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One big question for each American League team, 5 hours before the trade deadline

New York Times

2 hours ago

Sport
New York Times

One big question for each American League team, 5 hours before the trade deadline

Here are the most pressing questions as the time ticks down on the trade deadline. How many moves can they make? The Orioles have already traded three relievers and a third baseman, but their roster is still littered with pending free agents. Could they still trade all of Ryan O'Hearn, Ramon Laureano, Cedric Mullins, Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano and Charlie Morton? What about Trevor Rogers and his one remaining year of control? Advertisement Will Craig Breslow do better than last summer? In his first year as head of baseball operations, Breslow made a series of ill-fated deadline deals that did nothing to keep the Red Sox in contention. It didn't cost him a ton, but the additions fell flat, and the Red Sox missed the playoffs. So far this year, he's added swingman Seth Lugo and remains in the market for a starter and a first baseman. Can Breslow make a move that gets the Red Sox to October? Should they jump into the relief pitcher fray? The Yankees acted early to address their infield issues, and they grabbed a right-handed hitter to solidify their outfield, but the Yankees still need help in the bullpen. Some of the biggest deadline deals have been for closers. Will the Yankees get in on the action (in a kind of re-do of their offseason deal for Devin Williams)? Will they trade an infielder? The Rays have swapped one catcher for another, and they've tapped into their rotation depth to send Zack Littell to the Reds. They're considering whether to trade closer Pete Fairbanks. But would they trade either second baseman Brandon Lowe or first baseman Yandy Diaz, because those two fill holes where the market is a bit thinner? What would it take to be the team to beat in the AL? The Blue Jays reached the trade deadline tied for the most wins in baseball. They've climbed to the top of the AL East and FanGraphs gives them a 95.9 percent chance of making the playoffs with a 7.3 percent chance of winning the World Series. That's the seventh-best World Series odds in baseball and fourth-best in the American League. After adding a starter (Shane Bieber) and a reliever (Seranthony Domínguez), can the Blue Jays make the kind of addition that leaves them as the overall favorite in the American League? Advertisement How much can they get for Adrian Houser? Pulled from a scheduled start earlier this week, it seems clear that Houser is readily available for teams looking to add rotation depth. But what's a breakout season worth? Houser has a 2.10 ERA through 11 starts with the White Sox. It's a career year (though he was also pretty good with the Brewers in 2021). How much can the White Sox get for such a pitcher, especially with so many starters still on the market? What would it take to move Steven Kwan? If Shane Bieber can go, why not Kwan? Obviously Kwan's younger with more years of control, but that only raises his value in a market that's relatively light on offensive impact. Guardians fans recognize that the team is in a rebuild. Kwan's a tough piece to trade — it would be another blow after the Emmanuel Clase news and the Bieber deal — but it's possible a needy team could convince the Guardians to make the move to rebuild with force. Are they going to make a splash? The Tigers made an early move for back-end starter Chris Paddack (basically replacing injured Reese Olson), and they've since added a couple of veteran middle-inning relievers. But the Tigers have not added to the roster in a way you'd expect for a team that, for a while, had the best record in baseball this season. The Tigers added Kyle Finnegan, a second or third-tier closer. But is there a major upgrade coming, or are the Tigers simply reinforcing their depth? What's the plan? With a losing record and 12.4 percent playoff odds on FanGraphs, the Royals don't seem to be going anywhere this season. Yet, their biggest moves of the past week have been to extend 35-year-old Seth Lugo and trade for 33-year-old outfielder Randal Grichuk. Are they buying? Are they treading water? Are they trying to thread the needle? How far will they go? Trading Paddack was one thing (a back-end starter heading for free agency isn't hard to deal), but trading closer Jhoan Duran put the Twins among the deadline's most aggressive sellers. They could still easily trade outfielder Harrison Bader, infielder Willi Castro and reliever Danny Coulombe — all potential free agents at the end of the year — but could they be tempted to stay aggressive with a compelling offer for either Joe Ryan or Pablo López? Advertisement Wow. Now what? Trading Mason Miller and JP Sears was bold. Granted, the prospect package was enough to blow them away, but still, the Athletics committed to a something more than trading some pending free agents. Can they do more? Luis Severino and Jeffrey Springs stand out as obvious trade chips, but what about controllable left fielder Tyler Soderstrom, who's blocked at his two best positions? This market is screaming for offense, and Soderstrom is a 23-year-old with 19 homers. Could they actually bring back Carlos Correa? A move for a starting pitcher feels more likely — maybe Dylan Cease or even Sandy Alcantara — but that's been the thinking for a while. The really fascinating wild-card developing the past few days is the possibility of a trade for Correa. This one is a long shot, but it's the kind of long shot that sticks in your head this time of year. Are they really buying right now? FanGraphs gives the Angels a 3.2 percent chance of making the playoffs, yet their only move so far is to trade for two relievers in their mid to late 30s. In a market light on right-handed bats, are they really going to keep Taylor Ward? In a market desperate for relievers and team control, are they really not going to sell high on Reid Detmers? Is there any value at all in keeping 35-year-old Tyler Anderson? Can they add a finishing touch? The Mariners have addressed their primary objective. They've successfully improved their lineup by trading for two of the best corner infielders on the market, getting both Josh Naylor and Eugenio Suárez from the Diamondbacks. Those were their weakest positions, and they've strengthened them quite a bit. Now, can they add a relief pitcher and maybe a bench bat to really solidify things for a late-season run? Texas Rangers Are they going to get in on the action? For much of the season, the Rangers were trending toward another disappointment, but they've most recently played their way right into the thick of the wild-card race. They could get some reinforcements as various players come off the IL, but the Rangers are one of the few teams that hasn't made a move this week. Was their recent surge enough to become buyers, or was it simply enough to keep the front office from selling? (Top photo of Steven Kwan: Daniel Bartel / Getty Images)

Red Sox trade deadline: What we know with two days to go

Yahoo

21 hours ago

Business
Yahoo

Red Sox trade deadline: What we know with two days to go

MINNEAPOLIS — Typically, the vast majority of the action centered around the trade deadline takes place in the final hours before the actual deadline. This year, that seems more true than usual, with little activity in the days leading up to Thursday's 6 p.m. ET deadline. An official with another team described the Red Sox to be in 'stealth' mode with 48 hours to go. 'Haven't heard much of anything with them,' volunteered an executive with another club. That doesn't mean the Red Sox aren't still working toward finding some pitching help or other roster reinforcements. But they appear to be doing so in low-key way. Here's what we know: *The Miami Marlins have two of the better controllable starters available in Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera. As recently as 10 days ago, when the Red Sox called to inquire about Alcantara's availability, the message they seemed to be saying, according to someone with knowledge of the talks, was: 'Don't move him without checking back with us.' But since then, there's been little contact between the Marlins and Red Sox. That could stem from the high asking price for either pitcher, which according to a source, 'starts with two elite prospects... plus.' *It's well-known that the Red Sox covet Tampa Bay first baseman Yandy Diaz, who would give the Sox a run-producer and a right-handed bat, all in one. What's less certain is whether the Rays are inclined to move any significant players off their roster. 'I keep hearing they might be 'soft-selling,' whatever that means,' said one executive with a team that has been in touch with the Rays. 'I don't know if they're buying or selling, and I don't know if they know either.' Further evidence of the Rays' indecisiveness: they traded one catcher (Danny Jansen), then, in a separate transaction, acquired another one (Nick Fortes). They've also inquired about pitchers while engaging in talks for some of their own pitchers. Tampa Bay was reportedly in on Chris Paddack before Minnesota send him to the Tigers. *The chances of the Red Sox landing a controllable starter seem negligible. With so little pitching inventory available to begin with, the handful of starters with more than a year of control remaining is short, and accordingly, the ask is through the roof. That would include Alcantara, Cabrera, MacKenzie Gore and Joe Ryan. The Red Sox have reportedly reached out on Pittsburgh's Mitch Keller. 'I think,' observed an executive with one NL team, 'some of these GMs just decided to set the asking price unbelievably high and are waiting to see if there's someone desperate enough to meet it.' *Finding a catcher may not be a huge priority for the Red Sox, who are largely focused on pitching — both starters and relievers. But the Red Sox would like to obtain a second catcher whom they could play more frequently than they're playing Connor Wong, if for no other reason to provide a breather for starter Carlos Narváez. Narvaez looks exhausted of late, both behind the plate and at it, where he's slumped in the last few weeks. Over his last 15 games before Tuesday, Narvaez was slashing .170/.214/.358 with 15 strikeouts in his last 53 at-bats. Minnesota's Christian Vázquez would be welcomed back. He wouldn't cost much. *At times, teams with established closers trade for other closers to have them serve in a set-up capacity. The Red Sox did it with Billy Wagner (2009) and Eric Gagne (2007). Wagner worked out well; Gagne didn't. There are a number of established closers currently on the market, including St. Louis' Ryan Helsley, Minnesota's Jhoan Duran and Pittsburgh's David Bednar. That list also included Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase, too, until he was suspended by MLB Monday for his suspected connection to a gambling investigation. To date, however, the Red Sox don't seem to have been engaged on any of these relievers even as they seek a bullpen upgrade. More Red Sox coverage Red Sox 'have seen flashes' from starter acquired in Rafael Devers trade Red Sox' Kristian Campbell homers again, demotion 'reminds' him of past adversity Don't let the numbers fool you - Red Sox need bullpen help | Sean McAdam Red Sox turned 'awful' flight into new celebration: 'Embracing all the adversity' Red Sox reactions: Trevor Story lets Boston breathe with homer in bounce-back win Read the original article on MassLive.

Boston beat Twins 13-1 in series finale thanks to Jarren Duran's 4 RBIs, Bello's one-run outing

CBS News

a day ago

Sport
CBS News

Boston beat Twins 13-1 in series finale thanks to Jarren Duran's 4 RBIs, Bello's one-run outing

Jarren Duran went 3-for-5 with a home run and four RBIs, Trevor Story hit his second homer in as many games, and the Red Sox earned a series win with a 13-1 victory at Minnesota on Wednesday. Red Sox starter Brayan Bello yielded one earned run on five hits in seven innings with four strikeouts. The Dominican right-hander has recorded a quality start in nine of his past 10 outings. Boston finished the month 17-7 and has the American League's fifth-best record at 59-51. Minnesota (51-57) is 4-8 since the All-Star break and sits fourth in the AL Central. Story's 17th home run of the season gave Boston a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Abraham Toro had an RBI sacrifice fly in the third, and Duran's two-run single in the fifth made it 4-1 and ended starter Zebby Matthews' day. Matthews (2-3) gave up five earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts. Red Sox third baseman Alex Bregman sat to rest the quadriceps that kept him out for seven weeks. He's expected to return Friday. The Twins placed outfielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with left rib cartilage irritation. Minnesota shortstop Carlos Correa is listed as day-to-day after exiting Tuesday's game with a migraine. After his 416-foot home run to the second deck in right-center field in the sixth inning, Duran rounded the bases with his arms outstretched to mimic an airplane, an homage to the turbulent charter flight that brought the Red Sox to the Twin Cities on Sunday night. Going into Wednesday, Boston led the AL and ranked third in the majors with a 2.94 ERA in July. Both teams are off Thursday. The Red Sox open a six-game home stand Friday against Houston, while Minnesota begins a six-game road trip Friday at Cleveland.

Yahoo

3 days ago

Sport
Yahoo

Alex Bregman's three-run home run (14)

Alex Bregman crushes a 418-foot three-run home run to left-center field, scoring Abraham Toro and Roman Anthony to give the Red Sox a 3-2 lead in the 5th inning

Live Q&A: Red Sox trade deadline talk with Jen McCaffrey at 2 p.m. ET Tuesday