USA TODAY International Edition
Trades we’d like to see at deadline
With a majority of teams still considering themselves contenders and franchises holding an ever- tightening grip on their top prospects, it will be tight maneuvering around Major League Baseball before Friday’s trade deadline.
That doesn’t mean it will be quiet, by any means.
With almost every contender in at least semi- desperate need for pitching, the volume of deals, at least, will be high, even if many are of a “neutral” variety – such as fringe contenders exchanging need for need.
Still, there’s enough talent available that a pennant- winning difference-maker figures to be on the move before clubs hunker down for the final two months. Here are five deals we’d like to see before pencils are down and papers are due come 4 p. m. ET Friday.
Cubs trade Kris Bryant and Craig Kimbrel to Dodgers; Dodgers trade A. J. Pollock and cash to Athletics
Hey, how about one sonic boom to shake up a few races? In one fell swoop, the Cubs end their shameful waving of the white flag that began with the winter trade of Yu Darvish and ship two of their most marketable assets west.
In Bryant and Kimbrel – both free agents after this season – the Dodgers gain significant flexibility in their everyday lineup and beef up a back end of a bullpen that has seen too many late- inning wobbles from Kenley Jansen. While Bryant (. 856 OPS, 17 homers, 132 adjusted OPS) and Pollock (. 855, 13, 132) have provided similar production this season, Bryant’s versatility provides insurance against injury or struggles at multiple positions. The Dodgers have already exceeded the luxury- tax threshold for this season, so taking on Kimbrel’s salary ( Bryant makes just $ 1.5 million more than Pollock in 2021) will only add a few dollars to their first- time penalty, with a chance to reset in 2022.
Meanwhile, the A’s solidify an outfield that has seen a black hole of production in right field ( a combined 27th in OPS) and accept a few million dollars from L. A. to help pay down Pollock’s ’ 22 salary. While it’s nearly impossible to pry so much as an imperfect pair of Gap boxers from A’s owner John Fisher, the reclusive billionaire may also need to
create the perception of engagement as he fights for a new stadium and canoodles with Las Vegas.
The Cubs, now familiar with the A’s system after trading them reliever Andrew Chafin, can pull from two clubs’ catalogue of prospects, with neither incurring such a massive hit from their inventory.
Rangers trade Joey Gallo to Blue Jays
There will be a flurry of reliever transactions and a handful of starting pitchers moving. Hitters? Much harder to come by, which makes Gallo – a 2021 All- Star under club control through 2022 a significant commodity.
And the Blue Jays, with a farm system ranked third by Baseball America and more elite shortstops than they know what to do with, have the wares to win that auction.
They also have the need: Sure, they lead the major leagues in OPS, but the top six or seven batters in their lineup are right- handed. Now imagine plugging Gallo’s lefty bat, .380 on- base percentage and 24 home runs somewhere among All- Stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Teoscar Hernandez, along with a now- healthy George Springer. Toronto may have to bludgeon opponents into submission, and Gallo gives them the wherewithal to do so – this year and next.
Angels trade Raisel Iglesias to White Sox
Oh, this will inspire anguish from the “But they are wasting Mike Trout’s career!” crowd. And it truly would be a shame to cash in the club’s lone reliable reliever just as Trout returns from a calf injury and Shohei Ohtani continues making history on a nightly basis.
As grim as it sounds, though, the Angels remain very much in “asset acquisition mode,” having somehow produced a bottom- tier farm system despite a sixyear absence from the playoffs. Iglesias has been fantastic since June 23 – cashing in nine of 10 save opportunities, with a 1.65 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 16 1/ 3 innings. He’s just about the lone commodity they can move for any semblance of a return – and if the Angels somehow are to make a run from No. 7 in the wild- card pecking order, it will have to come from somewhere beyond their ninth- inning guy.
The White Sox, meanwhile, could be goaded into a slight overpay; their window flew open in a hurry this year, yet could really use one more lockdown reliever to avoid saddling All- Star Liam Hendriks with too many one- plus inning outings. Iglesias, Garrett Crochet and Michael Kopech would form a daunting late- inning crew setting up Hendriks.
Marlins trade Starling Marte to Giants
This one’s been bandied about, and for good reason. The Giants could have folded at so many points this season but now have a fantastic chance to win the division. In Marte, they’d add a player whose .403 OBP would become the best among their everyday players along with another lockdown defender in the outfield.
Sure, the Giants can use another reliever, but their bullpen is in far better shape than most clubs. Why not, then, add Marte and nudge Steven Duggar to left field, where Alex Dickerson is suddenly hitting at a level worse than league average? Or give Mike Yastrzemski the occasional day off against a lefty?
No one mixes and matches better than Giants front office honcho Farhan Zaidi and manager Gabe Kapler. Adding a potent two- way player like Marte would give them tons more options – and likely create more breathing room from the Dodgers and Padres.
Rangers trade Kyle Gibson to Mets
Sorry, folks, we just don’t see a firebreathing No. 1 playoff starter heading to Queens. The logistics of a Max Scherzer trade are already plenty thick, and ubercompetitive Nationals GM Mike Rizzo would be fairly loathe to trade him within the division.
So the Mets lower their sights and rather than get a guy who can blow down the door in October, add a dude who can take down six competent innings against the Marlins in September.
Hey, Gibson is no slouch – he’s a 2021 All- Star and his 2.87 ERA ranks fourth in the AL. It’s just that his 94 strikeouts over 113 innings may not play so dominantly come playoff time.
That’s OK. The Mets have had to trot out far too many “TBAs” in their rotation this season, which has been marked by a rash of injuries and weather/ COVIDrelated postponements. And the NL East at large has been an imperfect mess, a battle of attrition in which the Mets remain the only club with a winning record. Gibson can be a balm in this firestorm, providing separation from division rivals who because of their very imperfections may not be inclined to load up themselves before the deadline.