Just eight days away from this year’s July 30 trade deadline, 22 of the 30 teams in MLB are either holding down a playoff spot or less than 5.0 games out of a wild-card spot.
With so many teams in the mix, there is sure to be some real competition to boost their rosters ahead of the stretch run.
While things have been relatively quiet to this point in terms of deals getting done, that could all change in the coming days. According to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, one front office executive thinks that the trade market will “heat up big time this week.”
So, with rumour and speculation season well underway, here is a look at some of the latest buzz from around MLB before trades start to get done.
Pitching the priority
As is the case at nearly every deadline, pitching is going to be the hottest commodity — especially for some of baseball’s top contenders.
The top name that could be moved at this deadline might just be Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal. The 27-year-old southpaw is the current front-runner to win the AL Cy Young award, thanks to his 2.41 ERA over 116.0 innings, along with some of the best strikeout and walk numbers across the league.
Skubal will still have two years of control after 2024, making him even more valuable to any team interested in acquiring his services.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, two of those teams are the Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are both “engaged in talks” with Detroit about a potential Skubal trade.
Nightengale notes that it is a longshot that Skubal will be moved but that the Tigers are listening and would have to be “overwhelmed by an offer” to trade their All-Star lefty.
If Skubal does, in fact, stay in the Motor City, Chicago White Sox starter Garrett Crochet could end up as the best arm moved.
A first-time All-Star in 2024, the 25-year-old has enjoyed a breakout campaign this season, entering play Monday as the American League leader in strikeouts.
Like Skubal, Crochet has two more years of team control and is drawing interest from some of the top teams in baseball. However, the six-foot-six lefty has already pitched a career-high in innings this season, causing some concern that his workload will have to be managed if he were to pitch in October.
ESPN‘s Alden Gonzalez reported Saturday that the Dodgers are expected to prioritize adding a “front-of-the-rotation starter” amid a slew of injuries to their pitching staff.
With an injured list currently consisting of Tyler Glasnow, Walker Buehler, Clayton Kershaw, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May, Emmet Sheehan and Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it’s Crochet who is considered to be “at the top of the Dodgers’ list, regardless of whether he’s a starter or a reliever the rest of the way,” per Gonzalez.
Some other clubs to keep an eye on when it comes to adding pitching are the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, St. Louis Cardinals and Milwaukee Brewers.
Which in-the-middle teams might decide to sell?
It’s clear that the White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins are set to sell, but with so few teams fully out of playoff contention, there could be some clubs stuck in the murky middle who opt to trade away key contributors.
The Tampa Bay Rays are one team that has a number of pieces that could shift the trade market.
In a story from The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney, Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon Monday, they say the Rays continue to look like sellers. Tampa Bay is currently 50-49, sitting 4.5 games back of the final wild-card spot. While many teams in that position would likely make a push for the post-season, the Rays have a minus-70 run differential, suggesting that they have performed worse than their record, and have one of the most difficult remaining schedules in baseball.
Tampa Bay has intriguing options across its roster, including starting pitcher Zach Eflin, closer Peter Fairbanks, outfielder Randy Arozarena and infielders Yandy Diaz, Isaac Parades and Brandon Lowe.
However, as The Athletic notes, the Rays “generally exercise greater sensitivity when it comes to trading players under below-market extensions or multi-year free-agent contracts” and “are more inclined to trade players going year-to-year.”
Another team identified Monday by The Athletic as a potential addition to the seller column over the next week could be the Chicago Cubs.
The Cubs are 48-53 and 3.5 games back in the NL wild-card race, with four teams ahead of them. So, with a lot of work to do, Chicago reportedly doesn’t “foresee a scenario in which (it) becomes buyers.”
Despite an indication that they won’t be going all in for 2024, the Cubs don’t have a ton of traditional pieces to sell. They don’t have very much in the way of expiring contracts, and believe they can compete in 2025, meaning they are unlikely to move players under contract for multiple seasons.
But if a team is willing to match what would be an “astronomical” asking price for players like Justin Steele or Nico Horner, perhaps Chicago could shake things up ahead of the deadline.
Where do the Blue Jays fit in the deadline picture?
As has been widely reported, the Toronto Blue Jays are only expected to trade away their pending free agents, hanging onto players with multiple years of control heading into 2025.
That means that Yusei Kikuchi, Yimi García, Justin Turner, Danny Jansen and Kevin Kiermaier could all be moved ahead of the deadline.
Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith reported Saturday that “scouts from multiple contenders were on hand watching the Blue Jays-Tigers game Friday,” including representatives from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
While there haven’t been many individual teams connected to any of the Blue Jays’ potential trade chips, Kikuchi and García are the type of additions that could help any contender, and the duo might end up as two of the most sought-after players on the market.
Of course, questions will be raised about some of Toronto’s other pieces, such as Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, but it is highly unlikely any will be moved.
Interestingly, in Nightengale’s article, he said that Bichette has reportedly “told friends that he would welcome a trade.” With Bichette heading to the injured list over the weekend and now expected to miss multiple weeks, any chance of a deal becomes even more improbable than it already was.
Quick hits
• According to the Miami Herald‘s Craig Mish, the Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates have discussed a Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade. However, Mish said that talks have just been “exploratory” and that other teams have shown more interest in the 26-year-old. During an appearance on a Bleacher Report livestream on July 17, Jon Heyman mentioned the Yankees and Seattle Mariners as two teams that have looked at trading for Chisholm.
• Tied for the third wild-card spot in the Nationals League, Diamondbacks general manager Mike Hazen told reporters Friday that he is “looking to add talent to the team.”
