Jay Jaffe: Good afternoon, folks! It’s been a minute since our last chat, to say the least. Summer goings-on, especially a family vacation that ran Tuesday to Tuesday, did a number on my schedule here. Anyway, I’m back in Brooklyn and back on my b.s., so here we are.

Jay Jaffe: Yesterday, I wrote about the season-threatening shoulder issues faced by Zack Wheeler and Josh Hader https://blogs.fangraphs.com/injuries-put-the-seasons-of-zack-wheeler-a… since that went up, Wheeler had his blood clot removed by thrombolysis, but that doesn’t address the cause of the clot, and we’re waiting to hear from the Phillies as to whether he’ll pitch again in 2025.

Jay Jaffe: On Thursday and Friday of last week, I wrote about the Dodgers’ face-plant (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-dodgers-have-face-planted/) and the Padres’ surge (https://blogs.fangraphs.com/the-revamped-padres-have-surged-into-first…), then of course the Dodgers swept the Padres to retake the NL West lead.

Jay Jaffe: Tomorrow I should have the first installment of this year’s Cooperstown progress report; my plan is to follow up with a second one next week.

Jay Jaffe: Anyway, on with the show…

Pitchers for the Hall: Great article on Logan Webb today from Mike Baumann. I know it’s early in his career, but do you think that today’s version of the ultimate inning eating sinker baller is on the start of the path to the Hall?

Dan Szymborski: It is noon!

STiVo: There are some prospects demolishing the minors (e.g., Wetherholt, Jones, Griffin).  How high do you think ZiPS will be on those kinds of guys going into 2026?

Dan Szymborski: CHEATING!

Dan Szymborski: trying to get some early projections! tsk tsk

Dan Szymborski: sorry

Dan Szymborski: Wetherhold ought to have a big number

Eric A Longenhagen: Hello hello from the kitchen counter in scorching hot Tempe, AZ.

Eric A Longenhagen: Let’s get right into it.

Jeb: Can you please enlighten me and everyone what the hell the Pirates are doing? None of yesterday made sense whatsoever

Kevin: Cherington has to be gone by the end of the year, right? Right?

Eric A Longenhagen: Lots of Pirates fan discontent in the chat. I am curious what their best offers were for IKF, Santana and Heaney during the last couple of weeks, I know they like Stafura more than I do, I think they got a couple short term role playing pieces (Flores, Devanney) and I think we need to see these guys, Yorke, etc. the players they’ve acquired in these seemingly always medium deadline deals actually be given the opportunity to do something

Eric A Longenhagen: I’m not about to call for anyone’s job when I know they’re underfunded.