MLB Rumors: Adley Rutschman trade, Nationals next steps, Padres desperation

We are past the midpoint of the MLB season and the trade deadline is right around the corner, a little more than three weeks out. That means every front office is in a period of deep introspection. How can teams improve their postseason odds? And if not, what is the best path toward a brighter future?

These questions will continue swirling in the days and weeks ahead. We've already seen plenty of trade chatter. Time is running out for GMs to materially change their rosters before October. So expect a lot of desperation and aggression, intermingled with familiar flavors of stubborn ownership and maddening financial restraint.

The latest MLB rumors range from a desperate GM to a fired manager and a potential blockbuster trade. Here's what you need to know.

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A.J. Preller knows what the Padres need at the trade deadline

The San Diego Padres began the season red-hot and appeared ready to challenge the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West. Their momentum has since cooled a bit, with the Dodgers running out to a seven-game lead in the division. There's still time for the tables to turn, but the Dodgers are something of an immovable object. The Padres will be playing catch-up, not vice versa.

Fortunately, A.J. Preller appears to have a solid game plan ahead of the July 31 deadline.

"Getting Darvish, King back would be huge," Preller said on MLB Network Radio (h/t MLB Trade Rumors). "The bullpen’s been strong. We’ve got a lot of different weapons in the ’pen. You could add to a strength. And on the offense side, it’s probably rounding out the depth of the lineup… You’ve got to be deep one through nine and I think probably adding a bat or two is something that we’re going to look at here in the next few weeks to try to help our team get to October."

San Diego will be looking for bullpen upgrades and hitting depth, with hope that better health can stabilize the rotation down the stretch. Catcher and left field appear to be the primary positions of concern for San Diego. Gavin Sheets can rake, but he's a subpar defender, with an Outs Above Average (-1) in the 29th percentile. He'd fare better in the DH role. Martin Maldonado and Elias Diaz, meanwhile, rank among the worst hitting catchers in baseball.

Nationals tab Miguel Cairo as interim manager after firing Dave Martinez

The Washington Nationals fired manager Davey Martinez on Sunday night after a 37-53 start to the campaign. President of baseball operations Mike Rizzo was also canned. Now we know their replacements: Assistant GM Mike DeBartolo was immediately tabbed to lead the front office on an interim basis, and on Monday, Miguel Cairo was officially promoted to interim manager.

Cairo has extensive MLB experience, both as a player and a coach. He has spent time in player development and front office roles, but was also hired as the Chicago White Sox bench coach in 2021. A year later, he took over as acting manager when Tony La Russa stepped away due to a health concern. Cairo went 18-16 in his brief stint as lead decision-maker in the dugout.

Washington needed to change something. There's plenty of star power on the roster, from All-Stars Mackenize Gore and James Wood to other high-upside talents like CJ Abrams and Dylan Crews. The Nats felt like a team knocking on the door of contention when the 2025 season began, but those expectations quickly curdled. Now it's on Cairo — and his potential successor — to right the ship.

Orioles will need to weigh pros and cons of trading Adley Rutschman

The Baltimore Orioles will need to consider some tough cuts at the trade deadline. The on-field product has been much stronger of late, but Baltimore remains nine games below .500 and 11.5 games behind first-place Toronto in the division. The Wild Card race has not necessarily left them in the dust, but the O's are certainly struggling to keep pace.

Among the most talked-about trade candidates this month is 27-year-old catcher Adley Rutschman, the former Rookie of the Year runner-up and a two-time All-Star. While elite catchers are one of baseball's rarest commodities, Rutschman's production has been on a steady decline since his breakthrough rookie campaign. He's batting just .227 with a .691 OPS and middling hard contact metrics so far this season, and he remains on the IL with an oblique injury that will keep him out until after the All-Star break. Rutschman is a disciplined hitter who tends to put the ball in play, but his bat just doesn't have any pop right now.

Under team control through 2027, a team trading for Rutschman would acquire 2.5 seasons of high-level catching before he hits the open market. The O's aren't under pressure to trade him necessarily, but the more years on a player's contract, the higher his value — especially when he's young and underpaid relative to his actual abilities, like Rutschman.

CBS Sports' Dayn Perry makes a strong case, noting the lack of star-power available at this year's trade deadline (which could drive up Rutschman's value by comparison) and the readiness of top Orioles prospect Samuel Basallo, who provides far more slugging than Rutschman in theory.