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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

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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 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 Justin 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

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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

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M’s All-Star Woo (pec tightness) exits; MRI likely

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M's All-Star Woo (pec tightness) exits; MRI likely

HOUSTON — Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo exited the Mariners’ 4-0 win over the Houston Astros because of pectoral tightness after throwing a couple of warmup pitches in the sixth inning Friday night.

Shortly after Woo started warming up on the mound for the sixth, a team trainer and coaches came out. After a brief discussion, the All-Star exited with the trainer, and Eduard Bazardo replaced him.

“He had a little pec tightness,” manager Dan Wilson said after the Mariners’ victory, which vaulted them into first place in the American League West. “He kind of gave us a heads-up and that was why Bazardo was getting loose. We will know more tomorrow. Likely an MRI, and we will get to know a little bit more tomorrow, but that’s all we know at this point.”

Woo said he “felt a little tightness” but came out to try to throw in the sixth.

“It didn’t feel like it was best for the team,” he said. “I felt like Baz was ready to go. We’ll get some stuff done [Saturday], and I’ll know more. I really don’t know much.”

Woo said he had “felt great all game,” and that the tightness happened in the fifth.

“I just felt it at the end,” he said. “I thought it was smart to not try to push it.”

Wilson said when Woo returned to the dugout after the fifth, he told the coaching staff about the issue.

“So, that’s why we were semi-prepared. He was going to give it a shot and still felt tight, so we went to Bazardo at that point,” Wilson said.

Woo cruised through five innings, yielding one hit and one walk while striking out seven in the opener of a pivotal series between the rivals, who began the night tied atop the division.

“It’s a big series, obviously, but I tried to treat it like any other game,” Woo said. “Obviously, take care of business and come out with some urgency, but don’t try to do anything more. Just do your job.”

Woo got the win, improving to 15-7. He threw 67 pitches and lowered his ERA to 2.94. Carlos Correa got the only hit off Woo, a double with one out in the fourth.

Woo has 198 strikeouts this season.

“I think you’re obviously concerned in some ways, but in other ways, Bryan’s a tough cookie,” Wilson said. “It was smart that he let us know. There was no reason to push it. We will just find out more [Saturday].”

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Rocked in minors, Senga feels unready to return

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Rocked in minors, Senga feels unready to return

NEW YORK — When New York Mets right-hander Kodai Senga agreed to be optioned to Triple-A earlier this month to work on his mechanics, the ideal scenario was that he would rejoin the club soon after he was eligible to return on Sept. 20. But that isn’t happening.

Senga told club officials on a call Friday that, despite being healthy, he is not ready to pitch at the major league level after surrendering four runs over 3⅔ innings for Triple-A Syracuse on Thursday. With the minor league season concluding Sunday, the plan instead is to have Senga face hitters in a simulated setting next Tuesday or Wednesday.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said the team is determining where that will take place because Senga is not allowed to be with the major league team while optioned.

Senga’s first start since volunteering for the demotion was encouraging: six innings, three hits, one run and eight strikeouts with no walks. But Thursday’s start represented a significant regression for the reset.

“Stuff-wise, [he] was down,” Mendoza said of Senga’s outing on Thursday. “Whether it was the velo, execution, the secondary pitches were not sharp. So that’s the report that I got. And then, watching film, you could see it. And that’s probably one of the reasons he’s asking for one more time to face hitters, just to kind of continue to work through those issues. So that’s what we saw.”

This isn’t the first time a healthy Senga, 32, has informed the Mets that he is not comfortable pitching in major league games while healthy. Last season, Senga cited mechanical problems multiple times as the reason for delaying his season debut until late July after a shoulder injury had healed. He then strained his left calf in his first start and didn’t pitch in the regular season again.

This year, Senga was one of the best pitchers in the majors until he strained his hamstring on June 12. He landed on the injured list with a 1.47 ERA in 73⅔ innings across 13 starts. The Mets had the best record in the majors. Then he missed nearly a month and returned to toss four scoreless innings on July 11. From there, Senga recorded a 6.56 ERA in 35⅔ innings across eight starts. He pitched into the sixth inning once and completed five innings three times. The Mets, coincidentally, floundered.

With the Mets no longer able to afford short, ineffective starts as they dropped in the standings, they asked Senga to go to Triple-A. All along, he has told the Mets he is healthy. The struggles continue to perplex the team.

“We’re asking the same thing,” Mendoza said when asked why Senga hasn’t returned to his early-season form. “Healthwise, he’s 100 percent fine. There’s no issues with him. He’s not favoring anything. We just haven’t been able to help him, whether it’s mechanicals or execution, whatever the case might be here. But we haven’t gotten there yet. So this is where we’re at. But physically he’s fine.”

Senga’s troubles combined with Sean Manaea‘s ineffectiveness and injuries to other starting pitchers have forced the Mets to thrust three rookies — Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong and Brandon Sproat — into the rotation in the heat of a playoff race.

McLean was called up first to make his major league debut on Aug. 16. Tong followed and then Sproat. McLean has shined in six starts, registering a 1.19 ERA with 40 strikeouts over 37⅔ innings, and is expected to start in the three-game wild-card series should the Mets reach the postseason. Tong’s and Sproat’s roles are less certain.

Senga’s status is even more unclear. Mendoza said Senga could “maybe” be in consideration to return to pitch in the Mets’ season-ending series against the Miami Marlins, but that would require multiple unknown steps. A year ago, the Mets aggressively made room for Senga in the postseason despite him not pitching in more than two months. Senga wound up opening two games and coming out of the bullpen in a third, totaling five innings over the three appearances. This year could be different.

“We gotta get there first,” Mendoza said. “We’re having those conversations, but it’s too early to tell.”

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Royals rock Scherzer for 7 runs, crush Jays 20-1

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Royals rock Scherzer for 7 runs, crush Jays 20-1

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Salvador Perez hit a three-run homer in Kansas City’s seven-run first inning and the Royals beat the Toronto Blue Jays 20-1 on Friday night.

The Royals sent 10 batters to the plate against Max Scherzer (5-4), who exited after recording just two outs and allowing seven hits in the shortest noninjury start of his career. It was Scherzer’s shortest outing since facing just one batter while pitching for Washington on June 11, 2021, before leaving with an injury. Also, Scherzer’s seven runs conceded in the first inning are the most allowed in any inning of his career.

According to ESPN Research, Toronto’s 19-run loss ties the largest by a division leader in a September or later regular-season game, joining the previous dubious mark set by the San Diego Padres‘ 20-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies in 2005.

Following a homer by George Springer in the top of the first inning, the Royals quickly tied it in the bottom of the inning on Carter Jensen‘s leadoff double and Bobby Witt Jr.’s RBI single. Witt scored on Vinnie Pasquantino‘s double into the left-field corner to give Kansas City the lead for good.

After a walk to Maikel Garcia — and Toronto pitching coach Pete Walker’s ejection — Perez connected for his 30th home run. Michael Massey‘s two-run homer gave Kansas City a 7-1 lead. Then after Carter Jensen hit a ground-rule double — his second two-bagger of the inning — Scherzer was pulled.

Scherzer said he wasn’t overly concerned.

“We’ll deep dive and figure out what was going on, look at more advanced things,” he said. “But when I went back and looked at the location of some of the pitches, I’m actually OK with it. In that regard, you kind of flush it and move on.”

Blue Jays manager John Schneider called it “a weird outing” from a player who’s likely bound for the Hall of Fame.

“Over the course of his career you don’t see that very often from Max, barring an injury,” Schneider said. “They came out swinging and he kind of just left things in the middle.”

Batting leadoff for the first time, Jensen hit three doubles, including a two-run double in the third to go with his two against Scherzer in the first. Jensen became the first Royals player with multiple doubles in the same inning.

Jac Caglianone hit a three-run homer in the seventh as the Royals had 10 runs and 13 hits in 1⅓ innings against catcher Tyler Heineman. Infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa got the last two outs in the eighth inning.

Pasquantino had four of Kansas City’s franchise-record 27 hits, doubling twice as the Royals collected eight extra-base hits in the first three innings.

Royals starter Michael Lorenzen (6-11) gave up a run and three hits with three walks while striking out four in 7⅔ innings for his first win since July 6.

Schneider doesn’t expect Friday’s outing to change anything about Scherzer’s future in the rotation.

“It’s a weird outing to go two-thirds of an inning and throw a lot of pitches,” he said. “But I don’t think that will affect him going forward. It won’t make his pitch count any lower. Going forward he’ll be on a normal workload and kind of normal pitch count.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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