Few Major Deadline Questions About MLB Trade
Few Major Deadline Questions About MLB Trade.
On the baseball calendar, four months of games have passed. The All-Star Game has passed. Only a pennant run is left.
And now we’ve arrived at that beautiful time of year. The deadline for Major League Baseball trades.
The deadline is only a week away, on Tuesday, Aug. 1, and all transactions must be completed by 6 p.m. ET.
The Los Angeles Angels are trying to lose every game this week in order to make Shohei Ohtani accessible.
Around 15 teams are praying that the San Diego Padres and New York Mets continue their humiliating downward spirals and capitulate.
The Major League Baseball Players Association is hopeful that the big spenders will turn things around and prove that spending equals success, with the Mets, Yankees, and Padres spending $880 million on the outside looking in.
MLB executives are rooting for small-market teams like the Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Miami Marlins, and Arizona Diamondbacks to show owners that you don’t have to spend a fortune to compete.
And there are millions of fans – many of whom like venting their rage on social media – who want their clubs to go all-in and fire everyone who disagrees with them.
So, as we begin a week of trade speculation, here are the top ten questions building up to D-Day 2023:
- Let’s get one thing straight: does Shohei Ohtani stay or go?
The Angels have no plans to move Ohtani, and the mere concept makes everyone sick, but everyone is waiting to see if owner Arte Moreno changes his mind.
Moreno’s closest MLB pals tell him that trading him is insane. They advise him it’s not worth it to face the wrath of Angels fans if he’s dealt.
Simply put, if Ohtani goes as a free agent, it’s on the player, as long as the Angels try to sign him.
If Ohtani is traded, Moreno is to blame, as Ohtani wants to stay for at least the regular season.
Sure, the Angels could acquire some top prospects if they sell Ohtani, but realistically, no matter how good the prospects are, they won’t come close to matching Ohtani’s value.
Forget about Ohtani’s skill on the field; he also brings in a lot of money for the Angels. Ohtani earns the Angels roughly $20 million per year, excluding ticket sales.
Check out the suites behind home plate at Angel Stadium, including the one once used by powerful agent Scott Boras and his staff. They are now covered in $8 million worth of Japanese advertising signage.
Do you really believe Moreno wants to flush that payout, much alone the tickets he’ll sell if Ohtani attempts to shatter Aaron Judge’s American League home-run record in September?
If Ohtani is traded, the team’s average attendance of 33,535 per game might drop by at least 10,000, season-ticket holders may burn their renewals, and the franchise’s value will plunge immediately.
And who can blame Mike Trout for wondering if he, too, can go?
The verdict: Ohtani stays, especially after the Angels swept the Yankees, bringing them to within four games of the final wild-card spot. Trout, Brandon Drury, and Logan O’Hoppe are also slated to return in August.
If the Angels have a bad week, Moreno will listen to his front office and see if they can persuade him that losing Ohtani would be better for the team’s future.
- Will the Orioles go all in now that they’ve climbed to first place, something no Baltimore team has done since 1983?
GM Mike Elias did not start this huge reconstruction by tearing the organization down to its bare studs, tanking their way to 115 losses, 108 losses, and 110 losses in three consecutive full seasons, only to abruptly change direction and trade valuable prospects for rentals.
The Orioles are aware that their time has come, but they are creating a powerhouse in the same way that the Astros did with Elias as their assistant general manager under Jeff Luhnow.
They will not only be good this year, but they may haunt the Yankees and Red Sox for the next ten years.
- Will the Padres and Mets throw in the towel?
The Padres, more than the Mets, are delusional in their belief that they will re-enter the race. They’ve been a lousy team all season, and nothing will change that in the second half.
They should swallow their pride and move All-Star outfielder Juan Soto, recouping at least part of the value in the assets they gave up to acquire him from the Washington Nationals in the first place. However, there has been no indication that he is accessible. Instead, unless they go on a quick and dramatic winning streak, they are expected to trade All-Star reliever Josh Hader and starter Blake Snell.
The struggling Mets look to have a better grasp of reality. They know they’re not going to make the playoffs.
They will look at closer David Robertson, outfielders Tommy Pham and Mark Canha, and other players.
They will also consider offers for Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, but given their troubles this year and the fact that they are each guaranteed $43 million next season with around $18 million remaining on their current contracts, their return will be significantly reduced.
The Mets will begin making transactions focusing on 2024 and the future now that their projected opening-day rotation is healthy.
- Can the Diamondbacks seize their opportunity to win the NL West?
This could be the D-backs’ best chance to win the NL West. Injuries have plagued the Los Angeles Dodgers. - The Padres have collapsed. with the San Francisco Giants are attempting to balance winning with building.
Ohtani may be with the Dodgers or the Giants in a year’s time.
The D-backs are in severe need of starting pitchers. They can only rely on two veteran starters, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. They don’t have a closer on hand. They could also use another setup man.
The D-backs, who just lost their $75 million television contract, will be proactive but not foolish, bringing back at least one seasoned starter and possibly two relievers. They’re not going to toss away a valuable piece of the future when they’re already in contention for at least a wild-card berth.
- What about the Reds, baseball’s most unexpected club, who are in position to win the NL Central?
They, too, have a surplus of youthful position players, with five rookies in their lineup, but they lack pitching. - There’s a lot of it. It’s impressive that they’re winning despite the absence of outstanding young players Hunter Greene, Nick Lodolo, and Graham Ashcraft due to injury.
- Rookie Andrew Abbott has been outstanding, but he is set to be shut down before the season as he approaches his career high in innings.
The Reds should get a starter, making the Milwaukee Brewers nervous, but they aren’t about to give up any of their best prospects.
- Will the Cardinals suddenly alter their mind after starting to win shortly after president John Mozeliak declared they were selling?
What happened to this team?
They’re finally performing as everyone expected, and they’re in the NL’s poorest division, where nobody can escape.
Sorry, but it was far too little, far too late.
The Cardinals, no matter how loud their fans or players yell, are still open for business and dealing away assets that are unlikely to be available next season.
As a result, starters Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty, who are both due for free agency in November, could be on their way out. Jordan Hicks, the closer, and maybe injured reliever Ryan Helsley.
Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong, both infielders, could also be released. And outfielders Dylan Carlson and Tyler O’Neill had better not do the same.
They will keep infield cornerstones Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado, as well as outfielders Jordan Walker and Lars Nootbaar, and try to build around them this winter in the hopes of returning to the Cardinals Way with 2024.
- Who are the top pitchers on the market?
The Cubs’ Marcus Stroman and Kyle Hendricks, the White Sox’s Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, Mike Clevinger, Joe Kelly, and Kendall Graveman, Montgomery and Flaherty in St. Louis, possibly Scherzer, Verlander, Robertson, and Jose Quintana in New York, Eduard Rodriguez and Michael Lorenzen in Detroit, Paul Blackburn of the Oakland A’s, and possibly Hader and Snell in San Diego are all in the mix.
Former Guardians Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, who was thought to be available for offensive help, is now out until August with elbow inflammation.
Snell may be the top starter, but he just walked seven hitters in his last outing. Stroman is the second-best pitcher, but he has a 6.16 ERA this month.
Hader, a five-time All-Star closer, is without a doubt the best reliever available.
- What about position players?
Cody Bellinger of the Cubs, who is finally beginning to resemble the man who won the MVP award with the Dodgers, could be the best position player available.
Across town, the White Sox are selling nearly their entire roster, including infielders Tim Anderson, Elvin Andrus, and Yoan Moncada, as well as Eloy Jimenez and Yasmani Grandal.
The Cardinals have the most talent available, with outfielders Carlson and O’Neill, infielders Tommy Edman and Paul DeJong, and catcher Willson Contreras.
You also have Mets Pham and Canha, Washington Nationals infielder Jeimer Candelario and outfielder Lane Thomas, and first baseman C.J. The Colorado Rockies’ Cron, outfielder Randal Grichuk, and catcher Elias Diaz.
It’s not a star-studded pool, but you never know who will be the ideal match?
If teams had any inkling that Bellinger would have this rebound year, hitting.310 with 12 homers and an.887 OPS, he would have received far more than the Cubs’ one-year, $17.5 million contract. He earns only $12.5 million per year, with a $25 million mutual option for a $5 million buyout in 2024.
- Which team will be the most daring?
The Tampa Bay Rays, who led the division for 97 days, have been subpar over the past two months, eventually relinquishing first place. Nonetheless, they recognize that this is a talented club capable of capturing the franchise’s first World Series.
They have the prospects and the urgency, believing this is the best club they’ve ever built.
Keep a very careful check on them.
They’re about to make a tremendous hit.
- Which team will be more passive than expected?
The Dodgers of Los Angeles.
They are, indeed, filthy affluent. They have more prospects than any other baseball team.
And they are still searching for their first World Series championship in a full season since 1988.
Nonetheless, they started this season virtually content with a return to the postseason, spending very little in the free-agent market by not offering anyone a multi-year contract, and saving all of their resources for the great white whale, Ohtani.
The fact that they are in first place despite having every starting pitcher on the injured list, ace Julio Urias suffering the worst season of his career, relying on four rookie position players and eight rookie pitchers, and going the entire season without a bona fide closer testifies to their incredible depth.
Sure, they’ll get an experienced starter and some bullpen help, but they’re positioning Ohtani to be a key player in 2024 and the rest of the decade while still holding on to their top prospects.
Their hyper-aggression began this winter.
All the way around the basepaths
- Major League Baseball owners plan to overwhelmingly elect Commissioner Rob Manfred to a five-year contract extension this week in Washington, D.C.
It will take him to the year 2030, when he will be 71 years old.
- Boston Red Sox manager Alex Cora expressed his displeasure when he urged the front management to be aggressive before the trade deadline and not worry about hoarding prospects.
“It doesn’t matter how many prospects you have or where your farm system is,” Cora told reporters, “what matters is how many games you win in October and how many games you play in October.”
From June 1 to July 2, the Red Sox lost four starters to injuries, including Chris Sale, Tanner Houck, Corey Kluber, and Garrett Whitlock, and have yet to replace one of them with outside aid.
- The Seattle Mariners, who were anticipated to return to the postseason after ending a 21-year drought last year, have said they will not make a deal at the deadline because they believe their club is simply not good enough to buy.
“We haven’t really separated ourselves in a meaningful way to be aggressive on the buying end,” GM Jerry Dipoto said on his weekly radio show. “Last year we were very aggressive in the trade market…. We’re probably not going to be in that market. We’re going to be more in the’margins’ market.”
- The Phillies are in the market for a right-handed corner outfielder and would love to acquire Pham from the Mets.
- Congratulations to the Cape Cod League, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this weekend.
Each of the ten teams had more than 20 players picked two weeks ago, including five No. 1 picks in the last six years, making it baseball’s most prestigious summer wooden bat league, producing hundreds of players on MLB rosters.
“We’ve been around for 100 years,” said Cape Cod president Andrew Lang, “but we don’t want to be old-fashioned in everything we do.” We are attempting to modernize fan engagement, media, and broadcasting. I have an eight-foot-wide, four-foot-tall white board covered in ideas. …
“When COVID hit, we didn’t know what to expect, but people realized how much they missed it, and we’re back stronger than ever.” Every collegiate athlete aspires to play in the Cape Cod League.
‘Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep this thing going for another 100 years.’
- Do you believe Anthony Rizzo, the Yankees’ first baseman, misses Aaron Judge?
In his last 44 games, he’s hit.180 with a.217 slugging percentage,.492 OPS, no home runs, and 11 RBI.
- What was the difference in this year’s Guardians, who won the AL Central and nearly beat the Yankees in the postseason in 2022?
Last season, Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, and Cal Quantrill all made at least 31 starts. Due to injuries, none of them are currently in the lineup.
“(Starters) are really difficult to acquire this time of year, especially if you want a guy who can help you win games,” said Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations for the Guardians. “There’s a difference between getting someone who can just fill innings and getting someone who can help you win games.”
- The Miami Marlins, the only team without a victory since the All-Star break, have targeted Nationals switch-hitter Candelario as a potential match.
- A fantastic homecoming for Dodgers reliever Evan Phillips, who was released by the Baltimore Orioles two years ago and returned to Camden Yards this week as one of the best relievers in baseball. He has a 1.82 ERA since being released after posting a 7.36 ERA in 44 games with Baltimore.
- Mets rookie catcher Francisco Alvarez has received high praise from his teammates this season for his maturity and professionalism, in addition to his outstanding performance.
“He cares more than any young guy I’ve ever seen come up, ever,” Mets DH Daniel Vogelbach said to reporters. “He’s a simple guy to root for.” A lot of folks come up and think they’ve worked it out. He is the furthest away from it.”
- Remember when the Boston Red Sox signed Japanese outfielder Masataka Yoshida to a five-year, $90 million deal?
Yoshida hit.315 with 11 home runs, 58 RBI, and only 38 strikeouts, proving to be a stroke of genius.
- Paul Skenes, the No. 1 draft pick who signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates and attended the Air Force Academy for two years before transferring to LSU, has expressed a desire to serve in the military following his baseball career.
“He will serve his country, that’s a big deal to him,” Air Force baseball coach Mike Kazlausky told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. “Believe me, during his professional playing days, he’ll do a lot for the city of Pittsburgh, and probably a lot for our United States of America.”
- While Jackson Holliday of the Baltimore Orioles is the No. 1 prospect in baseball, his family has even more to offer.
His younger brother, Ethan, who is drafted in 2025, is even better.
“Just wait,” Jackson, son of former All-Star outfielder Matt Holliday, adds.
- Congratulations to LaTroy Hawkins and Kenny Lofton, who will return to Gary, Ind., on Tuesday to deliver a free Still Got Game Foundation kids baseball clinic. Hawkins was born and raised in Gary, and Lofton is from nearby East Chicago.
