Latest news with #startingrotation
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cubs Predicted to Pass on Sandy Alcantara, Land Mitch Keller
Cubs Predicted to Pass on Sandy Alcantara, Land Mitch Keller originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It's been reported multiple times over the past few months that the Chicago Cubs are interested in adding to their starting rotation. After Justin Steele went down with a tough injury that will require him to miss the remainder of the campaign, the Cubs understood almost instantly when the season started that they needed to figure something out on the mound. They've been linked to multiple names, with right-hander Mitch Keller of the Pittsburgh Pirates being a prevalent one. Sportsnaut was the most recent to bring up the two again, predicting the Cubs to land the former All-Star in a deal at the trade deadline. 'Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara entered the season as one of the most coveted MLB trade candidates. He struggled out of the gate but then seemed to rebound with a 2.12 ERA in three starts to open June. At that point, it certainly seemed plausible he could be traded, and the Chicago Cubs appeared to be the perfect match. Since then, Alcantara has allowed 21 earned runs and 30 hits in his last 23 innings pitched, entering the All-Star Break with a 7.22 ERA and a –1.6 bWAR. Miami might keep him because his declining trade value right now,' they wrote. As they touched on, Sandy Alcantara is also a potential trade candidate, but he hasn't thrown the baseball at the level he was expected to when entering the season. It hasn't been like Keller has been unhittable, but Alcantara has been brutal with his 7.22 ERA. It feels safe to say that if the Cubs have an opportunity to land Alcantara, it wouldn't be surprising to see them go after him, but right now, as crazy as it might've sounded a few years ago, Keller might be the safer bet. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 16, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Padres' Joe Musgrove shares good news following latest bullpen session
The San Diego Padres have some questions in their starting rotation. With Dylan Cease struggling and Michael King still banged up, they could use some more help, even with Yu Darvish making his return. Fortunately, the Padres got some good news from a starter amid his injury recovery. According to an article from Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune, Padres starter Joe Musgrove had a positive update to share after his latest bullpen session. Advertisement "It went really well," Musgrove said." I feel great right now." The Padres' starter has been recovering from Tommy John surgery and is slowly ramping up his recovery process. This update from Musgrove is a great sign that things are trending in the right direction. Such a sentiment was shared by Musgrove, as he acknowledged he is "Trending in the right direction" after his latest bullpen session. While he's still a little ways away from a "full-go bullpen," Musgrove is getting closer to a potential return. A postseason run will work best for Musgrove, as he's most likely to pitch out of the bullpen for the Padres if the team can go on a postseason run in October. Taking Musgrove's recovery slowly is the right path to take. Advertisement MORE: Padres get bad news on Braves catchers' trade availability Rushing him back could cause more issues down the road for the Padres. With the potential departures of Michael King and Dylan Cease in the offseason, forcing Musgrove back wouldn't do the Padres well in the future. Musgrove is signed to a huge five-year, $100 million deal through the 2027 season. The former All-Star is looking to get back to his former self after a rough 2024, where he finished with a 3.88 ERA. In 2022, his All-Star season, Musgrove finished with a career-best 2.93 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 181 innings pitched. He helped lead the Padres to the NLCS in the 2022 postseason, and between his three starts in that run and his one start in 2024, Musgrove has a 2.82 postseason ERA for the Padres. Advertisement Getting such a player back for this year's postseason would be huge. He's taking his time in his recovery, and this latest update from Musgrove himself is a great sign that the Padres are getting one of their top starters back this season. He's still got a ways to go, but this is, as Musgrove said, a sign his recovery is "trending in the right direction." MORE MLB NEWS:
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Craig Breslow break silence on Red Sox's trade deadline plans
The Boston Red Sox are five games above .500 entering play on Friday and would be in the postseason if the season ended today. However, they still have needs to address. Red Sox starters have a 4.13 ERA this season, and the team is without Triston Casas for the rest of the year. First base and the starting rotation look like clear needs, but Craig Breslow thinks first base might not be as big a hole as some fans think. Advertisement "Some of that (your needs) often depends on what moment in time you ask the question," he said, per MassLive's Chris Cotillo. "I think if we're going to boost the rotation, trying to find impact starting pitching, not just, starting pitching that can take a spot in the rotation. We do feel really good about the depth that we have. At one point, we would have said, 'Our first baseman is out for the year.' But then you look at what (Abraham) Toro and Romy (Gonzalez) have been able to do platooning over there and that's the equivalent of a really good first baseman. We'll be open-minded but based on the performance we're getting right now, I don't think it's a massive, glaring hole." Unlike most buyers, the Red Sox potentially have an All-Star to trade away. The Red Sox outfield has been a hot topic all season. Roman Anthony, Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela are all capable of playing every day, but are having to share three outfield spots. Anthony is not going to be traded, and Rafaela has already signed an extension. Between Duran and Abreu, the former is older and has less club control. Duran was an All-Star last year, and his numbers have declined, but he would still be an upgrade for some outfield-needy teams. However, Breslow did not seem eager to trade any of his outfielders. Follow The Sporting News On WhatsApp "When you have four guys that are capable of playing every night in three outfield spots, it just means that you've got a weapon on your bench," Breslow said per Cotillo. "It's an opportunity to keep guys fresh and shift and cycle through getting guys in and getting guys rest. Alex (Cora) manages games very aggressively and finds opportunities to pinch-hit and find great matchups. I've said this every time I've been asked: There's no such thing as having too many good players. That's not actually a problem." Advertisement The Red Sox are going to mix Rafaela in at second base after Bregman's return led to David Hamilton being optioned. Marcelo Mayer still figures to see a majority of the time at second base. Breslow seems more focused on adding pitching and mentioned specifically how adding pitching could boost their bullpen by allowing some current starters to serve in long relief roles. Duran could be included in a deal to land an elite starter with some club control. "You can never have too much pitching," Breslow said per Cotillo. "Some of this is, as guys get healthy, talking about Tanner and (Hunter) Dobbins and (Richard) Fitts and (Kyle) Harrison, and how do we figure out who we want to keep built out as starting pitching depth and who we think might be a weapon in a multi-inning role out of the 'pen." More MLB: Yankees make Anthony Volpe decision following DJ LeMahieu release
