The calendar has officially flipped to June, meaning that the MLB season is a little over two months old now. While only a little over one-third of the season has elapsed, it feels as if we're starting to learn which teams are legitimate contenders and which are not.
With the month of June officially beginning, MLB fans are starting to look ahead toward the trade deadline, and frankly, it's hard to blame them. USA Today's Bob Nightengale even begun looking ahead to the end of July in his latest weekly column.
Here are the most important MLB rumors to take away from his piece.
MLB Rumors
- Holding onto Sandy Alcantara might've been a costly Marlins mistake
- Pirates could shake up their roster in a big way
- Red Sox have an intriguing trade chip if they sell
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Holding onto Sandy Alcantara might've been a costly Marlins mistake
For the longest time, it's felt as if it is a matter of when, not if, the Miami Marlins would trade Sandy Alcantara. They could've traded him over the offseason, like they did Jesus Luzardo, but they instead chose to hold onto their ace, hoping he'd pitch like the Cy Young-caliber arm he once was and net them a monster return at the trade deadline. Instead, Alcantara looks like one of the worst pitchers in the majors right now. Their plan has not aged well.
"The Miami Marlins’ plan to enhance ace Sandy Alcantara’s trade value by hanging onto him until the deadline has backfired – at least in the early-going."
In fact, among the 99 pitchers with at least 50 innings pitched, Alcantara's 8.37 ERA ranks 99th. He's allowed a league-leading 48 runs on 56 hits in 51 innings of work overall, and has seen his walk rate spike from 6.3 percent when last seen in 2023 to 12.2 percent this season. Alcantara not looking his best yet was to be expected coming off Tommy John Surgery, but who could've expected this?
I don't blame the Marlins for betting on Alcantara, one of the best pitchers in baseball just a couple of years ago, but in hindsight, their decision to do so doesn't look great. Alcantara is almost certainly going to bounce back and not be literally the worst pitcher in the majors, but will he ever pitch like a frontline starter again? That can be debated.
The Marlins passed on a great package for what they hoped would be a franchise-altering haul. Now, there's a good chance they might not be able to get what they could've gotten before the season. They took a risk, even if it could've been deemed a smart one at the time, and so far, it has backfired.
Pirates could shake up their roster in a big way
The Pittsburgh Pirates are an absolute mess. At 22-37, the Pirates not only sit in last place in the NL Central, but they have the fourth-worst record in the majors. They went from a team some thought might hang around the NL Wild Card race to one of the worst teams in the league. They might shake up their roster in a big way at the trade deadline as a result.
"The Pittsburgh Pirates are flatly rebuking all interest from teams wanting to engage in trade talks for ace Paul Skenes, but will listen to offers on every other player but him and outfielder Oneil Cruz."
The Pirates, smartly, are refusing to entertain trade offers for their two franchise building blocks, Paul Skenes, and Oneil Cruz, but are open to dealing anyone else, according to Nightengale. Two players in particular were named by Nightengale as part of this potential fire sale.
"Two intriguing players are third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes and outfielder Bryan Reynolds. They were each expected to become cornerstone pieces of the franchise and both have struggled, with the Pirates expected to put them on the market at the trade deadline."
The Pirates considering placing Ke'Bryan Hayes on the trade block is far from shocking. Hayes, like Nightengale mentioned, was expected to be a franchise cornerstone when he was handed an eight-year, $70 million extension, but while he's a gifted defender, he has not developed one bit offensively. This season, he's slashing .223/.283/.277 with one home run and 17 RBI. If the Pirates can even find a keeper, it would be hard to blame them for dumping him.
As for Bryan Reynolds, however, that's a bit more surprising. Reynolds has had an abysmal year, but he was an All-Star as recently as last season, and has seen his play tick up recently. Reynolds is hitting .388 with a 1.089 OPS in his last 13 games, raising his overall average by over 40 points and his OPS by over 100 points. Trading him now, especially while he's finally getting going, feels like a mistake for a team so starved for offense.
Regardless, it'll be interesting to see what the Pirates do. Their record is putrid, but they do have several intriguing trade chips not named Skenes or Cruz. Shaking things up might be in the team's best interest, at the end of the day.
Red Sox have an intriguing trade chip if they sell
The Boston Red Sox entered the year expecting to contend, but as their 28-32 record suggests, they're not playing like a playoff team right now. They sit in fourth place in the AL East, and are several games out of a Wild Card spot as well. Injuries are partly to blame, but the team as a whole has simply underperformed. Aroldis Chapman is an exception to that, and if the Red Sox do end up selling, he might be a valuable trade chip as a result.
"Scouts already are keeping an eye on Boston Red Sox reliever Aroldis Chapman, who will be a hot commodity at the trade deadline if the Red Sox fall out of the AL East race."
Red Sox fans were not happy when the team signed Chapman to a one-year deal in the offseason, but he's been their best reliever. He has a 1.96 ERA in 25 appearances and has converted eight saves in nine tries. He's been Alex Cora's go-to high-leverage arm all year, and he's made his manager look good with his performance.
The Red Sox will need Chapman to stick around if they want to make a run for the postseason, but if they decide to sell, trading him, considering how well he's pitched and that he's on an expiring contract, makes the most sense. He can bring back a decent return, too. It'll be interesting to see how that unfolds.