Phillies land Luis Arraez in five-player trade

The 27-year-old Hicks, who won’t be a free agent until after 2030, is probably overachieving some at .282/.363/.432 as a sophomore this year, but he’ll still provide a nice lift over the Rays’ catching duo of Hunter Feduccia and Nick Fortes. Since Hicks and Feduccia are lefty hitters and Fortes is a righty, it’s Feduccia who would seem to be in line for a demotion. No official word yet on whether the Marlins will promote Agustín Ramírez. They already had Brian Navarette up as a third catcher with Hicks often DHing, so they could pick someone else if they don’t see Ramírez getting enough playing time as a DH and backup to Joe Mack.

Taylor, the 19th overall pick in the 2023 draft, has rebounded from a bad 2025 to hit .284/.384/.513 with 17 homers and 20 steals in his second go in Triple-A this year. His strikeout rate is also down to 23 percent from 28 percent the last two years. He has experience at both second and short, but he fits best at third and could be a long-term regular there. The Marlins are more aggressive than most with prospects, so perhaps he’ll get a look next month. He’ll need to be added to the 40-man this winter anyway.

Santana, 21, was the 31st overall pick in the 2003 draft. He offers very little way in terms of power potential, but he was hitting .316/.381/.400 with 23 steals and just 23 strikeouts in 51 games in High-A and he’s a strong defensive shortstop. That seems like a future major leaguer, even if he’s probably a backup on a quality team.

The Rays got Kisting from the Twins for Eric Orze last winter, and he’s since posted a 1.67 ERA and a 96/18 K/BB as a 23-year-old in High-A ball. He’s 23 and he’s a little lacking in terms of velocity, but he might have a future as a fifth starter or swingman.

It was well-documented that Chicago was searching for some catching help and they managed to pry Bart away from Atlanta in exchange for a pitching prospect in Davitt who has made a pair of relief appearances in the big leagues this season. It’s not a massive deal, but one that should help the White Sox avoid disaster at catcher while Kyle Teel (ankle) is on the injured list.

This is a big one. Chicago came into the trade deadline desperately seeking starting pitching help and they’ve seemingly came away with Holmes in addition to veteran Kevin Gausman. They paid a steep price to land the impending free agent as Rojas is one of their better infield prospects. The emergence of Pedro Ramírez as an everyday option at the highest level seems to be what made him expendable. Holmes looked sharp in a pair of recent minor league rehab outings and should step into Chicago’s new-look rotation by mid-August, if not sooner. Taylor feels like a throw-in, but he’s been sizzling-hot at the dish lately and provides the Cubs with a lefty-mashing bench option for the home stretch.

Hoffman heads to Kansas City after being designated for assignment by Philadelphia earlier on Monday. He’ll head to Triple-A Omaha as organizational relief depth.

The procedural move frees up a spot on Kansas City’s 40-man roster. Seabold hit the injured list with a lat strain last month. He’s unlikely to return this season.

The Padres’ cupboard is pretty bare, but Mendez projects as a quality reliever and Hernandez has been a big success as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. Mendez is still starting at the moment, having posted a 4.93 ERA and a 38/17 K/BB in 34 2/3 innings over 11 starts since moving up to Double-A. It’s possible he’ll emerge as a closer candidate someday.

The Giants already have two of the game’s best teenaged shortstop prospects. Joniel isn’t on the with Josuar Gonzalez and Luis Hernández, but he does have an excellent .303/.424/.503 line as a 17-year-old in the Dominican Summer League. He’ll probably being playing in the U.S. next year.