MLB Rumors: Braves confirmed trade plan, Phillies letdown, Orioles double dip

Jon Heyman of The New York Post revealed several interesting nuggets in his latest post. While the bulk of it was surrounding Juan Soto's future after this season with the New York Yankees, his intel on what the Atlanta Braves, the Philadelphia Phillies and the Baltimore Orioles could do should have your intrigue. All three teams, four if you include the Yankees, are going to make the MLB postseason.

With Atlanta, all signs point to the Braves acquiring more starting pitching. They are listed among a group of nine teams who expect to be in the market for a starter. Atlanta needs to figure out what it wants to do with the No. 5 spot in the rotation. While spots one through four have been stellar, every rotational spot has shifted up one in the wake of Spencer Strider's season-ending injury back in April.

As for the Phillies, they may need to look elsewhere beyond Mason Miller for bullpen help. This is because the Oakland Athletics are expected to hold onto their emerging star closer through the trade deadline. With so many more years of control, why would the A's want to sell high on him? Plus, even in the most dire of circumstances, the A's have actually played better baseball for their low standards.

And with the Orioles, they are expected to look for both starting pitching help and bullpen relief.

MLB rumors: Braves, Phillies, Orioles all looking for pitchers at deadline

I think what we have here is a bit of an arms race. While Atlanta has struggled at times during the first half of the season, everybody and their brother expects for the Phillies to play the Orioles in the World Series. If that were the case, it would be a long time coming. We will have found ourselves in 1983. Calvin Ripken Jr., eat your heart out. I am so sorry for raining on your big parade, Phillies fans.

Overall, we still have plenty of time for the trade deadline needs to materialize and for markets to manifest. There will be more sellers at the deadline beyond the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Angels and the Miami Marlins, which feel like the obvious three. I know for a fact that Atlanta has made a trade with all three of these sellers' front offices recently, but I'm not sure about the other two.

Ultimately, I do sense a crashing sense of urgency for all three contending franchises to do something. Although I am down on the Braves being able to win the World Series this season, I was saying similar things around this time three years ago ... As for Baltimore and Philadelphia, the Orioles and Phillies have built something special over the last few seasons so why not either one of them?

All I know is that the starting pitcher market might end up having more buyers than it does sellers.