MLB Rumors: Blue Jays Vladdy risk, Mariners alarming truth, Pirates stick with Skenes

The MLB trade deadline might have been nearly one full month ago, but MLB rumors still don't ever stop. Whether they cover things that have gone on in the past or in the future, MLB rumors always run rampant.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today came through with another one of his weekly columns highlighting all of the doings around MLB.

With that in mind, here are the latest MLB rumors that deserve your attention on this fine Sunday afternoon.

MLB Rumors: Paul Skenes expected to pitch the remainder of the season

Not much has gone right for the Pittsburgh Pirates, particularly lately, but Paul Skenes is certainly an exception there. He has been in the spotlight ever since he was promoted to the majors in mid-May and threw another gem his last time out.

The right-hander allowed just two hits and one walk in six shutout innings, striking out nine batters in a victory over the Cincinnati Reds. That start lowered his ERA to 2.16 in 17 starts and 104 innings pitched. Guys like Jackson Merrill and Shota Imanaga have been brilliant, but the NL Rookie of the Year Award still feels like Skenes' to lose.

That opinion can be reinforced by the fact that even with the Pirates all but out of postseason contention, Nightengale is reporting that the Pirates plan to stick with him the rest of the way.

"The Pittsburgh Pirates insist they have no plans to shut down rookie sensation Paul Skenes, who’s battling Padres center fielder Jackson Merrill for the NL Rookie of the Year award."

On one hand, Skenes has been extraordinary and is one of the few reasons to really pay attention to the Pirates right now. On the other hand, ensuring that their best and most valuable player stays healthy is important too. Skenes has thrown 131.1 innings this season combining his MLB and minor league output, which is already more than the 129.1 innings he threw last season combining his college and minor league output. If he stays healthy and pitches down the stretch, he'll blow past last year's innings number.

While the Pirates don't plan on completely shutting him down, it wouldn't be surprising to see the team give him an extra day of rest here and there and/or limit his starts to a certain number of innings or pitches. If the team has nothing to play for, it makes little sense for them to push him to an extent where they might be risking injury.

MLB Rumors: How the Mariners handled Scott Servais firing

As disappointing as the Pirates have been since the trade deadline, no MLB team has been more frustrating lately than the Seattle Mariners. They were tied for first place in the AL West with the Houston Astros (after blowing a 10.0 game lead earlier in the year) on the morning of the trade deadline. Since then, they've gone 9-13 overall and trail Houston by 4.5 games. FanGraphs gives them a slim 14.2 percent chance to make the postseason.

They swept the New York Mets earlier in August to give fans hope that a playoff push was coming, but they lost eight of their next nine games leading to the firing of manager Scott Servais.

Servais was the expected scapegoat amidst this poor Mariners run, but it's pretty clear that it wasn't all his fault. While he has done great with the pitching staff, GM Jerry Dipoto did not do enough on the offensive side of the ball for this Mariners team, and the fact that they're 27th in the majors in runs scored at the time of this writing only emphasizes that.

To make matters worse, Servais found out about his own firing on social media instead of from Dipoto himself. Nightengale gave even more insight as to what went down outside of the way Servais found out.

"The truth is that the Mariners actually decided to fire Servais about four days ahead of time, according to a Mariners official, but wanted to check first with Dan Wilson to see if he would accept the job."

So the Mariners knew they were going to fire Servais for four days and just never told him? What would've happened if Dan Wilson said no? Was the plan then to keep Servais and never mention the fact that he was one yes away from losing his job?

The way that the Mariners handled this could even cost them in the future when it comes to other openings. Who wants to deal with a front office that won't even notify you of your own firing?

"It’s alarming I found out that way," Servais told several Seattle reporters.

It should be alarming for everyone in the Mariners organization. Servais was the Mariners manager for nearly a decade, and this was how he was treated at the end of his tenure. Shameful. All Mariners fans can hope is that Dipoto and Co. learn from this and improve how they go about situations like these in the future.

MLB Rumors: Blue Jays exploring exciting Vladimir Guerrero Jr. plan

The 2024 season has been a disastrous one for the now 62-68 Toronto Blue Jays. They sold at the trade deadline, and will almost certainly finish in last place in the AL East.

While the overall season has been a bust, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has been one of the few bright spots. After a slow start to his season, Guerrero has played as well as he has since finishing as the AL MVP runner-up in 2021.

The 25-year-old enters Sunday's action slashing .318/.392/.555 with 27 home runs and 83 RBI in 128 games played. Since May 1 he ranks second in the majors among qualified hitters with a 188 WRC+, only trailing Aaron Judge. He has been performing like the superstar Jays fans expect him to be even while his supporting cast has done next to nothing.

A bad season is never fun, but the Jays being where they are standings-wise allows them to experiment for the future. They've been doing this slowly with Guerrero, as he has played in eight games across the diamond at third base, the position he played when he was first called up to the majors back in 2019. That could tick up more as the season progresses, and maybe even turn into a full-time role in 2025 according to Nightengale.

"The Blue Jays are exploring the possibility of having Vladimir Guerrero Jr. play third base next season, and planning to use him there more frequently in September. Guerrero hasn’t been an everyday third baseman in four years, but considering there’s a deep crop of free-agent first basemen this winter, led by Pete Alonso and Christian Walker, it will be much easier to fill a hole at first base than third base."

If there's one thing this Jays team needs this offseason if they want to be competitive in 2025, it's offense. The Blue Jays are currently 22nd in the majors in runs scored and 24th in home runs. The only team below them in both categories who currently sits above .500 are the Tampa Bay Rays, who are 65-64 and unlikely to make the postseason.

Moving Guerrero across the diamond could allow them to bring in more offensive help, with first basemen such as Pete Alonso and Christian Walker available in free agency. Those players feel more enticing and realistic than Alex Bregman and Matt Chapman, the headliners of third base options.

How Guerrero's defense will be at the hot corner remains to be seen -- he was not good at third base in 2019. For now, while the team is out of it, it's a worthwhile experiment. If Guerrero can't play third base, the Jays find that out in games that don't really matter to them. If he can, they might have their new third baseman for 2025 (and hopefully beyond).