July is finally here, and as we celebrate our nation's birthday, here are the 10 most significant stories in the MLB.
Brewers, in desperate need for pitching help, trade for Aaron Civale
The Milwaukee Brewers and the Tampa Bay Rays have made a trade. The Brewers have acquired the 29-year-old right-hander Aaron Civale in exchange for shortstop prospect Gregory Barrios. Civale made his debut for the Brewers on Friday, pitching five innings, allowing five hits, four earned runs and striking out eight. Milwaukee leads the NL Central with a record of 53-38 and has had injuries to the pitching staff all season, with ace Brandon Woodruff falling to injury. The Brewers have already used 16 different starting pitchers this season, one shy of the franchise record set in 1969.
Marlins designate former All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson for assignment after failing to rejuvenate his career in Miami
The Tim Anderson experiment is over in Miami. After signing a one-year, $5 million contract this past offseason, Anderson will hit the market and become a free agent again. He could not jumpstart his career in Miami, batting .214 with an OPS of .463. After All-Star seasons in both 2021 and 2022, Anderson struggled with the White Sox in 2023, and his $14 million option was declined by the White Sox, making him a free agent. Anderson is now free to sign with any team he would like; the question is, will any team be interested in signing the former AL batting champ? I would keep an eye on a team like the Dodgers for Anderson. They were able to revive Jason Hayward's career, and Anderson could provide some depth in the middle infield in Los Angeles.
Luis Gil hits wall at the midway point, Yankees continue to struggle
On June 14, Yankees star pitcher Luis Gil had a 2.03 ERA. Fast forward to today — the 26-year-old has a 3.41 ERA. What has changed? Some may analyze the metrics and statistics he is throwing, but there is one common thing — he is tired. As a professional, Luis Gil has never thrown more than 108 ⅔ innings before. Assuming he stays healthy, he should be able to surpass that pretty quickly, already racking up 85 ⅔ innings this season. Could it possibly be his body breaking down and just fatigue in the dog days of July? Manager Aaron Boone said he thinks he will be fine and is just currently going through a rough patch, but this is certainly something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.
With the Cubs struggling on the field, could they sell off Cody Bellinger at the deadline?
The Cubs made a lot of splashes this past offseason, whether it was signing Japanese star Shota Imanaga, hiring respected manager Craig Counsell, or re-signing star outfielder Cody Bellinger. The Cubs season has been extremely underwhelming. Sitting at a 42-49 record and five and a half games back of a wild card, rumors are swirling about whether Chicago will want to trade off Bellinger at the deadline.
Bellinger is fresh off signing a three-year, $80 million deal, with opt-outs in the two years. After hitting for 26 home runs last year, Bellinger has yet to find his power this year, only posting nine home runs through 77 games. What could a package for Bellinger look like? Depends on the team. The Cubs have invested too many resources to go to a complete rebuild, so I could see a team like the Yankees try and trade outfielder Alex Verdugo and some prospects to get the deal done. This gives Chicago an expiring deal in Verdugo and more room to spend their money in the offseason after getting out of the Bellinger contract.
Pirates young pitcher heads to 15-day IL, likely more, after suffering a grade two lat strain
Time is bleak right now in Pittsburgh. They have an excellent young core but will likely be sellers at this year's trade deadline. Rookie pitcher Jared Jones heads to the 15-day IL after suffering a grade two lat strain. Jones, a second-round team pick in 2020, has surprised many people this year in the majors with his electric 99 MPH fastball. Jones has a 3.56 ERA through 91 innings pitched, tallying 98 strikeouts. Jones has been excellent thus far for the Pirates this season and looks to be a building piece for the Pirates for years to come, as he is only 22.
While the Pirates still have Paul Skenes, I fully expect the Pirates to become sellers at this year's trade deadline. With an offense struggling and Jones likely out until August, I expect Pittsburgh to sell off short-term guys to try and compete in 2025.
Aaron Judge's hitting coach rips Yankees' player development amid team slump
Richard Schenck, Aaron Judge's personal hitting coach, has ripped the New York Yankees for not surrounding Judge with enough talent around him. Replying to a video where Yankees announcer Michael Kay said "He hits. They win. That simple," Schenck then responded to the tweet saying, "They've lost 13 out of 18 while he's hitting like an MVP. The Yankees offensive player development is terrible." Indeed, Judge is not a part of the problem, hitting .311 this season with 32 home runs and a 1.115 OPS. When asked about the question, Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, "People are going to say things, and certainly everyone is entitled to their opinion. Especially when you go through a tough stretch and you wear this uniform, I know people are going to take shots and things like that."
Though the Yankees are in a slump, they still possess a 55-37 record and are in the first wild card spot in the AL.
Paul Skenes continues to shove, earns an All-Star appearance, and breaks MLB records left and right
Has anyone had a better start to an MLB career than Paul Skenes? What he has been able to do in such a short time in the Major Leagues has been nothing short of spectacular. After pitching seven innings, allowing two runs and striking out eight against the Mets on Friday night, Skenes was named to the NL All-Star team Sunday afternoon.
He is now the only first overall pick in MLB history to become an All-Star the following season. Skenes has posted an impressive 5-0 record, 2.12 ERA and 78 strikeouts. The Pirates rookie has the tools to become an ace for the Pirates for years. He is now the first Pirates rookie pitcher to make the All-Star team in his first year.
Brent Rooker trade rumors are starting to heat up
The Oakland A's are not contending this season and probably won't contend next year. Brent Rooker is having a career year, posting a .278 average and hitting 18 home runs. Many teams, including Philadelphia and Atlanta, have been linked to the 29-year-old outfielder. Rooker will be a free agent in 2028, as arbitration will be held until now.
Philadelphia needs a CF, but Rooker could enter the lineup as another power hitter for the fightin’ Phils. Atlanta has been linked to Rooker as well. With Ronald Acuña Jr. going down with a torn ACL, Atlanta is in the exact same situation as 2021, where Acuña went down with an injury, and they had to find replacements at the deadline. It will likely be Philadelphia and Atlanta fighting to get Rooker, but the question becomes what NL East team wants to offer more to get Rooker on their team.
Twins' Jose Miranda ties MLB record with 12th straight hit
A single in the fourth inning by Jose Miranda on Saturday for his 12th straight hit in an at-bat. Miranda will live in the history books forever with a three-way tie alongside Walt Dropo (1952), Pinky Higgins (1938) and Johnny Kling (1902). The 26-year-old has been a surprise this season for the Twins, batting .331 with a .906 OPS. The streak ended when Hunter Brown made Miranda fly out to the left fielder, retiring him for the first time in 12 at-bats. July 6 will go in the history books in MLB history as the day when Jose Miranda tied the record for most hits in a row in MLB history.
Colton Brewer breaks hand punching a wall after a tough outing
This symbolizes how the Cubs' season has gone so far. Colton Brewer is headed to the 60-day IL after punching a wall in the Cubs as he was visibly frustrated with his outing. After replacing Kyle Hendricks, He got just two outs before being lifted and was charged with three runs (one earned) on two hits, two walks and a hit batter. This has summed up the Cubs' season thus far. Brewer, in his sixth season in the Majors, first with the Cubs, has a 5.66 ERA with 22 strikeouts and nine walks. As Brewer heads to the 60-day IL, the Cubs have brought up right-hander Hunter Bigge from Triple-A Iowa.
Team of the Week
NL: Arizona Diamondbacks
Going 5-2 this week, the Diamondbacks took two of three from the Dodgers and the Padres. These were two very important series wins for Arizona, which improved to a 45-45 record and is now just two games back of the wild card. Last year's World Series runner-up is playing some good baseball as of late.
AL: Boston Red Sox
Going 5-1 this week with Series wins over Miami and New York, the Red Sox are playing some of their best baseball as of late. With a record of 48-40, the Red Sox are in the third position of the Wild Card in the AL.
Player of the Week
NL: Brenton Doyle
Putting up some video game numbers this week, the Rockies CF is batting a ridiculous .524 with an over 1.800 OPS. Posting four home runs and nine RBIs this week, Doyle has been one of the lone bright spots this season for the Rockies.
AL: Jose Miranda
You get a hit in 12 straight at-bats; I have to give this award to you. Miranda has been on a tear lately, batting a ridiculous .700 in his last 20 at-bats and posting a 1.777 OPS. With tying an MLB record and winning the HN Player of the Week, I'd say it is a pretty good week for Jose Miranda.
