MLB Rumors: Garrett Crochet aftermath, next Mariners moves, Blake Snell trade?

Finally, after weeks of inactivity, the trade market is buzzing. The Arizona Diamondbacks finally broke the seal, acquiring A.J. Puk in a deal with the Miami Marlins. Shortly thereafter, the Tampa Bay Rays traded postseason hero Randy Arozarena to a Seattle Mariners team in dire need of some offensive help.

As if Thursday's action wasn't enough, Friday morning saw a couple of trades go down. James Paxton is set to return to the Boston Red Sox as they acquired him in a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, and there was a surprising swap between contenders as well.

Things are finally picking up, so naturally, FanSided's Robert Murray alongside fellow co-host Adam Weinrib had a ton to talk about on the latest episode of The Baseball Insiders podcast. Here are the latest MLB rumors for your enjoyment this Friday afternoon.

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MLB Rumors: What to make of Blake Snell rumors

Seemingly out of nowhere, reports came out on Thursday saying that there was serious interest in Blake Snell on the open market. This was shocking to see because the 2024 season has been a very underwhelming one for Snell who signed very late with the San Francisco Giants and has an underwhelming 5.83 ERA in just nine starts.

Those Snell rumors are something Murray is very unsure about, to say the least.

"I'm skeptical of the Blake Snell rumors. This is not sourced, but I think the Giants would be open to moving on from Snell because looking at his production this year with a player option for next year, and he's also been on the injured list. He'd be in position to pick up the player option for next year and have the Giants on the hook for a big salary. You'd think they'd want to get off of that. I'm skeptical that there are going to be teams that are trying to vie for his services."

Murray made it clear that this was just his opinion and isn't sourced, but his read on the situation is essentially that Snell on a down year in which he has dealt with injury and has a $38.5 million player option for next season is a player that the Giants might want to trade.

When looking at it from that perspective, it makes a lot of sense. He has been pitching better lately, but do the Giants really want to be attached to a player who has the option of making nearly $40 million next season who hasn't come close to meeting expectations? Additionally, do other teams want to take that on?

Sure, if the Giants eat money and/or don't expect a huge return then a Snell trade might be possible, but it's really hard to see that happening. It's reasonable to expect contenders to look at several other starters who make more sense financially before looking at Snell.

MLB Rumors: Mariners deadline plans after Randy Arozarena trade

The Seattle Mariners have made the biggest deal of this deadline thus far, acquiring Randy Arozarena in a Thursday night blockbuster. Arozarena, especially with how well he has played lately, is a huge addition for a Mariners team in dire need of offense.

Seattle enters Friday's action just 1.0 game back of the first-place Astros in the AL West. It's anyone's division right now, and the Texas Rangers are looming as well. With the right move, they can fend off their rivals and win their first division title since 2001. Knowing that, Murray believes they're nowhere near done.

"This was a move that the Mariners needed to make, and I do not expect them to be done whatsoever. I expect them to continue looking for another bat. I expect them to look for another bullpen piece. Jerry Dipoto is very awake. He struck last night, and I don't expect him to be done."

As good of a player as Arozarena is, with how putrid Seattle's offense is, they can't be done after adding just him. They rank 28th in runs scored and OPS entering Friday's action with only the Marlins and White Sox, the teams with the two worst records in the sport, ranking lower.

In regards to the bullpen, every contender looks to add there at this time of year, so it's not surprising to see the Mariners wanting to do that. They're pretty set at the back end of their bullpen with Andres Munoz closing games and have gotten some solid production from guys like Tayler Saucedo and Trent Thornton, but they could definitely use another late-game arm to help lock down wins following gems from their starters.

Again, with the right upgrades, the Mariners can be a major threat in October with arguably the best rotation in the majors leading the way.

MLB Rumors: Impact of the Garrett Crochet news on the trade market

The biggest news to come out of Thursday's action wasn't even a trade. It was the report suggesting that Garrett Crochet, one of the most intriguing trade candidates of this deadline, was unwilling to move to the bullpen and was unwilling to pitch in October without a contract extension.

Not only is Murray confirming that this report is true, but he has all sorts of insight as to what the news will do to not only Crochet's market, but the trade market as a whole.

"This definitely lessens the chances of a [Crochet] trade, and it complicates the market in a big way, because he was probably the top option available, especially on the pitching market. If he stays put, I think that increases the chances of the White Sox moving a guy like Erick Fedde who is drawing plenty of interest... As of yesterday afternoon, I did not get the sense that anything was imminent with the White Sox."

There have been rumors involving Tarik Skubal, but that has never felt likely. Knowing that, nobody on the pitching side was more valuable than Crochet considering how well he has pitched this season and the amount of club control he'd come with. Crochet essentially taking himself off of the trade market all of a sudden means the value of other starters increased exponentially.

A guy like Erick Fedde who has pitched really well in his own right for the Chicago White Sox and has an extra year of club control could easily be moved. Other starting pitchers just got more valuable too, knowing that a high-end option is almost certainly staying put. This news has a major impact not only on Crochet's movement and what the White Sox will look to do, but it impacts the entire trade market as a whole.