This MLB trade deadline has so many questions. Will Tarik Skubal be moved? Will the Mets sell in what is widely regarded as a sellers' market? Do Dave Dombrowski and AJ Preller both try to make splashes? Who do the Giants move? The list goes on and on.
The biggest potential mover is Skubal, whose Detroit Tigers are bouncing back after a slow start. They swept the Tampa Bay Rays, had a successful series against the Seattle Mariners, and now have a winnable series at home against the Minnesota Twins. If they can bounce back and get back into playoff contention, could they even hold onto Skubal?
There is so much yet to play out. Let’s dive into that and more of what Emma Lingan and I discussed on The Baseball Insiders on Monday.
The Padres are struggling. What exactly do they need?
They need their star players, mainly Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr., to perform like stars. Their offense thus far simply hasn’t been good enough and if they can get going, it’s going to make that offense look a whole lot better. But it isn’t just them. They rank last in baseball since May in runs per game (three), batting average (.195), OBP (.270) and SLG (.328).
Much of their improvement needs to come internally. But you best believe A.J. Preller will be aggressive at the deadline. Could they pursue a first baseman such as, say, the Houston Astros’ Christian Walker? Could they swing big and attempt to pry, say, Adley Rutschman out of Baltimore? I have a hard time seeing the Orioles trading Rutschman, but knowing Preller, targeting a big name behind the plate who is controllable sounds like something he’d do.
Will he call? Surely. Will he be successful? I doubt it.
The White Sox are considering buying. What should they do?
Emma made a very strong point in that anything the White Sox add should be for now and going forward, aka: controllable assets.
There are a number of ways the White Sox can go about this. They can target an outfielder. They can target a starting pitcher who can replace Erick Fedde in the rotation now and fill a spot going forward. They could target bullpen help, though relief prices are always expensive in July and August. And anything they’ll do they will want to make sure not to mortgage the future.
But Chris Getz is serious about bolstering the major-league roster. His comments to the media in recent weeks have suggested as much. The White Sox, at 34-31, have given him reason to consider it. And if they keep winning, he’ll have no choice but to add.
Jed Hoyer pushed back hard on any trade deadline talk. Why?
When asked about the trade deadline, Hoyer responded, “The trade deadline is the furthest thing from my mind right now given how we’ve played. We just have to play better. That’s the priority. … Sitting here, talking about the deadline given how we’ve played, seems the wrong thing to talk about.”
It’s the president of baseball operations’ job to take a long, extended look at things. Of course he’s looking at the trade market and examining what’s out there. He won’t admit it publicly to 1) not put any additional pressure on the clubhouse; 2) keep the messaging calm both to the public and clubhouse; and 3) simply to keep things in house.
Look for the Cubs to pursue pitching at the deadline. That should be the top priority.
Tarik Skubal makes sense for the Brewers, but…
Let’s not forget that they need offense. Yes, the organization could absolutely use another starting pitcher, and Skubal would give vibes similar to the C.C. Sabathia trade. It would be a game-changing move that would maximize their World Series chances.
But they need more slug. They need another bat. The same was said last year, and they tried for Eugenio Suarez but ultimately fell short. They should try for another bat this deadline and if they can come out with some slug and another starter, that would be a very successful deadline for Matt Arnold and the front office.
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