Dodgers trade for Tarik Skubal, fans and owners express outrage
The Dodgers are acquiring Tarik Skubal in a move that leaves some in the baseball world calling for a salary cap.
Mike Elias built the Baltimore Orioles around Adley Rutschman for seven years. On Monday he shipped him up I-95 to Boston in a move that people in Baltimore are going to be arguing about longer than Elias is the Orioles GM.
Rutschman was the first pick Elias ever made, No. 1 overall in 2019, five months after Baltimore hired him to clean up a team that had just lost 115 games. He turned into the best prospect in the sport, then a three-time All-Star, then the face of a rebuild that made the playoffs twice and stopped. He’s 28 and under contract through 2027 and he’ll be fighting his old team in division.
Boston also gets catcher Jake Rogers. Baltimore gets right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Kyson Witherspoon, center fielder Enddy Azocar and catcher Carlos Narvaez. The Orioles will also get a player to be named later or cash considerations in the deal.
Adley Rutschman trade details
- Red Sox receive: Adley Rutschman, Jake Rogers, cash
- Orioles receive: Anthony Eyanson, Kyson Witherspoon, Enddy Azocar, Carlos Narvaez, PTBNL or cash
Red Sox grade: B+
Boston had the worst catching in the division and just got the best. Conor Wong and Narvaez combined for a .615 OPS this year, 25th in baseball. Narvaez by himself was hitting .187. Rutschman is at .251 with eight homers, 47 RBI and a .764 OPS, and by the expected number he’d been as good at the break as any year of his career except 2023.
Defensively, Rutschman is in the 93rd percentile in framing pitches among major league catches. He has thrown out 14 runners attempting to steal a base. His 37.2% success rate at throwing out runners is tops in the majors.
The Red Sox paid up. Eyanson is the 49th-best prospect in the game. Witherspoon went 15th overall a year ago for $5 million and was the best college righty in that draft. That’s a lot of arm to give away, but Breslow paid because the Yankees and Rays were circling as well.
Baltimore had just grabbed Rogers from Detroit on July 30, because Rutschman and his replacement Samuel Basallo are on the injured list. Rutschman’s been on the IL since July 19 with a wrist injury. It’s his third IL stint this year after an ankle issue in April and a concussion in June. Boston looked at the medicals and signed off.
Orioles grade: B
Elias got real potential back. Eyanson is 21, out of LSU, with a 1.32 ERA in 16 pro starts between High-A and Double-A, with 12.4 strikeouts per nine innings and a slider that grades out at 65 (on the scouting scale of 80). Witherspoon has four pitches at 60 or better and looks like a mid-rotation starter if he throws more strikes. Azocar is just 19, hitting .268 with 10 homers and running well in center. Narvaez is slashing .187/.260/,275 and basically a placeholder.
When is the 2026 MLB trade deadline?
The MLB trade deadline for the 2026 season is set for Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET.
MLB schedule today
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- Nationals at Phillies, 6:40 p.m., NBC Sports Philadelphia
- Cardinals at Yankees, 7:05 p.m., Cardinals.TV
- Pirates at Brewers, 7:40 p.m., Brewers.TV
- Giants at Rangers, 8:05 p.m., ESPN
- Dodgers at Cubs, 8:05 p.m., Marquee Sports Network
- Blue Jays at Astros, 8:10 p.m., Space City Home Network
- Rays at Rockies, 8:40 p.m., Rockies.TV
- Padres at Diamondbacks, 9:40 p.m., DBACKS.TV
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