It really just feels like each series the Atlanta Braves have been in lately has been like them leaving a snake pit for a lion's den only to realize that they've stepped into a piranha's pond and escaped that just to find out that the dry land was quicksand. "I don't know how much more battle-tested we need to be," quipped Walt Weiss when he was asked by the media during Tuesday's pregame press conference about the tough schedule that the Braves have been dealing with as of late — and still have to navigate going forward.
Indeed, one of the takeaways from this patch is that the Braves will have faced some of the toughest teams that baseball currently has to offer once they eventually reach the Postseason and they should be more-than-ready to handle whatever's in front of them. With that being said, the Braves had to deal with another serious test in the form of the Tampa Bay Rays and once the smoke cleared, it was less about acing the test and more like simply doing enough to pass the test. Did Atlanta manage that? Let's get into it.
This one was competitive for two innings, as the Braves matched Junior Caminero's two-out dinger off of AJ Smith-Shawver in the first inning with a run of their own in the bottom half of that frame. The deadlock didn't last long at all, as the Rays made the third inning a long one for Smith-Shawver. AJSS was one out away from potentially putting two outs on the board against the Rays in that inning. Instead, Liam Hicks sent one flying into the Georgia night sky for a two-run shot. Smith-Shawver was one out away from keeping it at 3-1 before Victor Mesa Jr. hit a bouncer that eluded the glove of Ozzie Albies and dribbled into the infield for an RBI single that made it 4-1.
AJ Smith-Shawver was only able to make it through 3.1 innings with those four runs allowed, but credit is due to Brent Suter for going 3.2 innings while only giving up a single run while he was out there. Elieser Hernández wasn't as fortunate, as he surrendered two runs across his two innings of work and then got the DFA treatment once the next morning rolled around. It really felt like the Rays were either ****** ing and dunking or hitting moonshots, there was no in-between in this one.
Meanwhile, a nasty trend for the Braves was emerging while they were on the mound. It's not particularly shocking that Freddy Peralta ended up going six innings with just one run allowed since he'd done pretty well in two previous starts against Atlanta with the Mets. It wasn't shocking either to see the Rays bullpen clamp down on the Braves they did on Tuesday, either. What was shocking is that the Braves came out of this game with 11 batted ****** that were at least 95-mph that ended up turning into outs. Folks, that's tough!

#Braves #smith #shawver #going

The Mets are promoting pitching prospect Gary Gill Hill from Double-A Binghamton to Triple-A Syracuse, the team announced on Sunday.
Gill Hill joined the Mets organization as part of the trade that sent Freddy Peralta to the Tampa Bay Rays at this year's trade deadline and had pitched well with the Rumble Ponies. In five starts, the right-hander went 2-0 with a 3.76 ERA (1.22 WHIP) and struck out 28 batters over 26.1 innings.
Overall, the 21-year-old has a 4.34 ERA in 25 starts between High-A, where he began the season, and Double-A.
New York's No. 19 overall prospect, according to SNY, Gill Hill's last start in Binghamton came on Sept. 1, which puts him on schedule to make his debut for Syracuse soon.
The promotion comes after the Mets recalled Jonah Tong from Triple-A to the big leagues, leaving a spot open in the starting rotation.

#binghamton #prospect

Major League Baseball's trade deadline always focuses on the loudest teams and the loudest names. Tampa Bay missed on Tarik Skubal and pivoted to Freddy Peralta instead. A month later, that consolation prize is beginning to look suspiciously like exactly what the Rays needed.
MORE: Top MLB prospect, 20-year-old catching phenom called up late Monday night
Aug 26, 2026; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Freddy Peralta (51) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the second inning at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Peralta wasn't good in New York.
He carried a 4.99 ERA and 1.48 WHIP across 113 2/3 innings before the Mets dealt him to Tampa Bay on August 2 for three prospects – Aidan Smith, Gary Gill Hill and Émilien Pitre. All three ranked among Tampa Bay's Top 30 prospects.

#prospects

In my mind, I had this game in the loss column even before first pitch.
The Rays offense looked half asleep yesterday against a lesser pitcher, and today they would be facing Troy Melton, he of the 1.86 ERA. Those of you with good memories will recall that Melton had pitched a gem against the Rays back in June, going eight innings and scattering a few hits. He's a pitcher, Brian Anderson reminded us, who is good across the game but actually gets better second and third time through the line up, so it's not like you can just wait until he tires out to get your offense going.
And for the Rays, Freddy Peralta had looked a little better in recent starts but you really had to squint to see the effective pitcher he'd been prior to this year.
So just based on the pitching matchup, this game had the worst win chances for the Rays of the series.
Of course, then, they won. Because you never know with baseball.

#pitcher #melton #good #better

Detroit Tigers starter Troy Melton did his part in an afternoon pitchers duel, save for one early inning that put his squad behind for good.
Despite another quality start from Melton, the Tigers lost, 3-0, to the Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday, Aug. 26, at Comerica Park in Detroit. The loss gave the Rays the series win and dropped the Tigers to 62-71.
It was Melton's ninth quality start of the season, as the righty allowed three runs over seven innings but left with the loss, his third of the year. Melton's efficient outing didn't help the Tigers match Tampa Bay starter Freddy Peralta, who threw six scoreless innings in his best start since the Rays acquired him at the trade deadline from the New York Mets.
The Rays scored two runs in the second inning, which turned out to be all the offense they needed to secure the win. Meanwhile, the Tigers recorded just two total hits and didn't bring a single runner into scoring position.
And the challenge only gets greater for the Tigers. After a day off on Thursday, Aug. 27, Detroit hosts the back-to-back World Series-winning Los Angeles Dodgers in a three-game set, with a familiar friend taking the hill on Friday, Aug. 28, for the defending champions.

#melton #starter #quality

The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in the American League entering play on Tuesday, just as they did at the trade deadline.
The Rays went and got some pieces they thought could help them lock up the American League East and make a deep run, but not all the moves have paid off. One of the big moves the Rays made was adding Freddy Peralta.
Peralta is a two-time All-Star and was traded to the New York Mets before the season. However, he is having a down year. In 22 games with the Mets, he had a 4.99 ERA, but the Rays lijkely thought they could fix him. They have made some adjustments to his delivery, but the results are not great.
In four starts, he has a 7.17 ERA with the Rays. However, it is worth noting that one of those starts came in Colorado, and his most recent start came against the Baltimore Orioles, who were seeing him four the second time in less than seven days.
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#however #made

Apple TV's "Friday Night Baseball" returns Aug. 21, 2026, as the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Baltimore Orioles and the Los Angeles Angels face the Texas Rangers. The game is available exclusively on the Apple TV app. Here's broadcast information for tonight's action:
Tampa Bay Rays at Baltimore Orioles, 6:30 p.m. Eastern
Los Angeles Angels at Texas Rangers, 7:30 p.m. Eastern
Freddy Peralta (Rays) vs. Trevor Rogers (Orioles)
Reid Detmers (Angels) vs. MacKenzie Gore (Rangers)

#rays #Angels #baltimore #eastern

The first-place Tampa Bay Rays (76-51) open a crucial AL East series in Baltimore against the Orioles (61-67) tonight. With just five wins in their last ten games, the Rays have seen the Yankees cut into their lead in the division while the Orioles have dropped a full two games behind the Twins in the chase for the final Wild Card spot as the result of being swept by those same Yankees earlier this week.
The Rays dropped two of three earlier this week against the Blue Jays. The usually stingy Tampa pitching staff allowed 21 runs over the three games. As mentioned earlier, the Orioles are also looking to bounce back this weekend. The Yankees' hurlers held the O's to five runs in the series. These teams met last weekend in St. Petersburg with the Orioles taking three of the four games.
Freddy Peralta (5-10, 5.27 ERA) takes the ball for Tampa Bay tonight. After a brutal first start with the Rays (7 Earned Runs over 3.2 Innings), Peralta has been solid allowing three runs over six innings against the Athletics on August 10 followed by a stingy but short effort against these Orioles last Sunday in which he surrendered two runs over 4.2 innings. Trevor Rogers (8-8, 4.15 ERA) gets the start for Baltimore. He was on the winning end last Sunday against the Rays allowing just two runs over six innings. In 16 innings this month the southpaw has allowed six earned runs. Since June 1, Rogers has started 13 games and allowed more than two runs just twice – four earned runs July 29 at Detroit and three earned runs June 9 against the Mariners.
Lets dive further into tonight's game and find a sweat or two.
We've got all the info and **** ysis you need to know ahead of the game, including the latest info on the how to catch first pitch, odds, recent team performance, player stats, and of course, our predictions, picks & best bets for the game from our modeling tools and staff of experts.

#runs #orioles #tampa

Rays stay put in the power rankings after an up-and-down week originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Tampa Bay Rays have been a joy to watch this season. They have handled business all season long and sit comfortably in first place in the American League East.
They hold a 5.5-game lead over the New York Yankees as we get closer to September. They don't have the hardest schedule remaining, but it isn't the easiest either, so the club must keep up what they've been doing all year.
If they can avoid injuries from here on out, they're going to be a team that could be quite difficult to take down in a postseason series with the level of offense and pitching the club has gotten.
MORE: Why Freddy Peralta has reasonable excuse for brutal 9.31 ERA start with Rays

#down #tampa

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Colton Cowser hit a two-run homer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a three-run double in a seven-run sixth, Trevor Rogers allowed two runs in six innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Holliday also drove in three runs for Baltimore, which has won three consecutive games as it chases the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Rogers (8-8) scattered seven hits while striking out six.
The teams will conclude a four-game series on Monday.
Freddy Peralta (5-10) allowed just one hit through 4 2/3 innings but allowed two runs to take the loss in his first start at home for Tampa Bay since being acquired from the New York Mets on Aug. 3. Peralta has not recorded a victory since June 14.

#seven

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Colton Cowser hit a two-run homer and Christian Encarnacion-Strand had a three-run double in a seven-run sixth, Trevor Rogers allowed two runs in six innings and the Baltimore Orioles beat the Tampa Bay Rays 10-2 on Sunday.
Jackson Holliday also drove in three runs for Baltimore, which has won three consecutive games as it chases the final wild-card spot in the American League.
Rogers (8-8) scattered seven hits while striking out six.
The teams will conclude a four-game series on Monday.
Freddy Peralta (5-10) allowed just one hit through 4 2/3 innings but allowed two runs to take the loss in his first start at home for Tampa Bay since being acquired from the New York Mets on Aug. 3. Peralta has not recorded a victory since June 14.

#three #since

Welcome back to Rays Reacts. We asked, you voted. This time, we inquired on your confidence in the Rays starting rotation, which as a question conjures playoff considerations.
Practically, many teams skate by with just three plus starting pitchers, so personally I'm not too worried about how the rotation shakes out down the stretch. Despite losing Griffin Jax to injury — he recently got an injection in his elbow, and has resumed throwing at 120 feet — Rasmussen and Martinez are solid, Sugar Shane just pitched three clean innings in Durham on a rehab start, the Rays are settling Peralta into the Rays way, and Seymour is over-achieving expectations for a pitcher with 14 career starts at the MLB level.
I'm confident, but more importantly, how did y'all feel?
Minor concerns is fair!
Jax and McClanahan are indeed injured, Seymour was recently in the bullpen, and Peralta is new. It's reasonable to be concerned at least a little bit.

#seymour #recently

Usually, there is no reason to focus on MLB free agency in August. It's three months away and there's playoffs to worry about.
Except this year, baseball's traditionally drawn-out free agency period is expected to be a frenzy, condensed into the three weeks between the end of the World Series and the end of the collective bargaining agreement.
The market opens five days after the World Series ends. The labor deal expires at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1, and a lockout is widely expected the moment it does. The last one ran 99 days and froze every signing and trade in the sport. This one could be worse, because the owners want a salary cap and the union has spent decades saying that's not even in the conversation.
So, the players about to hit the market are looking at a narrow chance in November where deals can actually get done under the current CBA before the expected lockout.
These last two months will matter more than they normally would. Almost every name in this free agent class just changed teams at the deadline. Tarik Skubal is a Dodger. Freddy Peralta is a Ray. Luis Arraez is a Phillie. Kevin Gausman and Clay Holmes are Cubs.

#expected #three #days #lockout

WEST SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer in an eight-run eighth inning as the Tampa Bay Rays rallied for a 10-6 victory over the Athletics on Monday night.
Caminero hit his 34th of the year after Yandy Díaz and Jonathan Aranda both singled to kick off the inning, bringing the Rays within one. Chandler Simpson's RBI single tied the game, and Taylor Walls hit a two-run single to give Tampa Bay an 8-6 lead. Díaz hit a sacrifice fly and Aranda hit an RBI single in his second at-bat of the inning to make it 10-6.
Rays reliever Chris Roycroft (1-0) pitched the seventh inning, giving up three hits and three earned runs. Starter Freddy Peralta pitched the first six innings, with five strikeouts, three earned runs and a walk.
Díaz homered on the second pitch of the game to make it 1-0. The A's responded with an RBI double by Tyler Soderstrom to tie it, followed by Soderstrom stealing home later in the inning to make it 2-1.
Zack Gelof hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Athletics in his first game back after being on the injured list with a right knee laceration he sustained against the Detroit Tigers on July 9. He hit an RBI double in the seventh inning.

#three #rays #single #make

Ever since the New York Mets signed Juan Soto, there have been rumors of tension between him and Francisco Lindor, the face of the franchise before Soto's arrival.
The fact that the team has been extremely disappointing for the last two seasons likely has not helped things, but both players have publicly denied any beef. However, that does not mean things were sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes.
According to ESPN's Jorge Castillo, there was lingering tension between the two, but Freddy Peralta, who is now with the Tampa Bay Rays, arranged for the two to sit down and work things out.
"With tension lingering into their second season as teammates, multiple sources told ESPN that Peralta in June arranged for the two stars to vent and work through their disconnect," Castillo wrote on Wednesday. "Since then, sources told ESPN, Lindor and Soto's relationship has been noticeably warmer, with the players interacting more often."
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#peralta #players #lingering

DENVER (AP) — Ben Williamson scored the tiebreaking run on a wild pitch in the 11th inning and Junior Caminero added a two-out RBI single as Tampa Bay rallied to beat Colorado 9-7 on Tuesday night after the Rockies roughed up Freddy Peralta in his Rays debut.
Williamson, the automatic runner at second base, went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Taylor Walls and scampered home on a wild pitch by Nick Frasso (0-1), who was making his major league debut. That gave Tampa Bay an 8-7 lead before Yandy Diaz doubled and scored on Caminero's single.
Jonathan Aranda hit a two-run single off Rockies closer Jordan Romano to tie it at 7 in the ninth.
Liam Hicks launched a grand slam in his Rays debut off rookie Gabriel Hughes to give Peralta a 5-1 lead in the third. Hicks was acquired from Miami at the trade deadline Monday. The catcher's 15th homer was the first slam for Tampa Bay this season.
Peralta lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing seven runs and nine hits. He went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA before coming over from the Mets in a trade Sunday. The two-time All-Star was 0-4 in his final seven starts for New York and hasn't won since pitching five innings in an 8-1 victory over the Braves on June 14.

#Rockies #rays

This was Tampa Bay Rays starter Freddy Peralta's third time to face the Rockies this season following two starts with his previous team, the New York Mets. He came into the game with a 3-0 record at Coors in addition to a 1.23 ERA.
But it didn't seem like it would matter against a persistent Colorado Rockies club that took an early lead.
However, the Rockies offense stalled after the fourth inning, and the Rays got back in the game ultimately winning 9-7 in extra innings.
The Rockies got off to a quick start on the offensive side in their third time facing Peralta this season. (They faced him twice when he was with the New York Mets.)
Jake McCarthy kicked things off with a lead-off single, and Cole Carrigg followed his example with another single that moved McCarthy to third. Mickey Moniak then hit into a double play, but it was enough to score McCarthy and give the Rockies a 1-0 when the first inning had concluded.

#mccarthy #rays #york #game

It was an impressive showing for the Rays offense last night, as Junior Caminero's two homers and Jonathan Aranda's four hits led the way to a 13-9 victory.
But tonight it was all about the brand new battery, as trade deadline acquisitions Freddy Peralta and and Liam Hicks both made their Rays debuts at pitcher and catcher, respectively. On the other side it was Gabriel Hughes, with just four major league starts under his belt coming into tonight.
Peralta got into some trouble immediately, giving up two hits out of the gate in the bottom of the first, but a double play and a strikeout on an elevated heater to catcher Hunter Goodman limited the damage to just one run. Whether is was just nerves or not to start the game, he recovered nicely to pitch a clean second.
Things were quiet until the top of the third when Cedric Mullins opened the Rays offense with the team's first hit of the night. After a Richie Palacios walk and a Taylor Walls bunt single, the bases were loaded with no outs. Hughes promptly struck out Yandy Diaz, but Aranda followed up with a game tying walk. Caminero gifted Hughes another strikeout, and it looked like Hughes was going to get out of it.
Until newcomer Hicks delivered the big blow:

#hits #tonight

Freddy Peralta's start with the Tampa Bay Rays did not go well on Tuesday night.
Peralta struggled in his first start with the franchise, just days after they landed him in a deal with the New York Mets. Peralta gave up nine hits and seven runs in less than four innings in their 9-7 win in extra innings over the Colorado Rockies.
Not great.
The Mets gave up several prospects to acquire Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers this past offseason. He was coming off his best campaign in the league, too, with a 2.70 ERA while in Wisconsin. But Peralta stumbled badly with the Mets, and posted a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts with the organization — which marked his worst performance since 2019 — and took a step back in nearly every statistic. Even after this final start, knowing that he was likely to be dealt, the 30-year-old felt like he failed.
"I know that, so far, I've let them down," he said last month. "I haven't done what I'm supposed to do."

#start #gave #york

So many MLB teams made moves at Monday's trade deadline to fortify their rosters for the playoffs.
But of all the teams active at the deadline, the one that became the biggest must-watch for the final stretch of the season might not be a playoff team at all. Not the Dodgers with Tarik Skubal. Not the Red Sox with Adley Rutschman. And not the Cubs with their flurry of moves either.
It might be the moribund New York Mets.
Before you go digging too deep into the Mets' many deadline deals, this isn't about some prospect they got back in exchange for Freddy Peralta, A.J. Minter or Clay Holmes. In fact, this isn't about a trade at all.
It's about one of the players New York called up from its farm system after the trades: reliever Jefry Yan.

#deadline #teams #trade

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across MLB. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Rays fans and fans across the country.
The Rays were buyers in a sellers market for the 2026 trade deadline, and came away with four key additions:
Rays acquire RHP Freddy Peralta from Mets for OF Aidan Smith, INF Emilien Pitre, and RHP Gary Gill Hill
Rays acquire C/1B Liam Hicks from Marlins for INF Brayden Taylor, SS Adrian Santana, and RHP Jacob Kisting
Rays acquire RHP Tyler Wells from Orioles for RHP Michael Forret

#nation #throughout

The New York Mets (47-66) begin a three-game series at Progressive Field against the Cleveland Guardians (57-56) tonight. While Cleveland enters the series battling in the AL Central and Wild Card races, the Mets hosted a yard sale the past few days and sold off pieces from what is arguably the most disappointing ballclub in the majors this season.
Speaking of the Trade Deadline, the Guardians acquired Jo Adell (Angels), Foster Griffin (Nationals), and Nathaniel Lowe (Reds) in an effort to wake up what has been a slumbering offense. The Mets made a slew of trades headlined by deals involving Clay Holmes (Cubs), Luke Weaver (Pirates), Brooks Raley (Phillies), AJ Minter (Twins), and Freddy Peralta (Rays).
The Guardians have won just two of their last five games but did shut out the Diamondbacks Sunday, 5-0, to salvage the finale of their three-game series with Arizona. Chase DeLauter starred in the win, going 2-for-4 with a double, three RBIs, a run scored, and a stolen base. The Mets, meanwhile, have dropped three straight and have scored but four runs over their last three games. Journeyman Robert Stock was better than good Sunday for New York allowing one run over five innings but the finale of the homestand, a 2-0 loss, continued a season-long trend of inconsistent offense and unmet expectations.
New York is scheduled to start veteran left-hander Sean Manaea (2-5, 4.42 ERA). After a rough start to July, the veteran finished strong allowing three runs in 12 innings over his last two starts. Cleveland counters with left-hander Joey Cantillo (8-6, 3.88 ERA). Cantillo's most recent start came on July 29 at Cincinnati in which he threw four shutout innings in a 6-1 win. That appearance was a nice bounce back from the two previous starts that saw him give up 15 hits and nine runs over just 8.2 innings.
Lets dive further into tonight's game and find a sweat or two.

#three #METS #runs

The Rays had an extraordinarily busy trade deadline in 2026, and in a pleasant surprise, they were the ones buying and not selling — and better yet, the Rays did so without trading any of their top prospects.
Here's a recap of the Rays moves, and with all of them happening in August:
Rays acquire Freddy Peralta from Mets for OF Aidan Smith, INF Emilien Pitre, and RHP Gary Gill Hill
Rays acquire C/1B Liam Hicks from Marlins for INF Brayden Taylor, SS Adrian Santana, and RHP Jacob Kisting
Rays acquire RHP Tyler Wells from Orioles for RHP Michael Forret

#rays #METS #pitre

With their lower value trade chips gone on deadline day, the Mets moved on to trading players with more significant value. The Pirates were the eventual landing spot for the first of these deals, landing Luke Weaver— along with some coverage of his contract—for infield prospect Sammy Stafura.
Stafura was drafted in the second round of the 2023 draft by the Reds out of Walter Panas High School. Two years later, he was traded to Pittsburgh as part of a deadline deal for Ke'Bryan Hayes. Stafura is actually a lifelong Mets fan from Westchester, the second local product (after Gary Gill Hill, acquired from the Rays in the Freddy Peralta trade) acquired by the Mets at this deadline. It is always cool when you can bring in players who are enthusiastic about the organization.
As for the on-field player, Stafura is your classic toolsy middle infielder; he has plus speed, is a decent shortstop defender, and has plus potential raw power. His on field performance prior to June of 2026 could best be described as "good, but not great". Then he hit 16 homers in his last 22 games at High-A Greensboro. That's something that should certainly grab your attention.
With the upside that performance portends comes serious hit tool questions. Stafura is striking out almost 30% of the time in High-A, is running a 71% Z-contact, and has a clear propensity to chase. This all portends to serious hit tool and/or pitch recognition issues, flaws that could be crippling as he moves up the minor league ladder. This weakness will likely him keep him at the back-end or just off offseason top-100 lists (a distinction that is largely meaningless from those that sneak on to the back of the list).
Sometimes guys with big tools and serious hit tool questions have a huge month with no root cause beyond statistical noise. Sometimes it's the product of actual changes that are real and sustainable. Parsing whether Stafura's recent surge – which pushed his OPS at High-A from the high 500s into the 1.000+ range – is the former or the latter is nigh impossible for us on the public side. **** , it's not even all that easy for team-side **** ysts to figure out. What this does serve to illustrate is the high risk, high reward nature of this profile.

#METS #tool #value #players

The 2026 MLB trade deadline has come and gone, and with teams all looking to load up their rosters for a postseason push, we saw quite a few surprises before the deadline hit 6 p.m. ET. Between the Los Angeles Dodgers, not shockingly, trading for Tarik Skubal and the Boston Red Sox, shockingly, trading for Adley Rutschman, it's time to look at all the activity from deadline day.
On this episode of Baseball Bar-B-Cast, Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman break down all the deals that went down over the past few days, including the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Luis Arráez despite an already crowded infield, the New York Yankees trading for Luis Garcia Jr. to help their struggling offense and the Tampa Bay Rays adding Freddy Peralta to bolster their rotation.
Later in the show, Jake and Jordan discuss all the moves that didn't happen, including which teams they're surprised didn't make many moves before the clock struck six, which teams may have overpaid in their deals, and which GM had the best trade deadline.
1:13 - Where we stand heading into the deadline
18:23 - Foster Griffin gets traded

#teams #trading #jake #trade

MIAMI: Liam Hicks of the Miami Marlins looks on against the San Diego Padres in the ninth inning of the game at loanDepot park on July 25, 2026 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Of all the catchers the Rays have traded for in recent years, Liam Hicks stands out because he is a clear upgrade. True, the 27-year-old Toronto native has kicked around since he was drafted by the Rangers in the ninth round of the 2021 draft out of Arkansas State. True, he joins Tampa Bay after hitting only one homer and three extra-base hits in his final 28 games – though he batted .292 – with Miami since being activated from the injured list, which he was placed on due to lower back strain in June.
Tampa Bay is Hicks' fourth organization in six seasons of professional baseball. The lefthanded hitter may stay put for a while. Breaking through offensively the way he has this season -- .282, 14 homers and 62 RBI -- combined with team control through 2030 are reasons why Rays' fans should feel good. Maybe a sigh of relief is in order as well given how the position has chronically underperformed. A larger sigh will be in order when Hicks rediscovers his power stroke again.
In acquiring Hicks, who is making $790,000 this season, the Rays sent three prospects to Miami: 24-year-old infielder Brayden Taylor (Rays' No. 16), 23-year-old RHP Jacob Kisting (No. 26) and 21-year-old shortstop Adrian Santana (No. 27). It marked the second straight day ahead of the trade deadline that Tampa Bay acquired a player for a trio of prospects, neither of whom was ranked higher than No. 15 in their system. The Rays acquired Freddy Peralta from the Mets on Sunday afternoon.
Hicks, who has struck out only 39 times in 354 at-bats and is joining a team that has fanned the fewest times in MLB, replaces Hunter Feduccia (dealt to the Dodgers) as the lefty in the catching platoon with Nick Fortes. He could also spell Jonathan Aranda at first base and give DH Yandy Diaz a break from time to time. Hicks became expendable because Joe Mack, who also hits from the left side and is four years younger, has emerged behind the plate for Clayton McCullough's team.

#hicks

The 2026 MLB trade deadline certainly didn't disappoint. Starting on Saturday night when Tarik Skubal joined the Dodgers, there was an avalanche of deals that spanned the final 48 hours. From a fantasy baseball perspective, the value of many players shifted over the past two days, which means that managers who react quickly can make substantial roster improvements.
Here are the details that every manager should know.
Tarik Skubal, SP, Dodgers: Although the value of Skubal couldn't go much higher, the needle is pointed up slightly by virtue of his membership on baseball's deepest roster. The Dodgers have outscored the Tigers by 67 runs this season, and the added offensive support could help Skubal secure an extra win or two down the stretch.
Freddy Peralta, SP, Rays: Fantasy managers who stubbornly held onto Peralta through four unproductive months (4.99 ERA, 1.48 WHIP) got the news they wished for when the right-hander was traded to one of the top organizations in terms of handling hurlers. The Rays' front office is well-aware that the right-hander's skills have declined — especially a strikeout rate that is 6.1% lower than last year — and surely has a plan to get him back on track. The guess here is that Peralta will be serviceable — and possibly better than that — over the final two months.
Kevin Gausman, SP, Cubs: Although Gausman is not a winner to the same degree as Peralta, he should enjoy the backing of an elite defensive group, and he will definitely have greater win potential while supported by a top-five offense rather than one that ranks last in runs scored. Of course, the greatest variable for Gausman will be his own effectiveness, as he went 0-7 with a 6.32 ERA over June and July before tossing six innings of one-run ball in his initial August start.

#skubal #peralta #Dodgers #final

The MLB trade deadline had no shortage of fireworks this year, from two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal landing with the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Boston Red Sox acquiring catcher Adley Rutschman.
Teams took differing paths to fortify their rosters at the deadline. The Chicago Cubs loaded up on pitching, trading for Toronto Blue Jays right-hander Kevin Gausman and New York Mets righty Clay Holmes. The Philadelphia Phillies, meanwhile, found the reliable bat they've been missing in San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez.
Skubal's trade remains the most league-altering of the deadline. The 2024 American League Triple Crown winner joins a loaded Dodgers rotation including Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Shohei Ohtani, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow. It sparked a massive salary cap debate on social media and strengthened the chances of a Dodgers World Series three-peat.
With 6 p.m. ET in the rearview mirror and the dust settled, let's take a look at the winners and losers of the 2026 MLB trade deadline.
Tampa Bay Rays: The Rays are taking a chance on right-handed pitcher Freddy Peralta bouncing back to his All-Star form after a rocky stint with the New York Mets. They didn't lose a single top-10 organizational prospect in the process. Tampa also got a reliable hitter in catcher Liam Hicks, who was enjoying a career year with the Miami Marlins, without giving up any notable prospects. Low-risk, high-reward moves like those are the recipe for success.

#trade #METS #tampa #league

What did Mets get in Luke Weaver trade? Full details on major deal with Pirates originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Mets are selling this summer and have already dealt Brooks Raley, Freddy Peralta, A.J. Minter, and Huascar Brazoban. But more players are departing ahead of the deadline.
According to Jorge Castillo of ESPN, the Mets are trading Luke Weaver to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It's a significant move, as the Mets are parting with a valuable reliever who is under club control through the 2027 season.
But it's important to note what the Mets are getting back for Weaver. According to Joel Sherman of The New York Post, the Mets are receiving just one prospect in exchange for Weaver: shortstop Sammy Stafura.
"For Luke Weaver, the Mets are getting back IF Sammy Stafura from the Pirates," Sherman reported.

#LUKE #stafura

With the Tampa Bay Rays holding strong atop the American League East, they opted to use the 2026 MLB trade deadline to add another key piece. The Rays acquired 27-year-old catcher Liam Hicks from the Miami Marlins in exchange for multiple prospects, as ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported. The deal comes after the Rays also acquired Freddy Peralta via trade from the New York Mets, bolstering their starting pitching staff.
Hicks is in the midst of an impressive breakout season, with 100 hits in 101 games thus far. He's posted marks of .265/.355/.391 with 14 home runs and 62 RBIs. The addition of Hicks will give the Rays another weapon as they look to make a run to the World Series, and we're going to break down their new-look roster and lineup.
C: Liam Hicks
Hunter Feduccia, Nick Fortes
1B: Jonathan Aranda

#rays #trade #look #american