Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- With just two weeks until the August 3 trade deadline, major MLB teams are weighing their options amid lingering injuries and roster uncertainties.
- One contender is standing firm despite key player health concerns, while another franchise signals a potential fire sale that could reshape the league's balance of power.
- The next moves could involve young talent being packaged for immediate help, signaling a pivotal shift in multiple franchises' long-term strategies.
Only two weeks remain until the Aug. 3 trade deadline, though the market remains relatively cool. All that we have for now are rumors, speculation and New York Mets fans begging for the entire roster to be sent to another dimension entirely.
And while most rumors should be taken with a grain of salt, they at least raise some intriguing conversations. What will the Los Angeles Dodgers do as they work through Shohei Ohtani’s knee injury? How do the Yankees plan on upgrading, especially with Aaron Judge’s rib injury still keeping him sidelined?
Here are the most important MLB conversations you need to know on Monday, July 20.
The Dodgers aren’t overreacting to Shohei Ohtani and Will Smith’s injuries
Don’t plan on seeing the Dodgers radically revamp their roster solely because two of their top players are hurt at the moment. Sources told The Athletic that neither Ohtani’s knee injury nor Will Smith’s neck injury will have “much impact” on the two-time defending champions’ strategy at the trade deadline.
While Ohtani has been shut down from pitching for the time being, there is no indication that the Dodgers intend to limit his at-bats. However, given their other rotation issues and the reality that neither Blake Snell nor Tyler Glasnow can be trusted to stay healthy, Los Angeles cannot afford to stand pat at the deadline. The Royals’ Michael Wacha and the Mets’ Freddy Peralta both make sense, even with the latter likely being a rental.
Smith, meanwhile, feels more like a case of long-term maintenance than anything. It also helps that the Dodgers can lean on the ever-polarizing Dalton Rushing to soak up more starts and trust that he can at least deliver average production on a regular basis. Given the lineup around him, that's more than good enough, and certainly shouldn't prompt Andrew Friedman to panic to add talent behind the plate.
Get ready for a Reds fire sale
No one should be surprised that the Reds are reportedly planning to sell within the coming weeks. We’ll see whether Cincinnati explores trading veteran starting pitcher Hunter Greene, who turns 27 in August and is under team control through 2029. Although he missed time this year with an elbow injury, Greene went 16-9 with a 2.76 ERA and a 301-83 K-BB ratio over 81 innings the previous two seasons.
Veteran designated hitter Nathaniel Lowe has an .807 OPS in nearly 250 plate appearances, and he can also play first base. Might the Yankees pursue a reunion with Reds catcher Jose Trevino, who had his best years in New York?
Unsurprisingly, we haven’t heard much about a possible Elly De La Cruz trade. I’m personally interested to see if Terry Francona returns for the 2027 season. Although the Reds narrowly snuck into the playoffs last year, Francona turned 67 in April and has a history of medical issues.
The Yankees’ Jasson Domínguez era may finally be over
At long last, the Yankees could be open to giving Domínguez a fresh start. Spanish-language baseball reporter Francys Romero shared that Domínguez and outfielder Spencer Jones are “key pieces” New York might include in trade talks.
Domínguez, who is still only 23, is hitting .229 with five home runs, 11 RBI and a .661 OPS over 39 games. He’s been a mainstay in the lineup amid Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton’s absences, and he’s actually cut his strikeout rate from 26.8 percent to 21.1 percent. However, his walk rate has plummeted, going from 9.6 percent to 3.9 percent. There's power and speed here to dream on, but his struggles against left-handed pitching and his poor defense make him a risky proposition.
Jones hit .233 with two home runs, seven RBI and a .687 OPS over his first 82 plate appearances in the Majors. His reputation as a boom-or-bust hitter followed him to MLB, with a ghastly 41.9 percent strikeout rate highlighting why the Yankees waited so long to call him up in the first place despite his gaudy Minor League homer totals.
If the Yankees are willing to move Domínguez or Jones, that could signal a potential blockbuster trade. It’s hard to see either player being traded for a mid-level starter or a couple of rentals.
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