Baseball

7/2/2026 |  MLB trade deadline buyers and sellers guide: Where all 30 teams stand one month away (CBS Sports) The 2026 trade deadline is just about a month away. This year's deadline is 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 3, which gives teams a little more than four weeks to figure out if they're a buyer, a seller, or even both. The buy and sell approach has become more popular in recent years, not that it's easy to swing. Teams will try, though. You can be sure of it.      

7/2/2026 |  MLB 2026: Player every team should trade or trade for in July (ESPN) We're still a month away from the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, so a lot can happen before then -- especially since so many teams can still at least entertain wild-card dreams with one hot streak. A few teams will ultimately help determine the intensity of this trade season: The New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox and Minnesota Twins will make the deadline much more interesting if they fall out of the playoff picture and decide to unload stars.

7/2/2026 |  MLB Players Propose Limiting Optional Assignments To Minor Leagues, More (Fox Sports) Baseball players proposed that optional assignments to the minor leagues be cut from a maximum of five per season to three, aimed at reducing roster churn that teams use for their bullpen back ends in an era when relief pitchers throw an increased portion of games.

7/2/2026 |  The Looming Legal Fallout From Baseball’s Labor Strife: Part I (Yahoo Sports) The current collective bargaining agreement between Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association is set to expire at 11:59 p.m. ET on Dec. 1. It is expected that MLB will institute a lockout following the CBA’s expiration, and the lockout could threaten the 2027 season. Sportico’s Michael McCann, who is an attorney and a law professor, breaks down the potential legal fallout of a lockout in two parts. Below is Part I, which analyzes the outlines of the labor dispute and the legal questions confronting MLB and management. Part II, which will run on Monday, will look more closely at the player and labor side of the legal question.  

7/1/2026 |  State of WAR: Why it rules MLB, frustrates fans ... and what's next (ESPN) Earlier this month, Roger Clemens visited the Milwaukee Brewers during the team's recent trip to Houston, and among the awestruck Brewers pitchers was veteran Brandon Woodruff, who relished the chance to talk pitching with the all-time great.