MLB Rumors: Luis Robert Jr. pivot, Dodgers big game hunting, Miller asking price

The MLB trade deadline is almost upon us and this season is shaping up to be one of the most interesting deadlines in recent memory. At this point, there's really only a handful of teams that are considered sure sellers.

One of those teams is the Chicago White Sox and they have the potential to be the most active team at the deadline. They have a few young pieces, namely Garrett Crochet and Luis Robert Jr., that should garner a ton of attention from contending teams at the deadline. Chicago has a real chance to completely rejuvenate their farm system in one season.

Let's look around the league at some of the biggest stories in the game right now.

MLB Rumors: White Sox considering holding onto Luis Robert Jr.

When the trade deadline was first mentioned in the rumors around the big leagues this year, one of the most notable names on the market was the White Sox outfielder Luis Robert Jr. This kind of deal made sense, as Robert was coming off an incredible season last year.

But he's struggled a bit this year and his health has been questionable. The White Sox are rumored to be looking for a "Juan Soto" sized trade return, which they simply won't get this year.

Ken Rosenthal and the staff at The Athletic ($) talked about this idea, discussing the White Sox's potential pivot away from dealing Robert this season.

"But unless Robert gets hot, the White Sox fear that if they trade him at the deadline, they will be selling low."

This idea makes complete sense and unless a team would be willing to overpay for the White Sox star, Chicago would be smart to hold onto him for now. They have all the leverage and if they decide to get too desperate looking for a trade partner, they will quickly lose their leverage.

One team that may still aggressively pursue the White Sox outfielder is the Los Angeles Dodgers. They've shown a willingness to pay top dollar in order to acquire the players they want, and they could do the exact same thing for the White Sox Robert.

MLB Rumors: Dodgers pursuing both Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet

There may not be a team in the league that's more aggressive at acquiring talent than the Los Angeles Dodgers are. I mean, they just went out and signed Shohei Ohtani to a $700 million deal. They've went out and made moves for Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Freddie Freeman, just to name a few, over the last couple of years.

And this season, Ken Rosenthal is reporting for The Athletic ($) that the Dodgers have serious interest in top White Sox trade pieces, Luis Robert Jr. and Garrett Crochet.

"The Dodgers also like Crochet as well as center fielder Luis Robert Jr., major-league sources said."

Not only do the Dodgers have this serious interest, but in a move not typically seen, the White Sox are sending their top scouts to go scout the Dodgers farm system. Chicago wants an idea on the Dodgers' top prospects in order to find out who would be a fit for them in a trade for Robert or Crochet.

"The White Sox in recent weeks have assigned top scouts to focus on the Padres’, Dodgers’ and Mariners ’farm systems, according to sources briefed on the scouts’ movements. All three of those clubs have shown interest in multiple White Sox players,"

All these reports are pointing in the direction that the Dodgers will be aggressively pursuing the White Sox star players. While making a move for somebody of Crochet or Robert's talent is tough, all signs indicate that the Dodgers will be making a move this season.

MLB Rumors: Mason Miller's asking price may be deemed unreasonable

When this season started, the casual fan wasn't familiar with the game of Mason Miller. In fact, a ton of the league wasn't even updated to the fact that Miller was transitioning from a starter to the Athletics closer.

But Miller quickly made his name known around MLB by dominating baseball with his overpowering arsenal of pitches. He ranks among the game's elite in K%, Whiff%, Chase% and a few other key stats.

And the A's closer is still just 25 years old and in the pre-arbitration portion of his contract. So when the rumors of the Athletics trading him this season began, the price tag attached to him in these rumors was understandably massive.

Ken Rosenthal and the staff at The Athletic ($) reported on this, making a point that the A's may attach an unreasonable price tag to Miller, only dealing him if a team blatantly overpays for his services.

"In trading for Miller, a team would be acquiring one of the top relief arms in baseball along with five and a half years of control. That will allow the A’s to essentially name their price — and that price will be nothing short of aggressive, if not unreasonable."

The odds of Miller being dealt this season are probably quite slim. The Athletics hold his future in their hands. Miller still holds his rookie status and has quite a bright future in the big leagues. It's hard to find a reliever of his caliber, so the A's would be foolish to rush a trade of him.