4:40 p.m.: The Red Sox also were able to add left-handed pitcher Austin Davis from the Pirates in exchange for Michael Chavis, the team announced.
4:21 p.m.: The 51-52 Braves have reportedly acquired Jorge Soler and his -1.2 bWAR from the Royals.
4:18 p.m.: Jon Lester is going back to the NL Central to pitch for a Cardinals team that’s currently 9 1/2 games out of first place.
4:14 p.m.: The Red Sox did make at least one move after all.
4:12 p.m.: Chicago is also receiving a couple of more players in that Bryant deal, per Bob Nightengale.
Kilian (not Killian, as Nightengale writes) is the Giants’ No. 30 prospect, per MLB.com.
4:07 p.m.: If the Cubs hit on the returns, this could end up being a massive day in their franchise’s history as they rebuild it. They’re acquiring outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. (.260 batting average, 12 home runs), and the bigger prize is catching prospect Joey Bart, the No. 2 prospect in San Francisco’s farm system.
4:04 p.m.: The deadline has come and gone, and while it’s still possible trades could be trickling in, we’re starting to hear about players who are staying put. For example: Byron Buxton and Jonathan Schoop.
3:58 p.m.: The Padres just added an outfielder, landing Jake Marisnick from the Cubs.
3:53 p.m.: And there goes Kris Bryant. The Cubs are sending him to the Giants, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
3:52 p.m.: We have ticked under 10 minutes to go, and here’s the return for the Angels on the trade to the Yankees for Andrew Heaney.
3:48 p.m.: The Yankees are not done. They’re reportedly adding left-handed starter Andrew Heaney from the Angels, a likely low-risk move to grab a pitcher whose advanced numbers indicate he’s been unlucky this season.
3:45 p.m.: The trade we’ve been waiting for all day.
3:25 p.m.: Maybe Trevor Story will be on the move after all? And even staying within the division?
3:13 p.m.: Following up on that Javy Baez blockbuster between the Mets and Cubs. New York is also getting pitcher Trevor Williams in the deal, and the price is Pete Crow Armstrong, the Mets’ No. 5 prospect, per MLB.com.
3 p.m.: The dam just broke with an hour to go.
First, we’ve got a blockbuster involving the Philadelphia Phillies. Dave Dombrowski, watching the Mets make their own splash, has responded by adding pitching in both the rotation and bullpen.
Elsewhere, the A’s became the latest team to take a bite out of the Nationals.
2:52 p.m.: The Cubs remain busy. Now that Javy Baez looks like he’s on his way to the Mets, Chicago likely will look to unload Kris Bryant. The upstart Giants might be the frontrunner at the moment.
2:50 p.m.: All of that smoke, there obviously was going to be fire. Javy Baez is heading to the Mets, per multiple reports.
2:42 p.m.: As the 4 p.m. deadline nears, the Cubs obviously have some business to take care of, with players like Javier Baez and Kris Bryant still on the roster. It sounds as if Baez might be the first to go.
2:20 p.m.: The Chicago White Sox might have the best bullpen in baseball now, and it could be one of the best we’ve ever seen, as Craig Kimbrel is headed from the North Side to the South Side.
2 p.m.: While it’s still relevant, here’s what the sportsbooks are saying about potential landing spots.
1:55 p.m.: Very interesting to think about where the Red Sox might be at this point in the day. Boston reportedly was in the mix for Anthony Rizzo before the Yankees acquired him. The Sox countered with Kyle Schwarber.
Meanwhile, according to reports, the Red Sox also were in on Jose Berrios as Jon Heyman noted Thursday:
So, is there a corresponding move after Berrios lands in Toronto? We mentioned earlier in the day a report tying the Sox to Kyle Gibson. Perhaps that’s the move. Or perhaps the relative silence with the Red Sox right now is a precursor to something big before the 4 p.m. deadline.
1:52 p.m.: Where’s Craig Kimbrel heading? Your guess is as good as anyone else’s at this point, it seems.
1:40 p.m.: It feels like pandemonium is likely over the final two-plus hours leading up to the 4 p.m. deadline. We haven’t heard much of anything about Byron Buxton so far and nothing about the Phillies, yet here we are.
1:37 p.m.: Maybe Craig Kimbrel will stay in Chicago after all, just with a new place of employment.
1:29 p.m.: The Dodgers might not be done, and that could be bad news for the rest of the National League West.
1:22 p.m.: The Braves got themselves some outfield help with a pretty underrated yet familiar player. Adam Duvall, who has 22 home runs and 68 RBIs for the Marlins this season, is headed back to the Braves where he spent two-plus seasons.
1 p.m.: A truly massive return for the Twins in the Jose Berrios deal.
12:30 p.m.: And there it is, our first blockbuster of the day. The Blue Jays are getting some front-line starting pitching help in Jose Berrios, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
12:26 p.m.: It feels like Kris Bryant to the Mets has been in the works forever, but now it sounds like Javy Baez might be the play for New York.
If that’s the case, it will be fascinating to see what happens with Bryant.
12:20 p.m.: You have to give the Blue Jays credit. They’re trying to make a move here to get a controllable young pitcher, perhaps with an eye on next season as much as this one.
This year certainly isn’t a lost cause, either. The Jays looked good in Boston this week, especially beating the brakes off the Red Sox on Thursday night. They’re currently 4 1/2 games out of the wild card.
12:05 p.m.: Colorado is apparently standing firm on Jon Gray.
11:55 a.m.: We’ve got ourselves quite the arms race developing in the AL East.
Oh, and the Yankees might not be done after acquiring Joey Gallo and Anthony Rizzo.
11:48 a.m.: Here’s the latest on Trevor Story from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.
That’s a really interesting point relayed by Feinsand. Story will be a free agent at the season’s end, so that comp pick would be at the end of the first round. Obviously, you can get a pretty good player in that situation, albeit one who is quite far from the big leagues. If the Rockies think they can contend sooner than later, then it might make more sense to trade Story, perhaps for a prospect package with a slightly lower ceiling but closer to the big leagues, and go from there. The more robust the market, the better in that situation.
11:45 a.m.: If the Royals are gonna sell off parts, it doesn’t appear Whit Merrifield is on the block.
11:40 a.m.: Blockbuster!
11:20 a.m.: One team that really could change the nature of not only the deadline but the entire MLB stretch run? That would be the Minnesota Twins, who sound open to moving ace pitcher Jose Berrios. Given the market that apparently has developed for the righty, it makes sense.
10:20 a.m.: Red Sox chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom has said he’d like to add more pitching, and the Sox are reportedly among the teams kicking the tires on Texas righty Kyle Gibson.
Gibson is in the midst of a career season. He’s 6-3 with career-bests in ERA (2.87) and WHIP (1.18) for the Rangers.
8:21 a.m.: The Mets aren’t messing around, according to longtime MLB insider Jon Heyman.
A middle infield of Francisco Lindor and Javy Baez would be one of the best in baseball and certainly the most fun to watch.
8:07 a.m.: The Colorado Rockies figured to be a team to watch on deadline day. It sounds like teams hoping to pluck some pitching out of Denver are out of luck.
8 a.m.: Happy deadline day, baseball fans.
The MLB trade deadline is officially here, as big league clubs have until 4 p.m. ET on Friday afternoon to make their stretch-run swaps.
We’ve already seen plenty of movement among big names and legitimate World Series contenders. The Yankees have already made their impact, acquiring Joey Gallo from the Rangers earlier this week and following that up by landing Anthony Rizzo from the Cubs on Thursday night. Meanwhile, it appears the Dodgers once again are pulling off a heist, reportedly finalizing a blockbuster deal with the Nationals that would send Max Scherzer and Trea Turner to Tinseltown.
Meanwhile, the Red Sox got in on the fun late Thursday night when they swung a deal with the Nats to acquire slugger Kyle Schwarber.
But just because we’ve already seen some big deals get done doesn’t mean Friday will be a quiet day. This is shaping up to be one of the busiest deadlines in recent history, and with the countdown in full effect, we can expect a whole lot to go down Friday. Kris Bryant, Craig Kimbrel, anyone?
We’ll once again be following it all throughout the day, so be sure to keep this page open and updated throughout the day with all the latest news, rumors and even a little analysis.
