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According to the transaction log on MiLB.com, right-hander Aaron Brooks has elected free agency. The 34-year-old spent most of the year down in Triple-A Las Vegas, racking up a 4.92 ERA across 67 2/3 innings in 15 games (nine starts).
Brooks also made five appearances (four starts) with the A's in May and June, and really just had one stinker in the bunch that ended up hurting his ERA. That performance was 4 1/3 innings in Atlanta when he gave up seven hits and seven runs, which took his ERA on the year from 3.63 to 5.82. Brooks would lower that mark again in what would be his final appearance for the A's, a five inning effort that saw him give up a single run against the Angels. He ended the year with a 5.06 ERA.
Given his age, it's unlikely that Brooks will be a highly sought after option on the free agent market, though by the time January and February roll around, he could be seen as a veteran depth option for teams that hope to compete in 2025.
While Brooks is 34 now, he actually first came to the A's along with Sean Manaea in the Ben Zobrist trade with the Kansas City Royals back in 2015. The Athletics traded him to the Chicago Cubs ahead of the 2016 campaign for Chris Coghlan, and after a stint with the Brewers, he was back in the A's system and pitching in Oakland in 2018 and 2019.
Brooks has a career 6.36 ERA in the big leagues across 206 2/3 innings, along with a 1.50 WHIP. A team like the Chicago White Sox could use him as a placeholder option while they figure out which direction they're headed, or a team like the Giants could even bring him in as a depth arm. We'll have to wait and see where he lands.
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Yankees' trade-deadline whirlwind may not be enough to win AL East
It was a busy trade deadline for the New York Yankees, who added Ryan McMahon, Amed Rosario, David Bednar, Camilo Doval, Austin Slater, José Caballero and Jake Bird (and Wilberson De Pena in rookie ball, if we want to get technical). Having done his part, Brian Cashman, the weary Yankee general manager, can lay his phone down and take a breather without negotiating something. The Yankees are, without a doubt, a much better team. But this raises an overlooked question: are they good enough? The Yankees lag the Blue Jays in the AL East by 3.5 games entering Friday. New York doesn’t necessarily need to win the division, as they seem to be bound for the postseason either way. However, they will likely need to face the Jays once they get there, and their 3-7 record against Toronto this season doesn’t bode well for them. How do the Yankees stack up after the deadline? McMahon has been a marvelous addition since he arrived in the Bronx. Rosario, who will presumably be used in place of McMahon when facing southpaws, can be an impact bat on those occasions. Both Doval and Bednar will be very helpful in lowering the temperature in the Yankees’ bullpen dumpster fire, which owns a 4.19 cumulative ERA entering Friday, before any of the recently traded arms could make their pinstripe debuts. But beyond these four (two of which will be platooned), the others are only marginal improvements. *Caballero’s 34 stolen bases are the most in the game this year. His 44 last year were the most in the AL. While no one can deny the Yankees’ roster has gotten stronger, Cashman failed to address the rotation, which has been plagued by inconsistent performances and pummeled by injuries. The team has also released Marcus Stroman in hopes that Luis Gil (will return on Sunday) and Ryan Yarbrough (expected to be back in August) can be as productive as they had been before their respective injuries (for Gil, that’s 2024). Meanwhile, in Toronto, Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins wasn’t idle when it came to bolstering the rotation. Atkins was able to land former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber from the Guardians, among other moves. Bieber is yet to pitch this year while recovering from Tommy John surgery, but he is well on his way back, having made four rehab starts. If he can be a productive arm this year, this could easily add to the Yankees’ misery. The fact remains, if the Yankees are going to topple the Blue Jays (in the division, postseason or both), they will need a much higher level of reliability from their questionable rotation.
Troubling report surfaces on Patriots' first-round rookie
New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye might not feel comfortable with his blindside protection early in the upcoming season. Following troubles at left tackle in 2024, the Patriots invested in the position by drafting LSU standout Will Campbell with the No. 4 pick in April's draft. Per Chad Graff of The Athletic, Campbell has been trending down at training camp this summer. "All eyes are on him every practice, which is a tough spot for a rookie," Graff wrote of Campbell. "So far, he’s been about what you’d expect from a rookie. He has some strong moments, particularly in the running game. But there have been struggles in the passing game. He’s been beaten for a sack in just about every practice, which isn’t great considering he’s usually on the field each practice for only 15 or so passing plays in full-team drills. "He tends to get beaten to the inside after oversetting, and it probably doesn’t help that the Pats don’t yet know who their left guard is next to him. Still, extrapolate those numbers, and that’s allowing two sacks each NFL game if you throw the ball 30 times. Not great." Graff believes the future is "bright" for Campbell, but doesn't think he will be a top-20 left tackle in 2025. NFL scouts had questions before the draft about Campbell's 32⅝ inch (or 33 inches, depending on whether one believes the league or LSU) arm length. Some suggested he'd be better suited to play guard in the league than left tackle. If Campbell continues to give up sacks, the Patriots might consider moving the 21-year-old to the interior part of the offensive line. Per OurLads, Campbell is projected to win the left tackle starting job for Week 1. If Campbell doesn't develop quickly in the preseason, Maye's progress as a thrower in the pocket could take a hit in the upcoming season.
'Most likely scenario' for Terry McLaurin revealed
A recent report indicated that teams potentially interested in acquiring Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin learned that the club is "not trading" him before the 2025 season begins. The 29-year-old, who is in the final year of his current contract, may have responded to this news by requesting a trade on Thursday. However, ESPN's Bill Barnwell shared Friday that he doesn't "think there's a strong chance McLaurin gets traded" before September. "There's been no suggestion from the Commanders' side that they're looking to deal him, even after his request," Barnwell wrote. "Trading him now would likely result in landing 2026 draft picks, which won't help the Commanders in a season in which they're hoping to compete. And there just aren't many teams with the cap space or cash budget at this point of the offseason to give him the sort of deal he appears to want." McLaurin allegedly does not want to accept less money than DK Metcalf, who received a five-year, $150M deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. Whether or not McLaurin "deserves" such an extension is irrelevant as it pertains to his importance to Washington and the market for players at his position. McLaurin finished the 2024 campaign with team highs of 82 receptions and 1,096 receiving yards as quarterback Jayden Daniels guided Washington to the NFC Championship Game and earned Offensive Rookie of the Year Award honors. Additionally, McLaurin was second in the NFL with 13 touchdown catches. As of Friday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Washington sixth among the betting favorites at +1800 odds to win Super Bowl LX in February 2026. That shows why Barnwell and others are convinced that acquiring future draft assets for McLaurin makes little sense for the win-now Commanders. "The logical thing is for McLaurin to stay with the Commanders, for the two sides to come to terms on a new deal or some sort of raise, and for Daniels to have his best pass catcher on the field in Week 1," Barnwell concluded. "It's still the most likely scenario." On Thursday, Nicki Jhabvala and Dianna Russini of The Athletic noted that "several teams that called Washington about [McLaurin] before his trade request on Thursday were told the team will not trade him." Commanders general manager Adam Peters seems to understand he still has plenty of time to work something out with McLaurin before Washington opens the regular season against the New York Giants on Sept. 7.
Micah Parsons' trade request will fall on deaf ears with Cowboys' firm stance
Jerry Jones got his wish. As we enter August and with the 2025-26 NFL season just over a month away, the Dallas Cowboys are the talk of the town and the lead story on every sports debate and talk show. Thanks to a gross mishandling of the Micah Parsons contract situation, the superstar defender publicly announced he has requested a trade from the Cowboys, while putting the organization on blast for their handling of negotiations. According to Parsons' statement, Jerry and company attempted to ice out his agent, David Mulugheta, from the talks. That led to Parsons sharing his trade request and potentially shaking up the NFL landscape. But not so fast, because the Cowboys don't have to give in to Parsons' request, and they have contractual control for the next three seasons, with no plans of caving in. "Regardless of the request, the Cowboys do not plan on moving Parsons," Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote. "Even if an agreement on an extension does not come, Dallas has all of the control around Parsons’ future and is prepared to use the franchise tag to keep him around in 2026 and 2027 if it’s needed." This sets up an interesting game of chicken. The Cowboys don't have to do a thing, while all Parsons can do is sit and wait for the contract to expire and the opportunities for the franchise tag to go away. No one wants to sit out for three years. Not only that, but Parsons would rack up millions in fines. If he's not willing to take the $50,000 fine a day for holding out of training camp, he's not going to want to give up game checks. It's an ugly situation, and a major distraction for those who just want to ball, so let's hope Jerry can come to his senses and make something happen. At the very least, give Mulugheta a call.
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