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New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Brewers close to acquiring catcher Danny Jansen from Rays: Source
Locked in a tight race in the National League Central, the Milwaukee Brewers are making progress toward bolstering a former position of strength by acquiring Tampa Bay Rays catcher Danny Jansen, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. In return, the Rays will receive infielder Jadher Areinamo. Jansen will earn $8.5 million in 2025 with a $500,000 buyout of a $12 million mutual option for next season. To replace Jansen, the Rays are working on a trade for Marlins catcher Nick Fortes, who has three seasons of arbitration eligibility left. The Brewers could pair the 30-year-old Jansen with starting catcher William Contreras, a two-time All Star who has been less productive at the plate this season. Though Jansen is batting just .204, he has posted an .820 OPS against left-handed pitchers. Contreras has produced a .625 OPS since June 1. Advertisement The Rays are likely to remain active as Thursday's deadline approaches. The team has fallen out of contention in the American League East, and could move long-time lineup stalwarts like first baseman Yandy Diaz and second baseman Brandon Lowe. Areinamo, a 21-year-old who has played mostly second base and shortstop for Class-A Wisconsin this season, fits the Tampa Bay profile of prioritizing utility. He has hit 11 home runs with an .818 OPS in his second season at the level. (Top photo of Danny Jansen:)
New York Times
a day ago
- Sport
- New York Times
MLB trade deadline week underway after very busy HOF weekend
The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic's MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox. 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! 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. Advertisement 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: 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? Advertisement 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: 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? 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! 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. Advertisement 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. 📫 Love The Windup? Check out The Athletic's other newsletters.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Royals, Seth Lugo finalize extension, taking trade deadline target off board: Source
The Kansas City Royals and right-hander Seth Lugo are in agreement on a multi-year extension, a league source confirmed on Sunday to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. When official, the move will take off the board one of the trade deadline's most desirable potential targets. Lugo, who signed a two-year deal with the Royals ahead of the 2024 season, with a $15 million player option for 2027, was primed to not only be one of the most prominent names thought to be available leading into Thursday's dealdine, but also potentially a top target over the winter free agency period. Instead, the extension will help him stick in Kansas City, where he's posted a 2.95 ERA over 19 starts this season. Advertisement 'We're a much better team with Seth Lugo here than not here,' Royals president J.J. Picollo said over the weekend. 'Whether that's just '25 or '26, if you move a guy like Seth Lugo, you better be really sure that you're getting something back that makes this team significantly better. You take a guy like that out of your rotation, you're not the same team.' Lugo made his first All-Star team at 34 years old, finished second in the American League Cy Young Award voting last year and anchored a rotation that paved the way for Kansas City's first playoff appearance since the club's World Series-winning season of 2015. He posted a 3.00 ERA across 206 2/3 innings, and he made a pair of solid starts in October. During that same discussion with reporters, Picollo hinted at a potential extension for Lugo. 'He knows what's going on,' Picollo said. 'I don't want to comment about extensions, but he knows our desire to have him in a Royals uniform, obviously, not just talking about his current contract. 'He knows our desires. But that's something that we internally have talked about, and I think it makes a lot of sense for us. When you sign guys to extensions, there's one thing that has to be prevalent. They need to want to be here, and they need to want to be a part of this. I feel pretty confident that Seth does, but we'll just see where that takes us.' As for the Royals, they won 86 games last season, blitzed past Baltimore in the Wild Card round and offered the New York Yankees a fight in the ALDS. They haven't recaptured that magic, though. Their rotation remains a strength, as the emergence of Kris Bubic and Noah Cameron have compensated for Cole Ragans' injury-riddled campaign. Keeping Lugo long-term helps ensure it continues to be a strength, even as the 52-54 Royals flounder between contention, having just put Bubic on the IL. That came a day after Jac Caglianone landed on the IL as well. Prior to the move, Lugo ranked No. 7 on The Athletic's trade deadline Big Board.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
MLB rumors: Reds, Giants urged to be ‘aggressive' trade deadline buyers
The post MLB rumors: Reds, Giants urged to be 'aggressive' trade deadline buyers appeared first on ClutchPoints. The MLB trade deadline is nearly here, and several teams are looking for players to bolster rosters. An anonymous MLB executive tells The Athletic that two teams who should be buying right now are the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants. 'One rival executive proclaimed the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants should be aggressive buyers, saying it's 'open season' on the third NL wild card because of the San Diego Padres' uncertain hold on the position,' Ken Rosenthal wrote. There are several solid teams in the National League this year. The Reds and Giants are two of those clubs, and both of them are within striking distance of a Wild Card spot. As of Saturday, the Padres had the final playoff berth in the National League. Anything can happen though, as there are still several weeks of baseball still to play. 'The Padres entered Saturday with four straight losses, a 3-5 record against the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals since the break and a 41-46 mark since starting the season 14-3,' Rosenthal added. 'And, in the exec's opinion, Padres general manager A.J. Preller 'doesn't really have the money or the farm system for big additions.' The Reds and Giants have both been surprises this year The Reds have quietly kept pace in the National League Central this season. Cincinnati's strong pitching has kept them in games. Cincinnati is 12th in Major League Baseball this year in team ERA, with a 3.85 mark. The club is 56-50 and third in the NL Central, after winning Sunday. Cincinnati is still shopping for bullpen help and a middle-of-the-order bat, Rosenthal said. San Francisco, meanwhile, has been quite active in the trade market already. New Giants executive Buster Posey made a trade with the Boston Red Sox already this year for Rafael Devers. The team is likely not done making deals, with the trade deadline soon approaching on July 31. 'The Giants, however, plan to buy, seeking a second baseman and starting pitcher,' Rosenthal added. Things haven't gone well recently for the Giants. The team has lost eight of their last 10 games. San Francisco plays the New York Mets on Sunday night. Related: How Ichiro Suzuki 'cleansed himself' at Hall of Fame Related: 2025 Fantasy Baseball: Top 5 waiver wire pickups for Week 18
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins rumors: Minnesota's ‘expected' Joe Ryan trade stance ahead of deadline
The post Twins rumors: Minnesota's 'expected' Joe Ryan trade stance ahead of deadline appeared first on ClutchPoints. The Minnesota Twins are reportedly open to listening to trade offers for Joe Ryan but are expected to keep the All-Star right-hander through the July 31 MLB trade deadline, according to reporting from USA Today's Bob Nightengale. Ryan, 29, had drawn interest from teams like the Boston Red Sox, who are looking to bolster their starting rotations ahead of the stretch run. However, as The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reported, 'I don't know that the Twins are going to want to trade Joe Ryan. And that's the key thing here.' The 2024 All-Star is in the midst of a breakout season. Through 19 starts, Ryan owned a 9-4 record with a 2.72 ERA, 121 strikeouts and a 0.91 WHIP across 109 1/3 innings. His ERA was the best by a Twins starter at the All-Star break since Johan Santana in 2007. He pitched a scoreless inning in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, striking out two. Beyond performance, Ryan's value is amplified by his contract status. He's earning just $3 million this season and remains under team control through 2027, with two more arbitration years remaining, per Mike Rosenstein of NESN. That combination of production and affordability makes him a highly attractive trade chip, but also a reason the Twins are hesitant to move him. Minnesota sits second in the AL Central and just a few games back in the AL Wild Card standings. With multiple pitchers injured — Pablo López, Bailey Ober, and Zebby Matthews among them — Ryan has anchored a depleted rotation, throwing at least five innings in every start and allowing two runs or fewer in more than half. Unless overwhelmed by a impossible-to-pass-up trade offer, Minnesota is expected to keep Ryan as part of its postseason push and long-term plans. The Twins may even look to add reinforcements rather than subtract from their rotation. Related: Twins' Royce Lewis pulls back the curtain on 2025 struggles with Minnesota Related: Byron Buxton goes all-out for huge catch vs. Rockies
