
MLB Power Rankings: A red-hot AL team makes top-5 debut
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adminTomorrow marks the first day of September — meaning the race for October is only going to get more intense from here.
While a few teams are staring down the postseason as they sit atop their division with a comfortable lead, a number of squads have a lot left to play for in the final month of the regular season.
That includes three divisional rivals in the American League, who are not only neck-in-neck fighting for positioning in the playoffs but also in our standings, as one makes its debut in the top five for the first time this season. Who will come out on top?
Our expert panel has combined to rank every team in baseball based on a combination of what we’ve seen so far and what we already knew going into the 162-game marathon that is a full baseball season. We also asked ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield, Bradford Doolittle, Jesse Rogers and Alden Gonzalez to weigh in with an observation for all 30 teams.
Week 21 | Second-half preview | Preseason rankings
Record: 87-45
Previous ranking: 1
The best regular-season team in Braves history was the 1998 squad that finished 106-56 with a plus-245 run differential. The 2023 Braves will need to finish strong to get there, but they show no signs of slowing down. Entering Wednesday’s game, they were on pace for 106 wins and a plus-286 run differential. Six regulars are hitting around .300 in August as is part-timer Nicky Lopez. The four-game series at Dodger Stadium will be an interesting playoff preview, and they have seven games left against the Phillies, but the Braves certainly have a shot at 107 wins, even if they start resting some of the regulars a bit in September. — Schoenfield
Record: 83-49
Previous ranking: 2
The Dodgers are surging through August, winning 24 of their 28 games to increase their National League West lead to a whopping 14½ games. And their two MVP candidates, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, have predictably shouldered a lot of the weight, combining to hit over .400 and slugging around .700 this month. Betts in particular boasts a major league-best 1.309 OPS in August and is making a late surge to chase down the Braves’ Ronald Acuna Jr. and capture his second MVP Award. Betts is slashing .316/.410/.611 with 36 home runs and 10 stolen bases for the year. With one day left in August, his 7.5 FanGraphs wins above replacement easily top the NL, with Freeman (6.6) and Acuna (6.5) lagging slightly behind. All three will share the same field beginning today, with the Dodgers and Braves set for a four-game series from Dodger Stadium. — Gonzalez
Record: 83-50
Previous ranking: 3
For anyone waiting for the Orioles to regress on the basis of their run differential, it ain’t happening. Rather than Baltimore’s record moving towards its differential, it’s the opposite. On July 24, the Orioles had a 162-game win pace of an even 100, though their run differential suggested they were actually more like an 89-win team. The prevailing analytic wisdom is that run differential is more predictive of a team’s future record than actual record. Well, tell that to the O’s. After Baltimore clubbed the White Sox on Tuesday, their 162-game win pace was up to 102, while the differential was that of a 93-win club. There’s still a disparity, of course, but the bottom line is that the Orioles have an awful lot of wins in the bank, and they just keep getting better. — Doolittle
Record: 82-52
Previous ranking: 5
As the Rays’ offense keeps rolling, the performance of Isaac Paredes continues to stand out even among a lineup full of hot hitters. Paredes is one of the more unsung players in the game. Perhaps it’s because he plays in Tampa/St. Petersburg, or perhaps it’s because he’s a third baseman in an era unusually prolific in star third basemen. But it’s time for Paredes to get some due.
After homering and driving in four against Miami on Tuesday, Paredes was on pace to top both the 30-homer and 100-RBI thresholds this season. Only four Rays have ever done that: Carlos Pena (2007, 2008, 2009), Evan Longoria (2009), Aubrey Huff (2003) and brand new Hall of Famer Fred McGriff (1999). Paredes ranks sixth among primary third baseman by bWAR, ahead of luminaries such as Rafael Devers, Nolan Arenado and Manny Machado. — Doolittle
Record: 76-57
Previous ranking: 7
With their victory on Sunday and a Rangers loss, the Mariners temporarily moved into sole possession of first place, the latest they’ve been in first place since 2001. Julio Rodriguez followed up with a four-hit game on Monday, making him the first player since 1900 with five four-hit games in a 10-game stretch. He hit .596 over those 10 games with five home runs and 16 RBIs. He missed Tuesday’s game with a pinched nerve in his foot, however, and the Mariners have him listed as day-to-day. They’ll need his red-hot bat in the lineup as the schedule now gets more difficult, starting with a 10-game road trip against the Mets, Reds and Rays. — Schoenfield
Record: 77-58
Previous ranking: 6
Michael Brantley is back. The Astros activated Brantley from the injured list on Tuesday and he made his season debut that night at Fenway Park, going 0-for-4. It was his first MLB action since June 26, 2022, and his return positions him to play a part in Houston’s title defense after he missed last year’s championship run. Brantley hit just one homer in 16 rehab games for Triple-A Sugar Land, but other than that, he hit very much like Michael Brantley. He posted a .298/.453/.447 slash line for the Space Cowboys, with 15 walks and one — one! — strikeout. The Astros, who are last in the majors in plate appearances by lefty hitters, can use a guy like that. Anyone could. — Doolittle
Record: 75-58
Previous ranking: 4
The Rangers lost eight in a row and then lost hold of first place in the American League West as the hard-charging Mariners overtook them. A series win over the Mets helped right the ship, though, as their pitching stabilized after a rough ride. Andrew Heaney threw a needed 5⅓ shutout innings on Tuesday, striking out seven while giving up five hits and a walk. The night before, it was Jon Gray tossing a quality start. In the last 10 days, Rangers’ starters posted a 5.22 ERA. Most of the season, that part of their team has been great. Their one blip cost them first place. — Rogers
Record: 74-59
Previous ranking: 9
A series win over the Giants, a sweep of the Cardinals and a series win over the Angels have allowed the Phillies to open up a little breathing room in the wild-card race. Aaron Nola had back-to-back seven-inning starts — allowing no runs and two runs, respectively — and Bryce Harper has found his home run groove, with eight in a 13-game stretch, including his 300th career home run on Wednesday, in which he hit .458/.574/1.063 with 17 RBIs and struck out just five times.. Meanwhile, Kyle Schwarber hit seven home runs in an 11-game stretch, hitting .275 with more walks than strikeouts and a 1.317 OPS. A locked-in Harper and Schwarber? Watch out. — Schoenfield
Record: 74-59
Previous ranking: 10
A nine-game win streak came to an end on Tuesday in a 1-0 loss to the Cubs, but Milwaukee firmly established itself as a possible playoff force during the run. It started after the team arrived in Texas for a series at 4 a.m. local time. The Brewers swept the Rangers that weekend before doing the same to the first-place Twins a couple days later, and then Milwaukee buried the Padres with a home sweep. Brandon Woodruff and Corbin Burnes are doing their thing, but Freddy Peralta has also been excellent. He averaged over nine strikeouts in five August starts, all wins by the Brewers. The NL Central is theirs to lose in September. — Rogers
Record: 73-61
Previous ranking: 8
Even as the Blue Jays slip increasingly behind in the playoff race, Davis Schneider has established himself as a spectacled, mustachioed folk hero. Over his first 14 big league games, the Blue Jays’ 28th-round selection in 2017 went 19-for-45 with nine walks, six homers, 14 RBIs and a .426/.526/.894 slash line. Can he keep it up? Well, either Schneider is due for a major regression, or he’s the best hitter who ever lived. We’ll leave it up to what you want to believe. — Doolittle
Record: 71-62
Previous ranking: 12
Justin Steele continues to make his Cy Young case as he tossed another six shutout innings against the Brewers in a tight 1-0 win on Tuesday. His 2.69 ERA is second only to Blake Snell in the NL. The outing helped stabilize a Cubs rotation that’s now relying on two pitchers — lefty Jordan Wicks and righty Javier Assad — who have limited experience in the big leagues. Wicks made his MLB debut on Saturday against the Pirates, striking out nine while featuring a change-up — a rarity for left-handed pitchers. The Cubs could use more production out of righty Jameson Taillon down the stretch. He’s given up at least four runs in his last four starts, tying a career high set earlier this season. — Rogers
Record: 69-65
Previous ranking: 13
When the week began, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly had combined for a 3.32 ERA in 52 starts, making up one of the best one-two punches in the sport — not to mention one of the biggest reasons why the D-backs remained in contention. In back-to-back starts against the Dodgers on Monday and Tuesday, however, Gallen and Kelly combined to allow 13 runs on 21 hits and six walks in 10⅓ innings, taking the loss in both outings. The D-backs have taken some major steps forward this year, but the gap between them and the Dodgers is still really wide, especially in recent weeks. There’s no better evidence of that than watching their two best pitchers by far struggle mightily against them. — Gonzalez
Record: 69-65
Previous ranking: 14
The development of Royce Lewis was slowed by injuries, but through it all, his talent has shined through and continues to do so at the big league level. Lewis was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft, but a pair of ACL tears kept him on the Baseball America top 100 prospects list six straight years. His rise to the majors required a lot of patience and perseverance, but he is in Minnesota now, and he’s doing what you hope a first overall pick will do.
Lewis mashed grand slams in back-to-back games this week, becoming the first player in the history of the Senators/Twins to do so. He followed that up with a solo homer in the subsequent game. The sample size on his big league numbers remains small, but if you want to dream on him a little, consider this: Over his first 51 MLB games, he slashed .312/.354/.538 with 162-game paces of 35 homers and 108 RBIs, all while posting positive defensive metrics at third base. The wait certainly appears to have been worth it. — Doolittle
Record: 69-64
Previous ranking: 15
Alex Cobb came within one out of throwing a no-hitter against the electric Reds on Tuesday, ultimately giving up an RBI double to Spencer Steer before finishing with a 131-pitch complete game. Only three men reached base. It might not have been a historic start, but it was further indication of how crucial Cobb, 35, has been for this year’s Giants. His ERA is down to 3.57 in 141⅓ innings. He and Logan Webb have basically been the only mainstays in the rotation. But Kyle Harrison, their 22-year-old rookie, has allowed just two runs in 9⅔ innings in his first two starts, striking out 16 batters. He could change the dynamic down the stretch as the Giants look to secure a wild-card spot in a hyper-competitive field. — Gonzalez
Record: 69-65
Previous ranking: 11
After a three-game road series against the lowly Royals, the Red Sox will begin a brutal make-or-break part of their schedule on Sept. 4. Boston will play at Tampa Bay, at home against the Orioles and Yankees, and then on the road at Toronto and Texas. The contests against the offensively-potent Rays, Orioles and Rangers are of particular concern for the Red Sox’s ice cold run prevention, which has not warmed up over the last week. Since Aug. 16, the Red Sox rank as a bottom-five team in the majors in team ERA. On top of all that, Boston will finish the season without Jarren Duran, whose turf toe injury required surgery. It was a breakout season at the plate for Duran, who entered the 2023 campaign with a career OPS+ of 69 but leaped to a 120 mark this season. — Doolittle
Record: 69-66
Previous ranking: 16
A late-season West Coast trip hasn’t been kind to the Reds as they struggled on offense to begin the week. They were nearly no-hit by Cobb and the Giants on Tuesday, managing just one run in the ninth inning — their third straight game scoring two or less runs. Nick Martini has been a nice find for Cincinnati, though. He went 6-for-16 over a seven-day span ending on Tuesday that included two home runs and six RBIs. Martini has raked since coming up from Triple-A recently and has been a much-needed addition for an up-and-down offense. The Reds have fallen behind in the wild-card race, but once they get into September, their schedule lightens up. They’re down but not out. — Rogers
Record: 66-67
Previous ranking: 17
It’s beginning to slip away from the Marlins. They’re still in the wild-card chase, but now have three teams to jump over. And they just haven’t played good baseball since June, going 9-15 in July and 9-17 in August. In their latest 2-8 stretch, they scored just 17 runs while hitting .207/.254/.319. It didn’t help that they actually had leads in two of those games, but closer David Robertson lost them late. Robertson looked like a good trade deadline move, but he’s blown three of his six save chances, losing all three of those games and his role as closer. — Schoenfield
Record: 62-72
Previous ranking: 18
Is it time to give up any hope on these Padres? They’re surely making it tempting. The Padres were swept in a weekend series against the Brewers, and two days later they lost to the hapless Cardinals in extra innings. It moved the Padres to 0-11 in extra innings in 2023 — one loss away from tying the 1969 Montreal Expos, an expansion team that lost 110 games, for the worst record in extra-inning games in a single season. Worse: The Padres placed Yu Darvish on the IL with elbow inflammation on Sunday. Darvish wants to return before the end of the season, as does Joe Musgrove, who’s recovering from shoulder inflammation. But if the Padres can’t get into contention by mid-September, it won’t be worth the risk. — Gonzalez
Record: 65-68
Previous ranking: 21
The Yankees sent a clear message on Tuesday that they’re turning the page and looking to next season with their decisions to place center fielder Harrison Bader on waivers and release third baseman Josh Donaldson.
Bader could stick around if he goes unclaimed, but the focus in New York remains on going-forward evaluation. With Donaldson on the IL most of the year, the Yankees have leaned on veterans like D.J. LeMahieu and Isiah Kiner-Falefa at the hot corner. In recent games, however, Oswald Peraza had gotten the lion’s share of the time at the position, so we can expect that to continue with Donaldson now an ex-Yankee. It was less clear what the Bombers had in mind for center field, until they called up Jasson Dominguez — whose status as “phenom” has been up and down — on Thursday, with the intention of activating him prior to the team’s series against the Astros starting Friday. Dominguez, 20, played just eight games at Triple-A before being called up, going 12-for-27 with five walks and just two strikeouts. — Doolittle
Record: 64-70
Previous ranking: 20
The Noah Syndergaard experiment didn’t work out as the Guardians designated him for assignment after six starts and a 5.40 ERA. The Guardians did manage to go 3-3 in his starts, and in one of the losses he allowed just one run, so he’s hardly the reason the team has fallen behind the Twins after starting the month just one game out of first place. Indeed, they can look at their 5-8 record against the White Sox and 3-7 record against the Tigers as two teams they should have — or could have — done better against. They do have one last series against the Twins beginning Monday, and they’ll need to sweep that to have any chance at the division. — Schoenfield
Record: 62-72
Previous ranking: 23
The Nationals lost to the Blue Jays on Wednesday for their first series loss after previously winning six straight in August against the A’s, Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees and Marlins. They are 26-18 in the second half, the same record as the Phillies and nearly as good as the Braves (27-16) and Astros (27-17). They’ve done that despite a 5.16 ERA that ranks in the bottom third in the majors since the All-Star break. The offense ranks in the bottom half of the majors in OPS in the second half, so I wouldn’t necessarily interpret this stretch as a sure sign that the Nationals are suddenly much improved. But they’re learning to win, and the organization will no doubt look to improve its roster depth in the offseason.
One key that has kept their season respectable: They’ve used just seven starters, tied for fewest in the majors. Josiah Gray, MacKenzie Gore and Trevor Williams have each made 26 starts, while Patrick Corbin made his 27th Wednesday. — Schoenfield
Record: 64-70
Previous ranking: 19
The Angels flooded the waiver wire with a handful of notable players on Tuesday, a list that included starting pitcher Lucas Giolito, outfielders Hunter Renfroe and Randal Grichuk, and relievers Reynaldo Lopez and Matt Moore. The decision was made, at least in part, in an effort to get back under the luxury-tax threshold. But it also embodied their harsh reality.
By that point, the Angels had gone 7-17 since the Aug. 1 trade deadline — a time when they not only decided to keep Shohei Ohtani, but also shed prospects to acquire some of the aforementioned rentals. Ohtani has since been diagnosed with a torn UCL that will prevent him from pitching the rest of the year, Mike Trout is back on the IL, and nobody seems to have any idea if Anthony Rendon will play again this season. The Angels’ decisions a month ago — inspired as it might have been — might ultimately set this franchise back several years. — Gonzalez
Record: 61-73
Previous ranking: 22
Francisco Lindor has quietly reached 5.1 WAR, which ranks him 10th among all position players. With a strong finish, he has a chance to reach 100 runs and 100 RBIs in the same season for the first time in his career, after just missing last season (98 runs, 107 RBIs). Some of his value is in quantity — he’s missed just two games — but he’s played excellent defense (he could win a Gold Glove) and swiped 24 bases in 26 attempts. His 118 OPS+ is right at his career average of 117. Does it feel like he’s been one of the best players in the game? Not really, but other than his mediocre .251 average, he’s excelled at everything else. — Schoenfield
Record: 59-74
Previous ranking: 24
Reports came out this week that Casey Mize, who has missed the entire 2023 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, faced live batters last weekend for the first time during his recovery process. It’s not out of the question that we could see Mize before the end of the season. He wouldn’t be stretched out, but, nevertheless, the Tigers could get a glimpse of their core 2024 rotation on the same MLB staff for the first time all season.
Two of those building blocks — Matt Manning and Tarik Skubal — continue to trend in the right direction. Manning, who tweaked his back in his last outing and had to have a scheduled start pushed back, has allowed just one earned run over his last three starts. Meanwhile, Skubal has a 3.93 ERA over 10 starts since returning to the big league rotation on July 4. He’s really been even better than that: Skubal’s 2.41 FIP since that date is the best in the majors, according to Fangraphs. — Doolittle
Record: 61-73
Previous ranking: 26
Mitch Keller has returned to pre-All Star break form as he pitched eight scoreless innings against the Cubs last Friday. Including his previous two starts, Keller has given up just three runs over 20 innings. Take away three earlier outings in the second half, where he gave up 22 runs, and Keller has been one of the better pitchers in the game. It gives the Pirates a pitcher to build around as they slowly attempt to come out of a long rebuilding cycle. The long awaited return of Oneil Cruz was unfortunately put on hold as his injury wasn’t fully healed. Pittsburgh missed him as the season wore on, coinciding with their fall in the standings. — Rogers
Record: 58-76
Previous ranking: 25
Playing out the string has not looked pretty for the Cardinals. The one thing to play for isn’t even going their way as Adam Wainwright is still stuck on 198 wins. He’s pitched better in two of his last three starts, but the offense has dried up with him on the mound — scoring a total of six runs in those outings. As a team, St. Louis had the worst week at the plate in MLB, hitting just .147 with a .470 OPS over a five-day span ending Tuesday. Nolan Arenado went 0-for-15 during that stretch while Nolan Gorman went 1-for-13. Ugly doesn’t begin to describe the Cardinals’ season. — Rogers
Record: 53-81
Previous ranking: 28
Despite Chicago’s struggles, Luis Robert Jr. has set career marks in doubles and home runs in his breakout year. He’s also been consistent, hitting at least five long balls in each month while playing Gold Glove-caliber defense in center. Robert isn’t fully formed as a hitter just yet — as evidenced by his 149-28 strikeout-to-walk ratio — but he’s chasing 3% less than last season, meaning he’s improving upon his big weakness. As the White Sox retool, they have a player to build around. It’s one bright spot in an otherwise terrible year for the organization. — Rogers
Record: 49-84
Previous ranking: 27
The worst run-differential in Rockies history took place in 1993, the team’s inaugural season, when they finished at minus-209. With more than a month of baseball ahead of them, the 2023 Rockies stand at minus-197. They’re also on pace for their first 100-loss season in franchise history. The Rockies have been a disaster since they last reached the postseason in 2018. And given that their farm system ranked 18th when ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel revealed his updated rankings in mid-August, it could be a while until they’re relevant again. — Gonzalez
Record: 41-94
Previous ranking: 29
The Royals may have pulled off a rare coup — for them — in picking up Cole Ragans in the Aroldis Chapman trade. The former first-round pick had struggled in a relief role with the Rangers with a 5.95 ERA, but the Royals moved him into their rotation after a brief hiatus in Triple-A. In seven starts, he has a 1.73 ERA with 56 strikeouts and just one home run in 41⅔ innings — including back-to-back scoreless outings with 20 strikeouts in his last two starts. Ragans has had two Tommy John surgeries and was throwing in the 92-93 mph range with the Rangers, but his velocity has suddenly ticked up to 96 mph and his cutter and slider have been dominant as well. His 53 strikeouts in August tied for the second most in a month in Royals history behind Dennis Leonard, who had 55 in June of 1977. — Schoenfield
Record: 39-95
Previous ranking: 30
The A’s, who will host the Angels over the weekend, haven’t notched a home sweep of at least three games all year. They had a prime opportunity to do so last Wednesday, against the similarly hapless Royals, but they were shut out in the finale. The A’s offense ranks dead last in the majors in OPS and has been shut out 14 times so far this year, tied with the Tigers, Mets and Royals for the major league lead. Zero sweeps at home, but they’ve been the victim of a home sweep on eight occasions. — Gonzalez
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Sports
Building the perfect trade deadline for the Mets and Phillies
Published
9 hours agoon
July 26, 2025By
admin
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David SchoenfieldJul 26, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Covers MLB for ESPN.com
- Former deputy editor of Page 2
- Been with ESPN.com since 1995
There’s plenty of history in the rivalry between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies. It’s about 116 miles from Citi Field to Citizens Bank Park. The two teams been competing for the NL East since 1969. Star players from Tug McGraw to Jerry Koosman to Lenny Dykstra to Pedro Martinez to Zack Wheeler have played for both franchises. Mets fans loathe the Phanatic, and Phillies fans laugh derisively at Mr. Met.
Despite this longevity, the two teams have rarely battled for a division title in the same season. The only years they finished No. 1 and 2 or were battling for a division lead late in the season:
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1986: Mets finished 21.5 games ahead
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2001: Both finished within six games of the Braves
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2006: Mets finished 12 games ahead
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2007: Phillies finished one game ahead
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2008: Phillies finished three games ahead
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2024: Phillies finished six games ahead of Mets and Braves
So it’s a rare treat to see the Mets and Phillies battling for the NL East lead in as New York faces the San Francisco Giants on “Sunday Night Baseball” this week. This season has also been a bit of bumpy ride for both teams, so there is pressure on both front offices to make trade deadline additions in hopes of winning the World Series that has eluded both franchises in recent years despite high payrolls and star-laden rosters. Let’s dig into what both teams need to do before Thursday.
The perfect trade deadline for the Mets
1. Bullpen help
The Mets already acquired hard-throwing lefty Gregory Soto from the Orioles, but David Stearns will likely look for another reliever, given that the Mets’ bullpen has struggled since the beginning of June with a 5.02 ERA. In my grade of the trade, I pointed out the importance for the Mets to add left-handed relief. Think of potential playoff opponents and all the key left-handed batters: Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper on the Phillies; Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Max Muncy on the Dodgers; Kyle Tucker, Michael Busch and Pete Crow-Armstrong on the Cubs.
Soto has held lefties to a .138 average this season, and it does help that the Mets have two lefty starters in David Peterson and Sean Manaea. They also just activated Brooks Raley after he had been out since early 2024. If he is back to his 2022-23 form, when he had a 2.74 ERA and held lefties to a .209 average, maybe the Mets will feel good enough about their southpaw relief.
They could still use another dependable righty reliever. Mets starters were hot early on, but they weren’t going deep into games, and outside of Peterson, the lack of longer outings is a big reason the bullpen ERA has skyrocketed. Carlos Mendoza has overworked his setup guys, including Huascar Brazoban and Reed Garrett. Brazoban has never been much of a strike thrower anyway, and Garrett similarly faded in the second half last season. Adding a high-leverage righty to set up Edwin Diaz makes sense. Candidates there include David Bednar of the Pirates, Ryan Helsley of the Cardinals, Griffin Jax or Jhoan Duran of the Twins, or maybe a longer shot such as Emmanuel Clase or Cade Smith of the Guardians.
2. Think big, as in Eugenio Suarez
Mark Vientos was a huge key to last season’s playoff appearance and trip to the NLCS, hitting .266/.322/.516 with 27 home runs after beginning the season in Triple-A. He hasn’t been able to replicate that performance, though, hitting .224/.279/.354. That has led to a revolving door at third base, with Vientos, Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio starting games there in July. Overall, Mets third basemen ranked 24th in the majors in OPS entering Friday.
Lack of production at third is one reason the Mets’ offense has been mediocre rather than very good — they’re averaging 4.38 runs per game, just below the NL average of 4.43. They could use another premium bat, given the lack of production they’ve received from center field and catcher (not to mention Francisco Lindor‘s slump since the middle of June). Maybe Francisco Alvarez‘s short stint back in Triple-A will get his bat going now that he’s back in the majors, but going after Suarez to hit behind Juan Soto and Pete Alonso would lengthen the lineup.
3. Reacquire Harrison Bader to play CF
Tyrone Taylor is a plus defender in center and has made several incredible catches, but he’s hitting .209/.264/.306 for a lowly OPS+ of 65. Old friend Bader is having a nice season with the Twins, hitting .251/.330/.435. Maybe that’s a little over his head, given that he had a .657 OPS with the Mets last season, but he would still be an offensive upgrade over Taylor without losing anything on defense — and he wouldn’t cost a top-tier prospect. The Mets could still mix in Jeff McNeil against the really tough righties, but adding Suarez and Bader would give this lineup more of a championship feel.
The perfect deadline for the Phillies
1. Acquire Jhoan Duran
Like the Mets, the Phillies already made a move here, signing free agent David Robertson, who had a 3.00 ERA and 99 strikeouts in 72 innings last season with the Rangers. On paper, he should help, but he’s also 40 and will need a few games in the minors to get ready. Even with Robertson, the Phillies could use some more help here. They’ll eventually get Jose Alvarado back from his 60-game PED suspension, but Alvarado is ineligible for the postseason. At least the Mets have an elite closer in Edwin Diaz. Jordan Romano leads the Phillies with eight saves and has a 6.69 ERA. Matt Strahm is solid, but more useful as a lefty setup guy than a closer (think of all those left-handed batters we listed for the Mets, then sub out Juan Soto and Brandon Nimmo for Harper and Schwarber).
And the Phillies’ bullpen has consistently come up short in big games. Think back to last year’s NLDS, when Jeff Hoffman lost twice to the Mets. Or 2023, when Craig Kimbrel lost two games in the NLCS against the Diamondbacks. Or the 2022 World Series, when Yordan Alvarez hit the huge home run off Alvarado in the clinching Game 6.
So, yes, a shutdown closer is a must. Maybe that’s Bednar, maybe Clase if he’s available (although he struggled in last year’s postseason), maybe Helsley. But the guy Dave Dombrowski should go all-in to get: Duran. The window for the Phillies is slowly closing as the core players get older. Duran is under control through 2027, so he’s a fit for now and the immediate future. The trade cost might be painful, but with his 100 mph fastball and splitter, he has the elite stuff you need in October.
2. Add Ryan O’Hearn
The Phillies have received below-average production from both left field (mostly Max Kepler) and center field (Brandon Marsh/Johan Rojas platoon). The center-field market is pretty thin except for Bader or maybe a gamble on Luis Robert Jr. I’d pass on Robert, stick with the Marsh/Rojas platoon and upgrade left field with O’Hearn, who is hitting .281/.375/.452 for the Orioles. He isn’t the perfect fit since, like Kepler, he hits left-handed and struggles against lefties, but he’s a patient hitter with a much better OBP, and he’s passable in the outfield.
3. Acquire Willi Castro
Here’s the bottom line: The Phillies have to admit that some of their long-term position players aren’t getting the job done — such as second baseman Bryson Stott, who has a 77 OPS+. Third baseman Alec Bohm has been better but also has a below-average OPS.
That makes Castro a nice fit. He’s not a star, but he’s an above-average hitter, a switch-hitter who plays all over the field for the Twins, having started games at five different positions. He could play second or third or start in left field against a lefty. Philadelphia could even start him in center instead of Rojas, although that would be a defensive hit. Bottom line: Castro would give the Phillies a lot more versatility — or a significant offensive upgrade over Stott if they start him every day at second.
Note as well: Stott has hit .188 in 33 career postseason games. Bohm has hit .214 with two home runs in 34 postseason games. The Phillies need a different offensive look for October.
Sports
Olney: The 8 teams most desperate to make a deadline deal
Published
9 hours agoon
July 26, 2025By
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Buster OlneyJul 25, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
Close- Senior writer ESPN Magazine/ESPN.com
- Analyst/reporter ESPN television
- Author of “The Last Night of the Yankee Dynasty”
It would be ideal if every MLB team were so desperate to win that they would do whatever it takes. But in an industry with so many variables from team to team — roster composition, payroll commitment, market size, owner ambition, fan rabidity and history — some organizations are willing to go further and do more than others.
The New York Mets paid more in luxury taxes last season ($97 million) than the Pittsburgh Pirates have dedicated to payroll this season, and Pittsburgh could attempt to reduce salary commitments even further at this year’s trade deadline.
Some teams are more desperate than others. As we near the July 31 deadline, we present the teams most desperate to make a deal.
New York played in the World Series last year, and in a lot of markets, that might be enough to satisfy a fan base. But not with the Yankees, whose most faithful fans judge them under the George Steinbrenner Doctrine: If you don’t win the World Series, you’ve had a bad year. This is a constant.
The Yankees could return to where they were last October. The 33-year-old Aaron Judge, one of the most dynamic hitters ever, is having another historic season. New York wants to take advantage of that — particularly because the American League is wide open with as many as seven or eight AL teams having reasonable paths to the World Series.
But the Yankees still have distinct holes. They badly need an upgrade at third base, which someone like Eugenio Suarez could fill. Gerrit Cole and Clarke Schmidt suffered season-ending elbow injuries, leaving a need for another experienced starting pitcher. Their bullpen also needs help in the sixth and seventh innings.
After the departure of Juan Soto, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner and general manager Brian Cashman are probably under more pressure to do something this season than any of their peers. What else is new?
It’s remarkable how similar this version of the Phillies is to the teams that president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski constructed in Detroit, with Philadelphia’s strong starting pitching (Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez playing the roles of Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer) and a lineup of sluggers (Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper as Miguel Cabrera and Prince Fielder).
The major question that hangs over this Philadelphia team, as was the case with those Tigers teams, is about the bullpen: Is there enough depth and power? For the Phillies, that is complicated by the situation with lefty Jose Alvarado, who will return in August from his 80-game suspension under the PED policy but not be eligible for the postseason.
The Phillies paid heavily for free agent reliever David Robertson, giving him the equivalent of a $16 million salary for the rest of the regular season, but they could use another reliever who is adept at shutting down high-end right-handed hitters in the postseason.
On the days Tarik Skubal pitches, the Tigers could be the best team in baseball; it’s possible that in the postseason, he could be his generation’s version of Orel Hershiser or Madison Bumgarner, propelling his team through round after round of playoffs to the World Series.
But the Tigers might have Skubal for only the rest of this year and next season, before he, advised by his agent Scott Boras, heads into free agency and becomes maybe the first $400 million pitcher in history.
Now is the time for Detroit to make a push for its first championship in more than four decades. And for Scott Harris, the team’s president of baseball operations, that means adding a couple of high-impact relievers capable of generating a lot of swing-and-misses.
The Mariners showed they are serious about making moves before this deadline with Thursday’s trade for first baseman Josh Naylor.
The last time the Mariners reached the league championship series, Ichiro Suzuki — who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend — was a rookie. Edgar Martinez was a 38-year-old designated hitter, and Jamie Moyer and Freddy Garcia were the staff aces. You get the point: It has been a really long time since the Mariners have had postseason success, and the team has never reached the World Series.
An opportunity seems to be developing for Seattle. The talented rotation, hammered by injuries in the first months of this season, could be whole for the stretch run. Cal Raleigh is having the greatest season by a catcher, contending with Judge for the AL MVP Award. Julio Rodriguez has generally been a strong second-half player.
Even ownership seems inspired: After a winter in which the Mariners spent almost nothing to upgrade the roster, other teams report that Seattle could absorb money in trades before the deadline.
5. New York Mets
Owner Steve Cohen doesn’t sport the highest payroll this year — the Dodgers’ Mark Walter is wearing that distinction — but the Mets are well over the luxury tax threshold again, in the first season after signing Juan Soto. Cohen has made it clear that generally, he will do what it takes to land the club’s first championship trophy since 1986.
But that does not include preventing David Stearns, the Mets’ respected president of baseball operations, from doing what he does best — making subtle and effective deals at the trade deadline. Rival execs expect that Stearns will work along the same lines he did last year — finding trades that improve the team’s depth without pillaging its growing farm system. That could mean adding a starting pitcher capable of starting Game 1, 2 or 3 of a postseason series, as well as bullpen depth.
Cohen is experiencing the impact of overseeing a front office that made an impetuous win-now trade at the 2021 deadline, when the Mets swapped a minor leaguer named Pete Crow-Armstrong for two months of Javier Baez. That clearly didn’t pan out for them. Cohen is desperate to win, but within the prescribed guardrails.
Last winter, the Padres had to live with the knowledge that they were probably the best team other than the Dodgers and that they came within a win of knocking out L.A. There is a lot about San Diego’s 2025 roster to like: Manny Machado clearly responds to a big stage, and the bullpen could be the most dominant at a time of year when relief corps often decide championships.
However, as Padres general manager A.J. Preller navigates this trade deadline in the hopes of living out late owner Peter Seidler’s dream of winning San Diego’s first World Series title, he has a relatively thin, aging, top-heavy roster with a lot of significant payroll obligations. This is why the Padres are considering trading Dylan Cease, who is potentially the highest-impact starter available on the market. Preller could move Cease to fill other roster needs, current and future ones, and then deal for a cheaper veteran starter to replace him.
“He’ll have to rob Peter to pay Paul,” one of Preller’s peers said.
Hope has emerged after the team’s all-in, $500 million signing of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., with the Blue Jays taking the lead in the AL East.
Toronto’s rotation is comprised of an older group — 34-year-old Kevin Gausman, 36-year-old Chris Bassitt, 40-year-old Max Scherzer and 31-year-old Jose Berrios. Without a clear favorite in the AL, Toronto could break through for its first title since the Jays went back-to-back in 1992-93 — and in just the second season since the club’s expensive renovations of Rogers Centre were completed. When Alex Anthopoulos led the front office a decade ago, he made an all-in push to get the Jays back into the playoffs, adding players like David Price because he believed this was the right time for them to take their shot — and they came very close to getting back to the World Series.
Reportedly, Mark Shapiro — the team’s incoming president at the time — did not approve of Anthopoulos’ strategy. Now, Shapiro’s Blue Jays are in a similar situation in 2025 to where they were under Anthopoulos: Will they wheel and deal aggressively before the deadline, or will they be conservative?
The Dodgers won the World Series in 2024, after taking the title in the shortened season of 2020. So, if they don’t win a championship this year, it’s not as if a bunch of people are getting fired and the roster will be jettisoned. But winning can be intoxicating, especially when the lineup and rotation are loaded with stars: The Dodgers can envision a postseason in which a starting staff of Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Yoshinobu Yamamoto could propel the team to a second consecutive title.
But the Dodgers’ bullpen — heavily worked in the first months of this season because of injuries to the rotation — is in tatters due to injuries. Will the Dodgers’ push to become the first team to repeat as champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees drive them to swap valuable prospects for needed bullpen help before the deadline? We’re about to find out.
This is a team very well-suited for the postseason: The Cubs are a strong defensive team; they have a deep lineup around Kyle Tucker, in what might be Tucker’s only season in Chicago; and they put the ball in play.
They’ve got a good farm system, as well as an experienced president of baseball operations in Jed Hoyer. He was part of championships in Boston in 2004 and 2007 and was the Cubs’ general manager for their 2016 title. He and Theo Epstein made the Nomar Garciaparra deal at the trade deadline in 2004, in advance of Boston’s breakthrough title in 2004, and the all-in trade for Aroldis Chapman on the way to the Cubs’ first World Series win in 108 years in 2016.
But the X factor for Chicago in recent years is whether ownership operates with the same desperation — in the way that Astros owner Jim Crane did when he pushed through a Justin Verlander trade for Houston in August 2017.
This seems to be a good time for the Cubs to be desperate, to do anything to win another championship. Will a title be a priority for owner Tom Ricketts?
Sports
Schwarber reaches 1,000-hit milestone with HR
Published
18 hours agoon
July 26, 2025By
admin
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Associated Press
Jul 25, 2025, 11:58 PM ET
NEW YORK — Philadelphia Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber topped Mark McGwire for most home runs among a player’s first 1,000 hits, hitting long ball No. 319 during Friday night’s 12-5 victory over the New York Yankees.
“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or not,” Schwarber said.
Ten days after lifting the National League to victory in the first All-Star Game swing-off, Schwarber keeps going deep. He hit a pair of two-run homers Friday night, with the first drive, his milestone hit, starting the comeback from a 2-0 deficit. He got the ball back after it was grabbed by a Phillies fan attending with his friends in Yankee Stadium’s right-center-field seats.
“I saw it on the video and then I see the dude tugging,” Schwarber said. “I’m like: ‘Oh, they all got Philly stuff on.’ That was cool.”
He met the trio after the game, gave an autographed ball to each and exchanged hugs. When he went to get a third ball to autograph, one of the three said he just wanted the potential free agent to re-sign with the Phillies.
“You show up to the field every single day trying to get a win at the end of the day, and I think our fans kind of latch on to that, right?” Schwarber said. “It’s been fantastic these last 3½ years, four years now. The support that we get from our fans and it means a lot to me that, you know, that they attach themselves to our team.”
Schwarber tied it at 2-2 in the fifth against Will Warren when he hit a 413-foot drive on a first-pitch fastball.
After J.T. Realmuto‘s three-run homer off Luke Weaver built a 6-3 lead in a four-run seventh and the Yankees closed within a run in the bottom half, Schwarber sent an Ian Hamilton fastball 380 feet into the right-field seats.
Schwarber reached 1,000 hits with eight more homers than McGwire. Schwarber has 36 homers this year, three shy of major league leader Cal Raleigh, and six homers in seven games since he was voted All-Star MVP. He has 33 multihomer games.
“I don’t know where we’d be without him,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson said. “Comes up with big hit after big hit after big hit. It’s just — it’s amazing.”
Schwarber, 32, is eligible for free agency this fall after completing a four-year, $79 million contract. He homered on all three of his swings in the All-Star Game tiebreaker, and when the second half began, Phillies managing partner John Middleton proclaimed: “We love him. We want to keep him.”
“He’s been an incredible force all season long,” Realmuto said. “What he’s meant to his team, his offense, it’s hard to put in words.”
A World Series champion for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, Schwarber has reached 35 homers in all four seasons with the Phillies. He’s batting .255 with 82 RBIs and a .960 OPS.
He also has almost as many home runs as singles (46).
Schwarber had not been aware he topped McGwire for most homers among 1,000 hits.
“I had no clue. I didn’t even know it was my 1,000th, to be honest with you,” he said.
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