Mets 'Monitoring' Bullpen Market; Could Diamondbacks Closer Be Match?

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
The New York Mets know they will need to bolster to the bullpen if they want to win the National League East title this season.
It's a position every contender pushes for at the trade deadline, and the Mets won't be an exception to this rule. That's why they should look into Shelby Miller of the Arizona Diamondbacks. MLB insider Bob Nightengale is reporting Miller could be dealt if Arizona falls out of contention."The Arizona Diamondbacks' playoffs hopes continue to take body blows with co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez undergoing season-ending elbow surgeries, joining ace Corbin Burnes and starters Jordan Montgomery and Tommy Henry," wrote Nightengale. "If they're out of the race at the trade deadline, they'll be swarmed with calls seeking starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly, along with third baseman Eugenio Suarez, first baseman Josh Naylor and closer Shelby Miller."
Miller has appeared in 32 games so far this season and has recorded eight saves with a 2.03 ERA. He's blown just one save this year while also recording eight holds for the Diamondbacks.
Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon confirmed on Friday that the Mets will be targeting relievers next month.
"The Mets are monitoring the market for help in center field and the bullpen, league sources said," wrote Rosenthal and Sammon. "Speculatively, other possible and more expensive targets such as a frontline starter may emerge."
Miller makes a lot of sense for a team like the Mets. Steve Cohen and David Stearns are already well above the luxury tax this season as money is never an issue for them. The 34-year-old reliever is making just $1 million this season in Arizona, so New York would only be responsible for the remainder of that price.
The Mets would be getting a high-leverage reliever for less than $1 million and boost the back end of their bullpen with Edwin Diaz. It's a deal that almost makes too much sense for New York with the division race likely going down to the final week of the season.
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NBC Sports

31 minutes ago

• NBC Sports

Top fantasy baseball prospects: Chase Burns getting the call, Colt Emerson heating up

A reminder: This is ONLY players who have Rookie of the Year MLB eligibility, and ONLY a look at potential help for 2025. That out of the way, here's a look at the top prospects who can help your fantasy roster this season. 1. Chase Burns, RHP, Cincinnati Reds 2025 stats: 12 G, 59 IP, 1.83 ERA, .170 BAA, 13 BB, 82 SO at High-A Dayton, Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Louisville. For the fourth straight week, we get to cheat. According to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic, the Reds will select the contract of Burns on Tuesday for his MLB debut against the New York Yankees. First, yes, this is a tough first test. The Yankees have a few players -- particularly that really tall guy -- who can give players trouble. Also, it'll come in Great American Ball Park; a park that is well known for being hitter-friendly. That being said, this is a pitcher who can miss bats with multiple pitches and commands them well enough -- well enough is an understatement -- to have immediate success. The ceiling for Burns is ace, but even if he's not that in his first taste of MLB action, he's obviously talented enough to provide fantasy success immediately. 2. Jordan Lawlar, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks 2025 stats: 52 G, .321/.411/.586, 10 HR, 18 SB, 30 BB, 60 SO at Triple-A Reno; 8 G .000/.175/.000, 0 SB, 3 BB, 9 SO at Arizona. L8awlar's average has taken a slight dip since being demoted back to Reno, but he's seen his slugging percentage go up and had another homer and stole two more bags since our last update. He also drew five free passes, as he's showing more patience at the plate and pitchers are terrified to throw the former first-round pick strikes. Even with how disappointing his run with Arizona was, there's doubt in my mind that he belongs on this list. There's five tools at his disposal, and he offers as much upside as any prospect in the minors -- at least at the higher levels. When the Diamondbacks give him another chance this summer, I'd still be willing to make the roster move. 3. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles 2025 stats: 43 G, .264/.371/.588, 15 HR, 0 SB, 28 BB, 46 SO at Triple-A Norfolk. Basallo added another homer last week, and also doubled over his last two games as he continues to impress in the International League. Since the start of June, the 20-year-old has excelled with a slash of .352/.435/.722 with six homers over his 14 games. Pretty good. He's also been playing first base nearly as he has been behind the plate, which suggests the Orioles want to see him at both positions both in the short and long-term. Basallo isn't guaranteed to get a promotion this summer, but it sure seems likely, and his offensive upside competes with any prospects still in the minors. 4. Harry Ford, C, Seattle Mariners 2025 stats: 56 G, .306/.422/.468, 8 HR, 3 SB, 41 BB, 47 SO at Triple-A Tacoma. Another catcher? And this time one who is in the same organization as the best catcher in baseball in Cal Raleigh? Have I lost my mind? Probably, but I can explain my rationale. Ford has been one of the best hitters in Triple-A over the last month-plus for an offense that has been inconsistent -- at best -- in that time frame. Ford is also athletic enough to play in the outfield and first base, and Mitch Garver is currently languishing on the Seattle roster. Seattle would be able to find a way to get Ford at-bats, and the tools are there for him to be a fantasy-relevant player once that takes place. 5. Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies 2025 stats: 12 G, 47.1 IP, 4.18 ERA, .243 BAA, 18 BB, 58 SO at Low-A Clearwater and Triple-A LeHigh Valley. Welcome to the list, Andrew. Painter's numbers aren't overly impressive, on paper, but they've been better as of late; including five innings of two-run baseball with five strikeouts against Triple-A Rochester on Saturday. 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New York Times

an hour ago

• New York Times

Fantasy baseball cheat sheet: Fade David Peterson, Seth Lugo and more THE BAT X insights

Baseball season is well underway, and with a plethora of articles, statistics and metrics available, it can be challenging to know who to start, sit, fade and trade. Using Derek Carty's THE BAT X projection system, The Athletic has developed a weekly program that helps fantasy managers with difficult roster decisions. Advertisement THE BAT X has been the most accurate original projection system in fantasy for five consecutive years and provides estimates based on a wide range of metrics, including Statcast metrics like exit velocity and barrels, as well as ballpark effects, weather conditions, matchups and much more. Another important concept to understand is regression to the mean, which means players performing above their typical level of play are likely to decline, while those underperforming are likely to improve. This week's iteration suggests fading David Peterson and Seth Lugo, streaming Ramon Laureano and Chad Patrick, and potentially starting relief pitcher Abner Uribe. 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Advertisement Reese Olson (15-day IL) and Ben Brown have been on this list numerous times and consistently remain in the top three. Olson is now 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA and should be rejoining the Tigers' rotation soon. He forces ground balls and whiffs, but he's getting hit hard and needs to lower his walk rate (9.5%). THE BAT X believes he'll improve, though. Like the waiver wire, fades and trades are determined based on the year-to-date roster value compared to THE BAT X's projected rest-of-season value. TJ Friedl was on this list last week, and since then, both his YTD and ROS values have dropped. He's hitting .290 (though his xBA is .254), but his xSLG, average exit velocity, Barrel%, Hard-Hit% and bat speed are all at or under the 14th percentile in the league. He's not chasing, whiffing or striking out, and his walk rate is solid, but that may not be enough to sustain fantasy relevance. As a way to illustrate how to use this table in coordination with the 'Trade Targets: Hitters' list below, take a look at catcher and first baseman Yainer Diaz, who has a ROS value of $22.20 but a YTD value lower than Friedl's; Diaz's fantasy managers, therefore, might be open to a trade. According to THE BAT X, the following pitchers are overperforming their rest-of-season projections and could be considered fades or trade bait. Last week, we discussed Peterson and his declining value, which has continued to decline since then. It may not be too late to ship him for a pitcher with a higher ROS value, but you either have to act soon or hope for another good game from Peterson and act accordingly afterward. If you have any stock in Lugo or Jameson Taillon, their ROS values are projected to drop into the negative, making them essentially non-starters. Lugo only has one win in June and is now 4-5. His Statcast numbers are blue across the board, outside of his walk rate. Advanced metrics suggest he's not likely to improve and will likely continue to regress, as THE BAT X suggests. Trade targets are similar to the waiver wire and fades, determined by current roster value versus THE BAT X's projected rest-of-season value. These are players you might want on your roster for the rest of the season. You can even compare this list to the 'Fade or Trade' list above and see if there are deals to be made. It will be hard to obtain many players on this list, but Corey Seager and Mike Trout have negative YTD values, and their managers may be ready to deal, despite their $14.80 and $20.20 ROS values, respectively. Trout's Statcast numbers are all red, so if you can get him, all signs point to him improving. Advertisement And while Seager has been a huge disappointment to those who drafted him, his xwOBA, xBA, average exit velocity, walk rate, Barrel% and Hard-Hit% range from the 76th percentile (BB%) to the 92nd percentile (average exit velocity). He's striking out too much, but even so, his fantasy value looks primed to improve for the rest of the season. Many of the pitchers on this list will be hard to acquire, like Tarik Skubal. But a couple of weeks ago, a commenter (Brian T.) asked, 'Would you trade Soto for Skubal? My other OFs are Tucker, Kwan, Heliot Ramos, Alvarez and Harris. My only SP of note is Crochet.' Derek Carty replied, 'Blockbuster deal alert! I think I take that deal, personally, especially if you feel like SP is more of a weakness for your team than SP is. The injury risk is always higher with an SP, but Skubal is far and away the best pitcher in fantasy right now and projects for quite a bit more value than Soto ROS, as good as Soto is.' At that time, Skubal had a YTD value of $34, and now he's at $36, while his ROS value has risen from $54.80 to $55.90, indicating improvement (from phenomenal) as predicted. Here are hitters with favorable pitching matchups this week. If you have Aaron Judge on your roster, congratulations, he's set to have an incredible start to the week. Baltimore outfielder Ramon Laureano, who is only 2% rostered on Yahoo, could fill a spot if you're desperate for a streamer. He's on this list for games on Monday, Tuesday and Friday with projected fantasy values that far exceed his underlying value. He's hitting .252 on the season with nine home runs and two stolen bases. He strikes out a lot (28.5%), but he has a .483 SLG and an .804 OPS. Here's a look at hitters who have been over- and underperforming using weighted on-base percentage (wOBA) and expected weighted on-base percentage (xwOBA). Batters with an xwOBA lower than their actual wOBA could fall to numbers closer to expected, while hitters with lower wOBAs could surge as the season continues. This list includes players who have outperformed their expectations in the past 30 days, as measured by wOBA and xwOBA. Laureano is also on this list, but for different reasons. While he has a .356 wOBA, his xwOBA is significantly lower at .278, which is why he's 2% rostered and should be considered a streamer rather than a long-term solution. Of the other players on this list, Jacob Wilson has the lowest xwOBA. He's still hitting .349 with an xBA above .300, but his Barrel%, Hard-Hit%, bat speed, Chase% and walk rate are all concerning; however, his K rate is an astounding 6.4%, his Squared-Up% is 41.3 (best of the best) and his Whiff% is 9.5. He is disciplined at the plate, which makes up for a lack of power. The players on this list are the top underperformers in the past 30 days based on wOBA and xwOBA. Top prospect Jac Caglianone is batting only .203 in 64 at-bats, but his expected stats are significantly higher than his actual ones. While it's too early for his Statcast metrics to be verified, a glance will tell you that the power is there. Nearly the opposite of Wilson, Caglianone needs more discipline at the plate but has the power to elevate him in fantasy. Finally, we get to the top-scoring offenses of the week. I feel like a broken record when I say that the Dodgers and Yankees are likely to be seen on this list every week. We know these teams have big bats, but the Braves and Orioles are at three and four this week, which means the Baltimore's Gunnar Henderson, Jackson Holliday, Ryan O'Hearn and Cedric Mullins could have big weeks. Catcher Adley Rutschman, however, is on the IL for the first time in his career, and interim manager Tony Mansolino said he's likely to be out through the All-Star break. Atlanta's Austin Riley, Michael Harris II, Matt Olson, Ozzie Albies and Marcell Ozuna could have better weeks than usual. This week, we're rolling with the changes made in the last iteration to our one- and two-start pitcher sections. Instead of including the top one-start pitchers for the week, we are limiting it to those players who are rostered at 50% or less. Two-start pitchers are now ranked based on THE BAT X's projection system, excluding those who have a projected negative value. Advertisement The best projected pitcher this week under 50% rostered in a 12-team, mixed-league roto format with 23-player rosters, according to THE BAT X, is José Soriano (5-5). Soriano has a 3.39 ERA on the season with a 3.94 xERA, but he's highly available and gets a good matchup against Washington this week, wherein THE BAT X projects his ERA at 3.24 in six innings pitched. His four-seamer is fast, with a fastball velocity in the 90th percentile, but he throws his sinker and knuckle curve the most, despite his sinker yielding a .298 batting average and only an 18.3 Whiff%. His knuckle curve and slider have the best PutAway% and Whiff% among his five pitches, while his split finger has yielded the fewest hits. At the top of the two-start pitchers list is Tarik Skubal — no surprise. But if we slide down the list a little, Patrick is only 36% rostered on Yahoo and faces Pittsburgh and Colorado this week. Patrick is 3-7 with a 3.50 ERA and is not a long-term option if you're looking for an ace, but if you have a spot to fill in your rotation, he could be a decent streamer this week, according to THE BAT X projections. This week, THE BAT X suggests benching Kris Bubic. The lefty gets two starts this week, which makes him intriguing for weekly (set it and forget it) lineups, but one of those comes against the hard-hitting Dodgers. He's 6-4 with a 2.12 ERA, 3.08 xERA (81st percentile), and a red Statcast page, so he could still perform well this week, but it's risky to start anyone against Los Angeles' bats. Based on matchups, the Brewers' and Angels' bullpens get the best matchups of the week. Uribe (2-1, one save) is only 22% rostered on Yahoo with a 1.98 ERA in 36.1 IP. He's been a strikeout machine — 45 SO, 30.4 K% — and has avoided being hit hard, forcing groundballs 51.2% of the time. He could be a good option this week against the Pirates and Rockies. THE BAT X projections powered by EV Analytics. (Photo of David Peterson: Dustin Satloff / Getty Images)

CBS News

an hour ago

• CBS News

Red Sox place Hunter Dobbins on IL; Richard Fitts recalled from Triple-A

The Red Sox have lost Hunter Dobbins from the backend of the rotation, as the right-hander landed on the 15-day Injured List Sunday with a strained pitching elbow. Righty Richard Fitts has been promoted from Triple-A Worcester to take Dobbins' roster spot in Boston. Dobbins, a 25-year-old rookie, has been a pleasant surprise on the Red Sox pitching staff, going 4-1 with a 4.10 ERA across his 12 appearances (10 starts) for Boston. Dobbins picked up wins in back-to-back starts against the Yankees (when he allowed three runs across his 11 innings of work against New York) leading up to his most recent start against the Giants on Friday night. But in San Francisco, Dobbins allowed four earned runs off five hits and five walks, and took a no decision in Boston's 7-5 victory. Overall this season, Dobbins has struck out 43 batters while allowing 59 hits and issuing 16 walks over his 59.1 innings -- good for a 1.26 WHIP. His move to the IL is retroactive to Saturday, June 21. Richard Fitts rejoining Red Sox Fitts last pitched for Worcester on June 17, when he got the win after tossing five shutout innings in a 5-4 victory over the Buffalo Bisons. Fitts allowed just three hits and struck out three as he threw 53 of his 77 pitches for strikes in that outing. Fitts went 1-1 with a 5.25 ERA over his three starts for Worcester, where he allowed seven earned runs over 12 innings pitched. The 25-year-old has made five starts for Boston so far this season, and went 0-3 with a 4.71 ERA and a 1.286 WHIP. For his big league career, Fitts is 0-4 with a 3.24 ERA and 24 strikeouts over 41.2 innings across nine starts -- all with Boston.