MLB Rumors: SF Giants selling big names, Mets strike out on Cora and more

With less than a month until the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, the rumor mill is working overtime. The standings are so muddied across the board, with an abundance of contenders in the National League and a shocking scarcity in the American League. Just about every AL team has a mathematical chance at this point. In the NL, there are above-.500 teams weighing the benefits of selling at the deadline.

Let's dive into all the latest buzz on this fine holiday weekend:

Giants want to trade two infielders to clear room for Bryce Eldridge

• San Francisco 'would love' to trade two infielders at the deadline
• Giants believe playing Bryce Eldridge at DH is stunting his growth

The San Francisco Giants are once again stuck in the National League basement, which makes them a natural seller at the deadline. The top priority for president Buster Posey, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, is clearing a path for 21-year-old Bryce Eldridge at first base.

"The San Francisco Giants, who would love to trade two of their infielders at the trade deadline, need to clear space for power-hitter Bryce Eldridge," he writes. "They realize it’s stunting his growth as an infielder to keep using him as a DH at the age of 21."

Luis Arráez, an All-Star and Gold Glove candidate at second base, is viewed as the Giants' most valuable trade chip. His departure is almost guaranteed. If the goal is to open up first base for Eldridge, the Giants would presumably also need to trade either Matt Chapman or Rafael Devers.

Devers currently occupies first base for San Francisco. He has gravely underperformed since the Giants' blockbuster acquisition a year ago. If the Giants were to move off of Chapman, whose elite defense perhaps gives him a bit more value in league circles, San Francisco could move Devers to third base (his natural position) and slot Eldridge at first.

The Giants would probably love to move off of Devers' massive contract, but whether or not that's realistic is another matter entirely. Chapman is overpaid himself, but his contract expires three years sooner and figures to age better.

Eldridge, who boasts an .852 OPS and 136 wRC+, has been San Francisco's best hitter this season in almost half the at-bats (185) as Devers (372).

Mets 'would love' to hire Alex Cora as their next manager, but he's eyeing the Phillies

• Mets 'would love' to hire Alex Cora to replace Carlos Mendoza as manager
• Cora is expected to join the Phillies next season, with Carlos Beltrán viewed as the favorite to succeed interim manager Andy Green in New York

The New York Mets are in search of a new manager after firing Carlos Mendoza, who clearly lost the locker room midway through a second straight noncompetitive season. Their desired replacement: former Red Sox manager Alex Cora.

While the Mets "would love" to hire Cora, per USA Today, he is expected to replace Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly next season instead. Cora has a strong working relationship with Philadelphia president Dave Dombrowski, as he was the Phillies' first call after Rob Thomson was let go earlier in the season. Cora decided to take time off, but he should be back in a dugout come 2027.

If Cora does join the Mets' arch rivals instead, Hall of Famer Carlos Beltrán, who spent a little over six years in New York as a player in the late 2000s, is viewed as the favorite to take over manager duties next season.

Beltrán is currently a member of the Mets front office. New York actually hired Beltrán as manager back in 2019, but he promptly stepped away from the job after he was implicated in the Houston Astros' infamous cheating scandal. It seems like the heat has died down enough for Beltrán to step into a key leadership role in 2027, assuming the Mets can't poach Cora from Philadelphia's grasp.

Mariners aren't expected to buy aggressively at the trade deadline

• The Mariners aren't expected to be 'ultra-aggressive' at the trade deadline like in years past
• Seattle will bet on internal improvement from struggling stars Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez and Bryan Woo

The Seattle Mariners are 46-44, with a half-game lead over Texas atop the AL West. While Seattle has every incentive to improve at the deadline, the Mariners "aren't expected to be ultra-aggressive," per USA Today. The Mariners are instead "hoping simply that Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodriguez, Josh Naylor and Randy Arozarena dramatically improve after their first-half struggles."

Seattle has the worst defense in the American League on paper (-25 outs above average). Bryan Woo, a Cy Young candidate last season, has struggled on the road, where he has a 6.38 ERA — compared to a 2.10 ERA at home. Cal Raleigh, the MVP runner-up in 2025, currently has a .573 OPS and 69 wRC+, which ranks among the worst qualified hitters in baseball.

On paper, the Mariners are every bit as talented as last year's ALCS team. Seattle should be at the forefront of the World Series conversation, right up there with Tampa Bay and New York. To basically endure the nightmare season from hell and still sit above .500 (and in first place) in July is an accomplishment of a kind. The Mariners are due for positive regression in the final months of the season.

That said, a wait-and-see approach at the deadline — rather than aggressively targeting upgrades at key areas of need — probably won't go over well in the fanbase. Positive regression is probable but not inevitable. You can't always bank on luck swinging back in your direction.

The Mariners spent more aggressively in free agency than usual and this front office has shown the appetite for major trades in the past. To sit idly at the deadline when your team is scrapping for first place in MLB's weakest division would qualify as a severe letdown.

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