2026 Baseball Hall of Fame: Carlos Beltrán, Jeff Kent & Andruw Jones + MLB Trade Deadline Preview

Carlos Beltrán, Jeff Kent and Andruw Jones are the newest members of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In Episode 718 of Almost Cooperstown, Mark and Gordon discuss the 2026 Hall of Fame class, what each player accomplished during his career, and why each ultimately earned a plaque in Cooperstown.The conversation examines Beltrán's remarkable combination of power, speed and defense, Jeff Kent's legacy as one of baseball's greatest offensive second basemen, and Andruw Jones' extraordinary defensive brilliance in center field. The episode also explores what this Hall of Fame class may say about the evolving standards used to evaluate baseball's greatest players.The discussion then turns to the 2026 Major League Baseball season with the trade deadline approaching. Which teams should be buyers? Which clubs should become sellers? Which players could be on the move, and which potential trades could have the greatest impact on the postseason races during the final third of the season?Almost Cooperstown is a weekly baseball podcast featuring thoughtful conversations about the Baseball Hall of Fame, baseball history, current MLB topics, player comparisons, statistics and the stories that connect today's game with its rich history.Thanks again to Mercury Maid for the Intro & Outro music.Visit AlmostCooperstown.com for original baseball articles, subscribe wherever you listen to podcasts, and follow Almost Cooperstown on YouTube.