Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today's games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today's edition is brought to you by David Adler.
If you looked at our recent rundown of every team's biggest need at the Trade Deadline, you might have noticed that one of the needs that kept popping up is right-handed hitting.
No less than six teams had "a right-handed bat" listed in some way, shape or form:
- the Yankees (as a catcher platoon for Austin Wells)
- the Guardians (as their most preferable offensive upgrade)
- the Tigers (if they're buyers instead of sellers)
- the Mariners (who've been the worst team against lefty pitchers)
- the Marlins (to boost their upstart lineup to playoff level)
- the Phillies (as their co-biggest need along with a high-leverage reliever)
That's a lot of teams. But sure, OK, no problem. There are plenty of right-handed hitters to go around, right?
Not so fast. Mike Petriello explains how acquiring right-handed hitting is actually the trickiest problem Trade Deadline buyers have to solve this season.
So what's the deal? For one thing, lefties are really on the rise. There used to be way more right-handed hitters than left-handed hitters around the Majors, but now the split is nearly 50-50.
And there just aren't as many good right-handed hitters available as usual. Even some of the biggest names we thought might be available, like Mike Trout and Byron Buxton, probably won't be after all.
So who is out there? Here are some potential options for those righty-needy teams:
Cardinals C/DH Iván Herrera: If he's on the market, he's a great bat to go get. The only problem is, the Cards are in the thick of the NL playoff race right now.
Orioles OF Taylor Ward: He's reinvented himself from an all-or-nothing slugger into a high on-base guy, and is a clear trade candidate since he's set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
Twins C Ryan Jeffers: He has a track record of being an above-average hitter and is a very obvious fit for the Yankees.
Giants OF Heliot Ramos: Left-handed-hitting teammate Luis Arraez is getting most of the trade buzz, but Ramos could fit the needs of even more teams as a righty slugger.
Angels OF Jo Adell: We don't know if the Angels will operate as sellers, and Adell is a polarizing player, but his elite bat speed gives him high home run upside.
For the rest of the right-handed-hitting trade options, read the full article here >>
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BIG PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS THIS WEEKEND |
Now that we're in the second half of the season, it's really time to start thinking about the playoff races. And right out of the gate, we have a bunch of series this weekend with big postseason implications.
Brent Maguire ranks the biggest ones here. If you're trying to decide which games to watch this weekend, start with these.
Pirates at Guardians (tonight's game: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The 51-46 Guardians are neck-and-neck with the 50-45 White Sox for the AL Central lead. The surprising Pirates are 50-47 and just out of a Wild Card spot in the NL. Tonight's series opener features Pirates fireballer Jared Jones against Guards ace Gavin Williams. Paul Skenes pitches Sunday's series finale.
Rays at Red Sox (Game 2 of doubleheader tonight: 7:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
This four-game rivalry series at Fenway Park got underway this afternoon with the best team in the American League (the Rays) facing the hottest team in the American League (the Sox). Tampa Bay is trying to hold off the Yankees in the AL East race, while Boston ended the first half on a 14-2 run and is now just a half-game out of a Wild Card spot.
Rangers at Braves (tonight's game: 7:15 p.m. ET, MLB.TV)
The Braves' lead over the Phillies in the NL East has dwindled to 2 1/2 games, and even the Marlins aren't far behind. The Rangers start the second half holding onto first place in a wide-open AL West, with the Mariners and Astros also jockeying for pole position.
Those series aren't the only important ones this weekend. There's also Dodgers-Yankees at Yankee Stadium (watch tonight's opener at 7:05 p.m. ET on MLB Network and MLB.TV), and a bunch more.
For the whole list, go here >>
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TRADE RUMORS: LINDOR ON THE TABLE? |
We're bringing you all the latest trade buzz from now until the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline. Today, we look at which Mets might be on the table.
The Mets are reportedly open for business -- and very few names are off the table.
According to reports from SNY’s Chelsea Janes and MLB Network insider Jon Heyman, the Mets are reportedly willing to consider trading virtually anyone except superstar outfielder Juan Soto and youngsters Nolan McLean, Carson Benge, A.J. Ewing and Christian Scott.
New York even appears open to dealing superstar shortstop Francisco Lindor -- although his lackluster 2026 production, sizable contract and full no-trade clause make a trade "very unlikely," per Heyman, who also notes that a source close to Lindor said it’s “not happening."
The Mets trading Lindor would be a true stunner, but who knows? As the Mets gear up for a Trade Deadline that will shift their focus toward 2027, even their less obvious trade candidates are still, well, trade candidates.
That also includes players like catcher Francisco Alvarez and third baseman Brett Baty. MLB.com Mets beat reporter Anthony DiComo breaks down those potential Trade Deadline scenarios here.
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THESE QUESTIONS COULD SHAPE THE DEADLINE |
We're now in a 2 1/2-week sprint to the Trade Deadline. Thomas Harrigan takes a look at five post-All-Star break questions that could shape the trade market.
Questions like …
Can the red-hot Tigers and Red Sox keep it up?
The biggest question is, will Tarik Skubal stay or will he go? But there are a lot of trade chips on these two teams -- Casey Mize, Gleyber Torres, Jack Flaherty, Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman -- and if Detroit and Boston keep winning, they might not be trading them.
Can the Padres pull out of their tailspin?
This could determine whether superstar closer Mason Miller gets dealt again, in what would be a second huge blockbuster in as many seasons.
Is a post-break surge coming for the Blue Jays?
Last year's AL pennant winners face an uphill battle to get back into the playoff race down the stretch, but maybe moves at the Deadline could be the spark they need. Or will the Jays sell?
For more, check out the full piece here >>
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INTRODUCING THE TEAM TRIPLE CROWN |
We've heard of a combined no-hitter, but a combined Triple Crown?
It's a thing now, thanks to what the Brewers pulled off in the first half. At the All-Star break, a Milwaukee pitcher was leading MLB in wins, ERA and strikeouts. Just not the same Milwaukee pitcher.
- Wins: Aaron Ashby, 12
- ERA: Jacob Misiorowski, 1.62
- Strikeouts: Misiorowski, 167
So yes, we know a real Triple Crown is an individual achievement -- that's why it's such a rare feat. The last pitcher to win an MLB-wide Triple Crown -- not just the AL or NL -- was Johan Santana in 2006. But the combo version is rare, too, even just for a half. It hadn't been done in almost 50 years.
Misiorowski's Brewers are the first team to lead the Major Leagues in all three Triple Crown categories at the All-Star break since Nolan Ryan's Angels all the way back in 1977.
That year, Ryan led the Majors in wins (13) and K's (234) at the break, and Frank Tanana led in ERA (2.15).
With Miz already drawing parallels to the Ryan Express for his overpowering, triple-digit fastballs, this is just one more cool link between the two flamethrowers.
Anyway, remind us to circle back at the end of the season to see if the Brew Crew pull this off for real.
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MLB just released the 2027 regular-season schedule. Here are some of the key dates:
• Wednesday, March 24: The season will begin with a standalone Opening Night game. The matchup is still to be determined. (The Yankees and Giants played on Opening Night this year.)
• Thursday, March 25: Traditional Opening Day. This will be the earliest traditional Opening Day in Major League history (excluding special season openers and international openers), with 14 games on the schedule.
• Tuesday, July 13: The All-Star Game, at Chicago’s Wrigley Field. Wrigley will become the only active MLB stadium to host the Midsummer Classic four times (1947, 1962, 1990 and 2027). Cubs star Pete Crow-Armstrong is already pumped for it.
• Thursday, July 15: The second half kicks off with MLB's third annual Rivalry Weekend, which will feature 11 series between Interleague rivals and four other regional showdowns.
• Sunday, Sept. 26: The final day of the 2027 regular season.
Also worth checking out: This cool visual of every team's 2027 travel schedule >>
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