MLB Rumors: Brewers aren't done, Diamondbacks buying, Rangers selling stars?

MLB trade season is officially upon us. The MLB world was woken up with fun news on Wednesday with the Milwaukee Brewers acquiring Aaron Civale in a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Civale is far from a household name, but he can be a potential difference-maker for a Brewers team that was in dire need of some starting pitching help. He, at the very least, is an upgrade over Dallas Keuchel in 2024.

One trade being completed has MLB fans thirsty for more. With that in mind, FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray dug through the latest MLB rumors on the latest episode of the Baseball Insiders podcast. Here are some of the many nuggets he brought up.

MLB Rumors: Will the Rangers consider selling their stars?

The Texas Rangers are in a spot that nobody could have possibly predicted they'd be in ahead of the 2024 campaign. They won the World Series last season, and are currently 39-46 more than halfway into the year.

They're 7.0 games behind the first-place Mariners in the AL West, and are 7.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives them an 8.7 percent chance of making the postseason. It's not impossible, but a lot would have to break their way. Because of this, the question of whether Texas would consider selling has become a realistic one to ponder.

"There are reasons for optimism which make me think a sell from the Rangers is unlikely or improbable, but with that being said, if they entered the trade market here and started selling, that would make it really interesting. You have the presence of Max Scherzer, we mentioned Nathan Eovaldi the other day. You never know what can happen over the next month or so."

As Murray notes, the Rangers do have reasons for optimism. They just got Max Scherzer back from injury. Tyler Mahle is set to begin a rehab assignment in short order. Jacob deGrom could be back sometime in August. They have the makings of an elite rotation. If their lineup can produce how we know it's capable of, they can make some noise and get back in this thing.

With that being said, though, if the Rangers continue to trend in the wrong direction, eventually they're going to have to think about selling. If it gets to that point, Murray notes guys like Nathan Eovaldi and Scherzer who could be available. Eovaldi could net them a very nice return. Scherzer is trickier because of his contract and because he does have a no-trade clause, but you'd think he'd be open to joining a contender if the Rangers sell as he was last season when the Mets sold.

Texas is a team that MLB fans absolutely should keep an eye on. It's too early to tell right now, but we'll know what they're planning in the next couple of weeks.

MLB Rumors: Diamondbacks deadline plans

The Arizona Diamondbacks were MLB's Cinderella team in the 2023 season. They barely made the postseason and won just 84 games in the regular season. They then proceeded to defeat the Brewers, Dodgers, and Phillies in the postseason to win the NL Pennant. They fell short in the World Series, but their run to get there was incredible.

Because of this run, they had higher expectations entering this season. They even added onto their NL Pennant team by bringing in players like Jordan Montgomery, Eduardo Rodriguez, Joc Pederson, and Eugenio Suarez.

Unfortunately, this Diamondbacks team hasn't looked the same. They've dealt with a bevy of injuries to their starting pitchers including Montgomery most recently, and they've seen their offense (thanks in large part to Corbin Carroll) underperform.

They're 41-44 on the season, sitting 11.5 games behind the first-place Dodgers in the NL West, and 3.0 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the NL. Despite all that has gone wrong for Arizona, Murray doesn't perceive them as deadline sellers yet.

"As of right now, I don't think that the Diamondbacks are going to be in position to sell. They're 3.0 games out of the Wild Card right now. They have Jordan Montgomery on the IL, and you gotta think he'll end up being better than he was when he was healthy. You also have E-Rod (Eduardo Rodriguez) coming back. It looks like based on what Jon Heyman reported the other day that he's getting closer. You have to imagine Corbin Carroll will get better. They seem like a team to me that is primed for a surge in the second half of the year, and I think that's something that maybe even that front office will think as well, making them more inclined to stand pat or buy rather than sell."

Murray is right. The Diamondbacks have several reasons to be optimistic. They're right in the thick of the Wild Card race despite their injuries and despite Carroll hitting just .210 with two home runs and a .612 OPS.

If the Diamondbacks go on a big losing streak then sure, they might think about selling. If they stay where they are right now, though, it's hard to envision the reigning NL Champions even thinking about trading away key players.

MLB Rumors: More moves to come for Brewers after latest trade

The Milwaukee Brewers had a clear need in their rotation and addressed it to an extent by acquiring Civale. While Civale has not had a good season by any means, the fact that his FIP was substantially lower than his ERA during his Rays tenure suggests that perhaps pitching in front of arguably the best defensive team in the majors could turn his season around.

The Civale acquisition was an important one as it gives the Brewers a much-needed starting pitcher, but there has to be more for a team vying to make a deep run in October. Fortunately, Murray believes that more will be on the horizon.

"Everything I've heard is that the Brewers are just focused on pitching. It's all pitching. I've heard that from a couple of different people, and I expect them to continue to pursue pitchers. It wouldn't surprise me if it was something like this. I would never rule out a big name by any means, but a guy with upside or a lesser-known name could make sense for them so they don't have to deplete the top part of their farm system."

Well there you have it. They acquired Civale, but it sounds like they have another big move in them. How realistic an arm like Garrett Crochet is remains to be seen, but the Brewers are a team that tends to have a good eye when it comes to pitching.

Their bullpen is already strong, and is going to get Devin Williams back. The question is just which starter(s) will they be able to get without depleting their farm system in a weaker market? Matt Arnold has his work cut out for him, but it's good that he already got a deal done.