The Cubs have added veteran right-hander Mike Soroka in a trade with the Nationals, per ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.
Soroka, 28 in a matter of days, is an impending free agent who started 16 times for the Nationals. He compiled a 4.87 ERA (82 ERA+) and a 3.63 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Soroka figures to join the Cubs rotation, which has needed help since Justin Steele went down for the year.
The Padres continue to pursue outfielders Steven Kwan (Cleveland) and Jarren Duran (Boston), as well as relief pitcher Mason Miller (Athletics), according to The Athletic.
AJ Preller, ever aggressive, has been known to be casting a wide net for offensive help. At the same time, he was already reportedly rebuked by the Red Sox earlier this summer when he attempted to land Duran for a package that included right-hander Dylan Cease and catching prospect Ethan Salas. It’s unclear if anything has changed that makes a deal more likely (though Boston has gotten better since then).
Miller, meanwhile, is a new inclusion to the Padres’ rumored targets. He’s under team control through the 2029 season, giving the A’s ample reason to ask for a big return.
The field of suitors for Twins’ utility man Willi Castro includes, but doesn’t appear to be limited to, the Astros and Mariners, per the New York Post.
The 28-year-old Castro is hitting .245/.335/.407 with 15 doubles, two triples, 10 homers, 27 RBI, 48 runs and nine stolen bases this season. He’s seen time at, from most innings to least, left field, second base, right field, third base, shortstop and even logged an inning both in center field and on the mound.
The Los Angeles Angels have changed course. They were all set to be sellers and instead acquired two relievers — Andrew Chafin and Luis García — on Wednesday and have decided to be buyers, confirms R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports.
The possibility remains that the Angels either change course again or still sell off a veteran like closer Kenley Jansen, but the overall goal here is to stick around in contention.
The Angels entered play Wednesday at 53-55, which is eight games out in the AL West, but it’s just four back of the third AL wild card.
POBO Dave Dombrowski pulled off a huge trade when he acquired Jhoan Duran Wednesday, but don’t expect more bullpen additions, he told reporters (via MLB.com). The Phillies are, however, still looking for a bat, he said. They’ve been linked to several outfielders, including White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr.
One of the biggest names thought to be available this trade deadline is Diamondbacks third baseman Eugenio Suárez. Three suitors known to still be in on him are the Cubs, Mariners and Tigers, reports MLB Network.
Suárez was hit with a pitch in the hand earlier this week, but returned to the D-backs lineup on Wednesday and went 1 for 4 with a double. He’s hitting ..248/.320/.576 with 36 home runs and 87 RBI this season. It is his sixth 30-home run season in the majors and his career is 49 (2018 with the Reds).
He would be an upgrade at third base for all three teams here and several others in contention. It’s just a matter of which teams wins the bidding.
There’s some “traction” in the market for A’s left-handed reliever Sean Newcomb, reports MLB Network. There’s a chance he could become one of those lesser-name relievers with a big impact down the stretch. A former top-25 prospect (as a starter), Newcomb has found success out of the bullpen with the Athletics. He started the year as a starter/reliever for the Red Sox, but the A’s acquired him in late May and he’s since appeared in 20 outings. He has a 2.40 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 32 strikeouts against seven unintentional walks in 30 innings in that stretch.
David Stearns has revamped the bullpen in the last few days, but it doesn’t sound like he’s taking Thursday off. The Mets are still looking for a bat, according to MLB.com. They’ve largely been connected to center fielders so far, but there’s room for improvement at multiple spots.
Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley is headed to New York as the NL East contenders continue to turn over their bullpen at the deadline.
Mets trade for Ryan Helsley: New York bulk up bullpen with electric Cardinals closer
For more on the Mets’ pickup, R.J. Anderson breaks down the deal with the Giants
Tyler Rogers trade grades: Why Mets didn’t actually overpay for Giants reliever in MLB deadline deal
With their eyes on the NL East title, the Phillies are reportedly acquiring ace Twins closer Jhoan Duran.
Phillies trade for Jhoan Duran: NL East contenders acquire star Twins closer in deadline deal
Deadline eve was abuzz earlier when multiple reports had it that the Astros might be eyeing a reunion with infielder Carlos Correa of the Twins. The Twins are likely going to sell at some level before the deadline ends, but the complications of moving Correa’s contract, which includes a large remaining commitment and a no-trade clause, are substantial.
Correa himself pushed back against the idea on Wednesday. Here’s what he told reporters, including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes: “That’s not something I think is serious right now. We’ll see where everything goes. But my goal has always been to be here and win here. I’ve been talking to (GM Derek Falvey) and (manager Rocco Baldelli) and I’ll be ready for the next series.”
Correa leaves the door cracked a bit, yes, but that mostly sounds like a player who doesn’t expect to be asked to approve a trade back to Houston or anywhere else.
The Mariners have traded for left-handed relief pitcher Caleb Ferguson, per ESPN. The 29 year old has appeared in 45 games for the Pirates this season, having posted a 3.74 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 34 strikeouts against 12 unintentional walks in 43 ⅓ innings. He has held left-handed hitters to a .167/.257/.182 slash line this season.
Prior to this deal, Gabe Speier was the only left-hander in the Mariners’ bullpen, so there was a clear need here to grab some southpaw depth.
The return for the Pirates is Class-A starting pitcher Jeter Martinez, according to MLB.com. Martinez has a 6.18 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in 62 ⅔ innings this season.
Now that the Giants are fading quickly from contention and undertaking what appears to be a light sell, does Justin Verlander want out? The Giants are willing to accommodate the future Hall of Famer if that’s the case, MLB Network reports. That’s not to say there will be much of a market for him. The 42-year-old Verlander this season has put up an ERA+ of 85 in 18 starts with one of the worst K/BB ratios of his career. Maybe he could fill a back-of-the-rotation role for a contender, but he’s probably not much more than that at this late hour of his career.
The Mariners are “making a play” for Twins closer Jhoan Duran, according to the New York Post. Interestingly, the report also notes that the expectation is that Duran will be traded today, July 30, instead of happening on deadline day.
Duran would be an asset in any bullpen. He has a 2.01 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 49 ⅓ innings this season. The Mariners have an All-Star closer in Andrés Muñoz in addition to a stellar setup man right now in Matt Brash, but having a group of bullpen aces is surely an enticing thought.
The Giants appear to be set to drive in the Seller’s Lane at this year’s deadline. San Fran, 54-54 and five games out of a playoff spot, is trading reliever Tyler Rogers to the Mets. And the Giants probably aren’t done.
NBC Sports Bay Area reports that the team has also made Camilo Doval available in trade talks. Doval, an All-Star in 2023, has looked closer to his peak self this year after struggling in 2024. In 46 appearances in 2025, the righty owns a 3.15 ERA, 1.204 WHIP and a 9.3 K/9 mark. Doval walks a lot of guys (24 free passes in 45 ⅔ innings), but would slot in to the back end of a lot of contender’s bullpens.
Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins is a free agent after this season and his name has been swirling around the rumor mill. He’s swinging a hot bat right now for any team looking to try and strike here at the right time. In his last 15 games before Wednesday, Mullins was 15 for 49 (.306) with five doubles, two homers and eight RBI. Wednesday, he went 2 for 4 with a double.
After the game, Mullins said (via MLB.com), “In terms of my legacy here, I just wanted to leave it all out there. I try to play hard every single day, regardless of the results.”
The struggling Giants are willing to part with relievers, and the Mets have taken advantage. New York has acquired veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Rogers, the team announced Wednesday. Rogers, 34, has enjoyed a standout season with San Fran. In an MLB-leading 53 appearances, he’s put up an ERA of 1.80 with 38 strikeouts against just four walks. For his career, Rogers has an ERA+ of 145 across parts of seven seasons. He’s eligible for free agency this coming offseason.
In return, the Giants are getting from the Mets right-handed reliever José Buttó, right-handed pitching prospect Blade Tidwell, and outfield prospect Drew Gilbert.
That marks the second bullpen pickup for the Mets this deadline, as they added Gregory Soto from the Orioles earlier in the week.
Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore has generated a lot of buzz as a potential trade candidate in the last week or so. He’s an All-Star lefty with a huge strikeout rate and two years of team control left after this season, so, naturally, a lot of teams started salivating at the prospect of adding Gore.
He is pitching terribly right now, though. Looping in his outing today (5 ⅓ IP, 8 H, 6 ER), Gore now has a 5.89 ERA in his last seven starts. In his first start out of the All-Star break, he gave up eight runs in 2 ⅓ innings. He only gave up one run on one hit last time, but he walked six in five innings. And then the outing today happened.
Gore now has a 3.80 ERA and 1.29 WHIP on the season.
The Red Sox have “shown some interest” in both Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen of the Diamondbacks, reports WEEI.
The Diamondbacks are clear sellers right now while both Kelly and Gallen are free agents at the end of the season. The Red Sox, who sit in second place in the AL wild card race, are currently using a rotation of Garrett Crochet, Lucas Giolito, Brayan Bello and Walker Buehler.
Kelly is 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA and 1.06 WHIP in 128 ⅔ innings. Basically, it looks similar to his last two fully healthy seasons (2022 and 2023) if not even better.
Gallen is having a down year. The 2023 NL starter in the All-Star Game (the same year he finished third in Cy Young voting) has a 5.60 ERA and 1.35 WHIP this season. He’s had issues with walks and, especially, home runs (an NL-high 23 in 127 innings). The pedigree might be enough to convince prospective buyers to take a shot, though.
The White Sox had Adrian Houser listed as their scheduled starter for today’s game in Philadelphia. Even before a rain delay was announced, they changed course and listed Tyler Alexander instead. Generally speaking, a seller scratching a starting pitcher from a scheduled start means they intend to trade him, even if a deal isn’t imminent. The Tigers did it with Jack Flaherty last season and then he was dealt to the Dodgers. It is done to prevent an injury or, in some cases, a terrible outing damaging trade value.
Houser is certainly a sell-high candidate. He carried a career 4.21 ERA into this season. In 11 starts this year, he’s 6-2 with a 2.10 ERA.
The general drift of things suggests the A’s will not trade fire-breathing closer Mason Miller, who has a best-in-class fastball and has struck out 201 batters in 136 ⅔ career innings. However, they are apparently at least listening. The Athletic reports that the A’s have asked the Phillies for top pitching prospect Andrew Painter in their talks. As well, the Yankees and Mets also have varying degrees of interest in Miller. Right now, though, the ask appears to be prohibitive.
Cincinnati has traded for former Gold Glove third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes from the Pirates. Dayn Perry has more:
Reds acquire Ke’Bryan Hayes, star defensive third baseman, from Pirates in MLB trade deadline move
The Guardians are now “trying to move” All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan and former Cy Young winner Shane Bieber, according to MLB.com. There were rumors on both earlier this month, but the Guardians got hot after a 10-game losing streak and seemed to put those rumors at bay for the last week or so. They are now back.
The Guardians are 3 ½ games out of the final AL wild card and that’s certainly workable, but there’s money to be saved.
Kwan enters Wednesday hitting .286/.351/.410 (110 OPS+) with 3.1 WAR on the season. He’s a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glover. He hits arbitration next year and will start to get more expensive. Speaking of Kwan, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports that the Padres, Reds, and Dodgers are among the teams with interest in him.
Bieber is coming back from Tommy John surgery and so far has logged four minor-league rehab assignments. He’s got a 1.59 ERA in 11 ⅓ innings along with 21 strikeouts against only one walk. His most recent outing was Tuesday night in Double-A, where he got through four innings on 59 pitches, so he’s very close to an MLB return.
There’s a $16 million player option for next season for Bieber, which would explain why the Guardians are trying to trade him.
It’s not certain that the Twins will trade closer Jhoan Duran, but if they do decide to dangle him there will be plenty of interested parties. The Phillies and Red Sox are foremost among those teams, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reports, and the Yankees, Mets, and Mariners also have some level of interest in Duran.
Duran, age 27 and under team control through the 2027 season, has a triple-digit fastball, and this season he boasts a 2.01 ERA in 49 appearances. For his career, he has an ERA+ of 170 with 292 strikeouts in 233 ⅔ innings.
The Angels have acquired left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin and right-handed reliever Luis Garcia in a trade with the Nationals, the teams announced. Chafin, 35, has a 2.70 ERA in 26 appearances this season and a 125 ERA+ over 12 seasons for his career. Garcia, 38, has an ERA of 0.90 in 10 appearances for the Nats this season. For his career, he has an ERA+ of 100 across parts of 13 MLB seasons. In return, the Nats receive 26-year-old lefty Jake Eder.
The Braves have acquired veteran right-handed reliever Tyler Kinley from the Rockies in exchange for a prospect, MLB.com reports. Kinley, 34, this season has pitched to a 5.66 ERA with 51 strikeouts and 23 unintentional walks in 47 ⅔ innings. The Braves are not contenders this season, but Kinley’s contract includes a $5 million club option for 2026.
Diamondbacks slugging third baseman Eugenio Suárez is the top talent thought to be available before Thursday’s deadline, and that’s for good reason. He’s slashing .248/.321/.577 with 36 homers and 87 RBI in 105 games entering Wednesday.
He’s in his walk year, and with the D-backs having slid from contention, they’re actively shopping him. Any number of contenders could use such a power bat in the lineup, and MLB.com reports that the final market for Suárez is taking shape with the Mariners, Cubs, Tigers, and Phillies as the leading contenders for his services at this fairly late hour. Suffice it to say having those four in the mix will drive up the price for Suárez. Don’t be surprised if Arizona targets “close to ready” talents as the core of the return, as they’ll look to return to contention in 2026.
