The New York Yankees bolstered their pitching for the stretch run and playoffs, obtaining starter Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino from the Oakland Athletics on Monday for four prospects.
New York sent Oakland 26-year-old rookie left-hander J.P. Sears along with three minor leaguers: 24-year-old left-hander Ken Waldichuk, 23-year-old right-hander Luis Medina and 22-year-old infielder Cooper Bowman.
Earlier in the day, the Yankees got Scott Effross, a 22-year-old rookie reliever, from the Chicago Cubs for Hayden Wesneski, a 24-year-old minor league right-hander.
Montas, a 29-year-old right-hander, is 4-9 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts, including a 2.76 ERA since the start of May. He has 109 strikeouts and 28 walks in 104 2/3 innings.
He was the second significant starting pitcher dealt ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline after Cincinnati sent Luis Castillo to Seattle.
The San Diego Padres acquired All-Star closer Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday in exchange for recently benched closer Taylor Rogers and three other players in a blockbuster deal between NL playoff contenders.
The NL Central-leading Brewers shipped one of the game’s top relievers to the Padres for Rogers, right-hander Dinelson Lamet, outfielder Esteury Ruiz and pitching prospect Robert Gasser.
The trade features the two big league saves leaders. Hader has 29 saves while Rogers has 28, though the Padres recently removed Rogers from the closer role after he blew consecutive opportunities in a series at Detroit. The Padres obtained Rogers from Minnesota on opening day.
** San Diego also finalized a $100 million, five-year contract with right-hander Joe Musgrove that starts next year. The 29-year-old Musgrove is 8-4 with a 2.65 ERA in 18 starts this year.
** Hader, the NL reliever of the year three times in the last four seasons, has a career-high 4.24 ERA after enduring one of his worst slumps just before the All-Star break. The left-hander allowed five homers and 12 runs over 4 1/3 innings in a stretch of six appearances in early July, increasing his ERA from 1.05 to 4.50. Hader otherwise has allowed just four runs in 29 2/3 innings.
The Atlanta Braves signed All-Star Austin Riley to a $212 million extension, keeping the third baseman under contract through the 2033 season.
Riley joined the Braves as a first-round pick in the 2015 MLB Draft. He is hitting .301 with 29 home runs and 68 RBIs through 101 games this season.
Riley hit a career-high .303 with 33 homers and 107 RBIs in 160 games last season. He also hit a team-high .320 during the Braves’ 2021 World Series win over the Houston Astros.
Riley is set to make $15 million in 2023. That salary will escalate to $21 million in 2024 and $22 million annually for the remainder of the deal. His new pact includes an option for the 2033 campaign.
The Houston Astros have acquired first baseman/outfielder Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles as part of a three-team trade that also involves the Tampa Bay Rays.
Astros outfielder Jose Siri is being sent to the Rays as part of the complex deal.
In all, Houston gets the 30-year-old Mancini from Baltimore and right-handed pitcher Jayden Murray from Tampa Bay. The Orioles get the Astros’ farm-system pitcher Chayce McDermott and Rays’ right-handed hurler Seth Johnson. Siri is the lone asset sent to Tampa Bay.
Mancini is hitting .268 with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs this season, his sixth with the Orioles (51-51).
Mancini has been a bright spot as the Orioles have gone through a difficult rebuild. He earned Comeback Player of the Year honors in the American League last year after missing the 2020 season to be treated for Stage 3 colon cancer.
