We are just two days away from the 2019 MLB trade deadline. We've seen a few minor transactions (you can follow along with our trade tracker), but Sunday saw the biggest deal thus far with the Mets acquiring right-hander Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays in exchange for pitching prospects Anthony Kay and Simeon Woods-Richardson.
We'll be here each day to roundup the latest on the rumor mill. We also took a look at the 50 best trade candidates, including the top 10 pitchers and top 10 hitters on the market. If you're interested in which prospects could be switching systems before July 31, we have you covered there as well.
Where will some of the biggest names on the trading block end up? Our experts at Sportsline have the odds on who Noah Syndergaard, Trevor Bauer and more will be playing for on Aug. 1.
Here are the latest trade rumors as the July 31 deadline approaches:
Pirates, Dodgers haggling over Vazquez
Talks between the Pirates and Dodgers about Pittsburgh closer Felipe Vazquez are currently "bogged down," reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Pirates want shortstop and top prospect Gavin Lux in return, but the Dodgers will not relent. MLB.com ranks Lux, who has hit .357/.425/.629 between Double-A and Triple-A this year, as the 10th best prospect in baseball.
At a minimum, Los Angeles needs a top setup man to support Kenley Jansen. An argument can be made they need two relievers prior to the trade deadline. They always seem to be an arm short in October. Vazquez is as good a reliever as there is in the game right now, and he's owed only $13.5M from 2020-21 with affordable club options for 2022 and 2023.
Mets expected to trade Diaz, Red Sox involved
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the expectation among rival evaluators is the Mets will trade closer Edwin Diaz prior to Wednesday's deadline. The Red Sox are believed to be the team "most invested" in pursuing him. The Mets are both buying and selling this summer, having acquired Marcus Stroman while shipping Jason Vargas to the Phillies.
Diaz, 25, has struggled this season, particularly with his trademark slider. That said, he is under team control through 2022 and was arguably the best reliever in baseball as recently as last season. It's understandable why the Red Sox would be after him, and I expect several other contenders to get involved before Wednesday's deadline.
Cards want to talk pitching with D-Backs
The Cardinals' recent improved play have put them in the thick of the NL Central and NL wild-card races. Insofar as the coming deadline is concerned, they're aren't a lot of obvious paths toward notable improvement for St. Louis. They're not a great team, to be sure, but they're also not purely awful at any one role. That said, additional pitching depth seems like an obvious target, and the Diamondbacks -- assuming they sell -- make a workable partner. Here's more from Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
#Cardinals unsure if conversations with #DBacks will prove as fruitful as they did with Goldschmidt, but they intended to circle back and see what the asking price is for a few pitchers. High atop their list is lefty, and they recognize opening for a starter. https://t.co/5ZcUKcPJj4
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) July 29, 2019
Veteran ace Zack Greinke is the prize here, and Jon Heyman adds that Greinke has the Cardinals blocked via his no-trade clause. Typically, though, such situations are vehicles for player leverage -- i.e., the Cardinals in the event that they were serious about trading for Greinke could perhaps persuade him to drop his no-trade protection in exchange for, say, a contract extension. Robbie Ray is also heavily rumored, and his strikeout stuff would play well in any rotation. The less ambitious route would entail dealing for lefty reliever Andrew Chafin.
Did Bauer's tantrum affect his trade value?
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Indians are continuing to evaluate possible trade scenarios involving their ace right-hander, Trevor Bauer. Olney notes that the team still has yet to make a hard buy or sell decision either way.
Bauer aired his frustrations during his rough outing on Sunday against the Royals, which resulted in him firing a ball from the pitcher's mound over the center-field wall before manager Terry Francona removed him. The whole thing -- the outing itself and the tantrum -- wasn't a great look for Bauer, days before the trade deadline. However, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reports that multiple MLB executives have said that Bauer's stunt is unlikely to significantly affect his market.
Bauer, 28, will be a free agent after next season.
Mets won't flip Stroman
An update following the Marcus Stroman-to-Mets trade on Sunday, from ESPN's Jeff Passan:
Some Mets information, per sources. The plan is to hold on to Marcus Stroman, not flip him. They are increasingly unlikely to sign Zack Wheeler to a contract extension. The likelihood is strong they deal at least one of Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard. They’ve hijacked the market.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 29, 2019
Stroman, 28, is cost-controlled through 2020. He's making $7.4 million this season and has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining. According to MLB Network's Jon Heyman, the Blue Jays will pay just a portion toward the remaining $2.5 million left on Stroman's $7.4 million salary.
For more on the fallout from the Stroman trade: here are the ramifications for the starting market here and what the prospects bring to the table here.
Red Sox confident they'll make a bullpen move
It's no secret that the Red Sox are in desperate need of some bullpen help. Boston has been using Nathan Eovaldi as a closer since his return from elbow surgery, but there are likely still more bullpen changes to come. The Mets are reportedly shopping closer Edwin Diaz, and apparently the Red Sox are interested. Here is ESPN's Buster Olney with more:
Any Red Sox offer for Edwin Diaz would presumably include minor-league slugger Bobby Dalbec, who is blocked at 3b by the younger Rafael Devers, or 2018 No. 1 pick Triston Casas, in case Mets view him as 3b option. Red Sox confident they will make impact bullpen move.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 29, 2019
ESPN's Jeff Passan adds that a number of scouts are skeptical about Boston's top prospect Triston Casas, and his ability to stay at third base. In fact, some view him as a clear first baseman. But scouts have no hesitation when it comes to Casas' bat.
Market for Ray heating up
Diamondbacks left-hander Robbie Ray is gaining more interest from teams after a solid start (6 IP, 2 ER, 11 K) on Sunday, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
The interest in #Dbacks starter Robbie Ray has intensified, and his trade value got a boost when he didn't walk a batter in six innings Sunday for the first time in two years. Most teams are interested in him as a starter, but two teams talked about his value in bullpen.
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) July 29, 2019
After uncertainty on Arizona's trade deadline plan, they're now appearing as clear sellers. Ray, 27, is earned $6.05 million for a salary the season, and he's controllable through arbitration next season. Ray has been with the Diamondbacks since 2015, and this season, the southpaw is tied in the National League for the most starts (23). The Yankees, Astros, Mets and Twins have been mentioned as teams reportedly in the running to acquire Ray.
Colome drawing interest from Phillies
MLB.com's Jon Morosi reports that the Phillies continue to have interest in White Sox closer Alex Colome. Colome, 30, is owed the balance of a $7.33 million contract for this season and isn't eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season. While the strikeout numbers aren't strong by the standards of late-inning relievers, Colome's managed to keep runs off the board this season and throughout his seven-year MLB career. The Phillies right now rank 10th in the NL with a bullpen ERA of 4.75 and last in the NL with a bullpen FIP of 5.02. Upgrading the relief corps should be an obvious priority leading up to Wednesday's deadline.
Giants could deal from left-handed bullpen depth
The Giants have a surfeit of left-handed relief right now, and even though they're not likely to be heavy sellers at the deadline thanks to their recent surge they may be willing to tap into that depth. Here are the details from Ken Rosenthal:
Per sources, #SFGiants drawing sudden interest in LH Drew Pomeranz, who since moving to ‘pen has struck out six in 4 1/3 shutout innings, allowing only one baserunner. Team’s LH relievers also include W. Smith, Watson, with Suarez, Selman at Triple A. At least one could be moved.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 29, 2019
As noted, Pomeranz may have leveled up in the bullpen (obvious sample-size alert, however), and that means the Giants are getting calls on him. President of baseball ops Farhan Zaidi can likely get away with dealing a lefty reliever or two without any sort of clubhouse mutiny, but that's certainly not the case for any hypothetical Madison Bumgarner blockbuster.
Marlins willing to listen on Castro, Walker
The Marlins figure to sell what they can before the deadline, and that includes walk-year contributors Starlin Castro and Neil Walker. The switch-hitting Walker can still be reasonably useful against right-handed pitching and can get by at third base. Castro, meantime, has endured a terrible season at the plate in 2019 (70 OPS+) but can still handle second base defensively. Obviously, the Marlins should expect a very limited return for either.
