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The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday, August 1 at 6 p.m. ET. Here’s the latest buzz from around the league’s trade market.
Astros and Dodgers jostle for Verlander – Verlander has a no-trade clause, which limits what the Mets can do to retain him. With pitchers Luis Garcia and Lance McCullers Jr. already hurting, the Astros could use a quality starter. But the ask is large and the Dodgers are also in contention for Verlander. The Orioles are also rumored to be making a run at Verlander.
SD’s Hader asking price is high – San Diego went 15-9 in July and is just 5 games out of a wild-card spot. The team must believe they can make a late push over the last two months to get into contention. Hader too is scheduled for free agency after the 2023 season.
Verdugo will stay in Boston – Teams that inquired about trading for Boston Red Sox outfielder Alex Verdugo were rejected; the Sox told callers they will keep Verdugo through the ‘23 season. He is scheduled to become a free agent in ‘24. That said, fellow OF Adam Duvall may be getting moved.
Yankees ‘rental players’ on the block? – CF Harrison Bader, reliever Wandy Peralta, righty Luis Severino, and utility player Isiah Kiner-Falefa could all be moved. OFs Tommy Phan and Mark Cahna may also be on the block. The Yankees are in last place in the AL East but only 3.5 games behind the final wild-card spot.
D’Backs looking for another relief pitcher – Paul Sewald is headed to Arizona after the D’Backs sent the Mariners an OF, an IF, and a prospect, and there may be more pitching help on the way if Arizona gets their way in the last 24 hours of the MLB trade market.
Guardians want to move on from Josh Bell – From Bob Nightengale – “Bell, 30, has a just 97 OPS+ this season, so he hasn’t been productive for Cleveland. That said, the Guardians have one of the AL’s worst offenses, so the bar isn’t high. It bears mentioning again that at this writing the Guardians are just a half-game off the pace in the AL Central.”
Are the Padres buyers? – From Buster Olney- “The Padres are out in the market checking on possible OF/DH help, and relief pitching. Fangraphs assesses their chances of making the playoffs at 39.8% after a good weekend against the Rangers.”
Nationals keep Jeimer Candelari on ice – With up to eight teams interested in the third baseman who had a bit of an injury scare over the weekend, the Nationals sat Candelari last night in an effort to keep his trade market value maximized.
Ohtani Off the Trade Market?
Shohei Ohtani is the best baseball player in the world at the moment and a very hot commodity going into the last day of the trade window. But is he even on the block?
According to a report from Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci, the Angels will hold on to their two-way superstar and make a run for the playoffs. In addition to not trading Ohtani, the Angels have been buyers at the trade deadline, adding pitchers Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the bullpen.
This is a clear signal that the Angels plan to make one last push to try and make the playoffs in ‘23.
At 52-49, the Angels are four games back of the final AL Wild Card spot and are looking to make it to the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
If nothing else, the removal of the Sho from the ‘23 trade picture will grease the wheels for more deals to get done closer to the deadline as teams scramble to find the missing pieces for a playoff run.
MLB FAQs
How do you play baseball survivor pool?
In a MLB Survivor pool, players pick one MLB team every week that they think will win. Each team can only be picked one time per season. A player survives to the next week if their chosen team wins at least half of its games that week. Administrators can select how many incorrect picks (strikes) before a player is eliminated.
What is a baseball survivor pool?
In a MLB Survivor pool, players choose one pro team each week that they believe will win. They may only pick a team once per season. If their selected team wins 50% or more of its games for that week they survive until the next week. Pool commissioners may select how many 'strikes' (incorrect picks) before a player is eliminated.
What is a 13-run baseball pool?
A 13 Run Baseball pool is a simple but fun pool for Pro Baseball. Each member (maximum of 30) is assigned a professional team. The goal is to be the first member to have their team score every number of runs, from 0 to 13. In some pools the number of runs can be changed to be from 6 to 13.
What are MLB props?
Each game, MLB players have certain prop lines that are assigned to them. These can be for base hits, strikeouts, walks, and other stats. For example, Mike Trout could have a line of over 1.5 base hits for a game. If he has 2 base hits that game, his prop would go over.
