The season’s best GIF so far. Plus: Trade deadline check-in with the AL
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With just a little over three weeks left before the trade deadline, what if most of the American League just … kinda sat it out?
Plus: It’s midseason awards time, Tyler Kepner has the story behind why Philadelphia was awarded this year’s All-Star Game all the way back in 2019 and our Baseball Card of the Week is draft-day appropriate. I’m Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!
Trade Deadline: Who should buy and sell in the AL?
It’s a tried-and-true message from front offices that decline to add to their rosters at the trade deadline or in free agency. The narrative is: We already have guys who can do the things we need to do better. They just haven’t done it (yet).
With the American League still largely in shambles (just look at the Central and West!), quite a few teams are in a pickle as the deadline approaches.
On one hand, the third wild-card spot is currently inhabited by the 47-47 Mariners, and the second position is filled by the 48-46 Guardians. So a playoff spot or two are right there for the taking!
On the other hand: Is it worth subtracting from your farm system to add to a .500 (or slightly worse) team that is likely to be overmatched once the calendar flips to October?
The Yankees and Rays will add. The Royals and Angels should sell. But for everyone else, I’m starting to think we’re about three weeks from potentially hearing the words “addition from within.” Let’s check in:
- Rangers: They’re leading the AL West. They also have a depleted farm system from years of adding pieces to try to contend. If they go on any kind of losing streak, they should sell, but if they’re still hanging around, perhaps we’ll hear that they expect a lineup upgrade when Corey Seager is both healthy (IL, back inflammation) and hitting like himself (rather than .182 with a .667 OPS).
- Red Sox: If they could go trade for a healthy Garrett Crochet, Roman Anthony, Trevor Story, Marcelo Mayer and Isiah Kiner-Falefa, they would. Instead, they’re waiting for those guys to heal up, and for Brayan Bello to solve his demons and get back to the big leagues.
- Guardians: Getting José Ramírez and Angel Martínez off the IL will help, but Cleveland’s internal addition might already have arrived. Here are some Steven Kwan splits to consider (numbers through Wednesday’s games):
- Season: .221/.329/.277 (.607 OPS)
- Last 28 days: .250/.351/..328 (.679)
- Last 14 days: .294/.385/.412 (.796)
- Last 7 days: .357/.500/.500 (1.000)
Kwan went 0-for-2 last night, but did walk twice in a 5-2 win over the Twins.
- Blue Jays: From mid-June through Wednesday, Toronto had a real chance to make a run at a playoff spot, facing the Red Sox, Cubs, Astros, Rangers, Mets, Mariners and Giants.But after sweeping Boston, the Blue Jays went 7-11. Their worst pitcher over that stretch? Shane Bieber (-0.5 fWAR). Their worst position player? Vladimir Guerrero (-0.3 fWAR). Their worst hitter? Alejandro Kirk (.148/.203/.204 (.405 OPS) with a .183 wOBA).Getting all of those guys right would make the Blue Jays a different team.
Others in similar positions:
- The Astros just swapped out two thirds of their outfield, but the pitchers that haven’t been hurt have underperformed. (Jeremy Peña could return this weekend.)
- The Mariners would love to see a return of 2025 Cal Raleigh.
- Ahead of schedule, the White Sox — tied for the AL Central lead — will probably be buyers, but should also benefit from the return of Munetaka Murakami, who was setting the sport ablaze before a hamstring injury. He could return as early as today.
One team I don’t think this applies to is the Tigers. Sure, a Justin Verlander return would be sentimental. But their biggest internal boost has already happened, with Tarik Skubal’s rapid return from the IL.
Frankly, I think the Tigers will need to lean hard into a buy/sell binary. Standing pat as Skubal heads into free agency seems like a path to disaster.
More addition from within:
- The Red Sox did get one player back: After two years out of action, Patrick Sandoval’s return to the mound was a success.
- Over in the NL, the Braves should benefit from the return of a few players very soon, says Jesús Cano.
Middle Relief: Why Philly was seven years in the making
Today in his Sliders column, Tyler Kepner gives us the backstory behind MLB assigning the 2026 All-Star Game more than seven years in advance. Here’s an excerpt (but click through for the whole story to see fun photos of pitchers wearing the wrong helmets):
The ball was a promise, from commissioner Rob Manfred to Lyn Montgomery, that Major League Baseball would do right by her husband. This was in April 2019, a month before David Montgomery, proud son of Philadelphia and loyal steward of its baseball team, died of cancer. Time was precious.
“He came to visit him at Magee, where David was a patient,” Lyn Montgomery said by phone this week, referring to the rehabilitation center in Center City. “And I have the signed ball by Rob Manfred, the All-Star ball that he gave David that day when he made the announcement.
“It was really near and dear to David, and he felt strongly that it should be in Philadelphia this year. So it’s happening, all these years later.”
Baseball never awards the All-Star Game very far in advance. Only one has been announced beyond this year, for Chicago’s Wrigley Field in 2027. Yet Manfred named the Phillies as this year’s host with 2,646 days to spare.
“There was no rush at that point,” Manfred said. “But we were kind of racing against the clock.”
Montgomery, then the Phillies’ chairman, knew he would not live to see the United States’ 250th birthday celebration. But he knew that the Phillies would be part of it.
“David was always about the fans, 100 percent of the time, trying to do what he can to take care of the fans, and he just felt like Philadelphia was the right place to have the 2026 All-Star Game,” said Ruben Amaro Jr., the former Phillies bat boy, player and general manager.
“Our turn was probably long before that, but he wanted to make sure this was the year: ‘Hey, let the other teams have their opportunities, but we want this one to be in Philadelphia, because this is our birthplace.’”
Montgomery, who was 72 when he died, devoted his life to the Phillies. He cheered for them from the upper deck at Connie Mack Stadium, and when the team moved to Veterans Stadium, in 1971, Montgomery got a job selling season tickets for $150 a week.
For the full column, click here.
Midseason Awards: The Windup’s own honors!
While there will be games all weekend, this is the last Windup of the “official” first half of the season. When we come back on Monday, we’ll be firmly into the All-Star break.
That means it’s time for Jayson Stark’s annual midseason awards, from Cy Young and MVP to “Cy Yuk” and LVP.
Some of Stark’s awards are going to be pretty easy to guess (I’m looking at you, NL MVP), while others I would not have been able to guess in 500 tries (see: NL LVP).
But I’m not sure I can argue with any of his selections. So I’ll let those speak for themselves, and just piggyback a bit. With Stark listing all the important awards, here are a few lesser Windup-sanctioned midseason awards:
Most entertaining game: This one was easy. It was the Brewers’ 15-14 win over the A’s on June 8 in Las Vegas. There were 11 home runs and 16 ABS challenges! Baseball can be an elegant poet, commanding that the room hang on its every word. It can also be a grubby little feral child, biting the table and howling in the tongues of elder ghosts. This was certainly the latter, and it ruled.
Most unbelievable thing to happen this year: Also easy. Oneil Cruz hit a ball that bounced off the top of the foul pole.
Best GIF: Mitch Bratt’s chaotic dancing delivery.
Best Hall of Famer eating a chicken wing for the first time, and also he’s 80 years old: Only one person was nominated. Weird. I guess it goes to Jim Palmer.
Best former player who won’t have anything new left to try by the time he’s 80 years old, at this rate: Joey Votto.
Worst stat wormhole I’ve been sent down (so far): This one is a tie.
First, I stayed up nearly all night trying to find the other team who scored 13 runs in an inning but were held scoreless for the rest of the game. I found one, but I also missed one. Boooooooo.
Then later that same week, I stayed up for two nights figuring out the most commonly-assigned number in big-league history. Why did I do that to myself? I don’t know. Nobody made me do that.
Most likely to drive in some weird historic number of runs: Dansby Swanson.
OK, I think that’s enough awards for now. Have a Baseball Card of the Week and some links, and I’ll see ya Monday.
Baseball Card of the Week: 1979 Topps David Clyde
With the draft coming up, this one seemed apropos.
For someone who covered the Rangers and still lives in Texas, you would think my only David Clyde baseball card would be in a Rangers uniform. After all, Clyde might have been partially to credit for keeping the franchise in Texas.
But nope, this is the only one I have. Just a few short years removed from that 1973 straight-to-the-bigs draft debacle, Clyde was just 24 years old in early August of 1979, when he would throw his final pitch in the big leagues (it plunked none other than Carl Yastrzemski).
Handshakes and High Fives
On the topic of drafts and their consequences, the decision facing Japanese slugger Rintaro Sasaki after the draft is a conundrum.
Spencer Nusbaum has a heavy one today, telling us about the Fitz-Gerald family. Minor-league brothers Hunter (Mariners) and Devin (Nationals) are playing with their mom on their mind after a glioblastoma diagnosis.
For All-Star festivities: Refer to this viewing guide on where (and when) to watch everything.
Speaking of, we have two more additions to the Home Run Derby: the Cardinals’ Jordan Walker, and hometown Phillies star Bryce Harper. They join Junior Caminero (Rays), Jac Caglianone (Royals), Ben Rice (Yankees) and Willson Contreras (Red Sox). Seems like an announcement on another Phillies star might be coming?
After Contreras appealed his suspension for his role in a brawl, it was reduced from seven games to five. He began serving the suspension last night, and will be eligible to play in the All-Star Game while suspended.
Is the All-Star break coming at a bad time for Cubs third baseman Alex Bregman?
Sam Blum spoke to a few big-league managers about the dilemma facing them: When is it time to pull a pitcher who is throwing a no-hitter?
Keith Law’s final mock draft is here, with Grady Emerson still at No. 1, but surprises still possible.
Jim Thome’s son Landon has a famous hitting coach (it’s Jim Thome).
Every year, the Yankees have a summer swoon. Brian Cashman says he can’t explain it (but still has faith in Aaron Boone).
Most-clicked in our last Windup: Former Blue Jay pitcher Dustin McGowan’s first-person account of losing a no-hitter in the ninth inning.
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