WASINGTON — Washington slugger Juan Soto homered off Max Scherzer in what could be his final game with the Nationals on Monday night. Soto, who walked in his other three plate appearances as the Nationals lost to the New York Mets 7-3, is perhaps the biggest star who could be dealt before Tuesday’s trade deadline. “I feel good where I’m […]

ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” Badly in need of a starting pitcher, the St. Louis Cardinals are finalizing a deal to acquire left-hander Jose Quintana from the Pittsburgh Pirates, sources familiar with the agreement told ESPN on Monday night. Quintana, 33, had bounced around and battled ineffectiveness […]

The Rockies have likely already made their big trade deadline statement — without trading anybody. On Saturday, they signed 37-year-old closer Daniel Bard to a two-year, $19 million contract extension. Bard was on track to be a free agent at the end of the season and general manager Bill Schmidt said that “legitimate playoff teams” contacted the Rockies about Bard. […]

Sports reporter, Kansas City Star, 2002-09 Writer, Baseball, Baseball Prospectus Co-author, Pro Basketball Prospectus Member, Baseball Writers Association of America Member, Professional Basketball Writers Association The Trade: The San Diego Padres acquire LHP Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers for LHP Taylor Rogers, RHP Dinelson Lamet, LHP Robert Gasser and IF/OF Esteury Ruiz. Now this is a baseball trade! Two […]

The Houston Astros have acquired first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles, sources confirmed to ESPN. Mancini, 30, is hitting .268 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs this season, his sixth with the Orioles (51-51), who have surprised this season and are just three games out of the American League’s final wild-card spot entering Monday’s games. Mancini has […]

ESPN MLB insider Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports” At some point over the next 24 hours, the great trade freeze of 2022 will thaw, and this dud of a deadline will melt into a deluge of action. Though the lack of deals so far implies otherwise, contenders still need talent. […]

Covers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995 The 2021 Atlanta Braves were hardly a shocking World Series winner, although with an 88-73 record in the regular season, they weren’t a powerhouse team in the vein of recent champions like the 2016 Cubs, 2017 Astros, 2018 Red Sox or 2020 Dodgers. After all, […]

NEW YORK — Aaron Judge became the first player in the majors with 40 home runs this season with a two-run drive for the New York Yankees against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night. The 6-foot-7 Judge robbed a home run from MJ Melendez to begin the game, and then hit an estimated 449-foot homer in the third inning […]

Left-hander Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers’ future Hall of Famer, has bedeviled the Rockies for years, but that doesn’t stop two Rockies southpaws from admiring him. Reliever Lucas Gilbreath grew up watching Kershaw, while manager Bud Black watched Kershaw grow up. The duo will get to see Kershaw up close and personal when Kershaw starts against the Rockies on Saturday night […]

ESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for four MLB teams. Now that the 2022 MLB draft is behind us, it’s time to turn our attention to the top prospects for 2023. Right now, next year’s draft class isn’t overwhelming at the top. We’re over halfway through […]