The San Diego Padres had a 50-53 record on Thursday, July 23 after losing three out of four to the Atlanta Braves. They were in third place in the National League West, 15 games back of the Los Angeles Dodgers and four games back of the Arizona Diamondbacks. They were fifth in the NL Wild Card race behind the Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals. Pittsburgh Pirates and four games back of the D-Backs for the third Wild Card spot.

Heading into the trade deadline, there were actual conversations being had about whether or not the Padres should be sellers. Was this team good enough to invest in? Would the Padres notoriously ultra-aggressive president of baseball operations A.J. Preller really give up on his super-bullpen and try to flip Mason Miller after acquiring him at last year’s deadline?

Those fears have been assuaged for now. Since July 23, the Padres have gone 14-4, catapulting themselves into the second NL Wild Card spot, leapfrogging the Marlins, Nationals, Cardinals, Pirates, Diamondbacks and Philadelphia Phillies in the standings.

And as many could have predicted, Preller was indeed a buyer at the trade deadline, and somehow found enough talent in the Padres’ depleted farm system to strike deals for Robbie Ray and Casey Mize to reinvigorate their starting rotation.

Since July 23, the Padres have the fourth-highest scoring offense in MLB and are second with a .280 team batting average. Up to July 23, the Padres were 24th in runs and 28th with a .230 average. Despite featuring household names like Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts and Jackson Merrill, the Padres offense was a legitimate concern. That has changed.

Merrill has five home runs and a 180 wRC+ in the 18 games since the Padres were four games back in the NL Wild Card race. Tatis, who did not hit his first home run of 2026 until May 30, has 4. Ty France, who has quietly been the Padres most consistent hitter all season, is hitting .362.

Over the last 18 games, the Friars have also gotten three walk-off wins, including their 11th-inning walk-off on Wednesday courtesy of catcher Luis Campusano to clinch the series sweep over the MLB-best Milwaukee Brewers.

The blueprint going into the season for the Padres was clear. Give the bullpen a lead and let them take it from there. Mason Miller leads the NL with 30 saves and has an unfathomable 0.88 ERA and 16.3 SO/9. 22-year-old Bradgley Rodriguez has been a revelation with a 2.13 ERA across 50 appearances. Adrian Morejon, Wandy Peralta and Jeremiah Estrada have both continued to be elite leverage arms. For the most part, if their starters can go five or six innings, the bullpen is able to take it from there.

That is how they have been winning games lately. Six of their last 14 wins have been by one run. Two more of those wins have been by two runs. Miller has recorded six saves. Morejon also picked up a save on Aug. 2 after Miller had pitched in three of the previous four days (recording two saves and a win).

Going back to July 23, the bullpen has pitched 89 ⅔ innings, the most in baseball, and has a 2.41 ERA, the second-best in baseball in that stretch.

The question is: is it sustainable for them to keep winning games like this? Their run differential is just +1, the second-lowest of any team currently in the postseason picture (after the Texas Rangers and their -34 RD).

If any team can win on the margins like this, it’s this year’s Padres and their star-studded relief aces. No team is better built to handle one or two-run leads than San Diego.

Games get shorter in the postseason. The Padres ability to shorten games with their bullpen becomes even more valuable. That was put on display during last year’s Wild Card round loss to the Cubs. Even though they did not advance, the Padres successfully used Miller, Morejon and Estrada in multi-inning roles. If their rotation is able to keep a lead, Miller and co. will be able to shut the door.

The Padres have suddenly become very formidable. This team has had the talent and the buy-in from the front office, making it to the postseason in four of the last six seasons and going as far as the NLCS in 2022. Even though their division rival, the reigning back-to-back World Series champion Dodgers, are a seemingly omnipresent roadblock, this Padres team might just be built to take them down and make a legitimate run in October.

Here are some of the biggest winners and losers after the deadline.

Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers

This one is easy. The Los Angeles Dodgers traded for Tarik Skubal. Skubal is the reigning back-to-back Cy Young winner in the American League and if the Dodgers rotation is healthy, there is a legitimate argument for them having the best group of starting pitchers ever assembled, even rivaling the Atlanta Braves’ Hall of Fame trio of Maddux/Smoltz/Glavine in the 90s.

Here is how the Dodgers could line up their rotation for a seven game series:

Game 1: Skubal

Game 2: Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2025 World Series MVP)

Game 3: Shohei Ohtani

Game 4: Blake Snell (two-time Cy Young winner)

Game 5: Skubal

Game 6: Yamamoto

Game 7: Ohtani

That means Tyler Glasnow and Justin Wrobleski, who was named to his first All-Star team this year, would likely move to the bullpen. For a lot of teams, guys like Glasnow or Wrobleski would be starting Game 1.

While trading for Skubal stole most of the headlines, the Dodgers also made a few under-the-radar moves to shore up the rest of their roster. They took a flyer on Kris Bubic, who is currently on the 60-day IL. Dodgers GM Brandon Gomes said that they’re currently planning on using Bubic out of the bullpen when he gets off the IL, but having someone who made an All-Star team with a 2.55 ERA last season as a starter as a “break glass in case of emergency” option is an incredible luxury.

The Dodgers also responded to injuries to their catchers Will Smith and Dalton Rushing by adding depth behind the plate, bringing back Ben Rortvedt and Hunter Feduccia, who both have both spent time in the organization and are familiar with the pitching staff.

Loser: Milwaukee Brewers

Much to the chagrin of the majority of baseball fans, the Milwaukee Brewers failed to trade for Skubal, allowing the Dodgers to swoop in and grab him. Would it have been the right move to match the deal the Dodgers gave the Detroit Tigers? That is debatable, According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, the Brewers offered three hitting prospects, with the headliner being 19-year-old shortstop Luis Peña, the No. 18 prospect in MLB per MLB Pipeline. One of the other two prospects was also in the top 100, and the other was just outside. But, the Tigers wanted controllable starting pitching, and got it from the Dodgers with River Ryan. In the Brewers case, that would have meant moving 24-year-old Logan Henderson, who has a 2.70 ERA in 10 starts this season. Including a player like Henderson goes against how the Brewers operate.

While it may end up being the correct long-term decision for the Brewers to not trade for Skubal, it is still incredibly disappointing to see them only add Dustin May and JoJo Romero at the deadline. This is a team that has the best record in baseball and one of the deepest minor league systems. That is the textbook definition of a buyer. Just in the Brewers’ own division, the Chicago Cubs and Pittsburgh Pirates both made significant additions (more on that later).

Many were hoping this would be the year where the Brewers finally push all their chips in and really buy at the deadline. Maybe that was just nostalgia from 2008 when they acquired CC Sabathia at the deadline and he put together one of the most impressive two-month stretches in MLB history. Regardless, it is still disappointing to see such a fun and talented team not be more aggressive.

Winner: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates did not make any monumental moves. But, they acted in a way that indicated they are trying to win and push for their first postseason berth since 2015. Pittsburgh has the third-highest scoring offense and a talented starting rotation led by All-Stars Paul Skenes and Braxton Ashcraft. Their biggest need was bullpen help, and they certainly addressed that.

They brought in multiple players with closing experience like Luke Weaver, Camilo Doval and Kirby Yates, along with Lake Bachar from the Miami Marlins. While Doval and Yates are no longer necessarily ninth-inning options anymore, Weaver has had an excellent season with the struggling New York Mets before being traded. He has a 1.84 ERA and will almost certainly be in the mix to close games alongside Gregory Soto.

While none of the players acquired by the Pirates are world-beaters, these moves filled a clear hole in their roster and set them up to compete. They showed they were more serious this offseason when they finally made some real moves by signing Ryan O’Hearn and trading for Brandon Lowe. And that continued at the deadline. These types of trades for veteran relievers are win-now moves. Even if the Pirates do not end up making the postseason this year, this is another sign that there is a clear shift in the way the organization is operating.

Loser: Atlanta Braves

Like the Brewers, the Atlanta Braves are ahead in their division and fighting for one of the first two seeds in the NL that would guarantee them a bye past the Wild Card round into the Division Series. While the Braves have been playing great this season, their starting rotation has been ravaged by injuries.

The only addition to the rotation they made was trading for Tyler Mahle from the San Francisco Giants. Mahle has a 5.13 ERA in 18 starts and is not the type of impact player many Braves fans were hoping for. They also made some smaller depth moves for outfielder Lane Thomas and reliever Brent Suter, but given how many starting pitchers were being dealt and the relatively low price it would have taken to acquire someone better than Mahle, it is difficult to understand why the Braves were not more aggressive.

Kevin Gausman cost the Cubs two prospects ranked in the 15-20 range. Kris Bubic cost the Dodgers a prospect outside their top 30. Pitchers were available for affordable prices. Even if the Braves did not want to include any higher-level prospects, they could have at least grabbed another depth piece or two at a similar price to what they spent for Mahle.

Winner: Los Angeles Angels

The Los Angeles Angels finally made some progress. Mike Trout, Zach Neto and Reid Detmers are still on the team, but interim general manager John Mozeliak sold off some legitimate pieces to help restock the farm system.

Jose Soriano, who cooled down significantly after his other-worldly start to the season, went to the Toronto Blue Jays for a deal centered around shortstop Arjun Nimmala, the No. 43 prospect in MLB and now the Angels’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Moises Ballesteros, who the Angels acquired for reliever Ryan Zeferjahn, is just 22, came into the season as the Cubs starting DH and has the potential to be a real impact bat. These types of players are legitimate building blocks.

The biggest blight on the Angels was when they did not trade Shohei Ohtani ahead of the 2023 trade deadline, failing to capitalize on the immense value he still held even though he would be a free agent after that season, and losing him to the Dodgers for nothing. It does not look like the Angels under the leadership of Mozeliak will make those same mistakes. They might not be competitive next season, but if this trade deadline is any indication, the Angels might finally be getting serious about building a true contender.

Loser: New York Yankees

Did the New York Yankees get better? Yes. Luis Garcia was arguably the best bat to be moved at the deadline and he has already made an impact in the Bronx, hitting a go-ahead two-run home run in his first game in pinstripes. But, the Yankees failed to address their two biggest needs, catcher and the bullpen, and instead added to a position where they already have a surplus of talent.

The Ben Rice/Paul Goldschmidt first base platoon is one of the best position groups in MLB. This situation works for now because Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are still out and Rice can DH, but when the Yankees are at full strength, there will not be enough spots in the lineup for them to play all of their best hitters.

What makes the deadline even worse for the Yankees is that their two biggest competitors in the AL East each added catchers. The Boston Red Sox swung a huge deal for Adley Rutschman and the Tampa Bay Rays made a more value-conscious move for Liam Hicks. It is not fair to say that the Yankees should have out-bid the Red Sox for Rutschman, but they could have made a play for Hicks, tried to pry Ryan Jeffers away from the Minnesota Twins or taken a flyer on a guy like Logan O’Hoppe, who was basically a throw-in in a trade that sent Chase Silseth to the Rangers.

Not sure: Philadelphia Phillies

The Luis Arraez trade is fascinating. In Classic Dave Dombrowski fashion, the always-aggressive Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations went and got one of the best players available at the deadline. Ahead of the deadline, it looked like the Phillies’ biggest need was a right-handed hitting outfielder. Arraez is a left-handed hitting second baseman. But, he is one of the best bats alongside Rutschman and Garcia to be moved at the deadline and complements the power-hitting Phillies offense very nicely.

In order to fit Arraez into the lineup at second base, where he suddenly became an elite defender with the Giants under the tutelage of Ron Washington, a lot of pieces and to move around. Bryston Stott moved from second to third. Alec Bohm moved from third to first. And in the biggest move, Bryce Harper moved from first base to outfield, where he has not played since he injured his elbow in 2022 and changed positions to first base to limit the amount he would have to throw.

The Phillies already ranked last in Defensive Runs Saved before this. While Arraez will be a defensive upgrade at second over Stott, the potential impact this could have on the rest of the field where three players are moving positions could be problematic. While some argue that defense as a whole is overrated, this team-wide mid-season change to a team’s defensive alignment is relatively unprecedented.

The assumption is that if Shohei Ohtani has a full season at the plate and at least some production on the mound, he will be the National League Most Valuable Player. He has won four MVPs in the last five seasons, only missing out in 2022 when Aaron Judge had his historic 62-homer season. Each of his four MVP wins have been unanimous.

But this year, there is a chance for someone else to challenge Ohtani for the MVP (or at least steal a few votes away from him).

Ohtani has not pitched since July 3 due to a lingering left knee injury. Ohtani did throw about a 30-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday, but Dave Roberts has still not given much of an indication about when he will return to pitching in games. Knowing the Dodgers, they will be extremely cautious with their two-way superstar and be as conservative as possible.

If Ohtani does not pitch again this regular season, he’d end with a 1.79 ERA and 85 ⅔ innings through 14 starts. Last season, he returned to pitching in June after having Tommy John surgery in Sept. 2023. At first, he was only pitching an inning or two at a time but ramped up to be ready for a full workload in the postseason. Through 14 starts, Ohtani pitched just 47 innings and had a 2.87 ERA.

While Ohtani has already done more on the mound this season than he did last season, he has had much less production at the plate. He currently has a .917 OPS and is on pace for 35 home runs, which would both be his lowest since 2022 (when he finished second in MVP).

Ohtani will likely pitch again during the regular season. But, the Dodgers have the best record in the National League (65-38), are 11 ½ games up on the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NL West and are five games up on the Atlanta Braves, who currently slot in as the third seed in the NL and would have to play in the Wild Card round. Especially with Blake Snell expected to return in the next few weeks, the Dodgers should have enough rotation depth to comfortably get them a first-round bye. Roberts could ramp up Ohtani similarly to how he did last season in order to have him at his best for the postseason.

So, if Ohtani’s standing as the presumptive NL MVP is at risk, who is his biggest challenger?

The most likely candidate to take MVP votes away from Ohtani is Chicago Cubs superstar outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong.

Crow-Armstrong is the only player in MLB to have surpassed the 20-homer, 20-steal threshold so far and is considered by most to be the best defensive center fielder in the world. Because of his elite defensive numbers (MLB-best 20 Outs Above Average), PCA actually has a higher fWAR than Ohtani. Like Ohtani, Crow-Armstrong is dominating in multiple facets of the game. There is no one in baseball who has a better combination of power, speed and defense.

The biggest reason why Crow-Armstrong has made the leap from All-Star caliber player to legitimate MVP candidate is his ability to get on base more consistently. Just from last season, his walk rate has gone up from 4.5% to 11.7%, his BAbip has gone up from .276 to .353 and his overall OBP has improved from .287 to .383.

Cubs manager Craig Counsell had some incredibly high praise for Crow-Armstrong’s improvement (via MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian).

“The rate at which it’s improved and how fast it’s improved,” Counsell said, “I don’t have any comparisons to it. I don’t have a great explanation for it. I think it’s just a great athlete coming into his own as a great player.”

Crow-Armstrong is on pace for 33 homers, 40 steals and currently has a .900 OPS. He is also a shoo-in for a Gold Glove and will be in contention for a Silver Slugger in what should be a loaded race in the NL alongside guys like Juan Soto, James Wood, Corbin Carroll and Jordan Walker.

If Crow-Armstrong was in the AL, or if there was not a player like Ohtani who has unprecedented two-way production in the NL, he would be a runaway MVP favorite. But there is definitely a path.

In the NBA, writers have often been accused of “voter fatigue,” which is why LeBron James only has four MVPs throughout his 23-year career. That has not really been an issue in the BBWAA, but maybe that could lead to some voters choosing Crow-Armstrong over an injury-plagued pitching and weaker-than-usual offensive season from Ohtani.

Crow-Armstrong could also go on a tear. If he ends up with 40 homers and 40 steals, that statistical accomplishment would be difficult to ignore, just like Ohtani’s 50-50 season was while he was exclusively DHing in 2024.

Ohtani will probably pitch again in the regular season. Even if he stays on the shelf on that side of the ball, he has still probably done enough to lock up the MVP if he keeps hitting at this level. But, for the first time since 2022, there is a real chance for a non-Ohtani MVP.

The Tampa Bay Rays (56-38) are first in the AL East. The Chicago White Sox (50-45) and Cleveland Guardians (51-46) are effectively tied for first in the AL Central. The Texas Rangers (49-47) are first in the AL West.

The New York Yankees (54-42) are 6 ½ games up in the first Wild Card Spot, followed by the Guardians, who are 3 games up in the second.

After that is where things get really interesting. The Seattle Mariners (48-49) and Minnesota Twins (48-49) are tied for the third spot. The Boston Red Sox (46-48) are ½ games back. The Houston Astros (47-51) are 1 ½ back. The Baltimore Orioles (46-51) are 2 back. The Toronto Blue Jays (45-51) are 2 ½ back. The Detroit Tigers (44-52) are 3 ½ back.

So basically, there are seven teams vying for the third and final AL Wild Card. Chaos. Who should buy at the trade deadline. Who should sell? Who has a legitimate chance to make some noise in the postseason if they make it? Who would get swept in the Wild Card round?

Let’s go down the list and figure out which teams are contenders or pretenders.

Seattle Mariners

The Mariners are arguably the most talented of the group of teams fighting for the last spot in the postseason on the AL side. But their biggest star, Cal Raleigh, has completely disappeared. Last season, Raleigh hit 61 home runs, becoming the first catcher in MLB history to reach the 60 homer milestone. The Big Dumper controversially finished second in AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge and picked up numerous other accolades. This year is a completely different story. Raleigh has just nine homers and is batting a paltry .169 while also having missed a month with a right oblique strain.

Outside of Raleigh, Randy Arozarena is hitting and getting on base at a career-high clip, Julio Rodriguez is still one of baseball’s elite center fielders, Luke Raley and Dominic Canzone have been extremely productive and rookie second baseman Cole Young has been a very pleasant surprise.

But as usual, the Mariners’ starting pitching depth is the biggest reason why they have the chance to go far in October. Even with Luis Castillo posting a 4.93 ERA, the M’s have five other legitimate frontline starters, Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo, Emerson Hancock and Bryce Miller, that they can trot out.

If the rotation holds up and Raleigh finally begins to hit anywhere close to the level he did last season, watch out.

Verdict: Contender

Minnesota Twins

The Twins are one of the more surprising teams in the AL postseason picture. Despite a fire sale last trade deadline that saw them move off of Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland, Ty France, Griffin Jax, Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader and Willi Castro, among others, Minnesota has been very competitive this season.

Byron Buxton, who it seems is finally able stay consistently healthy and once again has no plans on waiving his often-discussed no-trade clause, has been one of the best all-around players in baseball. Outside of Buxton, a balanced offensive attack helped the Twins score the most 471 runs, the most in the AL and sixth in MLB.

While the Twins are a fun story, they just do not have enough pitching outside of Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley to be a true threat. The emergence of Yoendrys Gómez as a viable closing option has been huge, but the rest of the bullpen is just not established enough. If they are able to add more pitching, both in the rotation and the bullpen, at the deadline, then this could be a different story. One thing they could do is try and pull off a Major Leaguer for Major Leaguer “baseball trade” with Ryan Jeffers, who has been hurt but is a solid offensive catcher, for an arm.

Without pitching reinforcements, it is difficult to see the Twins as much more than a team taking advantage of a weak AL.

Verdict: Pretender

Boston Red Sox

The All-Star break could not have come at a worse time for the Red Sox, who were riding a nine-game winning streak into the pause and have catapulted themselves back into relevancy.

The Red Sox have started winning on the backs of their elite starting pitching. Even with ace Garrett Crochet on the shelf with shoulder/lat injuries, the rotation led by veterans Ranger Suarez and Sonny Gray and youngsters Connelly Early, Payton Tolle and unlikely hero Jake Bennet has carried a lackluster offense that is tied for second-to-last in runs.

The big question for the Red Sox is if their recent streak is indicative of the overall quality of the team, and if it is enough for embattled chief baseball officer Craig Breslow to decide to try and buy at the trade deadline. If they add another right-handed bat and guys like Crochet and Roman Anthony get healthy, Boston could suddenly be one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

As things currently stand though, the way the Red Sox are winning close games with their pitching shouldering the load is just not sustainable.

Verdict: Pretender

Houston Astros

The Astros looked dead in the water. They had a 20-31 record on May 20. But despite dealing with injuries to Jeremy Pena, Hunter Brown, Josh Hader, Cristian Javier and Carlos Correa, they have rallied to a 27-20 record since then and are suddenly back in the Wild Card and AL West race.

Yordan Alvarez, a triple crown candidate, is having one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory and is looking like an MVP candidate despite spending the majority of the year at DH so far. 35-year-old Christian Walker is also continuing to produce at a high level.

The biggest reason why the Astros should feel optimistic about the rest of the season is that their rotation looks like it will finally be getting healthy. Ronel Blanco and Hayden Wesneski are both projected to rejoin the rotation soon after undergoing Tommy John surgery early last season. If Houston is able to solidify left field and bolster the bullpen at the deadline, this could be the best Astros team since 2023 when they lost in seven games in the ALCS to the eventual World Series winning Rangers.

Altuve and Correa, the holdovers from the Astros’ World Series core, are getting older, but they should never be counted out if they are able to find a way to make it to October.

Verdict: Contender

Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles are fascinating. In 2023, they won 101 games and had a young core that almost every other organization envied. Now, most of those prospects have matured and not reached the potential many thought they had when they were coming up. The result is an Orioles team that is struggling to compete in a weaker-than-expected AL East despite finally spending some money this past offseason.

Pete Alonso, with 21 homers and 65 RBI, is hitting like Pete Alonso. Samuel Basallo has exceeded expectations in his first full season. While his other offensive metrics may be down, Gunnar Henderson is still a legitimate power threat with 17 homers. Blaze Alexander has also come out of nowhere to hit .312.

But, as has often been the case with the Orioles, the starting pitching just is not there. Kyle Bradish and Brandon Young have been solid, but outside of that there has not been much consistency.

Despite technically being in the race, the Orioles look like a prime candidate to take advantage of the sellers market and try and move some of their expiring contracts like Taylor Ward, Chris Bassitt and Trevor Rogers.

Verdict: Pretender

Toronto Blue Jays

Expectations were high for the Blue Jays after they took the Los Angeles Dodgers to the brink in last year’s World Series and then continued to add to their already talented roster, signing Dylan Cease for seven years, $210 million, Kazuma Okamoto for four years, $60 million, Tyler Rogers for three years, $37 million and Cody Ponce for three years, $30 million. Despite losing Bo Bichette, the general consensus was that the Blue Jays got better.

That has not been the case so far. Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has dealt with lingering back issues and has looked like a shell of himself. In addition to Guerrero’s struggles, The rest of the offense outside of Okamoto, who has 22 homers, and Ernie Clement, who was leading vote-getter for the AL All-Star team, has been a significant problem as well. The Blue Jays are tied for the fourth-fewest runs scored in baseball.

If the lineup can get going, there is a lot to like in Toronto. Cease is elite. Kevin Gausman and Trey Yesavage are no strangers to the postseason after last year. Louis Varland and Tyler Rogers might be the best bullpen duo in baseball.

If Guerrero returns to form and the Blue Jays are able to upgrade the rotation at the trade deadline, there is no reason this team should not be able to make up ground and earn a Wild Card bid. If they end up with the third spot, they would be a nightmare opponent for the worst division winner.

Verdict: Contender

Detroit Tigers

The Tigers have an incredibly difficult decision to make in the coming weeks ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Will they trade Tarik Skubal, who is in the final year of his contract and is expected to become the highest-paid pitcher in MLB history this offseason?

The decision to trade Skubal became much more difficult following a stretch before the All-Star break that saw the Tigers win nine out of 10 before losing two in a row against Philadelphia Phillies aces Cristopher Sanchez and Zack Wheeler.

Outside of the potential Skubal trade looming over Detroit, there is reason to believe in this team. Casey Mize has been a revelation, Dillon Dingler has turned into one of the game’s best offensive catchers and Riley Greene is still an elite hitter, albeit with more bat-to-ball and a bit less power. If Skubal stays and the Tigers are able to add to their bullpen, then this team has the chance to make some noise. But that is a lot to ask for a group that was looking dead in the water in late June.

Verdict: Pretender

After beating the Detroit Tigers 10-4 on Thursday, the Texas Rangers have won seven of their last eight games to propel themselves to a tie atop the American League West with the Seattle Mariners with a 45-43 record.

The Rangers have flown under the radar all season. They did not make any splashy offseason free agency signings, instead executing some more savvy, under-the-radar trades like when they acquired MacKenzie Gore from the Washington Nationals for a handful of prospects and Brandon Nimmo from the New York Mets for Marcus Semien in a rare “baseball trade” featuring two established Major League players.

The only member of the Rangers who is having a bonafide All-Star-caliber season is closer Jacob Latz. The 30-year-old Latz burst onto the scene this year and established himself early as the Rangers’ best ninth inning option, recording 18 saves and a 1.71 ERA. Jacob deGrom, who just turned 30, is leading the AL with a 10.8 SO/9 and has shown flashes of his old self, but is no longer a true ace. Similarly, 36-year-old Nathan Eovaldi is still a productive player, but is not looking like the frontline starter he was for the first three years of his Rangers career.

Their most expensive and high-profile position player, Corey Seager, is on pace for career-lows all across the board. Seager was also just placed on the 10-day injured list because of lower back inflammation, his third trip to the IL this season. One of those was also because of lower back inflammation, the other was because of a concussion.

The Ranges are 21st in runs scored, 16th in total bases and 15th in OPS. On the pitching side, they are 10th in team ERA. Their run differential is almost exactly even -2. All pretty middle-of-the-road numbers.

Just looking around their division, they do not have the flashiness of the Mariners, who boast one of MLB’s deepest starting rotations and superstars in Julio Rodriguez and Cal Raleigh. The Houston Astros have Yordan Alvarez, who many believe to be the frontrunner for AL MVP (including our own Trevor May). The Athletics have a prolific offense and some of baseball’s most promising young stars. The Los Angeles Angels, while their record does not show it, are still a fun team to watch because of Mike Trout’s late-career resurgence

But still, the Rangers are in first place and are in line to make it back to the postseason for the first time since they won the World Series in 2023.

Just like now, that 2023 Rangers team was overlooked all year, and was picked by few to make noise in the postseason. As the 2nd AL Wild Card team, the Rangers swept their way past the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round and the Baltimore Orioles in the ALDS before beating the Astros in a tense seven-game series in the ALCS and the Arizona Diamondbacks in five games in the World Series.

That team had a bit more firepower though. Seager finished second in AL MVP voting. Semien finished third. Adolis Garcia hit 39 home runs. Josh Jung finished fourth in AL Rookie of the Year voting. Seager, Semien, Garcia, Jung, Eovaldi and Jonah Heim were all named All-Stars.

The Rangers were very active during the trade deadline in 2023, adding veterans Max Scherzer, Aroldis Chapman, Jordan Montgomery and Austin Hedges to try and push for the postseason. This year, they could do the same. Second base is a clear area of need, with six different players spending time at Semien’s former position. They could also look for an upgrade in the outfield and to add more pitching depth, both in the starting rotation and the bullpen.

One potential roadblock–the Rangers have a very weak farm system. Ranked 25th at the beginning of the season by MLB Pipeline, the Rangers have just two top-100 prospects, 20-year-old infield prospect Sebastian Walcott (MLB No. 10) and 21-year-old RHP prospect Caden Scarborough (MLB No. 66).

With the AL as weak as it is, even if the Rangers do not end up winning their division, they should still be right in the thick of the Wild Card race. People counted them out in 2023. The team looks a bit different now, but the Rangers might just have it in them to pull off another surprise run in October.

Kyle Schwarber made history last weekend. While his teammate Bryce Harper hit for the cycle during the Philadelphia Phillies’ 15-3 win over the New York Mets on Saturday, Schwarber hit three home runs. The duo became just the second pair of teammates in Major League history to hit at least three home runs and hit for the cycle on the same day since Lou Gehrig (four home runs) and Tony Lazzeri (cycle) achieved the rare feat for the New York Yankees on June 3, 1932.

Schwarber followed it up with an encore performance on Sunday, slugging his Major League-leading 29th home run.

On Monday’s edition of MLB Now on MLB Network, Steve Phillips, Ron Darling and Jon Heyman debated Schwarber’s Hall of Fame candidacy.

Baseball Reference has a great tool that tries to measure players’ Hall of Fame chances called the “Hall of Fame Monitor.” Created by revolutionary statistician Bill James, the HOF Monitor assigns points to various statistical achievements and career milestones. For example, a player gets 2.5 points for every season with a batting average over .300, 10 points for a 50 HR season, 40 points for 3,000 career hits, etc. A player with a score of 100 means they have a “good possibility” of making the Hall of Fame and 130 is a “virtual cinch.”

Schwarber is currently at a 77, sandwiched among eligible non-HOFers between Buster Posey, who has a 79, and J.D. Martinez, who has a 75. That puts him significantly below James’ 100 benchmark with a long way to go before looking like he has a chance to be enshrined.

But Schwarber is a unique case. He had an injury-plagued start to his career as a catcher and corner outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, helping them break 107-year World Series drought in 2016, but was nowhere near the kind of prolific power hitter he has turned into since joining the Philadelphia Phillies. He was non-tendered by the Cubs after the COVID-shortened 2020 season that saw Schwarber hit .188.

After that, he signed a one-year deal with the Washington Nationals and was traded to the Boston Red Sox for the second half of the 2021 season. That offseason, he signed a four-year, $79 million contract with the Phillies which turned out to be one of the biggest bargains in baseball. This past offseason, Schwarber re-upped with the Phillies on a five-year, $150 million deal.

During his time with the Phillies, Schwarber has arguably been the most consistent home run hitter in the league. He had 46 homers in 2022, 47 in 2023, 38 in 2024, 56 in 2025 and is up to 29 at the midway point this season. He led the NL in 2022 and 2025 and is leading all of baseball so far this year. His 216 homers since 2022 are second-most in MLB only behind Aaron Judge.

Not only has Schwarber absolutely crushed the ball since joining the Phillies, but he has not missed any meaningful time with injuries. He has missed just 26 total games dating back to the start of the 2022 season.

Here are Schwarber’s career totals:

• 369 home runs

• 1,122 hits

• 836 RBI

• .232 AVG

• .347 OBP

• .506 SLG

• .853 OPS

Schwarber turned 33 in March. But based on his durability and how his power has seemed to increase as he has gotten older, that ever-important 500 home run milestone is well within reach. Based on historical precedent, the only thing that has ever kept someone with 500 home runs out of the Hall of Fame are serious steroid allegations, as is the case with Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGwire, Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez and Gary Sheffield. Miguel Cabrera and Albert Pujols both have over 500 home runs, and are expected to be first-ballot Hall of Fame selections once they are eligible.

Schwarber is currently on pace to hit 58 home runs this season. If that happens, he would end 2026 with 398 home runs. Schwarber has four more years left on his contract. That means he would need to average 25 ½ home runs each year until the end of his deal to hit 500 before he reaches free agency again.

For most players Schwarber’s age, that may be a tough task. But he has shown absolutely no signs of slowing down, and as a designated hitter, has seemed to be able to limit the wear-and-tear on his body that most players who field a position have at this point in their careers.

Schwarber’s status as a designated hitter, which has allowed him to hit at this level for such a sustained period of time, may end up being his biggest roadblock to being enshrined in Cooperstown. DHs have historically had a difficult time getting elected. The only members of the Hall of Fame who played a majority of their games at DH are Frank Thomas, Edgar Martinez, Harold Baines and David Ortiz. While Schwarber has still played the majority of his games in the outfield, by the time his career is over, he will almost certainly be known as a full-time DH.

One characteristic that many Hall of Fame voters look to when they fill out their ballots is if a player was one of the best at their position for a period of time. Unfortunately for Schwarber, he plays in the same era as Shohei Ohtani. Because of that, Ohtani has beat out Schwarber each of the last two seasons for the NL’s Silver Slugger at DH. Ohtani is not going away any time soon, and will likely continue to beat out Schwarber for All-Star starter nods and Silver Sluggers at DH in the NL.

Just a few years ago, it would have been blasphemous to call Schwarber a future Hall of Famer. That has changed. His consistency, durability and age-defying power have put him squarely in the conversation to getting a plaque on the wall in Cooperstown.

The Detroit Tigers are in an impossible position.

Currently sitting 5 ½ games back of the third American League Wild Card position and 8 games back and in fourth place in their division with a 29-40 record, they are not looking like a serious postseason contender.

Two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal is in the final year of his contract, and is expected to become the highest paid pitcher of all time this offseason when he becomes a free agent.

Skubal is represented by super-agent Scott Boras. That means he is unlikely to consider any sort of hometown discount. Based on Boras’ reputation, his primary objective will be to get Skubal as much money as possible.

If the Tigers are not 100% confident in their ability to out-bid teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees and New York Mets for Skubal, then they absolutely have to consider trading him. This would be a different story if they were looking a bit more competitive and could justify keeping him for this season with the hopes of going on a postseason run, but that is not a realistic outcome for this current group based on the way they have played over their first 69 games.

This is the sad reality for Detroit fans. The Tigers invested heavily in their 2026 team, signing win-now veterans like Framber Valdez (three-year, $115 million), Gleyber Torres (one-year, $22.05 million qualifying offer), Kyle Finnegan (two-year, $19 million), Justin Verlander (one-year, $13 million) and Kenley Jansen (one-year, $11 million). They also signed rookie sensation Kevin McGonigle eight-year, $150 million extension in April, further signaling the Tigers’ financial commitment to this current group.

The goal was clearly to compete in what could be Skubal’s final year with the team and go as close to all-in as a smaller-market team like the Tigers can.

But, with the season almost at its midpoint, the Tigers have the decision about what to do with Skubal looming over them.

The Skubal situation is further complicated by his injury status. Skubal was the first pitcher to have a new type of surgery to address loose bodies in the elbow performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, coined the “Skubal Scope” by Boras, that is supposed to cut the recovery time from two to three months to just about one month.

Skubal had the procedure on May 6, and is scheduled to start for the Tigers on Saturday after throwing a minor league rehab assignment on Sunday.

Check out this video from our own Trevor May for more on the new NanoScope surgery:

If Skubal struggles or shows any signs of lingering discomfort, his trade value could tank. On the other hand, if Skubal pitches well in his return, that could further incentivize the Tigers to make a move knowing that Skubal is healthy.

There is always the chance that even if the Tigers trade Skubal this season that they could re-sign him, but that is an incredibly risky strategy. The Boston Red Sox notably tried to do this with Jon Lester in 2014, when they traded him to the Oakland Athletics during the season then courted him during the offseason. Lester ended up signing with the Chicago Cubs, helping them win the World Series in 2016.

The most prominent example of trading, then re-signing someone being a success is when the Yankees traded Aroldis Chapman to the Cubs in 2016, then re-signing him to a five-year, $86 million deal, the largest for a reliever until Edwin Diaz beat it in 2022.

Despite what the Yankees were able to pull off with Chapman, it should be safe to assume that if the Tigers trade Skubal, their chances of signing him back are close to zero.

So what should the Tigers do?

For a half-season of Skubal, you could get an absolute haul of prospects who are on the brink of the Major Leagues.

The always aggressive San Diego Padres and their general manager A.J. Preller could offer a deal headlined by Ethan Salas, the No. 49 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline and the No. 5 catching prospect. The Toronto Blue Jays could dangle their top prospect and No. 29 overall prospect JoJo Parker. The Milwaukee Brewers could try and replicate the magic they found when they traded for CC Sabathia in 2008 and offer prospects like Luis Peña (No. 16), Jett Williams (No. 57) or Cooper Pratt (No. 63) while still retaining consensus top prospect Jesús Made.

Basically, any team in postseason contention should be willing to part with their top prospects/young players for a few months of Skubal.

But then again, the Tigers have a very bright future. Valdez is signed for two more seasons. McGonigle is looking like a future superstar. Dillon Dingler and Riley Greene are legitimate building blocks. There have been no reported indications that Skubal has been unhappy in Detroit, and that if the money is there, would not re-sign.

Signing Skubal to a long-term contract and continuing to build around the Tigers’ current young core should make them a contender for years to come.

Keeping Skubal, then having him sign elsewhere this offseason while the Tigers miss the postseason would be devastating for the franchise. But so would trading him and potentially nuking any chance of re-signing him.

Right now, it is a three-horse race between Philadelphia Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez, Milwaukee Brewers flamethrower Jacob Misiorowski and Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani.

All three of Sánchez, Misiorowski and Ohtani are having historic seasons. So, who has the edge right now and who will come out on top at the end of the year?

The case for Cristopher Sánchez:

7-2, 1.46 ERA, 86 ⅓ IP, 103 K, 1.089 WHIP

Sánchez has truly established himself as one of Major League Baseball’s premiere starting pitchers after his performance during the month of May and his 50 ⅔ scoreless inning streak. Sánchez’s scoreless streak dating back to April 30 finally came to an end on Wednesday in the seventh inning of the Phillies’ 3-2 win over the San Diego Padres when he allowed an RBI single to Jackson Merrill.

Sánchez’s 50 ⅔ scoreless innings streak is the longest stretch by a Phillie and by a left-hander and is the third-longest in the Live Ball Era (since 1920) and the fifth-longest since they moved the mound back to 60 feet, 6 inches in 1893.

The Phillies have completely turned things around and righted the ship after a disastrous start that led to the firing of manager Rob Thomson, and Sánchez has been the biggest reason why. In addition to his famed streak, Sánchez leads all of baseball in ERA, innings, FIP, HR/9 bWAR for pitchers.

The case for Jacob Misiorowski:

6-2, 1.65 ERA, 71.0 IP, 108 K, 0.789 WHIP

Misiorowski may have had the most productive month of all time that did not result in a Pitcher of the Month award. In his six starts during May, “The Miz” had a 5-0 record with a 0.23 ERA, allowing just one run in 38⅓ innings while striking out 57 batters. The numbers are of course incredible, but Misiorowski’s historic velocity might be his most impressive feat.

Here are some stats courtesy of ESPN’s David Schoenfield highlighting the historic nature of how hard the 24-year-old Misiorowski threw in May:

• Misiorowski threw 241 fastballs in the month at 100 mph or faster.

• Batters swung at 125 of them, fouling off 48 and putting just 20 of them in play.

• Just five of those 20 went for hits, all of them singles.

• Misiorowski threw 71 pitches in the month that clocked 102 mph or faster, including starts with 22 each against the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals.

Misiorowski leads baseball in strikeouts, K/9, WHIP and is in the 100th percentile in Pitching Run Value and Extension, 99th percentile in fastball velocity and the 98th percentile in xERA. More simply, the Brewers are a must-watch whenever Misirowski is on the mound.

Expectations were high for Misiorowski after he burst onto the scene last year and earned an All-Star appearance after just five games, but there was some concern about his ability to be a true ace at this point in his career after he struggled in the second half. It is safe to say that Misiorowski has silenced those doubts.

The case for Shohei Ohtani:

6-2, 0.74 ERA, 61.0 IP, 67 K, 0.787 WHIP

The Dodgers have employed a cautious approach to Ohtani’s pitching, using a six-man rotation and only starting him once a week. Those lack of innings will make it difficult for Ohtani to truly compete for the Cy Young, but if he keeps pitching at this rate, voters will be faced with an unprecedented situation. Will they take his two-way production into account for the award?

On Wednesday, Ohtani pitched six scoreless innings, striking out six and only giving up two hits and one walk while reaching base five times. In his previous start, Ohtani threw six no-hit innings while hitting a leadoff home run. Until he gave up a double to Gabriel Moreno in the fourth inning, Ohtani had 9 ⅔ no-hit innings between his last two starts.

Ohtani’s 0.74 ERA is the third-lowest through 10 starts since earned runs first became a stat in 1913, and would be by far the best in MLB, but is currently one inning shy of qualifying. There is no doubt that Ohtani is the best player in baseball, and likely the best player of all time, but will he accrue enough pitching stats to add a Cy Young award to his seemingly-endless list of accomplishments?

Final verdict:

If the season ended today, just like how he won NL Pitcher of the Month in May, Sánchez would be the frontrunner to take home the NL Cy Young award. His scoreless streak is that impressive.

But, if Ohtani ends the season with a sub-one ERA and is able to reach 162 innings and qualify for rate stats, while also continuing to be one of the best hitters in the sport, voters will be faced with a very tough decision.

Buckle in, folks. This race will be so much fun to follow.

The New York Mets have been a disaster. Despite having the second-largest payroll in Major League Baseball according to FanGraphs’ RosterResource, they currently have a 23-33 record, are in last place in the National League East and are 14 games back of the Atlanta Braves for first place in their division.

Last season was similarly disappointing. On June 12, the Mets had a 45-24 record, the best in baseball at the time, and had a 5 ½ game lead in the NL East. They ended the season with an 83-79 record and just missed out on the third NL Wild Card spot to the Cincinnati Reds.

Amidst all of this turmoil, Juan Soto is still one of, if not the best hitters in MLB.

The 15-year, $765 million contract, the largest in professional sports history, that Juan Soto signed with the Mets ahead of the 2025 season came with enormous expectations. Before 2025, Soto’s age-26 season and first with the Mets, he had four All-Star appearances, five Silver Sluggers, three top-five MVP finishes and had played a key part in the Washington Nationals 2019 World Series title. He had rightfully earned a reputation as one of the best pure hitters in baseball, and was on his way to becoming an all-time great.

Despite the Mets’ lack of team success, Soto has, almost quietly, continued to produce at an extremely elite level. That has been especially true lately. Over Soto’s last seven games, he has six home runs. In 12 games going back to May 16, Soto is batting .386 with a 1.402 OPS. On the season, Soto is slashing .301/.392/.594 with 12 home runs despite all of the Mets injuries and offensive deficiencies. His .986 OPS would lead the NL if he had enough at-bats to qualify (he missed about two weeks in April with a right calf strain).

“He’s locked in,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said after Soto homered in the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Red on Wednesday per MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. “And he’s one of the best, if not the best at what he does. … He’s just a special player doing his thing.”

This is all happening despite the Mets failing to replace Pete Alonso, who batted behind Soto for the majority of last season and offered him much-needed protection. Bo Bichette, who the Mets signed to help replace Alonso’s offense, has been a major disappointment, and has not provided anywhere near the same amount of support as Alonso did behind Soto.

Soto’s performance last season was also overshadowed by the Mets’ late collapse. He finished 3rd in NL MVP voting, won a Silver slugger, led all of baseball with 127 walks, led the NL with 38 steals and a .396 OBP and hit a career-high 43 home runs.

It is difficult for Soto to ever truly live up to fans’ expectations because of his gargantuan contract. On an already expensive roster, Soto accounts for 13.9% of the Mets’ 2026 payroll. He does not offer much value in the field. He has a quieter disposition.

This past offseason, the NY Post’s Mike Puma reported that Soto and Francisco Lindor clashed in the clubhouse because of their contrasting personalities.

With the Mets continuing to underperform and Soto’s contract looming over everything he does, it is easy to understand how his performance can sometimes fly under the radar. Not only is Soto continuing to show that he is one of, if not the best hitters in MLB and a generational talent, but he may just be the player who is most important to their team’s success.

Soto has missed 17 of the Mets’ 56 games. In the 39 games Soto has played, the Mets have a 20-19 record. In the 17 he has missed, the Mets are 3-14. Without Soto, the Mets offense grinds to a halt.

This is not to say that Soto is even worth his contract. Despite Mets owner Steve Cohen’s willingness to spend seemingly knowing no bounds, Soto’s contract may eventually end up hamstringing the Mets’ ability to spend on other top free agents. Known as a below-average defender, Soto could end up as a full-time designated hitter sooner rather than later. It is difficult to think that anyone except for two-way global superstar Shohei Ohtani would be worth the kind of money Soto is being paid.

But, that should not take away from appreciating how great of a hitter he is and how much of a hot streak he is currently on. Mets fans would obviously prefer that come with a few more wins, but despite everything going on around him, Soto is continuing to hit. And that is what Cohen paid him to do,

Not enough people are talking about Shea Langeliers. Maybe that is because he plays half of his games in a Triple-A ballpark in West Sacramento. Maybe that is because the Athletics have not made the postseason since the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Regardless, Langeliers has blossomed into one of Major League Baseball’s very best two-way catchers.

As of Thursday, through 44 games, Langeliers has a .322/.394/.578 slash line with a .972 OPS, all career-highs. His 168 wRC+ is the third-best in MLB, only behind Ben Rice and Yordan Alvarez and better than hitters like Kyle Schwarber, Aaron Judge and Corbin Carroll. With 12 home runs so far, he is on pace to hit 44, which would also be a career high. Those 12 home runs are the best among AL catchers, and just one behind Drake Baldwin, who just went on the injured list with an oblique strain. Langeliers is also in the 99th percentile for xSLG, 98th for xwOBA and xBA and 97th percentile for Batting Run Value.

Langeliers is currently second in the AL in batting average behind Riley Greene, and FanGraphs’ Jay Jaffe noted that he could join Joe Mauer (2006, ‘08, ‘09), Ernie Lombard (1938, ‘42), Bubbles Hargrave (1926) and Buster Posey (2012) as fifth catcher in MLB history to lead their league in batting average.

This offensive breakout did not come out of nowhere. Langeliers hit 22 home runs with a .681 OPS during his first full season in 2023, and his homer numbers and slash line have steadily improved every year since. But this season, he has truly become one of the game’s elite.

So, what has caused Lanegliers to make that jump?

Langeliers’ Barrel Rate is at 15.3%, up 4.0 from last season. His average Launch Angle is 20.0, up 3.6 degrees. His Fast Swing Rate is at 52.7%, up 4.6.

It makes a lot of sense why Langeliers is having a career year. He is swinging the bat faster and making more efficient contact, which is almost always a recipe for success at the plate.

“He’s awesome,” A’s pitcher Jeffrey Springs said after Langeliers hit his 100th career homer and 12th of the season on May 13 via MLB.com’s Martin Gallegos. “He’s the heartbeat. He’s such a pro. From the pitching side, everything he does for the pitching staff, commanding the game, and then on the hitting side, you see what he’s doing. It’s unbelievable. It really is impressive to do it on both sides.”

Playing in one of the most hitter-friendly parks, Langeliers has helped guide the A’s starting rotation to a 4.29 ERA, 18th in MLB, but still very impressive given the team’s home park and how unheralded that group was when they began the season.

Langeliers is also in the 95th percentile in Pop Time and 91st in Blocks Above Average and is an above-average Net ABS Overturns of 3.4. While he is not necessarily known as an elite defensive catcher, Langeliers fields the position well enough and is respected by his pitchers.

With Cal Raleigh’s shocking decline this season, the mantle for “best catcher” appears to be wide open. Baldwin, last year’s NL Rookie of the Year, has been similarly dominant at the plate. But outside of him, unless Raleigh re-discovers his form at the plate or Aaron Boone decides to consistently play Ben Rice at catcher, then Langeliers should be in consideration alongside Baldwin for that title.

The A’s have had a lot of success extending their young players. Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker are all signed long-term, and the A’s pursued extensions with Nick Kurtz and Langeliers this offseason according to the NY Post’s Jon Heyman.

With Langeliers expected to hit free agency after the 2028 season, the year the A’s are scheduled to move to Las Vegas, signing him to an extension would give the team someone to build around in their new city and their new fans a franchise cornerstone who will be there for years to come to root for.

Despite their 25-24 record, the A’s are currently in first place in a down year for the AL West. Langeliers has been the biggest reason why the A’s have been able to capitalize and put themselves in position to potentially make a run at the postseason.

Looking at the division races, the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are tied for last place in the AL Central with 19-24 records, but are all just four games back of the first-place Cleveland Guardians. In the AL West, the Texas Rangers (21-22) are 1 ½ games back and the Seattle Mariners (21-23) are two games back of the first-place Athletics. Every team in the NL Central is above .500.

The Boston Red Sox, who are in last place in the AL East with a 18-24 record, are still just 2 1/2 games back of the third Wild Card spot.

The most significant consequence of this parity–absolute chaos at the trade deadline. Will teams in the American League decide to go all-in even if they are hovering around .500 because of the weaker field? Will one of the disappointing teams with a high payroll, like the Red Sox, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies or San Francisco Giants sell?

It is still early, but here are four bold moves that teams could make ahead of the 2026 MLB Trade Deadline on Aug. 3 at 6:00 p.m. ET.

1. New York Yankees receive: OF Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels receive: LHP Ryan Weathers, OF Spencer Jones (Yankees No. 6 prospect per MLB Pipeline)

With Mike Trout returning to near-MVP form, now makes the most sense for a struggling Los Angeles Angels team to finally cut bait from their superstar and sell high while he is still healthy and performing. Trout has 11 home runs, a .936 OPS, a 160 wRC+ and is playing solid defense in center field. But, in an all-too-familiar situation, the Angels are in last place in a weak AL West with a 16-28 record and are still not able to string together wins even with a healthy Trout.

The Yankees could be a perfect trade partner for Trout. Center field is one of the few positions that New York could look to upgrade, with Trent Grisham hitting under .200 and regressing back to how he performed at the plate the last few seasons. The Angels have struggled to produce young starting pitchers, and with Carlos Rodon back in the rotation and Gerrit Cole on the way, the Yankees suddenly have a surplus of starting arms.

Ryan Weathers has been a revelation for the Yankees since they traded for him from the Miami Marlins this past offseason. Trading him would hurt, but with a wide-open American League and an aging core, the Yankees should be going all-in on this season. Throwing the hulking 6’7” Jones, one of the Yankees’ top prospects, in, should be enough to get Trout to the Bronx and finally give the all-time great a chance to finally compete for a championship.

2. Seattle Mariners receive: SS CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals receive: 2B Cole Young, RHP Ryan Sloan (MLB No. 22, Mariners No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline)

With Eli Willits, who was recently named the No. 4 prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline and was the first overall pick in last year’s draft, getting off to a great start to his pro career, the Nationals can afford to move on from CJ Abrams. Abrams is infamously streaky and is a sub-par defender at shortstop, and trading him while he still has team control before he is expected to hit free agency after the 2028 season would allow the Nationals to continue to stock up their minor league system in this stage of their organizational rebuild under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni.

The Seattle Mariners need more offense. Many projected them to run away with the AL West, and that just has not happened. The pitching has shown up for the most part, but the real issues have come on offense. The biggest shock has of course been Cal Raleigh, who was in the midst of an 0-38 streak at the plate before singling on Tuesday and is hitting .166. Raleigh should be able to eventually figure it out, but there are other holes throughout the Mariners’ lineup, especially in the middle of the infield.

The Mariners could capitalize on 22-year-old Cole Young’s unexpected start and move him, along with some other pitching prospects, to Washington for Abrams. Abrams is on his way to a career-year at the plate with nine home runs and a .921 OPS and would immediately slot in at the top of the Mariners’ lineup. Defensively, he could shift over to second base long-term to make room for the recently-extended Colt Emerson at shortstop, which may be a more natural fit for him anyway.

3. Athletics receive: RHP Clay Holmes, New York Mets receive: OF Henry Bote (A’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline) and 3B/1B Tommy White (A’s No. 9)

Clay Holmes has far out-performed the three-year, $38 million contract he signed with the New York Mets last offseason while transitioning to a starting role. This season especially, he has a 1.86 ERA through eight starts and is likely to exercise his opt-out this offseason if he keeps pitching this way. If Holmes signals to the Mets that he is going to opt-out, then the responsible thing for them to do would be to send him off and try and get some value back.

The Athletics are in first place in the AL West, and if they are still in that position in July, then they will need to trade for a starting pitcher if they want to make any sort of noise in the postseason. Half a season of Holmes should not be too expensive, and the A’s have enough prospect depth with Jacob Wilson, Tyler Soderstrom, Lawrence Butler and Brent Rooker all signed long-term where they are able to make these sorts of win-now trades without mortgaging their future.

The Mets need more young position player depth to support their young starters, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong, and the A’s can provide that. Rookie Carson Benge has had a disappointing start to his Major League career, Bo Bichette does not necessarily look like the answer for the Mets at third base and Marcus Semien is showing his age at second. This would be a rare move that the A’s would be makign for the present, and would give them some positive momentum ahead of their eventual move to Las Vegas.

4. San Diego Padres receive: LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers receive: RHP Bradgley Rodriguez, C Ethan Salas (MLB No. 52, Padres No. 1 prospect per MLB Pipeline) and LHP Kash Mayfeld (Padres No. 4)

San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller is known for taking huge swings at the trade deadline. No one expected him to acquire guys like Juan Soto or Mason Miller. With the Padres currently in first place in the NL West, a ½ game above the Los Angeles Dodgers, why not go all-in on this season and get arguably the best pitcher in baseball, Tarik Skubal, to round out their depleted starting rotation?

It could take less than initially expected to trade for Skubal because of the surgery he just underwent to remove a loose body from his left elbow, but because of the new procedure used by Dr. Neal ElAttrache that superagent Scott Boras coined the “Skubal Scope,” he could be back pitching for the Detroit Tigers by early June. Having any type of surgery complicates things, especially in a contract year, and it could give Preller just enough of a window to grab Skubal and load up for the postseason.

Even though the Padres, or any other team trading for Skubal would only be getting him for a few months, the price for him would still be steep. Catching prospect Ethan Salas has been lighting it up in the minor leagues and Bradgley Rodriguez is one of the best young relievers in baseball and could step into the closer role for the Tigers going forward. The reality for the Tigers is that if they do not believe they can sign Skubal, then they must trade him. With all of their other injuries and Framber Valdez’s struggles, it does not look like the Tigers are contenders this year, making the potential decision to trade Skubal more palatable.

Munetaka Murakami’s posting and free agency was one of the most polarizing in recent memory.

Some considered him to be a generational power hitter. In 2022 as a 22-year-old, he hit 56 home runs for Nippon Professional Baseball’s Yakult Swallows. After missing the first few months of the 2025 season with an oblique injury, Murakami returned to hit 22 home runs in just 224 plate appearances. No hitters except for Shohei Ohtani and Hideki Matsui had come to Major League Baseball from Japan with as much of a power-hitting pedigree.

But there were concerns, especially about his swing-and-miss and ability to handle velocity. Murakami’s Zone-Contact Rate, one of the most useful advanced metrics for contextualizing swing-and-miss, was 73% in NBP last season. The mean Zone-Contact Rate among qualified hitters in MLB this season is 84%. His contact rate on fastballs over 93 mph since 2022 was 63%, a figure that at first glance is a potential cause for concern given how much faster pitchers in MLB generally throw than the pitchers in NPB.

There were also some misleading numbers floating around social media exaggerating Murakami’s struggles against velocity, which while unlikely to have impacted front offices’ views of him changed his overall public perception.

At the start of the offseason, MLB Trade Rumors projected Murakami to sign an eight-year, $180 million contract. That is a significant gap between the two-year, $34 million contract he ended up signing with the Chicago White Sox after the market he expected to find never materialized.

Murakami has gotten off to a scorching start with the White Sox and has more-than outplayed his contract so far, utilizing the same type of “three true outcomes” baseball that he was so good at in NPB. He is second in MLB with 14 home runs and seventh in walks (28), but is second in strikeouts (55). 14 of his 31 hits have been home runs and he has just one non-homer extra-base hit, a double, which he hit on Monday, the 35th game of his Major League career.

A player Murakami has frequently been compared to? Three-time All-Star Kyle Schwarber, who finished second in National League MVP voting last season.

Here is how Murakami’s 2026 stats stack up to Schwarber’s:

Murakami: 14 HR, 28 BB, .237/.369/.565

Schwarber: 11 HR, 26 BB, .207/.352/.519

All of the concerns about velocity also appear to be overblown. After his home run on Monday against a 98.1 mph fastball, Murakami is the only player this season to have multiple home runs off of 98.0 mph+ pitches. Like most elite hitters, Murakami was able to adjust perfectly fine to the increased velocity at the next level.

So, how is Murakami having such a productive season? The swing-and-miss is clearly still there. His Zone-Contact rate this season is even lower than it was in Japan, 65.3%, the worst among qualified hitters. He also has the highest Whiff Rate at 43.9%, which is something you do not usually see for someone who walks as much as Murakami.

Murakami has elite plate discipline, and when he makes contact, he makes the most of it. He has the best Hard-Hit percentage in the league at 63.6%. He has the fourth-highest Barrel Rate at 22.1%. When Murakami sees a ball outside the zone, he rarely swings. His Out of Zone Swing Rate is 22.0%, 24th among qualified hitters.

Even if it may not be the most exciting brand of baseball, Murakami has mastered the “three true outcomes” of home runs, strikeouts and walks and has been one of the most impressive hitters in baseball in just his first month in the Majors.

Were front offices right to worry about his strikeouts? Maybe. That part of his game is still present, and will likely not go away any time soon. But it does not matter. Murakami is still hitting home runs and getting on base.

Here is where things could get interesting.

While the White Sox have made some significant strides and are just 1 ½ games back of the Cleveland Guardians in a surprisingly weak AL Central, they have a 17-20 record and do not look like they are ready to be considered true contenders.

Chicago could capitalize on Murakami’s play, low salary and team control through next season and sell extremely high on him at the trade deadline. The Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and San Diego Padres are all teams that could look to upgrade at the corner infield or DH spots.

It was likely not Murakami’s first choice to sign with the White Sox, a team that is just one season removed from a historic 121-loss 2024 campaign. Almost every other team in baseball probably had a chance to beat the White Sox’s offer and sign Murakami themselves.

If the White Sox do decide to make their Japanese superstar available, there will be no shortage of suitors who would make sure not to make the same mistake twice and pass up an opportunity to acquire Murakami.

The Boston Red Sox made the shocking decision to fire manager Alex Cora on Saturday. Along with Cora, five other coaches, hitting coach Pete Fatse, bench coach Ramón Vázquez, third base coach Kyle Hudson, assistant hitting coach Dillon Lawson and major league hitting strategy coach Joe Cronin were also fired. Game planning and run prevention coach Jason Varitek, who was in his 30th year with the organization as a player and coach, was re-assigned to a new role but chose to leave the organization, per MassLive’s Sean McAdam and Chris Cotillo.

21-year MLB veteran Rich Hill had four separate stints with the Red Sox (2010-12, 2015, 2022 and 2024) and is currently doing Red Sox pre and postgame analysis on NESN. He was also teammates with Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow in 2012 and 2015, was managed by Cora in 2022 and 2024 and was signed as a free agent by Breslow in 2024.

Hill is intimately aware of the dynamics at play in Boston, and shared some of his insights with our own Trevor May, his former teammate on the Minnesota Twins and New York Mets, on Tuesday.

“I did not see this coming,” Hill said when asked about his initial reaction to the news.

The Red Sox had a 10-17 record and were in last place in the AL East at the time of Cora’s firing, but Cora had built up a reputation as one of the best managers in baseball and the Red Sox’s issues appeared to stem more from a roster-building standpoint than anything to do with the day-to-day managing of the team.

Entering Saturday, the Red Sox were tied for last in the majors in home runs (15), last in slugging percentage (.335) and last in wRC+ (78). The starting rotation was 27th in ERA (5.31) and 27th in FIP (4.96).

It is difficult to place the entirety of the blame on Cora and his hitting staff for the offensive struggles when Rafael Devers was traded last season and Alex Bregman left in the offseason to sign with the Chicago Cubs.

On the pitching side, The most senior member of the coaching staff who remained in their position was pitching coach Andrew Bailey, who Breslow signed when he took over as chief baseball officer in 2023. The only member of the hitting staff who Breslow retained is John Soteropulos, who has a background with Driveline, the polarizing, data-driven baseball development lab. Driveline’s founder, Kyle Boddy, is also a special advisor with the Red Sox.

“The underlying issue with this is a difference in philosophies,” Hill said. “As things are coming out we’re seeing more of the Driveline philosophy that has been pushed with this administration as opposed to the traditional baseball philosophy with Alex Cora and the group of coaches that were dismissed.”

Hill also expressed concern over Trevor Story and Garrett Whitlock’s reactions to how Breslow and the Red Sox front office communicated the decision to the players on Sunday.

“There just have to be more conversations had,” Story said per MassLive’s Chris Cotillo. “I wouldn’t say it was satisfactory. We’ll have our talk. We haven’t had it yet.”

“If this shows us anything, it’s that we’re here to play baseball. That’s it,” Story continued. “We don’t make decisions. We don’t have any input on that. We’re here to play baseball and our job is to win games. I think that’s the message. We have to find a way to win games.”

“They made it very clear that we get paid to play baseball and we just need to focus on playing baseball,” Whitlock said per Cotillo.

“It’s a lot of ‘shut up and dribble,’” Hill said, referencing when Fox News host Laura Ingraham said that same phrase to LeBron James in 2018 after he spoke out about politics.

Hill also described Whitlock and Story, who he was teammates with in 2022 and 2024, as “extremely level-headed players.”

“These are guys I want to hear from, guys whose opinions I value,” Hill said. “If I’m a free agent and Boston comes calling, there’s already trepidation with players coming into Boston… Now, you’re having free agents who are already going to have something else to question coming into an organization that may not value their veteran presence or value that veteran experience and veteran leadership.”

When discussing working with the Red Sox front office when he was with the organization, Hill compared it to when he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers from 2016-2019.

Hill said that constant communication, productive clubhouse culture and organizational alignment were all present with Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and Farhan Zaidi, who was the Dodgers general manager during Hill’s tenure with the team.

An example that Hill shared was back in 2017, Zaidi spoke with Hill and other players about how they would like the team to approach the final month of the year. That season, the Dodgers finished with 104 wins, but at one point had a chance to break the regular season win record, set at 116 wins by the 2001 Seattle Mariners and the 1906 Chicago Cubs.

“He asked me, ‘do you guys want to clinch the division early and take a couple of weeks off and get some rest or win 120 games,’” Hill recalled.

One of the final points Hill made was that he believed this would be a valuable learning experience for the Red Sox’s young players, like 22-year-old Roman Anthony, 23-year-old Marcelo Mayer, 23-year-old Payton Tolle and 24-year-old Connelly Early. Hill said it should be “a rude awakening” to them that because of their performance, Cora and the majority of his staff lost their jobs.

Is New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza on the hot seat? That is the question Mets fans and others around baseball are grappling with as the Amazins are currently in the midst of a shocking 12-game losing streak.

But is this Mendoza’s fault?

The issues with the Mets that have been magnified during this losing streak can not be blamed on the manager. The biggest problem? With Juan Soto out since April 4 with a calf injury, the Mets’ offense has completely stalled out.

Even with Soto set to return on Wednesday in the second game of the Mets’ series against the Minnesota Twins, there are other flaws that can not be blamed on Mendoza.

Most of those flaws can be explained by poor roster construction and coaching staff turnover, both of which do not fall under Mendoza’s purview, but are the responsibility of president of baseball operations David Stearns.

After a disappointing 2025 season that saw the Mets collapse down the stretch and fail to advance to the postseason, Stearns made a lot of moves.

The first of those moves was a rare, one-for-one swap of Major Leaguers between contenders where he sent Brandon Nimmo to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien to help shore up the infield defense. So far, Nimmo is off to a scorching start with Texas with a .495 SLG, which would be a career high. On the other side, Semien’s bat is continuing to decline, and he is on pace for a career-worst OPS.

Stearns failed to add another established, starting-caliber corner outfielder, and that lack of depth has only been magnified with Soto out. 23-year-old rookie Carson Benge is hitting well-below the Mendoza line, Brett Baty is struggling at the plate while getting his first taste of outfield action and 38-year-old Tommy Pham just does not seem to have much left in the tank.

When Edwin Diaz chose to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Stearns pivoted and signed Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million deal to fill the closer role. Williams had a very rough 2025 after being traded to the New York Yankees, recording a 4.79 ERA and being demoted from the closer role. Even though he was just a year removed from being one of the top closers in baseball, there were real concerns about Williams.

Those concerns have not been assuaged. Williams was charged with the loss on Tuesday against the Twins, coming in with a tie game in the ninth and giving up a hit, walking three batters and allowing two runs to score without recording an out. Before Tuesday’s implosion, Williams had given up a grand slam to the Dodgers on April 15 and blew a save against the Cubs on Sunday. Through his first eight games, Williams has given up seven runs in 6 ⅓ innings and has a jaw-dropping .588 BAbip.

For a breakdown of Devin Williams’ struggles with the Yankees last season, check out this video from Trevor May:

The biggest, and most expensive move of the Mets offseason was signing Bo Bichette to a three-year, $162 million contract with player options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. The early returns on that deal are not encouraging. Bichette, while playing third base for the first time in his career, is slashing .219/./.255/.281 with one home run through 23 games. Those numbers are almost identical to his disappointing, injury-riddled 2024 season that was supposed to be a fluke, where he hit .225/.277/.322 with four home runs in 81 games.

On the coaching side, Stearns cleared house this offseason. Notably, hitting coaches Jeremy Barnes and Eric Chavez and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner, who is one of the most widely-respected minds in the sport, were let go. Throughout the Mets’ 12-game losing streak, they have averaged just 1.8 runs per game, have been shut out three times and have scored more than two runs just three times.

This is not to necessarily blame the new hitting coaches, Major League hitting director Jeff Albert, hitting coach Troy Snitker or assistant hitting coach Rafael Fernandez, but there are real questions that need to be asked about the Mets’ organizational offensive approach.

It is not an encouraging sign that these questions are being asked, but at least as of now, the players are still on Mendoza’s side (all quotes are after Sunday’s loss to the Cubs via MLB.com’s Brent Maguire).

“It’s absolutely on us,” Devin Williams said. “[Mendoza] doesn’t swing the bat and he doesn’t throw a baseball. We’ve been in a lot of these games. It’s been close. Him or somebody else is not affecting that. If we’re not getting the job done, somebody else isn’t just magically gonna flip a switch and we’re gonna get it done. He’s putting guys in good positions. We’re not performing.”

“He’s done a fantastic job,” Francisco Lindor said. “This is not on him. He has made sure everyone here is prepared. Every coach here is prepared. We have the information; it comes down on us. Mendy’s our guy. He’s our leader. He’s in control and he’s done a tremendous job.”

“It’s on everyone. We’re in this together. Everyone has a part in this, and we’ve got to stick together,” David Peterson said. “Everyone’s got to take responsibility and accountability. We all need to look in the mirror and see what we can do better to help this team move in the right direction. That’s the job. Come back Tuesday, fight like hell and play our brand of baseball.”

It is easy to nitpick Mendoza’s performance. Sure, he could have pitched around Nico Hoerner on Sunday. On Tuesday, he could have gone to someone other than the struggling Williams with the game tied in the ninth. He could keep the struggling Benge on the bench more. But the Mets’ fundamental issues are out of Mendoza’s control.

This is a poorly-constructed roster that is not able to even tread water without Soto. That is not Mendoza’s fault, and it would be a shame if he loses his job because of that.

Ben Rice has the best OBP, SLG, WRC+, wOBA and BB% in Major League Baseball. Rice has also not been in the New York Yankees’ starting lineup for three of the last five games.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone is sticking to his platoon strategy and sitting the left-handed hitting Rice to start games when they are facing a lefty, benching him four out of the five times the Yankees have faced a southpaw this season. While Boone has shown that he has no issues aggressively using Rice as a pinch hitter later in games, it is still difficult to justify leaving potential at-bats for Rice on the table for Paul Goldschmidt.

What makes this such a tough call for Boone is Goldschmidt’s success against left-handed pitching. In 162 appearances against lefties last season, Goldschmidt slashed .336/.411/.570.

But on the other hand, the 27-year-old Rice, who is entering his second full season, is no slouch when he has gotten the opportunity to hit against lefties. Here are his splits against right-handed and left-handed pitching:

Last season, in 411 plate appearances against RHP, Rice slashed .269/.356/.504 with 19 home runs. In 119 plate appearances against LHP, his numbers were .208/.271/.481 with seven homers. There is a clear, understandable drop-off, but it is not as disastrous as some other players across baseball who get platooned.

As is the case with most young hitters, the only way for Rice to improve against lefties is for him to get at-bats. Rice and the Yankees know this.

“I think last year, I was overall a productive hitter versus (lefties),” Rice said to The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner on Tuesday. “The only way to continue to get better is to see them. I’m still going to get reps against them. I’m still going to face lefty relievers, at least like I have been, and start against certain guys.”

The issue is, the Yankees do not have a lot of flexibility to have Goldschmidt and Rice in the lineup together.

So far this season, Rice has only appeared as a first baseman or designated hitter. He can also catch, starting 26 games there last season, but he has yet to make any appearances as a catcher so far this season. Goldschmidt has only ever played at first base, and the Yankees primary designated hitter, Giancarlo Stanton, should probably not be getting too many reps in the outfield given his extensive injury history and chronic pain.

But at a certain point, Rice needs to be given more consistent opportunities to prove that he can hit lefties. It is a small sample size, but Rice has shown this season that he is one of the best hitters in baseball. He is in the 100th percentile in hard-hit rate, 99th percentile in average exit velo and 98th percentile in barrel rate. Let’s just say there is a lot of red on his baseball savant page. Hitters like that need to be playing every day.

The 38-year-old Goldschmidt’s defense has also regressed to a point where he is no longer an upgrade over Rice at first base. Goldschmidt had a -2 fielding run value last season and Rice’s fielding run value at first base was 1.

The easy answer to this is to work Rice in at catcher against lefties. The Yankees everyday catcher, Austin Wells, who like Rice hits lefty, also has poor platoon splits. Wells’ career OPS against RHP is .741. Against LHP, it is .614.

But Boone has his doubts.

“I’m not ready to catch Benny,” Boone said to NJ.com’s Randy Miller before the Yankees’ 7-1 loss to the Angels on Tuesday. “I would put him in a game, but I’m not ready to go five, seven, whatever innings with him yet.”

“I feel like we’ll get there, but we want to keep the focus on a lot of his first base work, as well,” Boone added.

Having Rice at catcher has its drawbacks. Last season, he had a -2 fielding run value at catcher, was a -1 in framing, was 91st in arm strength with an average of 74.9 mph and was 78th with a -2 in blocking. At least statistically, Rice is a much more valuable defender at first base.

So here are the Yankees’ options appear to be to ensure Rice is in the lineup every day:

1. Stop platooning Rice with Goldschmidt and make Rice the everyday first baseman.

2. Give an aging and chronically injured Stanton some rest against LHP, play Goldschmidt at first and DH Rice.

3. Work Rice in at catcher for Wells against LHP.

The Yankees have a 9-8 record to start the season and have lost six of their last seven games. In what is expected to be a very competitive AL East, they can not afford to keep losing.

There is no reason why Rice should not be in the lineup. While none of the options are perfect, Boone has ways to play him every day. The Yankees’ skipper needs to stop overthinking things and give MLB’s best statistical hitter at this point in the season as many at-bats as possible, regardless of any potential platoon splits.

Rice has earned the benefit of the doubt and should have an opportunity to prove himself against left-handed pitching.

I was in attendance for Monday’s game between the Boston Red Sox and Milwaukee Brewers at Fenway Park as a spectator. Sitting in the right field bleachers by the visiting team’s bullpen amongst the die-hard fans, it was impossible to ignore the constant “sell the team” chants happening throughout the 8-6 loss.

Here is a quick video I took of one of the many “sell the team” chants:

Monday was not the only time that happened. Red Sox fans had been chanting “sell the team” throughout the first homestand. The Red Sox have faltered coming out of the gate and at the time, were on their way to an MLB-worst 2-8 start to the season.

This difficult start comes after an especially tumultuous two-year stretch under Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow highlighted by trading Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants last June and failing to re-sign Alex Bregman, who signed a five-year, $175 contract with the Chicago Cubs this past offseason instead of returning to Boston.

Despite the recent uncertainty, the current Red Sox ownership has been one of the most successful in modern sports history. Since Fenway Sports Group, led by Principal Owner John Henry, Chairman Michael Werner and President and CEO Sam Kennedy, purchased the Red Sox in 2001, they have led the team to four championships (2004, 2007, 2013 and 2018), the most out of any team this century.

So why are Red Sox fans so upset? There has been a clear investment in the team that many fanbases would be envious of. According to FanGraphs’ roster resource payroll breakdown, the Red Sox have the sixth-highest luxury tax projection. After missing out on Bregman this offseason, Boston quickly pivoted and signed Ranger Suarez to a five-year, $130 million contract, showing that they were willing to invest long-term in their current roster.

Henry and Fenway Sports Group have an image problem.

Most of the fan unrest began following the 2019 season when the Red Sox traded superstar Mookie Betts to the Los Angeles Dodgers one year before he would hit free agency after not being able to agree on an extension. Since Betts was traded, the Dodgers have won three World Series. The Red Sox have made it to the postseason just twice. In that same time frame, the Red Sox also let fan-favorite Xander Bogaerts walk in free agency.

After the Red Sox traded Devers last season, no players were left on the team from the 2018 championship.

The last time that Henry held a press conference and took questions from the media was in 2020 after the Red Sox traded Betts. Since that press conference, he has only done two interviews. In March, Henry tweeted for the first time since 2021 to poke fun at controversial Boston Globe columnist Dan Shaughnessy. That type of inaccessibility only exacerbates fans’ frustrations and gives them a reason to believe that ownership is avoiding being asked potentially difficult questions.

Fenway Sports Group has also expanded their portfolio to other professional sports teams, giving Boston fans the impression that the Red Sox are no longer their priority and other money being spent on those ventures is coming at the expense of potential investment in the Red Sox.

In 2010, Fenway Sports Group purchased English football team Liverpool F.C. and turned them into one of the most successful clubs in all of Europe. Liverpool won the Premier League in 2019-20 and 2024-25 and the Champions League in 2018-19 and features some of the biggest names in the sport. In the last year, Liverpool paid transfer fees of €145 million and €125 million for Aleksander Isak and Florian Wirtz. Fenway Sports Group has also had ownership stakes in the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, NASCAR team Roush Fenway Racing and Boston Common Golf in the new TGL.

Red Sox players have noticed their fans’ frustrations with ownership.

“It’s weird because regardless of how you feel about the ownership group, the chants always come with you guys make an error, you guys walk a run in, you guys strike out with the bases loaded. They are (expletive) on us, but not saying it. It’s weird,” Garrett Crochet said to WEEI’s Rob Bradford after Tuesday’s 3-2 win over the Brewers. “It’s just passion, at the end of the day. We know when we’re doing bad. … I think it’s fair to want more and want us to get the job done and just play clean baseball. I don’t think that’s asking a lot of us to play clean baseball.”

The Red Sox have been playing a bit better since the “sell the team” chants started, taking the last two against the Brewers to win their first series of the new 2026 season. But there are still clear flaws. Caleb Durbin, who the Red Sox traded for as a cost-effective option with years of team control to replace Bregman at third base, is struggling mightily at the plate and in the field, hitting just .111 and recording two errors. Suarez, the team’s biggest offseason addition, has given up eight runs over 8 ⅓ innings in his first two starts.

If the Red Sox keep struggling throughout the season, “sell the team” chants will continue to ring throughout Fenway Park. Big-market teams are not supposed to lose their best players at the rate the Red Sox have lost theirs and fans are losing patience.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the chance to become one of baseball’s all-time great dynasties. Coming off of back-to-back World Series titles and another excellent offseason headlined by the signings of Edwin Diaz and Kyle Tucker, Dave Roberts made quite a claim to NBC Sports’ Bob Costas ahead of Opening Day.

“On paper, this is the best team we’ve had,” Roberts said.

The 2024 and 2025 Dodgers are widely considered some of the best teams in baseball history. Could the 2026 Dodgers really be better?

The only player who had meaningful contributions in the 2025 postseason who is not back is lefty reliever Anthony Banda, who the Dodgers sent to the Minnesota Twins for international bonus pool money. Righty reliever Kirby Yates and outfielder Michael Conforto, who were both left off of the postseason rosters after disappointing regular seasons, also left in free agency.

Yates and Conforto were effectively replaced by Diaz and Tucker. The bullpen was one of the only potential weak spots for the Dodgers, with Roki Sasaki filling in admirably as a temporary stopgap, racking up three saves during their postseason run. With Diaz, a three-time All-Star and one of the game’s best closers, that is no longer a concern.

The third outfield spot that Conforo held down for most of 2025, but was taken over by utilityman and postseason hero Kiké Hernandez down the stretch, is now Tucker’s. Tucker is a four-time All-Star, and when healthy, is a bonafide MVP candidate. Last year, in the first half before being slowed down with a broken finger and calf strain, Tucker hit .280 with a .882 OPS, 17 home runs and 22 steals.

Even before Tucker, the Dodgers lineup was silly. With him, they have the potential to start seven All-Stars. Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith, Max Muncy and Tucker.

The starting rotation might be even better. Yoshinobu Yamamoto reached another level last season, putting the Dodgers on his back during the World Series with his other-worldly MVP performance that included a Game 2 complete game, six innings of one-run ball in Game 6 and 2 ⅔ innings of scoreless relief to close out Game 7 on no days rest. Two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell, who is dealing with left shoulder inflammation, should be back sometime in May. Tyler Glasnow is healthy and his curveball is looking especially sharp. Ohtani had a strong spring training on the pitching side, tossing 4 ⅓ scoreless innings in his first appearance and striking out 11 last week in an Freeway Series exhibition start against the Los Angeles Angels.

The biggest question mark in the rotation, and the potential key for this truly being Roberts’ best Dodgers team, is Sasaki. Sasaki has had a fascinating start to his MLB career. Forgoing the traditional posting process to sign a minor league deal and get to MLB earlier than most Japanese players, Sasaki had an up-and-down, injury-plagued regular season. He pitched to a 4.46 ERA in 10 appearances (eight starts), but ended up playing a crucial role in the Dodgers makeshift bullpen throughout the postseason, appearing in nine games, throwing 10 ⅔ innings, recording three saves and giving up just one run.

Sasaki is back in the Dodgers rotation in 2026. But, there are legitimate concerns after a disappointing spring training performance. In four spring starts, Sasaki had a 15.58 ERA with 15 walks in 8 ⅔ innings, clearly struggling with his command.

Some of those concerns were alleviated, at least for now, after Sasaki’s regular season debut on Monday. He threw four innings of one-run ball, struck out four and walked two in a 4-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. That line may not jump off of the box score, but it showed marked improvement over what Sasaki looked like in the Cactus League. His four-seamer reached 99.5 mph, his new cutter showed promise and he proved that he can contribute to a stacked Dodgers pitching staff. If Sasaki is able to build off of his season debut, the Dodgers rotation could be historically great.

For more on Roki Sasaki, check out this video from Trevor May:

The other potential concern for the Dodgers is their age. Freeman is 36, Muncy is 35, Betts and Teoscar Hernandez are 33. That is a lot of mileage in the middle of the Dodgers lineup.

Betts especially is a prime candidate to regress. As a player who relies on his athleticism and is a slim 5’9”, based on body type alone, it would make sense for Betts’ game to not age very well. He had a career-worst offensive performance last season, leading many to wonder if his transition to playing shortstop full-time took a toll on his hitting. Betts’ hard-hit rate, barrel rate and sprint speed have all dramatically decreased and his bat speed was in the 10th percentile last season. His .258/.326/.406 line were all career lows.

There is an argument that Betts’ offensive struggles were caused by the stomach illness he dealt with last spring training that caused him to lose 20 pounds. He had a much stronger .892 OPS over his last 47 games of the regular season, and an article from The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya earlier this spring indicates that Betts is swinging much better than he did last year.

This group has the potential to be Roberts’ best, but that is not a guarantee. The additions of Diaz and Tucker help, but uncertainty surrounding Sasaki and the potential regression of the offensive core are real problems. And of course, they would need to stay healthy.

Even if this ends up not technically being Roberts’ best team on paper, the 2026 Dodgers still have an enviable amount of talent, and should at least be considered the favorites to win the World Series until proven otherwise.

This piece is not about whether or not Team USA manager Mark DeRosa should have used San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller with the World Baseball Classic final against Venezuela tied at two in the ninth inning. This is about the unprecedented, dominant run that Miller has been on since the end of the 2025 regular season.

Armed with a four-seam fastball that can reach over 104 miles-per-hour and a wipeout slider, Miller has some of the best stuff the game has ever seen.

Going back to Sept. 8, in regular season, postseason, and World Baseball Classic games, Miller has not allowed a hit (as first noted by Just Baseball Media’s Peter Appel on Twitter). The last player to get a hit off of Miller? Former Colorado Rockies first baseman Warming Bernabel, who hit a soft ground ball into right field in the eighth inning during a Padres 10-8 win on Sept. 6.

That is 50 at-bats without allowing a hit. In those 50 at-bats, Miller has 39 strikeouts.

What is so impressive is Miller has turned it up when the games mattered most, like down the stretch during the Padres’ NL West push, the Wild Card round against the Chicago Cubs and in the World Baseball Classic against Brazil, Italy, Canada, the Dominican Republic.

Miller made two appearances in the postseason. In Game 1, He came in to pitch the seventh with the Padres down 2-1 and struck out Seiya Suzuki, Carson Kelly and Pete Crow-Armstrong. In Game 2, he recorded five outs on five strikeouts, once again coming in to start the seventh against Suzuki, Kelly and Crow-Armstrong and coming back out for the eighth, punching out Dansby Swanson and Moises Ballesteros before hitting Michael Busch with a pitch and exiting.

During his Game 2 at-bat against Kelly, Miller made postseason history with a 104.5 mph fastball, the fastest recorded postseason pitch since pitch-tracking began in 2008.

In the World Baseball Classic semifinal against the Dominican Republic, Miller came in to pitch the ninth with a slim 2-1 United States lead and struck out Junior Caminero, allowed a walk to Julio Rodriguez, and then, with Rodriguez representing the tying run on second after advancing on a wild pitch, struck out Oneil Cruz and Geraldo Perdomo to send Team USA to the finals.

Entering his third full season, the 27-year-old Miller looks to be getting better every time he steps on the mound. His fastball velo has consistently been ticking up. After being traded to the Padres at the deadline last season, he had a 0.77 ERA with a 17.4 SO/9 while being used in a Swiss Army Knife-type of role.

With former Padres closer Robert Suarez signing with the Braves, Miller could be in line for a more traditional ninth inning role this season. But new Padres manager Craig Stammen could still opt to use Miller against specific lineup pockets earlier in games and save one of his many other elite bullpen options, like Adrian Morejon, Jason Adam, Jeremiah Estrada or Wandy Peralta.

Miller already has a reputation as one of, if not the best arms in baseball. The Padres valued him highly enough to ship off an 18-year-old Leo De Vries, the No. 3 prospect in baseball at the time according to MLB Pipeline. He earned the closer role for a stacked Team USA.

It is going to be a must-watch occasion whenever Miller pitches.

Every year there are position battles and surprise performances that happen on the back fields in Florida and Arizona that determine how paying time shakes out. It is almost impossible to keep track what is going on at every camp, so here is a primer on some of the most intriguing position battles to follow in spring training and the World Baseball Classic, along with predictions on who will end up winning each job.

Cincinnati Reds First Base: Sal Stewart, Nathaniel Lowe, Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand

The Cincinnati Reds made a surprising run to the postseason last year, had a quietly productive offseason headlined by a reunion with Eugenio Suarez and are poised to once again make noise in what could be a weak NL Central.

There are a lot of options for the Reds at first base. Sal Stewart is the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 22 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline. Spencer Steer will certainly be an everyday player for the Reds, but can also play second base, third base and the corner outfield spots. Christian Encarnacion-Strand looks like a longshot for the job, but has shown some promising flashes at the plate when healthy over the last three seasons. Nathaniel Lowe was a non-roster invitee to spring training and is on a minor league deal, but won a Gold Glove in 2023, a Silver Slugger in 2022 and hit 18 home runs last season between the Washington Nationals and Boston Red Sox.

In all likelihood, Reds manager Terry Francona will give the 22-year-old Stewart, the top prospect and guy with the most potential, the job. And that would be very warranted. In just 18 games in the Major Leagues last season, Stewart hit five home runs during the Reds’ frantic postseason push. Stewart already has two home runs in six games this spring. The hit tool is elite. But, keep an eye out for Lowe. Lowe was very solid after being picked up by the Red Sox for their stretch run, recording a .790 OPS in 34 games. He would also provide the Reds lineup with a much-needed left-handed bat.

Prediction: Sal Stewart

Red Sox No. 5 Starter: Johan Oviedo, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Patrick Sandoval, Kutter Crawford

The Boston Red Sox focused on run prevention this offseason and added three high-caliber starting options, Ranger Suarez, Sonny Gray and Johan Oviedo, through free agency and trades. Now, they have arguably the most pitching depth in the Major Leagues. Garrett Crochet, Suarez, Gray and Brayan Bello look locked in for the first four spots, but the fifth spot is completely up for grabs.

The potential options for that fifth spot? Oviedo, Payton Tolle, Connelly Early, Kutter Crawford and Patrick Sandoval. Oviedo could be in the driver’s seat for the fifth spot given what the Red Sox traded for him (Jhostynxon “The Password” Garcia, then the team’s No. 3 prospect), but he has experience pitching out of the bullpen. Tolle and Early are both 23, supremely talented and showed very promising flashes last season, but could be better served developmentally starting the season in the minor leagues as starters. Crawford and Sandoval both missed last season with injuries, but are proven Major League starters.

Based on a combination of health and experience, it would make sense for Oviedo to get the nod in the rotation to begin the season. But do not be shocked if Tolle forces way into the mix. In a three-inning relief appearance on Wednesday against the Yankees, Tolle only allowed one hit and one walk while striking out seven, even topping 100 mph on the radar gun.

Prediction: Johan Oviedo

Rays closer: Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax, Edwin Uceta (maybe Joe Boyle!)

It looks like there will be a significant talent gap between the Tampa Bay Rays and the rest of the AL East. But, if there is one thing the Rays are known for, it is making the most out of what they have in-house and finding creative ways to piece together just enough to win games. One unit that could help keep the Rays competitive in a loaded division is their bullpen. The closer spot is still up in the air after Pete Fairbanks signed with the Miami Marlins, but there are a lot of potential leverage arms that manager Kevin Cash could use in the ninth inning.

While Cash has alluded to using a closer-by-committee approach, there are three names, along with one high-upside longshot, that will likely get the majority of the Rays’ save opportunities. Garrett Cleavinger, Griffin Jax and Edwin Uceta are the clear choices to close games, but Joe Boyle should not be counted out. Cleavinger and Jax are both representing the United States at the World Baseball Classic. If Team USA makes a deep run, both of the Rays relievers will have ample opportunities to throw against some of the world’s best given the WBC’s pitch count rules and the reliance teams often have to have on their bullpen. Uceta is dealing with a shoulder injury, and it is still up in the air whether or not he will be available for Opening Day, but he should be in the mix as well if healthy.

Cleavinger has the most closing experience of the three and had the best numbers last year, recording a 2.35 ERA and a strong 12.0 SO/9. But let’s talk about Boyle for a second. While his numbers do not look like anything special at first glance, he has some of the most electrifying stuff in baseball. At 6’8”, 250 pounds, Boyle regularly throws over 100 with his fastball velocity in the 96th percentile and has a slider that could develop into a true putaway pitch. Boyle will almost certainly not start the year with many high-leverage opportunities, but if his control improves and he earns the trust of Cash, he could certainly work his way into the mix.

Prediction: Garrett Cleavinger

Nationals catcher: Harry Ford. Keibert Ruiz

The Washington Nationals are in the thick of a rebuild under new president of baseball operations Paul Toboni. One of Toboni’s first moves at the helm of the Nats was trading for reliever Jose A. Ferrer to the Seattle Mariners for catching prospect Harry Ford, who is currently the No. 71 prospect in baseball and the Nationals’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and was blocked at the Major League level by Cal Raleigh.

Ford, who just turned 23, has had a great spring training both with the Nationals and as one of the key players for Great Britain at the World Baseball Classic. Ford hit home runs for Great Britain in their exhibition against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday and in their first game in pool play against Mexico on Friday. Keibert Ruiz, however, is the incumbent, but has dealt with some significant injuries and is running out of time to live up to the potential many saw in him when he was one of the centerpieces of the trade that sent Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2021.

If Ford keeps mashing for Great Britain, it will be difficult for new Nationals manager Blake Butera to keep him off the field. But, the previous Nationals regime clearly believed in Ruiz, signing him to an eight-year, $50 million contract ahead of the 2023 season. Ford earning the starting job would be a very clear indication of Toboni’s influence on the new Nationals roster.

Prediction: Harry Ford

Mets right field: Carson Benge, Tyrone Taylor, MJ Melendez, Brett Baty, Mike Tauchman

The New York Mets outfield will look very, very different this season. Brandon Nimmo is out after being traded to the Texas Rangers for Marcus Semien. Juan Soto is moving from right field to left field. Luis Robert Jr. was acquired via trade from the Chicago White Sox to play center field. That leaves right field wide open.

23-year-old Carson Benge is the No. 16 prospect in baseball and the Mets’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline and has earned rave reviews from manager Carlos Mendoza so far. Before a disastrous 2025 season that saw him get demoted to Triple-A, MJ Melendez had a very solid first three seasons of his career with the Kansas City Royals and is looking to turn things around with the Mets. Forced out of the infield after Semien and Bo Bichette were brought in, Brett Baty has been getting reps in right field this spring. Mike Tauchman could also be in the mix, but the veteran seems like a longshot to earn a consistent role and could be more valuable as a bench piece. Same goes for Tyrone Taylor, who will likely be on the Major League roster as a defense-first guy who can play all three outfield positions at an elite level.

At this point, Benge looks to be the favorite to earn the job. He shot through the minors last season and has no real flaws in his game. If Mendoza thinks Benge is ready, the job should be his. If not, do not be surprised if Melendez gets a chance. In 11 spring at-bats, Melendez has four hits, two home runs and a double. If Melendez’s hot start fizzles out, Mendoza can always go to the safe option and start the season with Taylor in right until he feels Benge is ready.

Prediction: Carson Benge

When he is on the field, New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is still one of the best hitters in baseball. But at what point are the injuries too much?

A quote from Stanton to NJ.com’s Randy Miller has understandably gone very viral.

“I can’t open a bottle,” Standon said. “I can’t open a bag of chips … a bag of anything. That’s the way it is.”

What?

Did Stanton really just admit that to a reporter on the record? But that is not all he said.

Stanton, who is entering his age-36 season, missed two-and-a-half months to start last season with epicondylitis, more commonly known as tennis elbow, in both elbows. Miller began his conversation with Stanton by asking about his elbows.

Here is his full response.

“That’ll never be the case,” Stanton said. “Not while I’m in this line of work. You have your good days and bad days, just like your mood and everything.”

Enough is enough. If Stanton’s elbow injuries have not improved, he is in this much constant pain and does not believe it will improve while he is still playing, he should think about retiring.

Stanton even admitted to Miller that surgery would fix the problem, but he was not willing to consider it because of the chance of it negatively impacting his swing.

“You get the surgery and you can go back to being in the general population in a few months, but my job is to put some of the most force into a batted ball,” Stanton said. “That’s not going to be fixed in surgery, and I don’t care what any doctor says because they don’t know what’s going on. What’s written [about my elbows] is what me and the Yankees give you.”

It is admirable to a certain extent to see Stanton pushing through this much to still try and get on the field. Not only is Stanton dealing with injuries to both elbows, but is still clearly impacted by some sort of lower body issue and is one of the least mobile players in MLB.

He had the fourth-slowest sprint speed in all of baseball at 23.5 feet per second and the slowest home to first time at 5.22 seconds according to Baseball Savant. Stanton is also realistically no longer able to play the outfield at a Major League level. Those deficits were especially clear when he had to be stuck in the field for 20 games last season when Aaron Judge was returning from a shoulder injury and unable to throw.

Stanton has two years of team control plus a club option for the 2028 season left on his infamous 13-year, $325 million contract and is still a very valuable hitter. In just 77 games last year, less than half of a season, Stanton hit .273/.350/.594 with a ridiculous158 OPS+ along with 24 home runs and 66 RBI. Stanton crushed seven postseason home runs during the Yankees’ run to the World Series in 2024.

No one is doubting he can still hit. But from the Yankees’ perspective, especially for someone as injury-prone as Stanton who has not played a full season since 2021, it may be better for them as well to be able to have the DH spot open based on the rest of their roster.

Judge will turn 34 in April and has dealt with his share of injuries and could benefit from some consistent DH opportunities. That would in turn open up more outfield opportunities for Jasson Dominguez and Spencer Jones (Jones hit two home runs during the Yankees’ spring training matchup against the Atlanta Braves on Thursday). It would also give Ben Rice, who has spent time at catcher and first base, a more natural spot in the lineup.

Stanton is 47 home runs away from 500. He has not won a World Series. He still has two years left on his contract. He is still hitting at an elite level.

If Stanton’s injuries have gotten so bad to where they are impacting his ability to perform daily tasks and he is freely admitting those issues to the media, the conversation about a potential early retirement unfortunately must be had.