MLB Rumors: Dodgers-Adames, Angels extensions, Yankees mistake

The MLB trade deadline might be in the rearview mirror, but all that means is that the stretch run of the season is in full swing.

There are several exciting races to follow down the stretch which could determine who makes the playoffs and who doesn't.

FanSided's MLB insider Robert Murray and co-host Adam Weinrib discussed teams that appear poised to make a second-half push toward the postseason and other MLB rumors on the latest episode of the Baseball Insiders podcast.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work onThe Baseball Insiders podcast,and join the discord to get the inside scoop between now and the MLB offseason.

MLB Rumors: Yankees might've made a mistake passing on Jack Flaherty

Don't look now, but the New York Yankees are hot. They've won each of their last three series and seven of their last ten overall. They enter Monday's action tied for first place in the AL East with the Baltimore Orioles.

Vibes are good in the Bronx right now, and New York's trade deadline activity is a big reason why. Jazz Chisholm Jr. made quite the first impression as a Yankee, launching four home runs in his first three games with the club. Mark Leiter Jr. has looked good too out of their bullpen. There's just one glaring miss, though, highlighted by Murray.

"Not getting another starter like Jack Flaherty could really come back to bite them. Obviously Brian Cashman threw cold water on it but Ken Rosenthal said that the Yankees backed out of a Flaherty deal because of concerns about his medicals... I think they could've done more. We'll see exactly how it goes and how much of an impact that has on them for the rest of the year, but they're tied for first place in that division. They look good, but I still think that the Orioles are a little bit better."

The Yankees had a productive deadline, but they could've done more. They did not address a rotation that has taken a step back from where it was earlier this season. Marcus Stroman has struggled for a while now, Nestor Cortes has struggled on the road, Carlos Rodon has had his ups and downs, Luis Gil has innings concerns, and Gerrit Cole hasn't looked like himself quite yet since returning from injury. That's a lot of uncertainty.

Flaherty's injury might be a concern, but the Dodgers were willing to trade for him and he immediately threw six scoreless innings for them against a red-hot Athletics offense. We'll see how their rotation does down the stretch, but not trading for Flaherty could cost them in the AL East and potentially in October as well.

MLB Rumors: Could the Angels consider Braves-style extensions?

If there's one thing that Atlanta Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is known for, it's getting team-friendly extensions done. If you look up and down Atlanta's roster, just about everyone is locked in on long-term deals at team-friendly costs. Most of the players even donate to the Braves Foundation!

While Anthopoulos has put together a clinic with these extensions, other teams haven't quite followed his blueprint. Sure, there are some extensions here and there, but look at a team like the Los Angeles Angels, for example. What team-friendly extensions have they locked in? It's even more surprising that they haven't been able to do that because their GM, Perry Minasian, used to work with Anthopoulos in the Braves' front office.

While the Angels are certainly one of the worst teams in the American League, they do have the makings of an exciting young core. Nolan Schanuel, Zach Neto, and Logan O'Hoppe are three really exciting young position players to watch. Ben Joyce just recorded his first MLB save blowing a 105-mph fastball by J.D. Martinez. Even Jose Soriano looks like a potential building block in their rotation. Exciting prospects such as Caden Dana and Christian Moore are on the way.

It'd behoove the Angels to pull off the kinds of deals that the Braves make and get some of these players locked in for a while on the cheap. Murray sees this kind of thing as a possibility with Neto and O'Hoppe.

"As far as the Zach Neto and Logan O'Hoppe extension possibilities, it makes sense. Perry [Minasian] has a good relationship with Alex Anthopoulos. He worked with Anthopoulos in Atlanta, and Atlanta is about as good of a team as it gets when it comes to extending players in their prime or when they're just getting going. Exploring extensions for either, I think would be a really smart move for them. If I was them, I'd prioritize getting an O'Hoppe extension done."

The Angels have made their share of bad trades, but dealing Brandon Marsh for O'Hoppe one-for-one certainly doesn't appear to be one of them. Marsh has stepped his game up in Philadelphia, but O'Hoppe looks like he can be one of the best catchers in the majors in short order. In fact, his 122 WRC+ leads qualified MLB catchers. Yes, he has been a better hitter than William Contreras, Adley Rutschman, and Will Smith this season according to that statistic.

He's far away from free agency, but an extension with O'Hoppe could buy out a couple of his free agency years at a cheap sum while ensuring that he's in an Angels uniform for many if not all of his prime years. It's something worth exploring if O'Hoppe is receptive to the idea.

MLB Rumors: Don't be surprised to see the Dodgers strongly pursue Willy Adames

For years now, it has felt that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Willy Adames were a match made in heaven. The Dodgers didn't have a long-term answer at shortstop, and the Milwaukee Brewers were always seen as unlikely to keep Adames in a Brewers uniform past the 2024 campaign. It was fair to assume that after Milwaukee traded Corbin Burnes over the offseason, it'd be a matter of when, not if, Adames was in a Dodgers uniform.

Unfortunately for Dodgers fans, the Brewers have held onto Adames, a free agent after the 2024 season, and have watched Adames put together another strong season for the NL Central-leading Brewers.

While a trade ultimately never materialized, the Dodgers still need a shortstop and Adames is set to hit free agency in a matter of months. Murray would not be surprised to see the two sides finally link up over the offseason.

"I would not be surprised at all if the Dodgers heavily pursued Adames in the offseason. It's a fit that makes so much sense. They have money available even after the winter they had last year. The fact that they still have no long-term shortstop in place there means that Adames is a strong fit for them. I think that's one to really keep an eye out for in the offseason and I would not be surprised at all if it ended up happening."

It might seem unfair that the Dodgers have even more money to spend after everything they were able to accomplish last offseason, but if any team is going to give Adames a lucrative long-term deal, why shouldn't we believe it's the Dodgers?

They can sign Adames and play him regularly at shortstop while moving Mookie Betts to his preferred second-base spot. With all of the deferred money they have committed to their stars, they've saved up for this exact move. They've gone years without a permanent solution at that position, so why not go after Adames, a player Murray mentioned that they've "long liked?"