The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline is just one week away on July 30, but there's still a ton of uncertainty as far as which teams will be buyers, which ones will be sellers and which players the sellers will be willing to move. Rumors of trade interests have been flying all over the place in recent days, but how much of it is legitimate? We've pulled together some of the top gossip from the past 96 hours to do some of our own buying and selling on whether any of it will come to fruition. To be clear, if we're selling a rumor, it doesn't mean we're doubting the source.
It simply means we don't see the transaction as likely to happen, either because the team with the star player probably won't part with him or because it doesn't particularly make sense for the rumored suitor. Rumors are presented in no particular order. Rumor : "Chicago White Sox lefty Garrett Crochet is considered to be at the top of the Dodgers' list, regardless of whether he's a starter or a reliever the rest of the way.
" - ESPN's Alden Gonzalez (reported Saturday) Buying or Selling? Surely, the Los Angeles Dodgers are going to be aggressive buyers. They just about have the NL West won at this point, but they would love to chase down the Phillies for the No. 1 seed.
At the very least, they want to make sure to stay ahead of the Brewers, lest they end up with the No. 3 seed and have to play in the wild card round. Doing so means plugging some of the holes, both in the bottom third of the lineup and in the starting rotation.
Are they really going to go all-in on Crochet, though? With both Clayton Kershaw and Tyler Glasnow coming back from the IL this week, with Gavin Stone and Landon Knack both pitching well and with reports that Yoshinobu Yamamoto's goal is to return from the 60-day IL before the end of the season? Gonzalez noted that it's possible Crochet would be used as a reliever the rest of the way if he does land with the Dodgers. And with all of Shohei Ohtani, Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May theoretically back in the rotation next season, Crochet staying in LA's bullpen indefinitely is a real possibility. If they don't view him as a surefire, top half of the rotation starter, it's hard to imagine they'll be willing to offer as much for Crochet as the Orioles or Padres would.
They do have the prospect capital to make it happen. However, if they're giving up top-tier minor league talent for one of the White Sox's stars under team control for several more years, it ought to be Luis Robert Jr. instead of Crochet.
Verdict: Selling Dodgers trading for Crochet Rumor : Pittsburgh Pirates have had 'exploratory' talks with the Miami Marlins about centerfielder Jazz Chisholm Jr., though "a few teams other than Pittsburgh have expressed more serious interest to this point." - Miami Herald's Craig Mish ( per MLB Trade Rumors on Friday) Buying or Selling? Upgrading in center is a near-must if the Pirates are serious about trying to contend this season.
The two players they have primarily deployed there are Michael A. Taylor and Jack Suwinski, who are batting .199 and .
177, respectively. It's a gigantic black hole, and it's the main reason the Pirates have scored fewer runs than every NL team aside from the Marlins. Meanwhile, after hitting his 13th home run of the year on Sunday, Chisholm's batting average is up to .
251 and his OPS is nearly 200 points better than the .553 mark Pittsburgh has gotten from center for the year. The price is certainly right, too—even for Pittsburgh, which notoriously spends seemingly as little as possible.
Chisholm's prorated salary for the rest of 2024 is less than $1M, and his salary for his remaining two years of arbitration eligibility shouldn't be too exorbitant, considering he's not even making $3M this season. Pittsburgh farm isn't spectacular by any means, but it has more than enough quality long-term chips to put together a package for Chisholm. It could be the perfect fit.
It's really just a question of whether we believe Pittsburgh is ready and willing to be one of the bigger buyers of this year's deadline. And with this franchise, we'll believe that when we see it. Verdict: Selling Pittsburgh doing anything substantial to improve in center (trading for Tommy Pham or Kevin Pillar would not qualify as substantial) Rumor : Nationals GM Mike Rizzo said of the team's deadline approach: "We'll be busy, we'll be active, we'll be aggressive.
" Asked specifically about Lane Thomas and Kyle Finnegan who each have one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, Rizzo said, "We're going to do a deal that we're comfortable with. And if we don't, we won't do a deal." - MASN's Bobby Blanco (on Saturday) Buying or Selling? Though they have crept back onto the fringe of the wild card mix with a sweep of Cincinnati to open the second half of the season, there's little doubt the Nats plan on being sellers this summer, already trading away reliever Hunter Harvey just before the All-Star Break.
As with the Toronto Blue Jays, though, the big question is whether Washington will part with more than just its two-month rentals. Jesse Winker and Dylan Floro are intriguing names who ought to be on the move before hitting free agency, but Lane Thomas and Kyle Finnegan are the ones everyone wants to know about. The former isn't hitting with quite the same pop as he had last season, but he's an inexpensive ($2.
2M 2024 salary) right fielder who has hit .255 with 53 home runs and 53 stolen bases since the beginning of 2022. The latter has been one of the best closers in the business this season, picking up his 28th save and lowering his ERA to 2.
32 on Sunday. Finnegan might be the best relief pitcher on the block, unless the A's are actually willing to move Mason Miller. It's going to take a considerable offer for either one to be moved, but they'll get it, as it's going to be a great year to be a seller.
Might even see Thomas and Finnegan packaged together in a trade, though perhaps the only contender looking to add both an outfielder and a closer is their NL East rival Phillies. Verdict: Buying both Finnegan and Thomas getting traded Rumor: Arizona Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen said, "as of now, the calls we're making, we're looking to add talent to the team." - Nick Piecoro of Arizona Republic (on Friday) "I'd love to be able to target down the needs to bullpen, position-player fit somewhere, and just go with that," Hazen said.
"That would be great. I don't know if we're going to just be afforded that opportunity." - MLB.
com's Steve Gilbert (on Friday) Buying or Selling? No team's presumed deadline approach has changed more in the past few weeks than the Diamondbacks. In late June, this team was 39-43 and seemed to be on its way to putting the likes of Christian Walker, Joc Pederson and Paul Sewald on the trade block. But after 12 wins in 17 games, the Snakes have risen from the ashes, entering play Monday in a three-way tie for the NL's final wild card spot.
Selling no longer makes any sense, but there's still the question of whether they can/will be buyers. Arizona's Opening Day payroll was $47M more than last season, as well as more than $30M greater than their previous high mark of $131.6M in 2018.
Yet, from the sound of things, they're planning on doing some buying. How much buying, exactly, is entirely unclear, though. They already have one of the more potent offenses in the big leagues, so it's unlikely they do much on the position player front.
Maybe a budget bat like Amed Rosario or Jesse Winker—both of whom are on a one-year, $1.5M deal—but that's about it. For pitching, it should come down to injury updates as of the morning of the deadline.
Jordan Montgomery is expected back this week, and both Merrill Kelly and Eduardo Rodriguez appear on track to return to the rotation sometime in the first half of August. If they have that trio alongside Zac Gallen and Brandon Pfaadt, they should be set, only really looking to add a middle reliever or two. Verdict: Buying Arizona as a slight buyer, and maybe more Rumor: "The Detroit Tigers are engaged in talks with the Baltimore Orioles and Dodgers for Skubal.
" Also, the Yankees "are willing to include No. 1 prospect Spencer Jones in a trade for White Sox ace Garrett Crochet or Tigers Cy Young candidate Tarik Skubal." - USA Today's Bob Nightengale (on Sunday) Buying or Selling? No need to make a buying or selling distinction on the interest level in acquiring Tarik Skubal.
Not only has he been "AL Cy Young" good this season, but he has a 2.57 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 11.
1 K/9 in 34 starts dating back to the beginning of last year. Any contender would absolutely love to get its hands on what is arguably the best pitcher in baseball right now. Would the Tigers be willing to part with their affordable, controllable ace, though? Skubal is making $2.
65M this season with two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. How much that spikes next year remains to be seen, but even if he wins the 2024 AL Cy Young and goes to $10M next year and $15M the following year, that's still an outrageous bargain compared to what he would fetch in free agency. So, again, the interest level outside of Detroit is extremely high here.
However, for the Tigers to give him up, MLB Network's Jon Morosi speculated last week that the return would have to be about on par with what Washington got for 2.5 years of Juan Soto at the 2022 deadline. Even for as good as Skubal has been, that's probably asking too much.
But they are well within their rights to demand the world for him, as he reasonably could be a big part of their return to prominence. Detroit is nowhere near as far gone right now as the Nationals were two years ago, nor remotely close to the mess that is the Chicago White Sox, who are likely to trade away their ace (Garrett Crochet) with 2.5 years of team control left.
Will the Tigers be sellers? Sure. They're six games out of the playoff picture and Jack Flaherty is maybe the best two-month rental likely to hit this year's trade block. They could also get at least something for the likes of Mark Canha, Gio Urshela and Andrew Chafin.
Unless the Orioles are willing to part with Jackson Holliday and another quality prospect, though, Skubal isn't going anywhere. Verdict: Selling Skubal getting traded Rumor: The Baltimore Orioles "are in touch on big relievers, including two All-Stars — ex-Oriole Tanner Scott and even the 103.7 mph-throwing Mason Miller.
Miller may not go anywhere, but don't put it past the Orioles to be able to land both a useful or better starter and reliever." - New York Post's Jon Heyman (on Thursday) Buying or Selling? Welcome to the two extremes of the closers on this year's market. Tanner Scott is absolutely going somewhere ahead of the deadline.
The newly 30-year-old southpaw is having a fantastic season for the hapless Marlins. After opening the second half with two more flawless saves, his ERA is down to 1.27 and his WHIP is sitting at 1.
01. The impending free agent will be owed around $1.8M in prorated salary, but that's nothing for a reliever who has been worth 3.
0 wins above replacement . Then there's Mason Miller, who will be under team control for five more seasons after this one. People started mentioning Miller as a trade candidate very early in the campaign, because trading away anything of value is just sort of the A's M.
O. in recent years. But would they seriously trade away their All-Star rookie? Without question, Baltimore has the prospects to make it happen.
If the Orioles believe Miller could be converted back to a starting gig next season—when they'll have Félix Bautista's surgically repaired elbow back at closer—they might also have the motivation to make it happen. It still seems a bit far-fetched, though, considering they should be able to get Scott from the Marlins for a fraction of a fraction of what it would cost to pry Miller away from the A's. Verdict: Buying Scott to the O's; Selling Miller to the O's (and selling the entire notion of Miller getting traded this summer) Rumor : "Though the asking price would surely be astronomical, (Chicago's deadline) conversations could theoretically include offers for standout left-hander Justin Steele.
" - The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Will Sammon and Patrick Mooney (on Monday) Buying or Selling? At 3.5 games back in an extremely crowded NL wild card race, the latest scuttlebutt has the Cubs more likely to embrace a selling mentality than a buying approach to the trade deadline. The question over the past month, though, has been: What exactly would the Cubs sell if they do wave the white flag? The only unrestricted free agents on the roster are backup catcher Tomás Nido and struggling former ace Kyle Hendricks.
They do also have club options on Héctor Neris and David Bote, a mutual option with Drew Smyly and a complicated player option with Cody Bellinger. But is anyone trying to trade for any of those six players, especially with Bellinger now on the IL? The Athletic's aforementioned article specifically noted both Justin Steele (three more years of arbitration eligibility) and Nico Hoerner ($23.5M over the next two seasons) as players that contenders would be interested in, but that the Cubs would need to be blown away with an offer to consider moving either one.
Hard to envision either one getting dealt. However, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported Sunday that both the Red Sox and Yankees have inquired about Jameson Taillon, which could have some legs. Taillon is owed $18M in each of the next two seasons, plus a little under $6M in prorated salary for the rest of 2024.
Moving him would all but ensure the Cubs stay below this year's luxury tax threshold, and it could be a fantastic sell-high opportunity for the 32-year-old who presently has the lowest ERA of his career (3.10). Verdict: Selling Steele or Hoerner being traded; Buying Taillon being on the trade block Rumor: "The Reds, swept by the Nats this weekend, are indicating to teams that they are willing to move players on expiring contracts.
" - MLB Network's Jon Morosi (on Sunday) Buying or Selling? Despite a +31 run differential for the year, the Cincinnati Reds find themselves in straits almost identically dire to the Cubs, sitting at six games below .500 and four games back in the wild-card picture after a brutal start to the second half. Unless they go 5-1 on their road trip against Atlanta and Tampa Bay, throwing in the towel on this season does seem likely.
Their sale won't be anything like two summers ago, though, when they dealt both Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle with a year of arbitration eligibility remaining. This season hasn't gone according to plan, but the Reds fully expect to be back in the mix next year, with most of their starting rotation and every position player of any real value returning. Impending free agent pitchers will be made available, though, which most notably includes Frankie Montas.
He hasn't had a great season, but he's had his moments with six quality starts to date. Montas has a $20M mutual option for 2025, which is all but certain to become a $2M buyout regardless of whether he stays in Cincinnati or gets traded. The Reds also have a bunch of relief pitchers to put on the block, including Buck Farmer (2.
80 ERA), Lucas Sims (3.82) and starter/reliever Nick Martinez (3.88), though his $12M player option for next season complicates matter a bit.
Verdict: Buying Montas, Farmer and Sims all getting traded, albeit for minimal return Rumor : "Two pitchers the Cards will likely target, per a source: Rangers' right-hander Nathan Eovaldi and Rays' righty Zach Eflin." - MLB.com's John Denton (on Saturday) "The St.
Louis Cardinals have strong interest in White Sox veteran starter Erick Fedde." - USA Today's Bob Nightengale (on Sunday) Buying or Selling? Starting pitching hasn't been St. Louis' forte this season, to put it lightly.
Better than last year's six-month-long disaster, sure, but Cardinals starters have a cumulative 4.42 ERA through 99 games, with Sonny Gray doing most of the heavy lifting. Adding at least one starter is pretty clearly their primary goal for the deadline, and preferably a starter with at least one more year of team control, in case when they don't feel like picking up 2025 club options on the not-getting-any-younger Lance Lynn and Kyle Gibson.
But Nathan Eovaldi? Really? Even if we think the reigning champs might do some selling, they'd be getting rid of impending free agents Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney and Michael Lorenzen, not Eovaldi, who has a vesting player option for $20M in 2025 and is supposed to be their co-ace along with Jacob deGrom. Zach Eflin is more realistic, given Tampa Bay's eternal desire/need to cut costs. He's owed $18M next season, but the Rays don't need him.
If by some miracle everyone is healthy for a change, they will have all of Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley, Shane Baz and Zack Littell available as starters in 2025. Have the 50-49 Rays given up on this season, though? They have one of the toughest remaining schedules, but closing out July with series against Toronto, Cincinnati and Miami might give them just enough hope to hang onto what they've got. Erick Fedde is absolutely available, though, and comes with a drastically lower 2025 price tag ($7.
5M) than the other two. St. Louis could probably get both Fedde and outfielder Tommy Pham from the White Sox in the same deal without giving up too much.
Verdict: Buying Fedde to the Cardinals; Selling Eovaldi on the block Rumor : "The Toronto Blue Jays have signaled to other teams that they intend to try to win in 2025 rather than to go through a full rebuild, and this is being interpreted by some other teams as an assertion that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette—each eligible for free agency after '25—won't be moved this summer." - ESPN's Buster Olney (on Monday) Buying or Selling? Here's the thing.
.. The market for Vladimir Guerrero Jr.
is robust. With the Mets (Pete Alonso), Cardinals (Paul Goldschmidt) and Diamondbacks (Christian Walker) all in the playoff hunt, the best non-Guerrero first baseman available is whom, exactly? MLB Trade Rumors put out its first draft of top 50 trade candidates on July 11 and did not have a single first baseman in the top 40, with Josh Bell—with a negative-1.5 bWAR for the year—at No.
41. Meanwhile, both the Astros and Mariners are desperate for an upgrade at first base, the latter even putting Ty France on waivers Sunday night. Considering they are presently tied for the AL West lead and could not only help themselves but hurt their rival by acquiring the only quality first baseman on the trade block, the bidding war for Guerrero could be intense.
However, the assumption all along with the Blue Jays has been all or nothing. That if they're trading away Guerrero with one year of team control remaining, they'll also be trading away Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt and Jordan Romano from the same boat. But Bichette (calf) just landed on the IL over the weekend, Romano (elbow surgery) is expected to be out until at least mid-August and they've both been struggling this season anyway, worth negative-0.
2 and negative-0.3 bWAR , respectively. Neither of those former two-time All-Stars is presently worth anything close to what we would have assumed four months ago, so the Blue Jays might just stand pat with Guerrero and instead focus on getting as much as they can for their rentals, specifically Danny Jansen and Yusei Kikuchi.
The fly in the ointment is Seattle's level of desperation in what is very much a seller's market at first base. The Mariners have several highly coveted long-term assets, currently boasting the best farm system, per our Joel Reuter . If M's GM Jerry Dipoto is all-in on getting this team a good first baseman for the first time in a long time, he just might be able to pry Guerrero away from Toronto.
Verdict: Buying Guerrero staying with the Blue Jays.
