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The Toronto Blue Jays have made their first major deadline move, sending veteran starter Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for outfielder Brett Bateman and infielder Ty Southisene. The move gives the Cubs additional rotation help for their stretch run, and for the Blue Jays, it’s a sign that they will likely be moving away from expiring contracts as they look to re-tool their roster for 2027. More to come. View the full article

Sweet Lou, Comrade Cody, and Ol Gregg react to the Twins' first two trades at the 2026 deadline. What more they could pursue, big names they should chase, and the return of Immaculate Gregg. Listen using Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-twins-off-daily-podcast/id1741266056 Listen using Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4tb78XlurcPTYYSsARdbD7 Listen using iHeartRadio: https://www.iheart.com/podcast/263-the-twins-off-daily-podcas-167548600/ Listen using Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/nvclbt0w Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@twinsdaily View the full article

The Royals placed RHP Luinder Avila on the 15-day injured list with right forearm tightness. He was taken out after 2 2/3 innings in Saturday's 12-6 loss to the Colorado Rockies. Avila has struggled at points this year. In 21 appearances (12 starts), he has a 5.53 ERA with a better 4.54 FIP. He's recorded 60 strikeouts and 42 walks in 70 innings pitched at the major league level this year. To replace Avila on the active roster, the Royals selected the contract of LHP Aaron Bummer from Triple-A. Bummer made 4 appearances, throwing 4 1/3 innings and recording seven strikeouts in that brief stint with the Storm Chasers. Earlier this year, Bummer pitched in 19 games for the Atlanta Braves before being designated for assignment, struggling to a 7.63 ERA over 15 1/3 innings. He also pitched with the Cubs Triple-A team prior to signing a minor league contract with the Royals on July 20. View the full article

Needing a starting pitcher who offers a blend of durability, experience and the ability to miss bats, the Cubs hit the sweet spot with a trade for Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman, a source familiar with negotiation said Sunday night. Ken Rosenthal and Mitch Bannon of The Athletic were first with the news, on Twitter. More to come. View the full article

The Weekly Nutshell: No shortage of action or excitement in the final week before the trade deadline. On the field, the Twins battled through a string of tightly contested ballgames — including one of the most thrilling and improbable victories in franchise history — to finish with a 3-3 record, while the front office made multiple significant trades to shake up its increasingly depleted pitching staff. The trade deadline looms on Monday, and the Twins find themselves in a fascinating position, teetering on the brink of contention with dueling motivations to buy and sell. Let's break it all down heading into a pivotal week for the organization and its newly embedded leadership structure. Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 7/27 through Sun, 8/2 *** Record Last Week: 3-3 (Overall: 56-57) Run Differential Last Week: +1 (Overall: -29) Standing: 3rd Place in AL Central (4.0 GB); 1.0 games out of WC Latest Game Results Game 108 | MIN 3, KC 2: Lewis Delivers Clutch Walk-Off Hit with Two Outs in the Ninth Bradley: 6 IP, 2 ER, 3 H, 3 BB, 10 K Game 109 | KC 4, MIN 0: Dobnak Outpitches Ryan as Slumping Offense Can't Find Life Twins offense: 5-32, 1 XBH Game 110 | MIN 4, KC 3: Clemens Caps Stunning 9th-Inning Rally with Walk-Off Grand Slam Clemens: 1-4, HR, 4 RBI Game 111 | MIN 5, SEA 3: Another Late Burst from Offense Leads to Series-Opening Victory Keaschall: 2-3, RBI Game 112 | SEA 4, MIN 3: Close Game Ends in M's Walk-Off on Lewis Braine Freeze at First Prielipp: 5.1 IP, 3 ER, 4 H, 4 BB, 5 K Game 113 | SEA 7, MIN 6: Another Late Comeback Falls Short as Emerson Walks Off Gómez Gómez: 0.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, L NEWS & NOTES The Twins got their deadline shopping started in early July with a relatively minor trade to acquire Tommy Nance from the Blue Jays. Last week, Minnesota's front office made its first real splashes, trading two prospects to the Mets in exchange for veteran lefty reliever A.J. Minter, and then following by sending a teenaged outfielder to Baltimore for starter Dean Kremer. The Minter trade came first, on Thursday night. Described by Jeff Passan as "one of the top relievers on the market," Minter is a legit addition to the late-inning mix, with plenty of experience in high leverage and in the postseason. He serves as an apt replacement for Anthony Banda, who went down with a season-ending injury at the end of June. Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani, the two minor-leaguers given up by Minnesota in the deal, are solid prospects but not ones ranking near the top tier of the system. A fairly emphatic, yet responsible, buy move. The Kremer trade was a bit less straightforward, and a bit less favorable on the surface. The right-hander is much more of a floor-raising addition versus a ceiling-lifter. He's the definition of a back-end starter: 30 years old, 4.37 career ERA, generally worth about 1.5 fWAR per season. He missed most of the first half this year with an injury and has struggled to a 6.50 ERA when on the mound, so it's a little surprising the Twins had to give up a prospect as interesting as Jhomnardo Reyes, but ultimately the team decided the price of a low-minors lotto ticket was worth adding veteran stability to their staff, which has been thinned out substantially. I get it. Kremer is under team control for 2027 as well. Interestingly, it was Zebby Matthews optioned to the minors to make room. He hasn't pitched all that well this year, with a 5.22 ERA in 14 starts, but still I would expect it's a temporary arrangement. Shifting him into a bullpen role might help unlock his greatest impact, if the team is willing to accept the starting depth trade-off. Between the Minter and Kremer trades, Minnesota's front office added some reinforcements to their pitching group with maybe more to come. But one pitcher who will not be helping their cause down the stretch is Cole Sands. He made one extremely rough appearance off the injured list, then went back on the IL, and now will miss the rest of the season following arthroscopic elbow surgery. It'll go down as a lost year for the right-hander, who had a real opportunity to assert himself within a wide-open bullpen mix, but now he'll hope to come back healthy next year and get his career on track. Jack Anderson rejoined the bullpen in place of Sands, pitching one shutout inning before being swapped out to make room for Kremer. Byron Buxton also landed back on the IL after a brief return to action in which he never looked quite right. Buxton went 4-for-25 (.160) with no extra-base hits before exiting Tuesday's game with another flare-up of his chronic hip issue. He received an injection that the Twins are hoping can provide lasting relief, but it's really hard to feel confident in his availability — at least at anything resembling 100% — for the rest of this season. For now, infielder Tristan Gray is back on the roster to fill Buxton's vacancy. Rounding out the roster churn: Mike Paredes went on the 60-day IL, ending his season. Cody Laweryson was designated for assignment. Garrett Acton was activated from the injured list and optioned to Triple-A. HIGHLIGHTS What a run it's been for Kody Clemens with the Twins. In 210 games since being acquired as essentially a waiver claim in April of 2025, Clemens has hit 38 homers and driven in 105 runs. He's had a lot of big hits and big moments, delivering plenty of value with his consistent power, defensive versatility and clubhouse vibe. His Twins career reached a new pinnacle on Thursday, when Clemens capped one of the most improbable comebacks in franchise history with a walk-off grand slam against the Royals. The Twins had been no-hit through six innings, and were down 3-0 with two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the ninth before scratching together three baserunners to set up Clemens' surreal game-winning blast. He was down to his last strike, trailing 0-2 in the count against a left-handed reliever, when he got a hanging breaking ball and drove it over the wall in right field to turn one of the worst losses of the season into the most exhilarating win. Matt Strahm would love to have that pitch back. Two days earlier, Royce Lewis came through with a clutch highlight of his own, grasping victory from the jaws of defeat with a two-run triple off the wall in the right center. This one also came with the Twins down to their last out, flipping the outcome on a game that was ready to go down as one of the season's most disappointing. On Sunday, Lewis ripped a three-run homer to fuel a comeback that fell just short in the finale at T-Mobile Park. He's been sporadic, but the big-moment theatrics are certainly here. In what might have been his final week as a Twin, Ryan Jeffers was customarily very good, notching five hits including a homer in 18 at-bats, with two walks and just one strikeout. Since coming back from injury, he's done everything he can to prop up his value in the eyes of trade suitors ... but also to the Twins, who are routinely using him as their No. 2 or 3 hitter. Trading Jeffers while trying to get better and make a push would be a tricky needle to thread. For the front office, the primary area of focus in trades has been supplementing the bullpen. They've said as much openly, and they've also made it clear through their actions, acquiring Nance and Minter with seemingly at least one more move yet to come. The bullpen is a logical area to target for improvement, in the big picture, but also an ironic one considering that relief pitching has — at times — been the biggest strength of this team. That was the case this past week. Those dramatic walk-off wins at home don't happen if the bullpen isn't nearly flawless to keep Kansas City's leads from expanding. Twins relievers combined for nine shutout innings against the Royals. The Minnesota bullpen was also mostly nails in Seattle, holding the Mariners scoreless over four innings in Friday's two-run win and only surrendering the walk-off on a defensive miscue in the ninth on Saturday. The unit finally showed some cracks on Sunday, but before that it was nearly a perfect week. Really strong performance all around on the relief front. Kody Funderburk tossed three hitless innings with one walk and four strikeouts. He has a 0.75 ERA and 12-to-3 K/BB ratio in 12 innings since the start of July. Minter recorded an out on one pitch in his Twins debut on Saturday, then fired a scoreless frame on Sunday. Taylor Rogers, Travis Adams and Nance all appeared multiple times without allowing a run. The relievers haven't been effective overall this season, but you've gotta give the Minnesota bullpen credit for largely coming through when it counts. They've climbed up near the middle of the pack in Win Probability Added (17th in MLB) despite ranking 26th in ERA, thanks to finishing fourth among all teams in WPA in the month of July. The role of the relief corps in keeping this season afloat and putting the Twins in position to buy should not be overlooked. LOWLIGHTS What also shouldn't be overlooked, in light of the thrilling finishes to Tuesday's and Thursday's games, is how bad the offense been, putting Minnesota on the verge of deflating losses in those games before Lewis and Clemens came through with heroic swings. The Twins were held to one run with out remaining in the series opener against Kansas City. They were shut out on Wednesday behind seven scoreless innings from Randy Dobnak. And on Thursday the Twins were on their way to another shutout loss before their miraculous surge with two outs in the ninth. All of the bullpen additions in the world aren't going to make a difference if this lineup can't rediscover some life. That's easier said than done. Their best hitter, Buxton, is down again indefinitely. Who knows what we can expect from him the rest of the way. The team's two best healthy hitters, Jeffers and Trevor Larnach, are both generating buzz as trade candidates. (Larnach was reportedly very close to being shipped to Houston, in a deal that was nixed by Astros owner Jim Crane at the last minute.) Meanwhile, Alan Roden continues to spin his wheels — he went 2-for-9 last week and is still searching for his first extra-base hit. Victor Caratini is off to an 0-for-5 start in August after posting a .526 OPS in July. Josh Bell had four singles and a double in 19 at-bats and is experiencing a power outage, with no homers since July 4th. An offense carried by All-Star production from Buxton was one of the strengths that put Minnesota in a meaningful spot entering this deadline window. Can they count on that in the final two months? It's unclear. And unfortunately this uncertainty also applies to their other All-Star, Joe Ryan, whose shakiness atop the rotation leaves that unit in some doubt. After giving up six home runs in one of his worst starts ever the previous week, Ryan took a few extra days of rest in between turns, complaining of arm fatigue. He took the mound again on Wednesday against the Royals and looked better, but still not himself. The righty allowed four earned runs on eight hits over six innings, striking out only four against a team he has thoroughly dominated throughout his career. It was far from a disastrous performance, differentiating it from the one before, but Ryan's post-game quotes hardly inspired confidence that he's feeling right or figuring things out. Without Buxton and Ryan on top of their games in August and September, does anything else matter? TRENDING STORYLINE The trade deadline falls at 5:00 PM CT on Monday, and the Twins are expected to be actively involved up until the clock strikes. That was the case last year too, but then, the front office was busy conducting an all-out firesale. They weren't buying. This time around, they've already begun trekking down the buyer aisle, yet the coming day could bring anything as the team navigates unique circumstances. Larnach has been the regular leadoff hitter in a lineup that's scuffling of late. Trading him seems an odd choice through that lens, but the Twins have made clear they are willing to do so in the right deal. It would potentially open the door for someone like Walker Jenkins to enter the fold for the stretch run. Jeffers, too, seems a strange trade candidate as Minnesota's best healthy hitter, but the logic in trying to recoup value for an impending free agent can't be ignored. The Yankees are among clubs known to be in hot pursuit of MLB's best-hitting catcher. The likelihood of a Ryan trade has dropped sharply as he battles through physical issues and grapples with a history of second half drop-offs, but you can't rule out the possibility that an ambitious contender comes at the Twins with an offer they can't refuse, especially with top prize Tarik Skubal now off the market. Of course, while the three bullets above wouldn't indicate it, the Twins do fancy themselves buyers, and we can't rule out an additive move that is bolder than any of the above. Tom Pohlad is looking to put his stamp on this operation and give something fans to believe in. He's already taken baby steps by green-lighting a rare level of salary intake. Will he take things a step further? I'm intrigued to see what goes down on Monday. LOOKING AHEAD Following Monday's trade deadline, the Twins will head to Kansas City for a quick-turn rematch against the Royals. Assuming Ryan is still here, he's in line for another match-up against Dobnak as the lineup looks to redeem itself against him and Noah Cameron (who no-hit them through six innings on Thursday). Next weekend will feature one of the toughest remaining series on the schedule: three games in Milwaukee against a Brewers team that is neck-and-neck with Los Angeles for the best record in baseball, and 16 games above .500 in their home park. The Twins are slated to face phenom Jacob Misiorowski in Game 1 of that series. TUESDAY, AUGUST 4: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Randy Dobnak WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Bailey Ober v. LHP Noah Cameron THURSDAY, AUGUST 6: TWINS @ ROYALS — RHP Zebby Matthews v. RHP Michael Wacha FRIDAY, AUGUST 7: TWINS @ BREWERS — LHP Connor Prielipp v. RHP Jacob Misiorowski SATURDAY, AUGUST 8: TWINS @ BREWERS — RHP Taj Bradley v. RHP Brandon Sproat SUNDAY, AUGUST 9: TWINS @ BREWERS — RHP Joe Ryan v. RHP Logan Henderson View the full article

Box Score: Starting Pitcher: Taj Bradley: 6 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 K (94 Pitches, 57 Strikes, 60.6%) Home Runs: Trevor Larnach (10), Royce Lewis (12), Luke Keaschall (6) Bottom 3 WPA: Yoendrys Gomez (-0.38), Kody Clemens (-0.17), Brooks Lee (-0.14) Win Probability Chart (Via BaseballSavant): A lot has been happening in Twins world lately. The front office signaled they would be buyers at the trade deadline; the team got above .500 for the first time since April; and they acquired two veteran pitchers to back up the talk from ownership. They split the first two games against the scuffling Mariners in Seattle and looked to keep winning series, with Taj Bradley on the mound opposing George Kirby. Bradley was a little wobbly with his command, and for the third straight game, the Mariners jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. Cole Young singled, Randy Arozarena walked, and Josh Naylor doubled them both home with two outs. Bradley did settle down from there, relying more on his cutter as the outing progressed. Kirby was pounding the strike zone (as usual), and outside of a few deep fly balls, he was able to keep the Twins in check. They managed three singles in the second, but Brooks Lee lined into a double play with Royce Lewis getting doubled off of first. The teams traded zeroes from there, with Kirby throwing the kitchen sink at the Twins (getting outs on six separate pitches), and Bradley pitching around traffic but navigating the Mariners lineup to great effect. That would end in the sixth. With two outs, Colt Emerson singled, followed by a walk to the .130-hitting Leo Rivas. Cole Young then delivered his third hit of the game, a grounder up the middle that scored Rivas and gave the M's a crucial insurance run. With four walks and only two strikeouts, it ended up being one of his poorer outings in recent memory. Kendry Rojas took over for the seventh, and it didn't go great. He allowed a swinging bunt to Dominic Canzone, followed by a walk to Julio Rodríguez. After retiring Naylor (and looking pretty good in doing so), Rojas got ahead of Cal Raleigh 0-2. He then hung a slider above the zone, which Raleigh walloped for a three-run, game-breaking home run. Larnach homered off of Eduard Bazardo following Ryan Kreidler reaching on an error in the eighth. Josh Bell then doubled, prompting the Mariners to insert lefty Jose A. Ferrer. Kody Clemens singled off Ferrer's glove, and Lewis then crushed a sinker 402 feet to bring the game to within one. A.J. Minter was called upon for the eighth, and quickly allowed a line out, a squib single from Young and a sharper single from Arozarena. He was hitting 95 MPH on his fastball and didn't allow too many hittable pitches, however. He ended up striking out Rodríguez on a cutter to end the frame. Andres Muñoz was called upon to close out the game, and he brought in a career 4.91 ERA against the Twins. it didn't take long for that figure to rise. Keaschall jumped on the second pitch of the at-bat and launched a fastball the other way for a game-tying home run. Larnach then singled with one out, and Ryan Jeffers walked. Bell and Clemens were unable to cash in, though. Yonedrys Gómez got the ninth and allowed singles to Naylor and Victor Robles around a strikeout to Raleigh. Emerson then got a far-too-hittable pitch behind in the count and roped the game-winning single down the right field line. Stuff I'm Tracking: Lewis has a hit in eight straight games and has looked less hopeless than a few weeks ago. His eighth-inning homer was key, of course, but he also nearly homered off of Kirby in the fourth after singling in the first. Trevor Larnach got carved up by Kirby three times, striking out feebly in the fifth to end the frame. He showed some frustration at that point, perhaps indicating some angst over being reportedly traded to the Astros on Friday. However, if you told Aaron Gleeman a few months ago that the Twins could acquire Bryan Abreu for just Larnach, his entire worldview would have fallen apart—confidence shattered—and he would have stayed with The Athletic, writing about baseball nationally. I don't love the Mariners' offensive approach, with a lot of chase and a lot of focus on getting off their "A" swings. You see how they got to the ALCS with Cal Raleigh hitting like Aaron Judge, but now that he's human and Julio Rodríguez more often looks like Harrison Bader than Mickey Mantle, it's hard to see the vision here. What’s Next: The Twins have an off day to (ahem) enjoy the trade deadline. They will travel to Kansas City to start a three-game set with the Royals starting Tuesday. Joe Ryan will have a rematch with Randy Dobnak in the series opener. Postgame Interviews: Coming Soon Bullpen Usage Chart: WED THU FRI SAT SUN TOT Rojas 52 0 0 0 24 76 Gomez 0 21 25 0 19 65 Rogers 0 27 0 14 0 41 Morris 0 12 6 12 0 30 Nance 0 0 11 16 0 27 Funderburk 0 0 19 3 0 22 Minter 0 0 0 1 19 20 Adams 0 0 0 11 0 11 View the full article

Jed Hoyer’s reputation as a prospect-hoarding cheapskate is a bit overblown. He’ll take big swings when the chance arises and the numbers support his decision. What he is guilty of, perhaps, is letting value and circumstance rule him, rather than finding conviction in a particular evaluation. That might be a major factor in what the Cubs decide to do over the final 23 hours before the trade deadline. Tarik Skubal is a Dodger. FanGraphs now gives them a 30.4% chance of winning the World Series. In projections, that’s as close to a sure thing as you can reasonably build. Obviously, it's still a mile from being an actual sure thing. Even the chances of the Dodgers winning the pennant (44.3%) aren't prohibitive, and that's the number the Cubs have to worry about, anyway. Still, if this wasn't an all-in juggernaut before, it is now. Hoyer has built a team with one player performing as a superstar and a pitching staff beset by injuries. The defense is, of course, its own star, ruining the experience of watching lesser teams fumble the ball around on routine plays. The Cubs are good. But the numbers will never catch up to what the Dodgers have assembled. So what will the Cubs do? Find a cheap retread and hope he clicks, like they've done with David Peterson? Go for some relievers? Do nothing, counting on injury returns like Hoby Milner and Edward Cabrera to function as deadline acquisitions? No matter what Hoyer does, though, the Cubs will be heavy underdogs against the Dodgers. Going by odds of winning the pennant, Chicago (8.4%) also looks overmatched against Milwaukee (16.7%) and the team from outside Atlanta (13.5%). If he is to make fans happy and make a big splash, Hoyer will have to go against his history and his instincts. Hoyer talked about obtaining a first-round bye, the possibility of which would justify a heavy investment at the deadline. They aren’t likely to do that; they'd have to catch Milwaukee to do so. By the numbers, the opportunity he talked about wanting to see just isn't there. So where are we? Are the Cubs, as long rumored, happy to just make the playoffs and let it shake out? Or are they going to try to win the darn thing, 10 short years after the last one? Will they let the numbers intimidate them, or will they acknowledge that their odds will only be a dice-roll and roll those dice anyway? One answer, of course, could be to reject the premise of the numbers and say that there's more to chase in a baseball season than a title, anyway—that the real failure is a failure to become one's best self, without regard for who or what anyone else is. That would be a very un-Hoyer-like way to do business, though. Hoyer’s actions tonight and tomorrow will tell us a lot about his mindset. We wait with bated breath to see if his slavish devotion to projections extends further than anticipated. View the full article

NEW YORK — It's extremely rare, if not unprecedented, that in a game featuring a scoreless start by Sandy Alcantara, he wasn't the Miami Marlins' most valuable pitcher. On Sunday, that title belonged to Michael Petersen. The journeyman right-hander put out a blazing fire in the bottom of the seventh inning, preserving Alcantara's shutout and earning his team-leading 18th hold of the season in a 2-0 win over the New York Mets. Marlins manager Clayton McCullough called upon Petersen with runners on second and third and his club clinging to a 1-0 advantage. In that moment, the Mets had an estimated win probability of 65%, per Baseball Savant. Petersen issued a walk to Marcus Semien to load the bases, but then struck out Jorge Polanco and Francisco Alvarez, escaping the jam on an A.J. Ewing groundout. The Mets' win probability plunged to 25% after coming up empty. "Great decision by the manager out there," Alcantara said postgame. "Bring in the best guy [for] the best moment." "As he's continued to get these types of opportunities, we have seen (Petersen) really grow," McCullough said. "He's a very confident pitcher with good stuff...Not surprised that Mike is getting these type of outs for us." Petersen has performed well overall in his first year as a full-time big leaguer (3.13 ERA and 3.25 FIP in 46.0 IP), but he shines especially brightly when inheriting baserunners. Only two of the 22 runners left behind for him by fellow Marlins pitchers have come home. Petersen takes that responsibility very seriously. “There's not a worse feeling than coming in with someone else's runner in and cashing it," Petersen said. "Those guys are, in my mind, winning the World Series if they come through. My own score, I pitch like crap, that's on me. But when someone's been grinding and you come in and blow that, you feel like an *******. So I try really hard not to do that." Interestingly enough, Petersen did not make a single appearance with inherited runners until May 15. McCullough explained that the right-hander's usage changed through a combination of his own success and the losses of various relievers due to injuries, a few of whom (such as Anthony Bender and Andrew Nardi) are still on the IL. Safe to say, Petersen will remain in a prominent role as long as he continues to be a reliable out-getter. Petersen's outing was so stressful because the Marlins offense barely provided any support. They were held scoreless until Joe Mack's fifth-inning home run. Xavier Edwards drove in their only other run with an RBI single in the ninth. Alcantara is on the verge of setting yet another Marlins franchise record. By recording at least seven outs in his next start, he'll surpass Ricky Nolasco in career innings pitched (Nolasco had 1,225.2 IP). And now we wait. As Marlins players and coaches rest on Monday, front office staffers will be doing the exact opposite, discussing a wide variety of potential moves in advance of the 6:00 p.m. ET trade deadline. View the full article

There is no secret that San Diego Padres left-handed reliever Adrian Morejon is one of the most coveted names on the trade market as Monday's 3 p.m. PT deadline approaches. The names of the teams interested should tell you all you need to know. While long associated with the Chicago Cubs, you can add the New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates to that list, according to a report Sunday by MLB insider Francys Romero. Morejon has boosted his value this year with an increase in fastball velocity by a few ticks up to 99.4 mph. A pending free agent who would be a big late-inning addition to any bullpen, including possibly as a closer, Morejon has been expected to bring back a decent package even as a rental, potentially a young controllable starter. View the full article

The second piece of the New York Mets’ 2026 sell-off is out the door, as right-hander Freddy Peralta moves to the Tampa Bay Rays. As with all the deals team president David Stearns will make between now and the 6 p.m. ET Monday trade deadline, prospects comprise the return. In this deal, Stearns has plucked two who appear to fit the profile that he favors. In exchange for seven weeks of Peralta, the Mets on Sunday acquired three minor leaguers: outfielder Aidan Smith, right-hander Gary Gill Hill and infielder Emilien Pitre. None of them were ranked in MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100 or Rays Top 10. Smith was ranked highest at 15th among Rays prospects, followed by Hill at 26th and Pitre at 27th. So, what will each player bring to the Mets’ organization? A quick rundown: Aidan Smith Smith, 22, has not advanced past Single-A in his five pro seasons since being drafted by the Seattle Mariners out of a Texas high school in 2023. This year, the 6-1, 190-pound center fielder settled at High-A Bowling Green, where he put together a .215/.283/.410 slash line with 10 home runs in 228 plate appearances. Prospect Savant puts his hard-hit percentage in the 83rd percentile and his barrel rate in the 76th percentile among High-A hitters. But while he hits the ball hard, he doesn’t hit it enough. Strikeouts are a real problem (32.0 percent K rate at Bowling Green, 27.9 percent for his career). His walk rate is in the 43rd percentile. Speed is not a problem, however. He had back-to-back seasons of 41 stolen bases in 2023 and 2024. A hamstring injury delayed his 2026 season debut to early May, one reason he’s at 16 steals in early August. Smith is on his third organization since being drafted. The Mariners sent him to the Rays in the Randy Arozarena trade in July 2024. Now, he’s headed to the Mets, where he brings the type of athleticism Stearns desires. Gary Gill Hill Hill, 21, is a local kid; he went to John F. Kennedy Prep in Somers, N.Y., in Westchester County. The Rays took him out of that school in the sixth round of the 2022 draft. He has advanced to Double-A Montgomery in his fourth pro season, working a regular turn for the Biscuits. His overall numbers there were underwhelming: a 1.39 WHIP, a 17.7 strikeout rate, a 2.9 percent home run rate, and a .305 opponents’ batting average. On the plus side, some of the peripherals are, well, plus. He stays in the zone, as evidenced by his 4.1 percent walk rate (96th percentile among Double-A hurlers) and near-the-top ranks in strike percentage (95th percentile) and zone percentage (96th percentile). In fact, he has almost as many walks (14) as homers allowed (10) at Montgomery. Also, his ground ball rate is in the 76th percentile. Hill also has international experience after pitching twice for Great Britain in this year’s World Baseball Classic. Emilien Pitre Pitre, 23, was the Rays’ second-round pick in the 2024 draft out of the University of Kentucky by way of Canada (he’s a Quebec native). He is primarily a second baseman, with 26 games of experience at shortstop. He has been excellent at the dish since his promotion to Double-A in mid-June: a .323/.451/.492 slash line (152 wRC+) in 163 plate appearances for Montgomery. The power isn’t quite there (three home runs, 14 extra-base hits total), but the speed sure is (11 steals, although in 18 attempts). Again, that’s something Stearns covets. And, his bat-to-ball skills are off the charts: 70 walks to 40 strikeouts in 384 PAs between two levels this season, and a 30:17 ratio at Double-A. His K and whiff rates are in the 98th percentile among Double-A hitters, his walk rate is in the 94th percentile, and his Z-contact rate is in the 95th percentile. It all adds up to a .418 wOBA with the Biscuits. The 5-11, 185-pound Pitre seems to fit exactly the “Brewers East” mold Stearns seems to have cast as Mets POBO. View the full article

The Toronto Blue Jays have acquired Jameson Taillon from the Chicago Cubs for cash considerations on Sunday, August 2. He was designated for assignment on July 27, but the move adds depth to a pitching staff that has been plagued by injuries all season. However, it may also be a precursor to a move that sees Kevin Gausman or Shane Bieber dealt away, as they're both available. Taillon has struggled this season, posting a 5.92 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 68:27 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 76 innings. He pitched for Team Canada in the 2013 and 2026 World Baseball Classic, so it's a full-circle moment seeing him in Toronto. The Blue Jays are short on MLB-ready starting pitchers, especially if Gausman and/or Bieber are dealt, so Taillon brings experience to a starting rotation hoping to still be competitive in the second half of the season. View the full article

As Fish On First's own Kevin Barral detailed earlier in the day, Liam Hicks is a logical trade candidate for the Miami Marlins leading up to Monday's deadline. Hicks is enjoying a strong sophomore season, slashing .283/.364/.434 and producing 1.6 fWAR through his first 100 games, but he's an awkward fit moving forward given the presence of Joe Mack as Miami's primary catcher and the organization's deep group of other left-handed hitters. The latest from Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic: "As the Miami Marlins ponder trade scenarios, they are discussing catcher Liam Hicks and first baseman/outfielder Kyle Stowers more actively than shortstop Otto López and second baseman Xavier Edwards, according to league sources briefed on their conversations. The Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox are among the teams interested in Hicks, the person said. The New York Yankees are not involved in the talks. Hicks bats left-handed, and the Yankees want a right-handed hitting receiver. The catching position has been a vexing position for the Rays ever since they bypassed Buster Posey with the top pick of the 2008 draft. The Rays, who own the best record in the American League, traded for New York Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta on Sunday, and are active on other fronts as well. The Red Sox, the hottest team in baseball, have been shopping for shortstops and catchers. Chicago White Sox general manager Chris Getz reaffirmed to reporters Sunday his desire to add a catcher in the wake of losing Kyle Teel to a left high ankle sprain, but a source said his team is not in the mix." The Athletic's reporting on Stowers is more vague, speculating about the Arizona Diamondbacks and Cleveland Guardians as fits due to their lack of production at first base. FOF's Isaac Azout confirms that "multiple conversations" are ongoing regarding Hicks. View the full article

The Rays acquired Mets right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta Sunday, according to multiple reports. After Luis Castillo and Tarik Skubal were dealt Saturday night, this trade makes three that constrict the market for starting pitchers as the clock ticks down toward 24 hours to the 5 PM CT Monday MLB trade deadline. The Cubs continue to prefer acquiring a controllable starter in a significant deal, sources familiar with the team's thinking say, but they're rapidly developing alternative plans. The Mets, Blue Jays, Cardinals and Tigers have all expressed a willingness to trade a rental starter and a relief pitcher in the same package deal, league sources said, and the Cubs have talked to all four about that possibility in the last few days. A trade with St. Louis is unlikely, because the Cubs will be loath to send the kind of package Chaim Bloom would demand for starter Dustin May and relievers JoJo Romero or Riley O'Brien to a division rival. However, the other three teams make easier fits, and there's mutual interest in a deal in each case. New York has already sent David Peterson to the Cubs, A.J. Minter to the Twins, and Peralta to the Rays this summer, but they're looking to trade Clay Holmes and willing to move Luke Weaver. In exchange for a strong package, they would move both together, a source with knowledge of their strategy said. Holmes is finishing up a rehab assignment, and should be ready to start again in the majors next week. Weaver is under contract for 2027, making him an especially tempting pickup for a Cubs team that expects to contend next season, too. Tying the two together would force the Cubs to open up their second tier of prospects to the Mets, but that's possible. Ditto for the similar but (arguably) stronger Blue Jays pairing of Kevin Gausman and Jeff Hoffman. Gausman is in the final year of the five-year deal he signed with Toronto and will be a free agent this fall, but in the meantime, he looks ready to pitch at the front end of a playoff series for a team like Chicago. Hoffman, like Weaver, will make an eight-figure salary as a short reliever next season. That's a hefty price tag for a Cubs team that likes to cobble together bullpens on the cheap, but like Weaver, he has a track record of dominating even in October and can miss bats at a level unmatched by any current Cubs reliever. The money involved in taking on both Gausman and Hoffman would mute the prospect return slightly, which the Cubs would welcome, but they'd still have to give up at least as much as for Holmes and Weaver. The wild card is the Tigers. Though they tried to talk about Tarik Skubal with former Cubs employee Scott Harris, the Cubs knew all along that they were better positioned to aim for Casey Mize. They were interested in now-Tigers reliever Kyle Finnegan both at last year's trade deadline and during the offseason, and could snap up both Mize and Finnegan (or Kenley Jansen, if they opt for more experience at the back end of a game) in a deal now that Skubal is off the board and out of the way. There's an almost inevitable overlap between what the Cubs would surrender to get both a starter and a reliever in the same deal and what they would trade to acquire a controllable starter like Reid Detmers. That creates a dilemma for the team: Should they hold out for a bigger prize, and risk not landing them? Or should they pay the freight to get their major shopping done in one swoop, knowing it means waiting until the winter to address the holes in their 2027 rotation? The answer could come down to whether they find an alternative on the relief market whom they can acquire cheaply enough to preserve their depth for a Detmers-or-similar trade—a tricky thing to figure, given the lack of depth in their farm system and the profundity of their need for a high-leverage reliever. View the full article

The New York Mets were not shopping Luke Weaver at the 2026 trade deadline. Now, with the reality of how expensive the relief market is, Chealsy Janes of SNY is reporting that it's "more definitive" that the right-hander will be moved. Weaver has been outstanding this season. In 43.0 innings, Weaver has posted a 1.88 ERA, a 2.87 FIP, and a 4.00 K/BB ratio. Weaver was transformed into one of baseball's top relievers over the past few seasons. Weaver has experience closing in the biggest of games from his time with the Yankees, which will make him more appealing to teams. He also has another year left on his contract and is owed $12.5M in 2022. The New York Post reported that the Pittsburgh Pirates, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, and Chicago White Sox are among the teams to have varying interest in acquiring Weaver's services. View the full article

The New York Mets have officially moved on from Freddy Peralta, trading the right-handed starter to the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. Peralta is making $8 million this season and is leaving the last-place Mets to join the AL East-leading Rays. More to come ... View the full article

The New York Mets have officially moved on from Freddy Peralta, trading the right-handed starter to the Tampa Bay Rays, according to Will Sammon of The Athletic. According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the Mets are receiving High-A outfielder Aidan Smith, Double-A right-handed starter Gary Gill Hill and Double-A second baseman Emilien Pitre from the Rays. Smith is the No. 15 prospect by MLB Pipeline and Baseball America, Gill Hill No. 26 by MLB Pipeline and No. 27 by Baseball Amerca and Pitre No. 27 by MLB Pipeline and unranked by Baseball America. Peralta is making $8 million this season and is leaving the last-place Mets to join the AL East-leading Rays. More to come ... View the full article

Triple-A Worcester Red Sox Series @ Norfolk Tides (Baltimore Orioles): 4-1 Season Record: 55-47 With Franklin Arias starting at second for the second straight night, Worcester won its fourth straight in an extra-innings thriller. Alec Gamboa took the mound to start Saturday’s matchup with Norfolk, turning in a solid effort across four and ⅔ innings. He allowed one run on four hits, issuing one walk and striking out four. Gamboa turned the ball over to Devin Sweet with two outs in the fifth. Sweet contributed two innings of one-run ball, allowing two hits and walking one. Tyler Samaniego finished the seventh inning and pitched through the eighth following Sweet’s exit. Samaniego allowed one hit and walked one across his appearance, striking out one before Hobie Harris entered the game. Harris closed the game strongly in extras, allowing one run and striking out two as he helped Worcester to its fourth straight win. Worcester saw limited offensive production and a lowly 1-for-9 line with runners in scoring position but was able to capitalize late. Early in the first inning, Andrew Knizner put the WooSox in front as he reached on a fielder’s choice, sending Nate Eaton home. After a four-RBI showcase on Friday, Arias showed no signs of slowing down. In the second, Arias doubled to left field, scoring Kristian Campbell. After Norfolk tied the game in the seventh, Eaton stepped to the plate with one out in the tenth. With Braiden Ward standing at second, Eaton launched a ball to left field, clearing the wall. His late blast put the WooSox ahead as they won on his heroics. Double-A Portland Sea Dogs Series vs. Harrisburg Senators (Washington Nationals): 2-3 Season Record: 53-47 Portland won behind a four-run sixth inning and a clutch bullpen performance from Michael Sansone. Jedixson Paez started the contest for the Sea Dogs, who were playing as the Maine Whoopie Pies. Paez ran into trouble early, allowing four runs in the first three innings of the contest. He steadied himself later, however, exiting the game after five frames. He allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out four. Down one run in the top of the sixth, Portland needed Michael Sansone to lock the game down. Sansone delivered, allowing three hits across a four-inning shutout relief appearance. Sansone issued two walks and struck out two as he closed the game. Every batter reached base at least once for Portland amidst a solid day at the dish. Johanfran Garcia led the way with two hits and an RBI. Down by four in the third inning, Brooks Brannon got the Sea Dogs on the board with a sac fly scoring Tyler McDonough. Later in the inning, Miguel Bleis drove in Jack Winnay on a single as Portland slashed the deficit in half. Two innings later Garcia inched the Sea Dogs closer with a sac fly that scored Winnay. After Will Turner drew a leadoff walk to begin the sixth inning, Max Ferguson drove him home with a bang. Ferguson tripled into the corner of left field as Turner crossed home, tying the game. One batter later, Ahbram Liendo drove Ferguson home on a double as Portland took the lead. Once it gained the lead, Portland didn’t look back. Mason White tacked on one more as he drove Liendo in on a single to right field. Winnay completed the offensive surge as he drove in McDonough on a double play. The burst was enough to lift Portland to a hard-fought win. High-A Greenville Drive Series @ Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros): 5-0 Season Record: 44-54 Greenville cruised to its sixth straight win in the professional debuts of top draft picks Owen Hull and Jake Schaffner. Dylan Brown, a 2025 draft pick, turned in one of his best starts of the year on Saturday evening. Brown went the distance, pitching into the seventh inning. He allowed two runs (one unearned) on three hits and issued a walk. Brown struck out nine batters, the most in over a month, before being replaced by Shea Sprague with one out in the seventh. Sprague closed the game without much trouble. He allowed one run on three hits and issued three walks as he struck out three. His effort sealed the win for Greenville as they sit ten games under .500. An offensive outpouring that included a hit from every Greenville batter was more than enough for a win on Saturday night. In his third game with the Drive since returning from injury, Nazzan Zanetello went 4-for-6 with an RBI. The Red Sox’s most recent draftees showed up as well. Hull went 2-for-5 with three RBIs and a walk as Schaffner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, scoring three times. Schaffner made his impact felt early, scoring Enddy Azocar in his first professional at-bat on a groundout to second. In the second, Zanetello scored Yophery Rodriguez on a double to left field. Zanetello scored on an RBI single from Stanley Tucker later in the inning. With the bases loaded, Hull came up big. He swung on a ball low in the zone that snuck through the infield, driving in Justin Gonzales and Jake Schaffner. One inning later, Hull reached again on a throwing error as Schaffner scored once more. Gerardo Rodriguez crossed home later in the inning on a Luke Heyman double to right field. In the sixth, Hull made his mark again, scoring Schaffner on a ground ball single to center. With a six-run advantage in the seventh, Azocar added to the lead with a solo homer, his 11th of the season, to right field. Just an inning later, Azocar stepped to the plate with the bases loaded. He delivered a single to center, scoring Heyman. Gonzales completed the 11-run evening later in the eighth with a sac fly, scoring Y. Rodriguez. The Drive tallied 19 runs and drew four walks in one of the most successful offensive days of the season. Low-A Salem RidgeYaks Series @ Kannapolis Cannon Ballers (Chicago White Sox): 2-3 Season Record: 43-57 Despite reaching base 16 times, Salem never led on Saturday and fell behind a rocky start from Jose Bello. Bello, who has been successful throughout the season, limped through a three and ⅓ inning start on Saturday evening. He allowed five runs (one unearned) on seven hits, and he registered just one strikeout. Harry Blum entered and pitched one and ⅔ innings of hitless relief following the quick exit. Blum issued three walks and struck out three before Wuilliams Rodriguez took over. Rodriguez allowed two runs on three hits over two innings as the game slipped further out of reach. He walked two before Nicolas De La Cruz took the final frame of the night. Across the inning, De La Cruz walked three and allowed a run on one hit, striking out two. D’Angelo Ortiz and Franklin Primera had three hits apiece, and Kleyver Salazar drove in two as the Yaks came up short at the dish. Salazar got the Yaks on the board in the fifth. Facing a five-run deficit, Salazar scored Primera and Starlyn Nunez on a line drive to left field. Three innings later, Skylar King scored Primera on a sac fly before Ortiz scored Adonys Guzman on a double to left field. Guzman reached on an error in the ninth as Ilan Fernandez scored, capping off a disappointing day for Salem as they fell by three. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Minor League Report - August 1 Affiliate Overview Triple-A Iowa Cubs Series vs. Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Rail Riders (New York Yankees): RailRiders lead, 4-0 Season Record: 43–60-1 Double-A Knoxville Smokies Series vs. Pensacola Blue Wahoos (Miami Marlins): Blue Wahoos lead, 3-1 Season Record: 53–47 High-A South Bend Cubs Series at Lake County Captains (Cleveland Guardians): Cubs lead, 3-1 Season Record: 59–37 Single-A Myrtle Beach Pelicans Series vs. Charleston RiverDogs (Tampa Bay Rays): RiverDogs lead, 3-1 Season Record: 39–59 Affiliate Highlights Triple-A: Iowa Cubs Season Record: 43–60-1 Series Opponent: Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (57-46) Series Standing: Trail, 4-0 July 31: The Iowa Cubs suffered a fourth-straight defeat as they fell in Friday night’s contest, 9-5, at Principal Park. The RailRiders took a 4-0 lead in the second and would turn it into a 6-0 lead with two more in the sixth. Owen Ayers (1-for-2) got the Cubs on the board with an RBI-single in the sixth, but Scranton/Wilkes-Barre would score runs in the seventh and eighth to make it 8-1. Kevin Alcántara (1-for-4) and Chas McCormick (1-for-4) each drove in runs with RBI-singles in the eighth, and Greg Jones (0-for-3) also brought in a run in the frame with a sacrifice fly to make it 8-4. Both teams traded runs in the ninth, with Iowa getting its tally on an Owen Miller (1-for-5) RBI-groundout that made it 9-5. Edward Cabrera, making his first rehab start with the I-Cubs, took the loss after allowing three runs on two hits over 1 2/3 innings of work, walking two batters and striking out three. Double-A: Knoxville Smokies Season Record: 53–47 Series Opponent: Pensacola Blue Wahoos (54–45) Series Standing: Trail, 3-1 July 31: The Knoxville Smokies dropped Friday night’s contest to the Pensacola Blue Wahoos, 5-4, at Covenant Health Park. The Blue Wahoos opened the scoring in the ballgame with a run in the second, but Carter Trice’s (1-for-4) RBI-single in the third evened the contest. Both teams traded two-run frames in the fifth, the Smokies getting their runs thanks to a two-run blast from Alex Ramírez (3-for-5), his 13th of the season. Pensacola scored twice in the seventh, but Knoxville was able to pull one of those runs back in the home half of the stretch, an Ariel Armas (1-for-3) RBI-double, to make it 5-4. The Smokies would load the bases in the ninth with two outs, but Edgar Alvarez (0-for-4) would ground out to end the game. Luis Martinez-Gomez got the start on the mound for Knoxville and took no decision. Martinez-Gomez fired his second-straight quality start, his third such outing in his last four starts between Single-A and Double-A. He allowed three runs on five hits over six innings of work, walked two batters and struck out five. Tyler Ras tossed two perfect innings in relief, retiring all six batters that he faced, whiffing two of them. The Knoxville offense went 2-for-13 with runners in scoring position on the night, stranding 12 baserunners. High-A: South Bend Cubs Season Record: 59–37 Series Opponent: Lake County Captains (53–43) Series Standing: Lead, 3-1 July 31: The South Bend Cubs claimed at least a series split with a dominant 15-7 victory over the Lake County Captains on Friday night at Classic Auto Group Park. A nine-run outburst in the second inning from the Cubs gave them an insurmountable advantage on the night. Logan Poteet (2-for-5) got the scoring started with an RBI-single and Kane Kepley (1-for-4) followed with a three-run blast, his seventh homer of the year. Jose Escobar (3-for-6) doubled home a pair of runs three batters later and was along for the ride on Kade Snell’s (1-for-6) two-run homer that made it 8-0. Angel Cepeda (2-for-4) went back-to-back with Snell, launching a solo shot, to cap the scoring in the inning. The Captains got one run back in the home half of the second and scored again in the third to make it 9-2. Matt Halbach (1-for-4) hit South Bend’s fourth homer of the contest in the sixth, a two-run variety, and Ty Southisene (3-for-4) gave the Cubs a 12-2 lead with a two-run double later in the frame. Lake County would score once in the sixth and four times in the seventh, but South Bend would put up another crooked number on the scoreboard in the eighth, scoring three times. Josiah Hartshorn (1-for-6) doubled in a pair of runs, and Escobar’s second double of the ballgame brought home another to make it 15-7. Nate Williams picked up the win in relief for the Cubs, improving to 4-0 on the season. Williams tossed 2 1/3 innings of one-run ball, allowed two hits, walked three, and struck out three. The South Bend offense amassed 14 total hits in the game with eight going for extra bases. Eight of the nine starters recorded at least one hit, with four recording multi-hit efforts. Single-A: Myrtle Beach Pelicans Season Record: 39–59 Series Opponent: Charleston RiverDogs (57–43) Series Standing: Trail, 3-1 July 31: The Myrtle Beach Pelicans were routed by the Charleston RiverDogs, 13-1, on Friday night at Pelicans Ballpark. The RiverDogs took a 5-0 lead in the third before Eli Lovich (1-for-4) drove in the Pelicans' lone run of the game in the third on a single. Charleston then pulled away with three runs in the third before adding one in the eighth and four more in the ninth to make it 13-1. Daniel Avitia got the start on the mound for the Pelicans and took the loss, falling to 2-3 on the season. Avitia allowed five runs on seven hits in three innings of work, walked one, and struck out one. Corey Nunez was the lone Myrtle Beach batter to record a multi-hit effort in the contest, going 2-for-4 with a double, which was the Pelicans' only extra-base hit of the game. View the full article

The floodgates are ready to burst now that Tarik Skubal, the grand prize of the 2026 MLB trade deadline market, has been dealt to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Most teams, including the Miami Marlins, have yet to finalize any deals. However, keep in mind that this is the same Peter Bendix-led front office that made six trades on deadline day in 2024. In advance of this year's deadline on Monday at 6:00 pm ET, here are three Marlins predictions. Marlins trade Liam Hicks In 100 games this season, Liam Hicks is slashing .283/.364/.434/.798 with 14 home runs, 62 RBI and a 120 wRC+. On top of that, his 9.5% strikeout rate is the fourth-lowest in MLB and the lowest amongst all catchers. Hicks is unquestionably a useful hitter, but after beginning the season as Miami's primary catcher, the Marlins called up Joe Mack. Between Mack's arrival and Kyle Stowers' conversion to first base, Hicks is mainly being limited to DH duty. Other teams without their own elite defensive catcher will value him more highly than the Marlins do. Waiting in the wings with Triple-A Jacksonville, the Marlins still have Agustín Ramírez. As Fish On First reported, the team still believes Ramírez can be a viable catcher, regardless of all the evidence suggesting otherwise. He also has much more raw power than Hicks, so his offensive ceiling is a bit higher if he can tap into it consistently. Potential fits for Hicks include the Yankees, who have been scouring the market for a catcher. The MLB team getting the worst offensive production out of that position is the Chicago White Sox (42 wRC+). Other deadline buyers to keep in mind are the Boston Red Sox (74 wRC+), Houston Astros (76 wRC+) and the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies (56 wRC+). Marlins trade Xavier Edwards for starting pitcher with multiple years of control This one is more specific. It's hard to believe that the Marlins would let this deadline pass without doing anything to help out a starting rotation made up of Sandy Alcantara, Ryan Gusto, Eury Pérez, Janson Junk and Tyler Phillips. Gusto has had a lot of ups and downs, Junk has a limited ceiling and Phillips is better suited back in the bullpen pitching in high-leverage situations. Max Meyer, Robby Snelling, Adam Mazur and Thomas White are all injured, not set to come back anytime soon. They need another starter to get through the 2026 season, but also should be planning beyond that. Right-handed pitcher Emerson Hancock of the Seattle Mariners is an attractive option, but it's unlikely that the Mariners will part with him now. They already traded from their rotation surplus this week by sending Luis Castillo to the Chicago White Sox. The Boston Red Sox also have starters available and find themselves with a hole to fill at second base following Curtis Mead's unlucky injury. The Marlins could aim for left-hander Payton Tolle. In 18 starts this season, Tolle has a 3.30 ERA, 3.42 FIP, 9.80 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9. The rookie is controllable through 2031. Xavier Edwards is slashing .288/.368/.395/.763 with six home runs, 40 RBI, 18 stolen bases and has posted a 111 wRC+. Turning 27 years old next week, Edwards is entering the prime years of his career and is under club control through 2029. He is also going to be eligible for arbitration for the first time following this season, so expect a significant pay raise. Edwards has been an important everyday player for the Marlins, but his offense has tailed off dramatically over the last two months. Although smooth defensively at second base, he lacks the versatility to play anywhere else. Javier Sanoja could fill his shoes, assuming there is a plan in place to address third base in a corresponding move. Multiple relievers traded "Multiple" likely means two. The obvious candidate is pending free agent Pete Fairbanks. In 37 games, he has a 6.55 ERA, 4.93 FIP, 12.06 K/9, 3.67 BB/9 and 16 saves, but he is starting to look like a $13M man in his most recent appearances. After some doubts about his strikeout rate decreasing over the years, it is actually the highest it's been since 2023. Most of his struggles have occurred in non-save situations. Teams may trust Fairbanks' long track record of effective pitching and overlook an uncharacteristic first half. The Marlins should eat as much of his remaining salary as they can to garner the best possible prospect return. Lefty John King is among the possibilities for a second reliever trade. After struggling with the St. Louis Cardinals, the Marlins picked him up late in free agency and he's been nothing but great. In 44 appearances, King has a 2.45 ERA, 3.92 FIP, 6.55 K/9 and 2.45 BB/9. Left-handed relievers aren't easy to find on the trade market. Moving King, who still has another year of control past this season, could garner them a nice prospect haul. One other name to consider would be Michael Petersen. This a player with minimal major league experience who had been bouncing around the league. At age 32, he has finally put it all together, posting a 3.20 ERA, 3.28 FIP, 10.40 K/9 and 3.60 BB/9 this season. Petersen has been thrown in all sorts of situations for the Marlins, and for the most part, has been successful. Not even eligible for arbitration yet, the Marlins could cash in now instead of taking the risk of him reverting back to an inconsistent Quad-A type. View the full article

Chicago Cubs Transactions Chicago Cubs sent RHP Andrew Wantz outright to Iowa Cubs. Iowa Cubs Build Early Lead, Then Fall 7-4 To Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Iowa scored in each of the first two innings and led 4-1 through four, but the offense stopped there in a 7-4 loss to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Brett Bateman singled to open the first, and Moisés Ballesteros singled him home two batters later. Kevin Alcántara drew a walk to start the second, Owen Miller reached on a force out, and Chas McCormick doubled Miller in. The fourth was the biggest inning. BJ Murray doubled to lead off, Miller singled him to third, and McCormick walked to load the bases. Ben Cowles then lined a single to center that scored Murray and Miller for a 4-1 lead. Bateman walked to reload the bases, but Owen Ayers struck out to end the inning. Grant Kipp allowed four runs on two hits over 4 2/3 innings, walking three and striking out three. He left with two runners on and two outs in the fifth, and both scored on a three-run homer charged to Eduarniel Núñez, who allowed two runs on three hits over 1 1/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout. Hoby Milner gave up a home run and one run on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Gabe Klobosits recorded two outs with a strikeout, and Ethan Roberts worked one scoreless inning with a strikeout. Iowa finished with 10 hits and five walks, and left seven runners on base. Cowles went 2-for-3 with two RBI and a walk, Ballesteros went 2-for-4 with an RBI, and Bateman went 2-for-4 with a walk. Player AB R H RBI BB K Brett Bateman, RF 4 1 2 0 1 1 Owen Ayers, DH 4 0 0 0 1 1 Moisés Ballesteros, C 4 0 2 1 0 1 Jonathon Long, 1B 4 0 0 0 0 1 BJ Murray, 3B 4 1 1 0 0 0 Kevin Alcántara, LF 3 0 1 0 1 1 Owen Miller, SS 4 2 1 0 0 1 Chas McCormick, CF 3 0 1 1 1 1 Ben Cowles, 2B 3 0 2 2 1 0 Totals 33 4 10 4 5 7 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Grant Kipp 4 2/3 2 4 4 3 3 1 Eduarniel Núñez (L, 0-2) 1 1/3 3 2 2 1 1 1 Hoby Milner 1 1/3 2 1 1 0 1 1 Gabe Klobosits 2/3 1 0 0 0 1 0 Ethan Roberts 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9 8 7 7 4 7 3 Ariel Armas Homers, But Knoxville Smokies Fall 3-2 In Ten Innings Ariel Armas tied the game with a two-run homer in the fourth, and Knoxville held Pensacola even until the tenth in a 3-2 loss. https://x.com/smokiesbaseball/status/2083708314211274803 Pensacola scored first in the third on a single and a two-run homer. Knoxville answered in the fourth. Alex Ramírez opened with a single to center, Andy Garriola flied out, and Miguel Useche struck out. Armas then drove a two-run homer to left center to make it 2-2. Alex Madera walked behind him, but Ed Howard struck out to strand the runner. The score held there for five more innings. Knoxville put two runners on with one out in the ninth on walks by Useche and Armas, and did not score. In the tenth, the visiting zombie runner moved to third on a single and scored on a double play grounder, and Knoxville trailed 3-2. In the bottom half, zombie runner Ed Howard reached third on a leadoff single by Drew Bowser, but the Smokies stranded both runners on a strikeout, a pop out, and a force out. Brooks Caple allowed two runs on five hits over five innings, walking two and striking out four. Evan Taylor followed with two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out one. Tyler Schlaffer worked three innings and allowed one unearned run on four hits with three strikeouts and no walks. Knoxville managed five hits, drew four walks, struck out 11 times, and left eight runners on base. Armas went 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBI, and Madera went 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. Player AB R H RBI BB K Carter Trice, LF 5 0 1 0 0 3 Jefferson Rojas, 3B 4 0 0 0 1 0 Alex Ramírez, CF 5 1 1 0 0 0 Andy Garriola, RF 4 0 0 0 0 2 Miguel Useche, DH 3 0 0 0 1 1 Karson Simas, DH 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ariel Armas, C 3 1 1 2 1 0 Alex Madera, 2B 3 0 1 0 1 1 Ed Howard, SS 4 0 0 0 0 3 Drew Bowser, 1B 4 0 1 0 0 1 Totals 35 2 5 2 4 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Brooks Caple 5 5 2 2 2 4 1 Evan Taylor 2 0 0 0 2 1 0 Tyler Schlaffer (L, 1-7) 3 4 1 0 0 3 0 Totals 10 9 3 2 4 8 1 Michael Hallquist Homers Twice As South Bend Cubs Rout Lake County 10-3 South Bend collected 17 hits and 11 walks in a 10-3 win at Lake County, and Michael Hallquist hit two home runs. The second inning put South Bend in front for good. Michael Carico doubled to open it, Geuri Lubo struck out, and Hallquist drove a two-run homer to left center for a 3-1 lead. Hallquist added a solo homer in the fifth. The sixth produced four runs. Matt Halbach walked, Kade Snell grounded out to move him up, and Logan Poteet walked. Carico doubled to center to score Halbach and send Poteet to third. Lubo then singled to second and both Poteet and Carico scored on the play, with a throwing error allowing Lubo to reach second. Hallquist lined out, Kane Kepley walked, and Angel Cepeda doubled to right to score Lubo for a 9-3 lead. Lubo added an RBI single in the seventh that scored Snell. Alfredo Romero allowed two runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings, walking five and striking out three. Adam Stone allowed one run on one hit in 1 1/3 innings with a walk and a strikeout. Jackson Brockett threw three hitless innings with five strikeouts and two walks. Luis Rujano finished with one scoreless inning, allowing one hit with two strikeouts. Cepeda went 3-for-6 with a double and an RBI, Jose Escobar went 3-for-4 with a walk, and Snell went 3-for-5 with two runs. Carico went 2-for-5 with two doubles. South Bend left 18 runners on base. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kane Kepley, DH 5 0 0 1 2 4 Angel Cepeda, SS 6 1 3 1 0 1 Jose Escobar, LF 4 0 3 0 1 0 Matt Halbach, 3B 5 1 2 1 1 1 Kade Snell, CF 5 2 3 0 1 0 Logan Poteet, C 3 1 0 0 3 2 Michael Carico, 1B 5 2 2 1 1 2 Geuri Lubo, RF 6 1 2 2 0 2 Michael Hallquist, 2B 4 2 2 3 2 1 Totals 43 10 17 9 11 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Alfredo Romero 3 2/3 2 2 2 5 3 1 Adam Stone 1 1/3 1 1 1 1 1 0 Jackson Brockett (W, 7-2) 3 0 0 0 2 5 0 Luis Rujano 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 Totals 9 4 3 3 9 11 1 Myrtle Beach Pelicans Blank Charleston 6-0 Behind Noah Edders And Alexey Lumpuy Myrtle Beach allowed two hits and struck out 13 in a 6-0 win over Charleston, and Alexey Lumpuy drove in three runs. The second inning decided it. Eli Lovich led off with a walk, and Jose Silva doubled him home. Corey Nunez walked, and Dom Krupinski lined a single to right that scored Silva. Jhoander Irigoyen walked to load the bases, and Jan Luis Reyes struck out. Lumpuy then tripled to left, clearing the bases and scoring Nunez, Krupinski, and Irigoyen for a 5-0 lead. Myrtle Beach added a run in the sixth. Krupinski walked with two outs, Irigoyen singled to right, and Reyes brought Krupinski home with a ground ball single to third. Noah Edders allowed one hit over five scoreless innings, walking one and striking out seven. Edwardo Melendez followed with three scoreless innings, allowing one hit with a walk and five strikeouts. Sam Mettert closed it with a scoreless inning and a strikeout. Irigoyen went 3-for-3 with a walk and a run, and Lumpuy went 2-for-4 with a triple, a walk, and three RBI. Silva went 1-for-3 with a double, a walk, and an RBI. Krupinski scored twice and drove in a run. The Pelicans finished with eight hits and seven walks, and left eight runners on base. They committed no errors. Player AB R H RBI BB K Alexey Lumpuy, CF 4 0 2 3 1 0 Alexis Hernandez, SS 5 0 0 0 0 4 Ethan Conrad, RF 4 0 0 0 0 0 Eli Lovich, LF 2 1 0 0 2 2 Jose Silva, C 3 1 1 1 1 1 Corey Nunez, 3B 3 1 0 0 1 1 Dom Krupinski, 2B 3 2 1 1 1 1 Jhoander Irigoyen, DH 3 1 3 0 1 0 Jan Luis Reyes, 1B 4 0 1 1 0 2 Totals 31 6 8 6 7 11 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Noah Edders (W, 1-4) 5 1 0 0 1 7 0 Edwardo Melendez (H, 1) 3 1 0 0 1 5 0 Sam Mettert 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 9 2 0 0 2 13 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jefferson Rojas: 0-for-4, BB Pedro Ramirez: DNP Jaxon Wiggins: DNP Josiah Hartshorn: DNP Kevin Alcantara: 1-for-3, BB, K Ethan Conrad: 0-for-4 Kane Kepley: 0-for-5, RBI, 2 BB, 4 K Owen Ayers: 0-for-4, BB, K Jonathon Long: 0-for-4, K Kaleb Wing: DNP James Triantos: DNP Brooks Caple: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K Mason McGwire: DNP Ty Southisene: DNP Will Sanders: DNP Juan Cabada: DNP Eli Lovich: 0-for-2, 2 BB, 2 K Ariel Armas: 1-for-3, HR, 2 RBI, BB Jostin Florentino: DNP Grant Kipp: 4 2/3 IP, 2 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 3 K View the full article

Royce Lewis hasn't spent much time at first base. He doesn't even really think of himself as a first baseman; he still longs to get back to the left side of the infield. The reality, though, is that he's not the athlete or the thrower he would need to be to return to shortstop or third base—and, unfortunately, Saturday delivered an excruciating reminder that he's not the quick processor required even of a right-side infielder. The situation demanded a lot of him—maybe more than can fairly be asked of a guy who was still all the way across the diamond three months ago. With a runner on third base and one out in the bottom of the ninth, the Twins went to a five-man infield and issued an intentional walk, bringing Cal Raleigh to the plate with runners on the corners. Randy Arozarena, at third, carried the winning run, so the idea in issuing Julio Rodríguez an intentional walk was to set up a double play on the big-dumpered Raleigh. Everyone involved had to understand, though, that the right way to make the play would depend on the specific play that happened. Each infielder's responsibility, in the very short time they had, was to arrange the field in their minds and to visualize the variety of plays that might present themselves. There was no one correct thing to do; what was correct would depend on the batted ball. Lewis didn't have a robust enough set of plans. The ball came his way, and he made the wrong play. Raleigh hit a one-hop smash, 105.4 miles per hour off the bat. Lewis's reflexes were fine; those have never been his problem. He lunged to his left, speared the ball cleanly, and managed not to go all the way to the ground. He'd been crowding the line, with two other infielders on his side of the second-base bag, so the ball took him right to the first-base bag. Right away, though, you could see him thinking—and not in a good way. SzRCcjJfWGw0TUFRPT1fVTFVRFZsWldYd1lBRFFRRlVRQUhWUWNGQUZsV1ZnTUFCQVpXQkFGWFZBUlRBUUZW.mp4 As Lewis took the step and a half left to reach the base after fielding the ball, he turned to look over his left shoulder to find Rodríguez. That was smart, really. It was one of those plays where, if he hadn't picked up Rodríguez and the Mariners outfielder had been especially wily, he could have snuck back into first base after Lewis tagged it. Because he had been so concerned about getting down the line and minimizing the risk of a double play, though, Rodríguez never even thought about a retreat. Therefore, as Lewis stepped on first, his eyes took him toward second, where Rodríguez was charging for the base and two teammates awaited a throw. That caused all kinds of trouble. First, as soon as Lewis started moving toward first and turned away from third, Arozarena could break for the plate freely. If Lewis gets up and stomps on the pillow while staring down Arozarena, the chance for a double play is likely lost, but the result is the second out and a chance to get out of the inning by retiring the next batter. However, you can make the play the way Lewis initially did and still get the double play. Once he turned his back to third, Arozarena was going, but if Lewis merely uses that turn to check for a dive-back by Rodríguez and then pivots to the plate with his eyes and mind clear, he retires Arozarena easily. Alas, we're all wired a certain way, and the way Lewis is wired is to be captured a bit by his own gaze. He turned and saw Rodríguez far enough short of second to be beaten by a good throw, and for a fatal half-second, he planned to make that throw. His eyes committed him to it. His brain kicked in. It overrode that command and turned him to the plate, and he threw. That throw was a bit later than it should have been, but if it had been strong and accurate, Arozarena still would have been out. Instead, it was to the first-base side of the plate, and Victor Caratini was unable to position himself to receive it and make a tag in time. The game was over. Though his arm has never been great—that's a big part of why he's no longer on the left side—Lewis is capable of that throw, physically. The problem, again, was mental. He wasn't fully turned, wasn't fully targeted. Having cost himself a moment with the mistaken pump toward second, he rushed the process of lining up his throw to the plate. After the game, manager Derek Shelton said the right play would have been to throw to second when Lewis got the ball. That could have worked, but it would have been risky. Shelton might not have appreciated how much of Lewis's momentum had to move toward first base to snare the ball. Turning that momentum and making a good throw to second, then aligning oneself for the return throw to double up Raleigh, would have been tough. Lewis isn't a good enough infielder, regardless of position, to do that; throwing to second right away wouldn't have been the right play. What needed to happen, rather, is what I described above. That's an unusual play, though—a rare progression. It demands that a player be a fast and confident processor of information during a play. Lewis isn't that, either. Rocco Baldelli talked about this on a much different (but not so different, really) play last season, when Lewis was playing third with the bases loaded and had to decide between trying to turn a double play and taking the out at the plate. He saw, and articulated, that Lewis is not the kind of processor who can reliably make that difficult series of incredibly fast decisions. Shelton hasn't put it the same way, but it's clear that the organization feels that way as a group. They're right. That leaves the team in a bit of a quandary. Lewis remains endlessly self-assured, at least before and after each difficult play that comes his way. He's been better at the plate since returning from his demotion to Triple-A St. Paul. However, he looks unlikely to be a competent defender at key moments, anywhere on the diamond. The closest thing to a position he can play well might be second base. The Twins simply don't have enough instinctive, intelligent and skillful defenders to fill out a lineup; they have to make do with Lewis, Luke Keaschall and others who lack that nous. As Saturday suggests, that could be what costs them a playoff berth this season. Hopefully, they can overcome that shortcoming, but sometimes, the ball finds you. The same things are true at the trade deadline. It's not the wrong decision that costs you; it's the quick decision not made, or the balk and non-committal move right after it. The sport comes down to quick decisions and to the hard work of being decisive under pressure—even off the field. View the full article

Bo Naylor is a former first-round pick, and the Milwaukee Brewers just acquired him in a trade with the Cleveland Guardians. In this video, we'll break down Naylor's plate discipline, pull-side power, and how the Crew can maximize the backstop as they pursue another deep postseason run in 2026. View the full article

The Minnesota Twins have officially chosen their direction. For weeks, the biggest question surrounding this club was whether it would buy or sell at the trade deadline. General Manager Jeremy Zoll answered that question on Wednesday when he told reporters the Twins intend to add to the roster, and Kody Clemens' dramatic walk-off grand slam on Thursday only reinforced why, and we saw the first domino drop Thursday night when the Twins made their first acquisition in left handed reliever AJ Minter. Minnesota is right in the middle of the American League playoff race and has every reason to push for October. Bullpen help remains the organization's biggest need, even after the Minter acquisition. (Or does it?) The Twins could also use another frontline starter, especially because Joe Ryan has looked a little shaky to begin the second half. After all, the goal isn't just to make the postseason. While Taj Bradley gives the rotation another talented arm, this team could still use another true ace to lead a playoff rotation. As it turns out, one may actually be available. Hunter Greene has become one of the hottest names on the trade market over the last week, and on Thursday the rumors surrounding the Cincinnati Reds right-hander intensified. MLB.com senior reporter Mark Feinsand reported, "The Reds have received interest in former All-Star right-hander Hunter Greene, and according to a source, there's a '50-50' chance he could be moved this week." If Cincinnati is seriously considering offers, Greene immediately jumps near the top of anyone's list of potential trade deadline targets, and should be considered by the Twins as well. Greene entered professional baseball with sky-high expectations after being selected second overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, immediately behind Royce Lewis , whom the Twins selected first overall. Injuries slowed his development during the early years of his career, but once he finally stayed healthy long enough to establish himself, he looked every bit like the ace scouts envisioned. His breakout came in 2024 when he earned his first All-Star selection and finished among the top ten in National League Cy Young voting. Greene posted a 2.75 ERA, accumulated 3.7 fWAR and threw 150 innings while establishing himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball. He followed that performance with another outstanding season in 2025, although injuries again interrupted things. Greene missed roughly three months with a groin strain, limiting him to just 107 2/3 innings, but he remained incredibly effective whenever he took the mound, posting a 2.76 ERA and an outstanding 0.94 WHIP. Unfortunately, the injuries continued into 2026 when Greene underwent elbow surgery during the offseason and missed the first three months of the year before finally making his season debut at the beginning of July. There is no getting around the fact that Greene is an injury-prone pitcher. At the same time, there are very few pitchers in baseball with his combination of stuff, age, and upside. His fastball still lives in the upper 90s despite everything his arm has been through. He consistently posts strikeout rates north of 30 percent while pairing that swing-and-miss ability with impressive control, carrying a career walk rate of just 6.2 percent. When Greene is healthy, he doesn't pitch like a No. 1 starter. He pitches like one of the very best pitchers in the sport. He's also still only 26 years old, and just as importantly, he's signed to one of the best contracts of any frontline starter in baseball. Greene agreed to a long-term extension before his breakout season in 2023 and is under team control through the 2029 season. He is scheduled to make $15 million in 2027, $16 million in 2028, and has a club option worth $21 million in 2029. That is an incredible bargain for an ace. Those salaries are much closer to what teams pay solid mid-rotation veterans like Mitch Keller or Michael Wacha than what they normally pay a pitcher capable of competing for Cy Young Awards. Of course, there is a reason that contract looks so appealing. Greene's injury history is almost certainly the reason the Reds would even entertain moving him. Teams do not willingly trade away 26-year-old aces with years of affordable control. If Greene had been perfectly healthy throughout his career, there probably wouldn't be a conversation to have. It's a situation that feels somewhat familiar. When the Twins signed Byron Buxton to his seven-year, $100 million extension, they were betting on elite talent despite an extensive injury history. That risk was exactly what made the contract possible in the first place. Had Buxton been perfectly healthy to that point, he almost certainly would have commanded significantly more money on the open market. The same principle applies here. Greene's durability concerns create substantial risk, but they are also the only reason a pitcher of this caliber is realistically obtainable. So what would it actually take to land him? Feinsand provided a useful comparison in his report. "One American League executive pointed to the White Sox return from the Red Sox in the December 2024 Garrett Crochet trade, which saw Chicago land two Top-100 prospects (Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery) along with two of Boston's other Top 15 prospects (Chase Meidroth and Wikelman González)." That feels like a very reasonable framework. Crochet and Greene share several similarities. Both are young, controllable starters with ace-level ceilings and injury histories that add risk to their value. Acquiring either pitcher requires paying an enormous premium because elite starting pitching remains one of the hardest commodities to find anywhere in baseball. Using that framework, it's possible to build a realistic proposal from Minnesota's perspective. Boston didn't surrender a top-10 overall prospect for Crochet. Instead, the package was built around players ranked No. 25 and No. 54 overall by MLB Pipeline, along with two additional top-15 organizational prospects. The Twins have a remarkably similar group. Kaelen Culpepper and Emmanuel Rodriguez are currently ranked No. 29 and No. 55 overall by MLB Pipeline, making them the closest comparisons to Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery. To round out the package, Minnesota could include top-15ish prospects like Khadim Diaw and Ryan Gallagher. The hypothetical trade would look something like this: Twins receive: Hunter Greene Reds receive: Kaelen Culpepper, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Khadim Diaw and Ryan Gallagher There is no sugarcoating it. That is a massive price to pay. Parting with Culpepper and Rodriguez would sting. Both project as impact major leaguers and have become two of the most valuable prospects in the organization. But prospects ultimately exist for two reasons. Either they become stars for your club or they become the assets used to acquire established stars. There are few players worth cashing in that kind of prospect capital for; however, a 26-year-old ace signed through 2029 may be one of them. The Twins are also in a position where they could absorb those losses better than many organizations. Marek Houston has enjoyed an outstanding season at Double-A and continues to strengthen his case as the organization's shortstop of the future. The system also features an abundance of left-handed hitting outfielders, making Rodriguez more expendable than he otherwise might be. The reward could completely reshape Minnesota's future. This October, a playoff rotation featuring Ryan, Greene and Bradley would be capable of matching up with just about anyone in the American League. Looking ahead to next season is even more exciting. With Greene under contract for three more years after this season, the Twins could enter 2027 with a rotation built around Pablo López, Ryan, Greene and Bradley while continuing to develop Mick Abel, Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas behind them. None of this removes the risk. Greene's injury history is frightening, and there is a very real possibility the Twins could trade away four premium prospects only to watch injuries continue to derail his career. There is also another possibility. Greene stays healthy and pitches exactly the way he has whenever he has been available, like he did just two weeks ago when he threw seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts against the Cubs. That is the pitcher the Twins would be betting on. If they get that version of Greene, they suddenly possess one of the most dangerous playoff rotations in baseball this season while adding a legitimate ace to build around for years to come. Moves like this are uncomfortable because they carry enormous risk, but they also have the potential to completely change the direction of a franchise. If the Reds are truly open to moving Greene, the Twins should absolutely be one of the teams picking up the phone. Would you make a trade centered around Culpepper and Rodriguez for Greene, or is that simply too much prospect capital to surrender? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! View the full article

Billy Amick has learned how to hit the ball out of the park in his third minor-league season. It appears he will keep applying those lessons with his new team. Amick, one of two players acquired by the New York Mets from the Minnesota Twins on Friday in a trade for left-handed reliever A.J. Minter, homered in his debut for Double-A Binghamton on Saturday in Game 2 of a doubleheader at Reading. The two-run blast in the seventh inning cut the Rumble Ponies’ deficit to two in an eventual 5-4 loss. Amick is up to 24 homers this season between Binghamton and Double-A Wichita, quite the power surge for a player who had seven homers in 2024 and 2025 combined in about three dozen fewer plate appearances. On a percentage basis, Amick’s 6.3 homer rate in 2026 is more than triple the 2.0 percent rate of his first two seasons. There were signs last year the 23-year-old infielder out of the University of Tennessee could bang. He had a .450 slugging percentage between rookie ball, Single-A and High-A; he’s up to .494 this year despite an 85-point dip in batting average (.307 to .222). The parent Mets are hoping the homers aren't a bizarre outlier and that they’ve added a big-time thumper from the right side. Amick’s Binghamton bow ended in a split. The Rumble Ponies won the opener 10-5. Elsewhere in the organization . . . Clay Holmes’ final audition for teams ahead of Monday’s MLB trade deadline will take place in Brooklyn, not Queens. The right-hander will make a minor league rehab start for the Cyclones on Sunday rather than be activated to pitch for the big-league Mets against the Miami Marlins. (Robert Stock will come up from Syracuse for that assignment instead.) Holmes will throw around 70 to 75 pitches, MLB.com reported Saturday. He wants to be fully stretched out before he returns to the majors — “wherever that is,” he said, per The Associated Press. Syracuse lost 3-1 to Rochester. Jonathan Santucci made his Triple-A debut for the Mets, with mixed results. Hayden Senger homered for Syracuse’s run. Brooklyn fell to Winston-Salem 6-3. Jacob Reimer singled, doubled, drove in a run and scored a run for the Cyclones. St. Lucie doubled up Dunedin 6-3 in 10 innings. Wyatt Vincent’s sacrifice fly broke the tie in the 10th. DSL Mets Blue lost 13-2 to DSL Blue Jays Red. Dayron Oramas and Michalle Mercedes drove in the Mets’ runs. New York Mets Transactions New York Mets selected the contract of RHP Kevin Herget from Syracuse Mets. New York Mets optioned RHP Xzavion Curry to Syracuse Mets. Santucci's Syracuse Debut Has A Bit Of Everything Santucci made his first Triple-A start since being promoted from Double-A earlier in the week. It was an adventure. He needed 90 pitches (52 strikes) to get through four innings. He walked five, struck out seven, and allowed two runs and five hits. Both Rochester runs scored in the second inning, on an RBI triple and an RBI double. Senger cut the deficit to 2-1 with his ninth home run of the season and his first since July 2. Rochester answered in the bottom half with a run against Nate Lavender. Two rehab notes: Dedniel Núñez pitched a scoreless seventh with a strikeout, while Mike Tauchman played left field and finished 0-for-3. Player AB R H RBI BB K Ryan Clifford 4 0 1 0 0 2 Nick Morabito 4 0 0 0 0 0 Jihwan Bae 4 0 1 0 0 1 Ronny Mauricio 4 0 0 0 0 2 Mike Tauchman 3 0 0 0 0 0 MJ Melendez 3 0 0 0 0 1 Cristian Pache 3 0 0 0 0 1 Zack Short 3 0 0 0 0 1 Hayden Senger 3 1 1 1 0 1 Totals 31 1 3 1 0 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jonathan Santucci 4 5 2 2 5 7 0 Dylan Ross 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 Nate Lavender 1 3 1 1 0 2 0 Dedniel Núñez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Jefry Yan 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 8 9 3 3 5 14 0 Lorusso Powers Binghamton To Game 1 Win Nick Lorusso homered twice and drove in five runs in the opener. His three-run blast in the second put Binghamton ahead 7-1. His two-run shot in the sixth stretched the Rumble Ponies' lead to 9-4. He also walked and scored on D'Andre Smith's three-run homer during a four-run first. Matt Rudick homered in the seventh for Binghamton's final run. Wyatt Young and Corey Collins both reached base three times. Noah Hall pitched five innings for the win in his Double-A debut. He was promoted from High-A Brooklyn early in the week. He allowed four runs and six hits, with two walks and six strikeouts. Player AB R H RBI BB K Mitch Voit 4 2 1 0 1 1 Chris Suero 3 0 1 1 0 1 Nick Lorusso 3 3 2 5 1 0 Corey Collins 3 1 2 0 1 0 Jose Ramos 4 0 0 0 0 3 D'Andre Smith 4 1 1 3 0 0 Matt Rudick 4 1 2 1 0 1 Vincent Perozo 4 0 1 0 0 1 Wyatt Young 3 2 2 0 1 1 Totals 32 10 12 10 4 8 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Noah Hall 5 6 4 4 2 6 2 Zach Peek 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 Brian Metoyer 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 Totals 7 7 5 5 2 9 3 Binghamton's Comeback Bid In Game 2 Falls Short Amick's home run was part of a three-run Binghamton rally in the seventh. John Bay hit a sacrifice fly later in the frame to cut it to 5-4, but Lorusso hit into a force play to end the game. Binghamton fell behind 5-0 after three innings. Reading nicked starter Gabriel Rodriguez in the first, and then went deep twice against reliever Danis Correa for three runs in the third Jordan Geber kept the Ponies in the game with 2 2/3 hitless innings of relief, with one walk and two strikeouts. Wyatt Young came in from shortstop to finish the game on the mound. Player AB R H RBI BB K John Bay 3 0 1 2 0 2 Nick Lorusso 4 0 0 0 0 1 Corey Collins 3 0 0 0 0 2 Jose Ramos 2 0 0 0 0 1 Mitch Voit 1 1 1 0 0 0 Billy Amick 3 1 2 2 0 0 Kevin Parada 2 1 0 0 1 1 Matt Rudick 3 0 1 0 0 0 Vincent Perozo 3 1 1 0 0 1 Wyatt Young 2 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 26 4 6 4 2 9 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Gabriel Rodriguez 1 2 2 2 2 1 0 Danis Correa 1 1/3 3 3 3 2 2 2 Jordan Geber 2 2/3 0 0 0 1 2 0 Wyatt Young 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Totals 6 5 5 5 5 5 2 Brooklyn Blinks Against Winston-Salem Winston-Salem took the lead for good in the sixth with a solo homer off Parker Carlson. It came one inning after Yohairo Cuevas tied the game for Brooklyn with his sixth homer of the season. Andy Ibáñez, still rehabbing in the minors, gave Brooklyn a 2-1 lead in the third with an RBI single. One batter earlier, Reimer delivered his RBI double to knot the game 1-1. Carlson gave up two runs in the fifth to squander that lead. He was on in place of starter Jose Chirinos, who allowed two runs on five hits over the first four innings. Chirinos walked three and struck out four. The top three batters in the Cyclones' order --- Yonatan Henriquez, Reimer and Ibáñez --- each collected two hits. Player AB R H RBI BB K Yonatan Henriquez 5 1 2 0 0 0 Jacob Reimer 4 1 2 1 0 1 Andy Ibáñez 4 0 2 1 0 0 Trey Snyder 4 0 0 0 0 1 Ronald Hernandez 4 0 1 0 0 1 Daiverson Gutierrez 4 0 0 0 0 1 Antonio Jimenez 3 0 0 0 1 1 JT Benson 4 0 0 0 0 0 Yohairo Cuevas 4 1 2 1 0 1 Totals 36 3 9 3 1 6 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Jose Chirinos 4 5 1 1 3 4 0 Parker Carlson 2 4 3 3 1 1 2 Bryce Jenkins 2 0 0 0 0 4 0 Rafi Vazquez 1 2 2 1 0 0 0 Totals 9 11 6 5 4 9 2 St. Lucie Gets The W In Extras St. Lucie's half of the 10th started with Elian Peña on second base as the ghost runner. He advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on Vincent's sacrifice fly. John Smith III was then hit by a pitch. Cole Mathis followed with a walk. Both runners advanced on a groundout. A wild pitch brought in Smith, and Julio Zayas singled home Mathis for a 6-3 lead. Zack Mack earned the win with a huge relief outing. He entered the game with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, with the Mets leading 3-2. He gave up a game-tying sacrifice fly, but then got a lineout to left and a strikeout to force extras. He came back out for the bottom of the 10th and worked around a walk to finish the game. Ryan Tayman added to his big first week in pro ball. The catcher, who was drafted ninth round by the Mets last month, hit a two-run double in the first to put St. Lucie on top 2-0. He had a .462/.500/1.346 slash line after three games.. Player AB R H RBI BB K Elian Peña 4 2 1 0 1 3 Wyatt Vincent 4 0 0 1 0 1 John Smith III 3 2 1 0 1 0 Cole Mathis 3 2 1 0 2 1 Branny De Oleo 0 0 0 0 0 0 Ryan Tayman 5 0 1 2 0 2 Julio Zayas 5 0 2 1 0 2 Simon Juan 0 0 0 0 0 0 Bohan Adderley 5 0 0 0 0 1 Vladi Gomez 4 0 2 0 0 1 Kooper Schulte 4 0 0 0 0 2 Totals 37 6 8 4 4 13 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Nathan Hall 3 1 0 0 1 1 0 Jonathan Jimenez 2 1/3 1 0 0 0 4 0 Joe Scarborough 2/3 1 2 2 1 1 1 Elwis Mijares 2 3 1 1 3 3 0 Zack Mack 2 0 0 0 1 2 0 Totals 10 6 3 3 6 11 1 Top-20 Prospect Performance Jonah Tong: DNP Jack Wenninger: DNP Ryan Clifford: 1-for-4, 2 K Elian Pena: 1-for-4, BB, 3 K Nick Morabito: 0-for-4 Jacob Reimer: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K Mitch Voit: Game 1: 1-for-4, BB, K; Game 2: 1-for-1 Jonathan Santucci: 4 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 5 BB, 7 K Zac Thornton: DNP Chris Suero: Game 1: 1-for-3, 2B, RBI, K; Game 2: DNP Will Watson: DNP Wandy Asigen: DNP Eli Serrano III: DNP Randy Guzman: DNP Dylan Ross: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K Ryan Lambert: DNP Antonio Jimenez: 0-for-3, BB, K R.J. Gordon: DNP Jonathan Pintaro: DNP Marco Vargas: DNP View the full article

Henry Williams spun six scoreless innings as Omaha blanked St. Paul 4-0, with Abraham Toro and Jack Pineda supplying the home runs. Carson Roccaforte homered, and Hunter Patteson earned the win in Northwest Arkansas's 8-7 escape at Tulsa. Quad Cities swept its doubleheader behind Derlin Figueroa's six RBI, including a grand slam, while Kamden Edge and L.P. Langevin combined for four hitless innings of relief in the opener. Mason Miller added three scoreless innings in the nightcap. Columbia's game on Saturday was postponed due to weather. They have a scheduled doubleheader on Sunday, August 2nd. Kansas City Royals Transactions No Roster Moves Williams Blanks St. Paul As Omaha Rides Two Home Runs Omaha shut out St. Paul 4-0, and Henry Williams set the tone in the Storm Chasers' victory. Williams started and worked six innings, allowed three hits and one walk, struck out five, and did not give up a run. That gave him a quality start, and he handed the bullpen a lead it never gave back. Jose Cuas followed with two innings on one hit, no walks, and no runs. Justin Topa added a hitless inning with no walks. The offense took a while to show up. Omaha went scoreless through three innings before Gavin Cross doubled and came home on a sacrifice fly from Brett Squires for a 1-0 lead. The sixth inning provided the cushion for Omaha. Toro reached ahead of Pineda, and Pineda drove a two-run home run to right-center field, his first of the season with the Storm Chasers, to make it 3-0. Toro produced the last run himself two innings later with a solo home run to the same part of the park, his 19th. Toro, hitting in the cleanup spot, finished 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI. Pineda also had two hits and drove in two. Cross went 1-for-4 with a double and a run. Elih Marrero hit a ground-rule double, and Stone Russell reached twice on a single and a walk. Omaha totaled seven hits and one walk. St. Paul was held to four hits and one walk for the game. The Storm Chasers went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. They are now 51-55. Player AB R H RBI BB K Kyle Isbel 4 0 0 0 0 1 Gavin Cross 4 1 1 0 0 2 Brett Squires 3 0 0 1 0 0 Abraham Toro 4 2 2 1 0 0 Jack Pineda 4 1 2 2 0 0 Drew Waters 3 0 0 0 0 1 Peyton Wilson 3 0 0 0 0 1 Elih Marrero 3 0 1 0 0 0 Stone Russell 2 0 1 0 1 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Henry Williams 6 3 0 0 1 5 0 Jose Cuas 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Justin Topa 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 Northwest Arkansas Holds Off A Late Tulsa Push In An 8-7 Win Northwest Arkansas scored in four separate innings, built an 8-2 lead, and then held on for an 8-7 win at Tulsa. The Naturals finished with 13 hits, two walks, and two hit batters. Patteson started and went five innings, giving up four hits and two runs while walking four and striking out four. He left with the lead and earned the win. Grant Gambrell followed with 3 2/3 innings, four hits, four runs, two walks, and three strikeouts. Dennis Colleran Jr. worked one-third of an inning with one hit, one run, one walk, and one strikeout for his third save. The scoring opened with singles from Luke Pelzer and Roccaforte, and Pelzer came around on a force out. Justin Johnson stretched it the next inning with a two-run home run, his fourth, that also scored Connor Scott. The third inning was the difference. Colton Becker singled, Roccaforte followed with a two-run home run to center field, his 24th, and Scott singled home Daniel Vazquez. A fourth run crossed before the inning ended for a 7-2 lead. Canyon Brown drove in Vazquez again two innings later with a single to center field. Scott led the game at 3-for-4 with a walk and one RBI. Vazquez went 2-for-4 with two doubles, two runs, and a hit by pitch. Becker and Roccaforte each collected two hits. Northwest Arkansas struck out 14 times as a team, so the 13 hits had to carry it. Player AB R H RBI BB K Luke Pelzer 4 1 1 0 1 2 Colton Becker 5 1 2 0 0 1 Carson Roccaforte 5 1 2 2 0 2 Spencer Nivens 5 0 1 0 0 1 Daniel Vazquez 4 2 2 0 0 2 Omar Hernandez 4 1 0 0 0 3 Connor Scott 4 1 3 1 1 0 Canyon Brown 4 0 1 1 0 3 Justin Johnson 4 1 1 2 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Hunter Patteson 5 4 2 2 4 4 2 Grant Gambrell 3 2/3 4 4 4 2 3 2 Dennis Colleran Jr. 1/3 1 1 1 1 1 0 Quad Cities Piles Up Ten Runs In The Doubleheader Opener Quad Cities scored in all six innings it batted and beat Dayton 10-4 in the opener of a doubleheader. The River Bandits piled up 13 hits. David Shields started and gave up eight hits and four runs across three innings. He issued no walks and struck out five, and one of the hits was a home run. The bullpen took over from there. Edge threw two hitless innings with one walk and three strikeouts to earn the win. Langevin matched that with two hitless innings, three walks, and four strikeouts. Dayton did not record another hit after Shields was done. The first inning got the River Bandits off to a winning start. Nolan Sailors, Asbel Gonzalez, and Blake Mitchell all got on base. Derlin Figueroa singled in Sailors, and Jose Cerice brought Gonzalez home on a force out. Mitchell singled in Diego Guzman the next inning, and a fly ball from Chris Brito accounted for another run. The River Bandits kept up the pressure on the Dragons in the middle of the game. Erick Torres singled, Pedro Roque tripled him in, and Guzman singled home Roque. An inning after that, Mitchell singled, Brito reached on an error, and Figueroa and Cerice delivered back-to-back RBI singles. Brito later doubled home Sailors, and Gonzalez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score Cerice for the final run. Figueroa and Cerice each went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Mitchell was 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI, and a run. Gonzalez reached three times on one hit and two hit by pitches, and he scored twice. Player AB R H RBI BB K Nolan Sailors 4 2 1 0 1 2 Asbel Gonzalez 3 2 1 1 0 1 Blake Mitchell 4 1 2 1 1 1 Chris Brito 4 1 1 1 0 0 Derlin Figueroa 4 0 2 2 0 0 Jose Cerice 4 1 2 2 0 0 Erick Torres 4 1 2 0 0 0 Pedro Roque 4 1 1 1 0 2 Diego Guzman 3 1 1 1 1 1 Player IP H R ER BB K HR David Shields 3 8 4 4 0 5 1 Kamden Edge 2 0 0 0 1 3 0 L.P. Langevin 2 0 0 0 3 4 0 Figueroa Grand Slam Powers Quad Cities In The Nightcap Quad Cities finished the doubleheader sweep with a 7-1 win over Dayton, and the first inning settled it. Tyriq Kemp, Asbel Gonzalez, and Mitchell singled to load the bases, and Figueroa cleared them with a grand slam to right field, his 21st home run of the season. The River Bandits kept going the next inning. Angel Acosta doubled and scored on a double by Gonzalez, and Mitchell followed with a single that brought Gonzalez home for a 6-0 lead. Jose Cerice added a solo home run, his third, later in the game. Miller started and gave Quad Cities three innings without a run, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out two. Dash Albus worked two innings, gave up three hits and one run, walked nobody, and struck out four to earn the win. The only run charged to him came on a home run. Tommy Molsky added two innings on one hit, no walks, and no runs. Gonzalez finished 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs. Mitchell went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Figueroa drove in all four of his runs on the one swing, and Cerice reached twice on a hit and a walk. Quad Cities managed just eight hits, but seven of them came in the first two innings and produced six runs. Dayton was limited to six hits and one run. Quad Cities pitchers walked two and struck out seven, and the defense behind them did not make an error. The River Bandits stranded five runners on base and went 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position. With the two wins, they are back over .500 at 49-48. Player AB R H RBI BB K Tyriq Kemp 4 1 1 0 0 0 Asbel Gonzalez 4 2 2 1 0 1 Blake Mitchell 4 1 2 1 0 1 Derlin Figueroa 3 1 1 4 0 1 Jose Cerice 2 1 1 1 1 0 Erick Torres 3 0 0 0 0 1 Hyungchan Um 3 0 0 0 0 2 Trevor Werner 1 0 0 0 1 1 Angel Acosta 3 1 1 0 0 0 Player IP H R ER BB K HR Mason Miller 3 2 0 0 2 2 0 Dash Albus 2 3 1 1 0 4 1 Tommy Molsky 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 Top-20 Prospect Performance Kendry Chourio: DNP David Shields: 3 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 1 HR Josh Hammond: DNP Blake Mitchell: Game 1: 2-for-4, RBI, BB, K; Game 2: 2-for-4, RBI, K Sean Gamble: DNP Ramon Ramirez: DNP Zion Rose: DNP Asbel Gonzalez: Game 1: 1-for-3, RBI, 2 HBP, K; Game 2: 2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K Carson Roccaforte: 2-for-5, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K Taylor Rabe: DNP Yandel Ricardo: DNP Justin Lamkin: DNP Drew Beam: DNP Michael Lombardi: DNP Jack Slightom: DNP Felix Arronde: DNP Angeibel Gomez: DNP Ben Kudrna: DNP Steven Zobac: DNP Blake Wolters: DNP View the full article