Thyman Arensman had a flair for the dramatic during the final mountain stage of the 2025 Tour de France.

The Dutch rider passed Tour de France leaders Tadej Pogačar and Jonas Vingegaard on the final climb up La Plagne in the French Alps to win Stage 19 on Friday, July 25. It was Arensman’s second stage win in less than a week at this year’s Tour de France and occurred on a shorter-than-expected course.

With just two stages left in the 2025 edition of cycling’s biggest event, Pogačar is closing in on his second-straight Tour de France title (and fourth overall) when the riders make their way down the Champs-Élysées in Paris on Sunday for the traditional finale. Here’s a look at the complete stage 19 results and 2025 Tour de France standings after Friday, July 25, as well as what’s coming up this weekend:

Stage 19 results

Here are the final results of the 93.1-kilometer Stage 19 course from Albertville to La Plagne at the 2025 Tour de France on Friday, July 25 (with position, rider, team, time):

Thymen Arensman, Ineos Grenadiers (2 hours, 46 minutes, 6 seconds)
Jonas Vingegaard, Team Visma | Lease a Bike (2:46.08)
Tadej Pogačar, UAE Team Emirates XRG (2:46.08)
Florian Lipowitz, Red Bull-Bora-Hansgrohe (2:46.12)
Oscar Onley, Team Picnic Postnl (2:46.53)
Felix Gall, Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale Team (2:47.40)
Tobias Johannessen, Uno-X Mobility (2:47.47)
Ben Healy, EF Education-Easypost (2:48.25)
Valentin Paret Peintre, Soudal Quick-Step (2:49.53)
Simon Yates, Team Visma | Lease a Bike (2:50.00)

Tour de France 2025 standings

Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia: 69 hours, 41 minutes, 46 seconds
Jonas Vingegaard, Denmark: 69:46.10 (4 minutes, 24 seconds behind)
Florian Lipowitz, Germany: 69:52.55 (11 minutes, 9 seconds)
Oscar Onley, Great Britain: 69:53.58 (12 minutes, 12 seconds)
Felix Gall, Austria: 69:58.58 (17 minutes, 12 seconds)
Tobias Johannessen, Norway: 70:02.00 (20 minutes, 14 seconds)
Kevin Vauquelin, France: 70:04.21 (22 minutes, 35 seconds)
Primoz Roglic, Slovenia: 70:07.16 (25 minutes, 30 seconds)
Ben Healy, Ireland: 70:09.48 (28 minutes, 2 seconds)
Ben O’Connor, Australia: 70:16.20 (34 minutes, 34 seconds)

2025 Tour de France jersey leaders

Yellow (overall race leader): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
Green (points): Jonathan Milan, Italy
Polka dot (mountains): Tadej Pogačar, Slovenia
White (young rider): Florian Lipowitz, Germany

Who’s wearing the rainbow jersey at 2025 Tour de France?

In addition to the four traditional colored jerseys at the Tour de France, the reigning world road race champion wears a rainbow-colored jersey. It’s white with five colored stripes – blue, red, black, yellow and green (same as the colors of the Olympic rings) – and is currently worn by Tadej Pogačar of Slovenia.

2025 Tour de France next stage

Stage 20 of the 2025 Tour de France is a 184.2-kilometer course on hilly terrain from Nantua to Pantarlier on Saturday, July 26. It is the penultimate race of this year’s event.

LATROBE, Penn. – DK Metcalf heard a knock at the door shortly after he checked into his room at Rooney Hall earlier this week.

“I thought it was my front door, and it was actually my bathroom door,” Metcalf, the new Pittsburgh Steelers receiver, explained after the first training camp practice on Thursday.

Surprise, surprise. Metcalf has a suite mate. And one who comes with big benefits.

“He was like, ‘Aw man, I was hoping it was you,” Metcalf said.

Of course, it is no mere coincidence that the legendary quarterback and big-play receiver are sharing a suite, their dorm rooms separated by a bathroom. The arrangement has Mike Tomlin’s fingerprints all over it. The crafty Steelers coach has been known to sometimes assign stalls in the locker room while seeking to position new players near certain personalities, for one reason or another. So, why not in this case?

That Rodgers and Metcalf will be in such close proximity during training camp – and this camp comes with the need for some serious bonding with several prominent new faces in tow – comes with the potential for all sorts of intangible benefits.

“We can talk about a lot of stuff that we see the same on the field, conversations that we might not get to talk about in the meeting room,” Metcalf said. “He gets to listen to a lot of my music tastes or hear me yell at the video game sometimes. But it will be fun having him across the hall.”

Aaron Rodgers went to Mike Tomlin’s backyard cookout. There was chemistry (and good food)

They will expedite the curve of getting to know each other, that’s for sure. Metcalf, the seventh-year veteran obtained in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, enjoys playing video games in his spare time. Rodgers caught wind of that on Wednesday as Metcalf played an NCAA-themed game on his console.

“He walked in my room yesterday and said, ‘Oh, you’re gaming!” Metcalf said.

“And then he just walked out.”

Rodgers, 41, has had a healthy share of roommates and suitemates during an NFL career that began 21 years ago in the Green Bay Packers camp at St. Norbert’s College. Metcalf, it seems, fits the profile for an ideal suitemate in his mind for reasons that go beyond strengthening the connection with a go-to target.

“I was here Tuesday night and not many other guys were here other than the rookies, and when I got in the room and realized we were sharing something, I was secretly hoping it wasn’t a big lineman or something,” Rodgers said. “Maybe somebody who cared about their hygiene a little bit. So, when I walked in, I saw a standard suitcase. I said, ‘Oh, I think it’s going to be good. This is probably DK.”

Training camp clearly provides the setting to develop chemistry, and the Steelers’ old-school setup – Pittsburgh is one of the few NFL teams that still goes away to a college campus for camp, at St. Vincent’s College for the 58th year – amplifies that theme.

In the case of Rodgers and Metcalf, though, this chemistry was launched months ago. In March, while Rodgers contemplated his future, Metcalf flew to Los Angeles and worked out with the quarterback at UCLA. It added fuel to the speculation that Rodgers would ultimately sign with the Steelers…and laid a foundation for the current prospects.

“We talked about a lot of football stuff,” Rodgers said. “We FaceTime, we texted during the offseason after minicamp. So, we’ve got a good relationship. It’s going to just keep on growing.”

Metcalf: “I’m going to try to soak up as much knowledge as I can. I’m going to listen to everything. Even the criticisms he has; I’m going to be really open, searching for those answers from him. He’s had great receivers in the past. I’m just trying to be among them.”

There is no denying that the bond that Metcalf and Rodgers develop as a go-to connection will be essential to the best-case scenario for the Steelers offense. Yet it’s also evident that Rodgers, a newcomer assuming the ultimate leadership position for an established team, has made it a priority to quickly try developing bonds throughout the team.

Since signing just before the team’s mandatory minicamp in June, though, Rodgers has tried to make up for lost time. In the window before training camp, he hosted skill-positioned players for workouts in Malibu, Calif., where he has a home.

Steelers’ star pass rusher T.J. Watt got his megadeal. Now comes the hard part

Also, on the day he signed his one-year contract in June, Rodgers attended a cookout at Tomlin’s house and spent several hours mingling with members of the coaching staff. The next day, he went to a cookout that veteran defensive end Cam Heyward hosted at his house for players. And the day after that, Rodgers showed up at Heyward’s charity golf tournament.

The effort to mesh with his new team was surely noticed.

“I know it wasn’t on everybody’s time frame for when things were supposed to happen, but I can only speak to the man I met,” Heyward told USA TODAY Sports. “When a guy comes to my golf outing or comes to my house and interacts with my family, with me and my teammates, that’s all I can ask for. I think that’s a good start.”

How it ends remains to be seen for a team hoping to become a legitimate contender. Yet Rodgers seems to be all-in for the bonding – and his new suitemate can vouch for that.

Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media:

On X: @JarrettBell

On Bluesky: jarrettbell.bsky.social

Major League Baseball’s annual transaction bazaar is nearly here. And for fans of less-dominant teams, the concept of “selling” at the trade deadline holds some appeal.

It might indicate their favorite franchise is showing some semblance of direction, that the hope of the unknown remains preferable to the drudgery of the present. But in this era of deadline gridlock thanks to extra wild card berths and clubs clutching their best prospects ever closer to them, the gifts that arrive at the end of July are more suitable for a white elephant exchange than an actual holiday.

And for clubs hovering around or just below .500, selling means kicking the can down the road again, at least in part because internal “playoff odds” might not suggest earnestly competing is the best choice.

So just what did last year bring, and are the sellers better off?

Not a lot: Of the 83 prospects acquired, three have become replacement-level big league regulars, and one – Marlins slugger Kyle Stowers – an All-Star. Two more are platoon players.

Yet just two traded prospects cracked the top five of the acquiring team’s most recent prospects list as rated by Baseball America, while 17 others are currently in an organizational top 30. And not a single current top 100 overall prospect changed organizations.

Just call the following an exercise in managing expectations.

USA TODAY Sports examined the biggest deals in the last week leading up to the 2024 deadline, excluding trades that didn’t involve obvious buyers and sellers, blatant cash dumps, those involving players designated for assignment and similarly minor moves.

As that seven-day window opens for 2025, is it worth it for clubs to get ‘something’ instead of nothing? Let’s see:

The biggest deals

Dodgers get: INF/OF Tommy Edman, RHP Michael Kopech, RHP Oliver Gonzalez

Cardinals get: RHP Erick Fedde, OF Tommy Pham

White Sox get: INF Miguel Vargas, INF Jeral Perez, INF Alexander Albertus

Outcome: Dodgers win World Series; Cardinals finish 83-79; White Sox finish 41-121

Aftermath: The two Dodger blockbusters certainly pushed them over the top to a World Series title and they even convinced Edman to stick around a while. Kopech was a regular season and playoff savior, posting eight scoreless outings in 10 postseason games, although he’s been injured almost all this year. The Cardinals failed to make the postseason and Fedde, though solid down the 2024 stretch, was designated for assignment last week. For all those moving parts, the White Sox got little assurance of a future cornerstone. Vargas flourished momentarily with a long runway for big league at-bats but now has a .221/.304/.402 line with 12 homers. Perez, 20, is ranked 22nd in the Sox system and has a .296 OBP at high A while Albertus has played just 19 career games outside of complex league ball.

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Dodgers get: RHP Jack Flaherty

Tigers get: SS Trey Sweeney, C Thayron Liranzo

Outcome: Tigers win wild-card series, lose in AL Division Series

Aftermath: The trade that broke all conventions. The Dodgers snagged the most significant starting pitcher upgrade just before the deadline and Flaherty started three of the Dodgers’ 11 postseason victories. Meanwhile, the Tigers regrouped behind a “pitching chaos” plan, gained an everyday shortstop in Sweeney, reached the playoffs – and re-signed Flaherty in the off-season. Kids, don’t try this at home. Something about the exception that proves the rule.

As for assets? Check back. After solidifying shortstop last season, Sweeney has produced negative WAR and a 63 adjusted OPS this season, which included a brief trip to Class AAA. Liranzo, 22, is No. 4 in Baseball America’s midseason re-rank of the Tigers’ system, with a .748 OPS at Class AA.

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Padres get: LHP Tanner Scott, RHP Bryan Hoeing

Marlins get: LHP Robby Snelling, RHP Adam Mazur, LHP Jay Beshears, INF Graham Paulling

Outcome: Padres win wild-card series, lose in NL Division Series; Marlins finish 62-100

Aftermath: San Diego won the stakes for the top reliever on the market and gave the Dodgers their toughest fight of October, losing a five-game NLDS thriller. Scott left as a free agent; Hoeing remains a member of the Padres’ bullpen.

The Marlins fortified their system, getting their current No. 4 (Snelling), No. 7 (Mazur) and No. 22 (Paulling) prospects, though only Snelling – having a nice bounceback year at Class AA and AAA – projects as a potential impact player.

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Blue Jays get: INF/OF Will Wagner, INF/OF Joey Loperfido, RHP Jake Bloss

Outcome: Astros lose AL wild card series; Blue Jays finish 74-88

Aftermath: A pretty good ol’ fashioned deadline deal here, even as there’s no carrying potential star in the return. Kikuchi pitched great in Houston (5-1, 2.70 ERA) yet somehow did not start a playoff game before the Astros went two-and-out. Wagner and Loperfido have played in 33 and 10 games respectively for the Jays, each sitting on 0.0 WAR (and if that’s not the perfect illustration for the modern trade deadline return…). Bloss, now the Blue Jays’ No. 13 ranked prospect, underwent Tommy John surgery in May after six rocky outings at Class AAA.

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Yankees get: INF Jazz Chisholm

Marlins get: C Agustin Ramírez, INF Jared Serna, INF Abrahan Ramírez

Outcome: Yankees advance to World Series

Aftermath: Chisholm was a key immediate and future piece for the Yankees, producing an .825 OPS and 11 regular season homers and filling a massive hole at third, sometimes with difficulty defensively. He’s their everyday All-Star second baseman this year.

It looked like a strong return for the Marlins after Agustin Ramírez debuted April 21 and slugged six homers with a .923 OPS in his first 23 games. He’s hit eight more homers but with just a .674 OPS and 19% K rate in the 54 games since. Abrahan Ramírez is their No. 22 prospect but at 20 is still in the Florida complex league; Serna, 23, is on the 40-man roster but has a .569 OPS at Class AA.

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Orioles get: LHP Trevor Rogers

Marlins get: OF Kyle Stowers, INF Connor Norby

Outcome: Orioles lose in AL wild card series

Aftermath: Like the Flaherty trade above, this one went haywire from the jump. Rogers was bad and injured for a very good Orioles team down the stretch; he’s now very good for a bad Orioles team this season. Meanwhile, the Orioles made a potentially crushing mistake in choosing Stowers to deal from their surplus of outfielders. After three years on the Baltimore-AAA shuttle, he’s an All-Star and possible superstar in Miami, with 22 homers, a .295 average and .937 OPS. Norby started out hot in Miami but has cooled, with a .291 OBP and 13 homers in 108 games as a Marlin. Still, he’s a useful big league piece and if there’s anything we learned from this deadline, it’s this: The Marlins seem to know what they’re doing.

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Orioles get: RHP Zach Eflin and cash

Rays get: INF Mac Horvath, RHP Jackson Baumeister, OF Matthew Etzel

Outcome: Rays finish 80-82

Aftermath: Eflin served his purpose, delivering a 2.60 ERA in 10 starts and a representative playoff outing; he’s been injured and inconsistent in 2025 and, having just returned from the IL, is a likely candidate to get traded again this week. The modern front office is unafraid to trade within divisions and the Orioles appeared to pull this deal off without getting burnt by the savvy Rays.

Baumeister, a second-round pick and the highest-drafted pitcher in the Mike Elias era, fell out of the Rays’ top 30 and is on the 60-day IL in Class AA after a 6.86 ERA in 10 Class AA starts. Horvath (23, .765 OPS at high A) and Etzel (23, .707 at AA) don’t appear to be impact players.

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Phillies get: RHP Carlos Estévez

Angels get: LHP Samuel Aldegheri, RHP George Klassen

Outcome: Phillies lose in NLDS; Angels finish 63-99

Aftermath: Kind of the platonic ideal deal for both franchises. The Phillies burn trade capital to try and win now under Dave Dombrowski, who’s ultimately undercut by his bullpen. And the Angels acquire OK talent that’s, in Aldegheri’s case, rushed to the majors with uninspired results. Aldegheri posted a 4.85 ERA in three starts last year and two relief appearances this year; he has a 4.75 ERA at Class AA and is ranked No. 8 in the system. Klassen, 23, has a bit more upside, ranked No. 4 in the system and a Futures Game pick this year thanks to what Baseball America calls “mid-rotation upside.” But his command remains iffy, with a 5.86 ERA and 28 walks in 58 ⅓ Class AA innings.

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Padres get: RHP Jason Adam

Rays get: RHP Dylan Lesko, OF Homer Bush Jr., C J.D. Gonzalez

Aftermath: Padres first-rounders are drafted to be traded and in two years Lesko went from 15th overall pick to the Rays’ system, as Adam was a stalwart in ’24 and an All-Star this year for the ever-contending Padres. The cost? Not much. Lesko, 21, made just four starts this year at high A before he was shut down. Bush is ranked No. 24 in the Rays’ system and has speed (33 steals at Class AA) but zero power. Gonzalez, 19, is on the 60-day IL at high A rehabbing an injured elbow and has slipped out of the organizational top 30.

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Royals get: RHP Lucas Erceg

Athletics get: RHP Mason Barnett, RHP Will Klein, OF Jared Dickey

Outcome: Royals win AL wild card series, lose in ALDS: Athletics finish 69-93

Aftermath: A great pickup for Kansas City, giving it a stout bullpen for the playoff drive and a controllable relief arm; in fact, Erceg may be flipped this year as the Royals hover near the buy-sell line. The A’s landed their now-No. 4 prospect in Barnett, who shined at Class AA before a mixed stint at AAA this year. Klein was sold to Seattle in January.

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Mariners get: OF Randy Arozarena

Rays get: RHP Brody Hopkins, OF Aidan Smith and a player to be named

Outcome: Mariners finish 85-77

Aftermath: The Rays have built mini-empires off trading with Jerry Dipoto, though this one was pretty symbiotic. Seattle missed the playoffs last year but Arozarena is still producing at an All-Star level this year, even as Tampa Bay has largely readjusted its offense without him. Hopkins, a Futures Game selection, has made gains in the Rays pitching program and is now their No. 5 prospect, with 99 strikeouts in 81 innings and a 3.32 ERA in 18 Class AA starts. Smith, who turned 21 July 23, is No. 12 in the Rays’ system and trending well at Class AA, his 10 homers and 26 steals auguring a versatile offensive profile.

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Guardians get: OF Lane Thomas

Nationals get: LHP Alex Clemmey, INF Rafael Ramirez Jr., INF Jose Tena

Outcome: Guardians win AL Central, lose in AL Championship Series; Nationals finish 71-91

Aftermath: Thomas hit an epic postseason home run in Cleveland, though his overall production tailed off switching leagues in the trade. The Nationals hit on Clemmey, a Futures Game participant who’s now their No. 5 prospect, but still has a long climb ahead from A ball. Tena has shown no power or speed and league-average hit ability in major league stints, while Ramirez has spent all season on the Class A injured list.

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Guardians get: RHP Alex Cobb

Giants get: LHP Jacob Bresnahan and player to be named (INF Nate Furman)

Outcome: Guardians win AL Central, lose in AL Championship Series; Giants finish 80-82

Aftermath: Cobb didn’t pitch for the Giants in ’24 due to injury but made three effective starts down the stretch and started two playoff games for the Guardians, who won his ALDS outing against Detroit before he was injured again in the ALCS.

Bresnahan, 20, is ranked 16th in the Giants system and having a decent year in low A; Furman has yet to play in their system due to injury.

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Royals get: RHP Michael Lorenzen

Rangers get: LHP Walter Pennington

Outcome: Rangers finish 78-84

Aftermath: In a weird buy-sell deadline for the Rangers, the Royals got the veteran arm they needed for a playoff drive as Lorenzen posted a 1.57 ERA down the stretch, joined the playoff bullpen and re-signed in K.C. Pennington made a one-game debut with the Rangers but was placed on waivers in April and claimed by Baltimore.

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Marlins get: INF Deyvison De Los Santos, OF Andrew Pintar

Outcome: Diamondbacks finish 89-73, miss playoffs on tiebreaker

Aftermath: Puk pitched splendidly down the stretch for Arizona, but underwent an internal brace elbow reconstruction in June; he should recover to pitch in the 2026 second half before hitting free agency. Whle De Los Santos, now the Marlins’ No. 18 prospect, led all the minor leagues with 40 homers in 2025, his strikeout rate – 27% this year, with 11 homers – has long diminished his stature as a prospect. Pintar, 25, has reached Class AAA but is not on the 40-man roster.

The middling middle

Mariners get: DH/INF Justin Turner

Blue Jays get: OF RJ Schreck

Aftermath: Turner was solid (.363 OBP, .766 OPS) in 48 games with the Mariners and while they didn’t make the playoffs, his lasting impact was as hitting counselor for franchise player Cal Raleigh. Schreck, 24, is Toronto’s No. 16 prospect and has reached Class AA (.941 OPS in 41 games).

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Mariners get: RHP Yimi Garcia

Blue Jays get: OF Jonatan Clase, C Jacob Sharp

Aftermath: Garcia was a decent high-leverage relief prize (2.70 ERA) at the deadline but didn’t pitch nearly as well (6.00) in 10 games with Seattle. For that, the Blue Jays got a utility guy who produced a 64 adjusted OPS in 112 plate appearances this year before heading to the minors, and a 23-year-old Class AA catcher with a .195 slugging percentage.

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Brewers get: RHP Nick Mears

Rockies get: RHP Bradley Blalock, RHP Yujanyer Herrera

Outcome: Brewers lose in NL wild card; Rockies finish 61-101

Aftermath: Mears is still paying dividends for the ever-contending Brewers, with a 0.85 WHIP this year. Blalock has a 7.18 ERA in 14 games, 11 starts, for Colorado the past two years and has an 8.32 ERA at Class AAA. Herrera, 21, underwent Tommy John surgery in October.

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Mets get: OF Jesse Winker

Nationals get: RHP Tyler Stuart

Outcome: Mets lose in NLCS

Aftermath: The vibes were good enough for Winker in New York, who goes back to childhood in Orlando with Francisco Lindor, that they re-upped him in the winter, and he’s produced at replacement level for a calendar year. Stuart, who turns 26 in October, is the Nationals’ No. 18 prospect but is out for the year with an elbow injury that’s limited him to 10 appearances.

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Rangers get: C Carson Kelly

Tigers get: RHP Tyler Owens, C Liam Hicks

Aftermath: Kelly’s star turn wouldn’t come until he joined the Cubs this year; he provided an 84 adjusted OPS to Texas’ futile playoff run. Owens, 24, is Detroit’s 16th-ranked prospect and made three relief appearances this season, but has been hit hard in Class AAA Toledo’s pen.

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Padres get: LHP Martín Pérez

Pirates get: LHP Ronaldys Jimenez

Outcome: Pirates finish 76-86

Aftermath: Pérez was a near-ideal deadline stopgap, pitching to a 3.46 ERA in 10 starts, though he did not make San Diego’s postseason rosters. Jimenez, 19, has a 4.28 ERA as a reliever for the Pirates’ Florida complex team.

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Brewers get: RHP Frankie Montas

Reds get: RHP Jakob Junis, OF Joey Wiemer, cash

Outcome: Reds finish 77-85

Aftermath: The fifth trade of Montas’s career, he made 11 starts for the Brewers and one playoff start, his 3 ⅔ innings apparently convincing the Mets to give him an ill-advised contract last winter. Junis was on an expiring contract, while Wiemer played in two games for the Reds and was a throw-in in the winter deal sending Jonathan India to Kansas City for pitcher Brady Singer. He’s spent all season in Class AAA.

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Diamondbacks get: RHP Dylan Floro

Nationals get: INF Andres Chaparro

Aftermath: Floro had a 2.06 ERA when the Nationals flipped him; he posted a 9.37 mark in 15 games with Arizona. Chaparro, 26, got three hits in his major league debut with Washington but batted .186 (24-for-132) since and has a .228/.333/.465 line at Class AAA.

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Rangers get: LHP Andrew Chafin

Tigers get: RHP Joseph Montalvo, RHP Chase Lee

Aftermath: Yet another uncommon W for the Tigers, who deal a major league regular yet finish 34-19 and reach the playoffs while adding Lee, now their No. 15 prospect and a reliable (1.05 WHIP) member of their big league bullpen.

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Yankees get: RHP Mark Leiter Jr.

Cubs get: INF Ben Cowles, RHP Jack Neely

Outcome: Cubs finish 83-79

Aftermath: A classic get-us-an-arm deal, Leiter provided the Yankees a relief body and was actually better (1.98 ERA) in the postseason than the regular season (4.98). Cowles, 25, has a .233/.296/.379 line at Class AAA; Neely made six relief appearances for the Cubs last season but has a 6.91 ERA in AAA.

Smaller potatoes

Red Sox get: RHP Luis Garcia

Angels get: RHP Ryan Zeferjahn, CF Matthew Lugo, RHP Yeferson Vargas, 1B/DH Niko Kavadas

Outcome: Red Sox finish 81-81

Aftermath: A classic modern Red Sox half-measure, where they don’t really sell but also don’t buy anything of significance and leave fans wondering what the point was. Garcia logged an 8.22 ERA in 15 games; while the Red Sox basically gave the Angels a bunch of guys, Zeferjahn, Lugo and Kavadas have made their major league debuts, with Lugo a potentially useful utility player. Warm bodies, anyway, more than the Red Sox can now say about Garcia.

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Red Sox get: C Danny Jansen

Blue Jays get: SS Eddinson Paulino, INF Cutter Coffey, RHP Gilberto Batista

Aftermath: See above. Jansen capped off the worst year of his career by hitting .188 in 30 games for Boston. None of the Jays’ acquisitions rank in their top 30, and only Paulino, a 155-pound 23-year-old, is playing above A ball.

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Mets get: RHP Huascar Brazoban

Marlins get: OF Wilfredo Lara

Aftermath: Brazoban was good (2.90 ERA) for the Marlins, bad (5.14, no playoff run) for the Mets, though he’s still around as a sentient member of the Mets’ bullpen, striking out a batter an inning. Lara, 21, has a .203/.300/.326 line at high A.

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Pirates get: INF Isiah Kiner-Falefa

Blue Jays get: OF Charles McAdoo

Outcome: Pirates finish 76-86; Blue Jays finish 74-88

Aftermath: Hey, remember the time the Pirates were buyers, kind of? Yeah, we don’t, either. But Pittsburgh was 55-52 before finishing 21-34  and just two games ahead of Toronto – which added who’s now its 20th-ranked prospect in McAdoo, 23, who has a .749 OPS and 10 homers at Class AA.

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Pirates get: LHP Jalen Beeks

Rockies get: LHP Luis Peralta

Aftermath: Those swashbucklin’ Pirates were active at the deadline, though Beeks produced a 1.79 WHIP in 26 games for them. Peralta has made 24 relief appearances over two sesons with the Rockies but has a 10.72 ERA at Class AAA this year.

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Mets get: RHP Paul Blackburn

Athletics get: RHP Kade Morris

Aftermath: Blackburn was hurt before this deal and also this year but was a five-start stopgap for the NLCS finalists. Meanwhile, the A’s coached up Morris, 23, into their No. 8 overall prospect after a strong half season at Class AA.

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Diamondbacks get: 1B Josh Bell

Marlins get: Cash considerations

Aftermath: The “or player to be named later” never showed up so this was just a cash dump; Nationals fans should have similar expectations with Bell on the block once again, though he did have a .796 OPS in Arizona’s failed playoff drive.

COOPERSTOWN, NY – They come from Appalachia; Aichi, Japan; Wampum, Pennsylvania; Vallejo, California; and Cincinnati, Ohio.

They are sluggers, a slap hitter, an ace and a closer.

The quintet makes up one of the most diverse Baseball Hall of Fame classes in history, including three Black players and the first Japanese-born inductee.

Outfielder Ichiro Suzuki, starting pitcher CC Sabathia, reliever Billy Wagner and deceased Dave Parker and Dick Allen all will be inducted Sunday, July 27, into the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in front of a crowd that could be the largest in history.

“It’s an incredible Hall of Fame class,’ Hall of Fame closer Goose Gossage tells USA TODAY Sports. “These guys all come from different backgrounds and eras, but the thing I love about these guys is their respect for the game, and their place in history.’

CC Sabathia

Sabathia, the 2007 AL Cy Young winner who won 251 games, is hoping that his induction will help pave the way for more young Black pitchers in the game. He will be only the third Black pitcher to be elected into the Hall of Fame with only 15 Black pitchers who have won 20 games, with David Price the last in 2012.

“The one thing that keeps crossing my mind is who’s next?” says Sabathia, who is a special assistant to Commissioner Rob Manfred. “I’m on the search for who’s next and what I can do to get that person or kid on the mound and going in the right direction.’

Sabathia meets with young players today in camps across the country, letting them know that if a kid like him can make it out of Vallejo, they can do it, too.

“Especially with where I came from, just knowing that I’m going to be someplace where the best that ever played have been honored,’ Sabathia says, “is really amazing. When I was still playing, Reggie (Jackson) would tell me that having the Hall of Fame attached to my name would give me an edge in life. It’s going to be amazing to finally get there.”

Ichiro Suzuki

When Suzuki arrived in Seattle in 2001, he was already a star in Japan, but he had no idea whether his success would translate to the United States. Well, 3,089 hits, 10 All-Star selections and 10 Gold Gloves later, and he helped open the door for three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani and the current crop of Japanese players in MLB.

“We’re able to play this game because of players of the past,” says Suzuki. “Baseball is human beings playing against human beings, and to have the passion and the energy that is created by that is something that I really hope is still part of the game. That’s what I really value. It is very important to me that baseball continues to be a game that has the human element to it, with all the emotions and everything that comes along with having humans play this game. …

“If I can be of any help to the players, that’s why I’m here.”

Billy Wagner

Wagner, who already is allotting time for interruptions during his Hall of Fame speech to wipe away tears, will remind everyone that he came from poverty. His dinners often consisted of crackers and water while growing up in the homes of different relatives with his parents divorcing when he was 5, and attending 11 different schools.

“I was just a poor kid,’ Wagner said, “who didn’t back down.’

Wagner will let everyone know that he’ll continue to do everything in his power to help grow the game as a high school baseball coach, knowing it may not be the same as when he played, but the game still remains great.

‘Our game’s always going to evolve,’’ Wagner says, “and there’s always going to be parts that we like and we don’t like. Every era has that moment. … But I think the game on the field is as great as it’s ever been. But I guess the way we portray it, and push it forward, that’s the biggest thing.’

Dick Allen

Dick Allen, who died in 2020, represents the strength of fighting racism during his career. He received death threats playing in Little Rock, Arkansas, as the minor league team’s first Black player, and was later pelted with batteries and garbage playing for the Philadelphia Phillies.

Fergie Jenkins, who along with Bob Gibson were the only other Black Hall of Fame pitchers before Sabathia, vividly remembers the pain. They were not only teammates, but roommates in Little Rock.

“Dick was a real personal guy, I mean, he got along with everybody,’ Jenkins told USA TODAY Sports. “Nobody ever bothered me, but then Dick bought a car, and I think that was the wrong thing to do. They bannered that thing all of the time. They were always putting stuff on it. There were people in the stands who didn’t like him with name calling.

“It was just those times in segregation. We couldn’t stay with the same players on the road. We stayed in a brothel one year in the summer. Another year we stayed in a funeral home. We couldn’t eat in the same restaurants. We had to give our money to other players, have them order the food, and have them bring it back to us in the bus.

“I only stayed a month and a half. Dick was there all year. He never forgot it.’

Allen went on to become one of the greatest sluggers of his era, hitting 351 homers with a .534 slugging percentage, but his refusal to accept the bigotry and racial hatred in the country prevented him from getting the accolades he deserved.

“Dick Allen played the game in the most conservative era in baseball history,’ Hall of Famer Willie Stargell once said. “It was a time of change and protest in the country, and baseball reacted against all that. They saw it as a threat to the game. The sportswriters were reactionary too. They didn’t like seeing a man of such extraordinary skills doing it his way. Dick Allen was ahead of his time. His views and way of doing things would go unnoticed today.’’

Says Gossage: “He’s the greatest ballplayer I’ve ever seen play in my life. There’s no telling the numbers this guy could have put up if all he worried about was stats. He’s the smartest baseball man I’ve ever been around in my life. He taught me so much about pitching and how to respect the game. He’s probably the most misunderstood player in the history of the game.’

Dave Parker

The shame is that Allen, and Parker, aren’t alive to stand on the stage themselves to deliver their speeches. Parker, who died just a month ago from Parkinson’s, let his son know just what he wanted to convey before he died.

“That’s just heartbreaking,’ said Gossage, who was also teammates with Parker. “Dave was one of my all-time favorite teammates. He was a true five-tool player. He was like Dick. There was not one ounce of BS from those guys.’

Parker’s speech will remind folks of the leadership legacy he left behind. Sure, he was a fabulous player as an MVP, seven-time All-Star, three-time Silver Slugger winner, three-time Gold Glove winner, two-time batting champion and two-time World Series champion. Yet he will be remembered as one of the game’s finest team leaders, guiding the Pirates to the 1979 World Series title while mentoring Reds stars Barry Larkin and Eric Davis in Cincinnati.

“The Pirates meant a lot to me,’ Parker said in a Zoom call after learning of his election in December. “They were a great brotherhood, and they were always behind me. I could leave, come back, and everything is the same.’’

Now, they’ll be immortalized together, with Suzuki, Sabathia and Wagner on stage and Allen and Parker smiling from the heavens.

They’ll be enshrined in this beautiful hallowed place where Suzuki visited seven times, easily the most by an active player during his career. The next time he walks in he’ll see his plaque inside the gallery room alongside his new Hall of Fame teammates.

“Ichiro would go all of the time and I always wondered why,’ Sabathia said. “Now I know. It would have been super-motivating as a player. It’s almost like a church. It’s surreal to be in that room, especially now as a Hall of Famer, with my peers.

“When I walked in there, I almost came to tears. The way the sun beams through, it’s almost magical.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Who is getting inducted in the Baseball Hall of Fame?

The 2025 Baseball Hall of Fame class features five inductees

Ichiro Suzuki
CC Sabathia
Billy Wagner
Dave Parker
Dick Allen

A pro wrestling great paid tribute to a pro wrestling icon on Friday.

Pro wrestling legend Hulk Hogan – real name Terry Bollea – died on Thursday, July 24, leaving behind an indelible mark on the world of professional wrestling. In the 1980s, Hogan became one of wrestling’s biggest superstars, helping propel the American wrestling scene to greater heights.

Dwayne Johnson, known in professional wrestling as The Rock, has a history with Hogan that goes beyond the squared circle. Johnson spent time in wrestling locker rooms during his childhood as his father Rocky Johnson traveled the country with the World Wrestling Federation (now WWE).

On Friday, July 25, Johnson posted a lengthy tribute to Hogan on X, thanking him for the path he set as a professional wrestler when he was a young boy:

He wrote:

‘To millions of little kids you were a childhood hero – myself included. In 1984, I gave you your ‘HULKSTER’ headband back, in the locker room in Madison Square Garden – I was the lucky kid caught it when you threw it in the crowd.

‘You were wrestling ‘Mr Wonderful’, Paul Orndorff that night in the main event. You were shocked and so happy after the match because you told me that was your very last headband and if it weren’t for me, you’d have no way of getting that exact one made again.

‘You promised me that you would get more made and give me a Hulkster headband of my own as a thank you gift. A month later in Madison Square Garden, you did just that. You kept your word, with a handshake and a ‘thanks kid’. And that meant the world to that little 12 year old boy.

‘Just 17 years later, and still a kid at the age of 29 years old – I’m standing in the middle of the ring and facing you – one of my wrestling heroes in the main event of WRESTLEMANIA. The match was to decide who would go down in history, as The Greatest of All Time.

‘When you kick out of my Rock Bottom finisher – just listen and FEEL that crowd go ELECTRIC… all for you. I’ve never felt anything like that in my entire wrestling career. It takes two to tango, but that historic crowd reaction was all for you.

‘You may have ‘passed the torch’ to me that night, but you, my friend…. … you ‘drew the house’ meaning you sold out every arena and stadium across the country in your prime as Hulk Hogan, on your way of becoming the greatest of all time.

‘From deep in my bones, and on behalf of this wild and crazy world of professional wrestling that we love, I say to you now, and forever… Thank you for the house, brother… Thank you, for the house. RIP Terry Bollea aka Hulk Hogan.’

While the Rock and Hogan didn’t actually main event WrestleMania 18 – that was an honor reserved for Triple H and Chris Jericho in a championship fight – their match is widely considered the biggest on that card and one of the biggest WrestleMania bouts in the event’s history.

Johnson, now a Hollywood star while sitting on the board of TKO (WWE’s parent company) has made sporadic appearances for WWE in recent years.

Hogan was 71.

There is probably little good that can come from President Trump’s executive order on college sports given that it’s legally questionable, vaguely written in terms of enforcement and an unpredictable stick of dynamite thrown into the middle of legislative movement on the current SCORE Act making its way through the House of Representatives.

But rather than trying to limit by presidential edict how and what college athletes get paid, there is something Trump could do that would address one of the major concerns for his administration. 

Much of the executive order focuses on protecting opportunities for Olympic sport athletes. With athletic budgets getting squeezed by up to $20.5 million going directly to athletes thanks to the House vs. NCAA settlement, there’s widespread fear that non-revenue programs across the country will be on the chopping block. 

And given the NCAA’s role as the de facto development system for much of America’s success at the Olympics every four years, a significantly smaller allotment of scholarships could mean both fewer educational opportunities for young people and an erosion of America’s standing on the medal table. 

So here’s a suggestion for the Trump Administration: Want to leave a legacy for Olympic sports? Use government money to fund them. 

In nearly every country around the world except the United States of America, federal dollars are funding Olympic sports programs. But here, it’s the responsibility of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee and college athletic departments. The former is funded by corporate sponsorships and private donations. The latter is funded by college football. 

That system, imperfect as it may be, has worked for a long time. If it doesn’t work anymore because the economics of college sports have changed, then we need to tweak the system.

And if international domination of swimming, track and field and gymnastics is a priority for America, then what’s the problem with taxpayers having a little skin in the game? It’s not as if public dollars paying for sports is a new concept in this country. You can find the evidence by driving past nearly any pro stadium or arena if you live in a major city.

Surely there are some smart people who can figure out how to build a federally funded joint partnership between the USOPC, various National Governing Bodies and the NCAA that coordinates and supports elite athlete development in a handful of Olympic sports that matter most, allowing schools to focus on providing opportunities and educating those who need athletic scholarships to attend college. 

Admittedly, this idea is a little radical, potentially impractical and rife with unintended consequences. 

But one way it could work, at least in theory, is that a certain percentage of the top American recruits in the key Olympic pipeline sports would go into a recruiting pool. When they choose a school, this government-funded organization would pay for the four-year scholarship, attach an NIL payment for the athlete to represent the organization and provide a grant to the school as reimbursement for the development cost.

To make it more equitable, schools would be limited to a certain number of recruits every year from that elite pool of athletes. The rest of the roster would be filled with either foreign athletes or non-elite American recruits that they must pay for themselves. 

One obvious criticism of this plan is that smaller schools would get squeezed out even further, given that they’re more likely to have a budget crisis than a Texas or an Ohio State and less likely to recruit elite athletes. 

This might require the NCAA to rethink how it stratifies schools into three divisions and instead move toward a two-tiered model where you either meet certain scholarship and funding standards to be in the Olympic development division or compete in the non-Olympic division, which would functionally be more like intramural or club sports. 

And maybe none of this is workable. But the point is, it’s time to come up with some creative, bold solutions rather than just whining about how schools can’t afford to pay for their non-revenue sports anymore. 

For many, many years, the USOPC has gotten a free ride on the back of the NCAA system, which has only been possible because universities illegally colluded not to share revenues with the athletes that played a significant role in generating them. 

But the good news is, all the systems are in place to keep Team USA’s supremacy intact. There has to be a way for more formal collaboration between the USOPC and the NCAA that can save scholarships, development opportunities and teams from being cut. 

It just needs the funding. And the federal government can make that happen. Trump can make that happen. 

If he wants a real and lasting legacy as a president who kept the Olympic movement stable at a time of necessary change in college sports, that’s how he can do it. Not an executive order destined to be picked apart and ultimately made irrelevant.

LAS VEGAS — He could’ve changed it all, pulled back the curtain on the underbelly of college football and revealed its sordid secrets.

And he punted.

There was new UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava, ground zero for all that is wrong in the new age of player empowerment in college football, taking the fifth at Big Ten media days on Thursday, July 24 when he could’ve been transcendent. 

Shutting it down when he should’ve lit it up.

New team, new goals, but no new answers from the one player with intimate knowledge of – and in a unique position to explain – how the nation’s second-most popular sport has driven its spotless reputation into the ditch with a never-ending money grab by players and universities.

“I don’t speak on money matters,” Iamaleava said over and over. “I’m just here for ball and school.”

And away we go.

Iamaleava, whose $8 million dollar deal with Tennessee three years ago started NIL money madness, could’ve stood long and strong in his first public comments about his controversial departure. Stretch his 6-feet-6 frame to expand beyond his orbit, and proudly explain his controversial leverage move to UCLA and everything that came with it.

He could’ve detailed how the player procurement sausage is made – recruiting, contract negotiations, predatory sports agents and their bloated fees, prove-it or lose it rosters spots, player retention and player run-off – and how, despite what Joe Sixpack thinks, players aren’t the boogeyman.

Instead he talked about “false (media) reports” and the “noise” outside his inner circle that he ignores by playing video games. He said he loved his time at Tennessee, and he just wanted to go home to Los Angeles.

“It’s not about the money,” he said. “I did what was best for me.”

If you want to blame someone for this convoluted and multiplying mess, for the constant state of flux and turnover among 265 Bowl and Championship Subdivision football playing schools, don’t blame the players.

They’re simply working within the rules laid out by those in power. Or lack of rules. 

The real villain in the process are universities presidents. Not players, not coaches, not conference commissioners. 

Presidents run college football, and frankly, a majority have no idea what they’re doing.  

The same university presidents who five years ago saw the get yours, shared revenue train barreling down the tracks and ignored it — then said, screw it, let’s allow players to negotiate NIL deals with free player movement. 

What could go wrong?

The same university presidents who time after time watched their dysfunctional NCAA lose spectacularly in major legal cases, but kept doubling down on stupid. 

It doesn’t really matter why Iamaleava left Tennessee, or how or why he used leverage days before the opening of the spring portal. Or how it failed. 

Doesn’t matter if he tried to push Tennessee to put more pieces from the portal around him so he could further develop his NFL bonafides, or if it were just a money play. Or both.

What matters is an unguarded system has been set up, and players are taking advantage of the system. Why wouldn’t they?

Iamaleava isn’t the first to use leverage, and won’t be the last. He was simply the most high profile because of his position and the leverage moment — and because Tennessee called his bluff. 

These things happen all the time across all of college football, and they’re not going to end. In fact, they’ll get worse. 

Because no matter how hard university presidents try to protect their media rights money by refusing to collectively bargain with players (and therefore pay significantly more to players), they haven’t been able to legally pull it off. 

Even the recent groundbreaking House settlement is beginning to fall apart, with its critical management provision of private NIL deals already facing significant legal hurdles.

The moment was there for Iamaleava to seize, to grab the wheel of a sport careening into the unknown and level a shock to the system. Expose the underbelly, force change. 

Instead of punting.

“I’ll let my business reps and agent take care of that,” Iamaleava said.

What could go wrong? 

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB.

In a move that signifies a deeper teardown in Baltimore and a desire in Queens to backfill a roster still fighting for the National League East title, the New York Mets acquired left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from the Orioles on Friday, July 25 in exchange for two minor league relief pitchers, according to multiple reports.

Soto, 30, moves back to the NL East almost exactly a year after the Philadelphia Phillies traded him to Baltimore in a swap among contenders. He’s been largely effective and occasionally dominant, striking out 44 in 36 innings and holding left-handed batters to a .138/.271/.276 line. Soto backfills a role in the Mets bullpen missing since top lefty A.J. Minter suffered a season-ending lat injury in May.

In exchange, the Orioles receive Class AAA right-hander Cameron Foster and Class A righty Wellington Aracena.

A breakdown of the deal:

Gregory Soto trade grades

New York Mets: B-

Not a bad pickup given the Mets’ relatively urgent need for a lefty amid a market that will only tighten leading up to the July 31 trade deadline. Soto is a veteran situational guy who was recently tabbed to fill in closer duties after Orioles fireballer Felix Bautista went on the injured list; Soto saved Thursday’s game at Cleveland in his last appearance for Baltimore.

Yet in this three-batter minimum era, Soto may be exposed against the deep lineups among NL contenders. Opposing right-handers are getting on base at a .371 clip against him, with a .726 OPS, although he’s yet to yield a homer to a right-handed batter. He pitches largely off a 96 mph fastball and excels at eliciting weak contact, with an elite 4.3% barrel percentage.

It’s a totally OK pickup.

Baltimore Orioles: B

The distress sale continues at Camden Yards, as Soto joins righty Bryan Baker (traded to Tampa Bay) in a parade of exiting players likely to include All-Star slugger Ryan O’Hearn and right-handed starters Charlie Morton and Zach Eflin. In Foster, 26, they get a right-hander who likely will join Baltimore’s bullpen almost immediately, as he pitched to a 0.83 WHIP at Class AA and recently earned a promotion to AAA. He’s struck out 9.4 batters per nine innings since getting selected in the 2022 14th round out of McNeese State.

Aracena, 20, is a bit more of a lottery ticket, having spent the entire season at the Mets’ Florida complex league affiliate in Port St. Lucie. He’s shown well, however, striking out 84 in 64 innings (nine starts and eight relief appearances) on the strength of fastball that’s touched 99 mph. He should land on an Orioles full-season affiliate club. Neither pitcher was ranked among the Mets’ top 30 prospects by Baseball America.

Gregory Soto trade details

New York Mets receive

LHP Gregory Soto

Baltimore Orioles receive

RHP Cameron Foster
RHP Wellington Aracena

Gregory Soto contract

Gregory Soto is making $5.35 million this season and is eligible for free agency at year’s end.