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Following his first trade deadline, Tom Pohlad spoke to the media saying he thinks he's earned some credibility back with the Minnesota Twins fan base. Do you agree? View the full article

While it may be tempting to bring back two-time All-Star Freddy Peralta, the Milwaukee Brewers should not make the decision. Peralta is in the midst of the worst year of his big-league career, and in this video, we'll go over the three reasons that making him a member of the Crew again would be a poor decision. View the full article

For the 2026 season, Fish On First will provide weekly reports on the Miami Marlins farm system, covering all levels. This is the first check-in that incorporates both new draft picks and prospects acquired by the Fish on trade deadline day. This report covers the games played from August 4-10. Triple-A Jacksonville The Miami Marlins were busy during the trade deadline conducting five trades. Of those trades, Brayden Taylor (Hicks trade), Jonathon Long (Braxton Garrett trade), Jace Beck (Braxton Garrett trade) and Brandan Bidois (Lake Bachar trade) joined the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. The only player who has not played is Brandon Bidois because he is on the seven-day injured list. Taylor, a first-round pick back in 2023, spent the entire 2026 season at the Double-A level in the Rays organization. In 88 games, he slashed .284/.384/.513/.897 with 17 home runs, 56 RBI, 20 stolen bases and a 136 wRC+. So far, Taylor has played in five games at the Triple-A level, where he has yet to record a hit, but has walked seven times, driven in a run and scored one as well. Long likely was not going to be called up in the Cubs organization, so instead, he is traded to Miami. With the Cubs Triple-A affiliate, Long played in 99 games where he hit .283/.364/.455/.818 with 12 home runs, 62 RBI and a 108 wRC+. Right before joining the organization, Long was named International League Player of the Month. With the Marlins, he has played in 5 games, where he is 5-for-17 with two RBI. He has split time between the outfield and first base. Beck is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher. The Cubs used him primarily in relief, but in his Marlins organizational debut, they had him start Sunday's series finale against Gwinnett. He tossed five no-hit innings, striking out five and not allowing a walk. It was not a perfect game because of an error committed by the Shrimp in the game. Beck was named International League Pitcher of the Week. As for Bidois, he is the only one with major league experience, appearing in 15 games and posting a 6.32 ERA, allowing 16 runs (11 earned) on 19 hits (five home runs). In 20 innings pitched for the Pirates Triple-A affiliate, he had a 8.10 ERA, 6.09 FIP, 11.70 K/9 and 7.65 BB/9. When it comes to players who were with the Marlins organization before the trade deadline, Gage Miller continues to succeed in Triple-A, now having played 34 games. He is slashing .314/.454/.589/1.022 with six home runs, 21 RBI and a 172 wRC+. With the recent trades of both Connor Norby (Rockies) and Jacob Berry (Royals) and call-up of Graham Pauley, Miller's reps should be increasing down the stretch. Double-A Pensacola The Wahoos kept rolling in the second half, taking four of six against Montgomery, their third straight six-game series win. This included a thrilling extra innings walk-off victory on Friday. Pensacola is 23-16 since the break, pacing their division. They rank near the top of the entire Southern League in many stat categories, including home runs (second) and OPS (third). With the impending returns of Aiva Arquette on Tuesday and Dillon Lewis possibly the week after, the stretch run looks promising. Another start, another impression made. Eliazar Dishmey kept his roll of extremely positive starts going this week with perhaps his best outing of the campaign, a six-inning shutout performance in which he struck out 10. In his last six starts, the 21-year-old and our Prospect of the Week has a 0.33 ERA. Dishmey continues to live off of fantastic fastball command and the ability to change eye levels then set up a wide secondary arsenal. He can induce groundouts with his sinker and has gained a good feel for the Marlins’ archetype gyro slider that he added this season. He also throws a plus curveball and a still-improving changeup. Coming into the year, Dishmey lacked pure swing-and-miss stuff and was more of a pitch-to-contact arm pinned for future relief work. His newfound ability to garner whiffs via this widened arsenal has raised his ceiling and made him one of the best righty weapons in the Marlins organization. There’s also still time on his side as he’s pitching at Double-A at age 21, nearly four years younger than league average competition. Dishmey isn’t spoken about much nationally, making him a very under-the-radar name. But if this current run extends, that should soon change. Currently the owner of a 114/42 K/BB, he’s been one of the best kept secrets in MiLB. Dishmey should receive an invite to big league camp next season. Speaking of good impressions and great fastball command, Jacob Kisting is another guy who did both on the mound this week. Part of the return from Tampa Bay in the Liam Hicks trade at the deadline, the righty made his organizational and Double-A debut. He showed very well, working five scoreless innings on four hits and eight strikeouts. New to the pitching craft overall as a converted infielder and especially new to starting having been built up to do it by the Rays this year, this went about as well as Miami could have hoped in Kisting’s first Pensacola start. He sat 93-94 with the fastball which he used very frequently and topped at 97. His offspeed offerings—he throws both a splitter and kick change—sat 85-87, showed great late arm-side fade, played well off of the heat and garnered him three of his eight punchies. Kisting also mixed in a slider, which is still a work in progress. Overall, Kisting profiles as a zone pounding strike-thrower who is proving he has the ability to be economical with pitches and work multiple innings. His ability to stick as a starter will rely heavily on his ability to continue to refine his breaking ball and keep hitters off balance. At the very least, the Marlins got a future MLB reliever here. High-A Beloit A solid week for Sky Carp starting pitching couldn’t be backed by offense as they dropped four of six to Wisconsin. Beloit’s .347 OBP is the second lowest in the Midwest League. After a very slow start to the season, a trip to the development list has seemed to make all the difference in the world for Jacob Jenkins-Cowart. A sub-Mendoza line .200/.240/.343 bat in the first half, the 2024 eighth-rounder was given a week off at the end of June. Since returning on June 30, he is slashing .272/.326/.568. That includes a 5-for-10, two-homer showing this past week. Cowart is a large physical specimen with a lot of moving parts which in the past, led to a lot of off balance and long swings. Since his return from the dev list, he has adjusted his stance and upper body to lean out over the plate with his arms further away from his body. This has allowed Jenkins-Cowart to make more contact, particularly on pitches on the outer half. The strikeout susceptibility is still present for Cowart, who maintains a long uppercut stroke and who shows particularly struggles against plus breaking stuff, but he has started to walk slightly more in July and August. The recent power binge (seven HR in 27 games) is definitely encouraging, but Jenkins-Cowart will need to continue to take positive strides in lengthening at-bats and shortening up his stroke if he hopes to make it, especially in a Marlins system stacked with lefty-hitting outfielders. A shoulder injury caused 2025 third-rounder Max Williams to miss about half of the minor league season, but in terms of his bat, it's been all gas, no brakes since his launch last month. A jump to Beloit last week also hasn’t slowed Williams: he’s off to an 8-for-29 start with Beloit, including 6-for-22 this past week. In 87 ABs, Williams has already recorded 11 extra-base hits. Still not ready to throw, Williams has been a full-time DH since his return. At 6’2”, 207, Williams isn’t the largest physical specimen, but he packs a punch with quick wrists and a violent swing. Against Low-A stuff, Williams also showed good selectivity and patience, walking nearly as much as he struck out. If that can maintain as the quality of stuff he’s facing increases, he will be yet another 2025 draftee to follow closely. With a plus arm, he profiles as a future 7 or 9 guy on the outfield grass. Low-A Jupiter Jacob Lombard started his professional career with a bang by homering in his Low-A debut last Tuesday. In five games, he is slashing .211/.375/.368/.743 with one home run, two RBI and a 109 wRC+. Lombard has played both shortstop and second base. The only other draftee to have made his pro debut is third-round pick Cam Kozeal, who in five games is slashing .273/.385/.318/.703 with one RBI and a 102 wRC+. Acquired as one of the pieces in the Jake Burger trade, Echedry Vargas started his first year in the Marlins organization at the High-A level, posting a 66 wRC+ in 82 games at that level in 2025. To begin the 2026 season, he dropped down a level to Low-A, where in 82 games he is slashing .302/.353/.534/.886 with 16 home runs, 62 RBI and a 128 wRC+. Regardless of the player's circumstances, hitting for so much power in the Florida State League is rare. It is now about showing that he can produce at the High-A level. Andrés Valor is on his way to leading the Marlins system in stolen bases with 47 so far. Despite a high 31.8% strikeout rate, he is slashing .223/.346/.407/.752 with 13 home runs, 43 RBI and a 104 wRC+. Elier Morillo continues to be a strikeout machine, posting a 16.69 K/9, but the walks continue to rise, now at 7.63 BB/9. In 18 appearances, Morillo has a 4.12 ERA and 4.07 FIP. DSL Marlins & DSL Miami After hitting a home run in back-to-back games, including Monday afternoon, Carlos De Los Santos has been promoted to the DSL Marlins, according to the transaction logs. De Los Santos has been on fire from game one and doesn't look like he is slowing down. He is now hitting .375 on the year in 120 at-bats with a .461 OBP. Jesús Pérez has seen a huge decrease in walks and an increase in strikeouts, but that has not stopped him from putting together a solid season nonetheless. In 100 at-bats, he is hitting .300 with three home runs. He has already hit eight doubles this year, compared to just one double and four home runs last year. Pérez's OPS is 120 points higher than it was last year, and he has also significantly decreased his ground-ball percentage. Angel Bonilla has primarily been used as a pinch-hitter this season, but he has always been ready when his name is called upon. In a small sample size of 27 at-bats, Bonilla has two home runs, while walking at a 26% clip, helping push his OBP to .412. Bonilla has also shown that he doesn't strike out often, posting a 15 K%, while most of his batted balls have been in the air. It's hard to put two and two together with such a small sample size and limited data, but those two things sticking out certainly make Bonilla an intriguing player to keep an eye on. Diego Martinez has shown a very good power surge in his first professional season. In just 63 at-bats, he has four home runs, including one on Monday afternoon. On top of that, he has shown flashes of speed with eight stolen bases. Martinez has primarily been used at catcher and first base, and in 98⅓ combined innings, he has made zero errors this season. If the DSL had a Most Improved Player award, Johan Machado would be the favorite to win it. On top of that, he could be in consideration for DSL MVP. Machado was selected to participate in the league's All-Star Game on July 19, but his production actually spiked after receiving that recognition. After hitting .237 in June, Machado followed that up by hitting .342 in July and is now hitting .440 so far in August, bringing his season average to .319. He hit two more home runs Monday afternoon, bringing his season total to nine. Raunny Figueredo was just added to Fish On First's Top 30 prospects, slotting in at #29, and no one deserved it more than Figueredo. After finishing July scorching hot, he has not slowed down. He is hitting .381 this month with a home run and eight RBI, and in 21 at-bats, he has yet to strike out. His average is now up to .299, to go along with five home runs, 39 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He also has five assists in 43 games as a right fielder. Santiago Solarte slotted in at #16 in the FOF Top 30, and it won't take long until he continues climbing the rankings. Despite being hitless in his last three games, Solarte recorded a multi-home run game earlier this week, bringing his season total to nine. His average is now .315, with an elite .428 OBP and .990 OPS. The stolen base number continues to increase by the day as well, and it is now up to 37. This week's schedule Triple-A Jacksonville vs. Syracuse Double-A Pensacola at Biloxi High-A Beloit at Peoria Low-A Jupiter vs. St. Lucie DSL Marlins and DSL Miami against various opponents View the full article

After a few days in limbo, Bryse Wilson is back with the Milwaukee Brewers. The right-hander, who was designated for assignment Saturday, went unclaimed and then became a free agent Monday, re-signed with the Brewers on Tuesday. To fit Wilson on the 26- and 40-man rosters, right-hander Lyon Richardson was DFA'd after making his long appearance for the Brewers on Monday. Also, left-handed reliever Drew Rom was claimed off waivers by the A's. Wilson was able to return quickly to the Brewers after he was outrighted to Triple-A Nashville, but choosing free agency Monday. That circumvents a pitcher having to spend the required time in the minors before being called up in a non-injury situation. For pitchers, that is 15 days. While it is a little surprising that Wilson, who was DFA'd twice before being done so by the Crew, went unclaimed, it isn't a shocker that he returned to the Brewers. After having a combined three appearances with the Philadelphia Phillies and Chicago Cubs, Wilson has pitched in six games for the Crew, going 13⅔ innings with a 2.63 ERA, no walks and 10 strikeouts. The Brewers' bullpen was in need of another arm after Wilson went three shutout innings Friday in an 8-6 loss to the Minnesota Twins, which prompted his latest DFA. Richardson, who came up from Triple-A Nashville to replace Wilson, went 1⅔ scoreless innings with a walk and a strikeout in Monday's 3-2 loss to the San Diego Padres. That came after Richardson appeared in two games for the Cincinnati Reds this season, allowing five runs in 1⅔ innings with two walks and three strikeouts. If he goes unclaimed, he could go back to Nashville or elect free agency. Rom was DFA'd Sunday when the Brewers needed to add Jihwan Bae to the roster. View the full article

The New York Mets were definite sellers at this year's MLB trade deadline, and they acquired more top 30 prospects (11) than any other organization. Jefferson Rojas is their new top farmhand, and the middle infielder looks to be a well-rounded talent who could help the big-league ball club soon. Mitch Voit, the team's sixth-ranked farmhand, has a similar profile, except he's been going ballistic in Double-A. The 21-year-old has a .550 batting average (22-for-40) and a 1.483 OPS across 11 games with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. View the full article

Dylan Cease isn’t pitching like Dylan Cease. Cease is arguably having the best season of his career. A 2.28 ERA, an absurd 36.4% strikeout rate, and an elite 4.7 fWAR all rank him at the top of the American League. But as the season has gone on, he’s been doing things slightly differently than what the Blue Jays saw from him earlier in the year. Historically, Cease has overwhelmed hitters with a high-90s fastball and one of the game's nastiest sliders, using the combination to generate elite swing-and-miss numbers. While that's still a crucial part of his game plan, the Blue Jays have seen a very different pitcher over the last few starts. First, let's revisit his recent start at the end of July in Boston. Cease was incredible on this day. He threw a complete game shutout, allowing just one hit and three walks, throwing a season-high 120 pitches and dominating Red Sox hitters all afternoon. By Baseball Reference Game Score, it was the sixth-best start in Blue Jays franchise history. Early on in that start, Cease was raising eyebrows, but for a different reason. His velocity had dropped suddenly. His four-seam fastball, which usually sits at 97 mph in the first inning, was down to just 93.7 mph, which was by far the lowest he’s averaged in the first inning this season. In fact, that's the lowest his first-inning four-seam velocity has been in any start of his career. A sudden drop in velocity can be a warning sign of injury or fatigue, so seeing Cease sit that low raised alarm bells, but those concerns were quickly dispelled. Cease’s fastball velocity returned, and he hit as high as 98.5 in the ninth inning. Post-game, Cease himself said, “People usually start to panic because that is definitely abnormal. But nothing really hurt. It’s just my body was really not wanting to cooperate, and that’s baseball.” The important takeaway is that Cease did not think the velocity drop was injury-related. Crisis averted, at least for the time being. But it has become a trend. In the two starts following his outing in Boston, his first-inning velocity remained below his season norm: The velocity drop isn’t the only way Cease has looked different recently. He also hasn't been able to generate as many swings and misses as the year has gone on. His whiff rate has been below his 2026 average (34.9%) in five of his last six starts, reaching a season-low 22.7% in his latest outing: Decreased velocity and diminished swing-and-miss rates are likely related. However, none of this necessarily means Cease is becoming a worse pitcher. Pitching is much more complicated than just throwing the ball hard and inducing swings and misses. Since the All-Star break, he’s posted a 1.29 ERA in four starts despite his average four-seam velocity dropping 1.2 mph and his swinging strike rate falling 1.2 percentage points. If anything, you could argue he’s looked like an even better pitcher. So what exactly is going on here? If injuries are not a concern, there are a few possible explanations; workload management could be one of them. Kevin Gausman had stretches of play where his fastball velocity dropped early in starts, and Justin Verlander famously had similar stretches where he’d have diminished velocity early before ramping back up later in starts. So, the idea of a veteran starter sacrificing early velocity to preserve stuff later in games isn’t unprecedented. Cease is one of only five pitchers since the start of 2021 to throw more than 1,000 innings. John Schneider recently mentioned the Jays would be moving to a six-man rotation, with the intention of getting Cease more rest. Now, with injuries to Trey Yesavage, Jameson Taillon, and Spencer Arrighetti, moving to a six-man rotation seems unlikely. There is also the consideration that the Blue Jays are trying to get Cease to pitch deeper into games. Earlier in the season, Cease was effective, but he was battling high pitch counts, which forced him out of games early. He only made it through six innings once in his first six starts. The problem was never that Cease couldn’t get outs; it was that it was taking him too many pitches to get them: Stat First Six Starts May 1-July 24 July 25- Present ERA 2.87 2.59 0.41 IP/Start 5.2 IP 6.1 IP 7.1 IP Pitches/IP 19.21 16.64 14.55 Avg Four-Seam Velo 97.8 mph 97.5 mph 96.0 mph K-BB% 23.2% 27.0% 28.2% SwStr% 16.1% 14.1% 14.1% Lately, that hasn’t been an issue. He’s shown a willingness to trade some velocity and swing-and-miss for efficiency. His average four-seam velocity has fallen 1.8 mph from his first six starts, while his innings per start have increased from 5.2 to 7.1. The results have been longer outings, fewer innings for his bullpen to cover, and no meaningful decline in his run prevention. The Blue Jays are 8-3 in the 11 starts in which he's thrown six or more innings, compared to 5-5 when he hasn't reached that mark, and he hasn’t thrown fewer than six innings in a start since June. That's where Cease’s evolution becomes particularly interesting. It's not just helping the Blue Jays win games; it's strengthening his case in the AL Cy Young race. As of now, Cease is in a neck-and-neck race with Cam Schlittler of the Yankees. Schlittler has had an incredible season in his own right, but if you look at the two side by side, it becomes clear just how close the race is: Looking at the stats, the two pitchers compare closely across several categories. Cease has an advantage in strikeouts, bWAR, and FIP, suggesting that on a rate and performance basis, he has been the more dominant pitcher when they’ve both been on the mound. Schlittler has the advantage in starts and innings pitched (Cease spent time on the 15-day IL earlier in the year), and the fact that the Yankees are likely headed to the playoffs while the Jays are on the outside looking in may matter to voters. Going forward, if Cease can continue to pitch at this level and continue to be durable and go deep into his starts, then he has a legitimate chance to pull away from Schlittler in the final weeks of the season. This is what makes Cease so dangerous. He hasn’t lost the ability to overpower hitters; he’s simply proving that he doesn’t need to do it on every pitch. If opposing hitters begin sitting on his softer fastballs early in games, then Cease can still reach back for 99 mph or throw the wipeout slider. If he can continue to do that while pitching deeper into games, the Blue Jays will be getting something even more valuable than the ace they signed. They have a pitcher who has found another way to dominate. And the American League should take notice. View the full article

Blue Jays Affiliate Overview (August 8-10) Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Series vs Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles): 4-2 Season Record: 56-58 Double-A New Hampshire Fisher Cats Series vs Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox): 3-3 Season Record: 51-55 High-A Vancouver Canadians Series vs Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners): 4-2 Season Record: 49-59 Single-A Dunedin Blue Jays Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers): 3-2 Season Record: 50-54 FCL Blue Jays: Season Complete DSL Blue Jays Blue Week Record: 0-5 Season Record: 18-31 DSL Blue Jays Red Week Record: 3-1 Season Record: 29-18 Triple-A Buffalo Bisons Season Record: 56-58 Series vs Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles) August 8: Saturday was a big-time power surge for the Bisons, and they needed all of it and then some. Josh Rivera and William Simoneit started the scoring for Buffalo in the bottom of the second inning, each getting an RBI on singles to center. Later in the frame, Daz Cameron added an RBI on a groundout and gave Buffalo the 3-2 lead. After Norfolk tied the game in the top of the fifth, Yohendrick Piñango blasted his sixth home run of the season for Buffalo, a solo shot to right. Buffalo wouldn't stop there in the inning, getting a timely blast from Willie MacIver for a grand slam. With a bullpen day fully in effect, Norfolk slowly trimmed the Buffalo lead and tied it back up in the top of the eighth. Nearing the end of the game, Charles McAdoo came up clutch and rocketed a ball 103.8 mph that traveled 425 feet over the center field fence for a two-run home run. Buffalo won the game 10-8 on the backs of a trio of long balls. August 9: CJ Van Eyk had the mound for Buffalo on Sunday, and he did a really good job of keeping the Bisons' bats close and in the game. Van Eyk threw 4.1 innings and allowed just one run, while scattering three hits and four walks. While the pitching was strong in this game, the bats stayed hot, with Josh Kasevich starting the scoring on a fly out to right field for a sacrifice fly in the third. Carlos Mendoza gave Buffalo the lead back in the fourth, when he singled to left and brought home William Simoneit. After a Rece Hinds two-run double off of Sam Gardner in the seventh, Buffalo trailed 3-2 headed into the bottom half of the inning. Simoneit came through and tied the game up with an RBI single on a line drive to left. Later in the inning, Daz Cameron opened the game up for Buffalo with their second grand slam of the weekend, a big blast to left. Up five in the eighth, Charles McAdoo added a solo home run, his fourth blast in as many games, putting the game out of reach for Norfolk. Buffalo won going away late, 9-3. Double-A New Hampshire Season Record: 51-55 Series vs Portland Sea Dogs (Boston Red Sox) August 8: The Saturday game between New Hampshire and Portland was a great one all around for the Fisher Cats. Danny Thompson Jr. had another great game on the mound for New Hampshire. He went six innings, didn't allow a run, surrendered five hits, struck out seven, and didn't issue a walk. While he was locking down the Portland offense, the bats for the Fisher Cats went wild. The third inning saw two runs come home on a groundout and a Dub Gleed RBI single. In the fifth inning, Aaron Parker launched a grand slam to center field. Tucker Toman hit his first Double-A homer in the sixth inning, then Victor Arias capped off things in the eighth with a grand slam of his own. New Hampshire won this one 14-0. August 9: The Sunday finale between New Hampshire and Portland didn't go as well as Saturday's game. Mason White homered in the second inning to give Portland the early lead. Eric Snow responded in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single. Will Turner hit a three-run homer in a four-run inning for Portland in the third. Carter Cunningham answered for New Hampshire with a solo shot in the next half inning, but things kept going south. White would hit another home run, a three-run shot for Portland. Victor Arias continued a hot stretch with a home run in the bottom of the fifth, but the bats went cold from there. New Hampshire lost this one 9-6. High-A Vancouver Season Record: 49-59 Series vs Everett AquaSox (Seattle Mariners) August 8: Ty Southisene showed off his wheels with a leadoff triple to start off this game, and Jake Casey drove him in with a two-run homer to start it off for a high-scoring affair. Johnny King was effective for the first two innings, striking out four batters without allowing a run, but it fell apart in the third inning. After getting two quick outs, he also walked two batters, which hurt him immediately as he gave up a three-run shot to Brandon Eike to lose the lead. Austin Smith had his second homer as a Canadian to even it up right after, and Bryce Chance and Southisene both tacked on a run with an RBI single. King’s struggles were exacerbated by some poor defense from Ryan Sprock as well as shaky command, as after King allowed a single, Sprock gave up two passed balls to allow the runner to get to third. King then gave up a hit which brought the game within one. The next batter reached on a fielder’s choice as Raimundo De Los Santos committed an error, then King walked another batter and got taken out. Reece Wissinger was able to get two outs, which allowed all three inherited runners to score, losing the lead once again. The extra base hits kept coming for Vancouver as Maddox Latta had a homer, then Chance had an RBI double to tie it up, and Peyton Williams gave the Canadians the lead for good with a three-run homer. Chance had his third RBI for an insurance run in the seventh, and the bullpen managed to give up only one run to win it 11-8. August 9: Ty Southisene has some first-inning magic, as he once again had an extra-base hit as the leadoff hitter of the game, this time with his first homer ever as a professional baseball player, going deep to dead center. Dasan Hill was the starter for Vancouver in his debut in the Blue Jays organization, and he struggled with his command, walking two batters and allowing two runs, but he showed off his strikeout stuff, striking out three batters over two innings. Holden Wilkerson replaced Hill, and he went five strong innings with five Ks and only one earned run given up. The Canadians were able to take the lead back after Gable Mitchell walked, then Austin Smith hit a double, and both were driven in by Edward Duran with a two-RBI double. Peyton Williams hit his second homer in two days to add to the lead, which helped as the AquaSox mustered up a run in the seventh to make it a one-run game. The Canadians were able to take advantage of some poor defense in the eighth inning, as after Jack White walked the bases loaded, Bryce Chance hit a grounder to the shortstop in what looked like a double play ball, but the shortstop flipped the ball to the second baseman, who ended up dropping the ball, allowing a run to score with no outs being recorded. Southisene got hit by a pitch, which drove in another run, then Jake Casey hit a two-RBI double, and Williams capped off the inning with an RBI single, which made it 9-3. That ended up being the final score. Single-A Dunedin Season Record: 50-54 Series vs Lakeland Flying Tigers (Detroit Tigers) August 8: Postponed August 9: It was a low-scoring affair for both teams, as Denis Samudio had his best game, getting his first quality start, going six innings, allowing only a single run, while striking out five batters. The Flying Tigers had a bullpen day, with six pitchers covering the nine innings. Aldo Gaxiola was the first to drive in a run with a sac fly in the second inning against Kelvis Salcedo. Samudio gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth on a single to Anibal Salas, which evened the game up. Jake Bennett came up to the plate with a runner on third and drove in the go-ahead run with a 105.9 mph double, which ended up being the winning run. Jack Nedrow, Isaac Williams, and Dax Dathe then all pitched scoreless innings to clinch the win, a 2-1 victory for the D-Jays. FCL Blue Jays Season Record: 38-20 Season Completed DSL Blue Jays Blue Season Record: 18-31 August 8: BJB had a terrible go at it on Saturday down on the island. They only managed to get one hit in the game, an RBI double by Yariel Cordero that scored Deret Gonzalez. Even the free passes were hard to come by, as they only had three of them, one each by Juan Caricote, Gonzalez, and Juarlin Soto. It wasn't the same for the Tigers 2 team, as they collected eight walks, four hits, and scored eight runs. BJB lost big, 8-1, in a game where the bats didn't show up and the pitching was lackluster at best. August 10: BJB got even fewer free passes on Monday, but the hits were there and then some. In a hole already in the second inning, BJB got an RBI double from Eiker Lothar, an RBI sacrifice fly by Fabian Gonzalez, and an RBI single by Cristopher Polanco. Isay Veras added to the BJB lead in the fifth with his third home run of the season, a solo blast to right. With a 4-3 lead headed into the final inning, BJB saw their lead crumble, as they fell into a massive hole. Their bullpen surrendered six runs in the top of the seventh, and they only got an RBI double by Michael Mesa in the bottom half of the inning. BJB lost 9-5 in a game they led by one heading into the final inning. DSL Blue Jays Red Season Record: 29-18 August 8: BJR had their bats going all game on Saturday, 14 total hits on the day, including five players with two base knocks. Diego Arce launched his third home run of the season in the second inning. Luis Nunez had a two-RBI single in the third that scored Aneudi Severino and Samuel Orellana. The Tigers 1 team would claw back and cut the BJR lead to one heading into the bottom of the sixth. In the bottom of the sixth, Darwin Nuñez doubled home two runs, and Luis Nunez knocked in one on his RBI single. Abrahan Diaz was the best pitcher on the mound for BJR, throwing three scoreless innings and striking out six, while allowing just two hits. BJR won going away late, 10-6. August 10: Monday was more of the same for BJR; nine more hits and nine walks fueled the offense. Elaineiker Coronado, Gabriel Porras, and Samuel Orellana all had two hits in the game, and Coronado had the most highlights, as he tripled in two runs in the second inning and doubled to start the fifth. BJR went on an RBI double spree, with three of them across the fifth and sixth innings. Darwin Nuñez doubled in a run in the fifth, then in the sixth Porras notched two runs on his double and Orellana brought in one on his double to center. BJR’s pitching was not up to par in this game, as they trailed 9-7 in the top of the seventh. Aneudi Severino tried to fuel a comeback, bringing home a run on a line drive single to center. It wasn’t meant to be, though, as BJR failed to score any more runs in the frame and fell 9-8. 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Alex and Maddie sit down and recap the Red Sox’s week after the trade deadline. They answer some of your forum questions, including who's the better defensive shortstop between Andruw Monasterio and Trevor Story (hint: neither is Bobby Witt Jr.), what's eating Jarren Duran, and whether Kristian Campbell is back on everyone's radar. They provide an update on Roman Anthony, Garrett Crochet, Kutter Crawford, and Tanner Houck’s injuries and gauge when they will be back with the team. They condemn Red Sox fans for booing Willson Contreras after he jogged to first on a ground ball on Saturday. Finally, they speculate where Adley Rutschman will bat in the lineup. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-talk-sox-podcast/id1783204104 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3qPrPXEngu0CxgTmlf0ynm Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-talk-sox-podcast-244591331/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/4tmd121v Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@talksox View the full article

The Blue Jays placed right-hander Jameson Taillon on the 15-day injured list today with right forearm tendinitis. He exited yesterday's game early, citing tightness in his pitching arm. He had thrown four scoreless innings against the Red Sox. Taillon is the latest member of the Blue Jays' rotation to hit the IL. He joins Trey Yesavage, Patrick Corbin and fellow trade acquisition Spencer Arrighetti on the shelf, as well as José Berríos, Cody Ponce, and Bowden Francis, all of whom are out for the season. Dylan Cease, Shane Bieber, and Max Scherzer also spent time on the IL earlier this year. The Blue Jays recalled Chase Lee to take Taillon's spot on the active roster. The team has several candidates to take Taillon's next turn in the rotation, including Spencer Miles, Simeon Woods Richardson, and Matt Waldron, who are all currently pitching out of the bullpen. More starting depth in the minors includes Lazaro Estrada, Chad Dallas, and CJ Van Eyk. View the full article

Every month, Fish Unfiltered takes Miami Marlins fans "Inside the Dugout," bringing you an extended, exclusive interview with Marlins manager Clayton McCullough. During our August sitdown, McCullough speaks with AJ Ramos and Kevin Barral about a wide variety of topics. They start off with a rundown of Kyle Stowers' hamstring strain and how the Marlins will fill the void at first base during his absence. Then, they discuss the team's tendency to make critical outs on the bases, McCullough's role on trade deadline day last week, strong recent stretches from Jakob Marsee, Griffin Conine, Michael Petersen and Pete Fairbanks, the value of Sandy Alcantara and more. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. As was the case in spring training, Stowers has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. His previous injury kept him out of major league games for four weeks. Griffin Conine is Miami's starting first baseman on Tuesday night, making only his second career start at the position. McCullough also mentioned Leo Jiménez and newly recalled Graham Pauley as expected part-time contributors at first base while Stowers is out. Despite taking pregame reps as well, Agustín Ramírez is not going to see action there in the near future. Each of the Marlins' next four opponents are directly competing with them for a National League Wild Card berth, beginning with the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Marlins are 2.5 games ahead of them entering the series. View the full article

Royce Lewis has long been one of the more fascinating (and frustrating) players not just on the Twins’ roster, but in all of Major League Baseball. When he’s right, Lewis looks like an All-Star-caliber player. The power is obvious, the athleticism is obvious, and there are stretches where he looks capable of taking over games in a way very few players across the entire league can. The problem has been finding that version of Lewis consistently enough. That inconsistency has been on full display again this season, but perhaps the most encouraging development for the Twins is that Lewis appears to be trending in the right direction at exactly the right time. On the season as a whole, Lewis is hitting .239 with a .313 on-base percentage and a .739 OPS. Those are fine numbers on their own, but they don’t exactly jump off the page. More importantly, they fail to capture just how dramatically his season has changed over the past few weeks. For much of the first half, Lewis was struggling. Prior to the All-Star break, he hit just .219 with an on-base percentage below .300 and an OPS below .700. His 94 wRC+ further underscored those struggles, putting him below league average offensively. Eventually, things deteriorated to the point where the Twins optioned Lewis to Triple-A. That obviously wasn’t what the team had hoped to see, but the demotion may have ultimately served as something of a reset. And since the All-Star break in particular, the difference has been striking. Across 22 games, Lewis is hitting .293 with a .359 on-base percentage and an .859 OPS. He has recorded 10 extra-base hits and five stolen bases during that span, showcasing the well-rounded skill set that has always made him such an intriguing player. His 136 wRC+ since the All-Star break may be the most telling number of all. Lewis hasn’t simply been hitting for a decent average during this stretch. He has been well above league average offensively, and he’s been impacting the game in multiple ways. That matters because the version of Lewis the Twins need down the stretch isn’t necessarily the player who hits 30-plus home runs or produces at an MVP level for an extended period. They simply need the player who can consistently put pressure on opposing teams. When Lewis is seeing the ball well, his power changes the way pitchers have to attack him, and his speed gives him another way to create offense once he reaches base. That combination is what gives him such a high ceiling. It’s also why his recent surge is particularly meaningful for a Twins team that remains firmly within striking distance of the postseason. Despite coming off of a disappointing series in Milwaukee, Minnesota came into the week just four games back in the American League Central and 1.5 games behind the final American League Wild Card spot. There’s obviously plenty of work left to do, and the Twins have little margin for error. But they’re close enough that a strong final month-and-a-half could completely change the outlook of their season. And if that happens, Lewis is going to have to be part of it. The Twins’ offense, especially without Byron Buxton, has been needing some players to step up. Lewis provides a different dimension when he’s playing at his best. There is a ceiling to this lineup that simply isn’t there when he is struggling to make consistent contact or get on base. That’s what makes his current stretch so encouraging. It would be misguided to assume that Lewis is suddenly going to maintain an .850 OPS for the remainder of the season. His track record suggests there will be some ups and downs along the way, and another cold stretch would hardly be surprising. The goal should be consistency, not perfection. If Lewis can settle somewhere around a high-.700s to low-.800s OPS over the remainder of the regular season, that would be a meaningful contribution to a Twins lineup trying to fight its way into October. And if he can do more than that, Minnesota could have something even more valuable. His streakiness can be a gift and a curse. Right now, though, it's working in the Twins’ favor. Lewis is playing his best baseball of the season while Minnesota is trying to make up ground in a crowded American League playoff race. That doesn’t guarantee anything, but it gives the Twins something they desperately need: another potentially dynamic bat playing at a high level. There is still a long way to go. The Twins will need better pitching, more consistent production throughout the lineup, a healthier roster, and plenty of other things to break their way if they are going to make a legitimate push for October. But Lewis doesn’t need to carry the entire team; he needs to continue being the player he has been over these last few weeks. If he can do that, the Twins suddenly have a much more dangerous lineup than they did earlier in the season, especially if Buxton returns in the coming days. And perhaps most importantly, they have a player who is starting to look like the version of Royce Lewis everyone knew was still somewhere in there. For a Twins team still fighting for its season, the timing couldn’t be much better. View the full article

Marlins manager Clayton McCullough explains how he plans to patch things together at first base in the absence of Kyle Stowers, who landed on the injured list prior to Tuesday's game. View the full article

Owen is pumped that the Blue Jays are playing better baseball, but Jesse is a little less convinced. Owen makes the case that the Blue Jays are better than every team currently between them and the third American League wildcard spot before the guys go into a full breakdown of the series in Philadelphia. They talk Zack Wheeler's antics, Nathan Lukes and Andrés Giménez heroics, and José Soriano's first Jays start before breaking down a huge upcoming series against the Red Sox. Listen on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jays-centre-podcast/id1846108462 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Bi7SzfpcqMo5xYWnbCeoL Listen on iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-jays-centre-podcast-300304824/ Listen on Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/2qk9wqxd Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@jayscentre View the full article

The Minnesota Twins received an encouraging update on Joe Ryan’s recovery Monday, but there is still plenty of work to be done before their All-Star right-hander is ready to return to the mound. Ryan, who is on the injured list with a mild left glute strain, played catch on flat ground Monday. It was a small step, but it was an important one for a pitcher who has been dealing with physical issues that have impacted both his mechanics and his results since the All-Star break. Twins manager Derek Shelton said Ryan’s throwing session was a positive development. “I had a brief but very good conversation with him,” Shelton said. “I think we’re going to just have to see how it continues to progress. But the fact that he’s out there throwing is a very encouraging sign. It was flat ground, but he was still playing catch.” Ryan is not eligible to return from the injured list until August 20, but the Twins don't appear interested in treating that date as a target. Instead, the organization wants to see how Ryan responds as he progresses through his throwing program. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll echoed Shelton’s optimism while emphasizing the importance of taking a measured approach. “We want to make sure we don't try to push him along, and end up on this spiral or hamster wheel,” Zoll said. “We're trying to thread the needle on not having him down too long, so it doesn't require too long of a buildup (to return). But we also want to make sure everything is resolved.” That last part is especially important. Ryan hasn't simply been dealing with the glute strain. He has also experienced tightness in his back, and the combination disrupted his mechanics. Once those mechanics became compromised, his performance took a significant downturn. Ryan went 0-3 with a 9.39 ERA across three starts following the All-Star break before landing on the injured list. The Twins don't want to see him return simply because he is technically healthy enough to pitch. They need him to feel like himself again. “We have to start with that to make sure he feels like that's resolved before being able to progress,” Zoll said. “Obviously these things work all in conjunction. If you feel off physically, it can impact you mechanically and performance-wise. ... First and foremost, we want to get him feeling symptom free to be able to progress.” That approach makes sense for a pitcher Minnesota cannot afford to get wrong. Ryan is one of the most important pieces of the Twins' rotation, and his importance only increases as the club tries to remain in the American League playoff picture. Minnesota has already made additions to its pitching staff, but replacing a healthy version of Ryan over the long term is not something the organization can realistically expect to do. The good news is that Monday's throwing session represents progress. The bad news is that it is only one step. Ryan still needs to progress to throwing off a mound, build his workload back up and demonstrate that the physical issues that disrupted his mechanics have been resolved. The Twins will need to balance urgency with patience, particularly with the season entering its most important stretch. If the Twins are going to stay in the playoff hunt, they need their All-Star starter back. More importantly, they need him back healthy and pitching like the version of Joe Ryan they know he can be. Monday provided a reason for optimism, but the next few weeks will determine whether that optimism turns into a meaningful return. View the full article

The San Diego Padres are likely to be under new ownership next week. MLB is scheduled to vote Monday on the record $3.9 billion purchase of the Padres by Jose E. Feliciano and Kwanza Jones, Dennis Lin of The Athletic reported Tuesday. Feliciano and Jones are buying the team from the Seidler family, a process that began in November and was brought about with the death in November 2024 of Peter Seidler. The sale will require the approval of 22 of the 29 other MLB teams. Monday's vote will be by conference call. The $3.9 billion sale price eclipses the previous MLB record of $2.42 billion by Steve Cohen when he bought the New York Mets in 2020. While Feliciano and Jones will run the team together, making Jones one of the more high-profile women in MLB, only one individual can be the control person and that will be Feliciano. They will have between a 40% and 45% share, with a number of minority owners, typical for most every team, with the remainder including members of the Seidler family and some of those who previously held shares. While the sale was reported in April, Feliciano and Jones still had to formalize the minority owners, complete paperwork and pass a screening committee, which happened last week. View the full article

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Milwaukee has a lot of talent on the left side of the infield across the organization. In addition to Cooper Pratt, Brice Turang, Joey Ortiz, and David Hamilton at the major league level, there are multiple Top 100 prospects who could slot in there as well. One of those prospects, Jesus Made, is rightly considered to be untouchable in trade talks. However, with Jett Williams apparently close to MLB-ready, Luis Pena is seen as a potential trade chip and was reportedly the centerpiece in the Brewers’ offer for Tarik Skubal. But the crowded infield doesn’t mean there isn’t a role for Pena with the Brewers – in fact, recent history suggests that the Brewers may be better served by making him as untouchable as Made. The Current Brewers Infield Right now, the Brewers have Brice Turang at second, Cooper Pratt at shortstop, and a platoon of David Hamilton and Joey Ortiz at third. This isn’t a bad setup at all, and if anything, their defense helps as much as their solid offense since June 1. While Turang has increased his power each year in the majors, Pratt, Ortiz, and Hamilton don’t quite scare pitchers (although none are easy outs, either). Well, Pratt could be crossing into the "scary" territory with his numbers since July 1. First base will be interesting, as Jake Bauers is a potential free agent and Andrew Vaughn will be in his last year of arbitration, but that is a subject for another article. Recent History In 2024 and 2025, the Brewers have found themselves set off track by injuries (losing Christian Yelich for most of 2024) and fatigue (players just wearing out by the NLCS). The real question has been maintaining depth with the slots on the bench and the spots at Triple-A Nashville. The good news is that the Brewers have talent; it’s just a question of figuring out how to make it all fit. The thing is, the very players that some considered dealing to rent Skubal for three months could probably make the Brewers far better over the next decade, and Luis Pena is Exhibit A in this. Pena’s Profile and Potential Role Pena is a right-handed hitter who is flashing more power to go with speed and solid bat-to-ball skills. He’s got more swing-and-miss in his profile than Made, but there is clearly some real athleticism. Questions remain about his long-term defensive home, mostly due to his inconsistency on the infield. Could he end up in the outfield? We don’t quite know just yet, although Pena not being “locked in” might make him more valuable to the Brewers. Let’s fast-forward to 2028 spring training. Turang will likely be at second, with Pratt at shortstop and Made at third. Jett Williams would be one option off the bench, covering not just third base, but also second base, shortstop, and the outfield. Assuming the 2028 infield is Made, Pratt, Turang, and Blake Burns manning first base. Let’s further assume the outfield is Josh Adamczewski in left, Luis Lara in center, and Jackson Chourio in right, with Jeferson Quero and Bo Naylor splitting time behind the plate. Yelich is in his last year as DH. Assume the Brewers have four bench spots. One will be taken by whichever of Quero and Naylor is not starting. Assume Jett Williams has another. Figure the Brewers will have an outfielder (Sal Frelick, perhaps?) on the bench as well. In this case, the Brewers may be well-served to put Pena on the bench. Pena can similarly slot in, either right next to Williams, or even as a replacement (recall that the Brewers moved Caleb Durbin and Isaac Collins over the offseason and got potentially valuable returns for the former) or as a replacement, say alongside Luke Adams, with Andrew Fischer knocking at the door. Comps From The Past If the idea of Pena moving all over while still providing almost-elite offense seems familiar, it’s happened before. The Chicago Cubs used Javier Baez at multiple positions (second base, third base, shortstop, first base, left field, and right field) in their World Championship season of 2016 and their run to the NLCS in 2017. Around that same timeframe, the Brewers had Hernan Perez, who was less potent offensively, but who played every position but catcher from 2016-2019. Luis Pena could be the best of both players for the Brewers – not just a potent offensive threat, but one who allows the other players on the team to stay fresh. The Brewers farm system is reaching a point where the organization will have to consider how they will lose some of their prospects – but when it comes to a talent like Pena, the team may want to think of keeping him around, even without a single defensive “home.” View the full article

Trading Joe Ryan was certainly on the table last offseason after the trade deadline sell-off. The team chose to stay the course and aim for contention in 2026. It's worked; Ryan has been an anchor for the Twins so far as they’ve hung around in the wild card picture. But when the organization doubled down on setting their sights on the postseason, the annual questions about Ryan’s ability to help in the second half became impossible to ignore. The Twins have been put in a difficult spot. Ryan’s season took a complete 180 in his last three starts, allowing 16 earned runs in 15 ⅓ innings before heading to the injured list with a glute strain. This ostensibly minor injury could explain Ryan’s downturn, but the context of his historical struggles in the second half of the season is concerning. As the team continues to hang around in the playoff picture, they’re now without their ace, and even if his IL stay is short-lived, it’s fair to wonder what version of Ryan shows up whenever he is activated. The Twins had enough concerns in the rotation without Ryan’s notorious second-half splits showing up again. The team’s acquisition of Dean Kremer as rotation depth is now a necessity. Even with the innings Kremer will add to the rotation, it’s difficult to imagine the team making the postseason without Ryan returning to form. Ryan’s sample size of struggling in the second half has grown to such a point that it’s as much a part of his story as the back-to-back All-Star appearances. The team was fortunate to be in a reasonable spot to buy at the deadline, as Ryan allowing six homers to Cleveland on July 20th would have raised some eyebrows from potentially acquiring teams. That may be irrelevant now, but if Ryan either spends an extended amount of time on the IL or returns as a shell of his first-half self again, skepticism will only grow stronger. The Twins may very well have Ryan penciled into their 2027 plans, and there is a strong argument that they should. If that’s the case, they may need to give special consideration to making sure they have the starting pitching depth and talent to make it through the second half. Injuries in the pitching staff can happen anytime, but Ryan’s drop-offs late in the season are becoming something worth planning for. Even if he's in their plans, the Twins may be open to listening on calls regarding Ryan in the offseason in case another team wants to blow them away. It seems far less likely for that to happen than it has in past years. As the second-half struggles rear their ugly head again, teams are certain to question whether Ryan can be counted on during the most important stretch of the season. The Twins had previously asked for two top-100 prospects in return for Ryan, with some teams reportedly ready to meet that demand. It’s worth questioning whether the Twins would get anything close to that return at this point. The Twins are in a bad spot now as a contending team in need of their ace. They also likely don’t have nearly as much flexibility this offseason if they are open to trading him. Joe Ryan has been a massive addition to the rotation the last several years, but his pattern of second-half struggles threatens to put a real damper on the tail end of his Twins career. How should they move forward? What would you advise? Let us know in the comments. View the full article

All of the talk around the San Diego Padres at the trade deadline related to starting pitching, and rightfully so considering the staff's patchwork nature. They were able to address that effectively with the additions of Robbie Ray & Casey Mize, but such an effort also neglected a secondary need in the form of a supplemental bat. It's gone with less notice as the year has worn on and several hitters have rounded into form, but the Padres have long featured a similar approach in their positional depth as they have from a starting pitching standpoint. They attempted to fill out their bench with volume (via minor-league deals and one-year contracts) above all. In some cases that's worked (Luis Rengifo) and in others it very much hasn't (Nick Castellanos). One spot in particular where the need for depth has manifested has been in left field. An injury to Ramón Laureano left something of a vacancy there, with Craig Stammen rotating a cast of characters that has included eight different players throughout 2026. Most recently, that's been a heavy dose of Gavin Sheets on the outfield grass, which isn't necessarily what you want with a team that has focused on improving defensively this season. Enter Austin Hays. He was a castoff of the Chicago White Sox after his one-year deal was marred by injury and the ascent of a number of youngsters (and the addition of Randal Grichuk) in an upstart season, which led to his designation for assignment earlier this month. He was subsequently released after logging just a dozen games of work, a shade over 45 plate appearances, and a bunch of strikeouts. The Padres were happy to add him quickly given their present need for some supplementary help in the outfield. And then, it took just one swing for Hays to announce himself in San Diego: It's not so much that we should expect Hays to do that with regularity (though he did homer 15 times for Cincinnati just last season). It's what he brings to the Padres in a specific area of need. Against left-handed pitching, the Padres have been one of the worst offensive teams in the league. They've slashed only .240/.307/.365 with a bottom-of-the-league .125 ISO and 88 wRC+ as a collective. While that does take into account the full season and we've seen the offense improve over the last month and change, the addition of a hitter who can handle lefties was considered a secondary need that they were unable to address directly at the trade deadline. Hays, however, can be just that. For his career, Hays has slashed .283/.340/.481 against southpaws, with a 125 wRC+ that far exceeds his mark of 96 against right-handed pitchers. His .198 career ISO against them is more than 30 points higher than his work against righties. Toss in the fact that Hays has generally lingered around the average threshold defensively (if not just a shade below it) in left field, and the Padres were able to reign in precisely the kind of player that they likely needed ahead of the deadline. Only without the additional prospect cost. Let's not pretend that the Padres just picked up an offensive savior. That responsibility lies in bats like Fernando Tatis Jr., Jackson Merrill, and Manny Machado. For his part, though, Hays adds a dynamic that fortifies this lineup against lefties in a way they previously lacked. There's tremendous value in that, and, ideally, Sunday's home run is the first of a few we see from him down the stretch as they continue their pursuit of a National League Wild Card spot. View the full article

One year ago, the Minnesota Twins reshaped the organization with one of the biggest trade deadline selloffs in franchise history, making nine separate deals before the deadline passed. Immediately afterward, I graded each trade based on the information available at the time. A year later, we have a much better picture. Some of the prospects the Twins acquired have taken significant steps forward, while others have struggled or battled injuries. Meanwhile, several of the veterans the Twins traded away have continued to build their value elsewhere. With the 2026 trade deadline now behind us (and with Jhoan Duran coming home to Target Field later this week), it's time to revisit all nine trades and see which ones have aged the best and which ones look worse than they did a year ago. 1. (Last Year's Rank: 7) Griffin Jax to the Rays Return: RHP Taj Bradley 2025 Grade: C- 2026 Grade: A- I wasn't a big fan of the Griffin Jax trade at last year's trade deadline for a few reasons. The biggest was that the Twins didn't need to make the trade. Jax still had 2.5 years of team control remaining, and it felt like a rushed move when they could have let the market develop over the winter. At the time, Taj Bradley also didn't feel like an exciting return after posting a 4.70 ERA across 354 career innings with Tampa Bay. This trade has completely flipped. Bradley has emerged as one of the Twins' most valuable starters, posting a 3.69 ERA while leading the club in innings pitched. He's still in his pre-arbitration years, giving Minnesota a young, affordable starter for years to come. Griffin Jax has reinvented himself as a starter with the Rays, but landing a controllable rotation piece with upside has made this look like one of the Twins' best moves. 2. (Last Year's Rank: 1) Harrison Bader to the Phillies Return: OF Hendry Mendez, RHP Geremy Villoria 2025 Grade: A- 2026 Grade: A- Last year, I graded the Harrison Bader trade as the best move the Twins made at the deadline, and it still ranks near the top. Bader was playing on an expiring contract and had little long-term value to a selling club. Minnesota turned him into an intriguing left-handed hitting outfield prospect in Hendry Mendez, who owned an .808 OPS at Double-A at the time of the trade. Since joining the organization, Mendez posted a .912 OPS with Wichita before earning a promotion to Triple-A, where he has continued producing with an .844 OPS. He looks like someone who will factor into the Twins' big league plans in the near future, making this an excellent return for a pending free agent. The Twins also got 17-year-old Geremy Villoria as a lottery ticket; we won't learn whether it was a winner for several more years. 3. (Last Year's Rank: 4) Chris Paddack and Randy Dobnak to the Tigers Return: C Enrique Jimenez 2025 Grade: B- 2026 Grade: B+ Chris Paddack was struggling on an expiring contract when the Twins dealt him, so the fact that Minnesota was able to receive a legitimate prospect at all was impressive. Jimenez rewarded that gamble almost immediately, posting a .983 OPS in A-ball after joining the organization. This season he earned a promotion to High-A as a 20-year-old before suffering a significant left hamstring strain in late July that is expected to end his season. The injury is unfortunate, but the upside remains intriguing, and this trade looks better today than it did a year ago. 4. (Last Year's Rank: 3) Carlos Correa to the Astros Return: RHP Matt Mikulski and roughly $70 million in salary relief 2025 Grade: B 2026 Grade: B This was always more about financial flexibility than prospect value. Matt Mikulski has since been released, eliminating any player value from the return. However, shedding the remainder of Correa's contract gave the Twins significantly more payroll flexibility, something that showed up at this year's trade deadline when they were willing to absorb more than $8 million in salary. Correa is also out for the remainder of the 2026 season with an injury, making it difficult to argue the Twins should regret moving on. Still, because this was primarily a salary dump, it's difficult to rank it much higher. 5. (Last Year's Rank: 5) Willi Castro to the Cubs Return: RHP Ryan Gallagher, RHP Sam Armstrong 2025 Grade: C+ 2026 Grade: C While Castro was an impending free agent, he was enjoying another productive season when Minnesota moved him. Ryan Gallagher had generated some excitement after posting a 3.43 ERA in the Cubs' system and earning a promotion to Double-A before the trade. Since arriving in the Twins organization, however, Gallagher has struggled. He posted a 6.69 ERA after the trade last season and owns a 5.50 ERA in 91 innings this year. However, the strikeout numbers and raw stuff remain intriguing, and he has had a successful run of good starts lately, making him look like he could still become a piece for the Twins rotation of the future. 6. (Last Year's Rank: 2) Jhoan Duran to the Phillies Return: C Eduardo Tait, RHP Mick Abel 2025 Grade: B+ 2026 Grade: C- Much like Griffin Jax, the Twins weren't under any pressure to trade Jhoan Duran. He still had multiple years of club control remaining. At the time, receiving two Top 100 prospects looked like a strong return. Unfortunately, both players have lost momentum. Tait has yet to truly break out at High-A, though he has shown signs of life recently. Abel flashed his upside during three major league starts this season before injuries derailed his year. He has since undergone elbow surgery and likely won't pitch again this season. Meanwhile, Duran has continued establishing himself as one of baseball's elite relievers. Looking back, it's difficult not to wonder what this Twins bullpen would look like with him still anchoring the ninth inning. There's still time for Tait to realize his prospect potential, and if Abel can stay healthy, he could be a #2 or #3 pitcher for the Twins, but early returns aren't looking great for the biggest swing the Twins made at the trade deadline last season. 7. (Last Year's Rank: 6) Danny Coulombe to the Rangers Return: LHP Garrett Horn 2025 Grade: C 2026 Grade: C- Trading a left-handed specialist on an expiring contract was never expected to produce a significant return. Unfortunately, Garrett Horn hasn't done much to change that perception. Shoulder issues have limited him to just 16 innings this season, and at 23 years old, he doesn't appear to be a significant part of the organization's long-term plans. It's hard to see this trade moving much higher as time goes on. 8. (Last Year's Rank: 8) Brock Stewart to the Dodgers Return: OF James Outman 2025 Grade: D+ 2026 Grade: D This trade didn't make much sense when it happened, and it didn't exactly age great. The Twins already had an abundance of left-handed hitting outfielders, yet they acquired James Outman, another left-handed outfielder whose major league production had fallen off dramatically after his rookie season. That concern proved valid. Across two seasons with Minnesota, Outman posted just a .526 OPS in 174 plate appearances. The coaching staff never seemed comfortable using him in center field, and his defense in the corners wasn't impactful enough to justify his bat. He has since been designated for assignment and is no longer with the organization. The only thing keeping this trade from ranking last is Brock Stewart's health. Stewart was already dealing with complicated medical concerns when the Twins traded him, and he has thrown only 17 innings over the past calendar year while spending much of that time on the injured list. It seems likely those medical questions significantly limited the Twins' leverage and made Outman about as much as they could realistically receive. 9. (Last Year's Rank: 9) Louis Varland and Ty France to the Blue Jays Return: LHP Kendry Rojas , OF Alan Roden 2025 Grade: D+ 2026 Grade: D This was already my lowest-ranked trade immediately after the deadline, and it looks even worse a year later. Since joining Toronto, Louis Varland has developed into one of the best relievers in baseball. He earned his first All-Star selection this season while posting a 1.09 ERA across 57 innings, while striking out 11.5 batters per nine innings. Even more importantly, he's still making the league minimum and remains under team control through the 2030 season. On the Twins' side, Kendry Rojas remains an intriguing arm, though he increasingly looks more like a future reliever than a starter. Alan Roden has struggled throughout his time in the organization and has done little to change the outlook of the trade. What makes this deal even more painful is how perfectly Varland would fit on the current roster. Minnesota's bullpen has been one of the club's biggest weaknesses this season, and Varland has somehow become an even better reliever than anyone could have realistically projected a year ago. Watching him dominate elsewhere while the Twins have searched for reliable late-inning options, needing to dip into the prospect pool to acquire those options at this year's trade deadline, makes this trade look even more lopsided than it did last summer. Overall, the 2025 trade deadline class hasn't aged particularly well, although it's still early in the development process for many of these prospects. Player development is rarely linear, and several of these young players still have plenty of time to change the narrative. Still, one year later, it's fair to say some of the Twins' biggest bets have lost value, while only a handful have clearly moved in the right direction. Given how monumental that deadline was in shaping the franchise's direction, these trades will continue to be worth revisiting for years to come. Do you agree with these updated rankings and grades? Which trade would you take back if you could only redo one? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View the full article

The Chicago Cubs knew exactly what they were getting when they signed Alex Bregman to a five-year, $175 million contract this winter: a proven veteran, an excellent defender, a consistent offensive contributor and, perhaps most importantly, someone who has already experienced the pressure of playing meaningful October baseball. Unfortunately for the Cubs, Bregman’s North Side career did not get off to the strongest of starts. Through the first half of the season, the third baseman was slashing just .241/.336/.359, which added up to a .696 OPS. With a 97 wRC+, he was actually a below-average hitter for the first three-and-a-half months of the year. For a player making $35 million, that obviously wasn't what the Cubs were hoping to see. Luckily, things appear to be trending in the right direction at exactly the right time. Across 86 plate appearances since the All-Star Break, Bregman has looked much more like the player Cubs fans expected to see when he signed his massive contract. He’s slashing .283/.347/.467, good for an .814 OPS and a 126 wRC+. That’s a pretty significant difference from what Bregman was doing earlier in the year. And perhaps even more encouragingly, there are some clear signs that his approach is changing. Bregman has been really leaning into his pull-side power lately; his pull-rate is above 50% in the second half thus far, including a huge 54.8% mark in August. This has always been his key to success, and it's a good sign that he's rediscovering it now. Despite the team's overall success throughout the year (even as Bregman has struggled), it's clear that the Cubs will need him at the peak of his power if they want to win in the playoffs. As the Cubs get closer to October baseball, Bregman has something that is incredibly difficult to find: an abundance of postseason experience. They have a firm hold of the top National League Wild Card spot and might even be able to make a run at the NL Central title. And after bolstering their pitching staff at the trade deadline with additions such as Kevin Gausman and Ryan Zeferjahn, it’s pretty clear what this team is trying to accomplish. The Cubs want to make a deep postseason run. Bregman knows a thing or two about doing exactly that. The veteran won two World Series championships during his time with the Houston Astros, and he wasn’t simply along for the ride. He was a crucial part of why Houston was able to bring home those championships. During the Astros’ 2017 championship run, Bregman recorded seven extra-base hits across 18 postseason games as a 23-year-old. Then, during Houston’s 2022 run, he posted an impressive .948 OPS throughout the playoffs. That experience matters. That was part of the appeal for Chicago when it signed him. Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer made that clear when discussing the decision to bring Bregman to Chicago during the introductory press conference: “He plays good defense. He makes great contact. He has power. He makes good decisions. On top of that, I think he provides a level of leadership to a team that's ready to win. I think that's really important. He wants to make other guys better. He wants to lead. And I think that there's not a lot of guys like that in the game that want that responsibility.” The Cubs have a roster capable of making a deep postseason run. Their offense has the talent, their pitching staff has been strengthened, and they’ve put themselves in a strong position to secure a playoff spot. What they didn’t necessarily have last year was a player with Bregman’s combination of postseason experience and proven leadership (and no, that's not a shot at Kyle Tucker). Now they do, and Bregman appears to be heating up at exactly the right time. His first half was disappointing, especially considering the expectations that came with his contract. But if this recent stretch is an indication of what’s to come, Chicago could be getting the version of Bregman they expected when they handed him $175 million. View the full article

A few weeks ago, the Twins' bullpen looked like one of the biggest obstacles standing between them and a postseason berth. The front office recognized that reality and addressed it aggressively, adding three veteran relievers to reshape a unit that had carried too much uncertainty throughout the first half. The result is a bullpen that barely resembles the group Minnesota broke camp with in March. Jeff Hoffman, A.J. Minter, and Tommy Nance have joined a relief corps that already featured breakout closer Yoendrys Gómez and emerging right-hander Andrew Morris. Instead of searching for answers every night, manager Derek Shelton now has multiple ways to navigate the game's biggest moments. If Minnesota is going to stay in the playoff race over the final two months, this bullpen has to become one of the club's biggest strengths. Closer: Yoendrys Gómez Gómez earned the right to keep the ninth inning. After arriving in Minnesota, the Twins made subtle mechanical adjustments that unlocked another level for the right-hander. He rewarded them with a 1.93 ERA while stabilizing a bullpen that desperately needed someone capable of finishing games. His 21.0% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate aren't overwhelming, but he consistently made the biggest pitches when the Twins needed them. There are still reasons to wonder how sustainable his production will be. Gómez owns a 4.50 FIP, a 5.24 expected ERA, and opponents have produced a 43.5% hard-hit rate against him. Those numbers suggest he's benefited from some favorable outcomes. That doesn't mean Minnesota should make a change. Closers are often as much about confidence as pure stuff, and Gómez has earned that confidence. If regression comes, the Twins now have another elite option waiting in the wings. Until then, Gómez should continue handling the ninth. Back-Up Closer: Andrew Morris Ironically, the deadline additions may have created an even better role for Morris. Instead of asking him to handle traditional setup duties every night, the Twins can now use him as a versatile weapon capable of entering whenever the game begins to tilt. If a starter exits early, Morris can finish an inning. If the biggest rally comes in the sixth, he can erase it before handing the game to Hoffman or Gomez. That flexibility should only increase his value. Long term, Morris still looks like a potential closer. For now, though, this role allows him to impact games without the pressure of owning one specific inning. It could become the perfect bridge toward eventually handling the ninth himself. Left-Handed Fireman: A.J. Minter Minnesota spent much of the first half searching for a dependable left-handed reliever capable of neutralizing the opposition's biggest bats. Minter checks every box. He arrived from the Mets with a 2.35 ERA over 23 innings, although his 4.01 FIP suggests some regression could follow. Even so, his track record speaks for itself. Left-handed hitters own just a .614 OPS against him during his career, and he has struck out 30.3% of the lefties he's faced. That makes him an ideal fireman. Rather than saving him for a predetermined inning, Minter can be deployed whenever an opponent's toughest left-handed hitters threaten to swing the game. Whether that's escaping a seventh-inning jam or protecting a one-run lead in the eighth, Minter gives Minnesota a matchup weapon it simply didn't possess earlier this season. Right-Handed Fireman: Jeff Hoffman The trade deadline gave Minnesota exactly what every contender wants: another pitcher capable of getting the game's biggest outs. Hoffman's ERA with Toronto over the last two seasons sits north of 4.00, but the underlying metrics paint a completely different picture. His 3.33 expected ERA and .211 expected batting average suggest he has pitched much better than the traditional numbers indicate. Even more impressive is how dominant his arsenal remains. His Chase Rate, Whiff Rate, and strikeout rate all rank among the top two percent of pitchers in baseball. Few relievers miss bats at his level. Keeping Gómez in the closer's role could actually maximize Hoffman's value. Instead of waiting for save situations, Shelton can deploy Hoffman whenever the heart of the opposing lineup is due up. Whether that's the seventh, eighth, or ninth inning becomes irrelevant if he's facing the most dangerous hitters. In Friday's victory, Hoffman faced the heart of the order in the seventh leaving the final two innings for Morris and Gomez. That's often how playoff bullpens operate. Middle-Inning Options: Tommy Nance, Travis Adams, Kody Funderburk, Taylor Rogers Nance technically qualifies as one of Minnesota's deadline additions, even though his acquisition came before the deadline frenzy began. He's not in the same class as Hoffman or Minter, but he doesn't have to be. His job is providing quality innings and protecting the late-inning trio from overuse. That's something the Twins lacked for much of the season. The supporting cast has also started trending in the right direction. Adams, Funderburk, and Rogers all found another gear during July after inconsistent first halves. Their improvements coincided with the bullpen's turnaround. Since July 1, Minnesota ranks 10th in Major League Baseball in bullpen ERA and ninth in Win Probability Added, evidence that the entire relief corps has begun pitching at a much higher level. Reinforcements: Zebby Matthews, Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas The bullpen may not be finished evolving. Matthews, Prielipp, and Rojas all remain part of Minnesota's starting pitching depth, but September often changes priorities. As innings become more valuable and workloads begin to mount, converting one or more of those arms into relief roles could make plenty of sense. We've seen contenders follow that blueprint before. Power stuff often plays even better in one- or two-inning bursts, and all three pitchers have the type of arsenal that could immediately translate to high-leverage relief work. If the Twins reach October, don't be surprised if at least one member of this group becomes another important bullpen piece. A Bullpen Built for the Stretch Run Minnesota didn't just add talent at the trade deadline—it added structure. Gomez remains the closer. Hoffman and Minter give Shelton two legitimate firemen capable of putting out rallies before they become game-changing. Morris can float wherever he's needed most, while Nance and the rest of the middle relief group provide the depth that was missing for much of the first half. No bullpen is ever finished. Injuries happen, workloads pile up, and September always introduces new wrinkles. But compared to the group that left Fort Myers in March, this version is deeper, more experienced, and significantly better equipped for meaningful baseball. If the Twins are still playing in October, this bullpen makeover will be one of the biggest reasons why. What stands out about the new bullpen hierarchy? Leave a comment and start the discussion. View the full article

Blake Burke has more raw power than anyone else in the Brewers' minor league system. That's saying something considering the organization also has Andrew Fischer, Jesús Made, and Eric Bitonti. Burke has crushed his way to a 30 home run season in Biloxi (and 28 stolen bases ?!?) in just 96 games, and his promotion to Triple A is well earned after one of the most dominant months in Southern League history. Brewers player development shared a home run compilation along with Burke's statistics in July, which saw him fall just short of slugging 1.000 (yes, slugging) in the month: The exit velocities tell a story. Ranging from 106 mph to 116 mph, Blake Burke hit the ball hard, often, and was hitting it in the air. Burke is an aggressive swinger, but his contact rate overall is north of 70% this season, which is passable. His in-zone contact rate is around 78%, again a strong enough number to play well at the major league level if he can sustain it. The only concerns with Burke's profile to date are something the Brewers have been tight on, and that's his swing decisions. Burke has chased roughly 35% of pitches outside the strike zone this season, putting him in the bottom 10% of hitters in Double A by chase rate. The problem isn't necessarily that he'll miss every pitch he chases. It's that chasing removes him from counts where he can do the most damage, potentially turning elite raw power into merely above-average game power. Will there be a point where chasing too often limits the power he can produce? Well, if we look at the major league level, there are a bunch of names that have been chasing more than Burke, and some of those names may surprise you. This isn't a one-to-one comparison. Burke is seeing Double-A pitching, while these hitters are doing it against major league arms. But the comparison is still useful because it shows that a high chase rate doesn't automatically make an aggressive hitter unplayable. There are currently 30 hitters that chase more than Burke in the major leagues, and while the chart below that showcases expected Weighted On Base Average (xWOBA) should increase the more a hitter chases, there are some exceptions to this: There are a number of successful hitters who chase above 35% of the time, and some of them are the more exciting players in baseball. If we isolate it to just those who chase above 35% of the time and have an xWOBA over .340, we have Julio Rodriguez, Luis Garcia Jr, Michael Harris II, Alec Burleson, Jac Caglianone, CJ Abrams and Jordan Walker. Yes, they chase, but they offset it by maximizing their aggression inside the strike zone and leveraging that for power. Jac Caglianone is an interesting comparison for Burke. Sitting near or at the top of the league for hard-hit rates, barrel rates, average exit velocities and bat speed, his quality of contact metrics are superb. His chase rate, however, limits him from maximizing that contact into being a true superstar; however, he's doing exactly what he needs to do to maximize his profile. Slugging pitches over the heart of the plate. Caglianone has an expected slugging mark of .718 on pitches over the heart of the plate, ranking 17th in all of baseball (interestingly, Jackson Chourio is 15th). That damage has led him to hit .264/.317/.480 while playing the majority of his games in the pitcher-friendly Kauffman Stadium. So while he chases and strikes out, Caglianone is a prime example of why chase rate isn't necessarily the problem. Ineffective aggression is. Blake Burke's power is not in question. Regardless of the level, if pitchers are attacking him inside the strike zone, he has the kind of raw power Milwaukee hasn't seen from a first-base prospect since Prince Fielder that can damage those baseballs. If he can further develop his swing decisions, the Brewers may have one of the best first basemen in the league. If he can't, there's still a path to being a serviceable, powerful first baseman who steals more bases than Josh Naylor (it's wizardry, honestly). Burke's promotion has come at an interesting time. While there isn't a clear path currently to the major leagues for Burke with Jake Bauers taking the role of an everyday, left-handed first baseman, Bauers is hitting free agency after this year. This move is going to give Burke enough playing time in Nashville to potentially propel himself into that first base conversation for 2027, but it also gives the Brewers coverage. There are three potential, if unlikely, routes to seeing Blake Burke in Milwaukee this season. Jake Bauers is playing with a broken toe at the moment, and while he's playing through it using pain management and performing well, the toe is an interesting injury. It absorbs a lot of the ground force that hitters use to create torque from their legs, and it's not inconceivable the Brewers would want to give Bauers some time off down the stretch. It also provides some DH cover should Christian Yelich get injured, which hasn't been uncommon in past seasons. Finally, the rosters expand in September, allowing one extra hitter and one extra pitcher to join the team. The Brewers aren't in need of another position player without versatility, but Burke has a month of games to show he can be a force in a bench bat role. While this is likely a move for next season, it does give the Brewers some options in terms of injury cover, or even expanded roster cover in September, if Burke hits the ground running. It's worth continuing to monitor the chase rates with publicly available statcast data, but even if they stay steady, that doesn't mean Burke won't be successful at the highest level. View the full article

Two strikes should put the hitter on the defensive, but against the Kansas City bullpen, the exact opposite happens. The issue isn't getting ahead; it's finding the pitch to finish the plate appearance. A drop in secondary pitch effectiveness has completely eliminated the uncertainty in the batter's box. Without a breaking or offspeed offering that threatens the zone, hitters get comfortable, extend at-bats, and drive the ball hard—wiping out late-inning leads in the process. The numbers don't lie about the collapse: the Royals bullpen sits at the bottom of Major League Baseball with a disastrous -3.5 WAR and the lowest xERA (4.93) in the American League. They surrender 1.49 home runs per nine innings—the highest rate in MLB—while opponents punish them with a 40.4% hard-hit rate. This isn't a temporary slump limited to a couple of arms; it's a structural flaw in how the unit attempts to close out games. A year ago, a breaking pitch below the zone forced hitters to make split-second decisions. Today, they lay off with ease because they know the next pitch will have to come over the plate. Lucas Erceg's case illustrates it perfectly. Armed with a fastball that averages 97.2 mph, Erceg should freeze hitters when he's ahead in the count. Instead, his changeup has turned into a non-threat, yielding an astronomical 1.000 slugging percentage without generating a single strikeout. That means that, in that situation, the hitter can forget about emergency contact and most of the time look to do maximum damage against the changeup. That ineffective changeup disrupted his entire sequence. With one fewer variable to worry about, opposing batters no longer need to cover the bottom edge and can gear up early for the heater. The result is a damning .387 wOBA on Erceg's two-strike fastball. The velocity is still there. The deception is gone. John Schreiber, the most trusted and heavily used arm in the corps, reflects the very same issue. On paper, his 3.64 ERA (which drops to a microscopic 1.11 at home) masks the underlying damage. But when Schreiber gets ahead in the count and goes for his put-away pitch outside the zone, he loses command of the edges. The result has been so alarming that hitters have raised their meatball swing percentage to 83%, the highest mark of any season in his career with at least 700 pitches. Matt Strahm tells a similar tale. His slider lost its bite on the corners, allowing hitters to spit on it and sit dead-red on a fastball he is forced to throw for strikes—a pitch they are crushing to a .526 slugging percentage. Nick Mears represents the most extreme case. Every single home run he has surrendered would have left all 30 ballparks. Alex Lange and Eli Morgan exhibit the same trend, albeit on a smaller scale. Home runs aren't the problem. They are the visible consequence of everything that happened before. To save the final third of the game, Kansas City has had to turn to arms capable of dictating the pace of the matchup again through the quality of their secondary offerings. Enter Daniel Lynch IV and Steven Cruz, two relievers who regained control of plate appearances in different ways. While others try to impose themselves with the fastball, Lynch forces hitters to account for more than one possibility. Riding a sinker that holds opponents to a .140 average and a slider generating a 44.1% whiff rate, Lynch doesn't need dazzling velocity to survive because he keeps hitters off balance. In his game plan, that uncertainty has been worth more this year than a couple of extra miles per hour. Cruz, for his part, regained control by adding a cutter that forced opponents to account for two different speeds. Holding opponents to a .149 average with that pitch, his 98.6 mph fastball is making an impact again: hitters have to think twice before starting their swing. That is the flaw exposing this bullpen. Surrendering 1.53 home runs per nine innings alongside a 40.6% hard-hit rate is the consequence of running out of put-away pitches. The moment a hitter realizes the secondary pitch is no longer a threat, the at-bat no longer belongs to the pitcher. View the full article

The New York Mets’ season has been a mess on all levels, but there are certainly some positives to take away from the disappointing 2026 campaign. One of them is, without a doubt, Carson Benge’s continued growth as a player. A few months ago, on April 9, we were all discussing Benge’s rough start. His batting average started with a zero, and his slugging percentage was below .200. No, that’s not a typo. It was tough to watch at times. Fast-forward to mid-August, and the guy has completely turned his season around. He has become an outfield cornerstone, a highly productive young player with a 109 wRC+, a healthy .272/.332/.412 line, 13 home runs, 18 stolen bases, and 60 runs scored in a highly dysfunctional offensive environment. The Game Has Slowed Down For Carson Benge The game has finally slowed down for Benge, and that has been the case for a while. Take, for example, his performance between June 1 and August 7: .279/.335/.455, nine home runs, eight stolen bases, six doubles, three triples, and a 120 wRC+ in 242 plate appearances. The situation improves even more if we focus on his offensive play since the start of July: 296/.358/.472, four home runs, six stolen bases, five doubles, and a 132 wRC+ in 120 plate appearances. What we see over these two separate samples is continued evolution in nearly all hitting departments: bat-to-ball skills, power, and on-base ability. Benge only played 32 games in Double-A and 24 in Triple-A last year. That’s the extent of his upper-minors experience. It was logical to assume that there would be an adjustment period over his first few weeks of exposure to MLB pitching. The Mets remained patient, and that patience is now paying off. Benge Is A True All-Around Star Benge is, quietly, one of the most complete young players in MLB. Not only is he among the leaders in xwOBA, ranking in the 71st percentile, but he also ranks in the 92nd percentile in Baserunning Run Value. Benge’s range in the outfield isn’t the best, but he more than makes up for it with a strong and accurate arm, one of the best in baseball. In fact. he rank in the 98th percentile in Arm Strength and is in the 96th percentile in Arm Value (3). He is also very fast, ranking in the 82nd percentile in sprint speed. As you can see, Benge has turned into quite a solid ballplayer. He does almost everything well on a baseball field, and the best news is that he’s only 23. The Mets and their fans have every reason to believe he can hit another gear in his development. We are already witnessing it, and the sky is the limit for him. There aren’t really many reasons for the Mets and their fans to be excited about the 2026 campaign, but Benge is definitely one of them. He represents the future of the organization, one in which he could potentially compete for some of the most prestigious individual awards. Juan Soto and Francisco Lindor provide the floor, but the 2027 Mets could go as far as Benge wills them. View the full article

There is something strange about Erik Miller's numbers. Right-handed hitters have trouble making contact against him. When they do, the ball leaves the bat at just 83.1 mph on average. Miller also generates a 35.6% whiff rate against them. And yet, one out of every five right-handed hitters he faces ends up reaching first base on a walk. How can a reliever have enough stuff to dominate a plate appearance while giving the hitter so many chances not to face him? I think that's the reason the Boston Red Sox bet on him at the trade deadline. Miller still has the tools that made him attractive in San Francisco. His sinker averages 96.9 mph and carries enough movement to attack a hitter's hands. Against left-handed hitters, the results are even more striking: a 34.8% strikeout rate, a 34.3% whiff rate and an average exit velocity of just 80.5 mph. When they do put the ball in play, 60.5% of that contact becomes a groundball. He just needs to find the same groove against righties. Earlier in his career, Miller relied much more heavily on his four-seam fastball (49.7% usage in 2024). In 2026, San Francisco transformed his arsenal: The four-seamer fell to a 9.0% usage rate, while the sinker climbed to 45.0% and the slider to 40.7%. The change makes sense. The sinker allows Miller to attack with velocity and downward movement, while the 86-mph slider gives him another look capable of generating swings and misses. In fact, it has produced an impressive 53.3% whiff rate. Left-handed hitters are obviously the ones directly punished by this pitch mix. A hard fastball that moves in and a sweeping breaker that runs away is a tough combination to deal with, and makes guessing at the plate the only real path toward success. Against a right-handed hitter, that equation changes. The slider no longer moves away from the hitter. It moves toward the plate, while the sinker retains its downward movement and runs toward the hitter's side. Miller still has two pitches capable of producing the result he wants. The key is getting the hitter to choose between them. That is where the problem emerges. Miller is getting the ball into the strike zone too infrequently against right-handed hitters. His Zone% falls to 36.9%. That allows the hitter to change the objective of the at-bat: Instead of deciding which pitch to attack, he can wait for Miller to find the strike he considers perfect enough to swing at. The numbers suggest the problem isn't that right-handed hitters have figured out how to hit his pitches. Miller still generates whiffs and keeps exit velocity down when they make contact. The problem is that he isn't always forcing them to make a decision. And that can change an entire plate appearance. A pitcher with a 96.9-mph sinker and a 115 Stuff+ can live with some contact in the zone if that contact looks like the kind Miller is already producing. A weak groundball can be a way of winning the at-bat. The problem comes when the search for the perfect pitch turns an advantage in stuff into an inability to throw strikes. That is where the Red Sox can make a difference. Andrew Bailey doesn't have to rebuild Miller's arsenal. But he does have to get the left-hander comfortable trusting what is already there. If the sinker can produce weak contact in the zone, the strike doesn't have to be perfect to be useful. And that could change the at-bat from the first pitch. That also helps explain why Miller's profile makes sense in Boston. His sinker has already produced a 53.3% groundball rate, and a reliever who can keep the ball on the ground can have a useful weapon at Fenway Park. But that advantage only exists if Miller allows his pitches to do their work in the strike zone. That is what makes this gamble so interesting. The tools are already there; the question is whether the Red Sox can turn them into a more complete weapon against hitters from both sides of the plate. If they do, the payoff will be huge, perhaps altering the outlook of the bullpen both now and in the future. View the full article