MLB: Cubs stop Ohtani's Dodgers as trade market heats up

The Chicago Cubs closed out the series against the Los Angeles Dodgers with a 7-6 win, a result that gives Chicago a sweep of the head-to-head matchup against Shohei Ohtani’s team. Pete Crow-Armstrong’s two home runs proved decisive, as he led the Cubs’ offense in a game that remained undecided until the final innings.

On the other side of the league, the Cincinnati Reds came from behind to beat the Athletics 5-4, a win secured thanks to two runs scored in the eighth inning off pitches deemed inaccurate by the opposing defense. An episode that adds to a day of MLB games marked by comebacks and down-to-the-wire finishes.

Alongside the on-field results, attention is growing around the 2026 trade deadline, the period during which teams can still adjust their rosters ahead of the final stretch of the season. Among the names most discussed by insiders are pitcher Tarik Skubal and catcher Adley Rutschman, both considered possible trade chips by various front offices.

The combination of on-field performances and market moves is no coincidence: in American baseball, performances in the weeks leading up to the deadline often influence franchises’ evaluations, both for those deciding to strengthen their roster ahead of the playoffs and for those considering selling off their most valuable assets. The Cubs’ case, now in good form against a top-tier opponent like the Dodgers, fits into this context: a team that proves competitive has less incentive to give up important roster pieces, while a struggling team may be pushed to accelerate sell-offs.

It should be noted that the news currently comes from a single source (ESPN); no independent confirmation is available on the specific details of the ongoing negotiations for Skubal and Rutschman, whose names remain for now within the scope of discussions reported by league executives, with no official confirmation of concluded or advanced-stage negotiations.

The overall picture of the MLB day nonetheless confirms a championship still open on multiple fronts: uneven results for heavyweight franchises like the Dodgers and Athletics, and a trade market that in the coming weeks could reshape the balance of power ahead of the playoff race.