{"id":841734,"date":"2026-08-03T11:38:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:38:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/841734\/"},"modified":"2026-08-03T11:38:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:38:33","slug":"the-mlb-trade-deadline-is-here-plus-rodgers-talks-reconciliation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/841734\/","title":{"rendered":"The MLB trade deadline is here, plus Rodgers talks reconciliation"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Pulse directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

Good morning! It\u2019s great to be back with you. Coming up:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Last Call: What\u2019s left for MLB trades?<\/p>\n

Just 12 hours separate the time this email landed in your inbox and MLB\u2019s trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET today. It\u2019s easy to wonder if there will be any intrigue at all, with the market\u2019s biggest name already settling into his new Dodger home.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s catch up on yesterday\u2019s deals before we get to today:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Blue Jays starter Kevin Gausman is heading to the Cubs in a deal that officially signals how quickly things can change in pro sports. Less than a year ago, Gausman was an anchor for a Toronto team that pushed the Dodgers to seven games in the World Series. Now the Jays are sellers, and according to our experts, didn\u2019t even get a good return for the pitcher<\/a>.
\nThe Yankees acquired Nationals infielder Luis Garc\u00eda Jr., who\u2019s having a monster season in the nation\u2019s capital. Garc\u00eda adds instant power to a Yankees lineup sorely missing it without Aaron Judge. And, to continue a theme here, our writers say Washington didn\u2019t get enough talent back<\/a>.
\nEarlier in the afternoon, the Rays traded for Mets starter Freddy Peralta, another lesson in how things can go awry. The Mets have the league\u2019s second-highest payroll and are sellers at the deadline. This is a good deal for Tampa, too<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Late last night, the Braves traded for Giants pitcher Tyler Mahle to fill a hole in the rotation. It\u2019s a fine deal<\/a>. But there are still plenty of notable names out there today:\u00a0<\/p>\n

On our Big Board, Nos. 2-10 are still available, though that abstract label changes by the hour until 6 p.m. strikes. See that full list here<\/a>. If I\u2019m making a bet, Angels shortstop Zach Neto moves before the day\u2019s done.
\nA team whose haul I already love? The White Sox, who already acquired a top-line pitcher and could have more moves in the bag today. It\u2019s always a fun, giddy feeling for a team to be ahead of its own schedule and suddenly find itself aggressive as a buyer\/contender when no one expected it entering the year. Read more on that reality here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

We have a live blog<\/a> up all day. The \u201cRates and Barrels\u201d crew is also going live at 4 p.m. ET on both our site<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Happy deadline day. Let\u2019s keep moving:<\/p>\n

News to Know\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Pau Barrena \/ AFP via Getty Images<\/p>\n

UEFA threatens FIFA
Europe\u2019s governing soccer body has promised legal action over FIFA\u2019s failed private investment plan, informing both FIFA president Gianni Infantino and Joshua Kushner, who runs the private investment fund involved, to preserve documents pertaining to the matter. This entire saga will have a long tail. Messy, messy, messy<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Polk retires
Ja\u2019Lynn Polk, a second-round NFL Draft pick just two years ago, is heading to the reserve\/retired list, per an announcement from the Saints, who signed him this offseason. New England selected Polk out of Washington in the 2024 draft, but the 24-year-old struggled to find his place in the Pats\u2019 offense. Now he\u2019s already out of the league. Read more on where things went wrong<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More news:<\/p>\n

Brewers ace Jacob Misiorowski called the Angels\u2019 mound \u201cawful\u201d and labeled it an injury risk. See his full comments<\/a>.
\nFull circle: Jadeveon Clowney signed a one-year deal<\/a> with the Texans, who drafted him No. 1 in 2014.
\nMichael Thorbjornsen, another young golf star, won the Rocket Classic yesterday with a final-round 63. It was his first PGA Tour win<\/a>.
\nAcross the sea, it was Shiho Kuwaki who prevailed in a thrilling sudden-death playoff to win the British Open, her first major. The golf was fantastic here<\/a>.
\nStart digging my grave: Kristina Liutova, 16, won the Memphis Classic to become the first WTA Tour champion born in the 2010s. Lord<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcf0\u00a0Find more news here 24\/7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ends: Old guys mellow out\"\"<\/p>\n

\n AP Photo \/ Gene J. Puskar<\/p>\n

The saga of Aaron Rodgers is unique to the player. Over the past half-decade, there has been a general annoyance with Rodgers, as multiple offseasons played out as a quasi reality show, filled with open-ended comments and thoughts before ultimately making a decision about his future. I was among those slightly peeved at his antics.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And then, as Pittsburgh\u2019s season ended last year, annoyance turned to sadness. For whatever foibles Rodgers has produced \u2014 and there are plenty \u2014 he remains one of the best quarterbacks to ever play football. In his prime, there was no one with Rodgers\u2019 arm talent and panache. He felt like the pinnacle of the position in an era with Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rodgers, 42, is back for a final season. He has a new coach in Pittsburgh, 62-year-old Mike McCarthy, who\u2019s also his old coach from Green Bay. Will the Steelers actually be good this year? I have no idea. But I was struck by Mike Silver\u2019s interviews with both Rodgers and McCarthy in a piece<\/a> published this morning.\u00a0<\/p>\n

There are considerably fewer foibles this time around. Everyone seems content for now, at least on the drama side. Two quick takeaways from their comments:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rodgers was apparently quite ill before that season-ending loss to the Texans last year. The quarterback downplayed it to Mike, but others say he had a bad flu that affected his performance. Hm.
\nRodgers even addressed his recent reconciliation with his family. Rodgers infamously had no contact with immediate relatives for years. Now, he says \u2014 with the help of his wife \u2014 he has mended family fences.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The full story is well worth a read this morning<\/a>. Maybe it\u2019ll soften you, too.<\/p>\n

Watch Guide<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa WNBA: Aces at Dream
7 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBC Sports Network
An, ahem, dream matchup here of two top-four W teams. This is our headliner of the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udcfa MLB: Giants at Rangers
8:05 p.m. ET on ESPN
Texas, unlike San Francisco, is very much alive in the postseason race. Meanwhile, the Giants are competing<\/a> with their Bay-mates, the 49ers, as to who can have the most puzzling injury-filled summer. Strange times. Put it on while you reacquaint yourself with the post-trade deadline landscape.<\/p>\n

Pulse Picks\"\"<\/p>\n

\n Bruce Bennett \/ Getty Images; Courtesy of Sean Avery<\/p>\n

Sean Avery is a well-known ex-NHL player. Now, he\u2019s also one of Christopher Nolan\u2019s favorite cast members. What a story<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Former Panthers All-Pro center Ryan Kalil is also in the Hollywood sphere now, but he can\u2019t stay away from football \u2026 which led him to buy a Mexican pro team<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

I dare you to read this story<\/a> on new Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq and not come away a fan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Is the college football shootout over? If so, RIP<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

What was Steph Curry doing playing a neighborhood golf course in Arkansas? Marcus Thompson II was there to explain what sounds like an incredible scene<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Our story on Will Levis\u2019 confidence \u2026 and the reader pushback<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Most-read on the website yesterday: MLB trade deadline live blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Pulse Newsletter \ud83d\udce3 | This is The Athletic\u2019s daily sports newsletter. Sign up here to receive The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":841735,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[558],"tags":[64,63,591,85],"class_list":["post-841734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=841734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/841734\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/841735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=841734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=841734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=841734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}