{"id":787582,"date":"2026-07-27T16:12:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:12:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787582\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T16:12:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T16:12:17","slug":"the-trades-have-begun-plus-revisiting-my-weekend-games-rankings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/787582\/","title":{"rendered":"The trades have begun. Plus: Revisiting my weekend games rankings"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB<\/a> newsletter. Sign up here<\/a> to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.<\/p>\n

The trade deadline is a week from today, and the trades are beginning. Plus: Jayson Stark was in Cooperstown for HOF weekend, we saw a trio of impactful injuries and we revisit those\u00a0matchup rankings from Friday<\/a>. I\u2019m Levi Weaver \u2014 welcome to The Windup!<\/p>\n

Trade Deadline: It\u2019s (nearly) time<\/p>\n

None of these qualify as blockbusters, but with the trade deadline next Monday, the first cracks in the dam have sprung leaks. Here\u2019s who changed uniforms since last we spoke:<\/p>\n

Red Sox send LHP Connelly Early to Nats for INF Curtis Mead:\u00a0The Nationals needed \u2014\u00a0still need, actually<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 pitching for now and the future. The Red Sox\u00a0needed a right-handed bat<\/a>\u00a0with some pop. This checks those boxes, but there\u2019s risk on each side: Early is currently on the IL with elbow inflammation, and Mead was DFA\u2019d by the White Sox earlier this year before breaking out in D.C.Keith Law called the trade a\u00a0\u201cno-brainer\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for Washington, and Nats beat writer Spencer Nusbaum\u00a0gave Washington an \u201cA.\u201d<\/a>\u00a0Plus we have our\u00a0trade grades<\/a>. For the Nats, the big questions remain: Will CJ Abrams be traded<\/a>? What about Foster Griffin?
\nPirates sent RHP Jos\u00e9 Urquidy to White Sox for RHP Felix Doroteo:\u00a0Doroteo is a 21-year-old with 18 innings of experience in Arizona Complex League action. Urquidy \u2014\u00a0once an unheralded prospect who made a name in Houston \u2014 was recently DFA\u2019d by Pittsburgh.
\nRoyals trade OF Kameron Misner to Phillies for cash, and A\u2019s acquire RHP Scott Blewett from the Cardinals for cash:\u00a0If it wasn\u2019t late July, I\u2019m not sure either would warrant a mention here.
\nLance McCullers Jr. DFA\u2019d:\u00a0OK, this isn\u2019t a trade, but Milwaukee\u00a0just\u00a0traded for McCullers<\/a>\u00a0on July 15. This can\u2019t make Jadyn Fielder (yes, Prince\u2019s kid) feel great: The Brewers traded him for 4 2\/3 innings of relief pitching.<\/p>\n

More trade deadline:\u00a0<\/p>\n

Middle Relief: Long wait for Cooperstown was worth it<\/p>\n

Carlos Beltr\u00e1n, Andruw Jones and Jeff Kent were inducted into the Hall of Fame yesterday. Jayson Stark\u00a0was in Cooperstown, N.Y., for the ceremony<\/a>. Here\u2019s an excerpt from what he observed:<\/p>\n

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. \u2014 They stood at the podium in baseball\u2019s Magic Kingdom, their long Hall of Fame journeys finally complete. Some men zoom into the\u00a0Baseball Hall of Fame<\/a>\u00a0on the first try. Not Carlos Beltr\u00e1n. Not Andruw Jones. Not Jeff Kent.<\/p>\n

Induction Day finally arrived for those men. But to get there, they had to agonize through a combined 24 elections \u2014 four for Beltr\u00e1n, nine for Jones, 11 for Kent.\u00a0So as they gazed from that stage at the crowded hillside yesterday afternoon, how could they not be thinking about all the years they wondered if this day would ever arrive?<\/p>\n

\u201cAs I stand here today, I realize something,\u201d Beltr\u00e1n said from that stage yesterday. \u201cI dreamed about being a Major League Baseball player, and also I dreamed about being a good player. But never \u2014 not even once \u2014 did I dream about standing here today.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beltr\u00e1n and Jones also reminded us that center fielders have long been the most glamorous Hall of Famers of them all, from Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle to Willie Mays and Ken Griffey Jr. But never have two center fielders been elected by the baseball writers and experienced their Induction Day on the same day \u2014 until yesterday.<\/p>\n

So how fitting is it that these two men were born just one day apart in April 1977? Now they will share this day, and this honor, for a lifetime.<\/p>\n

Kent is the first second baseman to enter Cooperstown since the arrival of Craig Biggio in 2015. Second base has long been one of the least represented positions in the Hall. So someday, visitors may stare at Kent\u2019s prodigious offensive numbers and wonder why it took him so long to earn this plaque.<\/p>\n

For the rest, including each player\u2019s path to the Hall of Fame,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

More Hall of Fame:\u00a0Tyler Kepner tells us about\u00a0the various stops<\/a>\u00a0each player in this year\u2019s class made along the way, and how their journeys ended in Cooperstown.<\/p>\n

Injury Updates \u2026 and deadline ramifications<\/p>\n

We have three important injury updates from the weekend. Here\u2019s who got hurt, and how it potentially impacts the trade deadline:<\/p>\n

Cody Bellinger (left hamstring strain<\/a>):\u00a0Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge have already been on the IL for long stints. Add Bellinger, and that\u2019s 1,077 career home runs the Yankees are now missing.\u00a0Bellinger has been the team\u2019s second-best hitter this year\u00a0(after Ben Rice), and maybe their best player, when you factor in defense. This injury could alter the Yankees\u2019 deadline plans.
\nJuan Soto (left calf strain<\/a>):\u00a0This one isn\u2019t as impactful right now \u2014 Soto isn\u2019t going to be traded, and the last-place Mets certainly aren\u2019t in contention \u2014 but as star power goes, few in the game measure up to Soto. His earlier calf injury was to the other leg, but this one might cost him more time.
\nShea Langeliers (torn meniscus<\/a>):\u00a0Yet another injury for the A\u2019s. Langeliers was one of the best potentially available catchers at this year\u2019s trade deadline. That\u2019s off the table now. Rockies catcher\u00a0Hunter Goodman\u2019s defense<\/a>\u00a0might ding his value a bit, but scarcity isn\u2019t nothing.<\/p>\n

More injuries:\u00a0Addison Barger hasn\u2019t played for the Blue Jays since May 9. He\u2019ll\u00a0miss the rest of the season<\/a>\u00a0after elbow surgery.<\/p>\n

Before and After: The weekend that was<\/p>\n

In\u00a0Friday\u2019s Windup<\/a>, I listed all 15 matchups slotted for this past weekend in order of trade-deadline\/playoff intrigue and watchability. Let\u2019s check back in and see how my predictions unfolded:<\/p>\n

Yankees at Phillies:\u00a0The Phillies (57-49) offense\u00a0flailed for two games<\/a>, but broke out big to win 11-4 yesterday.
\nCubs at Pirates:\u00a0The Cubs took two of three, and\u00a0the vibes are high<\/a>. The Pirates (54-52) are still just a game out of a playoff spot, though.
\nRoyals at Tigers:\u00a0Salvador Perez passed George Brett for the Royals\u2019 franchise home run record,\u00a0at 318<\/a>. Tarik Skubal did his best to stay in Detroit with a\u00a0dominant Friday win<\/a>, but his teammates couldn\u2019t help much in the next two games. (Skubal\u00a0isn\u2019t the only trade deadline question<\/a>\u00a0in Detroit, by the way.)
\nGuardians at Rays:\u00a0The Rays swept the Guardians, who are now 2 1\/2 games down in the AL Central (but are still up one game on Minnesota for the last wild-card spot).
\nMariners at Rangers:\u00a0Texas won the first two and led late yesterday before losing. The series concludes this afternoon, and a split would be \u2026 honestly, pretty apropos. Texas is up 1 1\/2 games on Seattle in the AL West.
\nAstros at White Sox:\u00a0Meanwhile, the Astros took two of three from the White Sox and are now just a half-game behind Seattle. The good news: Hunter Brown\u00a0pitched like an ace<\/a>. The bad: Spencer Arrighetti\u00a0left with a trainer<\/a>\u00a0and is now on the 15-day IL.
\nDiamondbacks at Nationals:\u00a0The Nats (54-52) gained ground on Arizona, winning two of three, including yesterday\u2019s 10-7 win that featured two home runs each from CJ Abrams and James Wood. Arizona (55-51) still has the last NL wild-card spot, but only by a game over Washington and Pittsburgh.
\nBraves at Orioles:\u00a0I ranked this too low. All three games were one-run affairs, with Atlanta winning two of them in extra innings. Baltimore is 2 1\/2 games \u2014 and four teams \u2014 out in the wild-card race.
\nPadres at Marlins:\u00a0San Diego,\u00a0resorting to \u201cpitching chaos,\u201d<\/a>\u00a0kept its hopes alive by sweeping Miami. The Padres are two games out of a wild-card position, while Miami\u2019s losing streak is now at a\u00a0franchise-worst 12 games<\/a>.
\nBlue Jays at Red Sox:\u00a0Dylan Cease\u2019s\u00a0one-hitter on Saturday<\/a>\u00a0accounted for Toronto\u2019s only win, with Boston (54-50) staying hot with two wins. At 48-58, Blue Jays players\u00a0appear braced for a sell<\/a>.
\nReds at Cardinals:\u00a0St. Louis (53-52) blew an opportunity to gain ground, losing two of three to the Reds.
\nAthletics at Twins:\u00a0Minnesota (53-54)\u00a0won two of three<\/a>, and is somehow just a game out of a playoff spot.
\nDodgers at Mets:\u00a0Kyle Tucker\u00a0awoke from his season-long slumber<\/a>, and the Dodgers took two of three from the Mets.
\nRockies at Brewers:\u00a0Jacob Misiorowski\u2019s performance yesterday was can\u2019t miss \u2026 unless you were a Rockies hitter, in which case there was a\u00a0lot\u00a0of missing. The Miz threw 66 fastballs \u2014 all of them over 100 mph \u2014\u00a0in a historic outing<\/a>. Milwaukee won two of three, and Misiorowski now boasts a 1.58 ERA.
\nAngels at Giants:\u00a0In keeping with the norms of this season, these teams did not, in fact, fight. The Angels won 4-3 yesterday to avoid a sweep; Mike Trout had his first four-hit game since 2020.
\nHandshakes and High Fives<\/p>\n

In the Giants org, there is some belief that first-year manager Tony Vitello has been getting a bit of disrespect from veteran umpires. The advice from baseball lifer Ron Washington? \u201cGet your money\u2019s worth<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blue Jays third baseman Kazuma Okamoto\u00a0broke Shohei Ohtani\u2019s record<\/a>\u00a0for home runs by Japanese rookies, with 23. It may not stand for long \u2014\u00a0White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami hit\u00a0two home runs on his bobblehead day<\/a>, and now has 22.<\/p>\n

An era has ended: After being DFA\u2019d (and subsequently re-added to the roster) six times\u00a0by the Braves, Carlos Carrasco has\u00a0signed with the LG Twins<\/a>\u00a0in Korea.<\/p>\n

Streak Watch:\u00a0OK sure, we\u2019ll keep tabs on that Marlins losing streak.\u00a0They\u2019re at 12<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Most-clicked in our last Windup:\u00a0Jim Bowden\u2019s\u00a0best fits<\/a>\u00a0for each contending team.<\/p>\n

\ud83d\udceb Love The Windup? Check out\u00a0The Athletic\u2019s other newsletters<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Windup Newsletter \u26be | This is The Athletic\u2019s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":787583,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-787582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=787582"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/787582\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/787583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=787582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=787582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=787582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}