2023 MLB trade deadline tracker: Verlander to Astros and everything that went down before 6 p.m. ET
The 2023 MLB trade deadline has passed with a flurry of moves before 6 p.m. ET arrived on Tuesday, highlighted by the Houston Astros acquiring Justin Verlander in a blockbuster deal with the New York Mets.
While Verlander returning to Houston defined deadline day, it wasn’t the only big move of this trade season, with Max Scherzer going to the Texas Rangers, Michael Lorenzen joining the Philadelphia Phillies, Jack Flaherty heading to the Baltimore Orioles and much more.
Whether your favorite club added or subtracted — or stood somewhere in between — here’s our reaction to the completed deals and what to know for every team.
Trade grades: Report card for every deal | Fantasy impact
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Deadline day: Live updates, completed deals
Previous trades | Earlier buzz
MLB trade deadline day: Live updates, completed trades
Aug. 1 updates
1:52
Will Justin Verlander’s return secure another title for the Astros?
The “Baseball Tonight” crew breaks down Justin Verlander’s trade to the Astros.
COMPLETED TRADE: The New York Yankees are acquiring right-hander Spencer Howard from the Texas Rangers for cash considerations, according to a source familiar with the deal.
COMPLETED TRADE: The San Diego Padres are acquiring right-handed reliever Scott Barlow from the Kansas City Royals, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Boston Red Sox are acquiring infielder Luis Urias from the Milwaukee Brewers, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Miami Marlins are acquiring first baseman Josh Bell from the Cleveland Guardians for infielder Jean Segura and infield prospect Kahlil Watson, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The New York Yankees are acquiring right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton from the Chicago White Sox, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Baltimore Orioles are finalizing a deal for right-hander Jack Flaherty from the St. Louis Cardinals, sources told ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Arizona Diamondbacks are acquiring outfielder Tommy Pham from the New York Mets, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Texas Rangers are acquiring catcher Austin Hedges from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The White Sox have acquired RHP Luis Patino from the Rays for cash considerations, sources tell ESPN.
COMPLETED TRADE: The Marlins have acquired power-hitting infielder Jake Burger from the White Sox for LHP prospect Jake Eder, sources tell ESPN.
E-Rod turns down chance to go to L.A.: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers had a trade in place for left-handed starter Eduardo Rodriguez, but Rodriguez invoked his 10-team no-trade clause that included the Dodgers and the deal is now dead, sources tell ESPN. — Jeff Passan
COMPLETED TRADE: The Brewers acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin in a trade with the Diamondbacks, sources told ESPN. Story »
COMPLETED TRADE: The Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a trade to acquire right-handed starter Michael Lorenzen from the Detroit Tigers, sources told ESPN.
Why the Twins could move a starting pitcher: The market is drying up on starting pitching, and the Twins are getting a lot of calls on their arms. The team is still open to trading one of its starters, with Sonny Gray the pitcher most mentioned. The Twins seek offense in return; they rank 19th in the majors in runs per game, with Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton in particular struggling. — Alden Gonzalez
Braves could sit out trading for rotation help: The Braves have been involved in the starting pitching market, but now there is skepticism they will land one. Max Fried and Kyle Wright are due back soon. — Buster Olney
Dodgers’ plan B after Verlander heads to Houston: The Dodgers are still in on Eduardo Rodriguez, as far as I can tell. And if Dylan Cease and Mitch Keller are not moved, Rodriguez might be their last, best pivot. There doesn’t seem to be anybody else who would serve as a clear upgrade over their best young starters. — Alden Gonzalez
COMPLETED TRADE: The Houston Astros have a deal in place to acquire ace Justin Verlander from the New York Mets, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN. Days after their deal sending Max Scherzer to the Texas Rangers spiced up this trade season, the Mets have sent the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner back to his former team in a true deadline day blockbuster. Story » | Grades »
COMPLETED TRADE: The Blue Jays have acquired infielder Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, sources told ESPN. Story »
COMPLETED TRADE: The San Diego Padres are acquiring left-handed starter Rich Hill and first baseman Ji Man Choi from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources told ESPN. Story »
COMPLETED TRADE: The Rockies and Braves have made the first deal of deadline day, with Colorado sending veteran reliever Brad Hand to Atlanta for RHP prospect Alec Barger, sources told ESPN. Story »
The latest on Verlander’s status: We do not know yet what Justin Verlander wants and he completely controls his situation with his no-trade clause. But as we discussed on “Sunday Night Baseball,” no team is better positioned to make a Verlander trade than the Orioles: They are loaded with prospects, and the Mets demonstrated a clear willingness to eat a lot of money. And there is a CLEAR need for a starter who could take the ball for a Game 1 or 2 in the playoffs or World Series — Buster Olney
Verlander is clearly the name everyone is watching on the heels of New York trading Max Scherzer over the weekend. While the Dodgers and Astros have been mentioned most often, they are far from the only suitors who could be in play for a Verlander blockbuster. — Jesse Rogers
Don’t expect the White Sox to move their shortstop: Things have cooled on the Tim Anderson front. Barring a last-minute change, he’s likely staying in Chicago. — Rogers
Why starting pitcher trades could rule deadline day: One MLB team staffer says there will be a barrage of starting pitcher deals completed today, maybe in the last couple of hours before the deadline, as desperation begins to factor in. Verlander, Jack Flaherty, Eduardo Rodriguez, Michael Lorenzen among the names in play in that corner of the market. The Braves, Dodgers, Reds, Astros and Orioles are among the primary teams looking to add a starter. — Olney
Will the Yankees make a move? As of late Monday night, the Yankees’ front office was not close to making a move. Tuesday will say a lot about the direction the franchise is going to go. There is lot of skepticism in the organization that they will affect a major unloading with the thought that they are more likely to make measured additions. — Olney
What does Bichette’s injury mean for Blue Jays? It could be that the Blue Jays’ trade deadline plans were greatly complicated by the knee injury that forced Bo Bichette to leave Toronto’s game Monday night. The Jays haven’t announced the specifics of the injury, and rival execs speculate that they may not until after the trade deadline, lest they are perceived to be in sudden and desperate need of a shortstop and lose leverage.
The Jays expect to get more info about Bichette’s injury by noon ET, which will give them some clarity as they make decisions before the deadline.
If the Jays need a shortstop, two names to keep in mind: Paul DeJong, the Cardinals veteran who is nearing the end of his six-year, $26 million deal; he will make about $3 million over the last two months in a season in which he’s hit 13 homers so far; and Tommy Edman, who was among the NL leaders in fWAR in 2022. Edman has struggled this year, batting .237 in what has been a frustrating season for the Cardinals, but he has positional flexibility that would give the Blue Jays some options whatever the severity of Bichette’s injury. If Bichette is out for a short time, Edman would be capable of filling in briefly before moving around to other spots after Bichette returns; if Bichette’s injury is more serious, Edman could hold down shortstop in his absence. Edman is making $4.2 million this year while serving in a utility role — shortstop, second base, center field and right.
Another name worth adding is that of Tim Anderson of the White Sox, who is also available and might be a fit if the Bichette injury knocks him out for weeks and/or months. — Olney
Trades completed prior to deadline day
1:01
Kurkjian: Jeimer Candelario fills a need for the Cubs
Tim Kurkjian reacts to the Cubs acquiring Jeimer Candelario and speculates what else the team has in store before the trade deadline.
Reds shore up bullpen with Sam Moll
The Cincinnati Reds are acquiring left-handed reliever Sam Moll from the Oakland A’s for right-hander Joe Boyle, sources tell ESPN. Story »
Giants add pair of hitters in trade with Mariners
The San Francisco Giants are finalizing a trade to acquire outfielder AJ Pollock and utilityman Mark Mathias from the Seattle Mariners, sources told ESPN. Story »
Cubs add Candelario in deal with Nationals
The Chicago Cubs have acquired third baseman Jeimer Candelario from the Washington Nationals, sources tell ESPN. Story » Grades »
Mets continue sale, deal Canha to Brewers
The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring Mark Canha from the New York Mets, a source confirms to ESPN. The Brewers are sending right-hander Justin Jarvis, who’s at Double-A, back to the Mets. Story » | Grades »
Closer Sewald headed to Arizona
The Arizona Diamondbacks are finalizing a trade to acquire closer Paul Sewald from the Seattle Mariners, sources tell ESPN. Seattle will reportedly receive big leaguers Josh Rojas and Dominic Canzone and minor leaguer Ryan Bliss. Story » | Grades »
Angels land Cron, Grichuk from Rockies
The Los Angeles Angels landed outfielder Randal Grichuk and first baseman C.J. Cron from the Colorado Rockies for two minor league pitchers, RHP Jake Madden and LHP Mason Albright. Story » | Grades »
Braves get infield help from Royals
The Atlanta Braves acquired infielder Nicky Lopez from the Kansas City Royals on Sunday in exchange for left-hander Taylor Hearn. Story | Grades »
Rangers add second starter in Montgomery
The Texas Rangers acquire left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery and right-handed reliever Chris Stratton from the St. Louis Cardinals, who get infielder Thomas Saggese, right-hander Tekoah Roby and left-hander John King, sources told ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Blue Jays land deadline’s top reliever in Hicks
The Toronto Blue Jays are finalizing a trade to acquire right-handed reliever Jordan Hicks from the St. Louis Cardinals, sources told ESPN. Adam Kloffenstein and Sem Robberse are headed to St. Louis. Story » | Grades »
Rangers land Scherzer in blockbuster with Mets
Max Scherzer has been traded from the New York Mets to the Texas Rangers in the first true blockbuster deal of this MLB trade deadline. Story » | Grades »
Astros reuinite with Graveman in deal with White Sox
The Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox are in agreement on a deal that will send right-handed reliever Kendall Graveman to the Astros. Story »
Lynn, Kelly headed to Los Angeles
The Los Angeles Dodgers added an experienced arm for their shorthanded rotation and a familiar face to the back end of their bullpen on Friday, acquiring starter Lance Lynn and reliever Joe Kelly from the Chicago White Sox, sources told ESPN. In exchange, the White Sox received outfielder Trayce Thompson, who was originally drafted by Chicago, along with minor league starter Nick Nastrini and minor league reliever Jordan Leasure. Story »
Mets send Robertson to Miami
The Mets’ offloading officially began on Thursday night with a deal sending closer David Robertson to the Marlins for infielder Marco Vargas and catcher Ronald Hernandez. Story » | Grades »
Santana traded across NL Central
The Milwaukee Brewers are acquiring first baseman Carlos Santana from the Pittsburgh Pirates with 18-year-old shortstop Jhonny Severino headed back to Pittsburgh. Story » | Grades »
Giolito heads to the Angels
The Los Angeles Angels acquired RHP Lucas Giolito and RHP Reynaldo López from the Chicago White Sox in exchange for minor league LHP Ky Bush and C Edgar Quero. Story » | Grades »
Rosario to the Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have acquired shortstop Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians. Noah Syndergaard is headed to the Guardians in return. Story » | Grades »
Twins and Marlins swap relievers
The Minnesota Twins acquired Dylan Floro from the Miami Marlins in exchange for Jorge Lopez on Wednesday in a swap of struggling right-handed relievers. Story »
Mariners adding arm to pen
Reliever Trent Thornton, who was DFA’d last week by Blue Jays, is being traded to the Mariners. Toronto will receive Triple-A infielder Mason McCoy. Story»
Dodgers reunite with former utility player
Enrique Hernandez is headed back to Los Angeles after the Dodgers traded RHP Nick Robertson and RHP Justin Hagenman for him. Story » | Grades »
Mets add to bullpen in early deal
Bullpen help is on its way to New York, with the Mets trading LHP Zach Muckenhirn to the Mariners for RHP Trevor Gott RHP Chris Flexen. Story »
Texas lands resurgent reliever
Breakout Rangers acquire Aroldis Chapman from Royals for LHP Cole Ragans and OF Roni Cabrera. Story »
Previous trade deadline buzz
July 31 updates
What’s next for the Cubs? After acquiring an infield bat in Jeimer Candelario, the Cubs are turning their attention to the mound, with a focus on the bullpen. They desperately need a left-hander and could use a righty as well. Colorado has two of the former as Brent Suter or Brad Hand; both would be good fits. If the Tigers move any of their relievers, Chicago could be interested in Alex Lange or Jason Foley, both of whom remain under team control past this year. Lange is a former Cubs farmhand, and the Cubs could have an in with the front office: Tigers president Scott Harris began his career at Wrigley. It’s unclear if the Cubs would add a starter, but there could be a need — both Marcus Stroman and Drew Smyly have struggled lately. — Jesse Rogers
Could we see a rare New York-New York deal? The Yankees and Mets have made few trades over the past 30 years, but staffers on both sides say the teams would work with each if there’s a deal to be found. That wasn’t always the case. Billy Eppler, the Mets’ general manager, formerly worked as the assistant GM for Yankees exec Brian Cashman. This is all worth remembering with outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha available.
Not surprisingly, the Yankees are said to be still working hard to get an outfielder. Their left fielders went into Sunday night ranking 27th in the majors in OPS and last in some key defensive metrics. — Olney
Two contenders looking for rotation upgrades: Now that the Rays have landed Aaron Civale, the Reds and Orioles are seen by rival execs to be among the most aggressive teams searching for starting pitching today. — Olney
Rays add to rotation with Civale
The Tampa Bay Rays are acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from the Cleveland Guardians, sources tell ESPN. Cleveland will receive first baseman Kyle Manzardo in return. Story » | Grades »
San Diego is now going for it: The Padres did their due diligence about possibly offloading before the deadline, but that chapter is apparently over. They are now out in the market checking on possible OF/DH help and relief pitching. Fangraphs assesses their chances of making the playoffs at 39.8% after a good weekend against the Rangers. — Olney
Could a Candelario trade happen soon? With trade winds swirling, Nationals third baseman Jeimer Candelario is not in the starting lineup on Monday. Washington GM Mike Rizzo said Sunday that eight teams were interested in the switch-hitting veteran. The Twins, Yankees, Marlins, Cubs, Brewers and Angels were among the possible suitors though it’s believed Los Angeles has dropped out after trading for two hitters in a weekend deal with the Rockies. — Rogers
Could Verlander be headed to L.A.? The Dodgers have been engaged with the Mets on the potential of landing Justin Verlander, sources have told ESPN. But the prospect of pulling something off has seemed unlikely given the nature of Verlander’s 2025 option, which automatically vests with 140 innings in 2024. If he hits that number, the acquiring team would be on the hook for somewhere in the neighborhood of $92 million for two-plus seasons of Verlander, who will be 41 in February.
But the machinations of the Max Scherzer trade made this interesting. In it, the Mets paid down all but $22.5 million of Scherzer’s remaining salary in order to acquire a premier prospect in Luisangel Acuna, the brother of Braves star Ronald Acuna Jr. The younger Acuna is now the Mets’ second-best prospect, according to MLB.com.
Each of the Mets’ top five prospects is a position player. What they need are pitchers, and the Dodgers have plenty of those. The question is whether they’re willing to give up the ones who would prompt the Mets to pay down enough of Verlander’s remaining salary to make both sides comfortable.
It’d be a complex scenario, potentially made even more difficult by Verlander’s no-trade clause. If Blake Snell and Marcus Stroman are off the table, and Logan Gilbert isn’t really available, Verlander — and potentially Eduardo Rodriguez — could be the last high-ceiling starting pitcher remaining. The Dodgers aren’t expected to add another starter if he isn’t of that caliber. — Alden Gonzalez
Padres’ sweep helps clear their murky deadline decisions: Have the Padres’ players convinced their front office to keep them together? Word throughout the industry as of Friday was that Padres GM AJ Preller still hadn’t decided whether to trade Blake Snell and Josh Hader and essentially punt on the 2023 season; he and his lieutenants wanted to wait and see how the weekend played out before making a decision on Monday, the last full day before the trade deadline.
Well — the Padres swept the first-place Rangers, outscoring them 16-4 in the process.
The Padres are still two games under .500 and eight games out of first place, and they have yet to win more than three consecutive games all season. But they also have a plus-63 run differential, have been the best defensive team in baseball based on outs above average, and one could make the case that they’ve been generally unlucky, going 0-9 in extra-inning games and 6-17 in one-run games and posting only a .706 OPS with runners in scoring position. In other words, they’re not quite the Mets.
At this point, it will probably take a lot to pry Snell and Hader from the Padres (especially Snell). — Gonzalez
India likely to stay a Red: Any chances of Jonathan India getting traded this summer were probably put to rest Sunday, when the Reds placed him on the injured list because of a bout with plantar fasciitis. The Reds hope India’s stint on the IL is relatively brief — but the chances of him being dealt seemed unlikely to begin with.
India seems like something of a redundant player given the emergence of young, promising infielders like Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain and Spencer Steer, with Noelvi Marte on the way. But he’s also a critical presence in the clubhouse. The Reds’ desire to get controllable starting pitching in return might be better served for the offseason. — Gonzalez
July 30 updates
Angels additions continue: The Angels continued to go all in on 2023 on Sunday, sending two more prospects to the Rockies in exchange for first baseman C.J. Cron and outfielder Randal Grichuk, both of whom were originally first-round picks by the Angels. Cron and Grichuk represent the fifth and sixth veteran players acquired by the Angels over the last five weeks, joining infielders Mike Moustakas and Eduardo Escobar, starter Lucas Giolito and reliever Reynaldo Lopez. They’re all expected to become free agents this offseason.
It cost the Angels a total of five prospects ranked within the top 20 in their system, according to MLB.com, including two of the top three. The latest moves were a reaction to a lineup that is without Mike Trout and Anthony Rendon and is now without Taylor Ward for the remainder of the regular season after he took an Alek Manoah fastball to the face on Saturday. The lack of depth was causing teams to barely attempt to pitch to Shohei Ohtani. — Gonzalez
In St. Louis, Hicks and Montgomery are just the beginning: The trades of Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays and Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers are just the start for the Cardinals, who are in uncharted territory as a team moving pending free agents instead of adding help in July. Starter Jack Flaherty is as good as gone, with Baltimore and San Francisco looking for help on the mound. Infielder Paul DeJong could be part of a package with one of the pitchers, and outfielder Dylan Carlson, who has been scouted by the New York Yankees, could be moved as well. St. Louis will look very different come Tuesday night. — Rogers
Cubs shifting focus from subtracting to adding: As the Cubs continue to add wins to their pre-deadline streak, the team has decided to pull Cody Bellinger‘s name off the trade market, sources told ESPN.
Now that the Cubs are certain to add, bullpen needs are a top priority. It’s likely the team wants to remain under the first luxury tax threshold, so cheaper additions could be in order. Rockies left-handers Brad Hand and Brent Suter fit the bill, but White Sox reliever Aaron Bummer might be the best of the group simply because he’s a ground ball machine. The White Sox didn’t have the defense behind him to take advantage, but the Cubs do. Bummer is signed through next season, so the return would be decent for the White Sox, though considering he has a 6.69 ERA this year, the Cubs probably wouldn’t have to give up a top prospect to land him. — Rogers
July 29 updates
Rangers make megadeal for Max Scherzer
The Mets’ surprisingly aggressive teardown continued on Saturday, by agreeing on a deal to send three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer to the first-place Texas Rangers and Scherzer waived his no-trade clause to complete the deal. The Rangers now have a legitimate top-of-the-rotation starter to make up for the loss of Jacob deGrom. The Mets, meanwhile, will have another hole to fill in 2024. It’s clear they’ve given up on 2023 and are using the trade deadline to bolster the farm system and secure long-term sustainability, a stated goal of lucrative Mets owner Steve Cohen, who doesn’t want to be in a position to surpass the highest level of Major League Baseball’s luxury-tax threshold on a yearly basis. — Gonzalez
Will the Padres upend the trade market again? This is the one time of the year in the baseball industry that a small sample size can make an enormous difference, and this might be the case for the San Diego Padres, who beat Texas on Friday to stay on the fringes of the NL wildcard race (Fangraphs pegs their playoff chances at 29.8%). Rival executives say that AJ Preller, San Diego’s head of baseball operations, has been in contact with other teams and is assessing the trade value of some of his most elite players — pitchers Josh Hader and Blake Snell and outfielder Juan Soto, included. The sense from other execs is that Preller would prefer to keep his team intact or even add through the deadline, but that he could pivot and decide to offload before the deadline.
If Preller decides to clean house, he would instantly transform the trade market. Soto would become the best position player available, perhaps attractive to a team like the New York Yankees; Hader would become the best reliever available, someone who could transform the bullpen of the Houston Astros or Atlanta Braves; and Snell would become the best starter available, for potential buyers like the Baltimore Orioles or Boston Red Sox. The Padres made the biggest splash in the market last season, when they acquired Soto, Hader and others. They could have a similar impact this year as a one-stop shop for star talent. — Olney
July 28 updates
Will Giants get infield help from Braves or Royals? The San Francisco Giants are looking for middle infield help, particularly one that comes with a steady glove. Atlanta Braves shortstop Vaughn Grissom and Kansas City Royals infielder Nicky Lopez have been connected to the Giants by industry sources. Giants catcher Joey Bart (out of options next year, probably needs a change of scenery) appears to be available, but Kansas City and Atlanta seem flush with catching so that likely wouldn’t be a fit. — Kiley McDaniel
Two K.C. relievers drawing interest: The Royals are asking for a high return for reliever Scott Barlow — one team was asked for a back-end Top 100 prospect — but have also been getting interest in Carlos Hernandez. As the starting pitchers are coming off the board, the market for relievers should be getting ready to move. — McDaniel
How the Reds could upgrade their rotation: The Reds have used a handful of relievers often — six relievers have already thrown 40 innings each — and have the third-most relief innings thrown in the NL. They’re looking to add an innings eater starter and Lance Lynn (now with the Dodgers) would’ve fit well. The Reds may be turning their sights toward arms like Marcus Stroman, Jose Quintana, Jack Flaherty, Jordan Montgomery, and former Red Michael Lorenzen. — McDaniel
The Dodgers were expected to be among the most active teams in this year’s trade deadline, and they lived up to that reputation on Friday, striking a deal to acquire Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly from the White Sox. The Dodgers began the week by adding a new shortstop (Amed Rosario) and a right-handed-hitting option against lefties (Enrique Hernandez). Now, in Lynn, they have added a veteran arm for their needy rotation and, in Kelly, a familiar face for the back end of their bullpen in Kelly. Though all four of those players — essentially rentals, though Lynn and Kelly have club options for 2024 — have had disappointing seasons thus far, the Dodgers are clearly confident they can get more out of them once they get them into their system. They have a history of doing so. — Gonzalez
Could Arenado fit in L.A.? While the hefty return it would take to pry the All-Star third baseman from St. Louis still makes a deal seem like a long shot, keep this in mind as rumors swirl about Nolan Arenado potentially going from the Cardinals to the Dodgers: The Dodgers have a history of making blockbuster deals around the trade deadline. In 2017, it was Yu Darvish. In 2018, Manny Machado. In 2021, Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. With a close division race this year, that could mean it’s more likely they do make a big move. To fit Arenado, they could slide Max Muncy over to second base and Mookie Betts back to the outfield. And, yes, Arenado is signed through 2026, but the only players the Dodgers have signed beyond 2024 are Betts, Freddie Freeman and Chris Taylor, so there is payroll flexibility to fit in Arenado long term — and still make an offseason run at Shohei Ohtani. — David Schoenfield
Chicago at the center of this trade deadline: With five days left to deal, the Chicago White Sox are looking to follow up their deal sending Lucas Giolito to the Angels by trading away more of their veteran players with Lance Lynn and Tim Anderson two names drawing interest. Meanwhile, the surging Cubs have a tougher deadline decision to make. — Rogers
July 27 updates
Will Seattle add to its lineup? The Mariners have had an up-and-down and generally disappointing season thus far, and internally, the organization is unsure how much to truly invest into this season when it comes to assessing needs in this market.
The Mariners are not expected to give up key players of their future for would-be free agents at season’s end, like the Angels did while trading two of their best prospects for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez. Ideally, the Mariners would instead find controllable offensive players — preferably a second baseman or a corner outfielder.
Those types of players will be hard to come by this summer. But in order to truly contend — this year and moving forward — the Mariners need to address their offense. — Gonzalez
Will the Angels add to their deadline splash? The Angels made their big move with six days left until the trade deadline, and they might not be done. Giolito is a nice addition to their rotation and Lopez could be a boost to the back end of their bullpen if he gets right. But the Angels would still like to add to their bullpen and would ideally walk away with another bat, either an outfielder or a corner infielder. A big name here seems unlikely, however.
“We’ll see,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters from Detroit on Thursday. “I’m not taking off to the Bahamas tonight. We have some time. We’ll try and look to add in places that we can and improve the team any way we can. I’m not gonna box ourselves into one spot. I think there’s definitely multiple ways to continue to improve the club.” — Gonzalez
Texas looking to add to both rotation and bullpen: We’d heard the Rangers could be one of the most aggressive teams this deadline. By all accounts they are, canvassing the market in a push to land both a starter and a reliever as they try to distance themselves atop the AL West — Rogers
Miami attempting to find lineup upgrades: With an offense that lags behind the teams they are battling in the NL wild-card race, the Marlins are casting a wide net for potential improvements, including at shortstop and in the outfield. They are willing to trade from their system strength of young pitching to get the bat they desire. — Rogers
As we approach the one-month mark of the 2025 college football season, the state of quarterback play among the contenders (and pretenders) across the country is becoming clearer.
LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Penn State’s Drew Allar and Texas’ Arch Manning — all for different reasons — have followed hefty preseason hype with relatively slow starts this fall. Elsewhere, Josh Hoover (TCU), Haynes King (Georgia Tech) and Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) are looking very much as expected, and some of the nation’s biggest offseason question marks, including Oregon’s Dante Moore and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, have emerged as surprise stars.
Week 4 was a big one for transfer passers as Joey Aguilar (Tennessee), Carson Beck (Miami), John Mateer (Oklahoma), Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) and Beau Pribula (Missouri) all built on impressive starts with their new programs. Meanwhile, fellow portal quarterbacks Jackson Arnold (Auburn), Devon Dampier (Utah) and Jake Retzlaff (Tulane) experienced their first stumbles in their new uniforms Saturday.
With four full weeks of college football in the books, here’s our take on the Top 25 and how early-season quarterback situations are developing across the country. — Eli Lederman
Previous ranking: 1
Freshman Julian Sayin is off to a terrific start through three games, having replaced national championship-winning quarterback Will Howard. Sayin ranks 29th nationally in QBR (77.2) and is completing almost 79% of his throws. Sayin didn’t put up big numbers in Ohio State’s season-opening 14-7 victory over then-top-ranked Texas. But he was accurate and avoided any big mistakes (sacks or turnovers), which allowed the Ohio State defense to salt away the win. In Week 2’s 70-0 victory, Sayin set a school record with 16 straight completions to begin the game. Then, in Week 3, he passed for 347 yards as the offense got rolling against Ohio in the second half after a slow start. Some big tests loom ahead, most notably on Nov. 1 against Penn State and in the regular-season finale at Michigan. But Sayin has impressed so far with his poise and precision. — Jake Trotter
Previous ranking: 3
Carson Beck has helped lead the Hurricanes to a 4-0 start following a 26-7 win over Florida on Saturday. Though his performance against the Gators was not up to his standard — Beck went 17-of-30 for 160 yards with one interception — he is still completing 73% of his passes on the season and has helped position Miami in the top five as a CFP contender. Beck has shown an ability to make big plays in the passing game with his receivers, who are skilled at going up and making acrobatic catches or coming down with jump balls. Following an open date, Miami plays Florida State in Tallahassee, and Beck said he is looking forward to playing in Doak Campbell Stadium for the first time. — Andrea Adelson
Previous ranking: 2
The Ducks continue to boast one of the most balanced offenses in the country as they totaled 305 passing yards and 280 rushing yards in their 41-7 win over rivals Oregon State Saturday. One slight difference about this week’s performance, however, was that they let quarterback Dante Moore loosen his arm a bit more. Whether it was by design or not, it worked; Moore threw 31 passes for 305 yards and four touchdowns, all season highs. It was another reminder that no matter how good the Ducks have been this season, Moore still has more in the tank. Even if he doesn’t have the kind of off-the-charts pop that others at his position might boast, the sophomore has proved he can be efficient, explosive when needed and, most importantly, capable of managing Oregon’s offense to perfection so far. — Paolo Uggetti
Previous ranking: 4
After a slow start to the season due to a torso injury, Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier again looked like one of the best passers in the FBS on Saturday, albeit against FCS program Southeastern Louisiana. And with a trip to Ole Miss coming up next, it couldn’t have come at a better time for LSU. Nussmeier completed 25 of 31 passes for 273 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in 2½ quarters of action against the Lions. It was the first game in which he threw for more than 250 yards this season. “This week was big about trying to find our rhythm and getting in stride heading into SEC play,” Nussmeier said. LSU coach Brian Kelly thought Nussmeier did a better job seeing the field and throwing in rhythm. — Mark Schlabach
Previous ranking: 7
Veteran Drew Allar is off to a bit of a slow start statistically. He ranks 111th in QBR (38.4) and has thrown just four touchdowns over three games. But the Nittany Lions have yet to be pressed, as they coasted past Nevada (46-11), Florida International (34-0) and Villanova (52-6). The spotlight, however, will be on Allar and Penn State next weekend when Oregon visits for a prime-time, “White Out” showdown. Allar admitted over the summer that the time has come for the Nittany Lions “to get over that hump” against big-time opponents. Under coach James Franklin, Penn State is 4-20 against teams ranked in the AP top 10 — and Allar has only one career top-10 win (Boise State last year) as Penn State’s starting quarterback. Beating the Ducks this time around would be a huge statement for Allar and the Nittany Lions. — Trotter
Previous ranking: 5
Any lingering quarterback concerns that Georgia fans had about Gunner Stockton were probably put to rest after his performance in a 44-41 overtime victory at Tennessee on Sept. 13. The sophomore completed 23 of 31 passes for 304 yards with two touchdowns and ran 13 times for 38 yards with another score. It was a much better performance for Stockton, who struggled to get the ball down the field in a 28-6 victory against Austin Peay the week before. He led the Bulldogs on four touchdown drives of 72 yards or longer, including one near the end of regulation that resulted in his 28-yard scoring pass to London Humphreys on fourth down. Georgia’s offensive line needs to get better, and Stockton needs to improve at keeping his eyes down the field while scrambling. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 8
So far, things could not have gone better for the Seminoles with transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos, who has been a perfect fit for the offense and the team in general. Castellanos has thrown for 594 yards and three touchdowns this season, completing 71% of his passes, while adding 139 yards rushing and three scores. Florida State has not had to rely on the passing game just yet, as the Seminoles have steamrolled their opponents on the ground. Castellanos did have a bit of a scare in a 66-10 win over Kent State when his leg got rolled up on, but he said afterward he was “all good.” — Adelson
Previous ranking: 9
Washington State transfer John Mateer has delivered on the hype that followed his offseason arrival in Norman. Through four games, he has already taken care of his principal objective: stabilizing a Sooners offense that finished 113th in total offense a year ago. But Mateer has also brought with him a brand of playmaking ability Oklahoma hasn’t had at the quarterback position since Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Jalen Hurts rolled through the program in the late 2010s. Following Saturday’s 24-17 win over then-No. 22 Auburn, Mateer ranks sixth nationally in passing yards (1,215) and tied for second among Power 4 quarterbacks in rushing scores (five). He was far from perfect facing an SEC defense for the first time, and Mateer’s turnover tally (four) and propensity for working himself into trouble are worth keeping an eye on as Oklahoma stares down ranked matchups in six of its final eight games of the season. But there’s no doubt that Mateer has significantly raised the floor for the Sooners’ offense. The question now is just how high the ceiling can be this fall. — Lederman
Previous ranking: 6
The Aggies had a bye week, a fortuitous break after an emotional trip to Notre Dame where they won on a fourth-down touchdown with 13 seconds left. It was A&M’s first road nonconference win against a ranked team since 1979 and first road win against any ranked team at all since 2014. Marcel Reed was just 17-of-37 in that game but threw for 360 yards, and KC Concepcion and Mario Craver have provided the 3-0 Aggies with the big-play threats they lacked last season. Last year, A&M got off to a hot start, beginning 7-1, including a win over No. 8 LSU. Then, a slide started, beginning with a road loss to South Carolina followed by a 43-41 triple-overtime loss to Auburn. The Aggies get the Tigers at home next week, who are coming off a road loss to Oklahoma, to try to keep this year’s momentum rolling. — Dave Wilson
Previous ranking: 20
Although Indiana retained many of its top players from its 2024 CFP team, it needed to replace standout quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The team plucked one of the top available transfers in Cal‘s Fernando Mendoza, who joined his younger brother and fellow quarterback Alberto Mendoza at IU. How would Mendoza adjust? The answer came Saturday with a near-flawless performance, as Mendoza had three more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (two), finishing with 267 passing yards and finding four different teammates for scores. He became the second FBS player with five passing touchdowns and 90% completions against an AP ranked opponent in the past 30 years, joining Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud in 2021 against Michigan State. Mendoza could end up being an upgrade from Rourke. — Adam Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 12
After four games, Rebels coach Lane Kiffin has a good problem on his hands. Ole Miss has two quarterbacks who are more than capable of running the offense. Starter Austin Simmons won the job in camp and has thrown for 580 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. Simmons injured his ankle in the fourth quarter of a 30-23 win at Kentucky on Sept. 6, and backup Trinidad Chambliss has played even better in his absence. In Saturday’s 45-10 rout of Tulane, Chambliss passed for 307 yards with two touchdowns and ran for 112 yards on 14 attempts. In the past two wins over Arkansas and Tulane, Chambliss threw for 660 yards with three touchdown passes and no interceptions, while running for 174 with two scores. With LSU going to Oxford, Mississippi, next week, Kiffin faces a difficult decision. “I’m not saying he’s Russell Wilson, don’t get me wrong, but there’s some similarities in that kind of in the ‘it factor’ and how he moves and holds himself, you know, that I’ve kind of said that since he’s gotten here,” Kiffin said of Chambliss, who won two Division II national championships at Ferris State in Big Rapids, Michigan. — Schlabach
Previous ranking: 17
Behren Morton took some rough hits on Saturday, including a hit to the head that knocked him out of the Red Raiders’ road test at Utah. But Texas Tech did not miss a beat when backup Will Hammond stepped in to replace him. The redshirt freshman threw for 169 yards, rushed for 61 yards and led a 21-0 scoring run in the fourth quarter for a massive 34-10 victory against then No. 16 Utah. Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said Morton will be fine, and a bye week is arriving at a good time for this team. But Hammond, who put up the second-best QBR (96.3) in FBS during Week 4, has done more than enough to prove he’s ready to help this team win if called upon. — Max Olson
Previous ranking: 10
A tuneup against 0-4 Sam Houston might have been what the doctor ordered for several scuffling Longhorns who had yet to find their stride this season. Arch Manning accounted for five touchdowns — three passing and two rushing — and completed 14 passes in a row a week after the Longhorns’ offense got booed after 10 straight incompletions against UTEP. Saturday, Manning finished 18-of-21 for 309 yards, including two touchdown passes of 53 and 13 yards to Ryan Wingo, who had just nine catches and one touchdown in the first three games, and edge rushing star Colin Simmons recorded his first solo sack of the year. The Longhorns head to Florida on Saturday hoping to keep building momentum in their SEC opener against the 1-3 Gators before facing Oklahoma, which beat Auburn to move to 4-0, in Dallas the following week. — Wilson
Previous ranking: 16
Joey Aguilar and Tennessee faced a unique test this week, needing to get back on track after a devastating loss to Georgia last week. Safe to say, they passed it. Aguilar threw for 218 yards and three touchdowns and needed to play only one drive in the second half as the Vols broke out to a 42-7 halftime lead and cruised 56-24 over UAB. The Vols are averaging 53.5 points per game through four games, and Aguilar has 1,124 passing yards and 12 touchdowns. They have an explosiveness that they lacked with Nico Iamaleava at quarterback last season, and the defense has been fine against teams not named Georgia. Starting next week at Mississippi State, however, the Vols embark on a run of three road trips in four games. We’ll see if Aguilar’s solid early form travels. — Bill Connelly
Previous ranking: 13
The Cyclones were idle this week ahead of next week’s home game against surging Arizona. At 4-0, Iowa State is off to a promising start, but it has to turn in a comprehensive win against an FBS opponent as all three such wins have come by one score. Quarterback Rocco Becht is finding a way to help pull these games out, but Iowa State needs more explosive plays from its offense if it expects to seriously compete for the Big 12 title. — Kyle Bonagura
Previous ranking: 15
Ty Simpson had to wait years to win Alabama’s starting job, and his tenure began as inauspiciously as possible with a dire loss at Florida State. Simpson has been almost perfect since, however, completing 41 of 46 passes for 608 yards and seven TDs against UL Monroe and Wisconsin. The Tide rolled in both games, setting the table nicely for an enormous and potentially season-defining trip to Georgia next Saturday. If Simpson looks good in a Tide win, he enters the Heisman discussion and Alabama’s CFP bona fides get a nice boost. If he struggles and Bama loses, the CFP starts to seem like a pipe dream. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 19
Beau Pribula has had it pretty easy early in his tenure as Mizzou’s starting quarterback. He has completed 72% of his passes with an 8-to-2 INT-to-TD ratio, he has been a solid scrambling weapon at times, and he has been able to turn around and hand the ball off to Ahmad Hardy and Jamal Roberts. They’ve taken it from there. The running back duo rushed 35 times for 214 yards and two touchdowns in Mizzou’s 29-20 win over South Carolina on Saturday night. Despite missing left tackle Cayden Green, Mizzou had 285 yards rushing, Pribula took only one sack and Mizzou went 7-for-13 on third downs. Only some third-down brilliance from the Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers kept this one competitive, but the Tigers moved to 4-0 by finishing the game on an 11-0 run. With a buy game against UMass and a bye week coming up, it looks like Pribula will lead an unbeaten team against Alabama in Columbia in a couple of weeks. — Connelly
Previous ranking: 18
Saturday’s win over Temple wasn’t exactly pretty, but then again, things rarely are for the Yellow Jackets. QB Haynes King likes it that way. Few quarterbacks in the country have proved their toughness more than King, who added three touchdowns in Week 4’s 45-24 win over the Owls. King’s ability to make plays with his legs is what sets him apart, but he has also been stellar as a passer — a big question coming off last season’s shoulder injury. Georgia Tech’s next two games are against Wake Forest and Virginia Tech — two of the ACC’s bottom-feeders — meaning he’ll have a shot to pad his stat line even more before a showdown at Duke on Oct. 18. — David Hale
Previous ranking: 21
Freshman phenom Bryce Underwood earned his first Big Ten road victory on Saturday with a 30-27 win at Nebraska. He didn’t put up crazy stats on the day — 105 passing yards, 61 rushing yards, one TD — but didn’t need to while the Wolverines’ run game overwhelmed a top-10 scoring defense with 292 rushing yards on 9.1 yards per carry (excluding sacks). Interim coach Biff Poggi loved the poise Underwood brought to the sideline and huddle that gave his team no doubt it’d win. The young QB’s developmental trajectory through four games remains extremely exciting to watch. — Olson
Previous ranking: 22
Diego Pavia fought for an extra year of eligibility in 2025 and is absolutely making the most of it. The sixth-year senior avenged last year’s upset loss to Georgia State with a 70-21 rout on Saturday night that has Vanderbilt off to a 4-0 start for the first time since 2008. Pavia has dramatically raised his completion percentage from 59.4% last season to an SEC-best 73.9%, ranks among the top 10 in QBR (85.7) and is powering a top-10 scoring offense that’s putting up 47.5 points per game. The Commodores have one more nonconference tuneup against Utah State before an epic October schedule against four of the SEC’s best in Alabama, LSU, Missouri and Texas. — Olson
Previous ranking: 25
The Horned Frogs played a bit sloppy but never panicked against SMU in a 35-24 win, the last iteration of a rivalry that dates back to 2015. Josh Hoover threw for 379 yards and a career-high five touchdowns, and a stacked receiving room saw Eric McAlister become this week’s star, with eight catches for 254 yards (second best in school history) and three touchdowns, narrowly missing two more, one on an interception that was wrestled away from him and another on a possible TD catch that was ruled incomplete and wasn’t reviewed by officials. The defense held SMU to 384 yards, 4-of-13 on third down and the Mustangs’ fewest points all season. The Frogs, who snuck into the AP Top 25 at No. 24 this week, head to Tempe to take on defending Big 12 champs Arizona State on Friday night, a test that could start to reveal if TCU is back on its 2022 trajectory. — Wilson
Previous ranking: NR
If there wasn’t much talk about Jayden Maiava‘s season so far, then let the chatter begin. The Trojans’ quarterback was impressive against Michigan State in a 45-31 win, looking as comfortable as ever in Lincoln Riley’s offense. Maiva completed 20 of 26 passes for 234 yards (and crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season) while adding three passing touchdowns and two rushing touchdowns too. It’s not clear yet just how good USC is and can be in the Big Ten and beyond this season, but through four contests, there’s no doubt that the explosive offense the sport has come to expect when Riley has a dynamic quarterback in tow is alive and well with Maiava under center. In fact, after putting up 517 yards of offense against the Spartans, the Trojans’ average yards per game for the year (604 per game, tops in the country) will go down. At the center of it all has been Maiava. — Uggetti
Previous ranking: 24
When the season opened, the biggest question looming over Notre Dame was at quarterback. It took until late in fall camp before CJ Carr won the job, and the Irish — fresh off a trip to the national championship game — might’ve reasonably been concerned about putting their fate in the hands of a QB with no starting experience. Turns out, Carr has been fine — throwing for 223 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-30 win over Purdue on Saturday — and Notre Dame’s Achilles’ heel has been the area the Irish might’ve felt best about: the secondary. Purdue threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns Saturday, and the battered and struggling defensive backs in South Bend showed little ability to adjust. Notre Dame might have its QB1, but the job now is stopping the other team’s quarterback. — Hale
Previous ranking: 11
When the Illini slogged through the first half Sept. 6 against Duke, struggling along the line of scrimmage, quarterback Luke Altmyer kept the team on track, avoiding major mistakes and buying enough time for a second-half surge. But Altmyer had no chance to be a hero at Indiana, which swarmed him all night, recording five sacks in the first half and seven in the game. Other than a 59-yard touchdown pass to Collin Dixon, Altmyer was limited to 87 passing yards on 13 completions and constantly faced pressure. He certainly can play better and will need to beginning this week against USC. But Altmyer was far from Illinois’ biggest problem in the Indiana debacle. He has given the Illini a veteran presence who, when given time, can pick apart defenses. — Rittenberg
Previous ranking: 14
The celebration in Utah about a revived Utes offense was premature, it turns out. Utah and Texas Tech were locked in a defensive tussle for much of Saturday’s 34-10 Texas Tech win before the Red Raiders finished the game with a flurry of touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Utes struggled in both phases on offense, managing just 101 yards rushing on 31 carries (3.3 yards per carry) and only 162 yards through the air. The ineffectiveness of the offense was compounded by four turnovers that served as an unpleasant reminder of the past two seasons. — Bonagura
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Alyssa Roenigk
LITTLE FALLS, N.J. — Yogi would have loved this.
Hundreds of people, young, old and wearing matching commemorative T-shirts, just finished dancing the “YMCA” on the field at Yogi Berra Stadium at Montclair State University. Little League teams, former MLB players and local politicians laugh and clutch their gloves as volunteers hand out souvenir baseballs. Yankees organist Ed Alstrom plays “Charge!” from a stage in center field, and the crowd responds on cue.
“Yogi loved bringing people together,” says Yankees great Willie Randolph, who played for Berra from 1976 to 1988 and later coached the Yankees and managed the Mets. “He made everyone feel like they’re family. He would have been ecstatic. I think he’s looking down on this field and is so proud.”
They have all come here on a Sunday afternoon, from as far away as California and Florida, to celebrate a man who treated every interaction much like a game of catch. Berra cared as much about what he tossed into a conversation as how he received what was thrown his way. So, what better way to honor him than by playing the biggest game of catch? Ever.
The current record is 972 pairs, set eight years ago in Illinois. On its face, breaking the Guinness World Record for the largest game of catch sounds simple: Gather a couple thousand people, pair them up and ask them to toss baseballs back and forth for five minutes. Doing it, however, is anything but easy.
When Eve Schaenen, the executive director of the Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center at Montclair State, approached Guinness with the idea, adjudicator Michael Empric, who is overseeing the day’s process, told her that many mass-attendance record attempts fail.
“That’s part of why we wanted to do this,” Schaenen says. “There are stakes. Yogi played a game where you could strike out. You could lose. That doesn’t mean you don’t try. He was told he couldn’t so many times and look at what remarkable things he did with his life.”
Berra was born 100 years ago and died before many of the kids gathered here were born. He made his MLB debut in 1946, retired as a player in 1965 and stopped coaching in 1989. Yet, everyone here on this day has a story about a time they were touched by his life. Berra connected deeply with people. It didn’t matter if he was talking to a teammate, a waiter, the president or his postman. With Berra, everyone got the same guy.
That this record attempt is taking place one day before the anniversary of his death (and his MLB debut) on Sept. 22 might have elicited him to create one of his popular Yogi-isms. “Well,” he might have said, “we’re a day early, but right on time.”
TO BASEBALL FANS, Yogi Berra is a legend. An MLB Hall of Famer. A man who played in 75 World Series games and won 10 rings — both records unlikely to be broken — and was one of the best “bad ball” hitters in history. The image of Berra leaping into the arms of Yankees pitcher Don Larsen after calling the only perfect game in World Series history in 1956 is indelible in the minds of baseball fans.
“All Yankees fans are Yogi fans,” says Paul Semendinger, a retired principal and adjunct professor at Ramapo College in Mahwah, New Jersey. He is wearing a replica 1939 Lou Gehrig Yankees jersey. “But you can be a Yogi fan without being a Yankees fan.”
Case in point: Semendinger, 57, is here with his 26-year-old son, Ethan, and 87-year-old dad, Paul Sr., “the world’s biggest Ted Williams fan.” (Paul Sr. is wearing a Red Sox jersey.) “You could root for Yogi even if you’re not a fan of his team,” Paul Sr. says, “because he was a good person.”
Semendinger and his son run a Yankees blog and play on a softball team together. He and his dad still meet up a few times a year to play catch in the backyard. “For 87, he still throws a pretty good knuckleball,” Semendinger says.
When Josh Rawitch, the president of the Baseball Hall of Fame, was 10, he sent Berra a baseball card from his home in Los Angeles and asked him to sign it. “It came back with his signature in this perfect penmanship,” Rawitch says. “I was a big fan of baseball history and although I was a Dodgers fan, he was Yogi Berra.” Over the years, Rawitch met Berra multiple times and became a fan of him as a man. “For someone with 10 rings, he never took himself too seriously,” he says. “He had such humility.”
Rawitch is here to display Berra’s Hall of Fame plaque, which a museum employee drove nearly 200 miles from Cooperstown, New York, to Little Falls on Saturday. It’s the first time the plaque has left the Hall since Berra was inducted in 1972.
“It’s rare that we do this,” Rawitch says. “But we knew we wanted to be a part of something so special.”
Anthony “Uncle Tony” Stinger turned 90 this year. He was in the right-field grandstands at Yankee Stadium on Sept. 22, 1946, when Berra made his MLB debut. “It was a Sunday, the second game of a doubleheader against Philadelphia,” Stinger says. “I took the 4 train from Harlem to the stadium, and the Yankees called Yogi up that day. He could hit anything, even a ball a foot off the ground. They didn’t know how to pitch to him.”
Stinger has lived in the Bronx for 53 years and came here with his nieces. Although he’s only spectating, he says he wouldn’t have missed this event for the world. “Yogi would be amazed,” he says, looking around the stadium.
TO MANY, BERRA was a war hero. The St. Louis native signed with the Yankees in 1943 but delayed his MLB career to enlist in the Navy on his 18th birthday and served as a gunner’s mate in World War II. He provided cover from a rocket boat for the troops who landed on Omaha Beach during the D-Day invasion of Normandy on June 6, 1944. He was wounded by enemy fire and earned a Purple Heart, although he famously never received the medal because he didn’t fill out the paperwork. He didn’t want his mother to worry.
Daniel Joseph Clair joined the Marines in 1966 and earned a Purple Heart for his service in Vietnam. He’s here to play catch with his wife, a lifelong Yankees fan. “I met Yogi outside the stadium once,” Clair says. “He took the time to talk to me before he got on the bus.”
To many of the players he coached, Berra was a lifetime friend and confidant.
“I’m getting goose bumps talking about him,” Randolph says, rubbing his arms. “Some of my best memories as a young manager are sitting in my office before games and talking baseball with Yogi. When I think about being the first African American manager in New York history, which I am very proud of, Yogi was very instrumental in that. He taught me so much. I miss him every day.”
Two months after his death, Berra was awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom for his military service as well as his civil rights and educational activism, although he would balk at being called an activist. He would say he was just treating people equally, as he would want to be treated.
Berra grew up on The Hill, a heavily Italian area of St. Louis, and later faced prejudice and ridicule for being Italian and not looking like a typical ballplayer. Throughout his life, whether by crossing racial lines or through his work with Athlete Ally on LGBTQ equality — an organization he joined in his 80s — he wasn’t trying to set an example, yet time and again, he did.
Berra befriended Jackie Robinson in 1946 when they played on opposing teams in the International League. The next year, Robinson broke MLB’s color barrier. Before games, Berra would walk across the field at Yankee Stadium to find Robinson and chat with his friend. “I don’t think he was doing it to make a statement, but 60,000 people saw him talking to Jackie,” Berra’s eldest granddaughter, Lindsay Berra, says. “This was 18 years before the Civil Rights Act. He was making a comment, whether he knew it or not.”
When Elston Howard became the Yankees’ first Black player in 1955, Berra began grooming him as his replacement behind the plate. During spring training in segregated Florida, Howard couldn’t ride on the same bus, eat in the same restaurants or stay in the same hotels as his white teammates. So, Berra often joined him at his.
TO PEOPLE WHO never watched baseball, Berra was a cultural phenomenon, a “Jeopardy!” answer, a man they quoted sometimes without knowing who they were quoting.
It ain’t over ’til it’s over.
It’s déjà vu all over again.
You can observe a lot by watching.
If the world were perfect, it wouldn’t be.
Berra was the personification of a cartoon bear, a Yoo-hoo pitchman and, as Wynton Marsalis once said while touring the museum, “the Thelonious Monk of baseball.” He was world famous and as recognizable as any figure in sports, yet he was also the guy his three sons would find downstairs in the mornings having coffee with the postman, garbage man and a few of Montclair’s finest.
Tommy Corizzi is too young to have seen Berra play or coach. In fact, he was born just one year before Berra died. He’s here with his “pop pop,” Tom Corizzi, who loved the idea of spending a Sunday afternoon connecting with his grandson and his favorite team. “Yogi was cool,” Tommy, 11, says. “I want to be in the world record book with him.”
Thirteen-year-old Jake Esarey Elmgart is here with his baseball team. He donated the $2,500 he raised for his bar mitzvah project to this event to help pay for kids with special needs to attend.
Just last week, a local woman handed Lindsay a letter she said she found in a drawer recently. The woman’s son, now in his 30s, wrote the letter to Berra in 2000 — 35 years after he retired — but never sent it. “You were in your car and while you were driving, you pointed at me and put your thumb up,” Justin LaMarca, then 8, wrote in pencil and in cursive. “I yelled to you and said you are my favorite player in the world.”
TO ME, BERRA was my best friend’s grandpa.
I met Lindsay in 2002 when I joined the staff at ESPN The Magazine in New York City, where she worked at the time. We became fast friends. Her family became mine in the way that happens when you live far from your own. Grammy Carmen was chic and sentimental. Grampa Yogi was funny and grumpy and warm and honest, and I think of them every Christmas when I hang the oversized red ceramic ornament they bought for me at New York’s 21 Club. Or at Halloween, because they always answered the door for trick-or-treaters in the same costumes: Grammy Carmen as an adorable witch and Grampa Yogi as Yogi Berra.
A half hour before the record attempt, I’m standing outside the museum with my dad, Fred. We came here in May 2012 to celebrate Berra’s 87th birthday. We toured the museum and watched the Yankees beat the Mariners from a party suite at Yankee Stadium. My dad remembers watching Grampa Yogi interact with fans and former players, singing him “Happy Birthday” and eating pieces of a pinstriped cake.
The previous night, my dad watched a few innings of a game with him in Berra’s living room. “Here’s your chance to ask him anything,” I told him.
My dad was 12 when Berra retired as a player. He grew up on a Belgian horse farm outside of Pittsburgh and never had the chance to see him play in person. He had few opportunities to watch him play on TV because the networks carried only local games back then, plus the Game of the Week on Saturdays. He does, however, remember watching the Pirates beat the Yankees in Game 7 of the 1960 World Series. “I was 7,” he says. “I’m not sure if I remember it as much as I remember the photo of Yogi standing in left field watching Bill Mazeroski’s homer go over the fence. That’s an iconic Pittsburgh picture.”
At the top of the ninth inning in that shocking game (if you’re a Yankees fan), Berra hit a grounder to tie the score 9-9. Then, in the bottom of the ninth, Mazeroski hit a walk-off homer to seal the series for the Pirates. “Yogi said the worst day of his life was watching the ball go over the fence at Forbes Field,” my dad says. (I did tell him to ask the man anything.) “Imagine all he’d experienced in his life, and he said that was his worst day.”
Grampa Yogi died three years after that visit. That weekend was one of many times I watched my best friend share her grandpa with the world. Lindsay had watched her grandmother do so graciously throughout her life, listening with care as people told her how much they loved her husband. But Lindsay didn’t understand how people who had met her grandfather for only a moment, if at all, could feel the same kind of love toward him that she did. After his death, as tributes poured in from around the world, she realized that though their love might not be the same as hers, it is just as real. And it is flowing through this stadium now.
I’M STANDING ON the field precisely 3 meters across from my dad, a baseball glove on my left hand. My dad tosses a baseball my way. I catch it and look around. Baseballs are flying everywhere. People are laughing and dancing and dropping balls. We’re all singing along to John Fogerty’s “Centerfield.”
There’s a mystical quality to the relationship that develops between the two people on either end of a game of catch, and it’s happening for all of us now. Maybe it’s how attuned we’ve become to each other, to subtle shifts in our partner’s body position and the message those movements communicate. I’m ready. Send it my way. Maybe it’s the meditative rhythm of the back-and-forth and how quickly the world narrows to the space between us. Or maybe it’s as simple as the eye contact and focus the act requires.
My dad doesn’t remember the first time we played catch together. I don’t, either. But being here on this day, tossing a baseball methodically with him, I’m transported to a Little League field in Cape Coral, Florida. I am 11, wearing an oversized blue Expos jersey and stirrup socks, and warming up with him before a playoff game. The last time we played catch, I was likely in high school and playing shortstop for the CCHS Seahawks.
Lindsay is playing catch with her boyfriend, Peter, surrounded by her family. She remembers the first time she played catch with her grandpa. “My earliest memories are playing wiffle ball in the front yard at holidays,” she says. “Uncle Dale had broken a window at a neighbor’s house, so we played with something safer.” The real baseballs came out when her grandfather was asked to throw out a first pitch. “He’d call each of the grandkids until someone was available to come up to the house and play catch with him,” Lindsay says. “He didn’t want to embarrass himself on the mound.”
When Berra’s boys were young, he was coaching and away from home during baseball season, so they never had the chance to play catch with their dad. Dale says that while Berra loved to toss the football or shoot baskets with him and his brothers, he believes his dad never wanted them to feel pressure to play baseball. “When I signed with the Mets in 1972, I warmed up with him during spring training,” Larry says. “That’s the only memory I have of playing catch with my dad. But I feel him today.”
Larry is playing catch with his son, Andrew. While Empric watches from the stage, volunteers walk the neatly spaced rows of participants looking for rule breakers: people who are on their phones, rolling the ball rather than throwing it or too young to meet the cutoff (age 7). When the five-minute clock runs out, everyone hoots and cheers and high-fives.
“If Dad were here, he’d probably ask, ‘Why would all these people do this? They don’t have to be here,'” Larry says. “He never understood the impact he had on people just by saying hello, by waving, by inviting them in for coffee. He always said, ‘I just played baseball.’ He never understood the aura he created.”
After several excruciating minutes, Empric walks to the podium to deliver the result. “I can now announce that today … in Little Falls … New Jersey … USA … you had a total of … 1,179 pairs,” he says, and hands Schaenen an oversized plaque, which she thrusts into the air. The crowd erupts. “It’s a new Guinness World Record,” Empric says. “Congratulations! You are officially amazing.”
For a while, no one moves. For nearly an hour, many people stay on the field and soak up the magic flowing between the baselines. Some continue to play catch, others chat with the people they stood next to during the attempt. This is what today was all about. Yogi was many things to many people, and today, he brought us all together.
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