MLB Rumors: Phillies out on big fish, Cubs surprising stance, Yankees tall task for Crochet

The MLB trade deadline is officially just over two weeks away and there is plenty of news to go around.

While some executives fear that this could end of being a dull trade deadline due to the lack of top end talent on the market, there are still plenty of teams that need to fix holes on their roster before the postseason gets here.

We may not see a name like Juan Soto or Justin Verlander get dealt, but we should see plenty of action within the next tier of players. Stars like Garrett Crochet, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Vlad Guerrero Jr. have all been rumored to be receiving interest in the trade market.

MLB Rumors: White Sox pursuing Yankees prospect Spencer Jones in a Garrett Crochet trade

The Chicago White Sox have been looking to trade their best two players, Garrett Cochet and Luis Robert Jr., for the length of the 2024 season. These two stars would net such a huge return that it would kickstart the White Sox rebuild in the best way possible.

Robert Jr. likely won't be on the move until the offseason or later, but Crochet is still being shopped. The asking price on a player like Crochet, given his talent, age and contract, is huge. The New York Yankees are in on him, but it may cost too much for their liking, per MLB Insider Bob Nightengale.

"The White Sox are insisting on Yankees prized prospect Spencer Jones in a deal for Crochet," Nightengale wrote. "Crochet says he’s flattered the White Sox and other teams keep asking him for him."

Jones, New York's second-ranked prospect and the 74th-best prospect in baseball, is quite the large ask from the White Sox. He was the Yankees' first-round pick in 2022 and has slashed .265/.339/.440 with 30 homers in just over 200 career games. MLB Pipeline gives him 60-grade power on their 20-80 grade scale, making him one of the better power prospects in the game.

Crochet may be worth a deal with a prospect like Jones, but it's still a bit questionable as to if the Yankees are the team that will bite on that kind of deal.

MLB Rumors: Cubs emerge as buyers, not sellers, with two weeks before the deadline

The Chicago Cubs have had quite the up-and-down year in 2024. They began the season as one of the hottest teams in baseball, riding a dominant pitching rotation into a good record.

Since then, they've fallen off, dropping well below .500 and kind of becoming an afterthought for the postseason. Many expected them to be sellers at the trade deadline, with names like Cody Bellinger being mentioned as guys they could deal.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale is reporting that the Cubs won't be sellers after all, potentially even opting to buy ahead of the trade deadline.

"There could be plenty of names, but not a real impact player on this year’s playoff races now that the New York Mets, Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers suddenly are playing better and may not sell," Nightengale wrote. "The Chicago Cubs have expressed interest in Blue Jays catcher Danny Jansen."

But thanks to a hot stretch where they won seven of eight, the Cubs are back in a postseason race in the mediocre National League. While they're still five games under .500, they're only 4.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. A gap like that can be made up and covered in a week or two.

MLB Rumors: Phillies expressing zero interest in Jazz Chisholm Jr.

Earlier this season, it became clear that the Miami Marlins were going to be trading Jazz Chisholm Jr. this season. They were looking to land a massive package of prospects for their young, controllable utility man.

Teams like the Philadelphia Phillies, New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners all emerged as potential landing places for the young star.

MLB insider Bob Nightengale confirmed the Phillies to have quite the opposite stance on Chisholm though. Nightengale touched on a few other teams as well.

"The Miami Marlins have been hoping they could trade center fielder Jazz Chisholm all season, with the Seattle Mariners emerging as the favorites to land him," Nightengale wrote. "The Kansas City Royals also have expressed interest in Chisholm, but the Philadelphia Phillies have zero interest in him."

This should come as no surprise really, as recently the Phillies made it clear they would be looking for right-handed hitting outfielders ahead of the deadline.

In an attempt to boost his value, the Marlins announced they would be playing Chisholm back in the infield, where he hasn't played in quite a while. It's a bit of a showcase of his abilities. This should pique the interest of infield-needy teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, or even the Red Sox.