MLB Rumors: Cardinals catbird seat, Braves SP plan, Giants ace in the hole

The MLB trade deadline might still be weeks away, but the rumor mill is buzzing. We've already seen a trade involving Aaron Civale, and should only see more as we get closer to deadline day.

It'll be a little while until we see some of the stars like Luis Robert Jr., Garrett Crochet, and Tanner Scott get moved, but MLB insiders like Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and Bob Nightengale of USA Today still have a ton of MLB rumors to comb through. Let's get caught up on the latest.

MLB Rumors: Giants have reason for optimism

The San Francisco Giants just lost two of three against the Cleveland Guardians to fall to 44-47 on the season. As bleak as being three games under .500 in early July feels, the Giants are only 3.5 games back of the third Wild Card spot in the NL. In other words, they're right there.

What's most impressive about this Giants team remaining in the race is the fact that they're doing it with what feels like half of a starting rotation. Logan Webb is great as always, and Jordan Hicks has been a welcome surprise, but other than that, they haven't gotten much out of their starters.

Giants starting pitchers rank 25th in the majors in ERA and 30th in innings pitched. They're last in innings despite Webb leading the National League in that statistic. The reason for that has to do with their starting pitching injuries. Fortunately, San Francisco has some good news on that front according to Nightengale.

"The NL West could become a juggernaut with all of the injured starting pitchers expected to return in July or August: The Giants will have Cy Young winners Blake Snell and Robbie Ray, along with Alex Cobb joining the rotation."

Blake Snell has been limited to just six starts (and has a 9.51 ERA when he has pitched). Alex Cobb and Robbie Ray have been out all year with injuries. According to Nightengale, they could all be back sometime in July or August. That's big news.

MLB fans hate when their team treats returns of injured players around deadline day as acquisitions, but in the case of this Giants team, it really does feel that way. Getting Snell, Cobb, and Ray back for the stretch run can give them the boost they need to potentially squeak into the postseason. Having a rotation featuring those three and Webb in the postseason makes them scary too.

The Giants will have to remain in the hunt to avoid selling by the time these guys come back, but as long as they can do that they have reason to believe they can not only get into the postseason, but potentially make a run.

MLB Rumors: Braves SP trade deadline plan

The Atlanta Braves have been searching for a No. 5 starter ever since Spencer Strider suffered his season-ending injury. They've tried several options including the likes of Bryce Elder, Darius Vines, and AJ Smith-Shawver, but whether it was due to injury or underperformance, the Braves didn't have their solution. They might have found it now with Spencer Schwellenbach.

Schwellenbach, a player who was called up for the first time to the majors in late May after throwing just 110 minor league innings, just delivered his best start as a Brave. The right-hander threw six strong innings against the NL East-leading Phillies, allowing just one run in a 5-1 win. He had six strikeouts and did not walk a batter. Rosenthal was awfully complementary of the job Schwellenbach did.

"Schwellenbach has solidified the fifth starter’s job for the Braves. The team will spend the rest of the month monitoring his progress, the rehabilitation assignments of AJ Smith-Shawver and Ian Anderson and the performances of Bryce Elder and others at Triple A," Rosenthal wrote via The Athletic $)

Having Schwellenbach pitch that well against a team like the Phillies has to have the Braves feeling awfully comfortable about him rounding out their rotation. They'll keep their options open, but Schwellenbach is making a case to stay.

"Charlie Morton is 40. Reynaldo López is starting for the first time since 2019. And Chris Sale has a long injury history. The Braves want to continue building in extra rest for their starters. They might need to supplement the current group, too."

Even if they decide that Schwellenbach is their No. 5 starter, Alex Anthopoulos might look to add some depth to give the Braves some much-needed insurance for arms like Morton, Lopez, and Sale.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals could be in position to be flexible at the trade deadline

The St. Louis Cardinals find themselves in an interesting spot as the deadline approaches. At 47-42, the Cardinals are in sole possession of the second Wild Card spot in the NL and are getting closer to solidifying themselves as clear-cut buyers, if they haven't done that already.

What's even scarier about this Cardinals team is that they've been playing some great baseball while being shorthanded. Willson Contreras returned recently after missing substantial time. Lars Nootbaar has had a couple of IL stints and he's nearing a return. Tommy Edman has been out all season and is finally getting closer to returning. The returns of Nootbaar and Edman have the Cardinals in an interesting position that Rosenthal outlines.

"Mozeliak should have flexibility to maneuver. Herrera could be expendable with the emergence of Pedro Páges. Ditto for Dylan Carlson with the returns of Nootbaar and Edman. And other combinations of players could be offered as well."

Pedro Pages emerging as a legitimate backup catcher with Ivan Herrera injured could result in St. Louis trading Herrera. Dylan Carlson will presumably lose his spot when Nootbaar and Edman are back, and he can get dealt too.

Having two young MLB-caliber players like that to offer isn't something that most if any other buyers can do.

Obviously, injuries can occur at any time and if they do come about within the next couple of weeks then that'll change these plans. If they don't, though, the Cardinals can look to use MLB talent along with a solid farm to get themselves the upgrades that they need to not only get into the playoffs, but be a legitimate threat.