My Top 10 Trade Deadline Deals of 2025

 It's odd talking about this specific trade deadline, because it doesn't SEEM like a lot of huge pieces came off the board, but they really did. This was a year without many BIG stars changing hands, maybe one or two [in deals that, to be frank, did not make my list], but a lot of the big deals concerned relief pitchers and utility guys. This was a year where Jose Caballero and Willi Castro getting dealt were both big deals, and it was warranted rather than 'this is all we have to talk about'. It honestly speaks to the quality of the relief pitching in this deadline, as it wasn't like 'who's gonna get this 29 year old having a fluke year?' or anything, like there were a lot of big relievers and closers getting dealt, and it all pretty much made sense.

And yes, we got through the deadline without Luis Robert, Joe Ryan, Sandy Alcantara, Jacob deGrom, Dylan Cease or even Paul Skenes getting traded. Yet it all seemed satisfying and not anticlimactic. I guess I'd call it a win, and not because of how both my teams did.

So, as is custom, I'm gonna rank my top 10 trade deadlines of this year. There'll be another post for the honorable mentions I still wanted to talk about, and another still about the ones where the GM's actions frankly puzzled me.

But let's get into it with a deal that honestly, by the end of the year, might be too lowly-ranked.

#10: Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds, Taylor Rogers to the Pirates [and eventually the Cubs], fellow CIN prospect to the Pirates.

The Reds filled a lot of smaller holes this deadline, but their biggest hole was at third base. They have tried Noelvi Marte, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Jeimer Candelario, Santiago Espinal and Garrett Hampson at third this season. None of them worked. So why not bring in a guy who can definitely play third base. Sneakily, Ke'Bryan Hayes has been having a nice year at the corner, and he continues to be one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Now, granted, he's not *hitting*, but you never know when he'll go on a tear. I just think that Hayes was the corner stability the Reds needed, and even if he doesn't hit, he'll be a pretty nice piece of this Reds team as they head towards a potential playoff run. 

#9: Merrill Kelly to the Rangers, 3 prospects to the Diamondbacks

I've ranked this one so lowly because I honestly don't think the Rangers needed rotation help, especially considering that before they went on the streak they were gonna deal deGrom anyway. But...this still gives one of the best starters in the league to a rotation that already has deGrom, Eovaldi and Jack Leiter in it. That's honestly pretty scary to me. This will depend on whether or not the Rangers are as good as their July has been. Because they have the pieces in place, and only now are they starting to act like they're supposed to. I think there's a chance they keep rolling, but I also know how inconsistent the Rangers have been this year. Either way Kelly will help, and it's kind of wild to see the Rangers bring on a guy who squared off against them in the 2023 World Series.

#8: Ryan McMahon to the Yankees, 2 prospects to the Rockies

As far as a Cashman pull goes, it may not seem like much. Because of the Yankees' reluctance to trade some of its most prized prospects [Spencer Jones, George Lombard, Jasson Dominguez honestly], a lot of the bigger deadline weapons we were after didn't end up happening. Initially when the McMahon deal happened it felt like a poor consolation for Eugenio Suarez. But honestly, just from what I've seen from McMahon so far, I think we made the right decision. We needed a sure thing at third base, and McMahon is not only that everyday corner guy, but his contact hitting has revitalized the team. Already he's hitting .350 as a Yankee with 8 hits and 4 RBIs. He doesn't need to be the star, but he's steady, consistent and really impressive. Like Chisholm last year, McMahon just seems like just the kind of guy we need right now.

#7: Ryan O'Hearn and Ramon Laureano to the Padres, 5 prospects to the Orioles

Very smart move by A.J. Preller. There's another move I'll talk about tomorrow that was even sneakier in filling a need, but the Padres needed an outfield upgrade and one more thumper for the lineup, and they got two perfect pieces. Ryan O'Hearn in a lineup that already has Manny Machado, Fernando Tatis, Gavin Sheets and Jackson Merrill is dangerous. He will fit right in there. And Laureano going to this outfield is a blessing because he doesn't have to start every day. His defense makes him an upgrade over a lot of their other OF options, and he's a good bench bat when needed. I think Gavin Sheets should be getting more starts out there, but Laureano gives them flexibility. The trouble I had with him in Baltimore is that he was playing a starring role when he really should have been a backup, but that's more the fault of the team this year. 

Speaking of Orioles outfielders..

#6: Cedric Mullins to the Mets, 3 prospects to the Orioles

Going into this season, even before we knew the O's would have a drop-off, it was clear that Cedric Mullins was likely on the way out. He'd been there for eight seasons, came into his own right when the team needed him and was a marquee star as they built their youth movement. He'd done enough. The Mets now have an outfield of Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo and Cedric Mullins. That's pretty excellent in my opinion. Mullins is still versatile, still quick, and still powerful. He now gets to help a team get to October. I see no real drawbacks here, though because Mullins is having a comparative down year I'm not sure if that'll carry over.

#5: Josh Naylor to the Mariners, 2 prospects to the D-Backs

The Mariners, even in the midst of a division battle that's getting much more competitive, made some really nice moves to boost the lethality of their lineup. Naylor at the corner in T-Mobile Park is definitely a step up. Even in a year that's not quite to the quality of his Cleveland run, Naylor is still an excellent contact hitter, hitting .292 with 11 homers and 59 RBIs. In Seattle he vastly improves the 1st base situation and adds another surefire bat to a lineup that, even before this weekend, ranked as one of the most troublesome ones in the AL. If October is on the Mariners' mind this year, which it is, they've also procured an excellent postseason performer. 

#4: Jhoan Duran to the Phillies, Mick Abel and another prospect to the Twins

Finally, the Phillies get a legit answer in the ninth after every other closing option fell apart. And yes, I am aware of how often we use the trade deadline to get a surefire closer that then struggles to save games once he gets here. It happened with Ian Kennedy, it happened with David Robertson, it happened with Carlos Estevez. However, Jhoan Duran is under 30. He's also still in his prime, in the midst of a great season, and is scarily dominant. He is the missing link for a bullpen that's honestly coming into its own. Though, to be fair, if our bullpen IS, in fact, cursed, then you'll file this away with the others. I just have hope that he'll be the one, though. 

#3: David Bednar to the Yankees, 3 prospects to the Pirates

Like the Phillies, the Yankees also went through some aggravation to find a ninth inning man this year. Both Devin Williams and Luke Weaver have been spottier in save situations this year, and it's clear that both should be in setup roles. All that remained was a better, more reliable closer. And since June I'd say, David Bednar has been one of the most reliable closers in baseball. I only attribute his struggles to moments leading up to and following an injury- everything else has been fantastic. Pittsburgh fans loved him, and hopefully he'll appeal to Yankee fans as well. I just think he's a pretty reliable bet in the ninth, though I do worry he'll go back to his April luck in a bigger stadium. 

#2: Mason Miller and J.P. Sears to the Padres, Leo de Vries and three other prospects to the Athletics

This one is so high because I did not think the A's were going to deal Mason Miller, as he's a young, controllable phenom that I thought they'd keep until Vegas. But evidently the GM got an offer from A.J. Preller that he couldn't refuse, and I think Leo de Vries was part of that, despite the fact that Jacob Wilson also exists. Mason Miller is a terrific closer and unbelievable hard-throwing pitcher, but putting him in a minor league stadium did not do him justice. He gives the Padres an even safer bet in the ninth than Robert Suarez, and he could be closing there for years. And in a deadline season where the Padres still dealt some excess arms [Ryan Bergert and Stephen Kolek got dealt, more on that tomorrow], J.P. Sears is a very smart late-rotation addition that not only adds yet another ex-Yankee to this rotation [alongside Vazquez and King], but puts a consistent, reliable starter alongside Nick Pivetta and Dylan Cease. I'd put that against the Dodgers' circus of arm strains anyday.

But of course, as wild as it was to see a trade that actually got Mason Miller out of Sacramento, it could not take the top spot. The top spot had to go to a fit so perfect that I could have sworn I'd seen it before...

#1: Eugenio Suarez to the Mariners, Tyler Locklear and 2 prospects to the Diamondbacks

Look, some things are just clear. We know Geno in Seattle works, it worked a couple years ago. We know Geno's having an excellent season, and right at the trade he became the D-Backs' WAR leader this season. We know he can hit home runs and for contact. We know he's still in his prime. And we know he and Josh Naylor were on the same wavelength. Putting him back into this lineup makes it clear that the Mariners have the best lineup in the division now. They have more assets than Houston, more clear power hitters than Texas, and better pitching security than either. And yes, the Astros had a similar reunion today, and you're probably wondering why it's not at this spot. Without getting fully into a rant I'll have later on...Eugenio Suarez has a space meant for him. He doesn't have to squeeze into someone else's for a month or so. 

For now, the Mariners just bulked up their lineup with someone they know works in Seattle, and they just made a major stake towards the East title. It's gonna make the rest of the season very interesting, that's for sure.

Tomorrow I'll talk about some of the trades that didn't make this list, and why.

Ern This

 

Ten years after the Toronto Blue Jays had a hot June and rode it all the way to October, the Jays have struck again with an entirely different kind of competitive team. The pieces were always there, but somehow, for the first time in a while, everybody's on the same page, and everybody's just ahead of the competition. And, somehow, it doesn't feel forced. The Blue Jays were okay in the first couple months, but it's not like a switch flipped. The seeds were being planted. After a while they just...kept winning games, and before you knew it they were ahead in the AL East and one of the best teams in baseball.

Usually when a team does that I don't really like it. You compete from day one, you don't just decide midway. But I don't think the Jays decided midway. They were always good, but they were just unlucky for a while. And honestly they had to lose Bowden Francis, Anthony Santander and Yimi Garcia to sort of break themselves into what they are now. Which is...a really good baseball team.

I want to act like Ernie Clement came out of nowhere, but he really didn't. He was this good last year, possibly better. This year he upped his contact game, and is hitting .278 with 102 hits and 32 RBIs, in addition to some excellent defensive third base. Clement is far from Josh Donaldson, he's not the multi-tool, born sportsman type. What he is is a really good piece with some excellent perks who's been very hot these last two months. He was a highlight of last year's stretch, and he's been one of the most important players of this one. And to discuss a career utility guy like Clement alongside stars like Guerrero, Bichette and Springer is pretty odd. 

Eric Lauer has a similar effect on the rotation. Cause otherwise it's an understandably strong core. Kevin Gausman has a team-leading 122 strikeouts. Jose Berrios is 7-4 with a 3.83 ERA. Chris Bassitt's having his strongest season in years, he's 11-5. Max Scherzer, even at 40, has 39 Ks in 7 games and has been reliable since coming back. And then you have Lauer, who spent a year or so overseas, was phased in as a pen piece, and is now a scarily sneaky starting weapon, 6-2 with a 2.68 ERA in 17 appearances. You wouldn't expect Lauer to slide into place but he helpfully has, and now they've got a rotation combo that truly works. 

The Jays are not a power team, which is odd. Their home run leader, George Springer, only has 18. But they have 4 guys with over 100 hits and 5 guys with only 90. They are getting runs by outhitting the competition, and that doesn't always mean outhomering them. I wonder where they got the idea to be such a contact-centric team. Could it have possibly been from Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez and Myles Straw, three guys who came up in Cleveland, whose whole thing is contact? 

Anyhow, with the Yankees plummeting and the Red Sox rising, the Jays will have to keep moving to ensure that their strategy can win out in a very tough division. It would be cool if this was the team that went ahead in the playoffs, but it'll only happen if this momentum lasts the whole year.

Coming Tonight: A Mets starter who has waited literally years for a season like this one.

Deceivingly Simple

 

If the Dodgers win another World Series this year, it will be the start of a new, Chiefs-style dynasty of a team just winning every year solely because no team can stop them by exploiting their most surface-level flaws. Looking at this team, 2 months before the postseason, I don't get the sort of 'nothing can stop them' feeling I got last year. A lot of this team is just succeeding because we expect them to and not really building on that. 

Mookie Betts is the biggest example of this. He's been healthy virtually all year, he's still great at shortstop, he's still a solid lineup presence. This year he is hitting .243 with a .690 OPS. Betts has never finished a season with an OPS lower than .800, something that will no doubt be brought up when he's eligible for Hall of Fame induction, and if he continues at this pace he'll fail to meet that mark that has seemed so easy his entire career. Hell, this would be his first season ever where he doesn't even hit .250. Everyone's given an off year or so, but the worry is that, with a good 7 or so more years left on the contract, Mookie Betts may be dropping off. His peak was excellent, and the hope is he still has some strong Dodgers seasons left, but to see mediocrity from Betts has to be odd. 

And look, between Ohtani, Freeman, Andy Pages and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, there are enough big stars pulling their weight this year that it can take a Betts or someone struggling. But that is a sign of a well oiled machine that has so many failsafes put into place that they can still succeed. You saw it happen with the rotation. They lost Snell, Sasaki, Glasnow and Gonsolin, and somehow they still carried on with enough guys like Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan and Landon Knack. Right now they have Glasnow back and surging, and the plan is for Blake Snell to return this weekend and hopefully had the second half he had last year. 

But...ultimately, just so much of this team is purely fine at the moment that even if these returning guys aren't as helpful as we're thinking, they very well might still get to a World Series on inertia. You're hearing all these stories of Ohtani struggling or a crucial Dodger getting hurt or a bad outing by someone who should be in Oklahoma City, and there they are still in first. Right now the Padres are creeping up, and are 4 games behind. We've seen the Giants or Padres come close to the Dodgers a couple times this season, and here they still are. It may be as simple as this Dodgers team just being so good that injuries that would derail other teams [Yankees mostly] just don't derail them.

I don't know if the Dodgers can make a World Series with this many injured starters, but they won one last year with a skeletal rotation and a lot of people clicking at the right time. It could happen again. I'm hoping it doesn't, but it certainly could.

Coming Tomorrow- Even on a team with a guy signed for like 10 more years, an infielder with a surprisingly lethal contact bat might be the most important guy there. 

One Injury Too Many

 

So let me get this straight. When the Astros were without almost their entirety of their rotation, including Ronel Blanco, Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, J.P. France, Spencer Arrighetti and Hayden Wesneski, that was alright. That was manageable. But now that the Astros are without Yordan Alvarez, Jeremy Pena, Jake Meyers, Isaac Paredes, Brandon Walter and Lance McCullers...NOW it's a problem? Being on skeleton crew pitching scenario, that works. But you don't have enough magic beans to get your way out of your four best hitters being down? Slacking, aren't we, Astros?

That really is the root of it. The Astros were looking really good, flying high above the AL West and keeping the Mariners at bay, and then a bunch of people got hurt. Paredes and Alvarez before the break, Meyers the other day. And now the lineup feels...barren. They're down to leading off Taylor Trammell, batting Victor Caratini third, putting Jacob Melton ahead of Yainer Diaz and starting Zack Short. It's gotten to the point where not even yet another quality start by Framber Valdez can be backed up. 

...against the Nationals.

Seeing as I've been waiting for the Astros to be exposed, I've been loving this. Obviously those guys are gonna come back and save the day, but even still you're still talking about down years from Alvarez and McCullers. And the way this team was built, losing Jake Meyers really shouldn't wound you that much. You've had George Springer and Kyle Tucker. Jake Meyers is a .300 hitter, but he's not those guys. He has 3 home runs and 21 RBIs in 89 games. No wonder they wanted to replace Tucker with Altuve back there.

Not only has this team been slumping, it just doesn't have much to work with. Who's their standout now? Christian Walker and his 115 strikeouts? Altuve and his shit defense? Yainer Diaz is FINE this year, he's hitting .245 with 13 homers and 40 RBIs, and because he's still healthy he's so much more valuable. It's honestly really sad to watch. Much easier to watch is seeing teams like the Nats, the A's, the Mariners, the Rangers and the Guardians pummel the shit out of this team. Nick Kurtz's 6-for-6, 4 homer day was against the Astros, and it was glorious. On their July losing stretch, 8 of the losses were against AL West competitors, and four were against teams with a 4 game deficit behind them for the division. 

And of course, both teams are getting hot. The Rangers have had a really impressive stretch, fueled by the return of Corey Seager. The Mariners are getting hot again as well, thriving after the addition of Josh Naylor at first. Both of these teams have more of a reason to succeed this year than Houston, and it shouldn't have taken a complete annihilation of the Astros' lineup to get here. Of course, the Astros guys are gonna come back and make it competitive, and you know this team wants to keep anyone else from winning the West because why should anyone else have it? But it would be astounding to see something like this finally halt the Astros' momentum. It's a long time coming, and it would be really sweet to watch.

Coming Tonight: A future Hall of Famer having the closest approximation to a down year he's experienced in a while. 

Busch vs. Miller

 

Earlier today, I was talking about the fall of the Tigers, and how they're in danger of someone like the Guardians catching up to them. The Cubs, like the Tigers, have gone through the majority of this season without major competition. The Cardinals did threaten to for a little, but eventually arc'd back down. Same with the Reds.

However...right now the Cubs are in the most danger of being lapped that they've had all season. And it's a familiar time for the Cubs to lose momentum. It's happened around July and August the last couple years. And it's not as if the Cubs have really lost that much momentum. They're still 62-43, and are consistent enough to stay well above .500. The majority of the pieces that made this team a league talent, like Pete Crow-Armstrong, Matthew Boyd, Nico Hoerner, Kyle Tucker and Michael Busch, are still having great seasons and have shown no signs of slowing down. 

The issue...is not that the Cubs haven't been good. But since mid-June, the Brewers have been better.

Since June 19th, the Brewers have only lost 8 games. In that time period they had two four-game winning streaks and an 11-game winning streak. They got Brandon Woodruff back, doubled down on the Miz, committed to Quinn Priester and Chad Patrick, slid in Andrew Vaughn to cover for Rhys Hoskins [which has somehow worked perfectly], and are now riding a wonderful Jackson Chourio hitting streak. Even if the Cubs did...marginally better than they've been doing, I don't know if they'd top this Brewers run. It's been pretty fantastic. And ultimately, it is once again the central Craig Counsell conundrum of 'does he get further by simply staying where he was?'

I do think the Cubs have enough that they can still contend with Milwaukee, especially as they face off this week for the division. Michael Busch, after breaking out last year, has managed some surprising staying power in Chicago, and has become a really cool corner infield piece. He's got 20 homers and 60 RBIs, and he's hitting .275. Meanwhile, PCA is just three homers and a steal away from his first 30-30 season, and the season's young enough that he could theoretically try for 40-40. Matthew Boyd has been a worthy presence in the absence of Justin Steele, and while he's been inconsistent this year, Ben Brown has been capable of some excellent stuff. And recently Matt Shaw has been heating up, as since the ASG break he's been hitting .444 with 10 RBIs and 4 homers. 

There's enough going on with this team, all throughout, that I don't see the drop-off that happened the last few years happening here. This is a better team, and a team I see breaking through the playoff threshold. The trouble is the Brewers are also looking like a playoff team, and while the Cubs want to break their drought, the Brewers want to win a playoff series for the first time in years. So it's gonna be very bloodthirsty down the stretch.

Coming Tomorrow- A well-respected catcher for a first place team that's also trying to stay afloat. This one I feel a lot less bad for.

On Plummeting and Not Dying

 

I should have predicted that Kerry Carpenter would be the magic hat guy for the Tigers. Kerry Carpenter was like this a couple years ago. He was having a great breakout year then got hurt and the team shuffled off the division leaderboard. I didn't think this Tigers team would NEED a 'magic hat' guy, they'd been ridiculously good for the first three months. Then on June 29th, Carpenter got injured, and their record in the time without him was 7-14. This included being swept by the Mariners, being swept by the Pirates and losing 3 of 4 against the Blue Jays. Some of these losses were some of the worst in a while. Not even the return of Tarik Skubal the other day could balance things. 

And what's even funnier is that during yesterday's long-awaited win, righting the balance at last, Kerry Carpenter, in his first game back after missing a month, went hitless. So it wasn't like Carpenter was holding back hits himself. They just needed him there. Hence...Gleyber Torres exploding against Max Scherzer. 

I really hope Carpenter's enough to make the Tigers into a great team again, because they've lost a lot of ground in the AL Central. They're now only 7 games ahead of Cleveland, who of course are gaining ground at the exact moment they're supposed to be selling. They're no longer the best team in the AL, as the Blue Jays now hold that distinction. But everything they've built was built to last. Skubal, Greene, Carpenter, Torkelson, Dingler, Mize. None of those pieces are any worse off. Skubal's still a Cy Young candidate, Greene is still an MVP candidate, Dingler's still a surer answer at catcher than they've had in years. The momentum may have halted but this team is still very much a league power.

I think of the depth guys this team has that ensures that things don't completely careen off a cliff. Reese Olson is a very solid later-rotation piece that just keeps the ship airtight. He's got a 3.15 ERA and 65 Ks in 13 starts. I think he's taken the spot that Matt Manning at one time thought he'd have to himself. And then the spot that Sawyer Gipson-Long thought was his is being covered by Keider Montero, who's another strong-if-nondescript back end guy. The bullpen has been so good that even people like Brennan Hanifee, Brant Hurter and [all of the sudden] Luke Jackson are important contributors. And now Colt Keith is handling a lot more of the load as the swing-in 3B/DH type. This team was relying on the few standouts they had for a while, and now they're so good that the depth guys are just as valuable. 

The Tigers get to play the D-Backs this week, as they're expected to lose even more pieces, and then they'll come to Philly for a series. They should have enough to get back on track, but the division race might be tighter than it needs to be in August.

Coming Tonight: The Cubs are so good this year that I still haven't gotten to all their best players of the season. Like the big star guys. There's like 3 or 4 I haven't done yet, like this surprise 1st base find.

Worth the Tolls

 

This weekend the Phillies played a series in Yankee Stadium. I was at Friday night's game. It was a series between two teams that had lost a ton of momentum since some early starts, and it was a battle to see who'd lost more. The Yankees won. At the game I was at, despite some honestly decent enough material from Will Warren, the Phillies hit more. J.T. Realmuto had a nice bomb in the 7th, and Kyle Schwarber had two [which were his 1000th and 1001st career hits]. Then today Otto Kemp had two homers despite a Phils loss. Zack Wheeler allowed more runs today than Taijuan Walker did Friday night, which is a wild thing to say out loud. And even if the Phils' bullpen is still an issue, the Yankees' fielding is more problematic. That infield defensive play is atrocious. No wonder they went and got McMahon and Rosario. This current schematic, regardless of Jazz Chisholm's bat, is not the answer.

I swear, this is what both these teams needed, this series. The Phillies have their momentum reaffirmed, focused on retaking the East and soaring back into the conversation. The Yankees have rock bottom solidified, with Judge gone for a bit and the flaws put on display, and now they know what they need to do to reenter the playoff conversation. And the really weird part is the Phillies might have the better shot at a playoff run, even with the Yankees' deadline aspirations taken into account.

The Phillies, like the Yankees, had a rough go during some June matches. But since June 27th, the Phillies are 13-11, inching back towards the Mets and reclaiming their own narrative. Now Bryce Harper is hitting, and has 15 homers and 43 RBIs this season. Otto Kemp is really coming into his own filling in for Bohm, which I'm sure the Phils are gonna keep in mind this offseason. Wheeler, Sanchez and Suarez are still phenomenal starting weapons, and Luzardo, despite some rough recent starts, still has some good material this year. Schwarber has 36 homers and is on the road to topping his season mark of 47. Even Marsh and Stott are heating up a bit.

I am wondering what their approach to the deadline is going to be concerning the status of Mick Abel and Andrew Painter in the minors. People seriously think Abel's gonna go in a trade. I don't think so, though that is something Dombrowski would do. I think Abel has some good stuff but is also very new to the majors and the subsequent three starts were the result of that. If Painter goes it'll just be a slap in the face to his progress over the last few years. You've heard that they're chasing somebody like Luis Robert or Steven Kwan, and possibly some bullpen help, and hopefully they have the assets necessary to get them without digging into Painter or Crawford. 

I'm still optimistic about this Phillies team, and I'm seeing them again in a week or so at home. It'd be really funny if Schwarber hits more homers when I see him in Yankee Stadium than he does when I see him at the bank.

Coming Tomorrow- A pitcher from one of the best teams in the AL who've picked a very unfortunate time to run completely out of steam.  

Outclassed, Even Now

 

Here is a fact: in the last month, the Colorado Rockies have won more games than the New York Yankees have. Real fact there.

I'm not sure if the Rockies are still on the road to beating the 2024 White Sox's record of ineptitude, but they've evened out slightly since June began. They will likely still cross the 100-loss mark, probably in August, but even since the ASG break ended they've been more consistent and more of a normal bad team. They won two games against the Twins and Cardinals, two decent middle-of-the-pack teams, and won a close one against Baltimore the other night. Even with the loss of Ryan McMahon, they've figured out a decent enough lineup formula, and guys like Jordan Beck, Mickey Moniak, Hunter Goodman and surprisingly Thairo Estrada. Last night they brought up Warming Bernabel to fill the roster vacancy, he looks pretty good. Tanner Gordon's been back up for 4 games and is already one of the best starters in town. And somehow Seth Halvorsen's gotten 10 saves in a season where there's only been 27 wins. Despite the pure trainwreck quality, the Rockies are doing their best to get by, and trying to salvage things enough to at least have some starting points next season.

However. Last night, even away from Coors Field, the Rockies still lost a game 18-0. To another last place team.

Now, to be fair, the Orioles this year are still better than most last place teams. In fact, once again it speaks to the quality of the AL East that they're in last to begin with. The Rays would be a second place team in any other division, and the Sox would be a first place team in any other division. The O's have a better record than the 4th place Braves, have more immediate assets than the 4th place Angels, and have more of a future than the 4th place Twins. But they're an AL East team in a decade where the AL East is competitive, and they have like 10 injured pitchers, so they're in last. 

Yet last night's game was a mix of two elements that were sure to be troublesome when combined: the Orioles' lineup and the Rockies' pitching staff. After a while it was getting ridiculous. The whole Orioles team got hits, and every starter but Holliday, Laureano and Cowser had RBIs. There were home runs from Tyler O'Neill, Cedric Mullins and somehow Alex Jackson. NINE RUNS were scored in the 7th, off a combination of Zach Agnos, completely destroying his April start, and Nick Anderson, in his first appearance as a Rockie. It takes a lot to erase Antonio Senzatela's patheticness but those two succeeded. And ultimately the Rockies were powerless against Trevor Rogers, in a comeback season attempting to vindicate the Orioles' move in trading away Kyle Stowers. 

A game like this proves that, regardless of recent trends, the Orioles are still inherently a good team, and the Rockies are still awful. If the O's had healthy seasons from Grayson Rodriguez, Kyle Bradish, Zach Eflin and Tyler Wells, they wouldn't have to keep trotting Brandon Young or whoever out there, or chancing whether this Charlie Morton or Dean Kremer start will be one of the good ones. And even if the O's continue to deal, as O'Hearn and Mullins are likely gonna go, they will still have enough young talent to rebound next year. Full seasons from Jordan Westburg, Colton Cowser, Adley Rutschman and Ryan Mountcastle could bring this team back.

As for the Rockies...maybe invest in a dome.

Coming Tonight: A guy who's been having a hot weekend against a completely depleted Yankees team.

Throwing 100 MPH Doesn't Keep the Lights On

 

Well, midway through the year and it looks as though we are reaching the limits of the 'throw 100 miles per hour all the time' strategy. Justin Martinez is injured, Ben Joyce is injured, Mason Miller is struggling. It's the kind of thing where only the professionals should throw that hard. Mere mortals are gonna have wear and tear. Aroldis Chapman and Paul Skenes can keep at it consistently, but they're built differently.

I guess Mason Miller has more success with throwing that hard than most, he did make an all-star team last year and does currently have 19 saves and 57 Ks. But the thing about throwing that hard is you need to still have some level of craftsmanship so people aren't predicting where you're gonna go. Cause Miller is throwing that hard and still blowing saves. He's got a 4.00 ERA. It's a neat trick but if it's not leading to success it's just that. Chapman can throw that hard and still be consistently good at his job. Miller is making some easy mistakes out there, and it's costing the A's some wins that they might have if Miller was a little more on target. It's a very good thing he's still healthy, but there's always the chance of a strain coming on or some injury still happening. It's happened the last two seasons. 

Ultimately I do want good things to happen to Mason Miller. He's a good kid, he's from West Virginia, and some family friends are from his area and are rooting for him to stay great. He's been given a valuable gift of velocity, and he's been lucky to come up at a time where overthrowing and overgassing is the hip trend. But I worry that, when we look at this period in about 20 years, we won't be able to separate him from the trend. I think about the Japanese players from the late 90s and early 00s who weren't Ichiro or Nomo, and how they've faded into the background, or the two-way guys from the late 2010s who weren't Ohtani. Being trendy is nice but being great lasts forever. Mason Miller is flirting with greatness but is more trendy than anything. It is telling, however, that the A's are relatively opposed to trading him this week. Means they see a future with him.

The A's, for the record, will still have a pretty cool team even if they do deal people. I don't even know who they'd be alright parting with. I guess Rooker would get inquiries but he's got a lot of money left there. Somebody like Springs or Sears could go I guess? The thing is that so much is working, and controllable, that trading people would just come off as excessive. This is now the era of Nick Kurtz and Jacob Wilson, the team that Lawrence Butler and Tyler Soderstrom can rep. I see those pieces lasting til Vegas. I really want Rooker to last til Vegas, the fanbase needs a guy like that to stick around. 

Intriguing, however, is the addition of former Mets prospect Carlos Cortes, who's already had some nice contact moments. I have a Heritage Minors auto of Cortes that I pulled a while back, and just assumed it'd continue to be worthless. Imagine if he suddenly becomes somebody. That'd be pretty cool.

Coming Tonight [?]: Former #1 overall pick. The team that drafted him is now a first place team. He is playing for a last place one.

Anyone for Dennis?

 

Since 2010 I'd say, the Pirates have been one of the main exports of relievers every July. Because they can't always stay competitive, and because so many great relievers either develop there or come over cheap and have great seasons, they are constantly trading relievers at the deadline. You could build an entire bullpen of the guys who the Pirates have dealt midyear. Jason Grilli, Mark Melancon, Tony Watson, Richard Rodriguez, Chris Stratton, etc, etc. The one they decided to hold onto, Felipe Vazquez, was the one that happened to be a darkly deplorable human being, meaning the Rays aren't the only ones. 

And so this year, while I assume David Bednar might be on the block as well, there's been eyes on Dennis Santana, who's been having a phenomenal year in relief, with a 1.49 ERA in 42 innings. Santana kicked around the league for a while before solidifying, having a ton of more serviceable than anything seasons in markets like LA and Texas. Last year he was a part of the early iteration of the Yankees' bullpen, and like Caleb Ferguson he was jettisoned midyear. The Bucs straightened him out and benefitted from a 2.44 ERA in 39 games, then plugged him into a crucial setup role this year. Since Bednar figured his shit out, the Pirates' bullpen has been a ton better overall, and Santana has been a very big piece of that. However, a good bullpen for a team that doesn't hit is basically like good dialogue in a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie; a nice touch, but ultimately meaningless.

So naturally people are calling. For a bit it was looking like the Yankees were chasing Santana, and one could argue that this potentially would go as well as it did last April [not well at all]. What killed that, at least for the moment, was the Pirates' asking price. I think a lot of people in trades are asking for guys like Spencer Jones, or potentially George Lombard. Everybody knows they're there, and everybody knows they don't have room to play right now. The outfield is full, short is filled. But the Yankees aren't moving on those two. They're banking on the potential for a Judge-Jasson-Jones outfield in a couple years, and they don't want to spoil that. Besides, I think Cashman has bigger fish to fry this deadline. The key word there is 'think', I've been screwed by Cashman before around this time of year [see: Bader for Montgomery]. 

Obviously a lot of teams need serious bullpen help. The Phillies, if they ever figure out how to undo the curse on their pen, could use the help, but they're also chasing Clase and Duran. The Red Sox are probably looking at relievers, the Jays and Braves may be in on it, possibly even the Giants. And because it's the Pirates, I think the mystique is gone. They know people are gonna be dealt, they're not hiding it. They ARE, however, saying Paul Skenes is off limits, which...I mean, it's either now or next year at this rate, man. You're not gonna extend him, you're not gonna let the team compete, you're not selling. Don't prolong the inevitable just to fill seats once a week.

Aside from the gutting at hand, the Pirates are coming off a 3-game win streak after an impressive sweep of the Detroit Tigers. They're riding high on nice stretches from Ke'Bryan Hayes and Mitch Keller, and they're finally seeing what Tommy Pham's capable of when he doesn't absolutely loathe playing. Things are still bleak, but at the very least there's some life to this team, and whatever needs to be rebuilt will be somewhat necessary I think. They'll be playing the Diamondbacks this weekend, another would-be seller, and it'll be interesting to see how many 'last at-bat as a ____' moments we see.

Coming Tomorrow- He throws 100 miles an hour. Maybe down and in a few too many times, but he definitely throws smoke. 

Don't Let 'Em Get Hot

 

The following is absolutely true: the first four games the Chicago White Sox played after the All-Star Break resulted in wins. All of them were won by 5 runs or more, including a 10-1 win against the Pirates. Now, while it is still true that these are the Chicago White Sox, it's still very nice to see a team like this beginning to find a spark. Remember, it happened last year at the very beginning of the ill-fated Grady Sizemore era. This team can still find ways to win, and they've done it against even someone like the Rays. 

And you're also beginning to see less of a disconnect between the standouts and everyone else. Last year it was literally just Crochet and Fedde and no one else, and now it's a little more spread out. The statistical standout so far is Adrian Houser, who has a 1.89 ERA and a 5-2 record through 10 starts. I was in attendance for one of his two losses, and even then he wasn't that bad. It wasn't a blowout, he just gave up some runs. And that just proves how steady and reliable Houser is, even after being a late-rotation guy for both the Brewers and the Mets. With this Sox team right now, in all its inexperience, it needs a guy like Houser to right the ship. You're seeing Davis Martin and Jonathan Cannon falling in behind him.

It also helps that some of these rookies are actually taking to the team pretty well. Chase Meidroth is the everyday shortstop, he's decent on contact. Edgar Quero and Kyle Teel are the primary catching options, a full rookie battery, and they're both doing alright, despite Teel not hitting any home runs yet. Colson Montgomery, through 15 games, is hitting .261 with 12 hits, 7 RBIs and a homer. It's not Charlotte levels but it's also not a full drop-off at the MLB level. The Sox have relied on a ton of rookies this year and they've all, more or less, been pretty helpful. They've also relied on a lot of veterans in need of playing time, and many of them, like Steven Wilson, Mike Tauchman, Michael Taylor, Dan Altavilla and Tyler Alexander, have plugged in exactly where this team has needed them.

I think the goal of being better than the 2024 team is going to be met, even if they're still far from competing. I also think some people are gonna be dealt at the deadline, and Luis Robert is one of them, and whoever gets him might get a surprise surge down the stretch. For whoever remains, there's still time to develop, and I do think once a few more pieces arrive they'll have something palpable that can be taken seriously. Until then, get used to seeing people like Lenyn Sosa, Brooks Baldwin and Tim Elko hanging around.

Coming Tonight: A Pirates reliever who plenty of teams have checked in on.

Junk Baller

 

It amazes me that the Marlins are in third. They, by all accounts, resemble a last place team, and would be a fourth place team in most other divisions, but thanks to A.) the Nationals being a complete dumpster fire and B.) the Braves somehow not having a competitive team this year, here they are in third. They're being led by a genuine star-making performance from Kyle Stowers, some very strong starting seasons from Edward Cabrera and Eury Perez, and the comeback of the century from a guy everybody wrote off.

The name 'Janson Junk' is not one you soon forget. When he came up with the Angels in late 2021, I heard the name and assumed he was a craftsman. The thing with Junk in the majors is that, the few chances he got, he wasn't really able to make much of an impression. A mix of injuries and hierarchy issues caused him to get lost in the shuffle in LA, and he was mostly a mop-up starter in other markets. The Marlins gave him a shot after some great starts in Jacksonville, and for the big league club, Junk has been a surprise hit. Yes, he got lit up last start, but he's got a 3.09 ERA and 39 Ks in 11 appearances. Junk worked in long relief, he's worked in the rotation, he's got 4 wins, and he's been more consistent than Sandy Alcantara. 

That's the wild part. The narrative going into this season was 'Sandy's back, everybody watch out'. Sandy is...not good this year. And for a while it looked like it would ruin this team's chances. This was before they brought up Agustin Ramirez and activated Eury Perez. Somehow the meek-looking youth movement has been lifting this team. Ramirez is a production machine, with 14 homers and 44 RBIs. Otto Lopez has 52 RBIs and is statistically the team's best player. Nick Fortes, Jesus Sanchez and Dane Myers are playing strong roles in this team. And look at Kyle Stowers go, hitting .295 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs. Stowers is mashing in a way he simply couldn't in Baltimore, and I'm glad it's finally happening.

Now, considering that the Marlins are still under .500, and have to play in a division with the Phillies and Mets and have like 5 other wild card opponents with better cases, I'm not certain anything's going to truly happen with this team. They had a streak, some big July wins, some offensive dominance. They still need 2 or 3 more great starters, a few more lineup pieces far above replacement level, and one more sure star. I think if Griffin Conine hadn't gotten hurt I'd be a bit more confident. I'm cool with them being a spoiler but unless something really erupts I'm not sure if they'll be much more than that.

Coming Tomorrow- The Mets traded for him then gave up on him. And then the White Sox gave him a go.

Driving the Last Spike

 

You can't really blame the Rays for what happened to them. ..okay, maybe you can a little.

From mid-May til the end of June, the Rays were one of the best teams in baseball, were very close to lapping the Yankees, and had enough of a solidified team of young stars that they're close to outrunning their own gimmick. Then, as the Rays calmed down a bit in July, both the Blue Jays and Red Sox went streaking, the Jays took 1st, the Sox leaped forward, and now the Rays are in fourth again.

Ultimately, you can see why. You're seeing more mediocre starts from the guys this team is really relying on, people like Ryan Pepiot and Zack Littell and Shane Baz. And that really is the issue with dealing Zach Eflin or Jeffrey Springs, or losing Shane McClanahan. You need an ace. Pepiot is nice but he's not an ace. Drew Rasmussen is efficient, but he's not an ace. With Snell, McClanahan, even Archer and Price, I could see where this rotation was starting from. Here it's just a bunch of decent pitchers in search of an anchor. And they haven't really found it yet. Littell is still having a decent season, but he leads the league in homers allowed with 24, and his ERA is inching towards 4. And the bullpen just has far less crafty, unhittable guys left. It's just Fairbanks and Cleavinger left, and a lot of people just filling spots. Edwin Uceta is nowhere near his 2024 self. I guess Eric Orze has some promise but we're far from the arsenal of guys like Kittredge, Castillo, Alvarado, Stanek and the others. 

Plus, as he's prone to, Brandon Lowe's gotten injured and sent the lineup into a tailspin. Jose Caballero is taking his innings at 2nd, which is still a good thing, but aside from his league-leading 32 steals he's not much of a plate threat. The cabal of late-20s fringe guys, like Kameron Misner and Jake Mangum, have calmed down, perhaps knowing that Toronto has a far better cabal of late-20s fringe guys. What doesn't completely dissuade me from thinking the Rays can compete is that the Aranda-Caminero duo has been rock solid, and continues to be. Caminero already has 25 homers, and his Home Run Derby performance proves how underrated his power game is. Yandy Diaz is also having a terrific power season, with 15 homers and 57 RBIs. And as trustworthy as Cabby is on the base paths, Chandler Simpson is catching up to him in 2/3rds of the games, and is a .300 hitter. The Rays may have the latest in a long line of base-stealing legends in Simpson. 

I can't really say how this Rays team will end up because they've ebbed and flowed as much as the Jays and Sox have. I honestly think they have more of a 'team' than the Jays, but they also have more inexperience. The Kevin Cash carousel of opportunity is still unrivaled, and will be churning out above.-500 teams til the wheels truly fall off, but unless there's a real injury issue I see this Rays team, at the very least, improving on last year's and setting the rest of the decade into motion.

Coming Tomorrow- A former Angels prospect who was mostly a minor league fixture in the past year. Then the strangest thing happened. 

Built to Last?

 

As I write this post, the Texas Rangers and the Arizona Diamondbacks have the exact same record, with 100 games played. 50-50. Exactly .500. The Rangers are in third, the D-Backs are in fourth, and they're both within 3 and 5 games of their respective playoff races. Not even two years ago these teams were good enough to meet in the World Series. There hasn't even been that much to really account for atrophy; all the young cores that brought these teams to October are still young, intact and thriving, and the marquee guys [Seager, deGrom and Garcia in Texas's case, Marte, Corbin and Gallen in Arizona's] are still with the team, and still relied upon. And yet...neither is really a league giant as much as they were in 2023.

The Rangers have just been unlucky. Last year everybody got injured. Not just all the pitchers [deGrom, Gray, Mahle, Bradford], but all the young position players that made the team exciting in the previous postseason. Evan Carter and Josh Jung got injured very soon into the season, then Wyatt Langford got hurt. Corey Seager had a phenomenal year and then he got hurt. And while that was enough to lighten expectations, it wasn't gonna completely kill them.

This year, though, has been wholly disappointing. Great seasons by Jacob deGrom, Nate Eovaldi, Corey Seager and Wyatt Langford feel like they're being wasted. Adolis Garcia hit 39 home runs in 2023, and now he's just got 13. I know he's one of those guys that can heat up late when you're not looking, but he's also 32, and even 7 seasons into his career I worry he's past his peak. Which is what happens when you keep developing players into their late 20s. What does help is that Garcia is still excellent defensively, but that's not why they kept him around. It's like signing Joc Pederson for his base-running, which was pretty much the only thing he was doing right before he got hurt. And now you're hearing that the Rangers might be shopping people, including deGrom. Which is kinda upsetting. 

The Diamondbacks have about as much of a reason to be disappointed, because that 2023 season was supposed to be the start of a dynasty. The stars aligned to give this team multiple young stars, like Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno and Zac Gallen. Perdomo might still be one of the best shortstops in the game, being not only an impressive defender but FINALLY coming alive at the plate this year. He's got 72 RBIs already, which is well on the way to not only top his previous season highs but also register as his first 100 RBI year. He's also about to eclipse his season hits mark and has already topped his season homers mark by soaring into double digits for the first time. Perdomo, like Carroll, is a great young player who's only getting better. 

Yet after emphasizing these youth pieces and framing the team around them last year, the D-Backs, despite a late push, missed the playoffs. And this year they're not looking like a favorite for a wild card spot either. While last year it was a matter of the tentpoles caving [Carroll, Kelly, Gallen and Moreno having weak years], this year the flaws are fully on display. This team's pitching just isn't good anymore. In 2023 you at least had three strong starters distracting from the fact that this was all they had, but now Gallen has a 5.40 ERA, Pfaadt has 10 wins and some big games but an ERA over 4, and Kelly's trying to stay ahead of things while being 36 and a year removed from an injury. Having Ryne Nelson helps, but this team brought on Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez and Corbin Burnes with the idea of having a fully formed, fully reliable rotation and they've all struggled with injuries ever since coming over. Rodriguez is healthy now but struggling yet again. Burnes was at least doing well, but when's he gonna be back? Next September? Will there be any point to those starts?

It sucks, because both of these teams have great managers, the organizations are well built and the stars are worth it. But the luck has not been what they've deserved. The D-Backs are actively shopping both Zac Gallen and Eugenio Suarez, and the Rangers are trying to do the same with deGrom. The idea is to lighten some load while continuing to compete somewhat, but how likely are these teams to get back on track after these two underwhelming years?

Coming Tomorrow- A guy with a big beard who pitches in a minor league stadium. 

Proud to be Non-Contingent

 

For two straight seasons, the Cincinnati Reds would begin with a great looking rotation and end the year exhaustedly rifling through double-A guys with no business being up. Last year it got to a point where even the prospects were getting injured. Both Rhett Lowder and Julian Aguiar were injured for the majority of this season thanks to overexertion during the 2024 season. To be fair, 2025 was getting hairy for a while as well, two different Louisville pitchers named Chase were called upon, and only one has really stuck around, but...thankfully the Reds have landed on a working model of five pitchers without going too far into the basement.

I'm just taking a moment to emphasize what a concept that is. The Reds actually have some really great pitchers staying healthy and starting games for them, and haven't had to resort to minor leaguers, swingmen and Carson Spiers. Or...at least not anymore.

The Reds, right now, have gotten consistent, admirable work out of Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Brady Singer and Nick Martinez. Chase Burns is getting there very slowly. I think he needed a season of learning curve, and eventually he and Lowder will be running the show around here, but at the very least he's not getting killed as badly as the Boston start anymore. Lodolo, who's made 20 starts [rare for him], has been having a very nice year, with a 3.33 ERA, 7 wins and a club-leading 106 Ks. I suppose he leads the team in strikeouts because Hunter Greene has missed starts, but it's still a very good thing. Lodolo's another one of those guys who's taken years to stay healthy, and the Reds are finally able to enjoy his material. Abbott has also been fantastic this year, going 8-1 with a 2.07 ERA in 16 starts. With the exception of Burns, none of these starters have especially high ERAs, and they're all just...making starts and getting wins. It's simple enough that when Greene comes back, he'll slide right into Burns's spot, hopefully the rest will have kept going, and they can roll towards the wild card race.

I'm kind of surprised by how many strong pieces have formed in Cincinnati this year. Not just the crucial, building block guys like de la Cruz, Friedl and Abbott, but veterans who have been very helpful, like Austin Hays, Gavin Lux and Jose Trevino. I'm still worried that Steer and McLain's fluke seasons lined up in 2023, but there's still a chance these guys can mellow back into usefulness. They're at least hitting alright, I suppose. 

Even in their imperfections, the Reds have enough energy and momentum that they can't be completely counted out of the NL Central race. And this pitching staff actually working this year is a major plus in their favor. So the possibility that this iteration of the Reds is the one that finally breaks into a playoff spot persists.

Coming Tonight: One of the most feared sluggers of the early part of the decade. Like his team, he's seriously calmed down in recent years. 

Don't Believe the Hyphenate

 

I think this might be the centerpiece of Rocco Baldelli's famously inconsistent Twins tenure. Their most inconsistent season yet. One moment they're tanking, the next they're streaking. One moment they've built a wall of young talent and the next they're all not doing anything. One moment they're creeping towards first and the next they're barely embedded in the barely-below-.500 scrum shrouded towards the middle of the division. The second this team actually feels like they have an identity they spoil it all and bury themselves behind people that aren't worth it. And now we're here again, circling third and trying to do something with a rare healthy, meaningful Byron Buxton season.

I suppose what's been nice about this season is that Buxton literally had to go 'I am going to retire as a Twin', not only to encourage the fans not to worry he'd be getting traded but to discourage the brass from trading him. Buxton knows he's the hero of this team, and he doesn't want to play anywhere else, and he knows they've got more of a shot with him than without him. You're hearing people like Duran and Bader and Danny Coulombe [probably] mentioned as potential trade assets, and they're in enough of the race that they're not completely selling the team, but Buxton knows that there's always a chance. 

The Twins are still building enough of a team that can keep moving ahead and potentially rebound from a down year. A lot of that exists within this rotation, which, despite losing Pablo Lopez for a bit, has a very bright future. Ryan and Ober are big pieces, Paddack is at least an innings-filler, and then you've got Simeon Woods-Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews, all 25 and under, looking to sink into non-negotiable spots. Matthews did have some trouble early, and is now hurt, but he's supposed to be big. Festa has shown some promise but has an ERA over 5. The only sure-looking starter is Simeon Woods-Richardson, and even then it's after a send-down earlier. He's got a 3.95 ERA 5 wins and 62 Ks in 15 games. In an unstable year, Woods-Richardson has provided stability, especially since coming back from St. Paul. He's not the showiest arm, but in a season that requires momentum to build, he's been reliable enough.

It's still gonna be very difficult for this Twins team to contend without any production from Carlos Correa, Trevor Larnach or Royce Lewis. The belief was that if those pieces stayed healthy they'd truly help this team, and it just hasn't come together yet. There's obviously still more season to play, but considering that the other 3 contenders in this division have more of an identity and story this year, things don't look great for the Twins at the moment.

Coming Tomorrow- In a healthier year for an oft-injured rotation, he's been surprisingly lethal. 

House Sitting

 

The Nationals are proof that you could ignite the entire youth movement and somehow it could get worse than before. 

I dunno, Dylan Crews, Robert Hassell and Daylen Lile were high-priority prospects for a reason, and they lit up the minors and gave the impression that they were ready for MLB work, and it just hasn't come together. Crews is not only hurt but wasn't hitting above .200. Hassell hit .218 in 21 games, went back down. Lile is hitting .226 and has a -0.8 WAR. I dunno what happened. I dunno if it's this team, this season, this moment. You'd think they'd figure something out. It hasn't happened. So now they're onto the next rookie outfielder. Brady House is up now, he's, at the very least, hitting .258 with 12 RBIs in 24 games, and he seems to have some of the early promise that the other three lacked. But if we're going with fourth contingency plan outfielders, not even counting Jacob Young [who's fine this year], you can tell the plan hasn't really worked out in Washington. 

The Nats, in a division where the Braves have disappointed and the Marlins have fluctuated, are in dead last. They've done this with a relatively consistent rotation [or at least it was til Trevor Williams' second straight midyear injury], two genuine stars in Wood and Abrams, and Miguel Cairo now managing. People that looked like building blocks last year, like Luis Garcia, Keibert Ruiz and Jose Tena, have taken huge steps backwards. The supplementary pieces aren't anything special, with Nathaniel Lowe hitting .230 despite 60 RBIs. In a year where they were supposed to build, they're falling further apart and setting back the rebuild timeline. 

And it still could happen soon enough. Gore, Irvin and Parker are still reliable arms. Wood is a bonafide star, and already has his sights on a 30 homer year. There's a chance that Crews and Hassell click into place next year, and that'll make up for the strife this year I suppose. But I think that the fanbase was feeling like the competitive run was coming sooner than actuality, and it's just been a disappointing comedown from that. 

All that remains for the Nats is to let loose some expendable pieces, be the spoiler when possible and hope next year comes together more. This team can't be a last place team forever, not with this much talent waiting.

Coming Tonight: One of the longest names in baseball, and one of the more impressive bounce-backs.

Well Ced

 

The Boston Red Sox are shooting upward in a way where I can't even be that mad at them. Which is an achievement.

I look at this team, and I see terrible runs in late May and late June, a worrying back half of the rotation, gaping holes at 1st and, til now, DH, and the feeling that people like Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman might still be traded even if they compete...and yet there hasn't been many teams hotter since the beginning of July. The Sox had a straight run of 10 games from July 4th to the 13th and they won all ten of them, including a dramatic walk-off by team MVP Ceddanne Rafaela. They're building up Roman Anthony and Marcelo Mayer, they just activated Masataka Yoshida, and they're within inches of lapping the Yankees. Yes, there are flaws, but evidently they're not the kind that prevent upward momentum.

The Red Sox are a perfect testament to how to slowly build a youth core, because the pieces have been hiding in plain sight. Wilyer Abreu and Ceddanne Rafaela have been slowly becoming more prevalent in this lineup, to the point where they're not indispensable. Rafaela has 14 homers and 48 RBIs. Abreu leads the Sox in homers with 18. Alex Bregman has a .919 OPS, which, even with the missed time, is pretty amazing. He's back now, looks good and has third. I'm not sure how badly the Sox want to clear space, and they honestly might keep him around for the run. They'd be better for it, too; I actually like Bregman now, and it's not just that he got out of Houston. 

The Sox currently not only have answers, but working answers, at multiple positions. Carlos Narvaez is a complete win at catcher. Story is a win again at short. Garrett Crochet is a very viable ace. Aroldis Chapman works in the ninth again. The pieces are falling into place so seamlessly that any outcome other than a run seems silly. And I'm not sure why this is cool when the Sox do it and alarmingly dull when the Cardinals or Astros try it. It's so wild that I'm actively rooting for the Red Sox to inch their way up. Maybe not past the Yankees per se, let's hope they can take the division back...but after that 10 game run I'm genuinely seeing the Red Sox as a threat going forward. 

The second half for this Sox team is gonna be wild. Maybe the wheels come off, but if they don't there's gonna be some insane games coming from them.

Coming Tomorrow- A rookie outfielder for the Nationals. I feel as though I should be more specific..

Beyond Relief

 

So this is absolutely certain at the moment: the San Diego Padres have the best bullpen in baseball. It's usually Cleveland but that's not the case this year. The Dodgers' pen has let them down a little. Even the Rays' pen is kinda mediocre. The Padres have wrangled the right grade of reliever into a very tight group and it's really been working. Three Padres relievers made it to the All-Star Game, and all three pitched in the game, which is the kind of thing you have to specify these days.

Yet...concerningly, two of the three Padres relievers that pitched in the game were responsible for allowing runs. Now, if you want to be crass, they were the two who were nominated after other players dropped out, meaning this could have been avoided if people actually wanted to play in the ASG, but regardless. Adrian Morejon gave up 2 runs, Robert Suarez gave up 2 runs. The NL still won, so it's not a complete wash, but it does call into question this team's big-game ability.

You wouldn't see anything amiss from looking at the stats, though. Jason Adam, bigot that he is, has a 1.70 ERA and is one of the most dominant relievers in the league. Robert Suarez leads the NL in saves with 28, but his 3.54 ERA tells you that it's not complete dominance. Yes, he's still a flashy, reliable closer, but he's still making the save closer than it needs to be. Adrian Morejon has quietly been a really strong relief option, and has been healthy for the first time in a while, with a 1.85 ERA. And that's not even mentioning really strong relief options around them, like Jeremiah Estrada, who has 60 Ks [more than Randy Vasquez], Bryan Hoeing, who's been rebounding since his injury, and rookie David Morgan, who burst onto the scene and has held a 2.17 ERA ever since. And even the shakier guys like Wandy Peralta and Yuki Matsui are still capable of dominance. I also want to mention that in the minors there's also relief option Bradgley Rodriguez, who is 21 and who I'd really like to succeed because I want more people to name their children Bradgley. 

Yet with the Padres having the best bullpen in the division, and possibly in the league...you'd think they'd have an easier time fending off the Giants from lapping them for second. But honestly, the Padres still have some decent sized holes. They don't have an above-average catcher, and they may try and swing one in a week or so. They're down some starters, and even the returning Yu Darvish can't amount to the missing Musgrove and King. Not only are they still looking for an everyday answer in left but the bench full of veterans isn't working at all. And Luis Arraez is having his most mediocre season yet after years of breaking .300. Even with this bullpen, and even with Tatis and Machado killing it, there's still issues here, and they're not a complete lock for a playoff spot yet. Perhaps things turn around, perhaps they do well at the deadline, but I just wish this team was as good as they looked in April. 

Coming Tonight: He's been in Boston for like 3 years and already he might be at 'never has to buy a meal in this town again' status. 

On Not Letting the Flame Die Out

 

As the regular season ramps back up again and heads towards the second half, there's a bunch of teams with truly fascinating stories that I'm gonna be keeping a close eye on. One of 'em's the Angels. You can't completely count them out because at any second they could do something crazy. 

This team feels like it's hanging all its working pieces together by a thread. Jo Adell has been pounding out a surprisingly stable power season, with 19 homers and 54 RBIs. I think the idea when Adell was coming up was that he'd be a more well-rounded hitter, but being decent as a power bat certainly helps, especially with so many contact hitters on this team. Mike Trout is still healthy, and is hitting .238 with 17 homers and 41 RBIs. He's 5 homers away from 400, and seeing as he's back in Philly tonight it'd be wild if he gets it done this weekend. And that rotation trio of Kikuchi-Anderson-Soriano is actually really strong, and is getting things done still. Kikuchi has a 3.11 ERA and 115 Ks, meaning I certainly was wrong about him this time last year. 

Generally, this Angels team is in better shape than they were for the first month or so of play. They lost a ton of games in April, fumbled around last for a bit and were 17-25 midway through May. This was due to some early surges from AL West teams who've calmed down, an early slump from Mike Trout, and having to trot out Tim Anderson every game for a bit too long. Since then they've been a lot closer to .500, and a lot more of a well-balanced team. You'd think that losing Wash would wound them, but Ray Montgomery isn't too far removed from the Wash school of thought, and the team hasn't suffered much since losing him, almost as if the parade of legacy managers like Maddon and Ausmus and Wash didn't work as well as just getting a good system guy in there that the team will listen to. Worked in Philly, why not in Anaheim?

And yet, because the Angels are still strung together with so many odd fits and preliminary pieces, I can't actually tell if they've actually got something. They have enough pieces, like Zach Neto, Taylor Ward and Nolan Schanuel, that I can tell more of what this team's supposed to be than usual, but I don't know if it's gonna be enough. The Rangers are selling, the A's aren't looking to compete. It's a matter of can the Angels develop a team that's good enough to lap the Mariners for a playoff spot. And that's just bonkers enough to be a possibility right now. So we'll see.

Coming Tomorrow- He and two of his bullpen companions made the All-Star team. Now they've gotta hunker down and keep the season alive. 

Your 2025 MLB All-Star Starting Lineups

 Through all the controversy, all the apathy and all the frosted bullshit that's driven me up the wall in the weeks leading up to the All-Star Game, I am inherently excited for this year's. A lot of deserving people are forced to miss the game this year, but there's still a ton of good people left, and it's not a completely anonymous group or anything. I still feel like this all meets the moment, and doesn't feel like it's hogging the sides of the elites--after all, two guys that play in minor league stadiums are starting for the AL.

As per usual, I'll show off the starting lineups in order, denoted with all-star customs. 

First, representing the AMERICAN LEAGUE,

Leading off for the AL, and starting at 2nd base, from the Detroit Tigers, GLEYBER TORRES.

Batting second, and in left, from the Detroit Tigers, RILEY GREENE.

Batting third, and starting the game in right field, from the New York Yankees...AARON JUDGE.

In the cleanup spot tonight for the AL, and starting the game at catcher, from the Seattle Mariners, and last night's Home Run Derby winner, CAL RALEIGH!

Batting fifth tonight, and playing first base, from the Toronto Blue Jays, VLADIMIR GUERRERO JR.

Sixth in the lineup, the designated hitter, from the Baltimore Orioles, RYAN O'HEARN.

Batting seventh tonight, and starting the game at third base, from the Tampa Bay Rays, and last night's runner up in the Home Run Derby, JUNIOR CAMINERO.

Batting eighth for the American League, and starting tonight's game in center field, from the Detroit Tigers, JAVIER BAEZ.

Batting ninth, and playing shortstop tonight, from the Oakland Athletics, JACOB WILSON.

And warming up in the bullpen, tonight's starting pitcher, from the Detroit Tigers, TARIK SKUBAL.

Now, for the National League All-Star Team

Leading off, and playing DH tonight, from the Los Angeles Dodgers....SHOHEI OHTANI.

Batting second, and starting the game in left field...from YOUR ATLANTA BRAVES [the applause begins to outdo the PA system], RONALD...ACUÑA JR.!

[applause for another hour or so]

Third in the lineup for the NL tonight, the second baseman, from the Arizona Diamondbacks, KETEL MARTE.

In the cleanup position, and playing first base...from the Los Angeles Dodgers...FREDDIE FREEMAN.

[the place goes wild for a bit]

Batting fifth tonight, and starting the game at third base, from the San Diego Padres, MANNY MACHADO.

In the sixth spot tonight, starting the game behind the plate, from the Los Angeles Dodgers...WILL SMITH.

Seventh in the lineup tonight, and playing right field, from the Chicago Cubs, KYLE TUCKER.

Batting eighth, tonight's starting shortstop for the NL, from the New York Mets...FRANCISCO LINDOR.

Batting ninth for the NL, the starting center-fielder, from the Chicago Cubs, PETE CROW-ARMSTRONG.

And warming up in the bullpen, tonight's starting pitcher for the NL, from the Pittsburgh Pirates...PAUL...SKENES.

Those are our lineups. Let's hope a fun time commences.