Rangers pursuing Phil Maton and Hunter Harvey

New York Times

3 days ago

The 2025 MLB trade deadline arrives at 6 p.m. (ET) today. Join us for live updates and analysis on trades around the league. Getty Images Getty Images
Among the relievers the Rangers are pursuing, according to a source briefed on their discussions: The St. Louis Cardinals' Phil Maton and Kansas City Royals' Hunter Harvey.
They also like the Pittsburgh Pirates' David Bednar, but believe the price will be too steep.
The Colorado Rockies' Jake Bird is another possibility.
One of the great things about working at The Athletic is that some of our most impactful and influential writers — Ken Rosenthal , Jayson Stark , Tyler Kepner , etc. — are also among the most generous and passionate in the industry, and those qualities really help in a moment like this.
It helps, in part, because they don't mind getting a text message or an email asking a question or looking for help. So, I messaged Kepner with both a question and a request.
Jennings: Hi Tyler! How was Cooperstown? Actually, don't answer that! I know how you feel about Cooperstown, and if you get started on that topic, you'll never have time to answer my actual question.
What I really want to know is, do you have an all-time favorite trade deadline deal? And is there another that stands out as the best deadline deal in baseball history?
Obviously, this trade deadline has been a bit slow to develop, defined largely by uncertainty and, apparently, indecision. It does not seem to be a market loaded with massive difference makers — CC Sabathia ain't walking through that door — but who knows? One of these relievers could change teams and end up getting the last three outs of the World Series.
What's at the highest end of your own trade deadline measuring stick? Is there one trade that stands out as the best ever, and is there another that's a personal favorite for whatever reason?
Stay tuned for Tyler's response. Getty Images
Not every team has officially declared its trade deadline intentions — some haven't made a move, and others have made moves so minor they could still go either way — but here's an attempt to put each team into a bucket based on what we've seen and what we suspect.
Aggressively buying Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets, Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners
The Phillies have made the biggest splash so far, and the Mets have aggressively overhauled their bullpen with three separate additions. Each team still needs a bat. The surprise here is the Reds who traded for third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes yesterday afternoon, then followed with a late-night deal for starter Zack Littell. They're going for it. So are the Mariners, who also made a late-night deal to further address their desperate need for offense.
Definitely buying Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Boston Red Sox
We've seen these teams make moves to add to their roster. The Brewers might not add much — they've so far added catcher Danny Jansen — but they're clearly on the buy side. The other teams here have a chance to be aggressive buyers by the end of the day.
Presumably buying Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Dodgers
We're still waiting for these teams to make big moves, but all signs point to them eventually buying, and maybe buying in a meaningful way. The Astros have added a third baseman, but they could end up doing quite a bit more.
Doing Padres things
A.J. Preller gets his own bucket. He could trade away Dylan Cease and also trade for Steven Kwan. Anything and everything seems to be on the table, but the net result is probably going to be more buying than selling.
Are they really buying?
Did the Angels really trade for a couple of relievers in their late 30s? What's going on here? Are they setting up to trade away some other relievers? Hard to know what's going on out there.
Maybe threading the needle
The Royals have added Randal Grichuk and extended Seth Lugo, but would you really be shocked if they also sold a player or two? Regardless, they're probably not going to move aggressively either direction.
Selling (but it's kind of masked as buying)
Technically, the Braves have added, but it's been a bunch of unwanted pitchers for mostly salary relief. They're adding, but not really. They still have pieces to sell and should sell them. It started last night with Rafael Montero.
Probably selling Tampa Bay Rays, San Francisco Giants
The Rays seemed to signal their direction last night when they traded Zack Littell, but they have enough pitching depth to perhaps still think of themselves as threading the needle rather than truly selling. What they do with Pete Fairbanks and Brandon Lowe might determine just how far they go to the sell side. The Giants have traded a reliever but haven't (yet) ripped apart their bullpen.
Presumably selling Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians, Athletics
No huge moves for these teams, but the Guardians are at least considering trading Steven Kwan, and neither the Marlins or A's are in position to do anything but sell.
Selling at least a little bit
The Pirates traded away Ke'Bryan Hayes, but that doesn't necessarily mean they're also going to trade Mitch Keller or David Bednar. They're probably not buying, but are they fully selling?
Definitely selling Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals
At least one of these teams — the Orioles — could be among the most aggressive sellers in the final hours. So far, though, the Orioles sold without moving nearly all of their obvious pieces. The Cardinals have been fairly aggressive, but they've only moved pending free agents out of their bullpen.
Aggressively selling Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Twins have been the most aggressive sellers. It started with Chris Paddack and jumped to a whole other level with Jhoan Duran, who was traded with multiple years of remaining control. The Twins are definitely selling. They have some obvious pieces still to move — Willi Castro, Harrison Bader, etc. — and could get even more aggressive if they're convinced to trade Joe Ryan. The Diamondbacks have also been fairly aggressive, but the real test will be what they do with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. Getty Images
When mapping out the Pittsburgh Pirates' options as sellers last week, I considered it highly likely they would go into all-out sell mode with their pitchers, and quite likely they'd use this opportunity to bail on the Ke'Bryan Hayes contract as well.
The arms sale still could be the path they choose. But the Buccos' first big move of the deadline was sending Hayes across the division to Cincinnati. Now focus returns to their controllable pitchers: starter Mitch Keller and relievers David Bednar and Dennis Santana. The relief market is hot, and the assumption is that the Pirates will move at least one of their leverage relievers.
Despite being a hometown guy, Bednar seems to be a perfect trade candidate, as he's bounced back from a bad 2024 season and early-season 2025 demotion to Triple A to regain his trade value. With Jhoan Duran traded and Emmanuel Clase taken off the board, Bednar could be the best closer available. The Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays and Detroit Tigers would love to have him. Same for the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees. And on and on. Packaging Bednar and Santana together could get Pirates the multiple top-10 prospects that they, according to rival evaluators, had been seeking for Bednar alone in recent days.
The starting pitching market is starting to move, but Keller? He may stay. Ken Rosenthal reported Wednesday night that, barring a seismic change, the Pirates will keep Keller. A rival exec told Rosenthal that the Pirates were so reluctant to seriously engage on Keller that his team didn't even bother. Keller is the fifth-best starter available on The Athletic's trade deadline Big Board (which omitted Dylan Cease, so you could consider Keller sixth). Keller is durable and dependable, a middle-of-the-rotation starter on a nice extension. The Pirates certainly could use him. But what they could use more is a couple big bats. The club's first few trades — moving Adam Frazier, Hayes and Caleb Ferguson — have done nothing to make the 2026 lineup better. Moving Keller would help with that. But if he's staying, they'll be even more likely to move Bednar and Santana. Getty Images
The San Diego Padres have yet to make a big move, and their record suggests they're struck somewhere between buying and selling. But the Padres' president of baseball operations is A.J. Preller, which means they surely won't be stuck for long.
Preller likes to make moves, and The Athletic has reported that he's in the market for some of the biggest fish available: Athletics closer Mason Miller, Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan, and Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran. It's possible none of those three will be traded, but if that's the case, it won't be because Preller didn't try. From Dennis Lin and Ken Rosenthal:
✍️ Considering the top-heavy state of the Padres farm system, Preller might need to part with elite shortstop prospect Leo De Vries or well-regarded catching prospect Ethan Salas to acquire any of the above players. Indications are, the executive is willing to at least discuss them.
Preller could try to thread the needle by acquiring controllable talent — like any of the names previously mentioned — while trading away one or two of his own pending free agents, most notably Dylan Cease or (perhaps less likely) Robert Suarez.
The year's first major deadline deal was Diamondbacks first baseman Josh Naylor going to the offense-needy Mariners, and at the time, it seemed the Mariners could also end up with the other D-Backs corner infielder.
Late last night, it happened.
Eugenio Suárez, having survived a recent hit-by-pitch scare, is taking his 36 home runs to Seattle. The Mariners, who have previously gotten very little offense from the infield corners, will have a new look for the last two months.
Suarez was the fourth third baseman traded this week. The Yankees were the first to pluck a third baseman off the trade market, and they went for the all-around skillset of Ryan McMahon. The Reds were next to address the hot corner, and they went all glove with Ke'Bryan Hayes. Last night, the Astros — having lost Isaac Paredes to injury, and having kicked the tires on a Carlos Correa reunion — traded for another glove-first option, Ramon Urías.
But Suárez was always the biggest fish of them all — at least offensively — and he went to the team most in need of a big bat.
The challenge for teams still needing offense is to find another significant bat in this pitching-heavy market. Getty Images
Almost exactly 24 hours before Thursday's trade deadline, the Phillies completed a blockbuster for Twins closer Jhoan Duran. It was a seismic deal, the kind of move that a trade deadline is supposed to produce. It set the market for controllable relievers, and perhaps opened the door for other big moves to come.
For the Phillies, it was an all-in acquisition to repair an unsustainable weakness. The bullpen has been a recurring problem over the years, and addressing it this offseason with Jordan Romano has been unsuccessful. The Phillies are chasing a championship, and they got the best closer on the market (one who happens to be signed through 2027, just like Zack Wheeler). It was the biggest deadline deal of Dave Dombrowski's tenure.
For the Twins, this was an acknowledgement that they need to rebuild. Duran was their biggest trade chip outside of Joe Ryan, and while the Twins weren't able to get top Phillies prospect Andrew Painter, they were able to get a first-round pick in Mick Abel (a pitcher who can slide into their rotation immediately) plus a high-upside bat in teenager Eduardo Tait.
But both the Phillies and Twins could have more to do today. The Phillies still need a right-handed bat and help in their outfield. The Twins still have Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe and Willi Castro as pending free agents they might as well trade. They could also consider trading Ryan for a massive haul, and maybe outfielder Trevor Larnach to a team in need of a lefty bat. Getty Images
A week ago, The Athletic posted our final Big Board ranking of the top 50 trade candidates. Two came off the board without being traded — Emmanuel Clase because of a gambling investigation, Seth Lugo because he signed an extension — and eight others have been dealt (Eugenio Suárez, Jhoan Duran, Josh Naylor, Ryan Helsley, Ryan McMahon, Michael Soroka, Zack Littell, Chris Paddack). Five of our Top 10 trade candidates are still available: 1). Joe Ryan, SP, Twins
2). Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox
– Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Diamondbacks
– Emmanuel Clase, RP, Guardians
5). Wilyer Abreu, RF, Red Sox
– Seth Lugo, SP, Royals
– Jhoan Duran, RP, Twins
8). Merrill Kelly, SP, Diamondbacks
9). Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins
10). Griffin Jax, RP, Twins
After already trading one reliever, the Twins might not want to trade Jax, and it's unclear just how open the Red Sox are to trading either of their left-handed outfielders (though the Padres are known to be in pursuit of Jarren Duran).
Some notable others from the Big Board worth your attention:
14). Brandon Lowe, 2B, Rays
This market has always been thin on middle infielders, but the Rays seem to have played their way into sellers territory, which could make Lowe available as a source of offensive impact had a hard-to-fill position. There aren't many high-end middle infield alternatives out there.
15). Steven Kwan, LF, Guardians
The stunning loss of Clase to administrative leave has changed the calculus for the Guardians who seem at least willing to talk about trading their leadoff hitter. There aren't a ton of bats on the market, and Kwan could be a game changer for some teams with a hole to fill in the outfield.
32). Reid Detmers, RP, Angels
An fascinating option for the many teams in need of bullpen help. Detmers largely flopped as a starter, but he's found considerable success since moving into the bullpen this season. But his availability is clouded by the total uncertainty of what exactly the Angels are doing.
40). Luis Robert Jr., CF, White Sox
One of the great puzzles of this trade market, Robert's name seems to come up in a lot of reports, but the White Sox are said to be asking for a massive return for a player who has drastically underperformed the past two seasons and would be a rental without picking up a $20-million option for next season. The talent, though, is tantalizing.
44). Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles
In his last start before the deadline, Rogers went seven scoreless innings with one hit allowed. Granted, it was against the Rockies, but still, he continued his strong season and is one of several starters who could lengthen a contender's rotation. The market for starting pitchers was largely untouched until late last night. Could see a lot of movement in that area today.
GO FURTHER
MLB trade deadline Big Board 3.0: The Top 50 players who could be on the move
A few years ago, The Athletic started grading each notable deal at the trade deadline. We sometimes regret those grades — though not as much as executives often regret the actual trades — but it's still worthwhile to document the way we feel about these moves in the moment. We don't always agree, but we try to explain the way we think.
You can find all of our grades for this year's deadline deals right here.
GO FURTHER
MLB trade deadline: All of our 2025 deals and grades in one place Getty Images
Reliever Bryan Baker was traded to the Rays on July 10, and infielder Adam Frazier was sent to the Royals on July 16. Dane Dunning to the Braves was a somewhat notable deal on July 18.
But for our money, trade deadline season really started on July 24, a week before the deadline, when first baseman Josh Naylor was traded to the Mariners. That's when the bigger names started coming off the board and it really felt like anything could happen at any moment.
Here are all the moves that have happened so far.
Thursday, July 24
1B Josh Naylor to the Mariners / LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi to the Diamondbacks
Friday, July 25
LHP Gregory Soto to the Mets / RHP Wellington Aracena and RHP Cameron Foster to the Orioles
3B Ryan McMahon to the Yankees / LHP Griffin Herring and RHP Josh Grosz to the Rockies
Saturday, July 26
INF Tristan Gray to the Rays / Cash to the White Sox
OF Randal Grichuk to the Royals / RHP Andrew Hoffmann to the Diamondbacks
INF Amed Rosario to the Yankees / RHP Clayton Beeter and OF Brown Martinez to the Nationals
Sunday, July 27
RHP Erick Fedde to the Braves / Salary relief to the Cardinals
Monday, July 28
RHP Carlos Carrasco to the Braves / Salary relief to the Yankees
RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak to the Tigers / C Enrique Jimenez to the Twins
C Danny Jansen to the Brewers / INF Jadher Areinamo to the Rays
C Nick Fortes to the Rays / OF Matthew Etzel to the Marlins
Tuesday, July 29
RHP Sereanthony Dominguez to the Blue Jays / RHP Juaron Watts-Brown to the Orioles
Wednesday, July 30
OF Austin Slater to the Yankees / RHP Gage Ziehl to the White Sox
RHP Tyler Kinney to the Braves / RHP Austin Smith to the Rockies
LHP Andrew Chafin and RHP Luis García to the Angels / LHP Jake Eder and 1B Sam Brown to the Nationals
3B Ke'Bryan Hayes to the Reds / LHP Taylor Rogers and SS Sammy Stafura to the Pirates
RHP Tyler Rogers to the Mets / RHP José Butto, OF Drew Gilbert, RHP Blake Tidwell to the Giants
LHP Caleb Ferguson to the Mariners / RHP Jeter Martinez to the Pirates
RHP Jhoan Duran to the Phillies / RHP Mick Abel and C Eduardo Tait to the Twins
RHP Ryan Helsley to the Mets / SS Jesus Baez, RHP Nate Dohm and RHP Frank Elissalt to the Cardinals
RHP Michael Soroka to the Cubs / OF Christian Franklin and INF Ronny Cruz to the Nationals
RHP Rafael Montero to the Tigers / INF Jim Jarvis to the Braves
RHP Zack Littell to the Reds / C Hunter Feduccia and RHP Brian Van Belle to the Rays / LHP Adam Serwinowski, RHP Paul Gervase and C Ben Rortvedt to the Dodgers
3B Ramon Urías to the Astros / RHP Twine Palmer to the Orioles
LHP Steven Matz to the Red Sox / 1B Blaze Jordan to the Cardinals
3B Eugenio Suárez to the Mariners / 1B Tyler Locklear, RHP Hunter Cranton and RHP Juan Burgos to the Diamondbacks
Not anymore!
Prior to 2019, players who cleared revocable waivers could be traded after the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and so long as they were acquired before Aug. 31 they'd be eligible for the postseason roster.
These days, players can still be waived after the July 31 trade deadline and claimed by a new team, but they are not permitted to be traded. Getty Images
I'm very glad you asked. It's an important detail to know today.
While the trade deadline used to fall at precisely 4 p.m. on July 31 each year, it's now more of a moving target, somewhere between July 28 and Aug. 3, as the Commissioner's Office determines where it would best fit in the schedule. This year, the trade deadline will occur at 6 p.m. on Thursday, July 31.
That's today. Or tonight. Depends where you are.
Six o'clock is the deadline for paperwork to be filed to the league office, anyway; some trade news will continue to trickle out over the next hour. So stay tuned. Getty Images
There will be only one game occurring prior to the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline today — Tampa Bay Rays at New York Yankees, 1:05 p.m. first pitch in the Bronx — and two others at night. MLB chose this Thursday as the deadline likely because the mostly empty schedule would make life and logistics easier on traded players and on the executives and evaluators hunkered in ballpark offices and suites.
Our only chance for one final Hug Watch, then, is the Rays-Yankees matinee. There's some opportunity for movement there, as the Yankees are still determined to add in the final day of trade season, and the Rays — after moving starter Zack Littell late last night — have a few players they still could move, including closer Pete Fairbanks, first baseman Yandy Díaz and infielder Brandon Lowe. Even starter Taj Bradley, now stuck in the minors, could be interesting to a contending team with a hole at the back of the rotation. Getty Images
Last night, we finally felt the trade deadline creeping closer. After a few slow days — and another relatively slow afternoon — Wednesday night brought the first true blockbuster of the week: Jhoan Duran to the Phillies.
And with that, the floodgates were ready to open.
Ryan Helsley joined the overhauled Mets bullpen. Zack Littell joined the suddenly aggressive Reds. And right around midnight, third baseman Eugenio Suárez — maybe the biggest bat on the market — went to the Mariners.
Clearly, the frost has lifted. This quiet trade deadline isn't so quiet anymore.
The trade deadline is 6 p.m. ET, and there is still a lot of moveable talent on the market and a few uncertain pieces that — in theory — could be moved at the right price (Mason Miller? Jarren Duran? Joe Ryan?).
What are the Padres going to do? How many players are the Orioles going to trade? Do the Dodgers have a last-minute surprise up their sleeve? (The Dodgers traded for Jack Flaherty right at the buzzer last year.)
This day has been marked on baseball calendars all year. It's finally here. Welcome to the trade deadline. Getty Images
The Tampa Bay Rays are considering numerous buy-sell options to upgrade their club, according to sources briefed on their discussions.
First baseman Yandy Díaz and second baseman Brandon Lowe, however, remain on the back-burner as trade options. The Rays were working on other moves as of early Thursday morning. Rival clubs also continue to express interest in Rays closer Pete Fairbanks.
The Houston Astros are in the mix for Miami Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara, as well as San Diego Padres righty Dylan Cease, according to a source briefed on their discussions. Club officials, however, fear that they might get outbid for both pitchers, given the competitive state of the market.
The Astros' interest in Alcantara was first reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today.
The A's won their game against the Mariners 5-4 without Miller notching the save.
Paul Gervase is an intriguing part of the Dodgers' haul, per a pair of evaluators. The 6-foot-10 right-hander has elite extension, and could be an interesting part of the relief mix.