12 pressing questions that will define the MLB trade deadline  —  Welcome to the July pennant race.  —  The two and a half weeks leading to the Aug. 3 trade deadline will be an all-out sprint.  All but seven of the 30 clubs are within four games of a playoff position.

Reds open for business, but could add for the future: Sources  —  DENVER — The Cincinnati Reds may not fully classify themselves as sellers, but they've made it known they're open for business for teams looking to buy, multiple league sources granted anonymity to speak candidly about sensitive front office strategy told The Athletic.

Chelsea reach verbal agreement for £117m Morgan Rogers transfer  —  Chelsea have reached a verbal agreement with Aston Villa to sign Morgan Rogers.  —  A bid of £117million (€137m, $157m) has been accepted, although the deal for the attacking midfielder is still being finalised …

Mets among teams who used AI loophole with dugout iPads before MLB crackdown  —  Access the Mets beat like never before  —  Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.  —  Major League Baseball banned the practice beginning Wednesday.

Duane Ward, star reliever on Blue Jays' 1990s championship teams, dies at 62  —  Duane Ward, who helped anchor the bullpen for the Toronto Blue Jays' back-to-back World Series-winning teams in the early 1990s, has died, the team announced Sunday.  He was 62.  —  The Blue Jays announced that Ward died of natural causes in Toronto.

Turner's resurgence gives Phillies hope as Trade Deadline nears  —  PHILADELPHIA — Trea Turner thinks about his swing as much as anybody thinks about their swing.  —  He watches lots of video.  He hits a ton in the cage.  —  Turner said he thought about his swing on the flight from Detroit …

Orioles, Kyle Bradish Agree To Five-Year Extension  —  The Orioles have signed right-hander Kyle Bradish to a five-year extension, the team announced.  The agreement will keep the righty under contract through 2031.  Bradish is a client of All Bases Covered Sports Management.

Nationals' Luis García Jr. gaining traction in trade talks as teams look for power bats  —  With the distinct possibility that the trade market will lack power-hitting options, infielder Luis García Jr.'s breakout season with the Washington Nationals presents an intriguing opportunity.

Hernández begins rehab assignment, could return during next homestand  —  NEW YORK — For the second time this season, Kiké Hernández is closing in on a return to the Dodgers.  —  The fan-favorite utility player began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday night …

With Will Smith out indefinitely, Dodgers need to trade for a catcher  —  Lost amid the headlines about Tarik Skubal, the Dodgers face this unexpected reality as the trade deadline looms: They would like to add a starting pitcher, but they need to add a catcher.  Will Smith has not played in six weeks.

How Judge's injury impacts Yankees' Deadline plans  —  The only way to get a proper sense of what the Yankees might do at the upcoming Trade Deadline — something Yankees fans always look at as Opening Day 2 — is to have a sense about when Aaron Judge might play again this season.

Yankees' Aaron Boone takes blame in gut-wrenching loss to Dodgers  —  NEW YORK — Aaron Boone had been here before in a similar situation with his club facing the Los Angeles Dodgers.  —  In Game 1 of the 2024 World Series, Boone pulled Gerrit Cole after six innings, one run and 88 pitches.

Rising ace Burns, Reds agree on 7-year, $105 million extension (source)  —  CINCINNATI — The Chase Burns meteor keeps burning bright.  The Reds are banking that their 23-year-old starting pitcher will do so for many years to come.  —  Sources told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand that the Reds …