Lead Story - 4/28/2026

League News

DAY 120 POWER RANKINGS: 1st MIN—2nd STL—3rd ARI—4th PHI—5th TOR—6th LAA—7th HOU—8th OAK—9th CIN—10th OSA…...Reds acquire K-King Russ Milone, boosting their playoff hopes….Silver Slugger C Karl Martins moves from KCR to PHI for last year’s 29th OVR pick, 2B Elroy Durant…..Cardinals tweak roster with addition of powerful 3B/1B Guy Cheeves, expected to add thump for cheap….Longtime Libs all-star Ryan McMahon moves to Twins; receives young Macklin Jr…..Marlins dump floundering youngster Wally Epperson; Angels hope a chance of scenery was all he needed….Orioles add 2 more teens in trades; have built the deepest arsenal of teenage prospects in league history….Yanks rebuild seemingly stalled as vet contracts prove to be unmovable; fans irate at their free fall in recent years…..DET makes shocking move; trade young stud LF Amir Sorenson to Cubs for a stack of assets (but will any be better than Amir?)…

League Chat Box

Rasheed baffles Nationals, Orioles win

Tariq Rasheed struckout 9 Washington batters in a 9-3 win for the Orioles. | Box

Dodgers fall to Padres despite Sinclair's efforts

Magnus Sinclair whiffed 8 batters, but the Padres managed to beat the Dodgers, 3-2. | Box

Sternes blanks Port-au-Prince with 6-0 shutout

Port-au-Prince is hoping not to see Devin Sternes again for a long while. Sternes went the distance, leading Houston to a 6-0 victory. A.J. Lyles hit 2 homers in the game for the Astros. | Box

Big game for Rhodes lifts Red Sox to victory

Henry Rhodes drove in 5 runs, carrying Boston to a 12-6 victory over the Yankees. Mark Van Duyne recorded 4 hits. Stan Madsen struckout 9 New York batters in the contest. | Box

Gado blasts off, leads Tigers to win

Austin Gado blasted 2 homers, lifting the Tigers to a 5-4 win over Minnesota. | Box

5/4/2026

A Look at Deadline Dealin'

by Lizking & Sammy

Let's take a look at the eight trades made at this year's trade deadline.

1) Liberators get:
-Josh Naylor, 31, COF ($15/2 yrs)
-Helmet Macklin Jr, 21, 1B/DH

Twins get:
-Ryan McMahon, 31, 2B/DH (rental)
-Pat Mays, 33, 3B (rental)

This trade looks to be a win-win for both parties. The Twins help their annual pennant push by adding two rentals that offer high-end offense and defense. McMahon was a silver slugger a year ago and may be in those conversations yet again. The Liberators get some switch-hitting COF consistency for the next few years and a prospect (and former first-round pick) with some power to dream on. Macklin Jr's already been traded twice in his young career.

2) Marlins get:
-STL 2nd round pick

Twins get:
-Horrace Correia, 33, RHRP ($20/1 yr)
-MIA 2nd round pick

The Marlins needed to clear some short-term money, and they did. The Twins will move up 20-some-odd spots in the round for the trouble, getting a little bullpen length in the process.

3) Orioles get:
-Helpi Reyes, 36, SP ($9/2 yrs)
-Andrew Dyler, 18, LHRP

Twins get:
-Jacob Cantleberry, 33, COF/DH (rental)

In this deal, the Twins added another rental. Cantleberry looks like he'll be a part of a platoon with fellow newcomer Ryan McMahon and offseason acquisition Harry Ogboo who's first season in Minnesota has been disappointing. It'll length the Twins lineup, and served to fill the hole left by the Bowen trade (covered below). The rebuilding Orioles get a veteran starter to help fill a staff and yet another teenager in Andrew Dyler. New Orioles management seems to look at teenagers like a smoker looks at a new, crisply-wrapped pack of squares.

4) Orioles get:
-Tamlin Loughty, 18, COF

Buffaloes get:
-Richard Gehrman, 25, RHRP ($1/4 yrs)

For the Orioles, see above. The Buffaloes give up a recent first-round pick for middle relief help with 4.5 seasons of team control. At 25 and still in his ascendency, I'm sure the Buffaloes hope that Gehrman develops into more than bullpen length over time. Management in Japan has told sources that they intend to develop a “penny pen”, to develop a quality relief stable for as cheap as possible.

5) Marlins get:
-Miguel Vargas, 25, 3B ($4/3 yrs)
-Wyatt Faint, 22, SP

Angels get:
-Wally Epperson, 26, 3B ($4/2 yrs)

This was a classic change-of-scenery deal, probably a win-win one, too, for both parties. Both of these 3B have underachieved their former prospect status up this point in their respective careers. The Marlins get a year younger and an extra year of control for their rebuild. The Angels get a slightly higher offensive floor and a much higher defensive one. Another thing to look out for over the coming months is whether or not the Marlins will tender Faint a contract after this season.

6) Royals get:
-Elroy Durant, 21, 2B (S pot)
-Michael Dominguez, 33, C
-2nd round pick

Phillies get:
-Val Hanski, 29, RHRP
-Karl Martins, 30, C

Martins was the prize of this deal. He's a rental, but he significantly improves the Phillies for the playoff push. He’s one of the better hitting catchers in the league, and looks primed to take home a Silver Slugger at the position in a few weeks. They also acquired some length for their bullpen; Hanski is a quality arm that happens to come with one additional year of control. The Royals get former first-round pick Durant. While many prospect evaluators question Durant’s bat, his glove, at least, will be useful for a long time to come. The Royals also added draft capital to help lubricate their rebuild, giving them 4 total picks for this offseason’s draft.

7) Twins get:
-Tony Harkless, 23, SP (C pot)
-Joel Logan, 21, COF/DH (C pot)
-Reggie Haynes, 23, 3B (C pot)

Buffaloes get:
-Skinny Bowen, 28, COF (rental, tag option)
-Jhon Vergara, 35, LHRP
-Trey Cabbage, 39, SS (3.3 dWAR, 2.5 yrs)
-2nd round pick

The Buffaloes substantively improved their roster here--and added a little future draft capital to complement it. Bowen has won back-to-back silver sluggers and looks to be on his way to winning another. This isn't just a rental either; executives around the league expect the Buffaloes to franchise tag Bowen this offseason. Cabbage, arguably the best shortstop glove in GBF history, returns to Osaka after a stint in the Twins farm, and will help support the Buffaloes's young starting staff. RP Vergara will add a new look to their pen in the middle innings. The Twins get a package of three prospects in return. None of those three prospects appear in my top 40 GBF prospect list, but they all do have at least one key trait to build on. Harkless is on the older side for a first year prospect, but is known to get hot often; Haynes is slow and a poor defender, but looks to have a high offensive ceiling; and Logan is destined for DH duties and will never post much of a batting average, but his power is tantalizing.

8) Rockies get:
—Kyle Jansen, 22, RHRP (U pot, from Phillies)
—Rougned Andrus, 22, SS (A pot, from Phillies)
—Martin Rice, 24, 1B (S pot, from Twins)

Twins get:
—Joshua Mouser, 26, SP (from Rockies)
—Keegan Maples, 18, LHRP (S pot, from Phillies)
—Tom Scholtes, 30, SP (from Phillies)

Phillies get:
—Max Russo, 30, SP (from Twins)
—Steel Mientkiewicz, 31, 1B (from Twins)

This is a rare GBF three-way trade. The Twins likely got better now and in the future. They were able to swap a 30 year old Russo with 2.5 years of control for 26 year old Mouser with 4.5 years of control if he's franchise tagged like most executives expect. That’s not to say that Philadelphia didn't do well in the deal. Max Russo, the reigning back-to-back CYA and former MVP, adds another front-line SP for their playoff push. Like the Twins in the Bowen deal, the Rockies brought back a package of three prospects that don't appear on my top prospect list. Rice has immediately went into their starting lineup, and both he and Andrus fit Colorado's ballpark really well long term.

***Before the Deadline***

Before this final flurry of moves, there were a couple moves worth noting. The common denominator of those moves was the Cincinnati Reds. They made two under the radar acquisitions that has so far helped them hold first place in the Great Lakes. The first move they made was my personal favorite: trading their 2nd round pick and a limited ceiling OF prospect for up to 4 years of powerhouse DH Archie Fisk. He walloped 44 dingers last year, and is following up that breakout by boasting an .875 OPS on the season so far. A switch hitter and at only age 28, Fisk is the real deal and they got a bargain. For all the praise Cincy is getting for the Fisk addition, the Rockies still did alright on the move. Rafe Souza, the prospect received, is a decent projection and an archetype that the Rockies have had success with in the past. The 2nd round pick is probably the more meaningful asset truthfully, but that’s only because of how many stars and otherwise useful players have come out of the 2nd round of GBF’s drafts over the years.

The second one was adding a strong #3 starter from Seattle in SP Russ Milone. Milone is best known for winning the S27 strikeout crown on the back of his signature pitch coined the “Russ Bucket”, thrown with a gyro spin that manages to break like a screwball. There are questions about if he will find the same success going from a pure pitchers park to a hitter friendly environment, but the K’s should play nonetheless. The Sonics received high potential (but thus far underperforming) 26 year old 1B Logan Dennard. He’s a nice gamble for Seattle considering their rotation logjam. Seattle was unsuccessful in moving incumbent 1B Dom Hogan (though they were willing to practically give him away in the final moments of last call).


***Final Thoughts***

Teams around the league appeared to be very careful with their draft pick and prospect capital. It'll be interesting to see if this dynamic is a trend moving forward or if it was just a happenstance of this particular deadline. It does seem like some pieces that got moved, like Bowen or Mouser, could have brought more premier compensation.

Both the Buffaloes and Phillies clearly made their respective rosters better for this playoff push, and the Buffaloes positioned themselves to carry that new found strength for the next three to four seasons further supporting a rebuild that's come to fruition sooner than some imagined. At writing, they are two games behind the As. With a wildcard position likely not to be attainable, the Buffaloes's playoff hopes will come down to the division race out West. The As were quiet. Many think they were content to rely upon internal improvements after making their big trade splash just before the season began (3B Gesualdo/CF Hamill).

There has been a bit of groaning from fans around the greater Montreal area at the silence from Expos leadership, putting the “dead” in deadline. While their lineup is deep and impactful, their rotation has been dreadful with only 1 starter (their #5 guy, JR Thomas) with an ERA below 4.80. Seeing guys like Max Russo and Josh Mouser moved in the final days of action makes you wonder how much ownership truly believes in this core. On the other hand, the Expos farm system is fairly depleted from several years of pick trading and chip pushing, so it’s understandable in that regard. However, this is a “what have you done for me lately” league, and Montreal is still establishing their fanbase footing after relocating from NY a few years back. If this core of Fondy/Bancker/DeLoatch/Muffet/Baylor can’t bring home a trophy, I expect heads to roll.

The Cubs have been fairly active overall since their newest ownership change, and in many ways great moves have been made. They shipped out punchless SS Toi McDougal and redundant catcher Dave Begard to the Buffaloes for budding ace Floyd Blanco in spring. Then halfway through the year they stunned the league with the acquisition of LF Amir Sorenson from Detroit for a haul of good—but less so than Amir—young assets. Both those moves look strong. They were even said to be in the running for superstar Skinny Bowen, with murmurs of a Frank Rider-centric offer being floated around the trade mill. Ultimately, it didn’t pan out, as ownership deemed the asking price of 3 top young players to be too steep. It’s always risky business to turn away a proven star in his prime, but only time will tell if the Cubbies made the right call on Skinny.

What to make of the Twins? They were by far the most active team on the market, participating in five of these eight deadline deals. Some executives have wondered to what extent they made their team better. Right now, they probably didn't; they more so rearranged things. With both Karl Ulrich (arguably the MVP favorite) and Skinny Bowen both entering free agency this offseason, only one of them could receive the tag, and it seems that Minnesota made that choice a few weeks early. That rearrangement likely makes them better long-term, adding flexibility for building the roster and stretching a few extra years of an ace on the better side of 30. The Twins will find themselves in a similar predicament next year with 3B Rudy Vaughn, SP Gordon Graceffo, and SP Joshua Mouser all hitting FA at the same time and only one tag to go around. One or even two of those names might be on the move in the next 12 months. Be on the lookout for that.

5/1/2026

Season 29 Draft Info/Tags/Cuts/Stadiums

1st Round Picks:
—SDP 1st to Supersonics (SP Shawn Konoko trade)
—OAK 1st to Rockies (3B Gesualdo/CF Hamill trade)
—CIN 1st to Orioles (RP Caleb Heintzelman trade)
—CHC 1st to Tigers (OF Amir Sorenson trade)
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1st Round Comp Picks: ($100+)
#1 QUE (UTL Gunny Evans)
#2 TBR (Harry Belden)
#3 TBR (RF Won Bin Cho)
#4 SEA (SP Ahmad Rodriguez)

#5 LON (RP Louis Kilmore)

#6 PIT (RP Curley Hartmann)

#7 TOR (1B Harry Owens)

#8 TEX (RP Eli Wood)

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2nd Round Picks:
—SDP 2nd to Twins (SP Fransisco Medina trade)
—CHC 2nd to Tigers (OF Amir Sorenson trade)
—CIN 2nd to Rockies (Trade)
—SEA 2nd to Reds (Dennard/Milone trade)
—STL 2nd to Twins (3B Guy Cheeves trade)>>>to the Marlins (RP Horace Correia dump)
—MIA 2nd to Twins (Correia dump)
—PHI 2nd to Royals (C Karl Martins trade)
—MIN 2nd to Buffaloes (RF Skinny Bowen trade)
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2nd Round Comp Picks ($60+)

#1 QUE (SP Fred Kellogg)

#2 MIN (RP Bruce Regal)—to Cardinals (Cheeves trade)

#3 KCR (SP Seth Jackson)

#4 SEA (UTL Devon Morris)

#5 CLE (SP Bob Griffin)

#6 PAP (CF Jimmy Martin)

#7 CLE (3B Rufus Baylor)

#8 QUE (SP Zuri Boseman)
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COMP PICKS PLACED AT END OF ROUND
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IFA Posting Fees:
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Arbitration Cuts:
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Franchise Tags: (Season 28)
MIN SP Roman Winnister (2 years)
TOR SP Tink Hence (2 years)
HOU LF Montemayor (1 year)
STL SP Jett Murphy (2 years)
SEA SP Denny Hensiek (1 year)
QUE SS Jackson Holliday (1 year)
KCR SP Andre Pallante (2 years)
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Position Changes (Season 28)
PHI Dan Tolbert 2B/SS >>> 2B/1B
OAK Kennan Lowry RF/1B >>> RF/3B
ARI Joshua Ashby SS/UTL>>> UTL/UTL *Penalties incurred*
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Stadium Dimension Changes
Chicago Cubs Big Boost RHH>>>Mild Boost RHH. $10 of budget removed (returned after season).
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New Owner Cut Contracts
BAL OF Jacob Cantleberry ($24/1 cut)
KCR 2B Wayne Wells ($20/3 cut)
KCR 1B Grimm Becker ($20/3 cut)