The trade rumors... they just don't stop. And why would we want them to, you know? Sometimes the speculation of a trade is more fun than the actual trade itself. At this point, eight days before the deadline, every team's fans can think up the ideal deadline; maybe your team finally get that starting pitcher they need so badly, or maybe they get a great prospect from a team wanting to contend. Right now, everything is possible!
San Diego seems to be taking calls on a starter, Seattle is searching far and wide for some more offensive help and the Cubs' starting pitching addition could be a less exciting but just as valuable option.
Dylan Cease's availability could change starting pitching market
As always, teams are looking for starting pitching at the trade deadline, and the San Diego Padres... might be able to supply that! Closer Robert Suárez will surely pique the interest of teams around baseball, and he's reportedly on the block, but so may be Dylan Cease, says Jeff Passan of ESPN:
"Suárez, a potential free agent and the major league leader in saves, is the likeliest option, though teams that have inquired about Dylan Cease haven't been told no."
Cease hasn't been great this year (3-9, 4.64 ERA) after a strong 2024 campaign, but he's definitely productive enough with a track record of enough success to warrant a pretty good return from a starter-needy team. What San Diego would want back for him is less certain — but the starting pitching market just got a little more robust.
Mariners' Eugenio Suárez backup plan is another power-hitting infielder
The Mariners' interest in Suárez — and fellow Diamondback Josh Naylor — is well-documented, but so is the interest from about half of MLB. If the M's don't end up as the winners of the Suárez sweepstakes, ESPN's Jeff Passan says, "Willi Castro and Ryan O'Hearn are solid backup plans."
To me, any combination of those players is a deadline win for the Mariners. Suárez is of course the big prize, but Naylor and Castro would still be solid, Suárez and O'Hearn would be awesome, and even the "backup plan" of Castro and O'Hearn would be a considerable boon to this lineup, which has been much better than last year but can still get stuck in the mud at times.
The common belief is that Seattle is one bat away from competing. Maybe that's true, but I think they're two bats away from giving themselves a real shot at the ALCS, and there's literally no better time to make multiple moves than right now, when nothing feels certain in a wide-open MLB.
Cubs perfect starting pitching target could be Seth Lugo
While Passan didn't directly connect the dots between the Cubs and the 35 year-old Royals starter, it's a sensical fit if the Cubs don't land one of the big fish such as MacKenzie Gore, maybe they turn their attention to Lugo, who has a player option for next season and is pretty realiable even this far into his career. The price tag for Lugo would surely be lower than Gore — Chicago might still have to give up a pretty solid prospect, but Lugo is a nice balance between "rental" and long-term commitment that the Cubs might like.
"As it stands, the Royals are prioritizing a new home for Seth Lugo, though if they keep winning this week and find themselves back in the AL playoff mix, they could hold and slap a qualifying offer on him in the winter."
Of course, fantasizing about adding a young ace at the deadline is more fun than thinking about adding a 35 year-old who throws 91 miles per hour, but Lugo has been lights out the past few years and might end up being one of the low-cost steals at the deadline. Cubs fans just need to cheer against the Royals in the next few days to make sure they actually end up selling.