Baseball Wiretap

Aaron Judge's fractured rib showed healing in new imaging this week, hough not enough progress for the three-time MVP to resume baseball activities. The New York Yankees said Judge will continue rehab and undergo further imaging as he works toward a return.

Judge and manager Aaron Boone both expressed confidence he'll play again this season, speaking ahead of Friday's game against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

"Yeah, definitely," said Judge. "I don't see why not."

"I feel good about the fact that he'll be back," said Boone. "It's just a matter of when."

With the Yankees opening their post-All-Star break schedule and the Aug. 3 trade deadline approaching, Judge's timeline remains uncertain. He said he is waiting to hear back from Dr. Gregory Pearl, a Texas-based vascular surgeon reviewing his imaging, after being referred by Yankees team physician Dr. Christopher Ahmad. His most recent imaging took place Monday.

Judge acknowledged frustration with the pace of his recovery despite feeling significantly better.

"That was my big complaint," said Judge. "If I'm feeling better, how about we start moving? But I think they just don't want to start adding baseball activities and other stuff and all of a sudden we have a setback and it pushes everything back. So I think they just want to be sure that it's healing up the right way so that we can get back as soon as we can."

Judge, 34, has not played since May 31. He believes he suffered the stress fracture during an April 26 game in Houston while attempting a diving catch to avoid colliding with second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. He tried to continue playing through the injury before the pain became unmanageable during a series in Sacramento, California.

Since landing on the injured list June 5, Judge has paused most workouts, though he has recently begun some lower-body exercises. He described the experience of missing games as difficult.

"It's been the worst," said Judge. "I want to play. That's why I'm here. That's why I get paid, to play big games for the Yankees. Especially with the team we have, how special it is, and how special the group is. I want to be a part of everything."

Judge has appeared in 59 games this season, batting .248 with 17 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .907 OPS, though his production dropped sharply after May 7. Over his final 22 games before landing on the injured list, he hit just .207 with two home runs.

Judge previously suffered the same rib injury in September 2019 on a similar diving play. The Yankees have gone 18-19 without him in the lineup this season and entered Friday three games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the American League East. Ben Rice and Paul Goldschmidt remain the only regular Yankees hitters posting above-average offensive numbers during Judge's absence.

The New York Mets are considered unlikely to trade away Francisco Lindor at the trade deadline, sources tell The Athletic. While the Mets are open to discussing nearly all of their players, Lindor represents a high bar for any interested team.

Lindor, 32, holds trade veto power as a 10-year veteran who has spent the past five consecutive seasons with the same club. He is owed more than $160 million through 2031, and sources with knowledge of the situation said New York has no particular interest in absorbing money in a potential deal, viewing him as a player who can still help the team win next season.

Lindor declined to comment when The Athletic raised the subject of his no-trade protection in a recent conversation. A person close to him said he has no desire to leave New York and remains comfortable with the organization and city.

The Mets, sitting at 41-57, are fielding calls as sellers in a thin trade market. According to SNY, the team is not expected to engage in trade discussions involving Juan Soto, Nolan McLean, Christian Scott, A.J. Ewing or Carson Benge.

Lindor's situation stands apart given his track record, though he is enduring a difficult individual season. He has committed uncharacteristic defensive lapses and posted below-average defensive metrics despite his reputation for reliability. Offensively, he is batting just .210 with a .654 OPS.

Injuries have limited Lindor to 41 games and 175 plate appearances this season. A hamate bone surgery disrupted his spring training, and a calf injury sidelined him for two months before he returned from the injured list on June 24.

Optimism for a labor deal between MLB and the MLBPA has largely disappeared halfway through the 2026 season, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan. Conversations with more than two dozen league and union officials and players at the All-Star Game revealed little confidence that a deal will emerge before the current collective bargaining agreement expires Dec. 1.

Multiple sources said the two sides may not exchange any further core economics proposals before the deadline, given how far apart their positions remain. MLB continues pushing for a salary cap system, while the union remains firmly opposed to abandoning the current uncapped structure.

Sources close to the situation expect a real bargaining push to emerge closer to March, when the threat of lost games becomes more tangible. Players speaking anonymously said they would be willing to miss games rather than accept a cap, while sources indicated owners are similarly prepared to cancel games if the union's stance doesn't shift.

One longtime official downplayed the urgency of the current standoff given the calendar.

"It's still July. And it's not real yet," said the official. "They still have the rest of this season, the postseason. This isn't gonna get real until they're gearing up for spring training. Then various light bulbs will go on. I think that's frankly true on both sides."

MLB's push for cost control stems from the growing payroll gap between large- and small-market teams, an imbalance the league argues has concentrated postseason success among high-spending franchises. The union points to this year's standings, where 23 of 30 teams entered the second half in playoff position or within four games of one, along with several low-payroll success stories, as evidence that competitive balance already exists without a cap.

MLB's proposal includes a $245.3 million hard cap, a $171.2 million floor, a five-year limit and a $202 million maximum on free agent contracts. The plan would establish a 50-50 revenue split using a definition similar to those used by the NFL, NBA and NHL, excluding ancillary business revenue tied to teams.

Players have expressed frustration that such a system would simply redistribute money within a fixed pool rather than grow their overall earnings. One player from a small-market team acknowledged frustration with payroll disparities but said it pales in comparison to a capped system with no room to negotiate.

MLB has promoted its position publicly through a "Level the Playing Field" campaign advocating for a salary cap, a campaign MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer has called "perverse." Public polling has shown fan support for a capped system, a position President Donald Trump also voiced support for in June, adding a layer of political uncertainty to the negotiations.

Players have also raised objections to MLB's amateur draft proposals, which would eliminate high school players from draft eligibility, delay college player eligibility until age 20, and implement an international draft that pushes the signing age back from 16 to 18. Concerns also remain over a proposed escrow system that could leave portions of player salaries unguaranteed if league revenue falls short of projections.

Multiple players described MLB's approach using similar language, characterizing the league as operating "like a private equity firm." The league maintains that revenue growth in other capped sports leagues supports its argument that a capped system would ultimately benefit players more than the current structure, a claim the union rejects.

MLB released its 2027 schedule Thursday, with Opening Day set for March 25. Whether that date holds will depend on negotiations over the next eight months, as both sides continue talks with little indication of imminent progress.

The Detroit Tigers are unlikely to commit to trading ace Tarik Skubal ahead of the deadline given their favorable upcoming schedule. Detroit faces the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Athletics and the Baltimore Orioles, a slate that gives the Tigers little incentive to sell.

Should Detroit reconsider, the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Atlanta Braves and Tampa Bay Rays all represent teams worth monitoring in a potential Skubal market. The Dodgers don't necessarily need Skubal to remain favorites for a third straight championship, but their deep farm system and financial resources mean they face fewer roadblocks than most rivals in pursuing him.

Detroit has gone 22-14 since the start of June, a stretch equivalent to a 99-win pace. That trend has left rival executives skeptical the Tigers will move Skubal or fellow starter Casey Mize.

"They went in big on this year, making the decision to keep Skubal, and then they signed Framber Valdez," said one official. "They're making up ground on the leaders, and now they might trade [Skubal]? I don't see it, unless they lose a bunch of games [coming out of the All-Star break]."

Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is regarded around the league as objective in his evaluations, according to peers, and would consider moving Skubal if he believed Detroit could no longer contend for a postseason spot. With Skubal set to reach free agency after this season, the coming weeks could represent the Tigers' last chance to win with the two-time Cy Young Award winner on their roster.

Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game averaged 8.79 million viewers across FOX and Fox Deportes, marking the largest audience for the event since 2017. The broadcast benefited from an indirect lead-in tied to the FIFA World Cup between Spain and France, with FOX's standalone audience reaching its highest mark since 2018.

The American League's shutout win peaked at 10.19 million viewers during the 8:45 p.m. ET quarter-hour, representing a 21 percent increase from last year's audience of 7.185 million. The game once again ranked as the most-watched All-Star Game of the year, narrowly edging an Olympics-fueled NBA All-Star Game on NBC, Telemundo and Peacock by less than one percentage point.

The comparison came with a notable distinction in lead-in timing. The NBA benefited from a direct Olympics lead-in, while more than two hours separated the end of the World Cup match and first pitch of the baseball game. The All-Star pregame show saw an even sharper increase, averaging 4.10 million viewers, up 56 percent from last year's 2.63 million.

This marked the first year since 2019 in which two All-Star games each drew at least 8 million viewers, following comparisons to that year's Pro Bowl and MLB All-Star Game. This year's Pro Bowl Games drew just 2.0 million viewers on ESPN.

The Home Run Derby, however, averaged 5.3 million viewers on Netflix, down 8 percent from last year's ESPN broadcast of 5.73 million and marking the event's smallest audience since 2003. The Derby still ranked as the second-largest MLB audience of the season, trailing only the All-Star Game itself.

The Derby remained a strong performer by streaming standards, trailing only a Cavaliers-Pistons playoff game on Prime Video, which averaged 6.53 million viewers, among all NBA games streamed this past season. Netflix said the broadcast drew its highest ratings among adults 18-34 and 18-49 since 2021, with a median viewer age of 44.3, the youngest for the event since 2014.

Jordan Walker's Derby victory marked just the second MLB event to air on Netflix, following a Yankees-Giants Opening Night broadcast in March that drew 3.0 million viewers. The streamer has one additional MLB event scheduled this season, next month's Field of Dreams Game in Iowa, ahead of Opening Night coverage returning in March 2027.

The Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Chase Burns have agreed to a seven-year, $105 million contract, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. MLB Network's Jon Morosi first reported the deal.

The contract contains no options or deferrals and stands as the largest ever given to a pitcher with less than four years of major-league service time, according to the source.

Burns, 23, earned All-Star honors this season in his second year in the majors. He is 11-1 with a 2.54 ERA across 18 starts in 2026 after making 13 appearances as a rookie last season.

The extension buys out several years of team control, as Burns was not previously scheduled to reach free agency until 2032. Cincinnati selected him second overall in the 2024 draft out of Wake Forest.

Burns previously set a signing bonus record after the draft, earning $9.25 million, which broke the mark set by Paul Skenes out of LSU with the Pittsburgh Pirates the year before.

Eleven American League pitchers combined to allow three hits and strike out 15 National League batters in a 4-0 win in Tuesday night's MLB All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park. The performance marked the AL's fourth shutout in All-Star history and one of the most dominant team pitching efforts the event has seen.

The 15 strikeouts fell one shy of the nine-inning All-Star record, while the three hits allowed tied for the second-fewest ever. Notably, only one pitch from the American League side reached 100 mph, with several pitchers relying on varied repertoires rather than pure velocity.

Kansas City Royals right-hander Michael Wacha, who threw a scoreless third inning, reflected on the collective effort.

"That was very cool," said Wacha. "The fact that we didn't give up any runs against that lineup and that roster, it was a pretty cool feeling."

The National League's absence of several top-ranked starters drew attention throughout the night. Only two of the NL's top 10 pitchers in FanGraphs WAR, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, actually appeared in the game, with stars like Jacob Misiorowski, Paul Skenes and Shohei Ohtani sitting out under a rule exempting Sunday starters.

Commissioner Rob Manfred addressed the situation before the game.

"I do think it's really important that we always reevaluate our approach to the All-Star Game in order to get the very, very best players actually participating in that game," said Manfred.

Sanchez, pitching in his home ballpark for the Phillies, struggled in the first inning, throwing 34 pitches and issuing two walks. New York Yankees teammates Cody Bellinger and Ben Rice delivered back-to-back RBI hits to stake the AL to an early 3-0 lead, marking the first time since 1962 that two Yankees recorded RBIs in the same All-Star Game.

Bellinger, who earned MVP honors for his go-ahead single, described his approach at the plate.

"I just try to keep it simple," said Bellinger. "Single up the middle and, you know, the pitching today was just dominant. I mean, it was nasty, hard to score some runs. So, you know, just try to stay within myself and just try and get the job done there."

Toronto Blue Jays starter Dylan Cease set the tone by striking out the side in the first inning, becoming just the seventh pitcher in All-Star history to record three strikeouts in an opening frame.

"I always want to strike guys out," said Cease. "I just wanted to throw strikes and not walk guys."

Cease also revealed a lighthearted moment before the game regarding his opening pitch selection.

"Before the game, I was pondering, do I start with a changeup?" said Cease. "I thought it would be funny, but Justin Verlander talked me out of it."

The Houston Astros will trade veteran starter Lance McCullers Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers. The move aims to reduce payroll and bring clarity to Houston's crowded pitching staff.

Triple-A left-hander Colton Gordon will head to Milwaukee as part of the package, according to a source. Gordon has thrown 95 1/3 major-league innings since debuting last season and carries five years of team control.

McCullers is in the final year of a five-year, $85 million extension he signed before the 2021 season. It remains unclear how much of the remaining salary Milwaukee will absorb. Multiple team sources said Houston has attempted to trade McCullers for much of the past year.

McCullers was previously included in a proposed package sent to the St. Louis Cardinals before the 2025 season in exchange for Nolan Arenado, a deal Arenado ultimately vetoed using his no-trade clause.

McCullers has battled significant injuries since 2021. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2018 and flexor tendon repair in 2023, an operation that sidelined him for the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

McCullers has thrown just 359 2/3 innings since his Tommy John surgery, with more than half of that total coming during the 2021 season, the only year he has made more than 22 starts. He has made eight starts this season with a 6.86 ERA and is currently on the injured list with a rotator cuff impingement.

McCullers made his third minor-league rehab start last week, increasing his pitch count to 77 in that outing.

Major League Baseball has secured owner support to let players participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics for the first time, but disagreements with the MLBPA over hotel rooms, tickets and mandatory participation have complicated the plan, sources told ESPN. Emails and documents obtained by ESPN show the dispute has spanned several months.

MLB plans to shut down the sport for 11 days to accommodate a West Coast All-Star Game ahead of a six-team Olympic tournament at Dodger Stadium. The MLBPA has resisted signing off on LA28's proposal, instead seeking terms similar to the agreement the NHL and NHLPA reached with the International Olympic Committee for the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

Interest in Olympic participation has grown following the success of the 2026 World Baseball Classic, with the United States, Dominican Republic and champion Venezuela already qualified for the tournament.

Negotiations have touched on hotel rooms, tickets, insurance, NIL rights and a mandatory-participation agreement that would place noncompliant players on the restricted list without pay from July 12 to Aug. 3, according to a copy of the league's proposal. MLB's goal is to ensure the tournament features top stars such as Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge.

The union has objected specifically to the restricted-list provision and to commissioner Rob Manfred's proposed authority to discipline players for cause with fines or unpaid suspensions. The MLBPA has not yet submitted its own counterproposal.

Bryce Harper voiced strong support for playing in the Games.

"It's such a great opportunity for all athletes to come together in all different walks of life, all different cultures. I love it," said Harper. "I think it'd be great. I hope it works out. I grew up watching the Summer Olympics. I was in one of the greatest eras of Olympics of all time. Michael Phelps, are you kidding me? There was nothing like it."

MLBPA special adviser Ian Penny wrote in a June 26 email that the union is seeking fair treatment for players given the financial value they would bring to the Games.

"Ideally," wrote Penny, "that consideration would closely align with the value created and include direct compensation. However, what these proposals are largely designed to accomplish is to prevent our members from losing money by participating, whether due to expenses incurred or commercial rights lost, both individually and collectively."

LA28 vice president of sports Niccolo Campriani defended the league's offer in a separate email to top officials.

"We believe this package appropriately recognizes the significance of MLB players participating in the LA28 Olympic Games while balancing the many interests involved," wrote Campriani. "No league is getting more favorable terms than this."

In order to accommodate the tournament, MLB has proposed ending the first half July 9, 2028, holding the All-Star Game July 11, and running the Olympic tournament from July 13 to July 19 before resuming the regular season July 21. The league has also proposed pushing the 2028 season start back a week to March 23 rather than extending the postseason.

Each Olympic roster would include 28 players, raising concerns about the toll on major league rosters and pitcher health, concerns that have similarly limited participation in the World Baseball Classic. Harper reiterated his hope that a deal gets finalized.

"If I have an opportunity to put the American flag and USA on my chest again at the level of the Olympics, it would mean everything to me," said Harper. "I've wanted it for a long time, and I would love to be there. You're trying to grow this game internationally, and I don't think there's a better place to do that than the Olympics."

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer offered sharply different views Tuesday on the league's "Level the Field" advertising campaign, which promotes a salary cap ahead of the next collective bargaining agreement. Both spoke from the All-Star Game.

Manfred defended the league's decision to run the ads publicly.

"I think when you have a difficult public issue, particularly when the other side of the issue is being very public about what their views are on the negotiation, I think it's incumbent on us to keep our fans informed of our view of the world," said Manfred. "Particularly given sometimes the other side may not be completely accurate or fair in terms of their recitation of what's going on."

Meyer pushed back, arguing the campaign contradicts the league's own claims about the sport's health.

"I have watched over the last two years [how] the owners, the commissioner's office, try to convince fans, the consumers of their product, that the product is broken," said Meyer. "I think it's perverse. Case in point is leading up to this All-Star Game, any of us who watch baseball ... are seeing ads not so much for the All-Star Game, not promoting the game, not promoting the players, [but] promoting the league's desire for a salary cap."

The current CBA expires Dec. 1, with a lockout widely expected before a new deal is reached. MLB has proposed a salary cap and floor for the first time in league history, while the union has countered with a mechanism to raise spending at the bottom without imposing a ceiling at the top.

Manfred pointed to rule changes like the pitch clock as evidence the league has built momentum it wants to protect.

"We've got that momentum by listening to our fans and making changes that candidly the MLBPA was not interested in," said Manfred. "Those changes have paid off in terms of creating that momentum. And the best way to lose momentum is to stand still."

Manfred also cited payroll disparity as justification for a cap, noting a $441 million gap between the highest- and lowest-spending teams.

"The gap is $441 million," said Manfred. "It defies human experience to ask a fan to think that the bottom end of that gap has the same opportunity to win as the top end."

Meyer rejected that framing, arguing a cap would protect ownership rather than improve competition.

"The owners want a system that not only guarantees their profits, not only increases their franchise values, but essentially is a form of subsidized mediocrity," said Meyer. "A salary cap is the ultimate excuse not to compete."

Asked whether competitive smaller-market teams undercut his argument, Manfred acknowledged the point but maintained his broader stance.

"It gives Bruce talking points," said Manfred. "We know that. But I think from our perspective, the more important issue is what is the aggregate data over time? I think our view of the world is that over a very long period of time, there's a very strong relationship between who gets into playoffs and who proceeds."

Manfred declined to speculate on potential involvement from President Donald Trump, who has previously said he supports a salary cap for the sport.

"I think it would be wildly, wildly inappropriate for me to speculate about what the President of the United States might do or not do in a hypothetical situation," said Manfred. "We know this. He is a great sports fan and he is really knowledgeable about the business of sports, so it doesn't surprise me he's interested. But beyond that, I'm going to pass."