MLB trade deadline rumors: biggest questions ahead
Bob Nightengale breaks down the biggest trade deadline questions as contenders and sellers weigh their next moves.
Tarik Skubal came off the mound in the seventh inning Wednesday afternoon and the crowd at Comerica Park got up, just in case. It was the two-time reigning Cy Young winner’s final start before the MLB trade deadline on Monday, Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET.
He and the 34,406 fans in the ballpark knew that could be his last one in a Tigers uniform.
With four days left until the deadline, this is what the market has been waiting for. Skubal is the biggest name out there and he’s headed for free agency after this season. Reports have rival executives believing the Tigers want to move him for a boatload of prospects.
Detroit’s collapse, blowing a seven-run lead and the game Wednesday, makes that even more realistic. The Tigers dropped to 51-58 and four games out of the final American League wild card spot.
Skubal, who had recorded his 1,000th career strikeout for the first out of the day, was appreciative of the fans and Detroit, but not ready to think about where his next start will be.
“When the fans get (on) their feet like that and give you a pretty good ovation, it’s special,” Skubal said. “It’ll never not be special. … Hopefully they feel like I’ve given everything to the team, to the city, because I truly have.
Now that the Tigers have to make a decision on Skubal, the trade market should start to heat up. Follow the day’s latest rumors here:
When is the MLB trade deadline?
Teams must have their trade details finalized and submitted to the league office by the deadline in order for any acquired players to be eligible for the playoffs. After that, players on 40-man rosters can’t be traded.
- When: Monday, Aug. 3
- Time: 6 p.m. ET
With so many MLB teams looking to upgrade at catcher, Colorado Rockies All-Star Hunter Goodman has been a popular name in trade rumors.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal says the Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees are among the teams expressing varying interest in Goodman, who’s totaled 31 home runs, 64 runs scored and 60 RBI this season.
However, Goodman is one of the team’s few building blocks and under team control for the next three seasons. Rosenthal says it would likely take a package that included those teams’ No. 1 prospects to land the 26-year-old Goodman.
With just three games remaining before the trade deadline, the Toronto Blue Jays are still riddled with an identity crisis.
Despite a record of 50-59, they are just five games out of a wild card berth, albeit with six teams to vault to get into playoff position. But baseball orthodoxy says the 12th-place team in a league where only six reach the playoffs should sell off assets and plan for a brighter day.
George Springer and Kevin Gausman were the free agent bell cows for this generation of Blue Jays, signing $150 million and $110 million deals in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Now, both are on expiring contracts, with some control over their futures.
“I’ve been doing this long enough to know you never really know what will happen,” Gausman tells USA TODAY Sports. “Everybody can kind of play GM and speculate who’s going to add and not add. I wouldn’t be surprised if we added.”
The Los Angeles Angels announced on Wednesday they sent catcher Logan O’Hoppe and right-handed reliever Chase Silseth to the Texas Rangers in exchange for 19-year-old Class A infielder Angel Arredondo.
It was the first major deal for Angels interim GM John Mozeliak, who replaced the fired Pery Minasian on June 26.
USA TODAY Sports’ James Williams gives the Angels a grade of C- on the deal, while giving the Rangers a B+ for adding depth and not dealing away one of their top prospects.
Philadelphia Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski is no stranger to improving a team’s roster at the trade deadline. He’s done it multiple times with multiple teams over his career.
Phillies star Bryce Harper is ready to welcome any new additions. When asked after Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Marlins if the team needed to add a pitcher or a hitter, he responded: “I think both.”
That didn’t sit well with Phils manager Don Mattingly, whose son Preston serves as the team’s assistant GM under Dombrowski.
“I just don’t like it from the fact of what I’ve been saying, that you’re saying we don’t like our players that are here,” Mattingly said Wednesday morning. “Guys want to be GMs without a real understanding of where the organization is, exactly where everything goes, not only this year but moving forward.
“Players like being GMs and making calls and spending other people’s money. So, (I’ll) just let it go at that. I mean, Dave’s been doing this awhile. He’s never really backed away from trying to get guys. We’re trying to get better. You know, we’re trying to get better at the deadline.”
The Phils begin play Thursday at 57-52, 6½ games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and tied for second in the NL wild card-race.