Pirates General Manager Ben Cherington joins Darragh McDonald to discuss how he's diving deeper into player development in Pittsburgh, why the team has had more success developing pitchers than hitters, how the Pirates considered drafting a position player instead of Paul Skenes, why the they haven't signed a player to a multi-year deal during his tenure, and the necessity of small-market teams to acquire players via trades.

Then Anthony Franco joins the pod to discuss the Orioles locking up their young catcher Samuel Basallo with an 8-year extension, if Adley Rutschman could get moved, Felix Bautista being out for a full year after undergoing shoulder surgery, Zack Wheeler's diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome and the timeline for his return, and whether the Rangers will decide they are out of the playoff race and place players on waivers to dump salary in order to get under the luxury tax threshold. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss news that the Pohlad family will retain majority ownership of the Twins, why fans are unhappy about it, and whether it will lead the team to trade guys like Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan this offseason. Also, what led the Nationals to designate Nathaniel Lowe for assignment and for the Red Sox to sign him, how Josh Hader's capsule sprain will seemingly sideline him for the rest of this season, Zack Wheeler's unknown timeline to return after suffering a blood clot, and how mid-August has become an important time on the calendar in regards to prospect promotion incentives and service time. 

Listener question topics include which bullpen guys could potentially be placed on waivers this month to help their teams shed salary, if the Dodgers will target Kyle Tucker this offseason, and the craziest "come from nowhere" teams to make the playoffs and whether there are any possibilities of that happening this year. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the most recent update to the Free Agent Power Rankings, including a lot of weak performances by players in their walk years, but also guys such as Brandon Woodruff, Lucas Giolito and Bo Bichette who are trending upward. They also get into the details of Roman Anthony's contract extension with the Red Sox. 

Listener question topics include whether Tigers fans should be worried, if Tarik Skubal should be traded this offseason, whether or not Mark Vientos and Pete Alonso will be a part of the Mets' infield next season, and if piggybacking starters makes sense for the Blue Jays down the stretch. 

Anthony Franco and Steve Adams join Darragh McDonald to recap the trade deadline. They discuss the Padres' deadline haul and A.J. Preller's willingness to trade away prospects, Leo De Vries and the rest of the Athletics' return for Mason Miller and JP Sears, the Twins selling off most of their bullpen and dumping Carlos Correa's salary on the Astros, the Mariners bolstering their offense with Eugenio Suarez and Josh Naylor, the Diamondbacks keeping Zac Gallen, the general lack of high-end starters moved this year, whether the Rangers acquisition of Merrill Kelly will put them over the luxury tax, the Mets targeting pitchers with different styles to beef up their bullpen, the Yankees making bullpen moves and those guys struggling in their first looks with their new team, if Ke'Bryan Hayes will hit better with the Reds than he did with the Pirates, whether trading a top prospect for Shane Bieber was a good idea for the Blue Jays, why the Red Sox made the trade for Dustin May, and the Tigers and Cubs not making any big moves.

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss news that the Pohlad family will retain majority ownership of the Twins, why fans are unhappy about it, and whether it will lead the team to trade guys like Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan this offseason. Also, what led the Nationals to designate Nathaniel Lowe for assignment and for the Red Sox to sign him, how Josh Hader's capsule sprain will seemingly sideline him for the rest of this season, Zack Wheeler's unknown timeline to return after suffering a blood clot, and how mid-August has become an important time on the calendar in regards to prospect promotion incentives and service time. 

Listener question topics include which bullpen guys could potentially be placed on waivers this month to help their teams shed salary, if the Dodgers will target Kyle Tucker this offseason, and the craziest "come from nowhere" teams to make the playoffs and whether there are any possibilities of that happening this year. 

Steve Adams and Anthony Franco both join Darragh McDonald to preview Thursday's trade deadline. 

Topics include how teams like the Padres try to simultaneously buy and sell at the deadline, the Royals extending Seth Lugo and deciding to go for it, Luis Robert's future, where pieces from the clear-selling Pirates and Marlins might end up, how the Mariners could leverage their strong farm system in trades, Eugenio Suarez and other trade chips that the Diamondbacks hold, the Yankees trading for Ryan McMahon and how they will act in light of Aaron Judge's injury, the Rockies actually making deadline trades, if the Twins will trade more than just their rentals, how the Emmanuel Clase situation will affect the Guardians' decision making, the Cardinals' questionable retooling strategy, the Brewers not being involved in prominent rumors despite having the best record in baseball, Cincinnati being an unpredictable team as they still sit on the bubble, the Giants probably planning to buy despite being pretty disappointing, whether the Phillies will be motivated to make a huge move, and if the Nationals will move MacKenzie Gore.

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss veteran reliever David Robertson signing a contract with the Phillies after sitting out the first half of the season, which players the Orioles and Athletics seem likely to trade, and how shedding Dane Dunning's salary could allow the Rangers to reallocate that money toward an impact bat.

Listener question topics include whether a Jarren Duran/Jhoan Duran trade could work, if the Angels should be trying to compete, and which players the Cardinals will make available at the deadline. 

Steve Adams joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the Rays' upcoming ownership change and the trade they made for reliever Bryan Baker, the bullpen overhaul the Orioles will have to do this offseason, the Phillies targeting relievers with multiple years of control left, and whether teams on the bubble of contention like the Twins and the Guardians will make a pivot to selling. 

Listener question topics include which 2025 all star is most likely to get traded, if the Red Sox will trade one of their young outfielders for pitching, what will happen to the struggling Tanner Houck when he returns from the IL, whether San Diego could trade Dylan Cease and still make the playoffs, and if Clay Holmes will be able to maintain a starter's workload for the rest of the year.

Anthony Franco joins Darragh McDonald to discuss the site's recent list of the top trade candidates, how the Nationals' underwhelming rebuild led the team to fire Mike Rizzo and Dave Martinez, and whether Spencer Schwellenbach's injury will push the Braves to be full-on sellers. They also talk about how the Yankees slumped while the Blue Jays' win streak rocketed them to first place in the AL East and what each team needs to address at the trade deadline. 

Listener question topics include how the Mariners and D-Backs could line up on a Josh Naylor trade, if the Rangers should go for it or trade their impending free agents, and what upgrades the Mets should try to make. 

MLBTR founder Tim Dierkes joins Darragh McDonald to discuss Griffin Canning's injury and the questionable state of the Mets' rotation, which impact rotation arms that could be available at the deadline, and reports that the Pirates are open to trading most of the players on their roster. 

Listener question topics include the possibility that the Orioles could sell at the deadline and still compete for a wild card, incentives that could be given for small market teams to hold onto premier players, if it makes sense for different players to get traded, including Vinnie Pasquantino,  Eugenio Suarez, Josh Naylor, Alex Bregman an TJ Friedl.