The Weekly Rundown: 7/21/24 - 7/27/24
Pre-trade deadline deals, second no-hitter of the season, and more.
Good morning and happy Sunday!
We won’t spend much time on the intro today. It’s the most loaded rundown of the season with several trade deadline deals, a no-hitter, a surprising contract extension for a manager, and much more to cover. All I’ll do today is ask those who haven’t subscribed to the newsletter to take a second out of their day and do so below.
Thanks! Now, here are the top stories from the last week in baseball…
Pre-Deadline Deals
Here are the noteworthy trades from the past week with the July 30 deadline looming…
A.J. Puk to Arizona
The Diamondbacks acquired left-handed reliever A.J. Puk from the Marlins for two prospects: corner infielder Deyvison De Los Santos and center fielder Andrew Pintar. Puk has a 4.20 ERA through 33 appearances this season.
Red Sox bring back James Paxton
Boston acquired veteran southpaw James Paxton in a deal with the Dodgers, who designated him for assignment earlier in the week. The Red Sox sent 17-year-old minor-league infielder Moises Bolivar to L.A. in the trade. Paxton is 8-2 with a 4.43 ERA through 18 starts this season.
Seattle lands Randy Arozarena
The Mariners bolstered their light-hitting lineup by acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena from the Rays for prospects Aidan Smith, Brody Hopkins, and a player to be named later. Arozarena hopes to benefit from a change of scenery as he’s hitting just .212 with 15 homers and a .711 OPS.
World Series contenders make a deal
Two of the league’s top teams, the Orioles and Phillies, made a win-win move. The O’s sent outfielder Austin Hays to Philly in exchange for reliever Seranthony Dominguez. Hays gives the Phillies the outfield bat they’ve been looking for while Dominguez strengthens the Baltimore bullpen.
Mets add Ryne Stanek
Seattle sent reliever Ryne Stanek to New York in exchange for minor-league outfielder Rhylan Thomas.
Zach Eflin to O’s
The Orioles made a much-needed addition to their rotation by trading for Rays starter Zach Eflin. Tampa received outfielder Matthew Etzel, super-utility man Mac Horvath and right-hander Jackson Baumeister in the deal. Eflin has a 4.09 ERA through 19 starts this season.
Mariners get Yimi Garcia
One of the most active teams ahead of the deadline, Seattle continued by acquiring reliever Yimi Garcia from the Blue Jays in exchange for outfielder Jonatan Clase and minor league catcher Jacob Sharp.
Jays part ways with Nate Pearson
Toronto shipped reliever Nate Pearson to the Cubs for minor league outfielder Yohendrick Pinango and minor league infielder Josh Rivera. Pearson has a 5.63 ERA in 41 appearances this year.
Jazz in the Bronx
The Yankees acquired outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Marlins for prospects Agustin Ramírez, Jared Serna and Abrahan Ramírez. Chisholm is hitting .249 with 13 homers and a .730 OPS.
Another Jansen in Boston
The Red Sox added another Jansen to the roster by acquiring catcher Danny Jansen from the Blue Jays for prospects Cutter Coffey, Eddinson Paulino, and Gilberto Batista. Jansen is hitting .212 with six homers and a .671 OPS.
Phillies add Carlos Estevez
Philadelphia acquired reliever Carlos Estevez from the Angels for pitching prospects pitching prospects George Klassen and Samuel Aldegheri. Estevez has been one of the league’s top bullpen arms, posting a 2.38 ERA and 0.74 WHIP in 34 outings.
Jeese Winker joins Mets
The Mets acquired outfielder Jesse Winker from the Nationals for pitching prospect Tyler Stuart. Winker is enjoying a bounce-back campaign with 11 homers and a .793 OPS in 101 games played.
Dylan Cease tosses a no-no
On Thursday, Padres ace Dylan Cease no-hit the Nationals for the second no-hitter in franchise history. He did so while striking out nine and walking three with 114 pitches thrown in the masterful outing.
Cease came just one out shy of a no-hitter two years ago while with the White Sox. He joins the Astros’ Ronel Blanco as the only pitchers to toss no-hitters this year, unless you count Pirates rookie Paul Skenes being pulled after seven no-hit innings earlier this month.
Tempers flare in Red Sox-Rockies
Benches cleared during Wednesday’s Red Sox-Rockies matchup at Coors Field. Rockies pitcher Cal Quantrill sparked the fracas with his wild reaction to getting Red Sox catcher Reese McGuire out to end the inning.
Seemingly unprompted, the fired-up Quantrill brought up McGuire’s infamous parking lot incident. In 2020 while he was with the Blue Jays, McGuire was arrested for indecent exposure after being caught masturbating in his car outside a Dollar Tree.
“Go jack off in the fucking parking lot, you dumb fuck!” Quantrill yelled at McGuire, resulting in the benches emptying.
Poor guy will never live that one down.
Adding injury to insult, the Rockies went on to win 20-7.
Red Sox extend Alex Cora
In an unexpected move, manager Alex Cora finalized a three-year contract extension with the Red Sox on Wednesday. The deal is reportedly worth around $21.75 million, making Cora the second-highest-paid MLB manager behind Chicago Cubs skipper Craig Counsell.
"What this organization means to us is the world," Cora said Wednesday. "They trusted me from day one, they doubled down on me in '21 after everything that happened in '17. There were a lot of conversations in the offseason, and I just want to be happy and comfortable."
Cora was in the final year of his contract and widely expected to earn a boatload of money from a contender after this season. But after back-to-back last-place seasons, the Red Sox are in the mix for a playoff spot and the future looks bright with the prospects in the pipeline. Family was Cora’s No. 1 reason for staying put, but there’s little doubt that optimism about the team’s encouraging direction factored into his decision.
Yordan Alvarez hits for the cycle
Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez hit for the cycle vs. the Mariners last Sunday, going 4-for-4 with a single, double, triple, homer, and two RBI.
Dominant on the Bump
Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals
9.0 IP (CG), 3 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 0 BB vs. Chicago White Sox
Brandon Pfaadt, Arizona Diamondbacks
7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 7 K, 1 BB vs. Chicago Cubs
Shota Imanaga, Chicago Cubs
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 1 BB vs. Arizona Diamondbacks
Michael King, San Diego Padres
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 6 K, 1 BB vs. Cleveland Guardians
Carlos Rodon, New York Yankees
7.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 10 K, 2 BB vs. Tampa Bay Rays
Bryce Miller, Seattle Mariners
7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 5 K, 0 BB vs. Los Angeles Angels
Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
9.0 IP (CG), 0 H, 0 ER, 9 K, 3 BB vs. Washington Nationals
Kyle Harrison, San Francisco Giants
6.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 11 K, 2 BB vs. Colorado Rockies
Blake Snell, San Francisco Giants
6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 15 K, 2 BB vs. Colorado Rockies
Spencer Schwellenbach, Atlanta Braves
7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 11 K, 0 BB vs. New York Mets
Tyler Phillips, Philadelphia Phillies
9.0 IP (CG), 4 H, 0 ER, 4 K, 1 BB vs. Cleveland Guardians
Big Bombs
Shohei Ohtani’s 30th homer of the year was a 473-foot missile.
Giants slugger Jorge Soler crushed a 478-foot homer at Coors Field for the longest blast of the season.
Tyler Fitzgerald became the first Giants rookie to homer in five consecutive games.
Aaron Judge hit a 470-foot moonshot to dead-center field at Fenway Park.
Oneil Cruz blasted one 472 feet vs. the Dbacks.
Alex Bregman walked it off for the Astros vs. the Dodgers.
Web Gem of the Week
Jazz Chisholm Jr. made a spectacular diving catch against the Orioles.
Welcome to the Show
Orioles pitching prospect Chayce McDermott (No. 7 in organization) made his MLB debut on Wednesday vs. the Marlins. The 25-year-old righty allowed three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three in four innings.
Dodgers top pitching prospect River Ryan made his big-league debut on Monday vs. the Giants. The 25-year-old righty allowed four hits and walked three through 5.1 scoreless innings and struck out two.
Notable Injuries
The Braves placed left-hander Max Fried on the 15-day injured list with left forearm neuritis.
The Tigers placed right-hander Reese Olson on the 15-day IL due to a right shoulder strain.
The Rays placed right-hander Ryan Pepiot on the 15-day IL due to a right knee infection.
Braves second baseman Ozzie Albies will miss approximately eight weeks with a fractured left wrist.
The Rockies placed right-hander Germán Márquez on the 15-day IL due to elbow inflammation
The Mariners placed shortstop J.P. Crawford and outfielder Julio Rodríguez on the 10-day injured list with a right hand fracture and right high ankle sprain, respectively.
Nationals right-hander Josiah Gray underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow.
The A’s placed closer Mason Miller on the 15-day IL due to a fractured left hand.
The Tigers placed outfielder Riley Greene on the 10-day IL with a right hamstring strain.
Mets right-hander Kodai Senga will miss the rest of the season due to a high-grade calf strain.
The Phillies placed left-hander Ranger Suarez on the 15-day IL due to lower back soreness.
Rapid Fire
The Royals released right-hander Jordan Lyles, who later signed a minor-league deal with the Dodgers.
The Braves signed utility man Whit Merrifield to a big-league deal.
The Angels designated right-hander Adam Cimber for assignment.
The Mets signed outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr. to a minor-league deal.
Veteran outfielder Kevin Kiermaier said he plans to retire after this season.
The Dodgers signed shortstop Nick Ahmed to a big-league deal.
The Mets DFA’d righties Adrian Houser and Shintaro Fujinami.
The Rockies DFA’d lefty Ty Blach.