The MLB trade deadline is scheduled for July 30th and is fast approaching. The market started moving on Friday, with the Seattle Mariners acquiring outfielder Randy Arozarena and the Baltimore Orioles acquiring right-handed starting pitcher Zach Eflin in a trade with the Tampa Bay Rays. What will happen on Saturday? Check here for the latest news and rumors.
Yankees acquire Chisholm
The Yankees acquired second baseman/outfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr. in a trade. Read the full story here.
Phillies acquire Estevez
The Phillies traded two promising pitchers to the Angels in exchange for All-Star closer Carlos Estevez. Read the full story here.
Yankees in talks with Rays
According to YES’s Jack Curry, the Yankees have had “multiple conversations” with the Rays. The Rays have already traded Arozarena, Eflin and Aaron Civale this season, but there are other players they could move. Curry named All-Star third baseman Isaac Paredes, All-Star first baseman Yandy Diaz and relief pitcher Pete Fairbanks as players who would be good fits for the Yankees. Sure enough, NJ.com’s Randy Miller reports that the Yankees are in “serious talks” to acquire Fairbanks.
Orioles “not done yet”
The Orioles made some moves on Friday, including acquiring Eflin, but Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports they’re not done yet. They’re considering starting pitchers with rental options, namely players who will become free agents after the season, like ace Corbin Burnes. Names under discussion, according to reports, are Jack Flaherty, Yusei Kikuchi, Frankie Montas and Blake Snell. Snell isn’t one to feature often in trade rumors, but he has a player option for next season and most believe he won’t exercise it and will become a free agent again.
Are the Braves no good beyond the starting pitchers?
The Braves lost ace Spencer Strider early in the season and had left-hander Max Fried on the injured list, leading some to speculate they might be looking to acquire a starting pitcher, but MLB Network’s Jon Morosi reports the Braves “are not likely to acquire an impact starting pitcher” at the deadline. The Braves believe Fried will return soon, which would likely be enough, but it may depend on your definition of “impact.”
Red Sox acquire Jansen
Catcher Danny Jansen has been traded from the Blue Jays to the Red Sox. Read the full story here.
Crochet declined to respond to the reports.
White Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet is considered one of the top pitchers available at the deadline. His situation was complicated this week when Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Crochet has specific preferences for how he wants to spend the rest of the season and would need a contract extension to continue pitching through October. Heyman noted that Crochet “believes a starting pitching routine is best for his health.”
Asked Friday about the validity of Heyman’s report, Crochet declined to comment.
“No comment. Right now I’m just focused on pitching for the White Sox,” Crochet told reporters, including Scott Mirkin of MLB.com. “At that point, it’s just a reality. I’m focused on pitching for the White Sox. Other than that, I don’t have much control over it.”
Crochet has already pitched a career-high 111 1/3 innings, his previous high being 65 innings, set as a sophomore in 2019.
Conforto could be transferred
The Giants appear ready to trade outfielder Michael Conforto, Rosenthal reports. He could be an attractive option for a team looking for a left-handed hitter. In 80 games this season, he’s batting .226/.298/.415 (105 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs.
Phillies looking to bolster bullpen
The Phillies acquired Austin Hayes and released reliever Seranty Dominguez as part of the deal, and Rosenthal said the Phillies are currently searching for a reliever, considering prospects such as Michael Kopech of the White Sox, Tanner Scott of the Marlins and Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan.
It’s important to note that this report was published before the Phillies acquired Estevez (see above).
Rangers interested in Rays hitters
According to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the Rangers have “had discussions” with the Rays about third baseman Isaac Paredes and first baseman Yandy Diaz as they look to improve an offensive line that has been sidelined by Evan Carter and Josh Jean and underperforming players Adoris Garcia and Jonah Heim (among others).
The Rays, of course, traded Randy Arozarena and Zach Eflin on Friday. Paredes and Diaz were the other two trade candidates we identified on their roster. Click here to see the other players we named.
Cubs acquire relief pitcher
The Cubs acquired right-handed relief pitcher Nate Pearson from the Blue Jays in exchange for infielder Josh Rivera and outfielder Yohendrick Piñango. The 27-year-old Pearson was once a promising player but struggled to find success in the major leagues. In 41 games this year, he has a 5.63 ERA (72 ERA-plus) with a 3.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
The Brewers also acquired a relief pitcher.
The Rockies traded right-handed relief pitcher Nick Mears to the Brewers for two promising pitching prospects.
The 27-year-old Mears has a 5.56 ERA, a 1.50 WHIP and 57 strikeouts in 45 1/3 innings. It will be very tough to pitch for the Rockies, but keep in mind that the Brewers are good at getting the most out of their relief pitchers.
Mets interested in reunion with Conforto
According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, the Mets are among the teams that have expressed interest in Giants outfielder Michael Conforto. Conforto, of course, is no stranger to the Mets, having spent the first seven seasons of his career in New York.
Conforto has appeared in 80 games for the Giants this year, batting .226/.298/.415 (105 OPS+) with 10 home runs and 40 RBIs. Oddly, he’s been more productive against lefties than righties, which seems more likely a quirk of a small sample size given his history of inconsistency against lefties.
The Mets are currently without outfielders Starling Marte and Harrison Bader (though Bader is due to return soon), so they’ll likely be using Tyrone Taylor and DJ Stewart more, and Conforto would obviously be a better offensive player than either of them.
Padres are among Taillon’s suitors
There won’t be a trade deadline unless Padres general manager AJ Preller makes some big moves at the trade deadline, and one potential target for San Diego in the coming days is Cubs right-hander Jameson Taillon, according to The Athletic.
The Padres are searching for pitchers with the absences of Joe Musgrove (recovering from elbow inflammation) and Yu Darvish (on the restricted list due to personal issues).
The 32-year-old Taillon has a 2.96 ERA (ERA+140) and a 3.71 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 17 starts this season. It should be noted that Taillon has two more seasons and $36 million remaining on his contract after this year.
The Cubs are more than six games out of the final National League wild card spot and are in a position to make sales at the deadline.
Yankees interested in Scott
Marlins left-hander Tanner Scott might be the biggest sure thing to be traded before Tuesday. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there are numerous teams interested in adding him to their relief corps, including the Yankees, who, unsurprisingly, suffered a loss to the Red Sox on Friday night when their relief corps collapsed.
Scott, 30, has a 1.18 ERA (.369 ERA+) and a 1.96 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 44 games, along with 18 saves and experience in a variety of key roles.
Scott will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season.