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DiamondCentric

DiamondCentric

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  1. Fish On First staffers discuss all angles of an active trade deadline day for the Marlins. Monday's special livestream was hosted by Ely Sussman and featured panelists Isaac Azout, Kevin Barral, Nate Karzmer, Jeremiah Geiger, Sean Millerick and Alex Carver. You can find Fish Unfiltered and Fish On First LIVE on the Fish On First YouTube channel, Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever else you get your pods. Here's a summary of Miami's deadline day player movement: Traded for Victor Vodnik (Rockies), Brandan Bidois (Pirates), Jonathon Long (Cubs), Brayden Taylor (Rays), Adrian Santana (Rays), Jace Beck (Cubs), Jacob Kisting (Rays), Hyun Seung Lee (Pirates), Brian Sánchez (Pirates) and cash considerations (Orioles) Traded away Liam Hicks (Rays), Lake Bachar (Pirates), Connor Norby (Rockies), Braxton Garrett (Cubs), Aiden May (Rockies) and Rece Hinds (Orioles) View the full article
  2. That 15-game winning streak officially broke something in Craig Breslow. He's done trying to build slowly and methodically around a core group of prospects. Instead, he's certain it's time to go all-in. Following their blockbuster move for Adley Rutschman earlier in the day and a swap of Tyler Uberstine for Eli White, the Boston Red Sox have now traded former top prospect Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants, reuniting him with Rafael Devers. In exchange, they're getting reliever Erik Miller. This is an aggressive move by the front office, and not just because Miller is a 28-year-old reliever with a 2.76 ERA. Mayer was one of the fabled "Big 3" Red Sox prospects alongside Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony, both of whom signed long-term extensions with the franchise. The former, unfortunately, is struggling in Triple-A this year and comes with a lot of buyer's remorse, while the latter has looked elite while healthy but is currently dealing with a long-term hand injury. Mayer is an excellent infield defender and was the supposed heir to Trevor Story's throne at shortstop. Unfortunately, he just didn't hit at the big-league level (.625 OPS, 69 wRC+) and, like Campbell, has regressed in 2026. He should earn a lot of playing time in San Francisco, where the rebuilding Giants can afford to let him figure things out in low-pressure games. As for Miller, he fills the left-handed set-up man quota Breslow has been desperate to meet. His peripherals are outstanding, as he ranks in the 90th percentile or above in strikeout rate, whiff rate, expected batting average allowed, average exit velocity allowed, hard-hit rate, and groundball rate. In other words, he does almost everything well on the mound, which makes it easy to buy into his 2.76 ERA despite terrible command. He's also under team control through 2029, meaning he could be the closer of the future once Aroldis Chapman finally decides to hang 'em up. Losing Mayer is a painful price to pay, but Miller is good enough to make that gamble pay off. The Sox are also receiving Carlos Gutierrez in the deal, per MassLive's Christopher Smith. The 21-year-old outfielder has a 124 wRC+ in High-A this season. View the full article
  3. After acquiring Robbie Ray earlier in the day, the San Diego Padres traded for Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Casey Mize minutes before the trade deadline was set to expire. Was it worth it to give up Kash Mayfield as part of the deal? View the full article
  4. The Twins capped off their trade deadline by acquiring reliever Jeff Hoffman from Toronto, sending Dasan Hill, John Klein, and Dameury Pena to the Blue Jays in return. It's a hefty price, but Hoffman brings elite swing-and-miss stuff and could be a major boost to Minnesota's bullpen. View the full article
  5. The Marcelo Mayer era was short-lived. The Boston Red Sox's former top prospect was dealt to the San Francisco Giants for left-handed reliever Erik Miller. Did they give up too soon, or was this the right move? View the full article
  6. The Toronto Blue Jays dealt Kevin Gausman to the Chicago Cubs ahead of this year's MLB Trade Deadline. In return, they got a pair of top-30 prospects in Ty Southisene and Brett Bateman. In this video, we break down the strengths, weaknesses, and overall projection of the two speedsters and newest members of Toronto's farm system. View the full article
  7. The Brewers didn't land Tarik Skubal, but they still addressed their pitching staff with two high-upside additions. Here's what Dustin May and JoJo Romero bring to Milwaukee, and why trading Josiah Ragsdale and Alexander Frias could pay off in October. View the full article
  8. In their second move of the day to bolster their starting rotation, the San Diego Padres acquired right-hander Casey Mize from the Detroit Tigers, according to MLB insider Jon Heyman. Who the Padres sent to the Tigers is yet to be known. More to come ... View the full article
  9. A busy Trade Deadline Day continued to provide the Red Sox with a new roster as Breslow completed a trade with the Atlanta Braves. The Red Sox sent Tyler Uberstine to Atlanta and received Eli White in return. Uberstine was drafted by the Red Sox in the 19th round of the 2021 MLB Draft and worked his way through the system before being added to the 40-man roster following the 2025 season. Entering 2026, he was viewed as starting pitching depth but was moved to the bullpen after the Boston bullpen needed reinforcements early in the season. The right-hander made his debut with Boston on April 5, where he pitched 2 2/3 innings and took the loss after surrendering one run. Shortly after the outing, Uberstine ended up on the injured list, where he began a rehab assignment on May 26. Overall, he’s made 15 appearances for Worcester, tossing 32 innings with a 2.81 ERA. Atlanta receives a serviceable arm that will provide them with innings either at the back end of their rotation or out of the bullpen. For Boston, they received White. An outfielder, White has been used as a defensive replacement and pinch runner late in the game, with only 34 of his 60 games played being starts. Mostly playing right field, White has also seen time in left and center field. He is also viewed as a rather fast runner, being in the 99th percentile for sprint speed. In the playoffs, that could be a game-changer in late-inning situations as a pinch runner. Offensively, there isn’t much to talk about as he’s near the bottom of all offensive metrics if he qualified for them. He has hit left-handed pitchers better, slashing .241/.312/.446 in 83 at-bats this season. View the full article
  10. One-time closer Jeff Hoffman has been traded to the Minnesota Twins, as reported by Jeff Passan. The return for Toronto is reported to be Dasan Hill, John Klein and Dameury Pena. Last year's trade that sent Louis Varland to Toronto and Hoffman's loss of ninth-inning duties made him expendable. Hoffman signed a 3-year, $33-million deal with the Jays ahead of the 2025 season and became their defacto closer, racking up 33 regular season saves and another pair in the playoffs, including the Game 7 ALCS clincher. His accumulation of blown saves and 15 homers surrendered, along with the World Series Game 7 blown save took a lot of the shine off of Hoffman (to put it mildly). The rise of Varland to 9th inning duties (plus the addition of Tyler Rogers) pushed Hoffman into lower leverage situations where he performed much better. His cost and diminished role (with improved results) made him an expendable piece. The Twins will be taking on the remainder of Hoffman's '26 salary, but the Jays have agreed to pay a portion of his '27 contract. More to come... View the full article
  11. The Chicago Cubs dealt a pair of top 30 prospects for Kevin Gausman. In this video, we'll break down the valuable experience of someone who threw for the Toronto Blue Jays, a team that was a game away from being World Series champions next year. We'll also dive into his strengths and what's hindering him at 35 years old. View the full article
  12. Jeff Hoffman was briefly Minnesota Twins property once before. Now, he's back, as the team made a last-minute trade to acquire him from the Toronto Blue Jays Monday afternoon. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic broke the news. Hoffman, 33, dominates righties with a vicious power slider. Against lefties, he divides his mix more evenly among that slider; a four-seamer that averages 96 MPH; and a splitter that can miss bats. For some stretches over the last four seasons, he’s been outright elite among high-leverage relievers. He’s given up some gut-punch homers since joining the Blue Jays, but broadly speaking, he remains a lethal weapon. He’s owed $11 million next season and a prorated share of the same amount the rest of this year. The Twins will take on all of the money for 2026, but Toronto will send some to help cover next year's salary. In exchange, Minnesota gives up three prospects. John Klein debuted for Minnesota earlier this year, and will be in position to contribute for the reloading Jays down the stretch. Along with him come two upside plays for Toronto, in high-upside (but, lately, messy) pitching prospect Dasan Hill and infielder Dameury Pena, each of whom are far from the big leagues. More to come. View the full article
  13. That 15-game winning streak officially broke something in Craig Breslow. He's done trying to build slowly and methodically around a core group of prospects. Instead, he's certain it's time to go all-in. Following their blockbuster move for Adley Rutschman earlier in the day and a swap of Tyler Uberstine for Eli White, the Boston Red Sox have now traded former top prospect Marcelo Mayer to the San Francisco Giants, reuniting him with Rafael Devers. In exchange, they're getting reliever Erik Miller. This is an aggressive move by the front office, and not just because Miller is a 28-year-old reliever with a 2.76 ERA. Mayer was one of the fabled "Big 3" Red Sox prospects alongside Kristian Campbell and Roman Anthony, both of whom signed long-term extensions with the franchise. The former, unfortunately, is struggling in Triple-A this year and comes with a lot of buyer's remorse, while the latter has looked elite while healthy but is currently dealing with a long-term hand injury. Mayer is an excellent infield defender and was the supposed heir to Trevor Story's throne at shortstop. Unfortunately, he just didn't hit at the big-league level (.625 OPS, 69 wRC+) and, like Campbell, has regressed in 2026. He should earn a lot of playing time in San Francisco, where the rebuilding Giants can afford to let him figure things out in low-pressure games. As for Miller, he fills the left-handed set-up man quota Breslow has been desperate to meet. His peripherals are outstanding, as he ranks in the 90th percentile or above in strikeout rate, whiff rate, expected batting average allowed, average exit velocity allowed, hard-hit rate, and groundball rate. In other words, he does almost everything well on the mound, which makes it easy to buy into his 2.76 ERA despite terrible command. He's also under team control through 2029, meaning he could be the closer of the future once Aroldis Chapman finally decides to hang 'em up. Losing Mayer is a painful price to pay, but Miller is good enough to make that gamble pay off. View the full article
  14. Acquiring talented reliever Nick Mears from the Rockies two years ago didn't pan out exactly as the Brewers hoped. Undeterred, however, they're back in business with the new Rockies front office. They're set to acquire right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. More to come. View the full article
  15. The Kansas City Royals traded starting pitcher Kris Bubic for right-handed reliever Carlos Duran. What grade would you give the trade? View the full article
  16. Some fans were left disappointed by the New York Mets' return for Luke Weaver, one of the best relievers on the market, as the front office only pried Sammy Stafura out of Pittsburgh. So, in order to get a better prospect from the Chicago Cubs, David Stearns packaged two of his best remaining trade chips into one deal. Yes, Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor are on the move, completing the second trade between these two teams after the David Peterson deal a month ago. In return, the Mets are receiving Jefferson Rojas, a consensus top-100 prospect with enormous upside. More to come... View the full article
  17. Some fans were left disappointed by the New York Mets' return for Luke Weaver, one of the best relievers on the market, as the front office only pried Sammy Stafura out of Pittsburgh. So, in order to get a better prospect from the Chicago Cubs, David Stearns packaged two of his best remaining trade chips into one deal. Yes, Clay Holmes and Tyrone Taylor are on the move, completing the second trade between these two teams after the David Peterson deal a month ago. In return, the Mets are receiving Jefferson Rojas, a consensus top-100 prospect with enormous upside. Holmes, 33, has a 2.39 ERA this season, but it’s come in just nine starts. He fractured his leg in May and is just now on the cusp of a return to the majors. He’s under contract for $13 million this season, so he’s owed about $4 million the rest of the way. He can also earn $12 million in 2027, but if he comes back and pitches well the rest of the way, he’ll almost certainly opt out, which the deal allows him to do. Meanwhile, Taylor is an excellent fourth outfielder who hits lefties well and plays solid defense at all three positions on the grass. He's exactly the kind of player every winning team needs, which makes his inclusion in the deal more understandable when it means that a player like Rojas is the return. Speaking of, Rojas is a 21-year-old hitting .270/.339/.461 in Double-A this year, and he's got potential to be a five-tool player. He's long been seen as a "jack of all trades, master of none" kind of player, but he's played good defense at third base this year while hitting 15 homers and swiping 17 bags. He immediately becomes one of the best prospects in the farm system and is positioned to be Bo Bichette's heir apparent at the hot corner. In truth, this trade is somewhat reminiscent of the Pete Crow-Armstrong trade from 2021, when the Cubs sent two of their better trade chips (Javier Báez and Trevor Williams) in order to land the star outfield prospect. Hopefully, this deal ages just as well for Rojas and the Mets. View the full article
  18. The Chicago Cubs see an opportunity to win now—like, right now, apparently. They've struck again as the MLB trade deadline rushes nearer, trading top infield prospect Jefferson Rojas to the New York Mets for starting pitcher Clay Holmes and outfielder Tyrone Taylor. Jon Heyman of the New York Post delivered the news. More to come on a move that dramatically raises the stakes of this season for Chicago. View the full article
  19. The Royals have acquired RHP Nolan Hoffman from the Phillies. The Royals sent RHP Manuel Colon to Philadelphia in return. Hoffman has thrown 4 2/3 innings for the Phillies this year, striking out two and walking three. At the Triple-A level, Hoffman has thrown 34 1/3 innings, stirking out 40 and walking 18 with a 5.24 ERA over 30 relief appearances. Colon has thrown in the Arizona Complex League and at Single-A Columbia, throwing 29 1/3 innings combined (27 in the Complex League). He has a combined 5.83 ERA with 37 strikeouts and 12 walks in that time. View the full article
  20. Jeff Passan is reporting that the Houston Astros have acquired Daulton Varsho. The Blue Jays centerfielder was set to become a free agent at the end of the season, but the potential of a qualifying offer murkied his trade availability. Reports that the return for the Jays is right hander Spencer Arrighetti. More to come... View the full article
  21. Mere minutes after securing a controllable starter who's a bit of a project, the Cubs have snapped up a reliever to give them a more formidable bullpen for a push toward the playoffs, a source confirmed to North Side Baseball. Jeff Passan of ESPN broke the news on Twitter. More to come. View the full article
  22. The Miami Marlins are trading Braxton Garrett to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for first baseman Jonathon Long and pitcher Jace Beck, Fish On First can confirm. Neither club has made the trade official yet. Selected back in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft, Garrett has spent more than 10 years in the organization. His best season with the team came in 2023, where he threw a career-high 159 ⅔ innings and started game two of the National League Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies. Unfortunately for Garrett, it all went downhill from there. In 2024, Garrett was limited to seven starts. His season was cut short due to a left elbow injury and he underwent UCL surgery the following winter. He missed the entire 2025 season, but was ready for spring training in 2026. Garrett made two starts in spring training before being optioned to Triple-A. Garrett has spent the majority of the 2026 season down in Triple-A Jacksonville, only making two starts at the major league level. With the Jumbo Shrimp, Garrett has posted a 2.90 ERA, 4.15 FIP, 9.62 K/9 and 3.36 BB/9 in 16 appearances (15 starts). In those two starts with the big league team, Garrett struggled, allowing seven runs on seven hits and walking eight in two poor starts. He has not been given an opportunity since. As detailed by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald earlier on Monday, the Marlins "wanted Garrett to find ways to increase his velocity and modify his arsenal. According to a source, Garrett was reluctant to make wholesale changes, believing major tweaks would do more harm than good." That disagreement was a factor in why the club barely used him despite at times having such a thin rotation in the big leagues. Long, MLB Pipeline's No. 10 Cubs prospect, is currently in Triple-A slashing .283/.364/.455/.818 with 12 home runs, 62 RBI and has a 108 wRC+. He is striking out 21.2% of the time while walking 10.6%. Despite being primarily a first baseman throughout most of his minor league career, Long has played some left field this season, making 16 appearances (15 starts) at that spot. Beck, who was ranked No. 28 in the Cubs org by Pipeline, is a 26-year-old right-handed pitcher in Triple-A. He's made 25 appearances (nine starts), he's posted a 3.62 ERA, 3.80 FIP, 13.98 K/9 and 4.22 BB/9. Beck throws a fastball, curveball, cutter and changeup. Neither Long nor Beck occupies a 40-man roster spot currently. View the full article
  23. The Brewers have acquired pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals. More to come... Thanks to @ImissDougMelvin for posting this in the forums first. View the full article
  24. While it isn't a huge name, the Milwaukee Brewers have added a veteran to their starting rotation while also bringing in a key bullpen arm. The Brewers have acquired pitchers Dustin May and JoJo Romero from the St. Louis Cardinals, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The players the Brewers are sending to the Cardinals are not yet known. After losing out on a quest to land back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Los Angeles Dodgers, May becomes the fallback option. Romero is currently in the 15-day injured list following an appendectomy and should be ready to come back soon. May is having a bounce-back season in his first year with the Cardinals, with a 3.14 FIP (4.38 ERA) in 21 starts and 109 innings. May has a 7.6% walk rate and 23.1% strikeout rate this season. He began last season with the Dodgers and was shipped to the Boston Red Sox at the 2025 deadline to create room for other players coming to L.A. Between the two, May had a 4.88 FIP (4.96 ERA) in 25 games, all but two starts, over 132⅓ innings with a 9.6% walk rate and 21.1% strikeout rate. More to come... Thanks to @ImissDougMelvin for posting this in the forums first. View the full article
  25. One of the best pieces the New York Mets had to move at the 2026 trade deadline is on the move. The Mets dealt right-handed reliever Luke Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. The players coming to the Mets are not yet known. The Pirates were desperate to upgrade their bullpen and Weaver certainly does that. Weaver has appeared in 42 games and 44 innings this year, with a 2.82 FIP (1.84 ERA), having walk rate of 6.5% and a strikeout rate of 26.6%. More to come ... View the full article
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