The 2020 MLB season is only five weeks old and yet the Aug. 31 trade deadline is right around the corner. Teams have until Monday at 4 p.m. ET to evaluate their roster, dig through the market, and make upgrades. The first notable trade of the season was made late last week, when the Phillies acquired Brandon Workman and Heath Hembree from the Red Sox. The Blue Jays have since added Taijuan Walker in a small deal with the Blue Jays, while the A's grabbed Tommy La Stella from the Angels.
Here are Saturday's trade deadline rumors.
Giants, Cleveland among teams interested in Bradley Jr.
With the Red Sox struggling badly in 2020 -- largely by design -- it's expected that they'll undertake at least something of a sell-off before the deadline. Speaking of which, Jon Heyman reports that San Francisco and Cleveland are among the teams with some interest in trading for Boston center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr. Heyman adds that it's not yet certain that the Red Sox will move Bradley.
Bradley, 30, has long been a fielding asset in center, and he's also a useful base runner with occasional pop at the plate. This season, he's slashing .245/.308/.351 with two home runs in 29 games. He hasn't produced at a high level with the bat, but he remains a defensive stabilizer in center.
Cleveland badly needs help in the outfield, and its production from those three spots has been such that Bradley Jr. might actually constitute an offensive upgrade. The Giants, meantime, would get a defensive boost in center and be able to shift Mike Yastrzemski to a corner spot, where he's better suited. The implication, of course, is that the Giants will be at least "soft buyers" at the deadline. They've exceeded expectations to date, and with a major assist from the expanded playoff field they're in contending range.
A's, White Sox expected to land starter
The Athletics made their first trade of the summer on Friday night, acquiring infielder Tommy La Stella from the Angels in exchange for Franklin Barreto. It might not be Oakland's last trade. According to MLB.com's Mark Feinsand, the A's and the White Sox are the teams expected to land a starting pitcher before the deadline passes at 4 p.m. ET on Monday.
Feinsand didn't name any names, but we can guess who Oakland and Chicago could be pursuing. Earlier in the month, we highlighted 25 players who could be on the move, including four starting pitchers. One of those four, Taijuan Walker, has since been dealt, leaving Kevin Gausman and the injured Drew Smyly as the most notable names on our list.
Gausman would appear to make so much sense for the A's that we linked him to them as part of an article outlining four sensible fake trades. Both teams could also set their sights higher, perhaps to the Angels' Dylan Bundy or the Rangers' Lance Lynn. (MLB Network's Jon Morosi reports that Lynn is indeed a name being considered by the White Sox; Morosi adds that the White Sox and Braves are among the teams interested in Bundy as well.)
Rays interested in Vazquez
The Rays haven't received much from their backstops this season, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're calling around for a new backstop. The Athletic reported on Friday that the Rays have engaged the Red Sox about Christian Vazquez.
Here's what we wrote earlier in the week, when we detailed how Vazquez could be one of the next Red Sox players to get moved:
We'll end with Christian Vazquez, who also has a team-friendly contract. He's locked up through next season for $6.25 million, with his employer holding a club option on '22 worth $7 million.
Vazquez hasn't made good on the offensive promise he showed last season, when he launched 23 homers. Entering Monday, he was hitting .258/.289/.419 (87 OPS+) with strikeout and walk rates that were heading in the wrong directions. Teams will tolerate that kind of offensive shakiness from their backstop if they're cheap and talented behind the dish, and Vazquez is both. He grades as an above-average framer and thrower, and he just turned 30 last week.
There aren't many attractive catching options on the market, so Boston might try to take advantage of the situation and see if Vazquez can't bring back more than he might otherwise.
A Rays-Vazquez pairing would make sense -- we had Tampa Bay listed as his top potential fit.
Reds don't intend to sell
The Reds entered Saturday with a 14-17 record, a game out of the National League postseason picture. Yet that doesn't mean they're inclined to sell at the deadline. Rather, Cincinnati could be looking to buy, according to MLB Network's Jon Heyman.
Perhaps that's to be expected. The Reds have won three consecutive games, and they have a number of veteran position players who, at some point, will ostensibly turn their seasons around, including Joey Votto, Mike Moustakas, and Tucker Barnhart. Cincinnati's front office seems likely to pursue bullpen help, at minimum.
Had the Reds opted to sell, then impending free agent Trevor Bauer would've been one of the top players on the market.
Blue Jays inquire on Simmons
The Angels moved one impending free agent, in La Stella, on Friday, so it shouldn't come as a surprise that they're talking calls on others, including shortstop Andrelton Simmons. One team who has reportedly checked in on Simmons? The Blue Jays, who recently lost Bo Bichette to injury, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi.
Simmons hasn't hit much dating back to last season, but he's long been held as one of (if not the best) shortstop defenders in the game. As such, he would be an upgrade over the tandem (Santiago Espinal and Joe Panik) Toronto has been using at the six.
