The state of Texas A&M: What’s keeping Jimbo Fisher and the Aggies from taking the next step?
Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher knew what he was doing. As the final seconds of an Orange Bowl victory following the 2020 season ticked away, Fisher gave a little fist pump before he began to look around defensively.
As Fisher jogged to midfield he spotted what he was looking for: players holding a Gatorade jug, charging toward him. Showing a burst of speed, Fisher outran the would-be green bath, and even though the effort resulted in a bit of a limp, the large grin on his face remained.
The Aggies seemed on the cusp of breaking through after the 41-27 victory over North Carolina and a No. 4 ranking to end the pandemic-shortened season, their highest ranking since 1939. To this day, Fisher insists they were the second-best team in the country and should have made the College Football Playoff. Nothing will convince him otherwise.
While that great debate will live on in Texas A&M lore, what was not up for discussion on Jan. 2, 2021 was this: The Aggies appeared ready to break into college football’s most rarefied air, fulfilling the massive expectations that came with handing Fisher an unprecedented 10-year, $75 million contract just a few years before.
“I’m gonna tell you this,” Fisher said after the Orange Bowl victory. “We ain’t done yet.”
Since then, however, things have started to unravel. Texas A&M has opened each of the past two seasons ranked No. 6 in the preseason polls and is only 11-6 over that time. It is currently unranked, following losses to Appalachian State and Mississippi State, and heads into Tuscaloosa on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, CBS) to face No. 1 Alabama at a disappointing 3-2.
Suddenly, a game that once looked like a potential top-10 showdown and the first meeting of Fisher and Saban since their offseason war of words has taken on a very different meaning. The Aggies are losing games they shouldn’t, Fisher’s offense is the primary culprit and his post-Orange Bowl contract extension means his buyout will remain above $50 million until 2027, per USA Today. It has left some in College Station wondering whether they’re getting enough return for their hefty investment.
Fisher declined an interview for this story, but his boss believes he will turn it around.
“Look, Jimbo is an offensive innovator,” Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork said. “He’s always adapted to the style of play. When it’s clicking on all cylinders, it works and it’s proven to work. So we just have to keep maturing, keep getting better. And obviously, we’re going to keep recruiting at a high level.”
FISHER EARNED THAT reputation Bjork mentioned first as an assistant at LSU and then as head coach at Florida State. Quarterbacks JaMarcus Russell, EJ Manuel, Christian Ponder and Jameis Winston were all first-round picks after starting multiple seasons for Fisher. His Seminoles went 26-1 with Winston as the starter, won a national title in 2013 and made the College Football Playoff in 2014.
But that feels like a lifetime ago in college football, long before NIL and the transfer portal, and back when Nick Saban still relied on defense and ball control to win games. When Saban hired Lane Kiffin as his offensive coordinator in 2014 it was to keep up with the changing times. As a result, he kept his dynasty rolling by recruiting and developing future Heisman contenders and first-round picks at quarterback seemingly every year.
This is an area where Fisher has fallen short in recent years. From 2015 to ’22, the post-Winston era, Fisher’s quarterbacks have combined for an average Total QBR of 66.5, which ranks 38th among FBS head coaches to coach at least 40 games during that span.
Between 2013 and 2017, the Seminoles signed seven quarterbacks. Only one finished his career with Florida State. At Texas A&M, Fisher has been a prodigious recruiter — his top-ranked 2022 class is one of the highest rated ever– signing and developing blue-chip talent all over the field.
But to this point, that elite talent has not panned out at quarterback.
In College Station, Fisher has signed five signal-callers. James Foster and Zach Calzada, in Fisher’s first two recruiting classes at Texas A&M, have already transferred. Haynes King, the No. 4 dual threat quarterback in the class of 2020, lost his starting job to transfer Max Johnson after the App State loss, though he was pressed into duty again this weekend when Johnson was injured, throwing two interceptions after coming off the bench. The Aggies are still very high on freshman Conner Weigman, the No. 1 quarterback in the 2022 ESPN 300, with Fisher saying Monday he could play now and be comfortable.
This year, Texas A&M ranks 105th of 131 teams in total offense (335 yards per game) and 108th in scoring offense (21.8 points per game). There aren’t many bright spots: 101st in passing offense, 98th in rushing offense, 96th in first downs, 79th in completion percentage, 115th in time of possession and last — 131st — in plays run per game (56.4). Asked about the struggles after scoring 24 points in the Mississippi State loss, Fisher doubled down, saying his system still works.
“That system is the same system a lot of people use. The plays are there,” Fisher said. “We’re just not executing.”
“I think the mistake people make is saying, ‘Boy, this is outdated,'” said former Florida coach Dan Mullen, now an ESPN analyst. “There is no perfect system. Maybe more of the issue is he has to adapt to his current roster, which he went and recruited all this speed and all these athletes on offense, and he’s got to have the system that fits those guys.”
At least one top recruit agrees with that last part.
Johntay Cook II, a Texas high school receiver who is No. 32 in the 2023 ESPN 300, told On3 during his recruitment it was a concern.
“Here is the difference between Texas and Texas A&M,” Cook said. “Right now, Texas has the scheme but not the players, A&M has the players but not the scheme. I mean A&M is running like the Wishbone offense. It’s cool and all, but if Jimbo opened it up that would be serious.”
Cook is just one player. But he was an A&M target who committed to the rival Longhorns. Still, Fisher landed Evan Stewart, the No. 2 WR and No. 13 overall recruit in the 2022 class and Chris Marshall, the No. 4 receiver.
While Fisher continues to sign elite wide receivers, he has had only three drafted in his 12 years as a head coach, including just one in the first four rounds. At Texas A&M, his receivers have struggled to put up numbers, either because of issues at quarterback or the intricacies of the system.
Manuel said it is not that the offense is overly complex; it is that there is a method to the way Fisher wants it run. It all starts with the quarterback, who has to not only read and identify the defense to make sure the offense is set for success. He must also make the correct protection calls for the offensive line, a duty that normally goes to the center.
Once quarterbacks are fully comfortable understanding what Fisher wants and how it should look, then everything becomes easier. Ponder, Manuel and Winston all redshirted at Florida State. So did Fisher’s last starting quarterback with the Seminoles, Deondre Francois, who had the highest QBR of any of Fisher’s QBs since Winston (78.0).
“The principles that he has with his offense, if you can figure them out and stick to them, you’re going to have success because he lays everything out there for you,” Manuel said. “It’s not easy, but once you do it, it’s like, ‘OK, let’s go, I got this.’ Make no mistake — it’s a professional football offense, and it’s not for everybody. But the guys that can figure it out will have success.”
Over the past decade, the high school game has evolved and QB-friendly schemes like the Air Raid — which a lot of Texas high schools run — don’t require many of those nuances. Instead, there is a focus on simplification — the quarterback in the shotgun, looking to the sideline for the call. But Fisher has not simplified anything. He firmly believes in what he does with quarterbacks and his offense.
But if quarterbacks coming up in spread offenses are not able to immediately handle everything Fisher wants his quarterbacks to do, and it takes a QB multiple years to truly grasp the concepts, does Fisher’s approach still make sense in the transfer portal era?
FOR THOSE WHO believe in Fisher’s pro-style offense, they can point to scoring 41 points in an upset win over Alabama last year, but even more importantly to that 9-1 season in 2020.
That offense forged Texas A&M with a new identity. Gone were the second-half swoons that had become a running joke among A&M’s detractors. This was a physical, tough, old-school SEC team. The 2020 Aggies led the SEC in yards per rush (5.5) and time of possession and ranked fourth in the country in fewest sacks per pass attempt, allowing just four sacks all season. Senior quarterback Kellen Mond, a four-year starter, was incredibly efficient, and the Aggies converted 55% of their third downs, third best nationally.
“If you just look at 2020, I don’t think anyone had any offensive complaints,” Bjork said. “Ball control, move the ball, explosive plays, all those things were there. There’s an evolution right? When you have new quarterbacks, no matter what level, there’s a transition. When you have a Kellen Mond where you’ve got experience, and then you transition to new quarterbacks, that takes adjustment. This year, same thing. Haynes King didn’t have much experience. Then now, Max [Johnson] has got a little more experience. So you’re maybe seeing a little more poise.”
This year, the offensive line that was so stout in 2020 has faced issues, complicating those quarterback transitions. The Aggies have faced pressure on 39% of their QB dropbacks, second worst in the FBS behind only Boston College (41%).
Fisher shuffled his offensive staff’s duties before fall camp. Offensive coordinator Darrell Dickey, who also coached quarterbacks, was moved to tight ends, and is now co-OC with James Coley, who moved from tight ends to wide receivers. Dameyune Craig, who had been WR coach since arriving from FSU with Fisher, now coaches the quarterbacks alongside him.
Bjork has heard the questions wondering if Fisher has too much on his plate to handle playcalling. When Fisher has been asked about whether he would consider giving up playcalling duties, he says he “possibly could,” but it’s unclear who on the existing staff would take on that role, especially after the changes in responsibilities.
“I don’t see that,” Bjork said. “There’s head coaches that call plays all over the country. And that’s just how Jimbo is built. He wants to be in the offense. He wants to work with the quarterbacks. That’s his forte. That’s why he was hired, and that’s why we extended him because he’s got that in him.”
FORMER GEORGIA COACH Mark Richt is another fan of Fisher’s approach to coaching quarterbacks. He was at the Miami-Texas A&M game in September to watch Johnson, his nephew, make his first start for the Aggies. Richt said one of the reasons Johnson chose to transfer from LSU to Texas A&M was to learn under Fisher.
“That part of the game is really his strength, the more you can put on him to gain an advantage on the field, the better for Max,” Richt said. “Jimbo is hard on them dudes, but it’s not personal. He’s hard on all those guys.”
Another coach who has competed against Fisher does not think the Aggies’ issues stem from Fisher also serving as the primary playcaller. Though the papers and notebooks Fisher has in his hands on the sideline have become the butt of jokes, the opposing coach noted, “The guy has a million plays that his guys execute that they don’t even show. That’s amazing to me. I don’t know what all their problems are. But I think anytime you have a highly ranked recruiting class, and then you’re not measuring up to that, people are going to start throwing stones.”
But others are just puzzled by the results, saying the complicated system introduces too many problems with the sheer amount of talent on hand, that all those call sheets and notebooks are an indicator Fisher is just trying to do too much from years of knowledge he has picked up as a playcaller at multiple stops. One coach said the pressure to break out of a slump can sometimes cause coaches to dig too deep in the playbook instead of pulling back. He said that’s what he sees watching Fisher call a game.
“As a young coach, Tom Osborne gave me a piece of advice I never forgot,” said a longtime offensive coordinator of the Nebraska legend. “He said, ‘When times get tough — and they will — get out your eraser, not your pencil.'”
A Power 5 head coach agreed, saying there is way too much talent on hand for the offense to be so dysfunctional.
“Simplicity is what makes great offenses. The ability to execute,” he said. “I think that’s their issue. I turn the film on and I’m not quite sure what they’re trying to do. You have to have an identity and you have to have something that you can bank on. And I just don’t see that they have that. I know how good all these players are. Nobody can see behind the veil, but it’s just hard for me to envision that you can’t line up and run the ball against Appalachian State. I truly believe if they ran four plays the whole game — two passes and two runs — I think they win by 40.”
All that talent is a reminder of one of Fisher’s strengths: He can recruit. He knows how he wants to build a program, stockpiling talent along both the offensive and defensive lines and landing rare running back talents, such as Devon Achane, who was the MVP of that Orange Bowl as a freshman and led the SEC in yards per carry (7.0) last year. He’ll have talent. He’s an old-school coach who puts players in the NFL. The irony is Fisher’s trademark is the one area that seems to be holding back the Aggies. If they’re ever going to challenge for national titles, that’s the one area that demands the most improvement.
Both Alabama and Georgia thrived once they changed their offenses.
“I remember him saying, ‘I feel like our offense is a Lamborghini, but it’s headed off a cliff,’ meaning we’ve got these great players but are behind the times in what we’re doing,” Kiffin told ESPN last year about his first meeting with Saban after he was hired. “So we needed to change directions.”
The Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff game six of the following eight seasons.
After a 2019 season when Georgia averaged just 21.5 points per game over a six-game stretch of SEC games, then scored just 10 in the SEC title game against LSU, Kirby Smart hired Todd Monken to take over for Coley, who was serving as offensive coordinator (he left a month later to join Fishers’ staff). Last year, the Bulldogs won their first national championship in 41 years with Stetson Bennett, a former walk-on, at QB as the Bulldogs averaged 38.6 points per game.
Still, Mullen said it’s easier for coaches like Saban and Smart to make offensive changes, because their careers were spent on the defensive side. For an offensive coach, calling your own plays as a head coach is still a source of pride, although that makes the target on your back even bigger.
Bjork believes the season is still a work in progress. But he anticipates working together with Fisher to address any future issues.
“What are the things that the program needs to be successful?” Bjork said. “If that involves making changes, implementing new ideas, there’s always ongoing conversations about all those things. Coach Fisher and I have a great relationship from that perspective. We talk all the time about the state of the program or what’s needed or what changes he might be thinking about. As I’m concerned for this year, 2022, this script is not even written yet. Coach knows how to win at a high level. He knows that if adjustments need to be made, he’s gonna make the right kind of adjustments and those things all take place during a constant evaluation. It’s an evolution.”
That starts Saturday against the Crimson Tide. Can Fisher pull off another stunner, like when he became the first Saban assistant to beat the master last year? Or will the Crimson Tide further add to the Aggies’ misery?
“I do think he is under pressure on the program taking the next step,” Mullen said. “That’s where a lot of the pressure comes from saying, ‘Hey, this is Year 5. You’ve had some really good recruiting classes. Are we going to see you at 10 or 11 wins this year? In November, are you in the mix for the SEC title game?’ Those are questions that people want answered.”
Some have had a few. Some have had many. The Oregon Ducks seemingly come up with a new one every week.
The topic is, of course, alternate uniforms. The best of the best have become beloved staples of the fall calendar for college football fans. Just as many, though, have been relegated to the dustbin of history (or at least a campus storage closet). A vaunted few have risen to an even higher tier: cult classic.
With the 2025 college football season approaching, we decided to run through the extensive catalog of alternate uniform offerings in the sport since 2000 and parse through it all to determine some of the most memorable — for better or for worse.
We broke our superlatives list down into a number of categories — three broad, three specific, each with multiple nominations, and six exclusive awards. Some of these categories reward aesthetic beauty. More prefer just plain zaniness.
Here are the best, worst and wildest of alternate uniforms from the past 25 years.
Best in show
In the nominations for our best of the best, we covered a wide range of topical ground. From distinct colors to well-executed throwbacks, our five picks offer an array of different ways to make an alternate uniform pop.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors: Retro and rainbow, 2015
Florida International Panthers: Miami Vice, 2024
Houston Cougars: Paying homage to the Oilers, 2023
Florida Gators: Simplistic throwback perfection, 2019
SMU Mustangs: Repping Dallas, 2019
Most … ambitious
It’s always encouraging when a team is willing to try something new — creativity and boldness are two traits that help make college football fun. That said, not every outside-the-box alternate uniform idea is created equal. We’re not necessarily saying these uniforms are bad, but they definitely were… enterprising.
Florida Gators: Gator-print, 2017
Michigan State Spartans: Neon green, 2019
Colorado Buffaloes: Throwbacks gone too simplistic, 2009
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Yankee Stadium crossover, 2018
Miami Hurricanes: Orange sleeves, 2005
Craziest helmets
A great — or poor — helmet can make or break a uniform, so we created a separate category for some of the most notable lids. Bonus points were awarded for distinctiveness, regardless of how well-executed.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Big Red front and center, 2024
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Honeycomb theme, 2012
Utah Utes: Rose Bowl specials, 2022
Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia tries grey, 2011
Virginia Tech Hokies: The flexing HokieBird, 2012
Most “State-triotic”
A key element of college football is representing a school’s hometown or home state. These three schools went the furthest in going above and beyond to fulfill that mission, incorporating their state’s flag into their alternate uniforms. The aesthetic results were varied.
Maryland Terrapins, 2011
Colorado State Rams, 2017
Texas Tech Red Raiders, 2014
Best from the final frontier
An unlikely source of quality alternate jerseys in recent years? Outer space. In fact, space-themed uniforms produced enough impressive alternates that we deemed it worthy of its own category. Here are the best of the best to have drawn inspiration from the stars.
UCF Knights: Space U, 2023
Purdue Boilermakers: Honoring the school’s astronauts, 2019
Air Force Falcons: Representing the Space Force, 2022
Best tribute
Context matters for uniforms, too. Almost all alternate uniforms represent or honor something, but some threads have particularly special motives. These two alternates have established themselves as particularly distinguished in the backstory category.
Boston College Eagles: The red bandana series
The Eagles have donned uniforms featuring a red bandana pattern and a “FOR WELLES” nameplate once a year since 2014. The uniforms pay homage to Welles Crowther, a Boston College alum who died saving lives in the Sept. 11 attacks while wearing a red bandana.
UAB Blazers: The Children’s Harbor series
A tradition since 2016, UAB has worn special jerseys for select games as part of a partnership with Children’s Harbor, a service center for seriously ill children and their families in Birmingham, Alabama. The Blazers’ Children’s Harbor jerseys feature the names of patients on the back in place of those of players.
Worst trend to never catch on
Block letter jerseys
A very brief but nevertheless unfortunate stint in the pantheon of alternate uniform history was the spurt of designs in the early 2010s featuring jerseys with block letter logos front and center. Of the assorted pitfalls an alternate uniform can hit, these ran the gauntlet.
Changing the aesthetics for the jerseys of teams with classic traditional threads? Check. Unwieldy designs without grounding in a school’s history or tradition? Check. Creating a strange on-screen viewing experience? Check. Blissfully, these never took hold outside of a few Big Ten one-offs.
Lifetime achievement award
Oregon
Undoubtedly the most prolific uniform-producing school, the Ducks put out more uniform combinations in a season than some programs do in a decade. Instead of trying to choose which categories to slot them into — since they’ve produced enough memorable combinations to be involved in just about every option, really — we’re simply giving the Ducks a lifetime achievement award, showcasing a short palette of their range here.
Best alternate uniform reveal series
Notre Dame
While there have been plenty of great alternate uniform reveals, nobody in the game has committed to a bit quite like Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish started in 2022, parodying “The Hangover” to unveil their uniforms for that year’s Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas. They’ve since established the movie parody lane as their niche, riffing “Jerry Maguire” in 2023 and “Wolf of Wall Street” in 2024.
Some guys CAN handle Vegas
Feel It. October 8 pic.twitter.com/HdzdAOaCDs
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) July 27, 2022
Best consistent yearly alternate uniform matchup
The Army-Navy game
Admittedly, there are not a ton of matchups producing alternate uniform matchups on an annual basis. Or any, for that matter. But it simply wouldn’t be an alternate uniform story without plaudits being given to the level of detail put into Army and Navy’s respective uniforms on a yearly basis for their rivalry game in recent years. So, like Oregon, we’ve created a specific category to highlight some of the best Army-Navy alternate uniform showdowns.
Techs Stick Together unity award
Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech, 2007
It felt right to end this piece with an “alternate” uniform that, while very much not intentional, was certainly memorable. On November 1, 2007, Virginia Tech played a routine road game against Georgia Tech. There was just one issue — some of the Hokies’ jerseys had gone missing. As a result, four Virginia Tech players had to play with the only extra uniforms on hand: Yellow Jacket road jerseys, with new names scrawled on the back and “Georgia Tech” blacked out on the front.
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David Hale
At a media event Friday, North Carolina Central coach Trei Oliver was asked about the most ridiculous moments he has faced in coaching, and his response set off alarms across the state of Virginia.
Oliver said he found a Virginia Tech assistant coach on the sideline for one of North Carolina Central’s games last year and suggested the coach was there to lure his star running back, J’Mari Taylor, into the transfer portal.
“Virginia Tech was actually on my sideline recruiting our running back,” Oliver told reporters, according to WRAL News. “That was pretty bold. I couldn’t believe it.”
Oliver didn’t name the running back, but he said the player later transferred to Virginia. Taylor was a first-team all-conference player who is now on Virginia’s roster.
Oliver said he needed assistant coaches to calm him down on the sideline, noting several told him, “He’s just down here visiting.'”
“But I knew what it was,” Oliver said.
Virginia Tech released a statement Saturday saying this was the first time the issue had been raised and that the school would investigate.
“This is the first time the issue has been brought to our attention, and no concern has previously been shared with us through any formal channel,” the team said. “Virginia Tech takes all NCAA rules seriously and is committed to conducting our program with integrity. We are reviewing the matter internally and will address any findings appropriately.”
Taylor, a graduate transfer, will be part of the Virginia backfield rotation this season, and Oliver said he will be rooting for his former player at his new school — particularly when the Cavaliers play Virginia Tech on Nov. 29.
“Thank God he went to UVA,” Oliver said, “and UVA is going to beat the smoke out of them other folks.”
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is just around the corner, with contending teams deciding what they need to add before 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31.
Could Jarren Duran be on the move from the Boston Red Sox? Will the Arizona Diamondbacks deal Eugenio Suarez and Zac Gallen to contenders? And who among the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies will go all-in to boost their 2025 World Series hopes?
Whether your favorite club is looking to add or deal away — or stands somewhere in between — here’s the freshest intel we’re hearing, reaction to completed deals and what to know for every team as trade season unfolds.
More: Top 50 trade candidates | Passan’s preview | Fantasy spin
Jump to: Completed deals | Latest intel
Completed deal tracker
Yankees make another deal for infield depth
The New York Yankees acquired utility man Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two minor leaguers. Story »
Royals get outfielder in trade with D-backs
The Kansas City Royals acquired veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Andrew Hoffmann. Story »
Yankees land infielder McMahon in deal with Rockies
The New York Yankees are acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Colorado Rockies, sources confirmed to ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Mets get bullpen help from O’s
The New York Mets have acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles, sources confirmed to ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Mariners start trade season with deal for Naylor
The Seattle Mariners have acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks for left-hander Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi are headed back to the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Seattle Mariners for first baseman Josh Naylor, sources told ESPN. Story » | Grades »
MLB trade deadline buzz
July 27
Can Mets find an ace at deadline? The market has been very thin in teams offloading, but according to sources, the Mets continue to look around to see whether there’s a match for a starting pitcher capable of taking the ball for a Game 1, Game 2 or Game 3 of a postseason series. Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks could be that guy, or maybe it’s Seth Lugo of the Royals, or the Padres’ Dylan Cease. Perhaps it’s one of the two big-time starters who will be under team control beyond this season, the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara or the Twins’ Joe Ryan. The Mets’ rotation was exceptional early in the year, before injuries and natural regression began to take a toll, and the team could use a boost in the front end of this group as they fight the Phillies for NL East supremacy. — Buster Olney
Which way will deadline bubble teams go? The staredown continues as deadline week begins, with perhaps as many as a half-dozen teams waiting to declare their status. “This weekend is big for a lot of teams,” said one evaluator.
The Rays, who appeared to be gathering momentum a month ago, are now just a game over .500, and given the organization’s longstanding focus on maximizing the value of their players, some rival evaluators think they could now be considering dealing some pieces away.
The St. Louis Cardinals are two games over .500, with the industry waiting to see whether they will deal closer Ryan Helsley. The expectation is that they will, given the tough NL playoff landscape. The Tigers could be interested, maybe the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers or Yankees.
The Los Angeles Angels are now five games under .500, and the presumption is that they will eventually move some players before the deadline, but the Angels don’t always operate in the way teams typically do. Taylor Ward has drawn interest from other organizations. — Olney
July 25 updates
Will the Royals trade Lugo — or extend him? Seth Lugo is an intriguing name in the trade market, but rival evaluators don’t sense the Royals are especially motivated to make a deal. Kansas City could also use this moment to explore an extension with Lugo, to keep their deep well of starting pitching intact. — Buster Olney
Angels’ deadline plans coming into focus: Any confusion about whether the Angels will add or subtract ahead of the trade deadline has seemingly cleared up in recent days, with a four-game losing streak that has them five games under .500.
The Angels are telling teams their pending free agents are available, sources with knowledge of the situation said. That includes third baseman Yoan Moncada, utility infielder Luis Rengifo, starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and closer Kenley Jansen. Left fielder Taylor Ward, controllable through 2026, can also be had with the right deal.
The Angels famously never rebuild under owner Arte Moreno and are prone to adding even in times when they seem like long shots to contend — most notably in 2023, when they not only held on to Shohei Ohtani but also traded for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez before collapsing in August.
At this time last year, they tried to move the likes of Anderson and Rengifo but did not believe they would have received enough back to justify holding on to them through the following season. And so it is worth noting: Even if the Angels do decide to punt on 2025, their goal would be to contend again next season.
Any moves they make would probably be geared toward that. By trading away rentals, the Angels will try to use the trade deadline to add accomplished players who can help the team next year. — Alden Gonzalez
What the Astros might be looking for: The Astros’ best fit in a hitter is someone who could play second base or left field, and they can move Jose Altuve accordingly. Per FanGraphs, the Astros have a 94.5% chance to reach the postseason; they lead the Mariners by five games in the AL West. — Buster Olney
How Arizona could shape the trade deadline: The Diamondbacks informed other teams in the past that they would “probably” be dealing away players, but even after trading Josh Naylor to Seattle, it’s unclear just how far Arizona will go. If the D-Backs decided to go all-in on trading veterans, they could reshape their organization significantly, by moving free-agents-to-be Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and, of course, Eugenio Suarez.
The perception of other front offices is that Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick does not want to completely offload, especially with the Dodgers drifting back toward the pack in the NL West — and as of Thursday night, Suarez wasn’t even officially on the market.
The Diamondbacks, who reached the World Series in 2023 after winning just 84 games during the regular season, won their first three games after the All-Star break, but have subsequently lost three in a row. What some rival evaluators believe is that if the D-Backs keep dealing, it’ll be because of a nudge from the front office. Arizona has been extensively scouting other organizations in preparation. — Buster Olney
White Sox starter drawing interest from contenders: About a half-dozen or more scouts will be in attendance at Rate Field on Friday night when Adrian Houser takes the mound for the White Sox. He has compiled a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts for Chicago after being picked up midseason. Teams don’t believe they’ll have to give up a lot to acquire him, and he could make for a good back-end starter or depth piece for a contender. The White Sox are likely to move him at his peak, and Friday could be the final look for those who are interested. — Jesse Rogers
July 24 updates
Could Mets land this deadline’s top slugger? Eugenio Suarez could be an intriguing option for the Mets as they’ve gotten little production out of Mark Vientos at third base. And if things work out and Suarez wants to stay — and they want him to — he could also provide protection for the Mets at first base in case Pete Alonso moves on next season. The Mets rank 23rd in OPS at third, so why wouldn’t they inquire about Suarez, knowing they can hand the position back to Vientos in 2026 if they wish. — Jesse Rogers
July 23 updates
Houston is in the market for a third baseman: Add the Astros to the list of contenders looking for a third baseman. With All-Star Isaac Paredes expected to miss significant time because of what manager Joe Espada described as a “pretty serious” right hamstring strain, the Astros have begun poking around for available third basemen. One of them is the Rockies’ Ryan McMahon, who also has drawn interest from a few other clubs.
The 30-year-old represents a solid veteran option. McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 home runs, and the metrics indicate he has been one of the top defensive third basemen in the majors this season. He is under contract over the next two seasons for $32 million, so he wouldn’t be just a rental, which should raise the Rockies’ asking price. — Jorge Castillo
A big addition to the available deadline starting pitching options? A surprise name has emerged in the starting pitcher market: Dylan Cease, who will be eligible for free agency at year’s end. Perception of other teams is that the Padres are intent on making a push for the playoffs and would use Cease to help fill other roster needs. Mets, AL East teams, Cubs among teams that have talked about him. — Buster Olney
How Cubs are approaching deadline: The Cubs are looking for a starting pitcher first and foremost, but won’t part with any top prospects for rentals. They would be willing to trade a young hitter for a cost-controlled pitcher or one already under contract past this season. They are desperate to add an arm who can help while Jameson Taillon recovers from a calf injury. Bullpen games in Taillon’s place haven’t gone well. — Jesse Rogers
Will Twins trade top pitchers? Several high-profile teams are in need of bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline — including the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers — and the Twins have two of the best available in Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. The sense is that at least one of them will be traded, but those who are looking for relief help expect the asking price to be very high, partly because both of them are controllable through 2027 and partly because the Twins’ uncertain ownership situation has clouded the approach with those who are not pending free agents.
The Twins are widely expected to trade outfielder Harrison Bader, super-utility player Willi Castro, starter Chris Paddack and lefty reliever Danny Coulombe. But Jax, Duran and young starter Joe Ryan are the ones who would bring back the biggest return. The Twins are said to be listening on everyone. But the team being up for sale since October, and in limbo ever since prospective buyer Justin Ishbia increased his ownership stake in the White Sox in early June, has complicated matters with longer-term players. — Alden Gonzalez
July 22 updates
An Orioles starting pitcher to watch: It seems very likely that Charlie Morton (3.47 ERA last 12 appearances) will be traded, within a relatively thin starting pitching market with a lot of teams looking for rotation help — the Padres, Yankees, maybe the Mets or Astros; a number of teams have expressed interest. In the past, Morton has had a preference to pitch for a team closer to the East Coast and his Florida home, but he doesn’t control that. O’s GM Mike Elias does. — Buster Olney
Will Cleveland deal All-Star outfielder? The player asked about the most on the Guardians’ roster is Steven Kwan, but given that he is two and a half years away from free agency, it’s unlikely he’ll be traded, according to sources. Kwan’s slash line this year: .288/.352/.398. He also has 11 stolen bases and has made consecutive All-Star appearances. — Olney
Braves not looking to move Murphy: Sean Murphy‘s name has been tossed around in trade speculation, but according to sources, he will not be available. Atlanta’s catcher is playing well this year and will be playing under a high-value contract for the next three seasons — $15 million per year from 2026 to 2028, plus a team option in ’29. And the Braves are set up well with the right-handed-hitting Murphy and left-handed-hitting Drake Baldwin perhaps sharing the catching and DH spots into the future. — Olney
Why the 2022 Cy Young winner isn’t the most in-demand Marlins starter: Edward Cabrera has become more coveted than Sandy Alcantara, who teams believe might take an offseason to fix. Alcantara’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is scary low — just 1.9 — and his ERA is 7.14. Cabrera, on the other hand, is striking out more than a batter per inning and his ERA sits at 3.61. The 27-year-old right-hander will come at a heavy cost for opposing teams. — Jesse Rogers
How Kansas City is approaching the trade deadline: The Royals have signaled a willingness to trade, but with an eye toward competing again next year — meaning they aren’t willing to part with the core of their pitching staff. Other teams say Kansas City is (unsurprisingly) looking to upgrade its future offense in whatever it does.
Right-handed starter Seth Lugo will be the most-watched Royal before the deadline, since he holds a $15 million player option for 2026 “that you’d assume he’s going to turn down,” said one rival staffer. That’ll make it more difficult for other teams to place a trade value on him: The Royals could want to market him as more than a mere rental, while other teams figure he’ll go into free agency in the fall when he turns down his option. — Olney
What the Dodgers need at the deadline: The Dodgers’ offense has been a source of consternation lately, with Max Muncy out, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman slumping, and key hitters tasked with lengthening out the lineup — Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto — also struggling.
But the Dodgers’ focus ahead of the deadline is still clearly the bullpen, specifically a high-leverage, right-handed reliever. Dodgers relievers lead the major leagues in innings pitched by a wide margin. Blake Treinen will be back soon, and Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol are expected to join him later in the season. But the Dodgers need at least one other trusted arm late in games.
It’s a stunning development, considering they returned the core of a bullpen that played a big role in last year’s championship run, then added Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates in free agency. But Scott and Yates have had their struggles, and there are enough injury concerns with several others that it’s a need. — Alden Gonzalez
Which D-backs starter is most coveted? The Diamondbacks are getting as many calls — if not more — about Zac Gallen as they are for Merrill Kelly, even though the latter starting pitcher is having the better season. Teams interested in adding to their rotations still have more faith in the 29-year-old Gallen than the 36-year-old Kelly. — Rogers
Who are the White Sox looking to deal? Chicago’s Adrian Houser seems likely to move, as a second-tier starter who has performed well this season. The 32-year-old right-hander was released by the Rangers in May but has been very effective since joining the White Sox rotation, giving up only two homers in 57⅔ innings and generating an ERA+ of 226. Nobody is taking those numbers at face value, but evaluators do view him as a market option. The White Sox also have some relievers worth considering.
But it seems unlikely that Luis Robert Jr. — once projected as a centerpiece of this deadline — will be dealt, unless a team makes a big bet on a player who has either underperformed or been hurt this year. The White Sox could continue to wait on Robert’s talent to manifest and his trade value to be restored by picking up his $20 million option for next year, which is hardly out of the question for a team with little future payroll obligation. — Olney
Why Rockies infielder could be popular deadline option: Colorado’s Ryan McMahon is the consolation prize for teams that miss out on Eugenio Suarez — if he’s traded at all. The Cubs could have interest and would pair him with Matt Shaw as a lefty/righty combo at third base. — Rogers
Does San Diego have enough to offer to make a big deal? The Padres have multiple needs ahead of the trade deadline — a left fielder, a catcher, a back-end starter. How adequately they can address them remains to be seen. The upper levels of their farm system have thinned out in recent years, and their budget might be tight.
The Padres dipped under MLB’s luxury-tax threshold last year, resetting the penalties. But FanGraphs projects their competitive balance tax payroll to finish at $263 million this year, easily clearing the 2025 threshold and just barely putting them into the second tier, triggering a 12% surcharge.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller might have to get creative in order to address his needs. One way he can do that is by buying and selling simultaneously. The Padres have several high-profile players who can hit the market this offseason — Dylan Cease, Michael King, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez — and a few others who can hit the open market after 2026. Don’t be surprised to see Preller leverage at least one of those players, and their salaries, to help fill multiple needs. — Gonzalez
Which Orioles could be on the move? Not surprisingly, Baltimore is perceived as a dealer and is expected by other teams to move center fielder Cedric Mullins, first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and some relievers. — Olney
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