The Windup Newsletter ⚾ | This is The Athletic’s MLB newsletter. Sign up here to receive The Windup directly in your inbox.The MLB Draft and the Futures Game have come and gone. I think we can make them better. Plus: Ken Rosenthal has an update on the Marlins’ deadline plans, and we preview tonight’s Home Run Derby. I’m Levi Weaver — welcome to The Windup!All-Star Week: The future is brightLet’s start with the positive: The MLB Draft and Futures Game gave fans some new names to trust in this weekend.Here were the top three picks during the draft’s first round on Saturday:
White Sox — UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky
Rays — Fort Worth Christian HS SS Grady Emerson
Twins — Georgia Tech C Vahn Lackey
There were also quite a few recognizable names selected over the two days, even if you haven’t been paying attention to this year’s draft class: Do Thome (White Sox, 34th pick), Pettitte (Yankees, eighth round) or Bonds (Giants, third round) mean anything to you?Here’s a list of all 135 Day 1 picks, with analysis and scouting reports from Keith Law, who also has a bigger-picture Day 1 recap.Moving on to the Futures Game, which took place yesterday, the American League prospects won 6-1. Law has a write-up here, pointing out that the pitching was pretty dominant, and the Pirates might have yet another top-of-the-rotation pitcher in the big leagues before long.More Futures Game: Phillies prospect Gage Wood showed why he could be pitching in Philadelphia again soon.Middle Relief: Marlins plan to keep Alcantara (and add)Today, we have an excerpt from Ken Rosenthal’s latest from Friday, an update on where the Marlins stand as the trade deadline nears. Miami (now 52-45) was swept by Cleveland (51-46) over the weekend, but unless catastrophe hits, Ken’s reporting stands.The Marlins have not been buyers at the trade deadline since Peter Bendix took over as president of baseball operations in November 2023.That likely is about to change.Barring an utter collapse, the hottest team in baseball not only intends to keep staff ace Sandy Alcantara, but also add strategically to its roster, according to people briefed on the club’s plans who were granted anonymity to speak freely.The Marlins’ potential needs include a third baseman, a back-end starting pitcher and a high-leverage reliever. They could trade off their major-league roster to protect their farm system, people briefed on the club’s plans said.Bendix and his staff will sort out the details after the amateur draft. Much can change with the deadline still three and a half weeks away. But Miami appears to be taking another step forward, having improved from 62 wins in 2024 to 79 last season, its first under manager Clayton McCullough.The Marlins, before this weekend’s sweep to the Guardians, won 16 of their last 20 games, matching the best single-season span in their 34-year history. Also before Friday, the Marlins were tied with the Phillies for second place in the NL East, three games behind the Braves, and held a three-game lead for the third National League wild card. (After this weekend’s sweep, they’re now in third place in the division, but still hold a wild card.)
