Major League Baseball’s trade deadline is August. 2, so we’re heading into the home stretch as teams sort out whether they’re buyers, sellers or holders and inch toward some landscape-changing deals. On Wednesday night, the Yankees struck a deal for All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi. It wasn’t really the “first domino to fall” type of move that would confuse the rest of the market, but it’s nice to see things moving here with the deadline less than a week away.
More will come soon. Let’s take a look at the latest from the MLB rumor mill.
Padres out for Soto?
Obviously, the biggest name on the market is Nationals superstar Juan Soto. There is smoke everywhere and more than a dozen teams have reportedly inquired of the Nets. The favorite is still debatable, though Buster Olney reports that “some rival executives consider the Padres to be the “frontrunners” at this time.”
It’s a juicy rumor, that’s for sure. Thinking about the Padres adding Soto and getting Fernando Tatis, Jr. It’s fun to come back from injury to add Manny Machado to the lineup. They are 10 games over .500 and have mostly survived Tatis’ injury with great pitching.
Now, it should be noted that last year, the Padres were thought to be the leader for Max Scherzer and it even came so close that many thought a trade was happening. Then the Dodgers swooped in and grabbed Scherzer. And Trea Turner — So let’s just remember to avoid overreacting.
Will the Angels really trade Ohtani?
There is a report that the Angels will at least listen to trade offers on Shohei Ohtani. He says a deal is still highly unlikely but not completely out of the question. Full story and breakdown here.
The Yankees have “strong” interest in Castillo.
The Yankees have “expressed strong interest” and are making a “hard push” for Reds All-Star starting pitcher Luis Castillo. Report nj.com. The report further indicated that the Reds aren’t necessarily ready to deal Castillo just yet, instead possibly holding onto Castillo until much closer to the trade deadline. Reading between the lines, it looks like the Reds are poised to enjoy a bidding war on deadline day.
They are also in a good position to do so. Castillo, 29, has a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 85 innings this season. He’s a two-time All-Star who has shown the ability to throw like an ace for the Spurs and isn’t set to hit free agency until after next season. That way, if the bids aren’t to the Reds’ liking, they can easily grab him.
Almost every contender looking for starting pitching will join Castillo. In fact, some teams on the fringes of contention looking to push on next season could also be involved, given Castillo’s contract status.
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Astros Will Move MLB SP For Position Player?
The Astros have one of the best teams in baseball as their window for World Series contention opens. They also have “a good problem to have” with a lot of starting pitching. They currently use a six-man rotation and Lance McCullers, Jr. Looks to be making a quick comeback from his arm injury. Sure, they could boot Odorizzi from the rotation, but that would still mean six major league-quality starters and they don’t really need to have that many.
Especially if they can remove the weakness through trade. Ken Rosenthal reports That Jose Urquidy could be the man to step up, surpassing Framber Valdez, Luis Garcia and Cristian Javier, among his talented and cost-controlled starters.
The report suggests the Astros will be looking for a quality big league catcher or center fielder in return. AK catcher Sean Murphy, Pirates center fielder Brian Reynolds and Orioles center fielder Cedric Mullins are mentioned. Rosenthal also reported that it’s possible the Astros could send Arcudi to a third party for prospects and use those prospects to acquire either Reynolds or Murphy.
Very interested in the bard; The Rockies could have grabbed him anyway.
Rockies closer Daniel Bard is drawing interest from “multiple teams.” According to mlb.com.
Bard, 37, is having the best year of his career and the best since he was at least 25 years old. He has gone 21 of 23 with a 1.91 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 43 strikeouts with 18 unintended walks. 2/3 innings. A move to a contender would probably mean moving into a setup role, but he thrived for the Red Sox early in his MLB career.
Indeed, The Denver Post Reports That the Rockies and Bard could reach a contract extension. Such a move would be a little surprising at Bard’s age, but if the trade packages on offer don’t matter and both parties want to continue the marriage, it’s likely to work.
