Texas A&M or Notre Dame? It’s a bag of mixed emotions for Duke with Mike Elko, Riley Leonard facing off
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
DUKE QB GRAYSON LOFTIS is looking for a politically correct way to answer a fraught question, turning to teammate Jaylen Stinson for help. Instead, Stinson eggs him on, hoping to avoid having to answer himself.
There’s a big Week 1 showdown between his former head coach, Mike Elko, now leading Texas A&M, and Riley Leonard, the guy Loftis shared a QB room at Duke with last year, now taking snaps at Notre Dame. Who ya got?
“I don’t want to touch that one with a 10-foot pole,” Loftis says. “A zero-zero tie, I guess.”
Well, that would mean Leonard didn’t throw a TD pass, right?
Loftis changes course.
“OK, 180-180,” he says, throwing up his hands.
Right. There are no good answers here.
It’s an impossible choice for the Duke holdovers, but it’s also something of a microcosm for modern college football — a coach and a QB, once tethered by success at one school, now going head-to-head on completely different sidelines; a matchup of A&M and Notre Dame and, perhaps, between college football’s espoused values and the cold reality of its bottom line.
For Leonard, Notre Dame was a chance to play for one of college football’s most storied programs in an era in which name, image and likeness dollars and NFL prospects often require the biggest stage possible. It also meant leaving the only Power 5 school to offer him a scholarship out of high school.
For Elko, the A&M job was a chance to arm himself with every resource imaginable in an era in which cash is the key to talent acquisition at a place desperate to win big. But it also meant leaving his former team under the cloak of darkness in November, with his players left to learn of his departure on social media the next morning.
For Duke — or what’s left of a program that went from a 2-10 abyss to the brink of greatness to a transfer portal exodus in two years under Elko — it has been a time of both frustration and resilience.
So when Notre Dame and Texas A&M kick off on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET on ABC), plenty of folks at Duke will be watching with mixed emotions.
And while Leonard and Elko won’t be conflicted about their preferred outcome, even they won’t be immune to the feelings that come with facing an old friend.
“Who he is as a person, the respect and admiration I have for him,” Elko said, “I would pick any other quarterback on the planet to be on the other side of the field for that game.”
IT ACTUALLY TOOK another month before Leonard’s career at Duke was truly over, but it effectively came to a blunt ending in the final seconds of a 21-14 loss to, of all teams, Notre Dame.
A few minutes earlier might’ve been the apex of the Elko-Leonard partnership. Duke was 4-0. ESPN’s “College GameDay” had come to campus for the showdown with Notre Dame, a first in program history. Leonard was getting Heisman Trophy buzz, and though the offense had been anything but pretty that night, he’d willed the Blue Devils to a 14-13 lead late in the fourth quarter.
But Notre Dame converted a fourth-and-16 by mere inches, scored two plays later, then kicked off to Leonard and the Blue Devils with just 27 seconds to play. Leonard was desperate, scrambled in a collapsing pocket and took a merciless hit that awkwardly bent one of his legs.
Pain shot from Leonard’s ankle as he lay in a heap on the field. Meanwhile, Notre Dame recovered the loose ball and went on to win 21-14.
Leonard completed just 16 more passes in a Blue Devils jersey in two losses to Florida State and Louisville before opting for surgery and, ultimately, the transfer portal.
His destination: Notre Dame.
“It’s an ongoing joke,” Leonard said. “I was just talking trash today, saying they got lucky.”
It’s impossible to say what might’ve happened had Duke won that game, had Leonard not been helped off the field with his right leg dangling and his ankle aching. What Leonard is certain of is that he never considered the transfer portal before the injury.
“Absolutely not for a second did I have a thought of ending up here after that game,” Leonard said. “But God’s got a funny plan for my life. It’s just crazy to think about, but it’s something I really appreciate and I’m not taking any day for granted.”
In high school in Fairhope, Alabama, Leonard was a basketball star. It wasn’t until his senior season that football became his priority, and by that point, he had garnered few suitors on the recruiting trail. But a high school coach was pals with then-Duke coach David Cutcliffe, whom he saw enough from Leonard to offer a scholarship.
Cutcliffe was fired after Leonard’s first year at Duke, however, and it was Elko who really gave the QB his shot. The decision paid immediate dividends, with Duke winning nine games in 2022, largely buoyed by Leonard’s success.
It all felt like a perfect story until Leonard was tethered to a hospital bed, recovering from ankle surgery in November 2023.
By then, rumors were swirling that Elko would leave. The vultures were circling as portal season approached. The word in certain circles was that Leonard had already decided he was leaving, too, though multiple sources with direct knowledge of the situation argued otherwise, noting Elko and Leonard were still discussing a possible return as late as Nov. 26, the day Elko ultimately left for Texas A&M.
Truth is, Leonard said, he wasn’t eager to leave the only college that had given him a chance, but he said he ultimately had to make “a selfish” decision. Not the wrong decision, he said, just not the choice that might’ve been best for everyone around him.
“You can give him some grace, but you’ve got to call a spade a spade,” said DeWayne Carter, a former Blue Devils defensive tackle and one of Leonard’s closest confidants. “You’ve got to be selfish in that world, and Riley is the farthest thing from selfish in this universe. He did all he could to come back for us [from the ankle injury], and he had a right to make a decision for himself. It was never a secretive thing. He had conversations with us, and I told him I supported him.”
Another voice of support came from Notre Dame’s last starting QB, Sam Hartman — a player who had left an ACC school where he carved out a legendary career in favor of one last ride with the Irish.
Hartman’s transfer had its own critics, and when the Irish honored him at their 2023 Senior Day festivities, Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson lamented the situation, suggesting Notre Dame was just a flirtation, while Wake was home. It was, perhaps, a reasonable take. Clawson noted that, when Hartman posted images to his social media playing the new EA Sports College Football game, he was playing with Wake, not Notre Dame.
But when Leonard reached out for advice, Hartman gave him the hard sell. No, it wasn’t easy to leave a place he loved. Yes, Notre Dame was still the right decision.
And so Leonard said goodbye to Duke, and went to a play for the team that had delivered the most punishing blow to his career thus far.
Like Hartman, he said, there are no regrets.
“Everybody here is the biggest Notre Dame supporter. Everywhere you go we feel the love. You’re in the middle of nowhere Indiana, but it’s such a special place,” he said. “I feel like I’ve become a better person spiritually, mentally, as a football player, a student. It’s been a great experience so far.”
ELKO MET WITH his team at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 26. He had been offered the head-coaching job at Texas A&M, a place where he spent three years (2018-21) as defensive coordinator, and he was seriously considering accepting.
This wasn’t the first time Duke’s players had heard some version of this story. Elko had been a hot name on the coaching carousel after his stellar debut season with the Blue Devils, but at every other turn, he demurred.
He loved Duke. Elko has two kids in high school in Durham, and if he took the A&M job, he’d be leaving them behind. Athletic director Nina King had given him his first opportunity as a head coach, and he wanted to be loyal.
But offers like Texas A&M don’t come around often. He had gone home to talk with his family about it, and in the meantime, then-Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork — who would leave for a new job himself less than two months later — and the head of the board of regents flew to Raleigh, North Carolina, to await his response.
Hours passed as Elko, his wife and his kids debated the job. It wasn’t until nearly midnight they came to a decision, and by that time, Bjork & Co. had been waiting on a tarmac at the Raleigh airport for three hours.
Elko called King around 11:55 p.m. and told her he was taking A&M’s offer and promptly left for Texas.
The next morning, the news was everywhere.
“There were a lot of hard feelings for me and the school and the staff,” Carter said. “You wake up and are learning stuff from Twitter. I was mad. I was definitely mad.”
Former Duke defensive tackle Aeneas Peebles, now at Virginia Tech, called it “a messy time.”
“Going through a coaching change and hearing the rumors on Twitter, even weeks before it actually happened, especially an amazing coach like Elko,” Peebles said, “hearing rumors that brought life back to this place, it hurt.”
Elko scheduled a videoconference meeting with the team for the afternoon of Nov. 27, and a report quickly surfaced suggesting a number of players planned to boycott.
Ultimately, the whole team joined the meeting, however, which Elko said was brief. What was left to say?
“When you leave for a lateral job, everything you say is bulls—,” Elko said. “You make a public statement, but we broke up. There’s no good way to do that. I certainly regret not being there Monday morning to talk to people, but it was a really unique station. If I could change anything, I’d have somebody stop that plane.”
Peebles said he has come to understand why Elko made the decision. Leonard, too. In the end, they all made the same choice.
The game is about the team, Peebles said. The business is about the individual. The freedom to leave is both a lifeline and a dagger.
“At the end of the day, this is an unforgiving game,” Peebles said. “It’s not a game that caters to people. It brings people together, but it for sure doesn’t cater to an individual or an individual’s feelings, and there have been a whole lot of great players who got stuck in terrible situations.”
IF ANGER WAS the first emotion for Carter, that quickly shifted into something more resolute. He had been at Duke for five years, and he didn’t want his story to end on this note.
“My immediate thought,” Carter said, “was, ‘How do we finish this the right way?'”
The math suggested there would be no happy ending. Initially, more than 20 Duke players entered the transfer portal — though several ultimately chose to stay. It took 13 days for Duke to hire Elko’s replacement, Manny Diaz. A host of stars who had helped rebuild the Duke program were on their way out, including Leonard, tailback Jordan Waters, defensive end R.J. Oben (who joined Leonard at Notre Dame) and defensive back Brandon Johnson.
Carter could’ve walked away, too, and started training for the combine. His legacy at Duke was secure. Instead, he marched into a splintered, chaotic locker room and restored order. There was a bowl game to win, and no amount of turmoil would be excuse enough to walk away from one last chance to play together.
“They’re the reason guys played in that game, even guys who were transferring out,” said Duke strength coach David Feeley. “They wanted to win that game. That was one of the most special experiences I’ll ever get is watching the power of that locker room keep it all together for a bowl win.”
It’s not that the hard feelings simply vanished amid a desire to win a bowl game — “Trust me, it wasn’t 100 percent perfect every day,” Carter said — but there was unity in the approach to those few weeks in December when it was clear the end was near, but it hadn’t quite arrived.
A handful of players who had already entered the transfer portal insisted on playing in the bowl game, including Peebles. Leonard was still recovering from surgery, but he was at every practice, cheering on his teammates and coaching from the sideline. Guys were taking calls and planning their futures, but when it came time to focus on Troy — Duke’s 76 Birmingham Bowl opponent — the team was uniformly focused.
“That was the shining light that reinforced that Duke’s all about good people,” Peebles said. “We all thought about the good stuff and the good this place had done for us, so it almost felt wrong not to finish it together.”
When Diaz was finally hired on Dec. 7, he was initially a bit surprised at the mood of his locker room. It was turbulent, to say the least, but also strangely engaged. Diaz had been a part of coaching changes before, but he had never seen anything like this.
It was a team that knew the end was near, but refused to rush toward the exit.
“Those couple weeks were tough,” said Loftis, who started Duke’s 17-10 win over Troy. “You look around and you’re like, ‘What the heck?’ But I think what stuck out was just looking inside the locker room and banding together as brothers.”
When it was over, the business of football became real once again with dozens of players going separate ways.
Looking back, it ended the way it had to, but also with a reminder that all the days between business decisions still matter, too.
“At the core, that’s just who we were at Duke,” Carter said. “I’d bet they’re still the same way. We were always friends first.”
ELKO HAS BEEN thinking a lot of the first game he coached against Wake Forest in 2017. He was defensive coordinator for the Deacs for three years (2014-16) before Notre Dame came calling for him, too, and in November of that year, he faced off against his former players.
It made him sick.
“It was the worst feeling on the planet,” Elko said. “I was with all those kids and now I’m on the other side. I hated that feeling. And I imagine it will be the same with Riley [on Saturday].”
Leonard has thought about what it will be like to see his former coach on the sideline across from him.
“I love Coach Elko,” Leonard said. “I know saying something scandalous would be good for a story, but that’s just not how it is.
Elko has also thought about what he’d say if they bumped into each other during warm-ups. In a perfect world, he said, it’d be best to share hugs afterward.
At Duke, there’s a feeling of nostalgia. It’s not anger anymore. Just perhaps a little sadness thinking about what was and what might’ve been.
During the draft process, Carter said teams asked him about Elko’s departure — perhaps hoping to rattle him or egg him into saying something negative about a former coach. He never hesitated.
Peebles seriously considered returning to Duke after Diaz was hired, but it wouldn’t have been the same. Still, he looks back on his time there — and his time with Elko — as a blessing.
“I love Coach Elko, and he did a great job,” Peebles said. “He had to make a hard decision the same as I did, but he did a lot for me.”
Elko, too, acknowledges the paradox of his situation: He’s at Texas A&M, in large part, because of all the work his players at Duke did to achieve success.
It took a while for the tide to turn inside the Duke locker room. For a number of the veterans, they remembered that 2-10 season in 2021 and the videoconference announcing Cutcliffe had been fired. They remembered trusting Elko and having that belief rewarded with immediate success. They faced another fork in the road with Elko’s departure and wondered where the next path might lead.
“When you lose your head coach and your starting quarterback in short order, guys are going to be unsure where the future of the program lies,” Diaz said. “This is one of the new challenges of our sport, is you’ve got to win your locker room right away. Ten years ago, nobody had a choice but to buy in. Now that buy-in has to happen right off the bat, which is hard.”
It’s hard to pin down the exact moment the holdovers bought into Diaz’s vision for the program’s future. There were many small moments, Feeley said, though Diaz credits retaining the team’s strength coach as a pivotal starting point. But Diaz also believes the arrival of quarterback Maalik Murphy was another. Murphy was a blue-chip recruit coming out of high school, but he found himself sandwiched between Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning on the Texas depth chart, and so he, too, hit the transfer portal in search of a new opportunity. He found it at Duke, a place where blue-chip recruits rarely call home.
“They believe their superpower comes from work,” Diaz said, “and not just being anointed by the recruiting gods.”
But Murphy had been anointed, then he chose Duke. It was a reminder the portal works both ways, and Duke could be a destination as much as a launching bad.
And it’s Murphy, too, who finds the right words to help Loftis answer that impossible question about the proper rooting interest when Elko and Leonard face off, because if there’s still one undeniable echo of college football’s deepest roots it’s this: Rivals stay rivals.
“I want Notre Dame to win,” said Murphy, a former Texas Longhorn. “I don’t like A&M.”
Andrea Adelson contributed to this story.
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Kiley McDaniel
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Kiley McDaniel
ESPN MLB Insider
- ESPN MLB Insider
- Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency.
- Has worked for three MLB teams.
Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’
The July 31 MLB trade deadline is just days away, so it’s time for a deadline week update to our top 50 trade candidates ranking.
Major League Baseball’s trade market is ever evolving, and to keep you updated, ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel and Jeff Passan have put together a list of potential trade candidates based on players’ performance — and that of the teams that could be involved in potential deals.
This is the most up-to-date accounting of where MLB’s trade market stands. While some of the players on the list are unlikely to be dealt, they’re at least being discussed in potential deals. Others might be making the list for the first time this week as their team’s fortunes have changed.
Note: Players ranked by value for their new team if traded, not likelihood of being dealt.
Chance of trade: 90%
Suarez is in a contract year and playing like one of the best players in baseball. Only Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge have more home runs than his 33. Despite turning 34 years old before the trade deadline, Suarez is sitting near career highs in isolated power and wRC+ (which measures overall performance). His fielding metrics have declined in recent years, but he’s still an acceptable defender at third base. Even if the Diamondbacks don’t offload all their free agents to be, Suarez could move because they’ve got Jordan Lawlar raking in Triple-A and primed to take over at third.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies
Chance of trade: 10%
Ryan is one of the best pitchers in baseball, with a mix of stuff and pitchability, and teams in search of long-term fits dream of the possibility the Twins will actually move him. That is unlikely, but this is deadline season, so there is always the chance a team surveys the market, finds nothing to its liking and overpays. The Twins don’t necessarily want to move Ryan; they are more in listening mode on nearly everyone that occupies a roster spot — and with Ryan not a free agent until after the 2027 season, teams are trying, with little success thus far, to pry him away.
Best fits: Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 10%
While the general sense is that Gore won’t go anywhere, the Nationals are, at the very least, listening — and that warrants a spot atop the list regardless of the minimal likelihood interim general manager Mike DeBartolo deals him. The prospect of Gore moving is tempting enough to want to engage: 144 strikeouts in 117⅔ innings with enough control that he’s walking a career-low 3.4 per nine innings. Even if stuff-plus models aren’t crazy for Gore, he gets elite swing-and-miss and is the sort of pitcher that could tempt teams to overpay.
Best fits: Boston, Chicago Cubs, Toronto, New York Yankees, Baltimore, Houston, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 25%
Another late entry to the proceedings, Cease is throwing as hard as he did in his prime and is here more as a function of the Padres not having payroll flexibility or a deep minor league system than some sort of desire to deal him. As an impending free agent, he wouldn’t bring back nearly the haul of Ryan or Gore. And there are genuine questions about whether the holes the Padres would try to fill by moving Cease would only be exacerbated on the starting-pitching side were he to go. Regardless, they’re at the very least listening, and with Cincinnati and San Francisco breathing down their necks for the final NL wild-card slot, president of baseball operations A.J. Preller could try to get creative in upgrading his roster.
Best fits: Boston, Chicago Cubs, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets
Chance of trade: 10%
An All-Star the last two years and Gold Glove winner in all three of his previous big league seasons, Kwan is a do-everything left fielder with elite bat-to-ball skills and two years of club control after 2025. Cleveland doesn’t want to deal him, but with a dearth of available bats, the Guardians at very least will listen to see if teams are willing to blow them away with offers.
Best fits: Philadelphia, New York Mets, Cincinnati, Toronto, San Diego, Los Angeles Dodgers
Chance of trade: 25%
Duran had a huge breakout season in 2024, posting the seventh-best fWAR in the majors at 6.8. He overperformed his underlying metrics, though — i.e. had some lucky outcomes — and those metrics have regressed a bit this year as has his luck. Duran’s projected to finish the season with around 3.0 WAR, which is more in line with how the league sees him. With Roman Anthony, Ceddanne Rafaela and Wilyer Abreu, the Red Sox have the outfield depth to consider moving Duran for controllable, top-end pitching.
Best fits: San Diego, Atlanta, Cleveland, Kansas City, San Francisco, Philadelphia
7. Jhoan Duran, RP, Minnesota Twins
Chance of trade: 30%
Duran is one of the best relievers in the sport, thanks to his nasty stuff, headlined by a fastball that averages 100.4 mph and a splinker that sits 97.6 mph. He has two more years of team control after this season, so he’d demand a big trade package.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
Chance of trade: 20%
Clase was nearly unhittable last season, but his numbers have regressed this year. He has issued more walks and gotten fewer ground balls while allowing more damage on his cutter that averages 99 mph — in part due to more center-cut locations. Under contract for less than $30 million through 2028, he would bring a big return to Cleveland.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
9. Cade Smith, RP, Cleveland Guardians
Chance of trade: 20%
Smith has been the best reliever in baseball by WAR since the beginning of the 2024 season, and with more than 13 strikeouts per nine innings this year, he is the solution to many teams’ late-inning woes. With four more years of control, he’s also going to be prohibitively expensive for most teams, making a deal difficult to come by.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
10. Griffin Jax, RP, Minnesota Twins
Chance of trade: 30%
Despite a 3.92 ERA that says otherwise, Jax has been one of the top relievers in baseball this season — the best by xFIP and toward the top in other similar metrics. Over the last two seasons, he’s second in the sport behind Cade Smith in reliever WAR. Only Fernando Cruz and Mason Miller have a better strikeout rate than Jax’s 14.37 per nine, and his sweeper-heavy arsenal induces as much swing-and-miss as anyone.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Toronto, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Texas
11. Merrill Kelly, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Chance of trade: 70%
Kelly doesn’t have big raw stuff, posting the second-lowest average fastball velocity (92.1 mph) among pitchers with 125 innings pitched this season. His changeup is his best pitch by a wide margin, and he gets by with location and offspeed stuff. He was a stalwart in the Diamondbacks’ run to the 2023 World Series, striking out 28 in 24 innings with a 2.25 ERA.
Best fits: Toronto, Boston, Houston, Chicago Cubs
Chance of trade: 65%
Not only is Keller in the midst of a career-best season with a 3.53 ERA, he’s under contract for another three years at a very reasonable $55.7 million. The Pirates need bats, and moving Keller is the likeliest way to fill that void. Teams could be scared off slightly by the quality of contact against him — his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate have spiked while his strikeouts are down — but in an environment with little pitching, Keller is nevertheless desirable.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Boston, Toronto, Houston
Chance of trade: 30%
All the potential the Marlins have seen in the 27-year-old right-hander is finally coming into focus this season. While Cabrera’s 97 mph fastball gets hitters’ attention, it’s his curveball and slider that are doing most of the work. And with a changeup that in years past has been his best pitch, the cost to acquire Cabrera will be high because of his full arsenal and three more years of club control.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Boston, New York Mets, Toronto, Houston, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees
Chance of trade: 50%
Alcantara was arguably the best pitcher in baseball in 2022, winning the NL Cy Young unanimously. He was more solid than spectacular in 2023 and missed 2024 with Tommy John surgery. He has been tinkering this season to try to get his pitch mix and locations right in hopes of regaining his former glory. His 6.66 ERA is frightening, and with the Marlins still valuing him as a top starter, they could hold onto him until the winter, when teams like the Orioles would be more inclined to acquire him and the final two years of his contract.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, Boston, Toronto, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego, Baltimore
15. Zac Gallen, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Chance of trade: 70%
Gallen was excellent for the last three seasons but now, in a contract year, is posting career-worst numbers in almost every category. His stuff looks pretty similar, but he’s allowing much more damage when hitters make contact. That said, his strikeout-to-walk ratio is back to normal in his last six starts, at 35-to-6, despite a 6.55 ERA in that span.
Best fits: Toronto, San Diego, Houston, Chicago Cubs
16. Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Chance of trade: 85%
O’Hearn is having an out-of-nowhere career year, with an OPS+ of 132 (and he’s been unlucky with ball-in-play luck, to boot) along with being on pace for a career high in homers. He doesn’t face lefty pitchers much at all and his splits suggest that he shouldn’t.
Best fits: Houston, Boston, San Francisco, Texas
17. David Bednar, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Chance of trade: 70%
In a market replete with relief options, the 30-year-old Bednar brings high-end performance without quite the price tag of his peers. His swing-and-miss stuff has been elite since his return from Triple-A, and he has more than salvaged his trade value: Over his last 23 outings, Bednar has struck out 29, walked five and posted a 0.00 ERA.
Best fits: Detroit, Toronto, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, Seattle
Chance of trade: 80%
Helsley had the fourth-best WAR among relievers last season and is in a contract year, but he has been notably worse this season. His stuff and locations are pretty similar, but the main difference is his fastball is getting hit hard — with one byproduct being his spiking home run rate.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, New York Yankees, Toronto, Detroit, New York Mets, Seattle
Chance of trade: 20%
Fairbanks raised his slot a bit this year, and now his 97.3-mph fastball has more cutting action while his slurvy slider has more depth with both pitches playing a notch better than they did last season. He’s got a club option for 2026 that, with escalators, should wind up around the $10 million range. Tampa Bay’s playoff hopes and bullpen injuries have cut into the likelihood Fairbanks moves.
Best fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia, Detroit, Toronto, Texas
20. Shane Bieber, SP, Cleveland Guardians
Chance of trade: 50%
A late entrant into the trade market, Bieber still hasn’t thrown a big league pitch this season and is coming back from Tommy John surgery. With his fastball up to 94 mph and his slider looking like its old sharp self, though, he’s generating plenty of interest and could be one of the bigger names moved at the deadline.
Best fits: San Diego, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston, Toronto
Chance of trade: 60%
Ward comes with an additional year of team control after this season and he’s having a strong 2025 campaign, just one homer away from last year’s career high total of 25 — and in 52 fewer games.
Best fits: Cincinnati, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco
Chance of trade: 50%
Robert has been extremely unlucky with ball-in-play results this season, but that has begun to turn around recently. He remains a strong defender and baserunner, with a career-high 24 steals already. But the slashline is unsightly, and his trade value has cratered over the last two seasons. He’s got a pair of $20 million-a-year club options that the acquiring team will be hesitant to exercise absent a turnaround. Finding a match with a team willing to pay more for Robert’s upside than his productivity could be challenging.
Best fits: San Diego, Philadelphia, New York Mets, Cincinnati, San Francisco
23. Nolan Arenado, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals
Chance of trade: 20%
Arenado’s strikeout rate is around his career best and he’s still an above-average defender, but his power and patience are both trending down to around the worst of his career. He’s still a solid starter but no longer a star, and the team taking him on a deal would still have to pay him like one. Potentially complicating any deal: a full no-trade clause.
Best fits: Detroit, Milwaukee, Seattle
Chance of trade: 70%
Ozuna is a stone-cold DH, playing two games in the field in 2023 as his last regular-season experience defensively. He’s also in a contract year, but his power numbers are down a notch from his standout .302 average and 39-homer performance last season. His on-base percentage remains among the highest of potential trade candidates. If anyone is moving from Atlanta, he’s the likeliest candidate, with free agency beckoning.
Best fits: San Diego, Seattle, Texas, Detroit, San Francisco
Chance of trade: 50%
Garcia averaged 30 homers in 2021-24, but he’s fallen off since his 2023 career year. It’s worth noting that per xwOBA, he’s been the 13th-most unlucky hitter in the big leagues this year. He also has another year of team control, so some teams could see a buy-low opportunity.
Best fits: Philadelphia, Seattle, Cincinnati, San Diego, San Francisco
26. Reid Detmers, RP, Los Angeles Angels
Chance of trade: 15%
The No. 10 pick from the 2020 draft transitioned to relief this season and has found similar success to other highly-drafted college lefties, including A.J. Puk, Andrew Miller and Drew Pomeranz. He comes with three more years of control after this season and his velo is up 1.7 mph in the new role, so this might be where he fits long term — and he could fetch a hefty return. Some teams still see Detmers as a starter.
Best fits: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs, Detroit, Toronto
Chance of trade: 90%
Following a dreadful start to the season, Morton found his curveball and has righted himself. Between his stuff and playoff experience, he has leapt up teams’ boards as a true target and almost certainly will move before the deadline.
Best fits: New York Mets, Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees, Boston, San Diego, Toronto
28. Adrian Houser, SP, Chicago White Sox
Chance of trade: 90%
Houser’s resurgence is a success story for the White Sox. He opted out of a minor league deal with Texas to sign with the White Sox in mid-May and has limited home runs to post a 2.10 ERA in nearly 70 innings. He’ll eat innings for sure, but some scouts see his stuff as good enough to warrant a spot in a postseason rotation.
Best fits: Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Boston, San Diego, Toronto
Chance of trade: 80%
Mullins is a 30-year-old center fielder in a contract year who contributes in a number of ways, though he’s hitting only .217 and his defensive metrics have regressed to be below average in center. His walk rate and power numbers are up this season, making him a solid contributor on a contender.
Best fits: Philadelphia, Houston, New York Mets
30. Willi Castro, UT, Minnesota Twins
Castro has played six of the eight field positions this year and has been a solid, versatile utility type since a breakout season in 2023. He doesn’t offer eye-popping numbers or tools, but is around average at most things while playing all over the field on an everyday basis.
Nos. 31-57
31. Seth Halvorsen, RP, Colorado Rockies
32. Zack Littell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
33. Jeffrey Springs, SP, Athletics
34. Jesus Sanchez, RF, Miami Marlins
35. Bryan Reynolds, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
36. Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
37. JP Sears, SP, Athletics
38. Michael Soroka, SP, Washington Nationals
39. Tyler Anderson, SP, Los Angeles Angels
40. Kyle Finnegan, RP, Washington Nationals
41. Luis Severino, SP, Athletics
42. Zach Eflin, SP, Baltimore Orioles
43. Pierce Johnson, RP, Atlanta Braves
44. Phil Maton, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
45. Steven Matz, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
46. Harrison Bader, CF, Minnesota Twins
47. Jake Bird, RP, Colorado Rockies
48. Ke’Bryan Hayes, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
49. Yoan Moncada, 3B, Los Angeles Angels
50. Andrew Heaney, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
51. Chris Paddack, SP, Minnesota Twins
52. Raisel Iglesias, RP, Atlanta Braves
53. Tomoyuki Sugano, SP, Baltimore Orioles
54. Ramon Urias, 3B, Baltimore Orioles
55. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UT, Pittsburgh Pirates
56. Luis Urias, 2B, Athletics
57. Shelby Miller, RP, Arizona Diamondbacks
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Bradford Doolittle
COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. — Ichiro Suzuki became the first Japanese-born player to be enshrined into the National Baseball Hall of Fame on Sunday, one of five new members of baseball’s hallowed institution.
After enduring the baseball tradition known as a rain delay, the five speeches went off without a hitch as the deluge subsided and the weather became hot and humid. Joining Suzuki were pitchers CC Sabathia and Billy Wagner, and sluggers Dick Allen and Dave Parker, both of whom were enshrined posthumously.
“For the third time, I am a rookie,” Suzuki said, delivering his comments in English despite his long preference for conducting his public appearances in Japanese with the aid of an interpreter.
For the American audience, this provided a rare glimpse into Suzuki’s playful side. Teammates long spoke of his sense of humor behind the closed doors of the clubhouse — something the public rarely saw — but it was on full display Sunday.
When Hall voting was announced, Suzuki fell one vote shy of becoming the second unanimous selection for the Hall. He thanked the writers for their support — with an exception.
“Three-thousand [career] hits or 262 hits in one season are achievements recognized by the writers,” Suzuki said. “Except, oh, one of you.”
After the laughter subsided, Suzuki mentioned the gracious comments he made when balloting results were announced, when he offered to invite the writer who didn’t vote for him home for dinner to learn his reasoning. Turns out, it’s too late.
“The offer to the one writer to have dinner at my home has now … expired!” Suzuki said.
Suzuki’s attention to detail and unmatched work ethic have continued into the present day, more than five years since he played his last big league game. That was central to his message Sunday, at least when he wasn’t landing a joke.
“If you consistently do the little things, there’s no limit to what you can achieve,” Suzuki said. “Look at me. I’m 5-11 and 170 pounds. When I came to America, many people said I was too skinny to compete with bigger major leaguers.”
After becoming one of the biggest stars in Japanese baseball, hitting .353 over nine seasons for the Orix BlueWave, Suzuki exploded on the scene as a 27-year-old rookie for the Seattle Mariners, batting .350 and winning the AL Rookie of the Year and MVP honors.
Chants of “Ichiro!” that once were omnipresent at Mariners games erupted from the crowd sprawled across the grounds of the complex while the all-time single-season hits leader (262 in 2004) posed with his plaque alongside commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame chairman Jane Forbes Clark.
Despite his late start in MLB, Suzuki finished with 3,089 hits in the majors and 4,367 including his time in Japan. Suzuki listed some of his feats, such as the hit total, and his 10 Gold Gloves.
“Not bad,” he said.
Sabathia’s weekend got off to a mildly rough start when his wife’s car broke down shortly after the family caravan departed for Cooperstown. They arrived in plenty of time though, and Sabathia was greeted warmly by numerous Yankees fans who made the trip.
After breaking in with Cleveland at age 20, Sabathia rocketed to stardom with a 17-5 rookie season. Alas, that came in 2001, the same year that Suzuki landed in the American League.
“Thank you most of all to the great players sitting behind me,” Sabathia said. “I am so proud and humbled to join you as a Hall of Famer, even Ichiro, who stole my Rookie of the Year Award in 2001.”
Sabathia focused the bulk of his comments on the support he has received over the years from his friends and family, especially his wife, Amber.
“The first time we met was at a house party when I was a junior in high school,” Sabathia said. “We spent the whole night talking, and that conversation has been going on for 29 years.”
Parker, 74, died from complications of Parkinson’s disease on June 28, less than a month before the induction ceremony. Representing him at the dais was his son, Dave Parker II, and though the moment was bittersweet, it was hardly somber.
Parker II finished the speech with a moving poem written by his father that, for a few minutes, made it feel as if the player nicknamed “The Cobra” were present.
“Thanks for staying by my side,” Parker’s poem concluded. “I told y’all Cooperstown would be my last rap, so the star of Dave will be in the sky tonight. Watch it glow. But I didn’t lie in my documentary — I told you I wouldn’t show.”
Parker finished with 2,712 hits and 339 homers, won two Gold Gloves on the strength of his legendary right-field arm and was named NL MVP in 1978. He spent his first 11 seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates and entered the Hall representing the Bucs.
Wagner, whose 422 career saves ranks eighth on the all-time list, delivered an emotional but humorous speech about a small-town guy with a small-for-a-pitcher 5-foot-10 stature who made it big.
“I feel like my baseball life has come full circle,” Wagner said. “I was a fan before I could play. Back when baseball wasn’t so available on TV, every Saturday morning I watched Johnny Bench and so many of the other greats on a show ‘The Baseball Bunch.'”
In one of the moments of baseball serendipity that only Cooperstown can provide, the telecast flashed to Bench, sitting a few feet away from where Wagner was speaking.
Allen’s widow, Willa, delivered a touching tribute to her late husband, who died in 2020 after years of feeling overlooked for his outstanding career. The 1964 NL Rookie of the Year for the Phillies, Allen won the 1972 AL MVP for the Chicago White Sox.
“Baseball was his first love,” Willa said. “He used to say, ‘I’d have played for nothing,’ and I believe he meant it. But of course, if you compare today’s salary, he played almost for nothing.”
Willa focused on the softer side of a player who in his time was perhaps unfairly characterized for a contentious relationship with the media.
“He was devoted to people, not just fans, but especially his teammates,” Willa said. “If he heard someone was sick or going through a tough time, he’ll turn to me and say, ‘Willa, they have to hear from us.'”
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Alden Gonzalez
The Atlanta Braves acquired veteran starting pitcher Erick Fedde from the St. Louis Cardinals for a player to be named later or cash, both teams announced Sunday.
As part of the deal, the Cardinals will cover the majority of what remains of Fedde’s $7.5 million salary for 2025, a source told ESPN.
Fedde, 32, is a free agent at season’s end, making him a surprising pickup for a Braves team that was swept by the Texas Rangers over the weekend and is 16 games below .500, trailing the first-place New York Mets by 16½ games.
But the Braves have sustained a slew of injuries to their starting rotation of late, with AJ Smith-Shawver (torn ulnar collateral ligament), Spencer Schwellenbach (fractured elbow), Chris Sale (fractured ribcage) and, more recently, Grant Holmes (elbow inflammation) landing on the injured list since the start of June.
Fedde reestablished himself in South Korea in 2023, parlaying a dominant season into a two-year, $15 million contract to return stateside with the Chicago White Sox. Fedde continued that success in 2024, posting a 3.30 ERA in 177⅓ innings with the White Sox and Cardinals.
This year, though, it has been a struggle for a crafty right-hander who doesn’t generate a lot of strikeouts. Twenty starts in, Fedde is 3-10 with a 5.22 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP.
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