Latest news with #San Diego
New York Times
4 hours ago
- Business
- New York Times
Mets keep pace in competitive National League with best deadline in a decade
SAN DIEGO — In his first trade deadline with the Mets, David Stearns showed he could be creatively opportunistic in working the margins of a flawed roster to raise its floor. In his second, he attacked the ceiling. In adding Cedric Mullins, Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers and Gregory Soto, Stearns constructed the best trade deadline the Mets have had in a decade. Before you raise your hand shouting about the lack of a starting pitcher, know that the bar to clear from the Mets' past deadlines was located in the benthic zone. Advertisement To wit, some headlines in The Athletic on this day in recent years include: 2018: 'In the face of their mediocrity, the Mets opt to stay the course' 2019: 'After a muddled trade deadline, what exactly is the Mets' plan?' 2022: 'Mets' conservative trade deadline approach failed to meet the moment' But not since 2015 had the Mets acted this aggressively to acquire outside talent and improve the big-league roster, and in doing so, Stearns showcased the kind of player development machine the Mets are transforming into. The 2021 deadline headline was 'The Mets want to be the East Coast Dodgers. This week showed where they need to grow.' In this year's trade deadline summary, The Athletic's Andy McCullough wrote, 'This is the closest the Mets have come to looking like (Steve) Cohen's dream, the East Coast version of the Dodgers, using a bustling minor-league system to set up the big-league club for October success.' David Stearns is excited to bring on Cedric Mullins 👀 Full trade deadline press conference 🎥👉 — New York Mets (@Mets) July 31, 2025 That's legitimate and now tangible progress. 'The story of this deadline for us is really an amateur talent acquisition and player development story,' Stearns said Thursday. 'Our amateur talent acquisition departments and our player development group put us in position to have this type of deadline to go out, acquire players we think will really help us at the major-league level and not touch some really high-upside players at the top of our system.' But for the Mets, here's the annoying part about the past 36 hours: Having a really good trade deadline was just holding serve in the more-competitive-than-ever landscape of the National League. The Mets added arguably the three best rental relievers dealt in the market — but Philadelphia and San Diego each landed a better reliever. The Mets brought in an everyday center fielder in Mullins; the Phillies and Padres acquired outfield regulars as well. Advertisement In making those additions, Philadelphia's Dave Dombrowski and San Diego's A.J. Preller were living up to long-standing reputations for aggressive midseason action. So did the prospect — and then the reality — of those teams' boldness play into New York's thinking at all? 'It really can't influence what we're doing. We're focused on following our plan and our strategy,' Stearns said. 'If we get too influenced one way or the other about what one of our competitors are doing or not doing, I don't think that's going to lead to the most productive behavior on our end. We focus on ourselves, executing our strategy and making sure we're making every decision with the best information possible. If we do that, we'll probably end up in a good spot.' Yes, the Cubs were quieter than expected, and the Brewers as quiet as expected. The Dodgers did not, as per their custom, acquire the best pitcher moved all month seconds before the deadline. That L.A. roster is still more formidable than any in baseball if it even approaches full health. The focus on Philadelphia and San Diego, though, is not cute or coincidental. The Mets lead the Phillies by a half-game in the National League East; the outcome of that race will establish the difficulty of October's path for New York. And if the postseason were to start tomorrow, the Mets would play the Padres in a three-game Wild Card Series. The same Padres who just swept them in three at Petco Park this week. The same Padres whose bullpen held the Mets to four hits in 47 at-bats before adding the fireballing Mason Miller to that group. 'It was competitive, absolutely, and it should have been competitive,' Stearns said of the trade market, especially among relievers. 'There's a lot of teams looking for arms. We knew that. We went after some arms we think are pretty talented, so we expected it to be competitive and it was.' Advertisement That's how it's going to be the rest of the way in the National League — to make the playoffs, to win the division, to get a bye, to win any postseason series. 'I don't view this as windows,' Stearns said. 'Our responsibility here is to give ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and ultimately win a World Series every single year. That's what this should be, that's what we're aiming to make it.' He did that Thursday. Now the real fun starts. (Photo of Ryan Helsley: Patrick Gorski / Imagn Images)
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Three Padres takeaways from A.J. Preller's wildest trade deadline yet
As the final, frenetic hours before the latest trade deadline ticked down, A.J. Preller rose above the chaos. More than any of his peers, he personified it. Preller, almost 11 years into his tenure as the Padres' chief baseball executive, strip-mined his farm system Thursday, surrendering top prospect Leo De Vries and many other young players to acquire Mason Miller, Freddy Fermin, Ryan O'Hearn, Ramón Laureano, JP Sears and Nestor Cortes. Meanwhile, the Padres did not find compelling enough offers to trade away pending free agents Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez. Advertisement Here are three takeaways on four significant trades that went down in a span of seven hours. Last October, despite an early-round exit, the Preller-era Padres felt they came closer than ever to capturing the franchise's first World Series title. They took the eventual champion Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink in the National League Division Series. They relied on a deep bullpen and a dynamic offense. They fell short at the end when they failed to score in 24 consecutive innings. Now, their bullpen appears better than ever. The offense may not be as good as it was last fall, but it received a few clear upgrades Thursday. But back to that bullpen: In Miller, Suarez, Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada, the Padres now boast an unparalleled ability to shorten games. That should play this October. With the Dodgers and the rest of the National League looking vulnerable, the Padres feel their chances might be even better than last year. Preller didn't end up trading injured catching prospect Ethan Salas, but he did the previously unthinkable by surrendering De Vries — along with well-regarded pitching prospects Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Núñez — to acquire Miller and Sears. Then the executive gave up young big-league pitchers Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek for Fermin, the team's new primary catcher. He forked over six low-level prospects for O'Hearn and Laureano, who figure to spend most of their time in left field and at designated hitter, respectively. And he sprang for a rental starter in Cortes, who should temporarily help replace some of this year's departed rotation depth. (In a more minor transaction, the Padres swapped out minor-league catcher Brandon Valenzuela and brought in reserve infielder Will Wagner.) Advertisement Yeah, it was a lot. And Preller might have mortgaged the future like never before, especially because Miller presents a sizable injury risk. But consider: In acquiring a controllable relief ace who could be stretched out as a starter next season, Preller gave up De Vries — this one hurts, yes — an undrafted free-agent signee, a $125,000 international signee and a minor-league signee. He has proven throughout the years that he can keep coming up with ways to find talent, even as he repeatedly trades it away. Thursday's additions, according to FanGraphs, merely increased the Padres' current commitments by a few million dollars. The projected payroll ticked up to $215 million. The estimated luxury-tax number rose to $267 million. It seems financial flexibility continued to be a hugely influential factor this deadline. Those constraints likely prompted Preller to pay higher prices in prospect capital while he acquired players with minimal or modest salaries. The only two rentals are O'Hearn and Cortes. Everyone else is controllable beyond this year. (Laureano has an affordable team option for 2026.)
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Is Preller the best ever at the deadline?
The 2025 MLB trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. (ET) today. Join us for live updates and analysis on trades around the league. Getty Images Getty Images Has A.J. Preller become the all-time king of the trade deadline? He has now traded for all of these guys just since the middle of 2022: Juan Soto Josh Hader Tanner Scott Jason Adam Mason Miller JP Sears There isn't a star in the baseball cosmos the Padres' president of baseball ops won't chase. It hasn't lifted them into any World Series, but it isn't for lack of outside-the-box effort. Getty Images Since last night, we've seen Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran and Ryan Helsley each change teams. The Pirates are apparently undecided on whether to trade David Bednar. The Rays and Giants seem also on the fence about whether to trade Pete Fairbanks and Camilo Doval. The Tigers could use a meaningful bullpen upgrade. The Yankees and Blue Jays also seem to be in the market, the Red Sox might not be done adding relievers, and Ken Rosenthal has reported the Dodgers, Mariners, Rangers and Brewers are also looking for bullpen help. Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe are pending free agents who seem likely to go somewhere by the end of the day. Getty Images Two of the most compelling outfield trade candidates, both Steven Kwan and Jarren Duran had been linked to the Padres, with The Athletic reporting that a deal involving either one could hinge on the Padres giving up top prospect Leodalis De Vries. Now that De Vries is with the A's, is there still a team with the prospect capital — and the willingness to trade that prospect capital — that could make a move for Kwan or Duran? Getty Images The Padres just got a closer and a starting pitcher. Two of their best trade chips — pending free agents with value — are a closer (Robert Suarez) and a starting pitcher (Dylan Cease). Is this blockbuster setting the stage for moves to follow? Here are three questions I'm asking in the wake of the Padres' blockbuster move for Mason Miller... Getty Images The Los Angeles Dodgers said throughout their World Series run last year that the San Diego Padres had represented their biggest challenge, pushing them to the brink of elimination in the National League Division Series. Arguably the biggest reason why: the strength of their bullpen (which, on a separate note, made the decision to start Dylan Cease in Game 4 on short rest all the more curious). Last year, it was Tanner Scott who was the difference-making deadline acquistion for San Diego. Now, it's Mason Miller for a Padres team that is suddenly just three games back of the Dodgers for the NL West. WOW. A.J. Preller strikes again at the deadline. This deal is especially intriguing when considering that the Padres' pitching is their strength and their offense is what needs upgrading. But there have been rumors swirling around potential trades of starter Dylan Cease and closer Robert Suárez in exchange for a bat — and now those deals become much more likely as the Padres have just secured replacements (and upgrades) for those two in J.P. Sears and Mason Miller. But Preller once again paid a hefty price — Leodalis De Vries, the consensus top prospect in San Diego's organization, is headed to the A's. All-Star Athletics closer Mason Miller and starter JP Sears are heading to Padres, a source confirms to The Athletic . Top shortstop prospect Leodalis DeVries heading to A's. ESPN first reported the deal. Imagn Images On Monday, we released version 3.0 of our Trade Deadline Urgency Index. Until Eugenio Suárez was traded to Seattle, we'd had no impact starters or hitters traded but seen plenty of action in the relief market. So, let's fine tune Monday's rankings to see who has the most work to do today. San Diego Padres: It still seems like they're cooking something up, whether that's a deal for Steven Kwan, Jarren Duran or another outfielder. Houston Astros: They need more than Ramón Urias. This is a logical landing spot for a lefty like Ryan O'Hearn. Detroit Tigers: The bats have come back to life the last couple days, but if the Tigers only add arms at this deadline it'll leave them very vulnerable in October. New York Mets: A center fielder would really be ideal, especially since the third-grade upgrades seem to be off the board by now. Texas Rangers: Our previous index had the Los Angeles Dodgers in this spot. I'm moving the hard-charging Rangers into this spot. They need more production from the catching, first base and designated hitter positions. Let's get moving with those lineup improvements. Stay tuned for updated Urgency Indexes focusing on starters and relievers. GO FURTHER MLB trade deadline Urgency Index 3.0: Who needs what? Who needs it the most? Getty Images By Chandler Rome and Ken Rosenthal Even after acquiring Ramón Urías from the Baltimore Orioles, the Astros remain interested in upgrading their lineup, according to sources briefed on their plans. One option is still a reunion with Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa, who is guaranteed $96 million through the next three seasons and would have to waive his no-trade clause. Correa told reporters on Wednesday night that talks with the Astros were "not something that I think is serious right now"and sources from both teams downplayed the likelihood of a trade. Talks, however, remain ongoing. Houston is also still pursuing starting pitching, but some are worried the club could lose a bidding war in competition for Dylan Cease or Sandy Alcantara. If that happens, the Astros could pivot and to add a right-handed leverage reliever. Getty Images After trading Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz on Wednesday, the Cardinals expect to complete their trifecta of reliever deals before the deadline this evening. Several teams are competing for right-hander Phil Maton, a veteran reliever with extensive postseason experience. He's owed roughly $700,000 for the remainder of the season. "It's not a matter of if (Maton) goes, it's when," a team source said Thursday morning. Getty Images In the Orioles' trade of Ramón Urias to Houston, they got back a right-handed pitcher named Twine Palmer. Bet you didn't know the last pitch thrown for the Orioles by a pitcher named Palmer was thrown by (yep) Jim Palmer, on May 12, 1984. Getty Images With hours to go until the deadline and after bolstering their bullpen, the Mets remain interested in upgrading at center field, people familiar with their plans said. Speculatively, Luis Robert still stands out as a logical fit because he hits left-handed pitching well while playing strong defense with speed. Getty Images Baltimore Orioles right-hander Zach Eflin is going on the injured list, according to sources briefed on the matter. It is still 'very possible' he will be traded, one source said. Eflin's injury is not arm-related and he is expected back during the regular season. In a market already saturated with elite relievers, it seems Athletics closer Mason Miller is another name very much in play as the trade deadline approaches. Yesterday afternoon, Ken Rosenthal reported that the A's were discussing Miller in negotiations for young pitching, and that both New York teams — the Yankees and Mets — were involved. Later, Rosenthal and Dennis Lin reported that the Padres were among the teams eyeing Miller. According to that report: ✍️ Miller, who started six games as a rookie in 2023, appeals to San Diego as a pitcher who could be stretched out next season, if not before then. Another top Padres starter, Michael King, is expected to test free agency this winter. In recent years, the Padres have converted several former relievers to full-time starters, including King, Seth Lugo and Stephen Kolek. Last night, A's manager Mark Kotsay told reporters that Miller was 'unavailable' without explaining why, a situation that suggests a trade could be in the works. So, even after Jhoan Duran and Ryan Helsley have changed teams, the closer market includes Miller, Pete Fairbanks, David Bednar, Carlos Estevez, Camilo Doval, Kyle Finnegan and possibly Robert Suarez. Despite such supply, reporting suggests the prices remain high. Getty Images Tigers: D Guardians: C This is fine. Sewald has a track record, and he'd pitched well after returning from the IL in early July, only to end up right back on the IL. For a player to be named or cash, it's a low-cost addition of a pitcher who could supplement the Tigers bullpen down the stretch, when they might be grateful to have the depth. Fine. Do it. Why not? But the Tigers were, for a while, the best team in baseball this season. They fell hard this month and have since recovered. They've got a chance to do something this October, but so far they've added only a back-end starter (Chris Paddack) and a couple of used-to-be-good relievers (Sewald and Rafael Montero). On its own, this trade is a low-risk attempt to add some depth. But until the Tigers make a move to actually get better in the here and now, it's hard to see this as a worthwhile priority. Getty Images By Ken Rosenthal and Dennis Lin Baltimore Orioles right-hander Charlie Morton is one starting pitcher the San Diego Padres are pursuing as a potential backup plan if they trade right-hander Dylan Cease, according to sources briefed on the discussions. The Padres are involved in multiple talks with multiple teams. Meanwhile, as many as 10 teams are pursuing Morton.
New York Times
7 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
A.J. Preller is still not done
The 2025 MLB trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. (ET) today. Join us for live updates and analysis on trades around the league. Getty Images Getty Images Continuing a frenetic, all-in deadline day, Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller surrendered a pair of young pitchers with loads of club control in order to acquire a new starting catcher in Freddy Fermin. Ryan Bergert, a rookie, and Stephen Kolek, a second-year big-leaguer, supplied valuable innings this season for a Padres team that has missed veteran starters Michael King and Yu Darvish for chunks of time. With the departure of the young right-handers, the Padres could opt to keep Dylan Cease, barring a big offer for the pending free-agent starter. The Padres, according to people familiar with their thinking, are still determined to acquire a left fielder before 6 p.m. ET, with Baltimore's Ramón Laureano among the possibilities. Since the start of Thursday, Preller already has traded elite shortstop prospect Leo De Vries, Kolek and pitching prospects Bergert, Braden Nett, Henry Baez and Eduarniel Núñez. He still has some interesting minor leaguers left to offer, including catcher Ethan Salas and pitchers Boston Bateman, Kash Mayfield and Miguel Mendez. Getty Images Here are a few numbers to catch you up on what the Mets are acquiring when it comes to Cedric Mullins: 229/.305/.433/ slash line 15 home runs 14 stolen bases .216 expected batting average (4th percentile) .361 expected slugging percentage (18th percentile) 36.1% hard-hit percentage (22nd percentile) 83rd percentile in range 80th percentile in sprint speed Getty Images Ke'Bryan Hayes is not only in Cincinnati with his new team, he's in the lineup for the Reds' series-opener against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday. Hayes, who will be at third base and batting ninth, was told he was traded before the Pittsburgh Pirates' game in San Francisco on Wednesday and flew to Chicago before completing his journey to Cincinnati on Thursday. After spending his entire pro career with the Pittsburgh Pirates, he's at least familiar with Great American Ball Park. Hayes said in the first hour he'd been in the Reds' clubhouse, he'd already met with manager Terry Francona and some of the team's hitting coaches. 'I think just being in a new ballpark, being around a new clubhouse and being around new eyes that are watching me, they already said they've looked at some stuff for me that they have for me,' Hayes said. 'But more than anything, I always want to get better. The two years or so, I haven't hit how I know I can hit. So, yeah, I'm very open to what they have for me and not only them, but guys in the clubhouse and that type of stuff. , I'm hoping that that I can get back to swinging the bat how I know I can swing it.' Reporting suggests the Pirates are unlikely to trade Mitch Keller, and it's always seemed a long shot that the Twins could be persuaded to trade Joe Ryan. The Padres seem to be shopping Dylan Cease, but perhaps only in a need-for-need deal that can be tough to pull off. And so, the top of the rotation market — at least on the supply side — seems to come down to these three teams, each with multiple starters to offer. Diamondbacks: Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen Marlins: Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera Orioles: Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin, Tomoyuki Sugano, Trevor Rogers Just looking at the returns for some of these relief pitchers, it becomes incredibly profound just how badly the Guardians are hurt by Emmanuel Clase being placed on administrative leave for a gambling investigation. It's not entirely clear that Cleveland would have traded Clase, but with Mason Miller fetching a four-prospect package headlined by Leo De Vries, Jhoan Duran bringing back Mick Abel and Eduardo Tait and a number of other good returns for lesser closers, Cleveland fans — and perhaps front office members — must be wondering what the return could have been for the guy who has led the league in saves in each of the last three seasons, with a career ERA of 1.88 over 366 big-league games. "I'd like one moon, please, with a few comets and meteors to be named later." Even if the plan was to keep Clase, Cleveland would at least have that guy on their roster, had this investigation never happened. That's no guarantee now — if Clase is found to have been involved in gambling, it's possible they'll be left with no Clase and no return for his absence. The worst-case scenario would be a lifetime ban, as was the case with Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano last year. Getty Images What happened last year to David Bednar? Can the Yankees be sure that they aren't getting that version in their trade today? Bednar put up an ERA near six in 2024, with a strikeout rate ten percentage points worse than he's shown this year, and the worst walk rate of his career. That's worrisome, of course. But something important was also true in 2024: his stuff was nearly unchanged. In 2023, Bednar had a 108 Stuff+ and a 102 Location+, giving him mid-level stuff and decent command among his closer peers. In 2024, he actually had a 109 Stuff+ and, well, his Location+ plummeted, to a 96. This year? 107 Stuff+ and a 108 Location+. You can look at his pitch movements and velocities, and they tell the same story: not much has changed in the physical forms of his pitches. If any pitch has changed, it's his curveball. In 2024, that pitch was bigger than it's been this year, or in 2023. Returning to his old curveball may have helped him, as he's locating the pitch particularly well this year. But, for the most part, his pitches are what they are, and that's a good thing. If you ask him why the command left him, as I did last year, he would talk about mechanics, and how he released the ball. Obviously, something was wrong, and it looks like he's fixed it. But in terms of numbers, losing command for a year is not the biggest problem. Stuff+ is stickier year to year, and Location+ comes and goes. That's why teams bet on stuff, as the Yankees have here. Pirates fans do not seem happy with the return from the Yankees for David Bednar... Al H.: Bednar is one of the elite closers in MLB. He is a tremendous addition. Strikes out a ton of batters and walks very few. Does not give up many homers and he would be the Yankees closer next year and possibly this year. Anonymous: Well, Rafael Flores ain't much, but at least he's not a middle infielder with a .550 OPS! Bruce W.: Once again my Pittsburgh Pirates trade one of their true assets for what looks like a very underwhelming return. Chris S.: What a garbage return and coward move by Cherington. Same old Pirates. Getty Images I'd tack on two other needs to Chad's list, though I get why he didn't include them, because both of those teams have addressed these needs (somewhat). But they have more work to do with less than three hours left before the deadline. Cubs rotation: As Stephen Nesbitt pointed out, Chicago needs a frontline starter with Justin Steele on the shelf. Michael Soroka is a sneaky good pickup, but he hasn't been a true ace-like option for years at this point. Dodgers bullpen: Similar to the Cubs, the Dodgers made a nice start by bringing back Brock Stewart but need more. Stewart was a solid setup man in Minnesota in front of Griffin Jax and new Phillie Jhoan Duran. But he's not going to singlehandedly solve the problems of a team that has asked Ben Casparius, Alex Vesia and Jack Dreyer to close out games this week. (Who, you're asking? Exactly.) The Yankees aren't expected to stand pat after adding David Bednar. As previously reported, they have been all over the bullpen market, and they have been keeping in touch on starting pitchers. David Bednar won't be a free agent until the end of next season. Important because Devin Williams and Luke Weaver are both free agents at the end of this season. And, no, the Yankees are not pencils down yet. They are still trying for more. Getty Images The full prospect return heading to the Pirates from the Yankees for closer David Bednar, per source: C/1B Rafael Flores, C Edgleen Perez and OF Brian Sanchez. Getty Images There are just under three hours left until the 6 pm ET trade deadline. The Phillies have checked bullpen and center field off their wish list. The Mariners have addressed both infield corners. The Blue Jays have added a starter and a late-inning reliever. The Yankees have a new third baseman and — as of a few minutes ago — a new reliever. The Dodgers haven't done much, but they have added to their needy bullpen. Not every buyer, though, has been able to meet all of its needs. Here are four that still have a key spot to address. Astros rotation — Injuries have taken a toll, and the Astros need a starter. They've been linked to Sandy Alcantara and Dylan Cease. They have, at least, found a third baseman in Ramón Urías. Mets outfield — Improving the bullpen was obviously a priority, and the Mets have traded for three relievers. But center field remains a position of need. The division rival Phillies took Harrison Bader off the board. Padres offense — A.J. Preller went all-in to get closer Mason Miller and starter JP Sears from the Athletics. Could he now get creative by trading Cease — or someone else — to add a much-needed bat? Getty Images The New York Yankees just added to a bullpen is desperate need of additional quality, reportedly acquiring David Bednar from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Here's more on the right hander: 2.37 ERA 97.1 mph average fastball velocity (89th percentile) 33.1% strikeout percentage (95th percentile) 28.3 % whiff percentage (72nd percentile) 51 strikeouts in 38 innings 17 saves (0 blown saves) Getty Images The dominant story of this trade deadline has been the relief pitchers. It makes sense, with so many teams needing to shore up the back end of their bullpen after mixed to flat-out bad results for contenders like the Yankees and Dodgers despite heavy investment in those areas last offseason. The deadline action got started in earnest yesterday with three reliever trades — Jhoan Duran from the Twins to the Phillies and the Mets getting Tyler Rogers from San Francisco and Ryan Helsley from St. Louis. Then, A.J. Preller's Padres delivered another trade deadline bombshell by sending his team's top prospect in a package to acquire A's All-Star closer Mason Miller (and starter JP Sears). Now, it's the defending pennant winners getting in on the action with the Dodgers bringing back Brock Stewart while the Yankees take a swing for the Pirates' David Bednar. And Twins setup man Griffin Jax is still out there... Getty Images The Padres are finalizing a deal to acquire catcher Freddy Fermin from the Royals, according to sources. San Diego is sending rookie pitcher Ryan Bergert to Kansas City, per ESPN. Getty Images Pirates closer David Bednar is being traded to the Yankees in exchange for C/1B prospect Rafael Flores and two other prospects, a source tells The Athletic . Yankees and the Rays delayed with one out in the bottom of the fifth. The Yankees are ahead, 7-4. They are in the middle of wild thunderstorm — one that looks like it has little chance of letting up, with the forecast calling for inches of rain all night and into tomorrow. Almost have to expect this game will get suspended here. Fun fact: Yankees catcher Austin Wells sat out in the dugout, allowing himself to get absolutely drenched by the rain for a good five minutes while his teammates sat under cover — presumably laughing.
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Stewart trade still being finalized
The 2025 MLB trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. (ET) today. Join us for live updates and analysis on trades around the league. Getty Images A team source tells The Athletic that the Dodgers are still examining Brock Stewart's medicals before finalizing the trade for him. There's some context for that, as Dan Hayes explains: Getty Images The Giants looked like buyers for a while, but they reached the deadline trending in the wrong direction, and that's already cost them right-handed reliever Tyler Rogers. A more valuable piece of the Giants bullpen is closer Camilo Doval, who's had a resurgent season and comes with two more years of team control. Would the Giants continue to rebuild by trading him as well? Getty Images A.J. Preller is always a wild card at the deadline, and today he's pulled off a stunning deal for A's closer Mason Miller and left-handed starter JP Sears. Surely that's not all Preller has in mind. The Padres still need offense, and Preller could get creative with Dylan Cease and Robert Suarez. Grab your popcorn and watch what happens. Getty Images Last summer, the Dodgers made a big three-team trade for Michael Kopech and Tommy Edman, and then they delivered the final blockbuster by trading for Jack Flaherty in the final minutes before the deadline passed. The Dodgers have been relatively quiet so far. Do they an 11th-hour surprise in store? Getty Images The Rockies rarely do much at the deadline, but this year they've made a bold trade — by their standards — sending Ryan McMahon to the Yankees. Is this the year they keep going and actually start to rebuild. Relievers Jake Bird, Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen have been mentioned in various trade talks. Getty Images The Diamondbacks were expected to be aggressive at the deadline, and indeed they've trade both of their corner infielder (Eugenio Suárez and Josh Naylor). Now, they're in the final hours holding two keys to the starting pitching market. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are among the most intriguing arms on the table. Will the Diamondbacks move them both? Last but not least, we analyze the lingering questions from the NL West... Getty Images Down 7-0 in the fourth inning at Yankee Stadium, the Tampa Bay Rays pulled potential trade candidate Yandy Díaz from the game for Christopher Morel. Díaz was hit by a pitch on his right hand in the first inning and is undergoing X-rays, according to multiple reports. Getty Images The Cardinals have traded away two relievers — Ryan Helsley and Steven Matz — and could trade at least one more (Phil Maton). Those are the obvious moves. More interesting and impactful are the possible trades of Nolan Arenado and Brendan Donovan. We're not expecting either one to move, but those trades would be eye-opening. Getty Images Trading away Ke'Bryan Hayes was a fairly bold move that opened some payroll for the coming years, but it doesn't mean the Pirates are fully selling. In fact, reporting suggests they're planning to hold only Mitch Keller, and it's no sure thing they'll trade either David Bednar or Dennis Santana. Could they be convinced to sell more meaningfully, or is it going to be just Hayes and maybe some rentals? Sounds like the Yankees are making them consider a Bednar move. Getty Images The Brewers are a bit tough to figure out this deadline. They've certainly played their way into buyer status, but they've so far made only a move to supplement at catcher (Danny Jansen). They've reportedly been in the market for a left-handed first baseman and a late-inning reliever. They could get creative with some of their rotation depth. The Brewers are good, but what exactly are they going to do to get even better? Getty Images The Reds have been aggressive, perhaps more aggressive than anyone would have suspected just a few weeks ago. They've traded for a third baseman (Ke'Bryan Hayes) and a starter (Zack Littell), getting creative by moving pieces around to ultimately address needs in the outfield and the bullpen. Their priorities have been addressed. Is there more for Nick Krall to do? Getty Images Heading into this week, the Cubs were known to be exploring the market for third basemen, despite Shaw having gotten hot in recent weeks. But that third base market has largely dried up with Eugenio Suárez, Ryan McMahon, Ke'Bryan Hayes and Ramon Urías traded. We're kind of assuming the Cubs will eventually get a starting pitcher, but could they take a shot on Yoán Moncada, Willi Castro or one of the other possibilities at third base? Or, is it Matt Shaw's position the rest of the way? Let's move ahead and analyze the lingering questions in the NL Central... While Brock Stewart wasn't in a hurry to leave Minnesota, where he revived his career, he did sound enthusiastic about the possibility of returning to the Dodgers team where he began his time in the big leagues when asked about it by our Dan Hayes recently: Trading Michael Soroka to the Cubs was easy. Soroka was a pending free agent on a team going nowhere, and the Nationals had no reason to keep him, but they also weren't going to get a ton for him. Gore, on the other hand, would bring back a bounty. Buyers seem to be interested. Could one of them make an offer the Nationals can't refuse? The Phillies have been trying to win for a few years now, and last night, Dave Dombrowski made his boldest deadline move since taking over the team's baseball ops (Jhoan Duran). This afternoon, he's followed by addressing the team's hold in center field (Harrison Bader). Is that enough? The Phillies are good as it is. Bullpen and a right-handed bat were their biggest needs. Does Dombrowski have one more move in him? The rival Phillies also had a need in center field, and they addressed it within the hour by trading for Harrison Bader. But the Mets are also in the center field market where there is perhaps safety in Cedric Mullins, but there's risk-reward upside in Robert (there's also Alek Thomas of the Diamondbacks). It's possible the Mets could try to add offense elsewhere. He's 29 years old with a 6.36 ERA, but Alcantara also won a Cy Young award three years ago, he still has a huge fastball, and his last two starts have been excellent. So, what's that worth? Alcantara has been one of the market's most intriguing trade candidates, and negotiations could come down to the wire. (Related: Same question for Edward Cabrera.)
