
MLB Power Rankings: Who’s the new No. 1 atop our list?
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adminThere’s a new top team in our rankings!
After two weeks of baseball, the Rays remain undefeated, their 12-0 start the best since the 1987 Brewers. Will they be able to keep up this dominance? Or will the division rival Yankees catch them soon enough?
As if that wasn’t surprising enough, elsewhere in the league, the Astros sit third in the American League West while the uber competitive National League West is currently led by … the Diamondbacks? What a start to the season!
Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers, Alden Gonzalez and Joon Lee to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Record: 12-0
Previous ranking: 4
The Rays look like a well-oiled machine primed to make a deep run into October with all cylinders clicking. Shortstop Wander Franco leads the way, having hit three homers in the past week. And while Franco represents the most important player in the lineup, the rotation continues to chug along, with Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen looking like three of the best pitchers in baseball through the first few trips of the rotation. And that’s all without Tyler Glasnow, who’s slowly ramping up his injury rehab for an expected return soon. — Lee
Record: 9-4
Previous ranking: 1
On the good news side, while Bryce Elder started the season in Triple-A after losing his bid to make the rotation, he replaced the injured Max Fried and responded with two scoreless starts against the Cardinals and Reds covering 12⅓ innings. On Tuesday, Matt Olson slugged one of the most impressive home runs of 2023, a 448-foot blast with a 118.6 mph exit velocity — the hardest-hit home run of the season and just the 10th player to hit a 118 mph home run in the Statcast era (since 2015).
In bad news, Michael Harris II (back) and Travis d’Arnaud (concussion) landed on the injured list, while Ian Anderson will undergo Tommy John surgery after making one start in Triple-A. It has been a tough two years for Anderson after he went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA across the 2020 and ’21 postseasons. — Schoenfield
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 3
The best news for New York is that Gerrit Cole is pitching as well as he ever has in pinstripes. Through three starts, the ace looks sharp, posting a 1.40 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 1.0 bWAR. The biggest question mark remains shortstop, where young phenom Anthony Volpe has struggled to start the season. Volpe played a total of 22 games in Triple-A before winning the starting shortstop job out of spring training, so there has been an adjustment period to the tune of a .143/.250/.229 batting line through 12 games. — Lee
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 6
The Padres just concluded a brutal East Coast trip that saw them play back-to-back series against two of the best teams in the NL, winning three of four against the Braves before dropping two of three to the Mets. All but two of those games were decided by three runs or fewer. The Padres are less than halfway through a stretch of 18 games in 18 days, and their upcoming opponents — the Brewers, Braves and Diamondbacks, respectively — won’t get any easier. They won’t have Joe Musgrove for that stretch, either. The Padres’ frontline starter suffered a setback with his right shoulder during a rehab start last week, and his return has been pushed back to the end of the month. — Gonzalez
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 5
Dustin May wasn’t as sharp in his latest outing, a loss to the rival Giants on Tuesday night. But the Dodgers can’t help but feel encouraged by what they’ve seen from the 25-year-old right-hander, who has allowed just three runs through his first 18⅓ innings while displaying the devastating stuff that captivated so many people throughout the industry early in his career. May has spent most of the past two years recovering from Tommy John surgery. His ulnar collateral ligament tear occurred just as he was establishing himself as a bona fide ace. If he can tap back into that, the Dodgers will be in business. — Gonzalez
Record: 6-7
Previous ranking: 2
The Astros signed closer Ryan Pressly to a two-year, $30 million extension about this time last year, one that will take him through the 2024 season and has a mutual option for 2025. Pressly earned that deal by being one of baseball’s most consistent high-leverage relievers, with sub-3.00 FIPS in every season from 2018 to 2022. But he’s still a reliever, and the ugly side of that volatility coin has turned up so far in 2023. Still, as unsightly as Pressly’s 8.44 early ERA might be, Houston fans can take solace in the fact that he has faltered in only two of his outings. Sandwiched between two relief losses were four perfect outings. The stuff has looked fine, and it’s highly likely that the story of Pressly’s season is very much yet to be written. — Doolittle
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 12
The Brewers kept up their winning ways last week, sweeping the Mets and then taking a series from the Cardinals. Their NL-leading pitching staff is a run better than the next team — and they’ve done it against good competition. And that includes a bloated 5.19 ERA from Corbin Burnes. Others have more than made up for it — especially out of the bullpen, where Milwaukee’s relievers have compiled an incredible 1.37 ERA through their first 12 games. — Rogers
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 8
In a contract year, Matt Chapman has been on fire. The Toronto third baseman is widely considered one of the best gloves the game has to offer, but he has struggled at the plate in recent years. It has been a different story so far in 2023, as he has hit .489/.538/.851 with three homers and an MLB-leading eight doubles. It’s unreasonable to expect Chapman to keep things up to this level, but if he continues to produce offensively, Toronto will be a scary team at the plate. So far this season, the Blue Jays look loaded offensively, led by Chapman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr, Bo Bichette and newcomer Daulton Varsho. — Lee
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 7
Max Scherzer bounced back from that three-homers-in-row loss to the Brewers last week to throw five scoreless innings to beat the Padres on Monday, allowing just one hit. Still, it wasn’t exactly prime Scherzer, as he walked three batters and labored through 97 pitches. He did say after the game that his fastball wasn’t as sharp as he wanted, but he viewed the game as a step in the right direction.
“I’m not broken,” he told reporters. “I wasn’t broken after the Milwaukee start. I didn’t have to reinvent the wheel, just had to fine-tune some things. That’s baseball. If you follow the results, you can make yourself go crazy at times. You’ve got to be able to reflect on what’s actually happening and know where you’re getting beat. I thought I identified the right things to be able to do, and I made better pitches because of that.” — Schoenfield
Record: 7-6
Previous ranking: 10
With the rotation already missing Triston McKenzie, who isn’t eligible to return from the 60-day IL until late May, the Guardians lost another starter this week when Aaron Civale went down with an oblique injury. Thus, the defending AL Central champs are seeing their rotation depth tested early. The replacement for McKenzie has been rookie Hunter Gaddis. His early outings have been a mixed bag, with a strong start against lowly Oakland, a short stint against Seattle and a drubbing at the hands of the Yankees. In for Civale will be Peyton Battenfield, making his first MLB appearances. Battenfield was acquired from the Rays in the 2021 trade that sent outfielder Jordan Luplow to Tampa Bay. He had a 3.63 ERA over 153⅔ innings for Columbus last season with 6.4 strikeouts per nine innings. — Doolittle
Record: 8-4
Previous ranking: 9
The good news: For those who thought the Twins might have been right on time with their acquisition of Pablo Lopez, the start of the season has been very encouraging. Lopez has looked very much like the front-of-the-rotation starter Minnesota has desperately needed the past few years. The it’s-early caveat remains, but Lopez has struck out more than a third of the batters he has faced this season and is elite in measures like ERA, expected ERA and expected average allowed. The bad news: Carlos Correa is off to a frigid start. He slugged under .300 over the Twins’ first eight games and ranked last among all position players in win probability added. — Doolittle
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 13
Texas shook off a series loss to the Cubs by taking one from the Royals this week as Andrew Heaney — the lesser-known free agent pitching signee by the team — made some history when he struck out nine straight batters on Monday. If Heaney can find his rhythm with his new team, it could go a long way toward the Rangers finding their way back to the postseason. So far, Texas is one of the top strikeout pitching teams in baseball, thanks in part to Jacob deGrom’s 11-whiff performance last week. DeGrom, Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi will all have to perform for the team to have a chance. — Rogers
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 15
Shohei Ohtani has allowed only one run through his first three starts this season, despite walking 12 batters and hitting three others. Ohtani battled shaky command for the second straight time against the Nationals on Tuesday night, but he still completed seven scoreless innings of one-hit ball. The sweeper has become a major weapon, but Ohtani continues to manipulate all of his pitches throughout the course of his outings, making it very difficult for opposing hitters to pick up on any patterns. His evolution as a pitcher continues. Oh, and he boasts a .979 OPS as a hitter. — Gonzalez
Record: 8-5
Previous ranking: 20
Few teams are built to take advantage of MLB’s new set of rules better than the D-backs, who have already accumulated 17 stolen bases and have been caught only once. They’ve taken the extra base 61% of the time, tops in the majors. With the likes of Corbin Carroll, Jake McCarthy, Alex Thomas and Josh Rojas outfitting the roster, the D-backs are built to run. But they need to create more opportunities to do so. Their on-base percentage sits at just .311, 13 points below the major league average. — Gonzalez
Record: 5-8
Previous ranking: 14
In the midst of the team’s rough start, Jarred Kelenic might finally be figuring things out. He hit three long home runs on consecutive days at Wrigley Field: one off the scoreboard in right field, one into the tunnel in left-center and then a monster 482-foot blast into the upper deck of the center-field bleachers, a place few balls have ever landed. It’s the longest Mariners home run of the Statcast era (since 2015), the longest at Wrigley Field and the 12th longest by any hitter. Before that, he had a three-hit game at Cleveland, and he’s now hitting .351 with a 1.117 OPS. His hard-hit rate is in the 95th percentile and, most importantly, he has cut down on his chase rate and looks more relaxed at the plate. — Schoenfield
Record: 5-7
Previous ranking: 11
No one should be panicking just yet, but it’s unusual to see St. Louis with a team ERA over 5.00 — no matter how early in the season it is. Miles Mikolas is mostly responsible for that high number. He has given up a whopping 29 hits in 14⅓ innings. An extremely high .481 batting average on balls in play might be a result of a 45% hard-hit rate against him, so unless that latter number comes down, the former one probably won’t. It’s hard to imagine the Cardinals falling out of the race despite their poor pitching — not with rookie Jordan Walker providing a boost. He has hit in all 12 games he has played, tied for the longest streak by a player age 20 or younger to begin a career since 1900. — Rogers
Record: 6-6
Previous ranking: 19
The Adley Rutschman MVP campaign begins! The Orioles star catcher looks like one of the best players in baseball, hitting .391/.491/.609 with three homers in 12 games. But beyond Rutschman, Baltimore has gotten big production to start the season from first baseman Ryan Mountcastle and shortstop Jorge Mateo. Top pitching prospect Grayson Rodriguez has two starts under his belt now, giving up five runs in 4⅓ innings to the Athletics in his most recent outing. — Lee
Record: 6-5
Previous ranking: 22
The Cubs had a solid week, taking home series from both the Rangers and Mariners. Chicago’s contact-oriented offense has created havoc for opposing pitching staffs as the fourth-hardest team to whiff so far. Dansby Swanson and Ian Happ have led the way, with the latter player signing a three-year extension on Wednesday. The Cubs are off to a good start but have played nine of 11 games at home. An early West Coast trip will be a test and so will welcoming the Padres and Dodgers to Wrigley Field before the end of the month. — Rogers
Record: 4-8
Previous ranking: 16
Aaron Nola is 0-2 with a 7.04 ERA through three starts, losing to the Marlins on Tuesday when he allowed four runs, three of those coming in the sixth inning, which he failed to complete. “I’ve had two really bad innings, first game and this game,” Nola said after the loss. As good as Nola has been in his career, the “big inning” remains his one consistent problem — think of the big inning the Padres had against him in last year’s NLDS or the Astros in the World Series. Last year, Nola held batters to a .199 average and .543 OPS with the bases empty, but it soared to .287 and .852 with runners in scoring position. So far in 2023, batters are 8-for-18 (.444) against him with runners in scoring position. — Schoenfield
Record: 5-8
Previous ranking: 17
The White Sox’s up-and-down start continued this week, and it was peppered with a stark mix of good news and bad news. The good news is that some of the veteran bounceback candidates the White Sox are relying on are off to good starts, a group that includes Yasmani Grandal, Yoan Moncada and Mike Clevinger. Luis Robert has been one of the top players in the AL in the early going, mashing five quick homers and putting up elite baserunning and fielding numbers. He still never walks, but it’s hard to argue with the bottom.
But the bad news is pretty bad. Tim Anderson, off to a strong start, hit the IL with a knee sprain and could miss a month. The White Sox are now down two regulars, with Anderson joining Eloy Jimenez on the IL. Still, Anderson’s misfortune is an opportunity for prospect Lenyn Sosa, who, in 36 Triple-A plate appearances to start the season, had amassed five doubles, two homers, eight RBIs, seven walks and a 1.383 OPS. Now is his chance to translate some of those Ruthian numbers to the bigs. — Doolittle
Record: 5-7
Previous ranking: 18
The injury to Adam Duvall — Boston’s hottest hitter through the first two weeks of the season — exposed the fragile standing of the Red Sox roster. Boston did not have a natural replacement to sub in for Duvall in the outfield, calling up Bobby Dalbec, who has mostly played first base in the major leagues but could be called upon to man third and shortstop. The thing to watch with the Red Sox will be the rotation. They need Chris Sale, Garrett Whitlock and Corey Kluber to be better to have any shot of making the postseason in a deep AL East. — Lee
Record: 5-7
Previous ranking: 21
“I really think we’re going to hit a lot,” Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said of his team’s home run output leading up to the season. So far, that has certainly been the case. The Giants have accumulated 21 home runs through the first two weeks of the season, third most in the majors. Just as encouraging: Eleven of their players have hit at least one. The Giants haven’t had a singular 30-home-run hitter since Barry Bonds in 2004 — but if they can assemble a lineup full of guys who can contribute at least half that amount, they might just be able to make a playoff run. — Gonzalez
Record: 7-5
Previous ranking: 25
The loss of Oneil Cruz for up to four months because of an ankle injury simply can’t be made up. His awkward slide at home in a game against the White Sox might have torpedoed any chance the Pirates had at a decent season. Still, the Pirates have held their own after sweeping the Red Sox last week. They took two of three from the White Sox before beating the World Series champions on Tuesday. Cruz’s loss will catch up to them, though, as the offense was in the bottom third of the league even with him. It’ll take a hit without him — though one of his replacements, rookie Ji Hwan Bae, hit a three-run walk-off home run for the win over Houston. It was a lift the Pirates needed. — Rogers
Record: 6-7
Previous ranking: 23
Luiz Arraez has started the season looking like he wants to add an NL batting title to the AL one he won last year with the Twins — something only DJ LeMahieu has done (and his AL title with the Yankees came in the shortened season of 2020). Arraez hit .500 through his first 13 games, going 23-for-46 with more walks (six) than strikeouts (four). On Tuesday, he became the first Marlins player in their 31 seasons to hit for the cycle. He had already doubled, tripled and homered when he came to the plate in the eighth inning and lined a single to left field.
The Marlins have had two batting champs in franchise history: Hanley Ramirez in 2009 (.342) and Dee Strange-Gordon in 2015 (.333). Ramirez’s .342 average that year is the highest single-season mark in Marlins history. — Schoenfield
Record: 4-7
Previous ranking: 24
Cincinnati could be starting an early decline after losing two consecutive series following two rainouts in a row. The Reds are not expected to be players in the NL Central, and they’re beginning to live up to that billing — though they rank middle of the pack in both offense and pitching. At least lefty Nick Lodolo is off to a good start. He has given up just two runs over 12 innings. His sweeping curveball is turning heads and striking out batters — he has 21 K’s. — Rogers
Record: 5-8
Previous ranking: 26
The Rockies breathed a huge sigh of relief Wednesday, when an MRI revealed no structural damage on German Marquez’s sore right forearm. Marquez isn’t expected to miss much longer than what his stint on the IL calls for, which means he’ll soon rejoin the top of the Rockies’ rotation alongside Kyle Freeland, who has allowed only two runs through his first 18⅔ innings this season. Freeland left his start against the Cardinals on Tuesday with a 6-2 lead, but the bullpen allowed seven runs over the final third of the game in an eventual loss. The Rockies’ bullpen has a 5.48 ERA thus far — even though three of Tuesday’s runs were unearned. — Gonzalez
Record: 4-9
Previous ranking: 27
The Royals have ranked last in team batting average for pretty much the entirety of this season so far. That’s unusual for an organization that has always tended to feature batting-average/gap-hitting/speed-based offenses when at its best. The Royals might finish last in team average, or they might not; it’s far too early to say. But what is really strange about it at the moment is that, as a club, they’ve actually hit the ball consistently hard. According to Statcast, the Royals have ranked in the top five by average exit velocity all season, sitting right there on the leaderboard with the likes of the Dodgers, Giants, Braves and Yankees. Only the Dodgers have a larger gap between their expected average, based on quality of contact, and actual average. — Doolittle
Record: 4-9
Previous ranking: 30
One of the most interesting players to watch in 2023 is Washington center fielder Victor Robles. A key member of the 2019 World Series champions, especially on defense, Robles struggled mightily at the plate the past three seasons, hitting just .216/.291/.306 — and his defense hadn’t been quite as spectacular either. He turns 26 in May, and most teams would have run out of patience by now, but the Nationals don’t really have any other options, so Robles has one last chance to prove himself a major league regular.
So far, he has been better. His exit velocity is up, he’s walking some and his strikeout rate is way down. There still isn’t much power here — his 17 home runs in 2019 look like a stone-cold fluke, reflective of the extra-juiced ball that season — but if he can put the ball in play and hold down center, he can be a useful player again. — Schoenfield
Record: 2-9
Previous ranking: 28
There hasn’t been much that has been encouraging in the Tigers’ start. The team defense has been solid, at least by the metrics, with Javier Baez ranking among the early elite with his glove. Alas, when the Tigers signed Baez it wasn’t for him to be the new Ed Brinkman. (Brinkman, the Tigers’ regular at shortstop during the early 1970s, is an avatar for that era’s glut of all-field, no-hit shortstops.) It’s obviously very, very early, but Baez’s early showing at the plate has looked like a continuation of his not-too-good Detroit debut season. Through his first 40 plate appearances, Baez managed just four hits, all of them singles. — Doolittle
Record: 3-9
Previous ranking: 29
Oakland could be one of the worst regular-season teams in recent memory, with no starting players hitting more than .270 through the early part of the season. Even the team’s flashier additions have not looked good so far. Japanese pitcher Shintaro Fujinami has been a mess through two starts, allowing 13 runs in 6⅔ innings pitched. With attendance numbers routinely clocking in at fewer than 10,000 fans per game, the Athletics are looking like a real-life approximation of “Major League” as a potential move to Las Vegas looms over the season. — Lee
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Deadline week update! Rankings for the top 50 MLB trade deadline candidates
Published
5 hours agoon
July 28, 2025By
admin
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Kiley McDaniel
CloseKiley McDaniel
ESPN MLB Insider
- ESPN MLB Insider
- Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
- Has worked for three MLB teams.
Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’
Jul 27, 2025, 06:00 PM ET
The July 31 MLB trade deadline is just days away, so it’s time for a deadline week update to our top 50 trade candidates ranking.
Major League Baseball’s trade market is ever evolving, and to keep you updated, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan have put together a list of potential trade candidates based on players’ performance — and that of the teams that could be involved in potential deals.
This is the most up-to-date accounting of where MLB’s trade market stands. While some of the players on the list are unlikely to be dealt, they’re at least being discussed in potential deals. Others might be making the list for the first time this week as their team’s fortunes have changed.
Note: Players ranked by value for their new team if traded, not likelihood of being dealt.
Chance of trade: 90%
Suarez is in a contract year and playing like one of the best players in baseball. Only Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge have more home runs than his 33. Despite turning 34 years old before the trade deadline, Suarez is sitting near career highs in isolated power and wRC+ (which measures overall performance). His fielding metrics have declined in recent years, but he’s still an acceptable defender at third base. Even if the Diamondbacks don’t offload all their free agents to be, Suarez could move because they’ve got Jordan Lawlar raking in Triple-A and primed to take over at third.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies
Chance of trade: 10%
Ryan is one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a mix of stuff and pitchability, and teams in search of long-term fits dream of the possibility the Twins will actually move him. That is unlikely, but this is deadline season, so there is always the chance a team surveys the market, finds nothing to its liking and overpays. The Twins don’t necessarily want to move Ryan; they are more in listening mode on nearly everyone that occupies a roster spot — and with Ryan not a free agent until after the 2027 season, teams are trying, with little success thus far, to pry him away.
Best fits: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 10%
While the general sense is that Gore won’t go anywhere, the Nationals are, at the very least, listening — and that warrants a spot atop the list regardless of the minimal likelihood interim general manager Mike DeBartolo deals him. The prospect of Gore moving is tempting enough to want to engage: 144 strikeouts in 117⅔ innings with enough control that he’s walking a career-low 3.4 per nine innings. Even if stuff-plus models aren’t crazy for Gore, he gets elite swing-and-miss and is the sort of pitcher that could tempt teams to overpay.
Best fits: Boston, Chicago Cubs, Toronto, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Houston, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 25%
Another late entry to the proceedings, Cease is throwing as hard as he did in his prime and is here more as a function of the Padres not having payroll flexibility or a deep minor league system than some sort of desire to deal him. As an impending free agent, he wouldn’t bring back nearly the haul of Ryan or Gore. And there are genuine questions about whether the holes the Padres would try to fill by moving Cease would only be exacerbated on the starting-pitching side were he to go. Regardless, they’re at the very least listening, and with Cincinnati and San Francisco breathing down their necks for the final NL wild-card slot, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller could try to get creative in upgrading his roster.
Best fits: Boston, Chicago Cubs, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 10%
An All-Star the last two years and Gold Glove winner in all three of his previous big league seasons, Kwan is a do-everything left fielder with elite bat-to-ball skills and two years of club control after 2025. Cleveland doesn’t want to deal him, but with a dearth of available bats, the Guardians at very least will listen to see if teams are willing to blow them away with offers.
Best fits: Philadelphia, New York Mets, Cincinnati, Toronto, San Diego, Los Angeles Dodgers
Chance of trade: 25%
Duran had a huge breakout season in 2024, posting the seventh-best fWAR in the majors at 6.8. He overperformed his underlying metrics, though — i.e. had some lucky outcomes — and those metrics have regressed a bit this year as has his luck. Duran’s projected to finish the season with around 3.0 WAR, which is more in line with how the league sees him. With Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, the Red Sox have the outfield depth to consider moving Duran for controllable, top-end pitching.
Best fits: San Diego, Atlanta, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco, Philadelphia
7. Jhoan Duran, RP, Minnesota Twins
Chance of trade: 30%
Duran is one of the best relievers in the sport, thanks to his nasty stuff, headlined by a fastball that averages 100.4 mph and a splinker that sits 97.6 mph. He has two more years of team control after this season, so he’d demand a big trade package.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
Chance of trade: 20%
Clase was nearly unhittable last season, but his numbers have regressed this year. He has issued more walks and gotten fewer ground balls while allowing more damage on his cutter that averages 99 mph — in part due to more center-cut locations. Under contract for less than $30 million through 2028, he would bring a big return to Cleveland.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
9. Cade Smith, RP, Cleveland Guardians
Chance of trade: 20%
Smith has been the best reliever in baseball by WAR since the beginning of the 2024 season, and with more than 13 strikeouts per nine innings this year, he is the solution to many teams’ late-inning woes. With four more years of control, he’s also going to be prohibitively expensive for most teams, making a deal difficult to come by.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
10. Griffin Jax, RP, Minnesota Twins
Chance of trade: 30%
Despite a 3.92 ERA that says otherwise, Jax has been one of the top relievers in baseball this season — the best by xFIP and toward the top in other similar metrics. Over the last two seasons, he’s second in the sport behind Cade Smith in reliever WAR. Only Fernando Cruz and Mason Miller have a better strikeout rate than Jax’s 14.37 per nine, and his sweeper-heavy arsenal induces as much swing-and-miss as anyone.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
11. Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Chance of trade: 70%
Kelly doesn’t have big raw stuff, posting the second-lowest average fastball velocity (92.1 mph) among pitchers with 125 innings pitched this season. His changeup is his best pitch by a wide margin, and he gets by with location and offspeed stuff. He was a stalwart in the Diamondbacks’ run to the 2023 World Series, striking out 28 in 24 innings with a 2.25 ERA.
Best fits: Toronto, Boston, Houston, Chicago Cubs
Chance of trade: 65%
Not only is Keller in the midst of a career-best season with a 3.53 ERA, he’s under contract for another three years at a very reasonable $55.7 million. The Pirates need bats, and moving Keller is the likeliest way to fill that void. Teams could be scared off slightly by the quality of contact against him — his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate have spiked while his strikeouts are down — but in an environment with little pitching, Keller is nevertheless desirable.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Boston, Toronto, Houston
Chance of trade: 30%
All the potential the Marlins have seen in the 27-year-old right-hander is finally coming into focus this season. While Cabrera’s 97 mph fastball gets hitters’ attention, it’s his curveball and slider that are doing most of the work. And with a changeup that in years past has been his best pitch, the cost to acquire Cabrera will be high because of his full arsenal and three more years of club control.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Boston, New York Mets, Toronto, Houston, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees
Chance of trade: 50%
Alcantara was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2022, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously. He was more solid than spectacular in 2023 and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery. He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory. His 6.66 ERA is frightening, and with the Marlins still valuing him as a top starter, they could hold onto him until the winter, when teams like the Orioles would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Baltimore
15. Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Chance of trade: 70%
Gallen was excellent for the last three seasons but now, in a contract year, is posting career-worst numbers in almost every category. His stuff looks pretty similar, but he’s allowing much more damage when hitters make contact. That said, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is back to normal in his last six starts, at 35-to-6, despite a 6.55 ERA in that span.
Best fits: Toronto, San Diego, Houston, Chicago Cubs
16. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Chance of trade: 85%
O’Hearn is having an out-of-nowhere career year, with an OPS+ of 132 (and he’s been unlucky with ball-in-play luck, to boot) along with being on pace for a career high in homers. He doesn’t face lefty pitchers much at all and his splits suggest that he shouldn’t.
Best fits: Houston, Boston, San Francisco, Texas
17. David Bednar, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Chance of trade: 70%
In a market replete with relief options, the 30-year-old Bednar brings high-end performance without quite the price tag of his peers. His swing-and-miss stuff has been elite since his return from Triple-A, and he has more than salvaged his trade value: Over his last 23 outings, Bednar has struck out 29, walked five and posted a 0.00 ERA.
Best fits: Detroit, Toronto, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Seattle
Chance of trade: 80%
Helsley had the fourth-best WAR among relievers last season and is in a contract year, but he has been notably worse this season. His stuff and locations are pretty similar, but the main difference is his fastball is getting hit hard — with one byproduct being his spiking home run rate.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, New York Yankees, Toronto, Detroit, New York Mets, Seattle
Chance of trade: 20%
Fairbanks raised his slot a bit this year, and now his 97.3-mph fastball has more cutting action while his slurvy slider has more depth with both pitches playing a notch better than they did last season. He’s got a club option for 2026 that, with escalators, should wind up around the $10 million range. Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes and bullpen injuries have cut into the likelihood Fairbanks moves.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Detroit, Toronto, Texas
20. Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Guardians
Chance of trade: 50%
A late entrant into the trade market, Bieber still hasn’t thrown a big league pitch this season and is coming back from Tommy John surgery. With his fastball up to 94 mph and his slider looking like its old sharp self, though, he’s generating plenty of interest and could be one of the bigger names moved at the deadline.
Best fits: San Diego, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston, Toronto
Chance of trade: 60%
Ward comes with an additional year of team control after this season and he’s having a strong 2025 campaign, just one homer away from last year’s career high total of 25 — and in 52 fewer games.
Best fits: Cincinnati, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco
Chance of trade: 50%
Robert has been extremely unlucky with ball-in-play results this season, but that has begun to turn around recently. He remains a strong defender and baserunner, with a career-high 24 steals already. But the slashline is unsightly, and his trade value has cratered over the last two seasons. He’s got a pair of $20 million-a-year club options that the acquiring team will be hesitant to exercise absent a turnaround. Finding a match with a team willing to pay more for Robert’s upside than his productivity could be challenging.
Best fits: San Diego, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Cincinnati, San Francisco
23. Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Chance of trade: 20%
Arenado’s strikeout rate is around his career best and he’s still an above-average defender, but his power and patience are both trending down to around the worst of his career. He’s still a solid starter but no longer a star, and the team taking him on a deal would still have to pay him like one. Potentially complicating any deal: a full no-trade clause.
Best fits: Detroit, Milwaukee, Seattle
Chance of trade: 70%
Ozuna is a stone-cold DH, playing two games in the field in 2023 as his last regular-season experience defensively. He’s also in a contract year, but his power numbers are down a notch from his standout .302 average and 39-homer performance last season. His on-base percentage remains among the highest of potential trade candidates. If anyone is moving from Atlanta, he’s the likeliest candidate, with free agency beckoning.
Best fits: San Diego, Seattle, Texas, Detroit, San Francisco
Chance of trade: 50%
Garcia averaged 30 homers in 2021-24, but he’s fallen off since his 2023 career year. It’s worth noting that per xwOBA, he’s been the 13th-most unlucky hitter in the big leagues this year. He also has another year of team control, so some teams could see a buy-low opportunity.
Best fits: Philadelphia, Seattle, Cincinnati, San Diego, San Francisco
26. Reid Detmers, RP, Los Angeles Angels
Chance of trade: 15%
The No. 10 pick from the 2020 draft transitioned to relief this season and has found similar success to other highly-drafted college lefties, including A.J. Puk, Andrew Miller and Drew Pomeranz. He comes with three more years of control after this season and his velo is up 1.7 mph in the new role, so this might be where he fits long term — and he could fetch a hefty return. Some teams still see Detmers as a starter.
Best fits: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Toronto
Chance of trade: 90%
Following a dreadful start to the season, Morton found his curveball and has righted himself. Between his stuff and playoff experience, he has leapt up teams’ boards as a true target and almost certainly will move before the deadline.
Best fits: New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston, San Diego, Toronto
28. Adrian Houser, SP, Chicago White Sox
Chance of trade: 90%
Houser’s resurgence is a success story for the White Sox. He opted out of a minor league deal with Texas to sign with the White Sox in mid-May and has limited home runs to post a 2.10 ERA in nearly 70 innings. He’ll eat innings for sure, but some scouts see his stuff as good enough to warrant a spot in a postseason rotation.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston, San Diego, Toronto
Chance of trade: 80%
Mullins is a 30-year-old center fielder in a contract year who contributes in a number of ways, though he’s hitting only .217 and his defensive metrics have regressed to be below average in center. His walk rate and power numbers are up this season, making him a solid contributor on a contender.
Best fits: Philadelphia, Houston, New York Mets
30. Willi Castro, UT, Minnesota Twins
Castro has played six of the eight field positions this year and has been a solid, versatile utility type since a breakout season in 2023. He doesn’t offer eye-popping numbers or tools, but is around average at most things while playing all over the field on an everyday basis.
Nos. 31-57
31. Seth Halvorsen, RP, Colorado Rockies
32. Zack Littell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
33. Jeffrey Springs, SP, Athletics
34. Jesus Sanchez, RF, Miami Marlins
35. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
36. Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
37. JP Sears, SP, Athletics
38. Michael Soroka, SP, Washington Nationals
39. Tyler Anderson, SP, Los Angeles Angels
40. Kyle Finnegan, RP, Washington Nationals
41. Luis Severino, SP, Athletics
42. Zach Eflin, SP, Baltimore Orioles
43. Pierce Johnson, RP, Atlanta Braves
44. Phil Maton, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
45. Steven Matz, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
46. Harrison Bader, CF, Minnesota Twins
47. Jake Bird, RP, Colorado Rockies
48. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
49. Yoan Moncada, 3B, Los Angeles Angels
50. Andrew Heaney, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
51. Chris Paddack, SP, Minnesota Twins
52. Raisel Iglesias, RP, Atlanta Braves
53. Tomoyuki Sugano, SP, Baltimore Orioles
54. Ramon Urias, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
55. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UT, Pittsburgh Pirates
56. Luis Urias, 2B, Athletics
57. Shelby Miller, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Sports
Ichiro shows funny side, joins CC, Wagner in HOF
Published
9 hours agoon
July 28, 2025By
admin
-
Bradford DoolittleJul 27, 2025, 06:34 PM ET
Close- MLB writer and analyst for ESPN.com
- Former NBA writer and analyst for ESPN.com
- Been with ESPN since 2013
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, one of five new members of baseball’s hallowed institution.
After enduring the baseball tradition known as a rain delay, the five speeches went off without a hitch as the deluge subsided and the weather became hot and humid. Joining Suzuki were pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, and sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker, both of whom were enshrined posthumously.
“For the third time, I am a rookie,” Suzuki said, delivering his comments in English despite his long preference for conducting his public appearances in Japanese with the aid of an interpreter.
For the American audience, this provided a rare glimpse into Suzuki’s playful side. Teammates long spoke of his sense of humor behind the closed doors of the clubhouse — something the public rarely saw — but it was on full display Sunday.
When Hall voting was announced, Suzuki fell one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous selection for the Hall. He thanked the writers for their support — with an exception.
“Three-thousand [career] hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers,” Suzuki said. “Except, oh, one of you.”
After the laughter subsided, Suzuki mentioned the gracious comments he made when balloting results were announced, when he offered to invite the writer who didn’t vote for him home for dinner to learn his reasoning. Turns out, it’s too late.
“The offer to the one writer to have dinner at my home has now … expired!” Suzuki said.
Suzuki’s attention to detail and unmatched work ethic have continued into the present day, more than five years since he played his last big league game. That was central to his message Sunday, at least when he wasn’t landing a joke.
“If you consistently do the little things, there’s no limit to what you can achieve,” Suzuki said. “Look at me. I’m 5-11 and 170 pounds. When I came to America, many people said I was too skinny to compete with bigger major leaguers.”
After becoming one of the biggest stars in Japanese baseball, hitting .353 over nine seasons for the Orix BlueWave, Suzuki exploded on the scene as a 27-year-old rookie for the Seattle Mariners, batting .350 and winning the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.
Chants of “Ichiro!” that once were omnipresent at Mariners games erupted from the crowd sprawled across the grounds of the complex while the all-time single-season hits leader (262 in 2004) posed with his plaque alongside commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark.
Despite his late start in MLB, Suzuki finished with 3,089 hits in the majors and 4,367 including his time in Japan. Suzuki listed some of his feats, such as the hit total, and his 10 Gold Gloves.
“Not bad,” he said.
Sabathia’s weekend got off to a mildly rough start when his wife’s car broke down shortly after the family caravan departed for Cooperstown. They arrived in plenty of time though, and Sabathia was greeted warmly by numerous Yankees fans who made the trip.
After breaking in with Cleveland at age 20, Sabathia rocketed to stardom with a 17-5 rookie season. Alas, that came in 2001, the same year that Suzuki landed in the American League.
“Thank you most of all to the great players sitting behind me,” Sabathia said. “I am so proud and humbled to join you as a Hall of Famer, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year Award in 2001.”
Sabathia focused the bulk of his comments on the support he has received over the years from his friends and family, especially his wife, Amber.
“The first time we met was at a house party when I was a junior in high school,” Sabathia said. “We spent the whole night talking, and that conversation has been going on for 29 years.”
Parker, 74, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on June 28, less than a month before the induction ceremony. Representing him at the dais was his son, Dave Parker II, and though the moment was bittersweet, it was hardly somber.
Parker II finished the speech with a moving poem written by his father that, for a few minutes, made it feel as if the player nicknamed “The Cobra” were present.
“Thanks for staying by my side,” Parker’s poem concluded. “I told y’all Cooperstown would be my last rap, so the star of Dave will be in the sky tonight. Watch it glow. But I didn’t lie in my documentary — I told you I wouldn’t show.”
Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 homers, won two Gold Gloves on the strength of his legendary right-field arm and was named NL MVP in 1978. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and entered the Hall representing the Bucs.
Wagner, whose 422 career saves ranks eighth on the all-time list, delivered an emotional but humorous speech about a small-town guy with a small-for-a-pitcher 5-foot-10 stature who made it big.
“I feel like my baseball life has come full circle,” Wagner said. “I was a fan before I could play. Back when baseball wasn’t so available on TV, every Saturday morning I watched Johnny Bench and so many of the other greats on a show ‘The Baseball Bunch.'”
In one of the moments of baseball serendipity that only Cooperstown can provide, the telecast flashed to Bench, sitting a few feet away from where Wagner was speaking.
Allen’s widow, Willa, delivered a touching tribute to her late husband, who died in 2020 after years of feeling overlooked for his outstanding career. The 1964 NL Rookie of the Year for the Phillies, Allen won the 1972 AL MVP for the Chicago White Sox.
“Baseball was his first love,” Willa said. “He used to say, ‘I’d have played for nothing,’ and I believe he meant it. But of course, if you compare today’s salary, he played almost for nothing.”
Willa focused on the softer side of a player who in his time was perhaps unfairly characterized for a contentious relationship with the media.
“He was devoted to people, not just fans, but especially his teammates,” Willa said. “If he heard someone was sick or going through a tough time, he’ll turn to me and say, ‘Willa, they have to hear from us.'”
Sports
Braves get starting pitcher Fedde from Cardinals
Published
9 hours agoon
July 28, 2025By
admin
-
Alden GonzalezJul 27, 2025, 06:42 PM ET
Close- ESPN baseball reporter. Covered the L.A. Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the L.A. Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran starting pitcher Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later or cash, both teams announced Sunday.
As part of the deal, the Cardinals will cover the majority of what remains of Fedde’s $7.5 million salary for 2025, a source told ESPN.
Fedde, 32, is a free agent at season’s end, making him a surprising pickup for a Braves team that was swept by the Texas Rangers over the weekend and is 16 games below .500, trailing the first-place New York Mets by 16½ games.
But the Braves have sustained a slew of injuries to their starting rotation of late, with AJ Smith-Shawver (torn ulnar collateral ligament), Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured elbow), Chris Sale (fractured ribcage) and, more recently, Grant Holmes (elbow inflammation) landing on the injured list since the start of June.
Fedde reestablished himself in South Korea in 2023, parlaying a dominant season into a two-year, $15 million contract to return stateside with the Chicago White Sox. Fedde continued that success in 2024, posting a 3.30 ERA in 177⅓ innings with the White Sox and Cardinals.
This year, though, it has been a struggle for a crafty right-hander who doesn’t generate a lot of strikeouts. Twenty starts in, Fedde is 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.
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