Seven Things to Watch for at the MLB Transfer Deadline: Will an Ace Be Traded?

July 30, 2024

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Seven Things to Watch for at the MLB Transfer Deadline: Will an Ace Be Traded?

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Here are seven things to watch out for in the run-up to the trade deadline at 6:00 p.m. ET on Tuesday, which is set to be a day full of drama with potentially several major trades.

1. Is an ace moved?

The Tigers have listened to teams asking about their American League Cy Young Award candidate, Tarik Skubal. The White Sox continue to talk to teams about their ace, Garrett Crochet. The Giants have done their due diligence on two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. So far, none have been traded. It seems unlikely that any team will pay the prospect price necessary to land Skubal (but the Tigers could still get a big return if they move Jack Flaherty). Crochet and his agency, CAA, have reduced his trade value by saying he wouldn’t pitch in October unless he gets a contract extension first, but there are still teams that would trade him anyway. The Snell situation will also be interesting to watch. After trading Jorge Soler back to the Braves late Monday night, the Giants have a much better chance of trading Snell than they did yesterday.

Remember, all it takes is one owner, team president or general manager to get out of bed on the right side of the bed this morning and decide he’s willing to pay the exorbitant price for a star player who could make the biggest difference of any player traded this year at the trade deadline.

GO DEEPER

Trading for Garrett Crochet: Which Teams (and Prospect Packages) Could Land Him?

2. Where do the best available closers end up?

The Marlins have been trading closer Tanner Scott for more than a month, and there are just hours left before they have to decide where to trade him. Three AL East teams have led the charge to acquire Scott, with the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox all in play and the AL Central’s Royals as outsiders, according to major league sources. But will another team step in at the last minute with an offer the Marlins can’t refuse? And once Scott is traded, how long will it be before one of the teams that missed out turns around and tries to land Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan? It’s closing time.

3. Are the Twins going to do something important?

The Twins have been very quiet at this trade deadline. They haven’t made a trade in the last two weeks. They want more starting pitchers, but their situation is complicated: most of their conversations have been buyer-to-buyer proposals, since they can’t raise salaries significantly and may have to cut salaries from their roster to get them back in a trade. But they need to find a solution, because adding a veteran starter would give them a much better chance of making the playoffs.

4. Which AL East prospect will have the most depth in the bullpen?

The Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees are all trying to improve their bullpens from a leverage and depth perspective. They’ve all tried Tanner Scott and Kyle Finnegan, but that’s only at the high end of the market. They’ve also tried to bring in relievers like Mark Leiter Jr. from the Cubs, Luis Garcia from the Angels, Dylan Floro from the Nationals, Chad Green from the Blue Jays and both Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams from the A’s.

5. Are the Rays and White Sox done selling?

The Rays have traded Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Jason Adam, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Phil Maton. However, they could still trade second baseman Brandon Lowe, first baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks, among others. The Rays have been one of the stories of the trade deadline, but are they done? Meanwhile, the White Sox have traded Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Tommy Pham. Will they now trade Garrett Crochet or Luis Robert Jr.? Or will they eventually trade more peripheral players like shortstop Paul DeJong or one of their right-handed power hitters like Andrew Vaughn or Eloy Jiménez? They’ve lost 15 games in a row — time to make some winning trades.

6. Will the Giants keep selling?

The Giants’ trades of Soler and Luke Jackson to the Braves reduced their future financial risk but also signaled that they might continue to sell and restructure for 2025 and beyond. (A mix of buying and selling is also possible for San Francisco, which enters Tuesday four games behind the playoff position in the standings.) They likely have the best bargaining chip: No pitcher or player would fetch a better return at the deadline than Snell. The Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles, among other teams, are reportedly interested in acquiring Snell and would likely be willing to pay a painful prospect price, especially given how he’s pitched in his last four starts (0.75 ERA in four outings in July). Will he stay or go? And what other moves will the Giants make?

7. Desperation Meter: Which teams are most eager to make a move?

The Yankees and Orioles are gearing up for an epic race in the AL East, and both are eager to add more players before the deadline. The Mariners and Astros have made significant acquisitions to bolster their rosters, so will the rival Rangers feel pressure to make a big move as well? Will the Mets get a starter? Will the Red Sox and Royals get the right-handed hitter they’ve been searching for? The Desperation Meter could determine who makes a move and who doesn’t before the clock strikes 6 p.m.