Approaching The Home Stretch Of The Trade Deadline
There are only a matter of hours left for contenders and playoff hopefuls to make final improvements to their bullclubs...
Happy Trade Deadline Day to all those who celebrate!
We’re eight hours or so out from the Trade Deadline, meaning that time is running out for contenders to add that final piece or two they need for a deep playoff run.
Thanks to the introduction of the third Wild Card spot, there seems to be a lot more buyers this year and expect the likes of the New York Mets and Boston Red Sox to be aggressive as they look to load up for the stretch run and then the postseason.
We saw a flurry of moves on Monday night, including the Astros sending their No. 9 and No. 13 prospects to the Blue Jays for Yusei Kikuchi, who is 4-9 with a 4.75 ERA this year. The Braves sought a reunion with two members of their 2021 World Series winning team by trading for OF Jorge Soler and RHP Luke Jackson. The Guardians decided not to stand pat, which was absolutely the right decision, and went out and acquired OF Lane Thomas from the Nationals - a player I’ve always been high on. The Seattle Mariners made a really smart move by adding veteran Justin Turner, giving them a lot of experience and another bat in the middle of that lineup. We were even treated to a rare three-team trade with the Cardinals getting RHP Erick Fedde and OF Tommy Pham, the Dodgers received INF / OF Tommy Edman and pitching prospect Oliver Gonzales from St. Louis, in addition to RHP Michael Kopech from the White Sox, while Chicago got back INF / OF Miguel Vargas and a couple of prospects.
There were also a couple of underwhelming deals with the Dodgers trading for shortstop Amed Rosario for the second straight year. And the Brewers acquired RHP Frankie Montas from the Reds.
Those moves were the appetizers.
What will we have for a delicious entrée today?
Well, the American League East is going to be compelling to watch all day long. Both the Yankees and the Orioles are expected to be uber-aggressive. The Orioles are expected to be in on both a starter and a reliever and, given their loaded farm system, they could be the frontrunners for big names like Garrett Crochet and Tanner Scott. As for the Yankees, they have begun to turn it around after being one of the worst teams in baseball for the last little stretch. They’ve won their last three games, scoring a combined total of 33 runs in that span, including routing an elite Phillies team 14-4 on Monday. Giancarlo Stanton is now back and I really like the Jazz Chisholm Jr. addition but, despite all of that, the Yankees still need to go all out on Tuesday. They need another starter, more bullpen help and we’ll see if they are able to acquire INF Yandy DÃaz from the Rays. I’m also really intrigued to see what the Red Sox do. They’ve been a huge surprise all year and are currently a game back out of a Wild Card spot. I’d expect them to be busy today. That team has earned more help.
Outside of that, I want to see teams like the Royals and the Pirates make aggressive moves. The more good teams we have down the stretch, the better it is for the game of baseball.
I also really, really, really want a shock move out of nowhere. Like the Blue Jays trading Bo Bichette or Vladimir Guerrero Jr. today. I just crave absolute chaos.
All in all, it should be a fun day as we get closer to the Trade Deadline. I’ll have a number of pieces up on the site throughout the day, and I’m also going to open up a chat where you can interact with others, provide your thoughts on all the latest deals and air out who you want your team to trade for today. I’ll keep the chat updated as we move along.
Alternatively, please feel free to get involved in our coverage by responding to this post in the comments section below. I’d love to talk baseball with you, so drop a comment and I’ll respond.
Things seem pretty quiet right now, but I’m almost certain things will get wild later so I’ll keep checking in throughout the day.
Let the Trade Deadline fun begin!