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Yahoo
44 minutes ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Pros and Cons: Should Mets trade for Griffin Jax?
Contenders almost always covet elite bullpen arms at the MLB trade deadline, so Griffin Jax, a 30-year-old right-hander with eye-popping stuff, should be quite a popular guy over the next week-plus. That is, if the Minnesota Twins make the reliever, who's still got plenty of control, available for a deal. Already, Jax is being linked in media reports to the Dodgers and Phillies. Other heavyweights figure to be lurking, too. Heck, adding an accomplished reliever at the deadline is a great way for GMs and presidents of baseball operations to feel good about themselves, right? Nothing stings more than a late-inning loss during a playoff push, so bulking up the bridge to the closer is comforting. With that in mind, here's a look at whether the Mets should try to trade for Jax, setup man extraordinaire. What are the Pros and Cons? PROS The Mets were 12th in the majors in bullpen ERA (3.83) entering play Wednesday and they've encountered workload issues in the pen thanks to their starters not pitching deep into games most nights. When they get to Edwin Díaz, great -- but the Mets must make sure the path through the high-leverage innings before the closer arrives aren't a harrowing adventure, especially if they want to make October noise. Jax could help. The righty, who is under club control through the 2027 season, is the first graduate of the Air Force Academy to pitch in the major leagues and he's the son of an NFL linebacker. Jax's dad, Garth, played for 10 seasons for the Cowboys and Cardinals, starting in the mid-1980s. Last year, Jax, who forms a wicked 1-2 combo in Minnesota's bullpen with Jhoan Duran, had an incredible season, recording a 2.03 ERA, a 0.87 WHIP and striking out 95 in 71 innings while walking only 15. His ERA is much higher this season (4.09), but many underlying numbers still impress. His chase percentage (41.1) is the best in MLB and his whiff percentage and strikeout percentage are both in the 99th percentile, according to Statcast. His walks are up slightly, but he's still stingy there, too -- 2.1 per nine innings. Jax's 88 mph sweeper is his most-used pitch and hitters are batting just .211 against it. He's been quoted saying he learned the pitch during the pandemic and it's really enhanced his repertoire with its lateral movement. Jax can throw five or six pitches, but another reliable weapon is his changeup, which is 86-plus mph. Batters have a .154 average against that delivery. Jax has had one taste of the postseason -- in 2023, he made four scoreless appearances over two series for the Twins, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out five. Since 2022, when Jax became a full-time reliever, he's accumulated 5.1 WAR, according to Only 15 relievers have been better, including the guy just above Jax on the list -- Díaz, at 5.2. CONS Jax is hard to hit. But once batters have been putting the ball in play, they've had success against him this season. Jax is allowing a .367 BABIP and he's giving up more line drives and more hard contact, according to Opponents have fared well against his hard stuff, a 97-mph four-seamer and a sinker. There may be some luck involved in how his ERA is bigger. While his ERA is where it is, his FIP (fielding independent pitching), sits at 1.91. His expected ERA is 2.88, which is ranked in the 91st percentile in MLB, according to Statcast. The Mets actually had a hand in making his ERA balloon -- on April 16, they staged a rally against Jax. Down 3-0 in Minnesota, they scored three times in the eighth off him, thanks to RBI doubles by Pete Alonso and Jesse Winker and an RBI single by Luisangel Acuña. Two nights later, the Braves clobbered him, too. Over that span, Jax allowed seven runs and seven hits in 1.1 innings. Since then, though, he has a 2.04 ERA. VERDICT Another easy yes, though the usual cost cautions certainly apply as well. Jax is very good, has two more seasons of team control and will be hotly pursued by other contenders. But the Twins don't HAVE to trade him, so this is no pennies-on-the-dollar deal. Minnesota was 49-52 entering Wednesday and a fringe playoff hopeful, but they'd have Jax for two more pennant races if they kept him. So how far, in terms of prospect return, would this year's powerhouses be willing to go to help solidify their bullpens, especially when Jax is a long-term asset? The Dodgers just put Tanner Scott on the IL and their bullpen needs help even more than the Mets' pen does. Los Angeles has already been hunting relievers. The Phillies are ranked 23rd in relief ERA, one slot above the Dodgers. The Yankees and Tigers both have bullpen ERAs above 4.00, too. The Mets had a rollicking ride to the NLCS last year. Another deep run probably requires more high-end bullpen parts. Jax qualifies.
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Carlos Narváez gets redemption and Red Sox finally win an extra-innings game on the road
The Red Sox were able to salvage the final game of their three-game set against the Phillies in Philadelphia, thanks to some extra-inning heroics from Carlos Narváez. It was a bit of redemption for the Boston backstop as he launched a two-run homer in the top of the 11th to lift the Red Sox a 9-8 win, the team's first extra-innings road victory of the season. Boston was 0-7 in extra-inning tilts on the road going into Wednesday night. And while they went just 2-4 on their post All-Star break road trip, Wednesday night was an uplifting win overall after the Red Sox trailed 5-0 entering the fifth inning. Narváez wasn't having a very sunny time in Philadelphia this week until the series finale. He was hit with two different catcher's interference calls in Monday's and Tuesday's losses. Monday's infraction let the Phillies walk off with a win, and Tuesday's allowed Bryce Harper to score in the bottom of the first inning. But Narváez is feeling a lot better about himself after he launched a two-run homer off Philadelphia reliever Seth Johnson in the top of the 11th. He had to momentarily wait to completely celebrate the blast, as it barely made it over the left field fence at Citizen Bank Park and was put under review for fan interference. Video reviews weren't kind to Narváez in the first two games, as he had to wait for both of his interference calls to be confirmed. But he felt instant relief when his ninth homer of the year was quickly confirmed, and the Red Sox held a 9-7 lead in the 11th. Reliever Jorge Alcala got the first two outs for Boston in the bottom of the 11th, but gave up an RBI single to Johan Rojas to make it a 9-8 game. Brennan Bernardino came on to strike out Max Kepler to record the first Major League save of his career. Extra innings never would have happened without a huge fifth-inning from Boston. The Red Sox were in a 5-0 hole after starter Lucas Giolito surrendered a career-high four homers over the first four innings, but then took advantage of a huge break. With the bases loaded and two outs, Rob Refsnyder fouled a 2-0 pitch back behind the plate. It should have gotten Phillies starter Jesús Luzardo out of the jam, but neither he nor catcher J.T. Realmuto found the ball in the air and it fell to the ground in foul territory. It was the big break the Red Sox needed, and they took full advantage of it to spark a game-changing rally. Two pitches later, Refsnyder walked to plate Boston's first run. Jarren Duran followed with a four-pitch walk to make it a 5-2 game, which is when Romy Gonzalez stepped to the plate for a big swing of his own. Gonzalez was stuck in an 0-for-20 slump, but he mauled a Luzardo changeup and crushed it 415-feet for a go-ahead grand slam. It was the first-ever salami for Gonzalez. That's baseball for you. After burning themselves with a pair of rare interference calls in the first two games of the series, it was a missed pop-up that changed the finale for the Red Sox. A lot of strange things happen over a 162-game season. Boston held on to its 6-5 edge until the bottom of the eighth when Realmuto took Aroldis Chapman (who recorded the final out in the seventh) deep to knot things at 6-6. The Red Sox actually scored in the top of the 10th on an RBI double by Trevor Story, but Kyle Schwarber hit his second dinger of the night in the bottom of the frame to send it to the 11th. Wednesday's roller coaster win was much-needed for the Red Sox, who will get a day off Thursday before returning home for a three-game set against Mookie Betts and the NL West-leading Los Angeles Dodgers. At 55-49, the Red Sox are tied with the Seattle Mariners (54-48 for an identical .529 win percentage) for the second AL Wild Card spot.
CBS News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- CBS News
Dad Bryson Stott launches a home run, Bryce Harper hits his 350th in 9-8 loss to Red Sox
Dad energy fueled Bryson Stott as he launched a home run — along with four of his Philadelphia Phillies teammates — but it wasn't enough to beat the Boston Red Sox Wednesday night. The game at Citizens Bank Park started strong for Philadelphia, with first baseman Bryce Harper hitting a milestone 350th home run in the first inning off Boston starter Lucas Giolito. He hit a first pitch fastball into the second deck in right field at Citizens Bank Park. The 439-foot homer run was his longest since a 451-foot blast on Sept. 23, 2023, against the New York Mets. "It's pretty awesome," Harper said after the Phillies' 9-8, 11-inning loss to Boston. "On an individual note, I'm super happy about it. But I always want to win, obviously, and not getting the win was pretty tough." The homer was the hardest hit ball of the season for Harper, who has begun to look like his former MVP self in recent weeks. In his last 10 games, the 32-year-old slugger has 16 hits, 14 for extra bases, including five home runs. He became the 105th player in MLB history to reach 350 homers in a career and is the eighth active player to accomplish the feat. He is also the youngest in that group of eight to reach that milestone. Stott, who also hit a double in the game, shared on Instagram that he and wife Dru Scott welcomed their second child, a baby boy, to the world just before 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. "It was a big night for the offense," Harper said. "I thought we've swung the bat well all series. I thought we had some great at-bats. I'm super pumped for (Stott) obviously, having a baby at 3:45 in the morning, not getting much rest and then coming in and (doing what he did in the game) - that's baseball. I swear it happens every time." Despite the loss, the Phillies can take some solace that the offense has been starting to drive the ball with more authority since the All-Star break. "It's disappointing (to lose)" Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. "But the offense was good tonight." Harper's homer came right after a home run by Kyle Schwarber, who has gone deep four times in the last six games and ranks third in the NL with 34 homers. Nick Castellanos and J.T. Realmuto also homered in the loss for the Phillies. Realmuto's homer was his first against a left-handed pitcher this season.
New York Times
6 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Jesús Luzardo's chaotic first season with Phillies unravels even further
PHILADELPHIA — Jesús Luzardo crouched on the slope of the mound for six seconds as everything around him unraveled. It took 13 minutes for the Boston Red Sox to score six runs against a pitcher who dominated them for the game's first four innings. But it felt like six seconds. 'That's what gets under my skin the most,' Luzardo said after an exhausting 9-8 Phillies loss in 11 innings. 'Going into the fifth, I didn't give up a hit. You look back, and I only gave up two hits all game. And you give up six runs. It's unacceptable. Four walks just can't happen in the whole game and shouldn't happen in one inning. It happened really fast.' Advertisement It's becoming difficult to explain Luzardo's first season with the Phillies. He was their prized acquisition in an austere offseason. He posted a 2.15 ERA in his first 11 starts. He allowed 20 runs in his next two. He made significant mechanical changes when pitching from the stretch, and it's resulted in only a 4.79 ERA over his last nine starts. He has occupied extremes from month to month, start to start, and even within games — like Wednesday night. He walked four batters and surrendered a grand slam to Romy Gonzalez. The six-run inning would have been different had J.T. Realmuto seen a foul pop-up behind home plate. But he lost it in the sky. The inning might have been different had manager Rob Thomson removed Luzardo one batter sooner. But all of that absolves Luzardo from a basic failure. He cannot throw quality strikes with runners on base. It's been a problem for more than a month. It is still a problem. It will cast doubt on where he best fits in the pitching puzzle moving forward. The entire thing is confusing. 'It's not physical,' Luzardo said. 'My stuff is the best that it's been in my whole career. So it's not a stuff problem. It's more of command, making the right pitch at the right times, executing the pitches. … There's no excuse. It just needs to happen now.' ROMY WITH THE GO-AHEAD GRAND SLAM. — Red Sox (@RedSox) July 24, 2025 Luzardo applied changes to how he positioned his hands from the stretch before a June 11 start. He used a bigger glove. The Phillies wondered if teams had seen Luzardo's grip before he came set. The adjustments led to immediate success — six innings of one-run ball against the potent Chicago Cubs — and mixed results otherwise. Since June 11, opponents have hit .192/.252/.253 with 37 strikeouts and eight walks when there is no one on base against Luzardo. With runners on base, those numbers jump to .339/.443/.576, 16 strikeouts and 11 walks. Advertisement He ditched all of the tweaks Wednesday night. He went back to his original mechanics from the beginning of the season. It didn't matter. 'Clearly, it's not working,' Luzardo said. 'So, working tirelessly to fix it. It's been over a month now. The first 12 starts were incredible in the sense that there was never a problem. And then, now, it's always been an issue. Out of the wind-up clearly isn't the problem. It's when we get in the stretch. I feel like other teams know that. Just back to the drawing board in terms of that.' Luzardo was the one productive offseason acquisition by Dave Dombrowski and his front office; now, even the hard-throwing lefty has failed them. Jordan Romano is relegated to sixth-inning duties. Joe Ross has a 5.28 ERA and is on the injured list with back spasms after he 'stepped in a hole or something on the mound,' Thomson said. Max Kepler, who took some better swings this week, went 0-for-5 and struck out to end Wednesday's loss. He has a .666 OPS. It was an offseason of half-measures, and it could prompt Dombrowski to surrender top prospects in the next week to make the proper fortifications. It is not ideal. Luzardo looks more and more like someone the Phillies will bump to the bullpen later this season. He could help them there. But he must solve the issues from the stretch to become a trusted option again. His second walk of the fifth inning loaded the bases. He could have gone back to the wind-up at that point but declined. 'There was definitely a thought,' Luzardo said. But he didn't want the runner on second base to have such a huge lead that he'd easily score on a single. He didn't want to risk a steal of home. And there was some pride at stake. 'I have a lot of faith in myself out of the stretch,' Luzardo said. 'I understand that there's been an issue. But I also believe in myself to make a pitch and get out of it. So, I just need to be better and make the pitch.' Advertisement It's possible — probable, even — that Luzardo has overthought this. The Phillies have spent considerable time searching for predictable patterns to his movements, pitch selection … anything. 'I don't know what happened in the fifth,' Thomson said. 'He lost his concentration. Are they picking something up on him? I don't know.' This was the game within the game between these two teams. The Phillies thought the Red Sox were relaying signs all series. 'They're notorious for it,' one Phillies player said. The Red Sox were suspicious too; they intentionally balked Bryce Harper to third base in the 11th inning so he couldn't steal signs from second base. There was a conspicuous mound meeting during the top of the 10th with Max Lazar throwing. Lazar delivered a first-pitch curveball that Trevor Story swung through. But pitching coach Caleb Cotham sprang from the dugout and convened catcher J.T. Realmuto. They were worried that someone — either Jarren Duran or Boston first-base coach José David Flores — could see Lazar's grip in his glove. Flores, a former Phillies coach, has become known throughout the league as a sign stealer. Alex Cora, the Red Sox manager, is adept in the dark arts. Two pitches later, Story doubled home a run. Teams are investing more energy and resources into identifying pitch tipping and potential tells. It's created a certain paranoia; it is what led Luzardo to make dramatic changes to his delivery from the stretch in early June. 'I'm not really sure if that was ever a problem at this point,' Luzardo said of potential tipping. 'I just think it just needs to get right.' Luzardo has been saying that for weeks. Everything is happening fast and slow. 'We're still grinding through it,' Thomson said. 'When you think you've got something fixed, it might be something different. You don't know.'
Washington Post
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Washington Post
Harper hits 350th career homer, 4 teammates also go deep in Phillies' loss to the Red Sox
PHILADELPHIA — Bryce Harper hit the 350th homer of his career and four Phillies teammates also went deep Wednesday night, yet it wasn't enough for Philadelphia to beat the Boston Red Sox. Harper's milestone home run came in the first inning off Boston starter Lucas Giloito. He hit a first pitch fastball into the second deck in right field at Citizens Bank Park. The 439-foot homer run was his longest since a 451-foot blast on Sept. 23, 2023, against the New York Mets.
