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It is officially trade deadline week. We do our best to get you ready for that, while also looking back at a weekend that was jam-packed with action, from the Hall of Fame inductions to a historic night by an A’s rookie.
I’m Levi Weaver, here with Ken Rosenthal — welcome to The Windup!
Deadline Week: Get caught up fast
We’ve already seen a few big moves, with the Yankees picking up not just one (Ryan McMahon), but two (Amed Rosario) infielders, the Mets making their first bullpen move (Gregory Soto from Baltmore) and Seattle scooping up one of the best available bats (Josh Naylor from the DBacks).
Also, a major deadline development: Seth Lugo is off the market, having signed a multi-year extension with the Royals.
But Wednesday and Thursday (until 6 p.m. ET) should still be very chaotic, with multiple teams making a final call on whether to buy, sell, or “thread the needle.”
I wrote a deadline primer this morning, trying to differentiate between the legitimate possibilities and the noise. Here’s an excerpt — one move I think will happen, and another that seems less likely:
Likely — Rangers add … but where?: Texas is 9-1 in their last 10 games, and look at that: they’re tied for the third AL wild-card position. The question is … where will they add? The previously-anemic offense has been clicking in July, and Joc Pederson just came off the IL. Jake Burger will be back soon, too. The bullpen recently lost Chris Martin, but essentially replaced him when Jon Gray returned from the IL. Something tells me injury returns won’t be the extent of the additions. My guess: a closer, a la Ryan Helsley, Jhoan Durán or a reunion with Pete Fairbanks.
Unlikely — Red Sox trade Jarren Duran: I could squint and see if two weeks ago. But after the injury to Marcelo Mayer — which will likely mean Ceddanne Rafaela playing more infield, meaning Duran will be needed more in center field.
Read all the rest of the rumor assessments here.
More Deadline:
Ken’s Notebook: Contenders face a deadline dilemma
From my latest column:
Here’s the conundrum for the Dodgers, Blue Jays and all the other contenders with at least a passing interest in adding a top reliever:
Do you overpay for an elite, controllable late-inning weapon like the Athletics’ Mason Miller, Cleveland Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase or Twins’ Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax? Or, for maybe 30 percent of the price, do you acquire the Cardinals’ Ryan Helsley as a rental?
Relievers are so volatile, so prone to fluctuate from season to season, even month to month, additional years of club control matter less than they do with more stable performers.
The teams peddling those pitchers, of course, see it differently, valuing them as long-term assets in trade discussions and asking for big returns. The game of chicken, particularly in the bullpen market, is on.
Will the Dodgers, who placed five prospects in Keith Law’s latest top 60, leverage their deep farm system for a Clase or Duran when they spent more than $100 million on their ‘pen last offseason precisely to avoid making an uncomfortable trade?
Will the Blue Jays take the plunge to address their most glaring need in what is shaping up to be a special season? How about the Tigers, whose bullpen ranks 28th in strikeout rate? The Yankees, who face the potential losses of Devin Williams and Luke Weaver in free agency? The Phillies, who still need help after signing free agent David Robertson?
The only other potential free-agent closers known to be available are the Padres’ Robert Suarez, who leads the majors in saves and is expected to decline a pair of $8 million options at the end of the season; the Braves’ Raisel Iglesias, whose results are poor even though his strikeout and walk rates are similar to what they were the past two years; and the Nationals’ Kyle Finnegan, who has a declining strikeout rate and 4.50 ERA.
Predictably, teams seeking late-inning help are complaining that the prices for the long-term options are exorbitant. What else would they be with the deadline still days away?
More here. And more reliever market:
Keep Getting Caught Up: So many things happened over the weekend
Baseball got wild during Hall of Fame weekend: An MVP hit the IL, a rookie had an unprecedented night, a catcher is on pace for (more) records and … well, let’s get to it, shall we?
- Aaron Judge hit the 10-day IL with a flexor strain. It’s hopeful that he could return at the end of the “extra hitting coach” stint, but he won’t be able to play defense any time soon, which means [whew] Giancarlo Stanton, grab a glove. (Don’t expect a Spencer Jones call-up to replace Judge, though.)
- A’s rookie Nick Kurtz had a historic night on Friday, going 6-for-6 with four home runs, eight RBIs, and an MLB record-tying 19 total bases. Nobody has ever had a night like this. Chandler Rome caught up with Kurtz’s parents after the game.
- Last night, Cal Raleigh became the first hitter this year to cross the 40-homer threshold. He’s on pace for 61.
- The Padres and Cardinals cleared the benches on consecutive nights (no punches thrown, though).
- After a red-hot first half, the Tigers are in freefall, now 2-12 in their last 14 games. They even lost a Tarik Skubal start. Will the return of “Kerry Bonds” fix things?
- Detroit was facing the team with the best record in baseball, though. The Blue Jays are 63-43 and lead the AL East by 5.5 games. Scarier yet? There’s an obvious path to being even better.
- Aroldis Chapman left a game with back tightness. (So maybe add a reliever to the Boston wish list?)
- J.T. Realmuto made this impossible tag of Cody Bellinger at home, and the Phillies took two of three in the Bronx.
HOF Weekend: Five go into Cooperstown
It was — as always — a special weekend in Cooperstown, as Dick Allen, CC Sabathia, Ichiro Suzuki, Dave Parker and Billy Wagner were inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Jayson Stark and Tyler Kepner were there for the festivities. There’s a definitive roundup here, telling us how each player got there, and featuring highlights from each player’s speech — including Dave Parker’s son (David II) speaking on behalf of his dad, who recently passed away, plus Ichiro’s playful swipe at the one voter who didn’t vote for him).
Speaking of which … it’s not the first time Ichiro was left off one ballot. The last time was in 2001, when a lone voter prevented Ichiro from being the unanimous Rookie of the Year winner. Zack Meisel spoke to that writer for this story.
Other coverage from Cooperstown:
More Hall of Fame: Sabathia’s arrival in Cooperstown was delayed briefly. The cause? Car trouble!
Handshakes and High Fives
Mike Trout expected to be playing the field long before now. His knee still won’t let him, and it’s causing complications for the Angels roster. Is it time for him to be a full-time DH?
From last Friday: An MLB pitcher walked away from $12 million in 2011. He spoke to Jayson Jenks, and said he doesn’t regret it.
We love a good-natured prank between friends. Reds manager Terry Francona struck the most recent blow in his prank war with Rays skipper Kevin Cash. (Meanwhile, the Reds’ slow climb into wild-card troublemaker continues.)
A Venezuelan youth baseball team was denied entry into the U.S. for a tournament. So that’s all going super great, yeah?
Most-clicked in our last newsletter: Jayson Stark’s look at which active players are on their way to Cooperstown.
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(Photo: Joe Rondone / The Republic / USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
