Can LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels make a Joe Burrow jump?
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Alex Scarborough, ESPN Staff Writer
THE FACT THAT Jayden Daniels wasn’t wiped out by the stifling humidity of Thibodaux, Louisiana, in late June is a good sign he’s acclimated to living in the South. He’s all smiles and positive energy as he works campers at the Manning Passing Academy and rubs shoulders with the first family of quarterbacks: Peyton, Eli and Archie.
Talking to reporters during a lunch break, the California native keeps coming back to a word he wouldn’t have used a year ago: comfortable.
Daniels wasn’t a counselor here last summer. That’s because he was still unpacking his things after transferring from Arizona State to LSU, where he was still competing for the starting job and still trying to find his way around campus.
He found his way around an unforgiving SEC schedule just fine in his first year with the Tigers. The game against Florida was wild and Auburn was so loud he says he couldn’t hear himself think. But he survived, leading LSU to wins in both games, not to mention the biggest game of them all — home against No. 6 Alabama when he ran for a 25-yard touchdown in overtime and then completed a make-or-break, 2-point conversion for the walk-off win. The season was a trial by fire that he’s on the other side of now, looking for what’s next.
Daniels doesn’t flinch when a local reporter nonchalantly compares his first season to that of Joe Burrow‘s — the implication being he too can make a jet-fueled leap in Year 2 a la the former LSU legend who went from simply being efficient in 2018 to simply winning the Heisman Trophy and a national championship in 2019.
Is that too much to ask? Well, LSU is No. 4 team in ESPN’s Football Power Index, and Daniels is tied for the second-best odds to win the Heisman, according to Caesars Sportsbook, trailing only last season’s winner, USC‘s Caleb Williams. So maybe it’s not that far-fetched. Daniels steers clear of the hype. He says he’s been working hard this offseason and has a firm grasp on the playbook. Teammates say they’ve seen a change in him, too — more assertive, more himself. Coaches hope that translates to a more explosive passing game.
Daniels says he’s taken charge of the offense. Then he reconsiders and takes charge of offense, defense and special teams.
“This is my team,” he says. “This is how we’re going to run things. This is the standard we’re going to hold ourselves to if we want to accomplish our goals.”
In rhetoric and in practice, how far LSU goes is up to him.
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LSU QB Jayden Daniels looks ahead to Year 2 in the SEC
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels details what his first year in the SEC was like and the team dynamic heading into the 2023 season.
DANIELS WASN’T THE only fish out of water in Baton Rouge last year. Who can forget Brian Kelly’s first attempt at a Southern accent the night he was introduced as coach at LSU? Family’s a big deal among Irish Catholics like Kelly, but fam-uh-lee? That was, uh, different.
A year later, Kelly laughs off his early snafu.
“I think my accent is pretty good and has gotten better throughout the recruiting process,” he says. “It depends on if I’m in northern Louisiana or southern Louisiana. Sometimes I get over to Lake Charles, it’s got to change a little bit.”
The fact that he can differentiate between regions is a good sign he’s catching on. But, really, the reason he has won over LSU fans so quickly has nothing to do with his diction and everything to do with those 10 victories last season — none more important than against rival Alabama.
Players say Kelly brought an attention to detail and discipline that was lacking under the previous staff. And he quickly instilled a sense of self-belief, which paid off in big games.
Asked what’s one thing people should know about LSU this season, running back Josh Williams and defensive lineman Mekhi Wingo say the same thing: “We’re coming.”
But Kelly is a realist when he sits with ESPN in his office in June.
“Look, Alabama has been a model of consistency year in and year out. Georgia has been a model of consistency year in and year out,” Kelly says. “We can’t hang that moniker yet. We went from last to first — that’s not consistent. So what does that leave us? The ability to win and be the best team that day. That’s it. So if you’re measuring that, can we be the best team on that particular day and beat anybody? Absolutely. But can we be consistent? That’s what we’re going to try to prove.”
While the offense was solid overall, Kelly says, “There were some ups and downs.”
As he studied the film from a season ago, Kelly saw the good and the bad from his quarterback. And he was reminded how early on they hadn’t exactly given Daniels “the keys to the car.” Kelly says there were a lot of parameters on what Daniels could and couldn’t do. So, of course, when they spread the field, backed him up in the shotgun and told him to drive, he wasn’t ready.
“He had to learn how to do all those things,” Kelly says, “and by the end of the season he got pretty good at it.”
Daniels didn’t have to do much in a 63-7 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl win over Purdue, completing 12 of 17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. But Kelly thought he was “outstanding.” Kelly could feel Daniels’ confidence. He loved seeing Daniels fit the ball into tight windows and push the offense vertically — “all the things we would have loved to have seen in Game 1, but it was a process.”
Daniels finished with 2,913 yards, 17 touchdowns and three interceptions. While he threw the most catchable ball in the country (83% catchable pass rate), he rarely took shots downfield, ranking 103rd in the rate of pass attempts 20-plus yards downfield (10.6%).
Kelly says we were watching a young QB grow up. All Daniels needs to do is, “Let it go.”
The question, though, is how much Kelly wants him to pack up and run, scrambling for extra yards. Because he did that a lot last season. He had 885 rushing yards and had more carries than LSU’s top two running backs combined (186 to 173). Josh Williams, who ran for 552 yards, doesn’t mind. “If the defense gives Jayden an open lane every time,” he says, “I hope Jayden goes for 1,000 yards.”
But Kelly doesn’t have an exact number in mind. It’s not as simple as saying Daniels should have 10 or 11 or 12 carries per game, he says. What he’s looking for is whether Daniels is nervous in the pocket — “Is he getting out of a good pocket just to run? Or is that a compressed pocket and a collapsing pocket that he’s making a play out of?”
If Daniels — a 6-foot-4, 210-pound senior — wants to become a first-round pick in the NFL draft, Kelly says the first thing he needs to do is improve his pocket presence. That and making better anticipatory throws, letting the receiver run into space or throwing away from defenders.
While Daniels hasn’t made “a ton” of those throws, Kelly says, “He started making them later in the season.”
Jim Nagy, a former NFL scout who runs the Senior Bowl, agrees. He was at LSU’s 2022 season-opener against Florida State and could see just how “discombobulated” the offense was and how uncomfortable Daniels was running it. Nagy says Daniels appeared “frenetic” at times.
But Nagy was there again in-person for the win over Ole Miss and followed along through the rest of the season, and what he saw led him to call Daniels the most improved player in the country. He wasn’t perfect, Nagy says, but he stuck with his reads longer and fit the ball into tighter windows.
Nagy loves Daniels’ composure, which teammates rave about. “Fourth quarter, 2 seconds left,” Williams says, “he’s going to be the calmest guy you’ve ever met.”
Nagy also says Daniels is more athletic than he gets credit for. He was at the Manning Passing Academy and says there’s “no doubt” Daniels has an NFL-caliber arm.
So is the Joe Burrow comparison fair? While Nagy’s hesitant to pin those expectations on anyone, he doesn’t dismiss it out of hand.
“I’ll start by saying this: we have Jayden at the same spot on the board right now that we had Joe going into his senior year,” Nagy says. “It’s essentially like a fringe Day 2-3 grade, kind of a fringe top-100 grade. And, man, that was a magical year for Joe. Joe’s a pretty special guy when it comes to how he’s wired as a competitor and leader. But he’s in the same spot. And very similar — they didn’t ask too much of Jayden last year, just like they didn’t ask a lot of Joe his first year there.
“Joe answered the bell and we’ll see if Jayden can do that.”
Now does Daniels have the benefit of a Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson to throw to? Probably not. That team was loaded, producing 30 total NFL draft picks from 2020-22.
But Nagy says he believes Daniels will have better protection this season, which could go a long way in his development.
If he can consistently navigate the pocket and make the anticipatory throws Kelly talked about, Nagy says, “Then now we’re cooking.”
ABOUT A MONTH after spending the week with the Mannings in Thibodaux, Daniels trades in shorts and a T-shirt for a sharp black suit and crisp white button-up shirt. At SEC media days in Nashville, Tennessee, he’s ready for his close-up, sporting a fresh haircut, a dazzling diamond-encrusted chain and chunky diamond stud earrings that catch the light of every camera pointed in his direction.
Asked about the pressure to continue the championship run on campus started by the baseball and women’s basketball teams, Daniels gives those players their props and says, “Hopefully we can follow up with one.”
But that’s as far as he’s willing to go. “We have to take it day by day and really just enjoy the process,” he says in pitch-perfect coachspeak.
During a day of probing questions from hundreds of sound-bite-hungry reporters, Daniels shows his trademarked fourth-quarter poise. That is, until a reporter asks him about his chances of winning the Heisman.
“I mean …” he says before pausing a beat to compose himself.
He smirks and laughs nervously.
“I don’t really look at that stuff like that,” he says. “I’m blessed and honored to be part of a prestigious award like that. Hopefully when I win football games, hopefully my odds go up, but my main thing is really just focusing on helping the team win football games. If individual success comes with it, then it comes with it.”
Crisis averted.
Daniels is much more comfortable talking about the team and the work they’ve put in this offseason. He picks apart his first season at LSU with ease, saying how it was a “night and day” difference from Arizona State — where he threw 32 touchdown passes in 29 games over three seasons — and how they learned as a group during that late slump against Arkansas and Texas A&M, “You can’t just go out there and think you’re going to roll past a team with a good record.”
On the one hand, he says he wants the running backs to have more rushing yards than him this season. But on the other hand, “I’d just say that’s probably the dynamic of my game that makes me that much more dangerous.”
“So I don’t want to take that from my game,” he adds, “but I want to keep growing as a quarterback and as a passer.”
And where exactly does he think he can get better?
“The deep ball,” he says. “Just letting it go and giving my guys a chance to go out there and make a play. I felt that probably the biggest leap that I took as a quarterback this offseason is building that timing with those guys and knowing how they run routes and giving them opportunities to go make plays downfield, which I know they can do at a high level.”
Daniels calls Malik Nabers, who broke out with a combined 291 yards and two touchdowns against Georgia and Purdue, a “go-to” receiver with the type of power and speed you can’t teach. Nabers, Kyren Lacy and Brian Thomas have all “stepped up and showed out” this summer, Daniels says.
And he’s confident in the growth of the line, too, which he says gelled down the stretch. Last season, coaches tried to cover up for freshmen tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones. “It’ll be less about that and more about exerting our will against people,” Kelly says, adding that they’re recruiting as if Campbell and Jones could receive first-round grades after their junior seasons.
“I feel like we can have a top offense in the country,” Daniels says in one of his boldest statements of the day.
Unlike Williams and Wingo, Daniels doesn’t say of LSU this season, “We’re coming.” It’s just something some of the guys say, he explains, rather than a mantra or team motto.
“We just know what we’re capable of,” he says. “If we handle our business, we’ll probably be there.”
There, as in, with a shot at playing for a national championship.
Wouldn’t that be a helluva leap for a quarterback and a coach to make after only one year in Baton Rouge?
Daniels isn’t backing away from those lofty expectations. And he should know better than anyone what they’re capable of.
This is his team after all.
Some have had a few. Some have had many. The Oregon Ducks seemingly come up with a new one every week.
The topic is, of course, alternate uniforms. The best of the best have become beloved staples of the fall calendar for college football fans. Just as many, though, have been relegated to the dustbin of history (or at least a campus storage closet). A vaunted few have risen to an even higher tier: cult classic.
With the 2025 college football season approaching, we decided to run through the extensive catalog of alternate uniform offerings in the sport since 2000 and parse through it all to determine some of the most memorable — for better or for worse.
We broke our superlatives list down into a number of categories — three broad, three specific, each with multiple nominations, and six exclusive awards. Some of these categories reward aesthetic beauty. More prefer just plain zaniness.
Here are the best, worst and wildest of alternate uniforms from the past 25 years.
Best in show
In the nominations for our best of the best, we covered a wide range of topical ground. From distinct colors to well-executed throwbacks, our five picks offer an array of different ways to make an alternate uniform pop.
Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors: Retro and rainbow, 2015
Florida International Panthers: Miami Vice, 2024
Houston Cougars: Paying homage to the Oilers, 2023
Florida Gators: Simplistic throwback perfection, 2019
SMU Mustangs: Repping Dallas, 2019
Most … ambitious
It’s always encouraging when a team is willing to try something new — creativity and boldness are two traits that help make college football fun. That said, not every outside-the-box alternate uniform idea is created equal. We’re not necessarily saying these uniforms are bad, but they definitely were… enterprising.
Florida Gators: Gator-print, 2017
Michigan State Spartans: Neon green, 2019
Colorado Buffaloes: Throwbacks gone too simplistic, 2009
Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Yankee Stadium crossover, 2018
Miami Hurricanes: Orange sleeves, 2005
Craziest helmets
A great — or poor — helmet can make or break a uniform, so we created a separate category for some of the most notable lids. Bonus points were awarded for distinctiveness, regardless of how well-executed.
Western Kentucky Hilltoppers: Big Red front and center, 2024
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets: Honeycomb theme, 2012
Utah Utes: Rose Bowl specials, 2022
Georgia Bulldogs: Georgia tries grey, 2011
Virginia Tech Hokies: The flexing HokieBird, 2012
Most “State-triotic”
A key element of college football is representing a school’s hometown or home state. These three schools went the furthest in going above and beyond to fulfill that mission, incorporating their state’s flag into their alternate uniforms. The aesthetic results were varied.
Maryland Terrapins, 2011
Colorado State Rams, 2017
Texas Tech Red Raiders, 2014
Best from the final frontier
An unlikely source of quality alternate jerseys in recent years? Outer space. In fact, space-themed uniforms produced enough impressive alternates that we deemed it worthy of its own category. Here are the best of the best to have drawn inspiration from the stars.
UCF Knights: Space U, 2023
Purdue Boilermakers: Honoring the school’s astronauts, 2019
Air Force Falcons: Representing the Space Force, 2022
Best tribute
Context matters for uniforms, too. Almost all alternate uniforms represent or honor something, but some threads have particularly special motives. These two alternates have established themselves as particularly distinguished in the backstory category.
Boston College Eagles: The red bandana series
The Eagles have donned uniforms featuring a red bandana pattern and a “FOR WELLES” nameplate once a year since 2014. The uniforms pay homage to Welles Crowther, a Boston College alum who died saving lives in the Sept. 11 attacks while wearing a red bandana.
UAB Blazers: The Children’s Harbor series
A tradition since 2016, UAB has worn special jerseys for select games as part of a partnership with Children’s Harbor, a service center for seriously ill children and their families in Birmingham, Alabama. The Blazers’ Children’s Harbor jerseys feature the names of patients on the back in place of those of players.
Worst trend to never catch on
Block letter jerseys
A very brief but nevertheless unfortunate stint in the pantheon of alternate uniform history was the spurt of designs in the early 2010s featuring jerseys with block letter logos front and center. Of the assorted pitfalls an alternate uniform can hit, these ran the gauntlet.
Changing the aesthetics for the jerseys of teams with classic traditional threads? Check. Unwieldy designs without grounding in a school’s history or tradition? Check. Creating a strange on-screen viewing experience? Check. Blissfully, these never took hold outside of a few Big Ten one-offs.
Lifetime achievement award
Oregon
Undoubtedly the most prolific uniform-producing school, the Ducks put out more uniform combinations in a season than some programs do in a decade. Instead of trying to choose which categories to slot them into — since they’ve produced enough memorable combinations to be involved in just about every option, really — we’re simply giving the Ducks a lifetime achievement award, showcasing a short palette of their range here.
Best alternate uniform reveal series
Notre Dame
While there have been plenty of great alternate uniform reveals, nobody in the game has committed to a bit quite like Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish started in 2022, parodying “The Hangover” to unveil their uniforms for that year’s Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas. They’ve since established the movie parody lane as their niche, riffing “Jerry Maguire” in 2023 and “Wolf of Wall Street” in 2024.
Some guys CAN handle Vegas
Feel It. October 8 pic.twitter.com/HdzdAOaCDs
— Notre Dame Football (@NDFootball) July 27, 2022
Best consistent yearly alternate uniform matchup
The Army-Navy game
Admittedly, there are not a ton of matchups producing alternate uniform matchups on an annual basis. Or any, for that matter. But it simply wouldn’t be an alternate uniform story without plaudits being given to the level of detail put into Army and Navy’s respective uniforms on a yearly basis for their rivalry game in recent years. So, like Oregon, we’ve created a specific category to highlight some of the best Army-Navy alternate uniform showdowns.
Techs Stick Together unity award
Virginia Tech vs. Georgia Tech, 2007
It felt right to end this piece with an “alternate” uniform that, while very much not intentional, was certainly memorable. On November 1, 2007, Virginia Tech played a routine road game against Georgia Tech. There was just one issue — some of the Hokies’ jerseys had gone missing. As a result, four Virginia Tech players had to play with the only extra uniforms on hand: Yellow Jacket road jerseys, with new names scrawled on the back and “Georgia Tech” blacked out on the front.
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David Hale
At a media event Friday, North Carolina Central coach Trei Oliver was asked about the most ridiculous moments he has faced in coaching, and his response set off alarms across the state of Virginia.
Oliver said he found a Virginia Tech assistant coach on the sideline for one of North Carolina Central’s games last year and suggested the coach was there to lure his star running back, J’Mari Taylor, into the transfer portal.
“Virginia Tech was actually on my sideline recruiting our running back,” Oliver told reporters, according to WRAL News. “That was pretty bold. I couldn’t believe it.”
Oliver didn’t name the running back, but he said the player later transferred to Virginia. Taylor was a first-team all-conference player who is now on Virginia’s roster.
Oliver said he needed assistant coaches to calm him down on the sideline, noting several told him, “He’s just down here visiting.'”
“But I knew what it was,” Oliver said.
Virginia Tech released a statement Saturday saying this was the first time the issue had been raised and that the school would investigate.
“This is the first time the issue has been brought to our attention, and no concern has previously been shared with us through any formal channel,” the team said. “Virginia Tech takes all NCAA rules seriously and is committed to conducting our program with integrity. We are reviewing the matter internally and will address any findings appropriately.”
Taylor, a graduate transfer, will be part of the Virginia backfield rotation this season, and Oliver said he will be rooting for his former player at his new school — particularly when the Cavaliers play Virginia Tech on Nov. 29.
“Thank God he went to UVA,” Oliver said, “and UVA is going to beat the smoke out of them other folks.”
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is just around the corner, with contending teams deciding what they need to add before 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, July 31.
Could Jarren Duran be on the move from the Boston Red Sox? Will the Arizona Diamondbacks deal Eugenio Suarez and Zac Gallen to contenders? And who among the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies will go all-in to boost their 2025 World Series hopes?
Whether your favorite club is looking to add or deal away — or stands somewhere in between — here’s the freshest intel we’re hearing, reaction to completed deals and what to know for every team as trade season unfolds.
More: Top 50 trade candidates | Passan’s preview | Fantasy spin
Jump to: Completed deals | Latest intel
Completed deal tracker
Yankees make another deal for infield depth
The New York Yankees acquired utility man Amed Rosario from the Washington Nationals in exchange for two minor leaguers. Story »
Royals get outfielder in trade with D-backs
The Kansas City Royals acquired veteran outfielder Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for right-hander Andrew Hoffmann. Story »
Yankees land infielder McMahon in deal with Rockies
The New York Yankees are acquiring third baseman Ryan McMahon in a trade with the Colorado Rockies, sources confirmed to ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Mets get bullpen help from O’s
The New York Mets have acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Baltimore Orioles, sources confirmed to ESPN. Story » | Grades »
Mariners start trade season with deal for Naylor
The Seattle Mariners have acquired first baseman Josh Naylor from the Arizona Diamondbacks for left-hander Brandyn Garcia and right-hander Ashton Izzi are headed back to the Arizona Diamondbacks from the Seattle Mariners for first baseman Josh Naylor, sources told ESPN. Story » | Grades »
MLB trade deadline buzz
July 27
Can Mets find an ace at deadline? The market has been very thin in teams offloading, but according to sources, the Mets continue to look around to see whether there’s a match for a starting pitcher capable of taking the ball for a Game 1, Game 2 or Game 3 of a postseason series. Merrill Kelly of the Diamondbacks could be that guy, or maybe it’s Seth Lugo of the Royals, or the Padres’ Dylan Cease. Perhaps it’s one of the two big-time starters who will be under team control beyond this season, the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara or the Twins’ Joe Ryan. The Mets’ rotation was exceptional early in the year, before injuries and natural regression began to take a toll, and the team could use a boost in the front end of this group as they fight the Phillies for NL East supremacy. — Buster Olney
Which way will deadline bubble teams go? The staredown continues as deadline week begins, with perhaps as many as a half-dozen teams waiting to declare their status. “This weekend is big for a lot of teams,” said one evaluator.
The Rays, who appeared to be gathering momentum a month ago, are now just a game over .500, and given the organization’s longstanding focus on maximizing the value of their players, some rival evaluators think they could now be considering dealing some pieces away.
The St. Louis Cardinals are two games over .500, with the industry waiting to see whether they will deal closer Ryan Helsley. The expectation is that they will, given the tough NL playoff landscape. The Tigers could be interested, maybe the Phillies, Mets, Dodgers or Yankees.
The Los Angeles Angels are now five games under .500, and the presumption is that they will eventually move some players before the deadline, but the Angels don’t always operate in the way teams typically do. Taylor Ward has drawn interest from other organizations. — Olney
July 25 updates
Will the Royals trade Lugo — or extend him? Seth Lugo is an intriguing name in the trade market, but rival evaluators don’t sense the Royals are especially motivated to make a deal. Kansas City could also use this moment to explore an extension with Lugo, to keep their deep well of starting pitching intact. — Buster Olney
Angels’ deadline plans coming into focus: Any confusion about whether the Angels will add or subtract ahead of the trade deadline has seemingly cleared up in recent days, with a four-game losing streak that has them five games under .500.
The Angels are telling teams their pending free agents are available, sources with knowledge of the situation said. That includes third baseman Yoan Moncada, utility infielder Luis Rengifo, starting pitcher Tyler Anderson and closer Kenley Jansen. Left fielder Taylor Ward, controllable through 2026, can also be had with the right deal.
The Angels famously never rebuild under owner Arte Moreno and are prone to adding even in times when they seem like long shots to contend — most notably in 2023, when they not only held on to Shohei Ohtani but also traded for Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez before collapsing in August.
At this time last year, they tried to move the likes of Anderson and Rengifo but did not believe they would have received enough back to justify holding on to them through the following season. And so it is worth noting: Even if the Angels do decide to punt on 2025, their goal would be to contend again next season.
Any moves they make would probably be geared toward that. By trading away rentals, the Angels will try to use the trade deadline to add accomplished players who can help the team next year. — Alden Gonzalez
What the Astros might be looking for: The Astros’ best fit in a hitter is someone who could play second base or left field, and they can move Jose Altuve accordingly. Per FanGraphs, the Astros have a 94.5% chance to reach the postseason; they lead the Mariners by five games in the AL West. — Buster Olney
How Arizona could shape the trade deadline: The Diamondbacks informed other teams in the past that they would “probably” be dealing away players, but even after trading Josh Naylor to Seattle, it’s unclear just how far Arizona will go. If the D-Backs decided to go all-in on trading veterans, they could reshape their organization significantly, by moving free-agents-to-be Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and, of course, Eugenio Suarez.
The perception of other front offices is that Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick does not want to completely offload, especially with the Dodgers drifting back toward the pack in the NL West — and as of Thursday night, Suarez wasn’t even officially on the market.
The Diamondbacks, who reached the World Series in 2023 after winning just 84 games during the regular season, won their first three games after the All-Star break, but have subsequently lost three in a row. What some rival evaluators believe is that if the D-Backs keep dealing, it’ll be because of a nudge from the front office. Arizona has been extensively scouting other organizations in preparation. — Buster Olney
White Sox starter drawing interest from contenders: About a half-dozen or more scouts will be in attendance at Rate Field on Friday night when Adrian Houser takes the mound for the White Sox. He has compiled a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts for Chicago after being picked up midseason. Teams don’t believe they’ll have to give up a lot to acquire him, and he could make for a good back-end starter or depth piece for a contender. The White Sox are likely to move him at his peak, and Friday could be the final look for those who are interested. — Jesse Rogers
July 24 updates
Could Mets land this deadline’s top slugger? Eugenio Suarez could be an intriguing option for the Mets as they’ve gotten little production out of Mark Vientos at third base. And if things work out and Suarez wants to stay — and they want him to — he could also provide protection for the Mets at first base in case Pete Alonso moves on next season. The Mets rank 23rd in OPS at third, so why wouldn’t they inquire about Suarez, knowing they can hand the position back to Vientos in 2026 if they wish. — Jesse Rogers
July 23 updates
Houston is in the market for a third baseman: Add the Astros to the list of contenders looking for a third baseman. With All-Star Isaac Paredes expected to miss significant time because of what manager Joe Espada described as a “pretty serious” right hamstring strain, the Astros have begun poking around for available third basemen. One of them is the Rockies’ Ryan McMahon, who also has drawn interest from a few other clubs.
The 30-year-old represents a solid veteran option. McMahon is slashing .217/.314/.403 with 16 home runs, and the metrics indicate he has been one of the top defensive third basemen in the majors this season. He is under contract over the next two seasons for $32 million, so he wouldn’t be just a rental, which should raise the Rockies’ asking price. — Jorge Castillo
A big addition to the available deadline starting pitching options? A surprise name has emerged in the starting pitcher market: Dylan Cease, who will be eligible for free agency at year’s end. Perception of other teams is that the Padres are intent on making a push for the playoffs and would use Cease to help fill other roster needs. Mets, AL East teams, Cubs among teams that have talked about him. — Buster Olney
How Cubs are approaching deadline: The Cubs are looking for a starting pitcher first and foremost, but won’t part with any top prospects for rentals. They would be willing to trade a young hitter for a cost-controlled pitcher or one already under contract past this season. They are desperate to add an arm who can help while Jameson Taillon recovers from a calf injury. Bullpen games in Taillon’s place haven’t gone well. — Jesse Rogers
Will Twins trade top pitchers? Several high-profile teams are in need of bullpen help ahead of the trade deadline — including the Mets, Yankees, Phillies and Dodgers — and the Twins have two of the best available in Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. The sense is that at least one of them will be traded, but those who are looking for relief help expect the asking price to be very high, partly because both of them are controllable through 2027 and partly because the Twins’ uncertain ownership situation has clouded the approach with those who are not pending free agents.
The Twins are widely expected to trade outfielder Harrison Bader, super-utility player Willi Castro, starter Chris Paddack and lefty reliever Danny Coulombe. But Jax, Duran and young starter Joe Ryan are the ones who would bring back the biggest return. The Twins are said to be listening on everyone. But the team being up for sale since October, and in limbo ever since prospective buyer Justin Ishbia increased his ownership stake in the White Sox in early June, has complicated matters with longer-term players. — Alden Gonzalez
July 22 updates
An Orioles starting pitcher to watch: It seems very likely that Charlie Morton (3.47 ERA last 12 appearances) will be traded, within a relatively thin starting pitching market with a lot of teams looking for rotation help — the Padres, Yankees, maybe the Mets or Astros; a number of teams have expressed interest. In the past, Morton has had a preference to pitch for a team closer to the East Coast and his Florida home, but he doesn’t control that. O’s GM Mike Elias does. — Buster Olney
Will Cleveland deal All-Star outfielder? The player asked about the most on the Guardians’ roster is Steven Kwan, but given that he is two and a half years away from free agency, it’s unlikely he’ll be traded, according to sources. Kwan’s slash line this year: .288/.352/.398. He also has 11 stolen bases and has made consecutive All-Star appearances. — Olney
Braves not looking to move Murphy: Sean Murphy‘s name has been tossed around in trade speculation, but according to sources, he will not be available. Atlanta’s catcher is playing well this year and will be playing under a high-value contract for the next three seasons — $15 million per year from 2026 to 2028, plus a team option in ’29. And the Braves are set up well with the right-handed-hitting Murphy and left-handed-hitting Drake Baldwin perhaps sharing the catching and DH spots into the future. — Olney
Why the 2022 Cy Young winner isn’t the most in-demand Marlins starter: Edward Cabrera has become more coveted than Sandy Alcantara, who teams believe might take an offseason to fix. Alcantara’s strikeout-to-walk ratio is scary low — just 1.9 — and his ERA is 7.14. Cabrera, on the other hand, is striking out more than a batter per inning and his ERA sits at 3.61. The 27-year-old right-hander will come at a heavy cost for opposing teams. — Jesse Rogers
How Kansas City is approaching the trade deadline: The Royals have signaled a willingness to trade, but with an eye toward competing again next year — meaning they aren’t willing to part with the core of their pitching staff. Other teams say Kansas City is (unsurprisingly) looking to upgrade its future offense in whatever it does.
Right-handed starter Seth Lugo will be the most-watched Royal before the deadline, since he holds a $15 million player option for 2026 “that you’d assume he’s going to turn down,” said one rival staffer. That’ll make it more difficult for other teams to place a trade value on him: The Royals could want to market him as more than a mere rental, while other teams figure he’ll go into free agency in the fall when he turns down his option. — Olney
What the Dodgers need at the deadline: The Dodgers’ offense has been a source of consternation lately, with Max Muncy out, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman slumping, and key hitters tasked with lengthening out the lineup — Teoscar Hernandez, Tommy Edman and Michael Conforto — also struggling.
But the Dodgers’ focus ahead of the deadline is still clearly the bullpen, specifically a high-leverage, right-handed reliever. Dodgers relievers lead the major leagues in innings pitched by a wide margin. Blake Treinen will be back soon, and Michael Kopech and Brusdar Graterol are expected to join him later in the season. But the Dodgers need at least one other trusted arm late in games.
It’s a stunning development, considering they returned the core of a bullpen that played a big role in last year’s championship run, then added Tanner Scott and Kirby Yates in free agency. But Scott and Yates have had their struggles, and there are enough injury concerns with several others that it’s a need. — Alden Gonzalez
Which D-backs starter is most coveted? The Diamondbacks are getting as many calls — if not more — about Zac Gallen as they are for Merrill Kelly, even though the latter starting pitcher is having the better season. Teams interested in adding to their rotations still have more faith in the 29-year-old Gallen than the 36-year-old Kelly. — Rogers
Who are the White Sox looking to deal? Chicago’s Adrian Houser seems likely to move, as a second-tier starter who has performed well this season. The 32-year-old right-hander was released by the Rangers in May but has been very effective since joining the White Sox rotation, giving up only two homers in 57⅔ innings and generating an ERA+ of 226. Nobody is taking those numbers at face value, but evaluators do view him as a market option. The White Sox also have some relievers worth considering.
But it seems unlikely that Luis Robert Jr. — once projected as a centerpiece of this deadline — will be dealt, unless a team makes a big bet on a player who has either underperformed or been hurt this year. The White Sox could continue to wait on Robert’s talent to manifest and his trade value to be restored by picking up his $20 million option for next year, which is hardly out of the question for a team with little future payroll obligation. — Olney
Why Rockies infielder could be popular deadline option: Colorado’s Ryan McMahon is the consolation prize for teams that miss out on Eugenio Suarez — if he’s traded at all. The Cubs could have interest and would pair him with Matt Shaw as a lefty/righty combo at third base. — Rogers
Does San Diego have enough to offer to make a big deal? The Padres have multiple needs ahead of the trade deadline — a left fielder, a catcher, a back-end starter. How adequately they can address them remains to be seen. The upper levels of their farm system have thinned out in recent years, and their budget might be tight.
The Padres dipped under MLB’s luxury-tax threshold last year, resetting the penalties. But FanGraphs projects their competitive balance tax payroll to finish at $263 million this year, easily clearing the 2025 threshold and just barely putting them into the second tier, triggering a 12% surcharge.
Padres general manager A.J. Preller might have to get creative in order to address his needs. One way he can do that is by buying and selling simultaneously. The Padres have several high-profile players who can hit the market this offseason — Dylan Cease, Michael King, Robert Suarez, Luis Arraez — and a few others who can hit the open market after 2026. Don’t be surprised to see Preller leverage at least one of those players, and their salaries, to help fill multiple needs. — Gonzalez
Which Orioles could be on the move? Not surprisingly, Baltimore is perceived as a dealer and is expected by other teams to move center fielder Cedric Mullins, first baseman/designated hitter Ryan O’Hearn and some relievers. — Olney
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