MLB Rumors: Blue Jays-Guerrero hope, Cubs bold strategy, Mets-Fedde link

The 2024 MLB trade deadline is shaping up to be quite the exciting time. There are still multiple days left before the actual deadline and we have already seen players like Carlos Estevez, Randy Arozarena, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and now Isaac Paredes moved to new teams.

There are still plenty of names being mentioned with superstars like Garrett Crochet, Tarik Skubal, Luis Robert Jr. and Blake Snell all having been mentioned as potential trade pieces. With the way this deadline has gone, it's hard to believe anything until the deals are final. But still, all we have to work off of are rumors and discussions until deals are finalized.

(For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.)

MLB Rumors: Blue Jays hopeful to extend Vlad Guerrero Jr.

The Toronto Blue Jays were once rumored to be big time sellers ahead of the trade deadline with Bo Bichette and Vlad Guerrero Jr. being listed as their two biggest trade chips. But they have now made their trade deadline approach quite clear. They're going to hold onto their controllable players while trading all of their rental contracts.

Vlad Guerrero Jr. will be staying a Blue Jay for the 2024 season, and if they can compete in 2025, he will be staying for the entirety of his contract. But ultimately, the Blue Jays have their sights set on keeping him long term and one MLB insider is reporting that the feeling is mutual.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that the four-time All-Star "wants to stay" with the Blue Jays and is even "willing to sign a long-term extension to do so."

The rumors of Guerrero ever getting traded were ridiculous. He's a generational talent and Toronto is likely going to open up their check books to an unprecedented level in order to keep him with the team long term.

If Guerrero is showing an eagerness to stay with the Blue Jays, that needs to be their top priority once the trade deadline passes.

MLB Rumors: MLB insider tabs Cubs as "value gatherers" instead of buyers/sellers

Some MLB teams are heavy buyers at the trade deadline. Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and the New York Yankees are seen as big-time buyers. They are looking to add to their major league roster by trading prospects away. It's a simple method of improving the team.

Then teams like the Tampa Bay Rays and Chicago White Sox are seen as sellers. They are willing to deal way their major league talent in an attempt to acquire prospect capital to try to compete in the coming years. The Chicago Cubs were seen as sellers in the eyes of many until they shocked the baseball world by making a blockbuster trade for Tampa Bay Rays All-Star Isaac Paredes.

MLB insider Jeff Passan had an interesting take on what MLB teams are doing at the trade deadline, citing that the Chicago Cubs may not be buyers or sellers, instead calling them value gatherers.

This idea is actually incredibly insightful, breaking down how a team could be adding and subtracting from their major league roster in the same season while still improving. Just because the Cubs acquired Paredes doesn't mean they won't deal from their expiring contracts. The Paredes trade could be seen as them gathering value into their organization rather than buying to win this season.

MLB Rumors: Mets linked to White Sox pitcher Erick Fedde after Kodai Senga injury

Kodai Senga had potential to have one of the more triumphant stories of the 2024 MLB season. Instead, it's turned into more of a heartbreaking story.

Senga had yet to make his season debut, battling all the way back from injury. In his very first start of the season, the New York Mets' righty was throwing well until he went down with a calf injury. The Mets announced that he was set to miss the rest of the regular season with this calf strain, now leaving the surging Mets in the market for a starting pitcher before the July 30th trade deadline.

Jack Murray of Bleacher Report linked the Mets to a few different starting pitchers.

"Fedde could help stabilize the rotation and serve in the role Senga was expected to fill down the stretch. If the Mets are unable to land Fedde, Sherman reported that Chicago Cubs pitcher Jameson Taillon could also be in play," Murray wrote.

Fedde, 31, would come to the Mets with an additional year still left on his contract. The righty has been quite impressive this season, throwing 121.2 innings with a 3.11 ERA. More impressively, he's earned seven wins while holding a WAR near five, all while playing for the horrendous Chicago White Sox.

The Mets need to get a reliable starter to replace Senga and they need to be urgent in their pursuit.