MLB trades we want to see before deadline
Less than two weeks before MLB’s trade deadline, the market’s potential buyers and sellers are taking shape.
It’s an intriguing group of players expected to be dealt, ranging from bullpen rentals to young starting pitchers with multiple years of team control.
The big thing to remember this year is that the July 31 deadline is now the singular deadline. In the past, teams could make deals until Aug. 31 if the players cleared waivers, leading to differencemakers being available in August.
Here’s a look at some of the moves we want to see get done by month’s end.
Marcus Stroman to Yankees
The Blue Jays dealt J.A. Happ to the Yankees last summer, which would seem to indicate the club wouldn’t shy away from trading within the division again.
There’s something undeniably special about a kid from New York playing for the Yankees, and Stroman, 28, is exactly what the American League East leaders need. An All-Star for the first time this year, Stroman has the secondhighest ground-ball rate in the AL and gave up only 10 home runs in the first half. That’ll certainly play at Yankee Stadium.
Stroman is under team control for 2020. Considering he grew up a Yankees fan on Long Island, you’d have to imagine the right-hander would be open to staying with the club long term.
And oh, he’s already deeply engaged in a beef with the Red Sox.
Madison Bumgarner to Astros
Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole are two of the best in the game and Wade Miley has been good, but Houston’s rotation has been shaky beyond those three. Even though he’s not as dominant as five years ago, Bumgarner brings the postseason pedigree and bulldog mentality that could prove crucial in what’s going to be a hard-fought October.
The Giants don’t have much leverage since Bumgarner will be a free agent after this season, so the Astros probably wouldn’t have to part with a top prospect like Kyle Tucker or Forrest Whitley to land the 29-year-old lefty.
Matthew Boyd to Padres
He’s not a household name, but Boyd has really come into his own this year, averaging 12 strikeouts per nine innings and leads the AL with a 6.33 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
While all the contenders will certainly be in pursuit, the 28-year-old lefthander would be the perfect long-term acquisition for a Padres club that is just about ready to break out. Boyd is under team control through 2022 and could key a rotation alongside 26-year-old Joey Luchessi and 23-year-old Chris Paddack, with top prospect Mackenzie Gore not far behind.
Will Smith to Dodgers
Admittedly, the Giants and Dodgers have been trade partners only four times since moving west in 1958, mostly recently in 2007.
San Francisco’s closer, a free agent after the season, figures to be the best reliever available before July 31. Meanwhile, Los Angeles’ only flaw might be the bridge to Kenley Jansen. The Dodgers are going to win the National League West for the seventh year in a row and this might be the best team they’ve had over that entire run.
Giants president Farhan Zaidi was the Dodgers’ GM from 2014 to 2018 and his relationship with Andrew Friedman and the Los Angeles front office could supersede the organizations’ past hesitance to make deals. The Dodgers should be looking to strengthen the team at all costs and Smith would immediately make their bullpen one of the best in baseball, even if it means sending prospects to their rival of 129 years.
That’s all well and good, but what about the potential reaction from the Giants’ fan base? It could be an unforgivable sin if their new regime were to help the Dodgers win a title.
Ultimately, a trade between the rivals could blow up in either team’s face. That’s all the more reason we’re for it.
Nick Castellanos to Indians
Probably the top position player on the market, Castellanos is an interesting case. A free agent at the end of the year, the 30-year-old is on pace for more than 50 doubles. But in a year defined by the long ball, he has only nine home runs.
Cleveland’s 2019 strategy of “not having an outfielder who can hit” was a bold one, but the team has been on fire for more than a month and is within striking distance of the Twins in the AL Central.
Castellanos would be a great fit with the Indians, who could use him in right field, as the designated hitter or at third base to shuffle things up in the infield with Jose Ramirez and Jason Kipnis struggling.