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USA Today
44 minutes ago
- Sport
- USA Today
MLB trade deadline 2025: Rumors surround top trade targets. Will Yankees add bat?
Major League Baseball's July 31 trade deadline is just a week away and while the biggest swap of the season may have taken place in June, contenders will be posturing to land impact players for the stretch run. There won't be a bigger name than Rafael Devers dealt before the deadline, but a handful of All-Stars and even a Cy Young winner could be traded before the buzzer rings at 6 p.m. ET on the final day of July. Baseball's expanded postseason has blurred the definition of "contender," with only six teams more than 10 games out of a postseason spot and others waiting to see how they fare in the days to come before deciding what to do. Here's a look at some of the players whose names have been floated as trade candidates: Eugenio Suárez – Diamondbacks Arizona's slugging third baseman has 55 home runs and 137 RBIs in his last 161 games and is on pace to become the first player traded during a 50-homer season since Mark McGwire in 1996. The Yankees and Cubs have holes at third base and Suárez is an obvious fit, but would either team part with higher-tier prospects for a rental third baseman? Now locked in a battle with the Brewers atop the NL Central, Chicago has gotten nothing from the hot corner this year. The club's third basemen have combined for just three homers, 28 RBIs and a .562 OPS, all ranking worst in baseball. Keep an eye on Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor, another big(ger) bat that could be on the market. Various Baltimore Orioles Following a maddeningly-inactive offseason, the Orioles' 2025 season couldn't be going much worse. But Baltimore has a slew of valuable trade chips who could yield some high-minors talent to reinforce Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday and company. Need a starting pitcher? The Orioles could trade three – Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano. Before a clunker in his last outing, the 41-year-old Morton had turned his season around with a 2.76 ERA in eight starts after returning to the rotation. Want bullpen help? Baltimore should make veteran relievers Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez available and may entertain offers for former All-Star closer Felix Bautista. Orioles outfielders Cedric Mullins (13 HR, 14 SB) and Ramon Laureano (.855 OPS in 233 AB) could also be impact additions. Sandy Alcantara – Marlins The 2022 NL Cy Young winner has had a rough go in his first season back from Tommy John surgery but has shown flashes of his old self, pitching seven innings (no earned runs) on July 23, perhaps his final home start for the Marlins. But Miami would be selling low on its longtime ace, and it would probably make more sense to wait until the offseason to consider offers for the 29-year-old right-hander who is under team control through 2027. Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax – Twins The Twins right-handers are probably the top relievers whose names have surfaced in trade talks, but neither becomes a free agent until after the 2027 season, meaning a suitor would potentially be investing in 2½ years of service. Jax, 30, has a 4.09 ERA but is racking up 13.9 strikeouts per nine innings, while Duran, 27, has 15 saves with a 1.94 ERA. Minnesota has some tough calculus to do on whether or not to deal the foundational pieces of its bullpen right now. Ryan McMahon – Rockies An All-Star last season, the 30-year-old is getting hot at the right time (for his trade value) with three homers, seven RBIs and a 1.140 OPS in his past seven games. The Rockies would surely love to unload McMahon, but he's due $32 million over the next two seasons and they may need to eat a chunk of that salary to make a deal happen.
New York Times
an hour ago
- Sport
- New York Times
What we're hearing on the MLB trade deadline: Sandy Alcantara, Zac Gallen and the pitching market
With a week remaining until Major League Baseball's trade deadline, pitching-needy clubs acknowledge the options are fairly limited. The Ace, which has long been an archetype of the trade deadline, exists more in baseball history, or even mythology. That singular talent, multiple league sources briefed on those conversations told The Athletic, is simply unavailable. Advertisement Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen should be in that discussion but are not currently performing at that level, and it is questionable whether they can recapture that form in time to help a team win the 2025 World Series. Even a progressive organization with big ideas on how to fix those pitchers might have trouble implementing significant changes in the middle of a playoff race. That uncertainty is an emerging theme for the July 31 deadline, which is trending toward finding insurance and filling roster holes more than delivering impact. 'There's a lot of names,' one club official observed. 'But all the guys are going to have a little bit of warts on them. You just got to figure out what you're willing to deal with.' Major-league evaluators expressed concerns with how the Miami Marlins handled the rollout of Alcantara, a Cy Young Award winner who underwent Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season. Even with Wednesday's dominant performance – Alcantara allowed one unearned run and no walks in seven innings during a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres – his ERA is 6.66. While it's possible something has suddenly clicked for Alcantara, performance isn't the only issue. After not throwing a single major-league pitch last year, he has already logged 104 innings this season. Any team hoping to play through the end of October has to be wondering: How much does he have left in the tank? Gallen's role in helping lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to the 2023 World Series is not a distant memory. That postseason experience is a compelling reason to acquire him – and a cautionary reminder for an Arizona franchise that will not easily concede. The 2023 Diamondbacks team won only 84 games, but that group went on a hot streak at the right time and captured the National League pennant. Gallen is very much a pitcher who operates by feel, but that sense has come and gone too often this season (7-11, 5.58 ERA). While his metrics are largely similar to previous years, a veteran hitter pointed out that even a slight dip in velocity can dilute his pitch mix, which relies on sequencing and sharp contrasts. Advertisement Nonetheless, league sources said, Gallen is viewed as a pitcher worth pursuing. 'Zac wants the ball,' a league source said. 'He finds the chip and puts it on his shoulder and keeps going. He's the type of guy who's also very honest with himself about how he's doing and what's going on.' With both Gallen and Alcantara, it will be a question of whether their respective teams would trade them for what they are now, or what they once were at their peaks. The Padres, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros and Toronto Blue Jays are among the clubs that could play in this part of the pitching market. Gallen can become a free agent after this season, making him a rental player, but the Diamondbacks aren't looking for faraway prospects to sell a long-term rebuild. The Marlins are still stuck in that process, but they could elect to restore Alcantara's trade value over the final two months of the season and market him this winter. By that point, more clubs might find his contract terms – which include a $21 million club option for 2027 – more attractive. 'Honestly, it feels like the whole industry is not close on anything,' Cubs manager Craig Counsell said late Wednesday morning at Wrigley Field. 'The deadline, that's what creates the action.' In this pitching void, expect more trade speculation about Joe Ryan, though league sources expressed doubt that the Minnesota Twins would actually deal an All-Star pitcher who remains under club control through 2027. Mitch Keller is another popular name, but he is also an example of the many available pitchers who are seen as solid rather than spectacular. To make a deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, an organization would have to absorb the rest of Keller's contract – the balance of his $15 million salary this season, $16.5 million next year, $18 million in 2027 and $20 million in 2028 – and give up top prospects. Advertisement Keller was an All-Star in 2023, and he's having another good season on a bad team (4-10, 3.53 ERA). Executives, however, will have to weigh whether the overall cost is really worth it for a pitcher who profiles like a middle-of-the-rotation guy more than a Game 1 playoff starter. Amid all this uncertainty, Kansas City Royals pitcher Seth Lugo did his job in Wednesday's 8-4 win over the Cubs, beating a team that already had him on their radar as an intriguing trade candidate. On a 92-degree afternoon, Lugo contained an explosive offense for six innings (two runs) as the Royals earned a much-needed series victory. With a 50-53 record, Kansas City is one of several bubble teams that are still on the buy-or-sell fence but also within striking distance of a playoff spot. 'This is our team, and I'm part of it,' said Lugo, whose contract contains a player option worth $15 million for next season. 'I want to be here, through thick and thin. It's a good clubhouse. It's a good team. We just got to be more consistent, and keep playing like we can, and we'll be all right.' Within Wrigley Field's visiting clubhouse, Kansas City first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino gestured toward Lugo's locker, alluding to the sense of urgency that will heighten in the next week across the entire baseball industry. 'I'd really like to see him with a Royals jersey on for his next start,' Pasquantino said. 'We're trying to make that happen. That's up to us.' — The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal contributed reporting (Top photo of Sandy Alcantara: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Sandy Alacantar outlasts Dylan Cease in pitchers' duel as Marlins defeat Padres 3-2
MIAMI (AP) — Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run homer and 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with four strikeouts as the Marlins beat the Padres 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon. HT Image Padres' pitcher Dylan Cease (3-10) struggled with control early, walking Miami's first two batters before Augustín Ramírez got the Marlins on the board with a single to center field that drove in Xavier Edwards. San Diego tied things up in the fourth inning after a throwing error from catcher Nick Fortes advanced Luis Arraez to second, and Manny Machado drove him in with a single to left field. The Padres' run was swiftly put to an end, though, after a double play finished the inning with the score tied at 1-1. The Marlins came back when Sánchez hit his ninth home run of the season on a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Miami up 3-1. Cease retired the next two batters to escape the inning but was pulled heading into the sixth. Josh Simpson stepped in as relief for Alcantara in the eighth and gave up a run after pinch-hitter Jose Iglesias hit a single to right field that scored Jackson Merrill. Simpson was quickly replaced by Calvin Faucher, who stranded two runners on base to maintain the one-run lead. Faucher earned the save after throwing 1 2/3 innings to give the Marlins their second consecutive series win. Javier Sanoja reached first base on an errant throw, and Sánchez brought two scores in on a 377-foot home run to right field, giving the Marlins an early 3-1 lead. Alcantara led the charge for the Marlins, posting four strikeouts and zero walks in 98 pitches. He held the Padres' offense to just one run on the afternoon. Padres' right-handed pitcher Yu Darvish (0-2, 6.08 ERA) is expected to open a four-game series against the Cardinals, while the Marlins have a day off before a three-game series with the Brewers. Miami has not yet announced a starter. ___ AP MLB:
Miami Herald
15 hours ago
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Marlins beat Padres, Alcantara delivers best start of the season
It seems the All-Star break was exactly what the Miami Marlins needed. The Fish closed out their two-series homestand on Wednesday afternoon with a bang, edging the San Diego Padres 3-2 in the third and final game. Now, they sit 6.5 games back of a playoff spot—an outcome that would've seemed unbelievable at the season's start. On the mound, Sandy Alcantara delivered his most impressive outing yet, pitching through the seventh inning for the first time this year. He retired every batter through the first three innings, tallying four strikeouts in that stretch. With Wednesday marking the Marlins' final home game before the July 31 trade deadline, it could have also been Alcantara's last appearance in a Miami uniform at home—especially after a performance that may have boosted his trade value. 'The resiliency has shown through, his competitiveness - that was a terrific outing,' McCullough said postgame. Alcantara entered the day with a 7.22 ERA, his career worst, as he continues to recover from Tommy John surgery in 2023. But that version of Alcantara was nowhere to be found on Wednesday. Alcantara reached 1,000 career innings pitched on Wednesday. It was also his first outing of the season completing the seventh inning. '[I had] a lot of confidence, going seven short innings out there [and giving] my team the chance to win. That was tremendous,' Alcantara said. 'Sinker was great, changer was good, [my] slider and curve [ball], everything was working today.' He added that he's been especially focused on refining his slider pitch this season and finally found his rhythm with it, not tallying a single walk on the mound Wednesday. Defensively, the only hiccup came in the fourth inning when a throwing error by catcher Nick Fortes allowed the Padres' Luis Arraez to advance to second. An RBI single from Miami-native Manny Machado tied the game 1-1, but a double play by the Marlins defense quickly stopped the Padres' momentum. Miami got off to a quick start in the bottom of the first, capitalizing on two walks and an RBI single from Agustin Ramirez that sent Xavier Edwards home and put the Marlins up 1-0. 'Having guys like Gus [Ramirez] makes [my job] much easier,' General Manager Clayton McCullough said. Ramirez now leads all National League rookies with 45 RBIs this season. In the fifth, the Fish struck again. After a Padres fielding error let Javier Sanoja reach first, Jesús Sánchez launched a 377-foot, two-run homer to give the Marlins a 3-1 lead. Since Connor Norby's wrist injury sidelined him for 6-8 weeks, Sanoja and Graham Pauley have stepped up. Though both are primarily infielders - particularly at third base - Sanoja's versatility has allowed Miami to deploy him in the outfield as well. 'I like Sanoja everywhere,' McCullough said before Wednesday's game, in which Sanoja started in center field before shifting to third base mid-game. 'He's just continually done things to help us out on both sides of the ball… I can always trust him to be ready for whatever he's asked.' Despite a run from the Padres in the eighth that cut the lead to 3-2, the Marlins held on to secure the win, bringing them one step closer to the .500 mark as they head to Milwaukee to face the red-hot Brewers. THIS AND THAT ▪ Since June 13, the Marlins lead the Majors with 107 two-out hits. 'I hope it continues,' McCullough said. 'What the magic formula is, I don't know… but it does give you a little bit of wind in your sails as a group.' ▪ Jesús Sánchez hit his ninth home run of the season with Wednesday's 377-foot blast to right field. 'Sánchez's at-bat quality has been very solid for the entire season,' McCullough said. ▪ In the eighth inning, All-Star Kyle Stowers was hit on the elbow by a pitch. Though it was wrapped in ice postgame, McCullough downplayed any concern: '[He] got his funny bone [which is a] tough spot to get hit, but we anticipate that he'll be fine. There's no real level of concern.'
15 hours ago
- Sport
Sandy Alcantara outlasts Dylan Cease in pitchers' duel as Marlins defeat Padres 3-2
MIAMI -- Jesús Sánchez hit a two-run homer and 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara pitched seven innings with four strikeouts as the Marlins beat the Padres 3-2 on Wednesday afternoon. Padres' pitcher Dylan Cease (3-10) struggled with control early, walking Miami's first two batters before Augustín Ramírez got the Marlins on the board with a single to center field that drove in Xavier Edwards. San Diego tied things up in the fourth inning after a throwing error from catcher Nick Fortes advanced Luis Arraez to second, and Manny Machado drove him in with a single to left field. The Padres' run was swiftly put to an end, though, after a double play finished the inning with the score tied at 1-1. The Marlins came back when Sánchez hit his ninth home run of the season on a fly ball to right field in the bottom of the fifth inning, putting Miami up 3-1. Cease retired the next two batters to escape the inning but was pulled heading into the sixth. Josh Simpson stepped in as relief for Alcantara in the eighth and gave up a run after pinch-hitter Jose Iglesias hit a single to right field that scored Jackson Merrill. Simpson was quickly replaced by Calvin Faucher, who stranded two runners on base to maintain the one-run lead. Faucher earned the save after throwing 1 2/3 innings to give the Marlins their second consecutive series win. Javier Sanoja reached first base on an errant throw, and Sánchez brought two scores in on a 377-foot home run to right field, giving the Marlins an early 3-1 lead. Alcantara led the charge for the Marlins, posting four strikeouts and zero walks in 98 pitches. He held the Padres' offense to just one run on the afternoon.
