. ESPN's Jeff Passan recently suggested the Dodgers would be one of the best fits in a trade for Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcántara ahead of the upcoming trade deadline. MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Sandy Alcantara #22 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Kansas City Royals d1i at loanDepot park on July 18, 2025 in Miami, Florida. MIAMI, FLORIDA - JULY 18: Sandy Alcantara #22 of the Miami Marlins pitches against the Kansas City Royals d1i at loanDepot park on July 18, 2025 in Miami, Florida."Alcantara was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2022, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously. He was more solid than spectacular in 2023 and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery," Passan wrote. "He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory. His 7.14 ERA is unsightly, and with the Marlins still valuing him as a top starter, they could hold on to him until the winter, when teams such as the Baltimore Orioles would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract." The Dodgers are certainly the level of aggressive it would take to land a star like Alcántara. The righty also has a few years of affordable team control left on his deal, which would fit perfectly with the Dodgers' payroll. The Marlins need to trade him before he drops his trade value any further. Trading him now would almost certainly net at least one star prospect in return. If the Marlins hunt a trade with the Dodgers, they could pursue former top prospects Bobby Miller and James Outman as well as talented prospects like Justin Wrobleski and plenty of others. Either way, the Dodgers are the right level of aggressive and desperate to make a deal like this come to life this month. More MLB: Shocking Deadline Deal? MLB Insider Links Phillies To All-Star Outfielder
Newsweek
a day ago
- Sport
- Newsweek
Yankees Entering Must-Win Series Against Division Leading Blue Jays
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. An American League East showdown is on the horizon. The first place Toronto Blue Jays will welcome in the second place New York Yankees in a three-game series spanning from Monday-Wednesday. For the Blue Jays, it's a chance to widen what was a three-game division lead entering Monday and for the Yankees, it's a chance to regain a division lead that was lost three weeks ago. TORONTO, ON - JULY 3: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees celebrates his RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on... TORONTO, ON - JULY 3: Jazz Chisholm Jr. #13 of the New York Yankees celebrates his RBI double against the Toronto Blue Jays in the seventh inning in their MLB game at Rogers Centre on July 3, 2025 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. MoreNew York and Toronto matched up three short weeks ago in a four-game series and that one turned out phenomenal for the Blue Jays. The Jays swept the Yankees in a home four-game series for the first time in franchise history and because of the sweep, skyrocketed into first place in the AL East. Toronto's offense exploded in the series to the tune of 36 runs in 32 innings and that scorching hot offense has continued throughout the entire month. On May 25, the Toronto Blue Jays lost 13-0, had a 25-27 record and were in fourth place in the American League East. On July 3, the Blue Jays finished a four-game sweep of the Yankees to move to 49-38 and took over first place in the AL East. Five weeks can change everything. — Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 4, 2025 Fast forward to Monday and the Yankees are 7-8 in July, compared to Toronto's 12-3 record in the month. It feels like New York needs the series win much more than Toronto does, and it will have two of its top three pitchers scheduled to pitch in the series. Game One: Carlos Rodon (10-6, 3.08 ERA) vs. Kevin Gausman (6-7, 4.19 ERA) Game Two: Cam Schlitter (1-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Max Scherzer (1-0, 4.70 ERA) Game Three: Max Fried (11-3, 2.43 ERA) vs. Chris Bassitt (10-4, 3.89 ERA) Rodon, Fried, Scherzer, Gausman and Bassitt all pitched in the previous series, so each team will still have a bit of recollection of how they were attacked by each of those pitchers. The three-game series between the top two teams in the AL East will have the eyes of the baseball world on it and it could be a turning point for either of the two teams. More MLB: Braves Expected To Consider Trading $73 Million All-Star: Report
Fox News
4 days ago
- Sport
- Fox News
Athletics' Brent Rooker responds to ESPN star's list of preferred swing-off participants
Athletics outfielder Brent Rooker's week kicked off in Atlanta, the host city for the 2025 MLB All-Star game. On Monday, Rooker participated in the annual Home Run Derby. The next day, Rooker was one of the three players American League manager Aaron Boone selected to compete in the All-Star game's first-ever swing-off. Rooker went 2-for-3 in the historic Home Run Derby-style tiebreaker. However, Philadelphia Phillies star Kyle Schwarber scored three points in the swing-off to help the National League win the thriller. Several notable power-hitting All-Stars were noticeably absent from the unprecedented swing-off. The AL lineup was represented by Rooker, Jonathan Aranda and Randy Arozarena. Schwarber, Pete Alonso and Kyle Stowers stepped up to the plate for the NL The list of names left some observers puzzled, which sparked some questions about the selections. ESPN MLB reporter Jeff Passan was among those who weighed in on the player selection for the swing-off and offered his preferred lineup. "What could have been: Aaron Judge, Cal Raleigh, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. vs. Shohei Ohtani, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber," Passan wrote on X. Rooker offered a rebuttal after he took notice of the suggested list of players. "Am I not good enough for you Jeff," Rooker jokingly wrote in a response posted to X. Rooker later made it clear he had nothing against the ESPN star. "(Guys I like Jeff I'm not actually mad I would pick Aaron, Cal and Vladdy over me too)," the two-time All-Star wrote in a subsequent post. Boone addressed concerns over his player selection for the swing-off, saying each manager was required to submit three names the day before the game. He added that his decision was based on the idea Judge would not be in the game in the late innings. "We had to pick our guys yesterday," Boone told reporters. "Wanted to make sure I picked guys I knew would be in the game there and still hot. That was my choice." This isn't the first time Rooker has responded on social media after his name was mentioned in something related to this year's All-Star festivities. The Athletics slugger took aim at a fan who criticized him for giving his child a bottle during Monday's Home Run Derby. ESPN's cameras showed Rooker feeding his 11-month-old daughter a bottle while sitting near the dugout. "Hey Rooker… did you really need to feed your baby on camera? Sometimes people just want to see you play," a viewer wrote on X. Rooker responded, writing, "Yes, it was necessary to feed my 11-month-old child her nighttime bottle at like 9:00 pm. Thank you for asking." Follow Fox News Digital's sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Rangers P Nathan Eovaldi rewarded with $100K All-Star bonus after not making AL team
Nathan Eovaldi's excellent first half wasn't good enough to earn him a trip to Atlanta for All-Star Weekend, but the Texas Rangers rewarded the veteran right-handed for his performance so far this season. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, the Rangers paid the 35-year-old Eovaldi his $100,000 All-Star appearance bonus even though he was left off of the American League roster. Through 16 starts this season, Eovaldi is 7-3 with a 1.58 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and a .194 opponent batting average over 91 innings. He would be the MLB ERA leader, but a triceps injury in late May cost him a month and he is short of the 97 innings needed to qualify for individual statistic categories. Eovaldi, a 2021 and 2023 All-Star while with the Boston Red Sox, re-signed with the Rangers in December on a three-year, $75 million deal after spending the past two seasons with Texas. He won his last three starts heading into the All-Star break and has allowed zero or one run in 11 of his 16 starts. There are other bonuses Eovaldi can pursue this year. According to Spotrac, he can earn $250,000 for winning the AL Cy Young Award; $200,000 for finishing second; and $150,000 for placing third. If he takes home World Series MVP honors he can earn $150,000, and $100,000 if he is named a Gold Glove winner or LCS MVP. Eovaldi will return to the mound on Sunday when the Rangers face Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers at home.
Yahoo
7 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Red Sox Reportedly Make Firm Aroldis Chapman Trade Decision
Red Sox Reportedly Make Firm Aroldis Chapman Trade Decision originally appeared on Athlon Sports. After plenty of speculation regarding the Boston Red Sox over the past few weeks, the team completely turned things around and saved its season. Advertisement The Red Sox are now only three games out in the American League East and have a real opportunity to win the division. This was expected coming into the year, as the Red Sox team is very talented. However, the early struggles didn't make much sense; hopefully, they're behind them. Regarding what the Red Sox might do now, it was reported multiple times that the team could've looked to move on from Aroldis Chapman. Chapman has thrown the baseball at one of the highest levels for a closer in the league, but according to a recent report from Jeff Passan of ESPN, he no longer believes there's any chance Chapman will get traded. From the Red Sox's perspective, this makes perfect sense given where the team stands. Jul 14, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; American League pitcher Aroldis Chapman (44) of the Boston Red Sox during workouts before the 2025 MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn ImagesBrett Davis-Imagn Images 'Aroldis Chapman's going nowhere, Alex Bregman's going nowhere,' Passan said, per NESN. 'They're going to add, and if they get another starting pitcher… the Boston Red Sox are legitimate World Series contenders.' Advertisement Given the Red Sox will not only have an opportunity to make the postseason in the second half, but could even win a World Series if things go their way, given how well they've played, there's not much of a reason to even consider moving on from Chapman unless they get a package they can't refuse. Chapman has arguably been the best closer in baseball this season. While he could yield a massive return, which could be enticing, it's also fair to note that every contending team in baseball wants a closer of his status in the back end of the bullpen. Obviously, things can change, but the Red Sox are in a very good spot now, and Chapman is a big reason why. Related: What Will Red Sox Do at MLB Trade Deadline to Fuel World Series Push? This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 15, 2025, where it first appeared.
