MLB Rumors: Astros miss ‘coveted’ target, White Sox plans for Garrett Crochet, Rays and Marlins win

The 2024 Major League Baseball trade deadline on Tuesday provided teams with one last opportunity to replenish their rosters before postseason contenders begin to gear up for a postseason run.

Some contending teams decided to take a swing at reaching the World Series this season, while others opted to deconstruct their roster in favor of a long-term approach. Teams were riddled with injuries throughout the first half of the 2024 season, which created a favorable market for sellers that could provide durable pitching in the rotation and depth in the bullpen.

After a bustling Monday, ball clubs across the league squeezed in last-minute deals before the trade deadline at 6 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday.

As the dust begins to settle, FanSided's Robert Murray detailed the transactions with co-host Adam Weinrib on the latest episode of “The Baseball Insiders” podcast.

MLB Rumors: Marlins, Rays impress in sellers' market

The Miami Marlins took advantage of the pitcher-starved market with nine deals over the past week. 

Miami sent A.J. Puk to the Arizona Diamondbacks on Thursday, centerfielder Jazz Chisholm to the New York Yankees on Saturday, and pitcher Trevor Rogers to the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. They also traded away pitcher Huascar Brazoban, first baseman Josh Bell, pitcher JT Chargois, and right fielder Bryan De La Cruz.

The deal that caught the most attention, however, was the trade that sent closer Tanner Scott and reliever Bryan Hoeing to the San Diego Padres in exchange for an eye-popping haul. The Padres handed over their top two remaining pitching prospects, Robby Snelling and Adam Mazur, along with two position player prospects, infielders Graham Pauley and Jay Beshears.

“[Miami] ended up extracting extreme value from all of these guys they ended up moving on from, especially Tanner Scott,” Murray said. “That deal opened up a lot of eyes around the league. It was really impressive to a lot of different people around baseball, just how well they did. … They ended up overhauling their entire farm system, and their future now looks really bright. There’s a clear vision in Miami.”

The Tampa Bay Rays had a busy few days on the market as well. The Rays pulled off ten trades since last Friday, all of which were made in the interest of investing in their future. 

Reports on Saturday indicated that the Yankees were in "serious talks" to acquire Rays closer Pete Fairbanks, but Tampa Bay opted against trading either Fairbanks or third baseman Yandy Díaz.

“There were some people around baseball, and probably a lot of fans too, who were surprised that Fairbanks or Yandy Díaz did not go,” Murray said. “I was never under the impression that the Rays were in a hurry to move Fairbanks.”

Fairbanks is signed to a team-friendly deal and is a beloved figure in Tampa Bay, where he recently had a bobblehead event for his charity.

“They were never really in a hurry to move him,” Murray said. “I don’t know exactly what the price was for Fairbanks that they were asking from teams, but I do know that it was a lot, and it really made a trade just difficult overall.”

MLB Rumors: Astros fail to land ‘coveted’ target, then overpay

Murray said executives around the league were surprised that Díaz was not traded. Even Díaz’s camp expected him to be traded before the deadline, and the Rays certainly received interest.

The Houston Astros “coveted” Díaz, according to Murray, but they didn’t have enough to offer in order to pry him away from the Rays. Díaz is under team control for two more seasons after 2024, including a 2026 club option. That makes the slugger quite an expensive asset. 

Díaz earned an All-Star selection in 2023 and led the league with a .297 batting average. The Rays slugger is slashing .270/.326/.397 this year and possesses an elite average exit velocity and hard-hit percentage.  

“The Houston Astros coveted Yandy Díaz,” Murray said. “They were one of the teams that really liked him but I don’t think they had the prospect capital to get a deal done, so Yandy Díaz stays in Tampa Bay for now.”

With Díaz off the table, the Astros attempted to make a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates. 

“There was a report that the Pirates and Astros were talking about a deal,” Murray said. “Obviously it didn’t get done, but I am under the impression that report is true. So I don’t know what it was, but they were definitely talking.” 

Eventually, Houston turned to a baffling backup plan. The Astros raised eyebrows throughout baseball when they acquired left-handed starter Yusei Kikuchi from the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night. 

Houston parted ways with right-hander Jake Bloss, outfielder Joey Loperfido, and infielder Will Wagner — their No. 2, No. 5, and No. 19 prospects. Kikuchi has only finished with an ERA+ over 93 two times in the majors. He has an 85 ERA+ through 22 games this season.

The reaction across the league, Murray says, was that the Astros grossly overpaid.

“That was not something a lot of executives around baseball would’ve done,” Murray said. “That package was more of an outlier more than anything. [Kikuchi] is a rental guy, he’s going to make eight starts, probably, for Houston. They gave up three players of that caliber. That trade, to me, was one of the worst of the deadline. … I know there’s other people around baseball who feel a very similar way.”

To make matters worse, the Los Angeles Dodgers acquired starting pitcher Jack Flaherty from the Detroit Tigers for a fraction of the price. The Tigers received catcher Thayron Liranzo and shortstop Trey Sweeney, the Dodgers’ No. 8 and No. 22 prospects, respectively.

That’s a significantly lighter package for a much better pitcher, which makes Houston’s trade seem even more puzzling.

MLB Rumors: White Sox could still plan to trade Garrett Crochet

Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet has been the focal point of countless trade rumors for weeks. In a stunner, he wasn’t moved before the trade deadline.

Crochet has been one of the best pitchers in baseball this season, posting a 3.23 ERA through 114.1 innings. His 160 strikeouts are the most in the American League. The White Sox ace still has two years of team control remaining on his contract, which made him one of the most valuable players on the market. 

Leading up to the deadline, reports began to surface that Crochet was unwilling to move to the bullpen and wouldn’t pitch in October unless he was rewarded with a contract extension.

According to Murray, the worrisome updates out of Chicago caused some trepidation on the market. While other valuable pitchers such as Erick Fedde were traded, Crochet remains in Chicago — for now.

Chicago could opt to trade Crochet after the season is over, once there’s some time to assess his situation and contract. Murray believes Crochet and outfielder Luis Robert Jr. “instantly become realistic trade targets here in the offseason for all of these teams.”

“They can get hauls in return for both players,” Murray said. “Crochet is going to have two years left on his contract at a very reasonable amount.”

Robert wasn’t traded because his injury history “impacted his market,” Murray says. The White Sox did not receive “a whole lot of interest” for the outfielder.