VSiN PrimeTime | July 31, 2026 | Hour 3

**SPEAKER_1** (0:02)
This is VSiN PrimeTime. Live from the Circus Sports Book in downtown Las Vegas on VSiN, the sports betting network.

**Femi Abebefe** (0:14)
Well, we got a wild game going on between the Pirates and the Reds. Cincinnati has an 8-7 lead. Pittsburgh rallied all the way back. They gave it back with some poor play in the infield. And right now, the home team is up as we head to the ninth, 8-7 is our score. We'll update you on that, as well as the rest of the happenings from around Friday's action in the big leagues in the next segment. Because joining us right now to talk all things, AL West, MLB trade deadline, all the big picture topics that we have in the bigs as we head into a critical weekend. He is a baseball analyst over at the Athletic. Check out his MLB newsletter, The Wind Up over at the Athletic as well. It is the one and only Levi Weaver. Joining us here via the Progressive Guest Line on Twitter at 32efis. Levi, thanks for hanging with us here on this Friday night as always. First of all, I'm sure you've been watching the game. This Rangers Astros game, you're not Alvarez just delivered here with the bases loaded. It's three nothing Houston in what is a very important series in what is a jumbled up American League West.

**Levi Weaver** (1:19)
Yeah, jumbled up is one way to put it. Miserable might be another one. If the Astros won tonight, they overtake the Rangers for first place by half a game. Currently, the Rangers are technically, and as we speak, a first place team. They're also one game over 500 The entire division is just not performed very well this year. You've got three teams. I'm looking at the standings here, Seattle's 53 and 57, and still consider themselves to be buyers this year, which is, I mean, the starting rotation has been very good. The offense has been a dud.
The Astros, frankly, have surprised me by coming back to do this because their rotation's been a mess. They didn't really address their starting pitching this off season, and they've shown that the entire year. We heard today that Tatsuya Amaya is going to the bullpen.
The Rangers, good pitching, hitting not that great. So one of the teams has to win, and it just seems like they're all taking turns sort of motioning to the next team and be like, why don't you, why don't you win the division this year? No, no, no. I insist. You take the division this year.

**Will Hill** (2:28)
Now, none of these three teams, the Rangers, Astros or Mariners in the mix for Scoobble, we don't think none of them really in the mix for Mason Miller. We don't think that being said, all three probably going to make moves. Let's just take it from the Rangers perspective. Who's on their wishlist? I know from a Rangers fan standpoint, you know what, if we can just get Seeger and Wyatt Langford on the field, that's as good as any trade, but the Rangers, their trade hopes and aspirations in the rest of this division, Astros and Mariners, who are some guys you think could be going to those teams?

**Levi Weaver** (2:57)
Yeah, I mean, the names we've heard sort of bandied about today, Taylor Ward is one, Evan Carter is pretty good against right-handed pitching, not so great against left-handed pitching. And so if they could get a right-handed center fielder to platoon with him, they think that that would be beneficial. They could also use some more bullpen help, just some guys injured, some guys ineffective.
The other thing that we heard today from Ken Rosenthal is that they could instead address that with picking up another back into the bullpen arm and moving one of their current back into the rotation arm and moving one of their guys to the bullpen. They've also got, what does Jordan Montgomery have left? I don't know, he'll be healthy soon. Cody Bradford was pretty good before he's injured. Jack Leiter at some point should be back. So they've got some guys coming back from the injured list. I think right now, probably the priority is that right-handed center fielder to platoon with Evan Carter, but I think they recognize that this is not a team that's designed to go out and knock off the Dodgers in a World Series this year or really even get to a World Series. So they're not gonna sell the farm, whatever's left of it, to really go all in at the deadline.

**Femi Abebefe** (4:05)
This is VSiN PrimeTime, Femi Abebefe, Will Hill hanging out with Levi Weaver, baseball writer and analyst over at the Athletic. Check out his MLB newsletter, The Wind Up.