Latest news with #roster
New York Times
5 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brian Cashman admits Yankees struck out on starting pitchers at trade deadline
NEW YORK — The New York Yankees made nine trades to improve their roster, but if general manager Brian Cashman had it his way, there would have been more. The Yankees improved almost every corner of their roster. They solidified third base by importing Ryan McMahon from the Colorado Rockies. They upgraded the bench by adding Austin Slater from the Chicago White Sox, Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals and José Caballero from the Tampa Bay Rays. They transformed the bullpen by adding Pittsburgh Pirates closer David Bednar and San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval, while also adding middle reliever Jake Bird from the Rockies. But the lone area the Yankees didn't address was their starting rotation. Advertisement Cashman told reporters on a conference call after the trade deadline that he tried to add a starter but was unsuccessful. 'We try to improve every aspect of the club, and this is what we have to show for these efforts,' Cashman said. 'We certainly knocked on many doors regarding potential starting pitching, but, obviously, we weren't able to match up in that category.' Cashman did not directly address to a question regarding his interest in adding Miami Marlins ace Sandy Alcantara, but before the deadline passed, multiple sources told The Athletic that the Yankees held substantive conversations centered on trading for the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner. 'You're used to so many conversations that lead to nowhere, but we were able to push through on a lot of these conversations, and that's what we're here to talk about,' Cashman said. 'Can't really talk about the ones that we couldn't make. There was a lot of effort and a lot of different arenas, but they were not to be. We're excited about the additions, and we're excited by the players we have. So we're looking for that coming together for the final sprint and hopefully doing great things.' As it stands, the likely October rotation for a seven-game series would feature Max Fried, Carlos Rodón, Luis Gil and Will Warren. After Rodón, the Yankees have several questions about their rotation that remain to be answered. Gil is set to make his season debut Sunday against the Marlins, but it's unclear if he'll look like the version of himself from last season. Warren has struggled finding consistency, but when he's dialed in, the rookie has flashed top-of-the-rotation stuff. The wild card is Cam Schlittler. He can touch 100 mph with his fastball, but the secondary offerings must improve if he's going to have a role in the rotation. Veteran Marcus Stroman does not figure to be a part of the Yankees' playoff plans. Advertisement With how Cashman rebuilt the Yankees' bullpen, maybe the club can survive rotation uncertainty in October. Once a weakness this season, the Yankees' bullpen is now fearsome. Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval and David Bednar can all close. When healthy, Fernando Cruz and Mark Leiter Jr. can be excellent middle relievers. Cruz leads all MLB relievers in strikeout percentage. Tim Hill is a ground-ball machine and a lefty specialist. Jake Bird and Jonathan Loáisiga offer strikeout stuff at their best. Games could get much shorter for the Yankees, if their bullpen now performs to expectations. It's gone from a glaring weakness to a strength. And it could be enough to make up for the Yankees not adding to their rotation. 'We are better today than we were yesterday,' Cashman said. 'So, mission accomplished there.' (Photo of Marcus Stroman: Brad Penner / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB trade deadline winners and losers: Padres and Astros go big while Twins trade away a third of their roster and Dodgers stay quiet
The 2025 MLB trade deadline finally arrived Thursday, and it didn't disappoint — at least not in the sheer quantity of trades. From 4 p.m. ET to a little after the deadline at 6 p.m. ET, MLB teams executed 24 different trades, 14 of which came after 5:30 p.m. ET. It was a wild flurry of roster transactions in which some teams remade their rosters, for better and for worse. Not every notable player on the market was traded. Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Joe Ryan, Chicago White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr., Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, San Diego Padres starting pitcher Dylan Cease and Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Mitch Keller all stayed put despite days of reported discussions between teams. Here are the winners and losers from this year's trade deadline. Winners Carlos Correa If you're a high-priced player on a team that has clearly decided it has zero interest in continuing to compete for this season and possibly longer (more on that below), a homecoming is always welcome. Correa was a first overall pick for the Houston Astros in 2012 and starred for the big league team from 2015 to 2021. Despite exiting the team in free agency, he remains a popular figure in both the organization and its fanbase. Astros players were reportedly elated he's coming back and he confirmed to that Houston was the only team for whom he'd waive his no-trade clause. The return will see Correa play a position other than shortstop for the first time of his professional career, all 1,492 games of it. The Astros specifically made this trade because a hamstring injury to Isaac Paredes opened up third base, and that's where he'll play for the foreseeable future. Correa was actually set to play third back in 2023 until his deal with the New York Mets went up in smoke. This isn't the same Correa Astros fans might remember — the Twins were looking to move him for a reason and ate $30 million of his remaining $102 million to do so — but the chance to ride out your career with a franchise you're more than comfortable is something very few players get. Mason Miller The hardest throwing pitcher in baseball woke up on Thursday on a bad team playing in a minor league stadium and left it playing for a good team playing in a major league stadium. That's what we call an upgrade. With four years of team control left after this season, any Miller trade was bound to be huge, and the San Diego Padres didn't disappoint by parting with MLB Pipeline No. 3 overall prospect Leo De Vries and three other youngsters for Miller and starting pitcher J.P. Sears. That's a staggering price to pay, but Miller could easily make himself worth it by throwing some key innings in the playoffs. He's flanked by three other All-Star relievers in the San Diego bullpen, but this is still about as ideal an outcome he could have found with the A's set to play in Sacramento until at least 2027. Jerry Dipoto The Seattle Mariners entered Thursday tied for the final AL wild-card spot and were clearly in need of an upgrade. President of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, baseball's most prolific trade artist, delivered. In exchange for a collection of lesser-known prospects, the Mariners got a new corner infield with first baseman Josh Naylor and third baseman Eugenio Suarez. Suarez, who ranks fifth in MLB in homers with 36, was the big prize, and it's a reunion with a still-popular player in Seattle to boot. Naylor and Suarez both figure to enter the middle of the Mariners' lineup, the kind of shift the fanbase has been waiting for over a very long time. They could have gone a little further, especially considering Suarez is a pure rental, but this is suddenly a very interesting roster if the rotation stays healthy. The Mets' bullpen The Padres and Philadelphia Phillies might have both added big-time closers with Miller and Jhoan Duran, but no team reinforced its bullpen quite like the New York Mets. Behind All-Star closer Edwin Diaz, the Mets have added Ryan Helsley from the St. Louis Cardinals, Tyler Rogers from the San Francisco Giants and Gregory Soto of the Baltimore Orioles to a group that already included Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett. The Mets didn't need an overhaul as much as some teams, but that is an enviable group. The NL East is a two-horse race between the Mets and Phillies and both teams took measures to make sure it's not the bullpen that costs them the crown. Craig Breslow's critics The Boston Red Sox currently hold the second AL wild-card spot and they did not act very interested in keeping it at the trade deadline, acquiring struggling Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Dustin May and reliever Steven Matz from the St. Louis Cardinals. But don't worry. Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow, who caught plenty of flak in the Rafael Devers disaster, tried really hard to do more. Losers The Twins' remaining players Hoo boy, where to start. We figured the Minnesota Twins would be a seller at this year's deadline. They are 51-57 and 5.5 games out of the final AL wild-card spot, they had some players set to hit free agency and they weren't going down a chance to save some significant money. It's just that no one thought they would go this far. Here's the full list of Twins players who now play on other teams after Thursday: Carlos Correa, SS (Astros) Willi Castro UTL (Cubs) Jhoan Duran RHP (Phillies) Griffin Jax, RHP (Rays) Danny Coulombe LHP (Rangers) Chris Paddack, RHP (Tigers) Harrison Bader OF (Phillies) Ty France, 1B (Blue Jays) Louis Varland, RHP (Blue Jays) Brock Stewart, RHP (Dodgers) That is 10 players, also known as 38.5% of their active roster. That's their five (five!) best relievers and five players with multiple years of team control remaining after 2025. And they could have done even more, as Joe Ryan was arguably more valuable than any player on that list. This all makes more sense when you consider the team is reportedly $440 million in debt (they save $70 million from the Correa trade alone), but that is a galling amount of talent to part with and still consider yourself a big-league team. You can stop watching this team this year, and probably for a while. The L.A. Dodgers The Mets got better. The Phillies got better. The Padres got better. The Dodgers got ... slightly better. Even after a relatively inactive deadline, this is still one of the best teams in baseball on paper, but that's kind of the problem, isn't it? The Dodgers are talented, but injuries and a struggling bullpen have prevented them from breaking out of a crowded pack. The Padres are only three games behind them and now have good reason to believe they can catch them. To be fair, the Dodgers didn't make bad moves. Brock Stewart gives them a very solid arm in a bullpen that needs it, Alex Call, acquired from the Washington Nationals, gives them a decent platoon in left field alongside Michael Conforto and they probably weren't going to get much use out of Dustin May going forward. Those are still just improvements on the margins, though, and we're used to the Dodgers taking at least one big swing at each deadline. They brought in multiple key players to their World Series run last year, and have previously acquired the likes of Max Scherzer, Trea Turner, Manny Machado, Yu Darvish and Rich Hill under president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman. Consider this deadline a big bet by the Dodgers that they already have enough talent returning from the injured list to remain the NL's top dog. Luis Robert Jr. The luster was sand-blasted off Robert a while ago, but it's getting ridiculous how long he's been surrounded by trade speculation. Once again, some teams were reported to be discussing the outfielder with the Chicago White Sox. And once again, the White Sox opted to keep him. He now has two $20 million team options remaining on his contract. Robert is essentially a reclamation project given his struggles since his All-Star season in 2023, but you would have to imagine he would be fine with removing himself from the White Sox organization in any way possible. Instead, he will remain with a team currently holding a 40-69 record. At least there are fewer ignominious record to break this season. Ben Cherington The Pittsburgh Pirates made quite a few trades, such as sending closer David Bednar to the New York Yankees and third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Cincinnati Reds, but if you're going to sell, you definitely shouldn't be left with three players who are pending free agents. Tommy Pham, Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Andrew Heaney are still Pirates, at least until the offseason, as is Mitch Keller, who received significant interest amid a career year. It's hard to say the Pirates didn't leave talent on the table, but they've never exactly been known for seizing the day under Cherington, their general manager. The Padres' farm system There might have been only one GM in MLB would have made that Mason Miller trade from the Padres' side: A.J. Preller. Yes, Miller is amazing, but you know who else might be amazing? De Vries, a switch-hitting shortstop who might have the highest ceiling of any player in the minor leagues. The A's loved Miller, but this was not a hard decision for a team prioritizing its future years in Vegas over its Sacramento present. Get ready for the Leo de Vegas shirts. Thursday might have been the apex of Preller as a concept — he has never been shy about trading high-ceiling prospects when a star is on the table. From Thursday morning to Thursday afternoon the Padres traded away 13 prospects for Miller, designated hitter Ryan O'Hearn, outfielder Ramon Laureano, infielder Will Wagner and starting pitcher Nestor Cortes Jr. These were not insignificant prospects either. So you can probably expect the Padres' farm system to go down a few rankings next time around. We keep assuming Preller's aggression will eventually catch up with him, but we all know what will make it worth the prospect price.
New York Times
8 hours ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Five under-the-radar Bills players who could surprise in training camp
PITTSFORD, N.Y. — Every year in training camp, teams will be surprised by someone or something. An annual tradition, and part of what makes camp so fun, is to see unexpected players suddenly playing their way into the thoughts of the team's front office and coaching staff. Bills general manager Brandon Beane and head coach Sean McDermott have kept an open mind every year to upstart players in the summer to earn their way onto the 53-man roster if they outplay the competition. And sometimes, they make some high-profile cuts (see: O.J. Howard in 2022) that don't benefit their cap sheet to make room for those summer surprises. Advertisement The 2025 version of Bills camp is no exception, as some members of the roster have played their way into at least some front office discussions through seven days of camp. These players aren't their drafted rookies or ones everyone expects to make the team anyway. So, which relatively unknown Bills players have stood out and taken advantage of either some opportunities for reps, or a void on the roster? Keep your eye on this list as the preseason gets closer. An afterthought heading into training camp, Wilkerson is the receiver who has taken the most advantage of all the wide receiver injuries. He has quietly been filtering in on some first-team reps with quarterback Josh Allen over the last handful of practices, and that reached a high point on Thursday, with Wilkerson being in on most three-receiver sets with Allen at the helm. Some context is needed for Wilkerson's Thursday role, as Curtis Samuel didn't practice, Elijah Moore didn't do any team drills in his first practice back from injury, Tyrell Shavers took some but not many team drills in his return from an ankle injury. Plus, the Bills shut down Joshua Palmer for the rest of the practice after he spoke with the athletic training staff during positional drills over an apparent injury. Wilkerson, 28, was a late add to the Bills roster in the spring but has slowly stacked good days to the point that he could be pushing for some kind of roster inclusion. A path to the 53-man roster doesn't seem immediately clear, as he would likely need the Bills to keep six, and then unseat one of Samuel, Moore or Shavers for a top-six spot. However, his work early this summer has at least put him in the conversation, and continued success in practices and during the preseason games could force their hand. We've seen several examples before of early summer afterthoughts pushing their way onto the 53-man roster with a strong camp (Khari Lee, Quintin Morris, Ryan Van Demark, Ja'Marcus Ingram, etc.), even if it means cutting a player with a bigger name. Advertisement This time last year, Edwards was only known as 'the other Mike Edwards,' as the safety was in the mix for a starting job. All the while, the offensive lineman Edwards put together a quietly good summer as an undrafted rookie, to the point that the Bills kept him on the practice squad the entire year. Now with some injuries to the interior offensive line, it's opened the door for some more opportunities and he's taken full advantage. Second-year player Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf) and Alec Anderson (knee) have both missed some extended time with their injuries, making Edwards a mainstay of the second-team offensive line at guard. At 6-foot-5 and 363 pounds, you will not miss Edwards on the field. They signed him as an undrafted free agent from Campbell University as a bit of a project, and he has shown some real potential in transferring from college offensive tackle to NFL guard. The one thing standing out from his athletic profile was, according to his Relative Athletic Score (LINK), an 89th percentile 3-cone drill, which, for a player his size, is really eye-opening. And you can see it on the field with how he moves despite being a massive human being. At the end of the offensive line depth chart, nothing is guaranteed for players like Van Demark or 2025 sixth-round pick Chase Lundt, and if the Bills feel strongly about an offensive lineman, they won't want to subject that player to waivers. The Bills did quite a lot to their defensive tackle room in the offseason, most notably by signing veteran Larry Ogunjobi and drafting T.J. Sanders and Deone Walker with two of their first four picks. They also have 2024 third-round pick DeWayne Carter still on the roster. So why, with all those pieces, should you monitor Logue? It's all about positional scarcity, and in this case, that being at one-technique defensive tackle. At this point, the Bills have kept both Ogunjobi and Sanders primarily at three-technique. Walker and Carter have both mostly played one-technique. But the performances of Walker and Carter in that spot have not been consistent enough early in camp. The 6-foot-6, 314-pound Logue plays up to his size, and while he doesn't have much pass-rush potential, he can be a plus run defender from that spot in the defense. It might be tough for Logue to earn a 53-man roster spot without that pass rush upside and due to how many defensive linemen they need to keep already, but don't rule out both the practice squad and some early-season call-ups if the Walker and Carter duo don't show enough as DaQuan Jones' primary backup. At least right now, due to inexperience, the Bills may not be as deep at one-technique as their draft investments could make you think. Thompson has the buzziest name of the bunch from past starting experience in Carolina, but removing the names, his storyline is a familiar one to training camps across the league. A former starter in their 30s, coming off a pretty big injury, catches on with a new team to try and revive their career. The 31-year-old Thompson, who is coming back from a torn Achilles last September, fits the mold fairly well, but with one glaring exception — he has looked great to begin training camp. It's a relative surprise, given the team didn't sign Thompson until June, and he has $0 in guaranteed money owed to him. With Dorian Williams having missed several practices with a calf injury, it's provided an opportunity for someone to get more reps, and Thompson has jumped to the front of the line. Advertisement In three linebacker formations, he's in there with Matt Milano and whoever the Bills have at middle linebacker practicing for the injured Terrel Bernard. He's looked the part in coverage and against the run, and does not move like a player just coming off the serious injury he suffered early last season. It might ultimately depend on how many linebackers they keep to see if Thompson makes it, but he is pushing for the fifth or sixth linebacker spot, and with a good preseason, could secure it given both his starting experience and his previous Panthers relationship with McDermott. Although Couch isn't likely to crack the 53-man roster this year, it's hard to ignore how they use him during practice as someone they may see a future in. Couch came to the Bills in 2024 as an undrafted free agent and stuck around all season on the practice squad. He was first thought of as a cornerback, but sneakily, his position has shifted from 'CB' to 'DB' on the Bills' roster cards. The team has been cross-training the 25-year-old Couch at both nickel corner and safety, while he's also working in on some special teams reps. Couch's trajectory is eerily similar to the one Cam Lewis was on when he arrived in Buffalo as an undrafted rookie in 2019. It took Lewis two-and-a-half years to finally stick full-time on the team's active roster, before becoming one of their most trusted special teams and depth pieces on defense over the last three years. Lewis is a free agent at the end of the year, which could create an opportunity for Couch in the not-so-distant future, as would an injury to Lewis. The Bills welcomed back wide receiver Elijah Moore, tight end Dawson Knox and wide receiver Tyrell Shavers to practice Thursday after all of them missed multiple practices with injuries. Although they didn't do much collectively during team drills, it was a definite step in the right direction. It also appears that starting right tackle Spencer Brown has taken a step toward his return, as he worked out with the strength and conditioning staff during practice for the first time since camp began. And just a few hours later, the team removed Brown from the physically unable to perform list with what the team called a back flare-up. There's no indication when he'll begin to practice fully, but now it's certainly on the way before long. The Bills avoided potential disaster as first-round pick and cornerback Maxwell Hairston's non-contact injury resulted in an LCL sprain and not something that could have caused him his entire rookie season. Well after practice, Hairston was spotted coming out of the locker room. Hairston had a brace on his right knee and was on crutches, keeping weight off the impacted leg. He exited the locker room to get into a cart to go to his next destination, likely elsewhere on campus. For the first time this summer, the Bills had someone other than the Taylor Rapp and Cole Bishop pairing as their first-team safeties for a full practice. Bishop missed the practice due to a quad injury. Meanwhile, the team likely played it safe with wide receiver Joshua Palmer on Thursday. Palmer, who was favoring his right leg a bit, was in constant communication with the athletic training staff in the early parts of practice. Palmer attempted to go through positional drills, and even took one pass during the routes vs. air drill with the quarterbacks. However, after that one pass, Palmer chatted with Nate Breske, the team's head athletic trainer, and didn't take another rep the rest of the day. His injury detail is not yet known. The Bills announced top interior reserve offensive lineman Alec Anderson had his knee scoped and has labeled his status as 'week-to-week,' which generally means to expect a longer absence from the practice field. We're still a month away from final cuts, but should the procedure force Anderson to begin the year on Injured Reserve, it could pave the way for someone like the aforementioned Edwards to make the 53-man roster outright this year. Outside of that, the ripple of Anderson's injury could provide some concern over the Bills' offensive line depth to start the year. Anderson has the most in-game experience of the bunch and was depended on as the sixth offensive lineman. A candidate to take that role early on could be second-year offensive tackle Tylan Grable, but questions remain about the group as a whole if there are any injuries to starters. Advertisement As the Bills are working through some linebacker injuries, it's worth noting that the team is trying some things out with bubble linebacker Baylon Spector. The fourth-year linebacker has primarily practiced as a middle linebacker this summer, though on Thursday, he worked at outside linebacker alongside Joe Andreessen for a handful of reps. The Bills are attempting to figure out the end of their linebacker depth chart, and finding out about Spector in that role could help him make the team outright. That is, however, an ominous sign for 2024 fifth-round pick Edefuan Ulofoshio, who hasn't gotten a lot of work in team drills and has been passed by Thompson early into the summer. Ulofoshio's chances of making the team do not look good at the moment, but plenty of things can change between now and final cuts on August 26. Did not practice on Thursday: OT Spencer Brown (back, PUP), C Sedrick Van Pran-Granger (calf, PUP), WR Curtis Samuel (hamstring), WR Kaden Prather (hamstring), OT Dion Dawkins (vet rest), OL Alec Anderson (knee), DE Greg Rousseau (vet rest), DT DaQuan Jones (vet rest), LB Terrel Bernard (hamstring), LB Dorian Williams (calf), CB Maxwell Hairston (knee), S Cole Bishop (quad). (Top photo of Kristian Wilkerson: Gregory Fisher / Imagn Images)
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
49ers sign WR Marquez Callaway, QB Carter Bradley
The 49ers announced a number of roster moves on Thursday, including the previously reported additions of running back Ameer Abdullah and wide receiver Andy Isabella. Two other players who tried out alongside Abdullah and Isabella on Wednesday also landed spots on the roster. Wide receiver Marquez Callaway and quarterback Carter Bradley signed with the team. Callaway played two games for the Bucs after making 45 appearances for the Saints over his first four seasons. He had 83 catches for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns while with New Orleans. Bradley spent last season on the Raiders' practice squad. The 49ers made room for the new arrivals by waiving or releasing wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, offensive lineman Sebastian Gutierrez, wide receiver Malik Knowles, and safety Jaylen Mahoney. They also activated offensive lineman Ben Bartch off of the non-football injury list.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Saints sign OT Jonathan Mendoza
The Saints added a player to their 90-man roster on Wednesday. The team announced that they have signed offensive tackle Jonathan Mendoza to a one-year deal. The Saints waived tackle Josh Ball earlier this week. Mendoza was undrafted this year. He finished his college time at Louisville as a starter at right tackle and also played four seasons at Yale before transferring to the ACC school for the 2024 season. The Saints have 2024 first-round pick Taliese Fuaga and 2025 first-rounder Kelvin Banks set to be their starting tackles. Mendoza joins Landon Young, Josiah Ezirim, and Easton Kilty in the mix for depth roles.
