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.
MLB trade deadline buzz
July 24 updates
The uncertainty surrounding Ohtani: The contingent of English- and Japanese-speaking media members who cover the Los Angeles Angels posed for a photo Sunday. It was the team’s last home game before a 10-day road trip that will spill past the trade deadline, and thus, it was potentially the last time that group — most of whom are dedicated to covering Shohei Ohtani wherever he goes — will be together.
Such is the state of things.
Nine days remain until the Aug. 1 trade deadline, and there is still a lot of uncertainty as to whether Ohtani, the Angels’ transformative two-way star, will be dealt before then. Front-office sources throughout the industry said things were quiet on the trade front over the weekend, and many of them have a hard time believing Angels owner Arte Moreno will trade Ohtani in the first place — especially since the team has found a way to remain in contention without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon.
But the Angels have not publicly declared that Ohtani will stay, so teams throughout the sport are preparing for the possibility that he can be had. They have to be ready to act; acquiring a player of that magnitude takes a lot of legwork. — Alden Gonzalez
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Who is a sleeper team to trade for Shohei Ohtani?
Buster Olney maintains that Shohei Ohtani is unavailable for trades, but identifies the Rays as a team that could put together an appealing package if the Angels change their position.
How valuable is Bellinger on the market? The Chicago Cubs can only hope Ohtani isn’t moved, as Cody Bellinger is having a resurgent year and an even better month of July. The price should be high, though, with or without Ohtani on the market. There can’t be many teams more in need of Bellinger than the New York Yankees, but the Toronto Blue Jays need left-handed hitting help as well. The noise about the Astros’ interest is just that: noise.
If any candidate was eligible for a trade and re-sign with his old team, it’s Bellinger. The moment the Cubs move him, they need to replace him. Reliever Mark Leiter Jr. is also garnering interest as the Cubs have done a decent job of developing and flipping relievers in recent years. Marcus Stroman also has interest from the obvious contenders. — Jesse Rogers
Will the Padres be adding or dealing? It might be hard to believe, given his nature, that San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller won’t be aggressive one way or another, either selling off veteran players or acquiring them. As of now, though, the expectation is that starter Blake Snell and closer Josh Hader will remain with the team, according to a person familiar with the team’s thinking.
If available, Snell would probably be the best starting pitcher available and Hader would probably be the best relief pitcher available. Both are free agents at season’s end, and if the Padres don’t believe they can truly contend in 2023, they could use both to get younger, cheaper players that balance out both the roster and the payroll, better positioning the club for 2024.
At the moment, though, the Padres don’t seem ready to punt on 2023. But a lot can change this week during their six-game homestand against the Pirates and Rangers. A lack of significant traction could prompt Preller to pivot in the other direction. And if he does, perhaps superstar outfielder Juan Soto, a free agent after 2024, will be available, too. If there’s one thing Preller has proved in his Padres tenure, it’s that he doesn’t take half-measures. — Gonzalez
The Cards’ stance at the deadline: The St. Louis Cardinals will start sifting through offers this week. Jack Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery are as good as gone. Unless Snell is moved, Montgomery is going to be the best lefty starter on the market. Most contenders have some interest, including the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros. St. Louis wants controllable pitching in return and could attach an outfielder in a package. From the position players side, Paul DeJong could make sense, since he has team options over the next two seasons. What happens with Jordan Hicks is still a question mark. — Rogers
Could Dodgers add All-Star third baseman? The Los Angeles Dodgers might be in first place in the National League West, but they’re also one of the most needy teams heading into the trade deadline. They need starting and relief pitching, and they’d also like to add a right-handed bat to their lineup, with position not being much of a factor.
One name to watch here is Nolan Arenado, the Cardinals third baseman who is owed a very reasonable $94 million over the next three years. The Dodgers have long been enamored of Arenado, 32, and they see third base as a need they’ll have to address in the offseason given their present construction.
The Cardinals aren’t expected to trade Arenado at the moment, but the Dodgers have the type of young talent — particularly pitching — to sway teams in a situation like this. Arenado has a full no-trade clause, but he grew up in Southern California and the expectation is that he would waive it for a team like the Dodgers. — Gonzalez
Candelario on the move? The Washington Nationals will subtract at the deadline, with third baseman Jeimer Candelario their best trade chip right now. With Josh Donaldson out, the switch-hitting Candelario could be a perfect fit for the Yankees. — Rogers
White Sox dealing pitchers:Lucas Giolito will be moved as he has no chance of re-signing in Chicago. He’d be a good addition for the pitching needy Cincinnati Reds. There has been no indication Dylan Cease will get traded — not with two years remaining of team control and few good Chicago White Sox starters under contract after this season. If Joe Kelly is healthy, he and Kendall Graveman are options for any of the contenders. Tim Anderson‘s future in Chicago is also murky. — Rogers
A senior member of the athletics staff at a community college in Oakland, California, was shot on campus Thursday, the second time in two days the city has had a shooting at a local school.
The Oakland Police Department said it was investigating the shooting that occurred just before noon at Laney College, where officers arrived to find a man with gunshot wounds. The victim was taken to a hospital and his condition was unknown.
The man later was identified as John Beam, the current athletic director and former head coach of the Laney football team. Beam and the Laney Eagles were featured in the 2020 season of the Netflix documentary series “Last Chance U.” The docuseries focused on athletes at junior colleges looking to turn around their lives.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said she was “heartbroken” by “the second shooting on an Oakland campus in one week.”
“My thoughts are with Coach John Beam and his loved ones. We are praying for him,” Lee said in a prepared statement. “Coach Beam is a giant in Oakland — a mentor, an educator, and a lifeline for thousands of young people. For over 40 years, he has shaped leaders on and off the field, and our community is shaken alongside his family.”
Lee added: “We are standing together, praying for Coach Beam and his loved ones.”
Thursday’s incident came a day after a student was shot at Oakland’s Skyline High School. The student was in stable condition. Police said they arrested two juveniles and recovered two firearms.
Colorado athletics director Rick George will step down from his role at the end of the academic year and become a special advisor to the chancellor, the school announced Thursday.
George has been the AD in Boulder since 2013, returning to the school where he once served on legendary football coach Bill McCartney’s staff as the recruiting coordinator and assistant athletic director for football operations. This coincided with Colorado’s only national title in 1990.
“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve as Athletic Director for the University of Colorado for the last 13 years, but after considerable thought and discussions with my family dating back to last spring, I have decided it is time for new leadership to guide the department,” said George. “I wanted to make this announcement now in order to give Chancellor Schwartz plenty of time to find the right person for Colorado, and I look forward to doing everything I can to ensure a smooth transition.
“I also wanted to time my announcement so that I could support Coach Prime and our football team this season, which I’m looking forward to continuing in my new role.”
During his tenure as athletics director, George oversaw the development of a new athletics building attached to Folsom Field and was named the Athletic Director of the year in 2023-24 by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics.
His time as AD will perhaps be most remembered by his hiring of Deion Sanders as football coach, which generated significant national interest in Colorado football. He also returned Colorado to the Big 12, which represented a significant domino in the collapse of the Pac-12 following UCLA and USC’s departures for the Big Ten.
George also spent time as a member of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee and served on the Division I Council.
“Rick’s contributions to our university in his 13 years as head of our athletic department have been incalculable,” Chancellor Justin Schwartz said. “He is a nationally respected leader who has always kept CU at the forefront of the dynamic and highly competitive landscape of college athletics. I am grateful for his leadership and am elated he has decided to stay on as a Special Advisor and AD Emeritus.”
Prior to becoming AD, George was the Chief Operating Officer for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball.
The school did not announce a timeline for hiring a replacement.
The College Football Playoff management committee has formally approved the return of Utah athletic director Mark Harlan to its selection committee and named current committee member and Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek its new chair, the CFP announced on Thursday.
The moves come hours after Baylor athletic director and selection committee chair Mack Rhoades took a leave of absence from his job for personal reasons amid a university investigation.
“We are deeply appreciative of Mack Rhoades’ leadership and service as chair of the College Football Playoff Selection Committee this season,” CFP executive director Rich Clark said in a news release. “Mack has informed us of his decision to step down for personal reasons, and our thoughts are with him and his family during this time. We are pleased to announce that Hunter Yurachek will assume the role of Selection Committee Chair, effective immediately. Hunter’s experience, integrity, and commitment to the game make him exceptionally well-suited to lead the committee as it continues its important work throughout the remainder of the season.”
Harlan previously served a one-year term during the 2023 season. The CFP typically requires athletic directors on the selection committee to be active, “sitting” athletic directors. Because Rhoades was the Big 12’s nomination, he was replaced by a Big 12 athletic director. The 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua unanimously agreed to the changes.
Harlan is not the only committee member in his second stint with the group, as former Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long – also the CFP’s inaugural chairman – is participating again this season. The 12-person group was already one member short this season after committee member Randall McDaniel also stepped away last month for personal reasons.
Rhoades told ESPN on Thursday that he initiated the leave from his Baylor role but declined to explain why.
Baylor told ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg that the university received allegations involving Rhoades on Monday. The allegations do not involve Title IX, student welfare or NCAA rules and do not involve the football program, indicating it is a separate incident from Rhoades’ alleged altercation with a football player during a September game.
Jovan Overshown and Cody Hall will serve as Baylor’s co-interim athletic directors, a school spokesman told Rittenberg. Overshown is the school’s deputy athletic director and chief operating officer, and Hall is Baylor’s executive senior associate athletic director for internal administration and chief financial officer.