Baseball's Bullpen Frenzy and College Football Chaos

Relief pitching ran the MLB trade deadline while the Coaches’ Poll stirs early hype for a blockbuster college football Week 1.

Author

Marissa Kasch
August 05, 2025

Hey Team 👋

The MLB trade deadline may not have featured the usual flurry of blockbuster names, but it brought something arguably more important: strategy. Teams across the league made key bullpen moves in hopes of tightening their grip on October baseball. Meanwhile, the college football season is right around the corner, and the preseason Coaches’ Poll has already given fans plenty to talk about, especially with Week 1 matchups that could shake up the rankings early. Let’s break down who made the biggest splashes on the diamond and who’s rising on the gridiron.

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Bullpen Bonanza⚾

Photo: Chad Davis / Flickr

From Philly to the Bronx, playoff contenders went all-in on relief pitching at a deadline dominated by arms, not aces.

While this year’s MLB trade deadline may have lacked star power, it didn’t lack movement. With starting pitchers largely staying put, this year’s deals focused on bolstering bullpens. Let’s break down some of the most impactful moves and what they mean for each team’s path to October.

Seattle Goes All-In

Ahead of the trade deadline, I expected the Mariners to make a push for someone to strengthen the heart of their batting order. I did not expect them to go all in on one of the biggest names available. Seattle got to work quickly, first acquiring Josh Naylor from the Diamondbacks. Naylor has made an immediate impact, tallying eight hits in his first ten games with the Mariners. But the real headline is Seattle bringing Eugenio Suárez back home. Suárez has already mashed 36 home runs this season, ranking fifth in the league, joining current MLB home run leader Cal Raleigh in the heart of Seattle’s lineup. Talk about power.

Durantula’s Debut

Love or hate the Phillies, you can’t deny Jhoan Duran’s entrance is absolutely electric – and for good reason. At first, I thought it seemed a little over the top. But after I watched him throw 103 back-to-back, I realized it was completely warranted. The Phillies needed bullpen help in a bad way, and now they have one of the best closers in baseball. 

Since his debut in Philly, Duran has notched two saves. Even more impressive? It took him only two outings to make franchise history. In Sunday’s save versus the Tigers, Duran threw a 103.3 mph fastball – the fastest pitch ever recorded at Citizen’s Bank Park. He followed that with a 102.5 mph heater to strike out Riley Greene, the fastest game-ending strikeout by a Phillies pitcher. But those weren’t the only records Duran broke that night: He threw five pitches faster than 102.3 mph in the top of the ninth, breaking the previous record held by Jose Alvarado. This looks like the start of a beautiful (and terrifying) partnership in Philadelphia.

Mets Revamp Bullpen

Speaking of scary bullpens, the Mets completely overhauled theirs at the deadline. Just like Philly, a bullpen upgrade was long overdue. The difference? New York’s action at the deadline could completely transform this team heading into the postseason. The Mets acquired Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Gregory Soto – a dangerous trio of arms.

The Rogers deal raised eyebrows and even sparked some backlash given his age (34) and unorthodox delivery. But conventional or not, there’s no doubt he gets the job done. In his debut with the Mets, he pitched one scoreless inning, giving up only one hit and forcing a groundout to end the inning. The Helsley trade was more agreeable to Mets fans and the baseball community alike. Helsley’s arrival was much more universally praised, and he backed it up immediately, throwing a shutout inning with two hits and no damage. We haven’t seen enough of Soto yet, but he has yet to give up a run as a Met, so I’d consider that a win for New York. 

On paper, the Mets look like a scary team. Having a strong bullpen is great, but there needs to be a lead to protect. New York’s offense has been struggling lately, as the Mets have dropped six of their last seven games. Luckily, they didn’t forget to address a weakness in the outfield before the deadline. They landed Orioles CF Cedric Mullins, giving them a much-needed boost in the outfield and the batting order. 

Brian Cashman Keeps His Promise 

Yankees GM Cashman vowed to go all-in at the deadline – and he delivered. I told you it was a bullpen-heavy trade deadline, and the Yankees were no exception to that trend as they followed suit with a complete overhaul of their relief corps. The Pinstripes landed David Bednar, Camilo Doval and Jake Bird at the deadline to reshape the back end of their staff.

So far this season, Bednar hasn’t missed. He’s a perfect 17-for-17 in save opportunities, which is exactly what the Yankees have been missing. Doval adds another layer of dominance with a nasty slider and a solid 3.09 ERA. Bird is more of a question mark, largely due to his time in Colorado, but pitching in the Bronx gives him a chance to reset and prove his value. New York has struggled to close out games all season long, but this trio could be the answer they’ve been searching for.

The Yankees didn’t stop at the bullpen, though. They filled nearly every hole on the roster, acquiring Ryan McMahon early and later adding Austin Slater to step in for the injured Aaron Judge. Unfortunately, Slater exited Monday’s game early with hamstring tightness, but the injury appears to be minor. McMahon, on the other hand, has hit the ground running, recording 9 hits and 5 RBIs in his first 9 games in pinstripes. The Yankees look deeper, more complete and finally built for October.

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Polls and Powerhouses

Photo: Brint / Wikicommons

The SEC and Big Ten Dominate the Coaches’ Poll With a Combined 15 of 25 Teams 

It’s August, which means college football season is almost upon us. It’s so close, you can almost taste a gameday brunch in front of College Gameday. While the AP poll is still a few days away, the coaches have already spoken, offering a first glimpse at how the top teams stack up heading into Week 1. For the most part it’s what you would expect, with the SEC and Big Ten leading the charge. But a few unranked teams from last season, plus some intriguing dark horses, have cracked the top 25 and could shake things up early.

One thing’s for sure: this poll won’t stay intact for long. Right out of the gate, No. 1 Texas faces No. 2 Ohio State in a massive Week 1 showdown. Luckily for us, that’s just the beginning. No. 6 Clemson will host No. 9 LSU in an ACC–SEC clash, while No. 5 Notre Dame takes on No. 10 Miami in a game dripping with rivalry and playoff implications. These rankings could be flipped upside-down come September.

It should be no surprise that the SEC leads all conferences with nine teams ranked in the top 25, including four in the top 9. Florida – the only team on this list that went unranked all of last season – has found itself in the No. 17 spot. The Big Ten follows with six ranked teams, three of which sit in the top five. The Big 12 is right behind with five ranked teams. The ACC saw two representatives in Clemson and Miami, while Boise State holds it down for the Group of 5.

Preseason Coaches Top 25

  1. Texas

  2. Ohio State

  3. Penn State

  4. Georgia

  5. Notre Dame

  6. Clemson

  7. Oregon

  8. Alabama

  9. LSU

  10. Miami

  11. Arizona State

  12. Illinois

  13. South Carolina

  14. Michigan

  15. Ole Miss

  16. SMU

  17. Florida

  18. Tennessee

  19. Indiana

  20. Kansas State

  21. Texas A&M

  22. Iowa State

  23. BYU

  24. Texas Tech

  25. Boise State

Others Receiving Votes: Oklahoma (221), Missouri (142), Louisville (126), USC (116), Utah (86), Baylor (76), Auburn (50), Iowa (49), Memphis (34), Army (33), Tulane (31), Georgia Tech (27), TCU (24), Nebraska (19), Syracuse (16), Washington (15), Navy (14), Arkansas (14), Duke (12), Colorado (12), Minnesota (11), UNLV (8), Florida State (8), Kansas (6), Vanderbilt (3), Buffalo (1)

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