July 17, 2025
The Tampa Bay Rays transferred right-hander
Hunter Bigge (face, lat) to the 60-day injured list on Thursday and selected the contract of right-hander
Joey Gerber to the 40-man roster and optioned him to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move, according to Bally Sports' Ryan Bass. Bigge has been on the sideline since early May due to a strained right lat, but then he was hit in the face by a line drive in the dugout, causing him to miss even more time. The 27-year-old hurler has resumed baseball activities but won't be able to return until late August or early September. Before his injury earlier this year, Bigge held a 2.40 ERA (6.15 FIP) and 1.07 WHIP with 12 strikeouts and five walks in 15 innings out of the bullpen for Tampa.
--Keith HernandezSource: Bally Sports Florida - Ryan Bass
July 17, 2025
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that regardless of whether the Tampa Bay Rays become sellers at this year's trade deadline, they will be reluctant to trade players who signed team-friendly contract extensions. It means that first baseman
Yandy Diaz is the most unlikely to be moved after the Rays exercised his $12 million option for 2026 and added a $10 million club option for 2027. Second baseman
Brandon Lowe also signed a below-market extension for six years and $24 million in March of 2019. However, he only has an $11.5 million option for 2026 left. Closer
Pete Fairbanks only has a $7 million club option remaining as well, so if the Rays decide to become sellers soon, Lowe and Fairbanks would have a much better shot at being traded than Diaz, who is hitting .285 (105-for-368) with 14 home runs, 53 RBI, 43 runs and three steals in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
July 17, 2025
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal writes that Baltimore Orioles veteran right-hander
Charlie Morton, who is on an expiring contract, has become an attractive trade chip as the July 31 deadline nears. Morton, 41, had a 10.89 ERA after his first five starts this year, but he's turned things around and has posted a 3.05 ERA in his last 59 innings pitched since April 29. Rosenthal mentioned the Boston Red Sox, who went on a run at the end of the first half of the season, as a possibility to acquire Morton in a trade. The starting pitching market is thin, and Red Sox manager Alex Cora is familiar with Morton from the 2017 Houston Astros. Orioles left-hander
Trevor Rogers has also bounced back for Baltimore, but they are unlikely to trade him because he's under club control through the 2026 campaign. Overall, Morton still sports a bloated 5.18 ERA, but he does have 88 K's in 83 1/3 innings.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
July 17, 2025
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal reports that it's unlikely that either left-hander
Trevor Rogers or closer
Felix Bautista will be traded at this year's deadline, according to a source briefed on the team's plans. The Orioles are listening on Rogers, but he's under control for one more season, and the Orioles plan on contending in 2026. The 27-year-old Rogers' debut with Baltimore last August was rough and led to him being sent down to the minors. He then began the 2025 season on the injured list, while outfielder
Kyle Stowers, who the O's traded to Miami in exchange for Rogers last year, became an All-Star. But since May 24, Rogers has a 1.53 ERA with an expected ERA of 2.94. Bautista missed all of 2024 due to injury and has gone 1-1 with a career-high 2.41 ERA, a 1.04 WHIP, 18 saves, 48 strikeouts and 20 walks in 33 2/3 innings pitched.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
July 17, 2025
Despite spending a combined $107 million in free agency on relievers
Tanner Scott,
Blake Treinen (forearm) and
Kirby Yates, the Los Angeles Dodgers are expected to pursue bullpen help at the trade deadline this summer, according to sources briefed on their plans. Scott has allowed eight home runs and has a 4.09 ERA after allowing just three homers and posting a 1.75 ERA in 2024 with the Marlins and Padres. In addition to Scott's struggles,
Evan Phillips (elbow) had Tommy John surgery on June 4 and Treinen,
Michael Kopech (knee) and
Brusdar Graterol (shoulder) are all on the injured list. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman tried to build the bullpen with an embarrassment of riches in terms of depth, but it just hasn't worked out in 2025.
--Keith HernandezSource: The Athletic - Ken Rosenthal
July 17, 2025
Miami Marlins catcher
Rob Brantly cleared waivers after being designated for assignment and was outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville on Wednesday, according to MLB.com. Brantly will remain in the organization after missing almost three months earlier this season with a strained right lat and a knee injury. The 36-year-old veteran backstop only played in three games before his injuries this year for Miami and went 3-for-7 with an RBI and a strikeout. For now, he'll remain on the farm to provide catching depth behind
Agustin Ramirez and
Nick Fortes at the major-league level. In parts of 10 big-league seasons with six different teams, Brantly has a career slash line of just .226/.286/.323 with seven home runs, 38 RBI and 32 runs scored in 140 games played.
--Keith HernandezSource: MLB.com
July 17, 2025
Miami Marlins third baseman
Connor Norby (hand) had surgery to fix a broken hamate bone in his left hand on Wednesday in Arizona, according to Craig Mish of Sports Grid. Norby is expected to miss six to eight weeks. The 25-year-old won't be able to return until at least late August, leaving him little time to help fantasy managers the rest of the way in 2025. In single-year fantasy leagues, managers must weigh the cost of holding the former second-rounder into the second half of the season if they have other roster needs. In 253 at-bats in the first half for the Fish, Norby slashed .241/.289/.364 with a below-average .653 OPS, only six home runs, 26 RBI, 33 runs and seven stolen bases. Heading into the second half without Norby at the hot corner, expect the Marlins to mix and match at third base with
Graham Pauley and
Javier Sanoja.
--Keith HernandezSource: Sports Grid - Craig Mish
July 17, 2025
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher
Taj Bradley showed off a high ceiling during a dominant stretch last season, but the promising righty has struggled this season. His strikeout rate has dropped from 26.6% to 20.4% while his ERA has ballooned to 4.60 with a 1.27 WHIP. His FIP, SIERA, and xERA indicate he has gotten a little unlucky to give up so many runs with the quality of contact against him, but he hasn't been able to really find a good groove. He was a top prospect at one point and still has an extremely high ceiling, so if the Rays are willing to move him at a reasonable price, many teams will be interested in his high upside. The raw potential is there for Bradley, but he may need a new team to get him to find the consistency to be a front-line starter.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Bob Nightingale
July 17, 2025
Atlanta Braves outfielder
Ronald Acuna Jr. got a late start to the season after recovering from his knee injury, but he showed he still has amazing upside in his limited playing time before the All-Star break. In 45 games, Acuna hit .323 with 12 homers, 39 runs scored, 22 RBI, and a .437 wOBA. His 52.3% hard-hit rate and 18.3% barrel rate back up his good power numbers. The one category that has understandably been a little slower to return to form is his stolen base production. He is a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts, but has been less aggressive than pre-injury so far in his return. As he gets more comfortable, he should pick that up in the second half and continue to be one of the top producers in fantasy baseball. He'll try to help the Braves save their season, but they start the second half 9.5 games out of the third and final Wild Card spot, so there's lots of work to do.
--Zach ThompsonSource: FanGraphs
July
17,
2025
Chicago
White
Sox
outfielder
Luis
Robert
Jr.
is
getting
plenty
of
attention
ahead
of
the
MLB
trade
deadline
and
could
be
one
of
the
best
bats
available
to
teams
shopping
for
offense.
MLB
Network's
Jon
Heyman
reported
read more...
July 17, 2025
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder
Bryan Reynolds is one of the biggest bats available for teams looking for an offensive upgrade as we approach the trade deadline. Not all teams can get in on the action, though, since the outfielder has a no-trade list that includes the Yankees, Mets, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Giants, and Padres. The 30-year-old righty has been extremely consistent over the last few seasons with at least 24 home runs in four straight years while hitting over .260 with a wOBA over .335. This year, though, he's hitting only .225 with 10 homers and a .287 wOBA. His underlying metrics have been coming around lately, and he looks like he could have a bounce-back second half, but it remains to be seen what uniform he'll wear the rest of the way. Reynolds comes with a hefty contract and is owed over $77 million through the 2030 season with a club option for 2031.
--Zach ThompsonSource: Noah Hiles
July
17,
2025
The
Miami
Marlins
have
exceeded
expectations
this
season,
but
are
still
expected
to
be
sellers
at
the
trade
deadline
to
some
extent.
The
team
is
listening
to
offers
for
starting
pitchers
Sandy
Alcantara
and
read more...
July 17, 2025
Cincinnati Reds third baseman
Noelvi Marte is entering the second half swinging a hot bat and could continue to find success. Marte has dealt with injuries this season, but has been effective when on the field. Over his final seven games of the first half, Marte went 7-for-22 with a double and three home runs. He swiped one bag, tallied four RBI, and scored four runs. Through 28 total games this season, Marte has posted a .284/.337/.547 slash line with five doubles, six home runs, and five stolen bases. Under the hood, the former top prospect has generated a .335 xwOBA, .464 xSLG, and a 73.8 mph bat speed, which are all above the average marks. Additionally, he ranks in the 93rd percentile in sprint speed. Marte is worth adding in all category formats as he has the skill set to contribute to all five standard categories. If he continues to see consistent playing time, he could push for a 20/20 season.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
July 17, 2025
Washington Nationals third base prospect
Brady House enjoyed a strong conclusion to the first half and could be poised to continue to improve in the second. Over his final nine games, the No. 81-ranked prospect in baseball on MLB.com posted an impressive .297/.316/.514 slash line with two doubles, two home runs, and seven RBI. During his first 14 games in D.C., House carried a modest .232/.267/.286 line with just three doubles and no home runs. The 22-year-old has generated an impressive .291 xBA with an above-average 35.2% LA sweet-spot rate, which suggests he should continue to enjoy success. However, his power has yet to fully translate to the big leagues. Earlier in the season, House hit 13 home runs and held a .519 SLG through 65 games with Triple-A. House is worth adding in all standard leagues as he could be a viable corner infielder with power upside during the final months of the season.
--Andy SmithSource: MLB.com
July
17,
2025
Chicago
Cubs
third
baseman
Matt
Shaw
is
in
danger
of
losing
playing
time
during
the
second
half.
Shaw
was
able
to
break
camp
with
the
MLB
roster
but
struggled
during
his
first
look.
Through
his
first
read more...
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