The Major League Baseball trade deadline (July 31) is three weeks away, and contenders are going to be looking hard for what could be the missing piece to a championship team. Given how many teams still see themselves in contention, especially with the expanded playoff field, it might be a seller’s market before the end of the month.
Let’s take a look at five trade ideas we would like to see before this month’s deadline.
1. Pittsburgh Pirates trade Mitch Keller and Ke’Bryan Hayes to the New York Yankees
From a baseball perspective, the Pirates shouldn’t be in a hurry to trade Keller. He has term remaining on his contract, he is an above-average starting pitcher and their rotation is their greatest strength. It is already playoff-caliber even if the rest of the team is not. But he is also their best trade chip at the moment and has something the Pirates do not like: a big contract.
While getting young bats would be ideal (and necessary), shedding salary (of both Keller and Hayes) would also probably interest team owner Bob Nutting.
The Yankees are in dire need of starting pitching help after losing Clarke Schmidt to Tommy John surgery, while Hayes might be a perfect fit for the Yankees lineup. Hayes will not hit, but the Yankees have enough bats to hide him down in their lineup. What Hayes will give them is one of the best defensive players in all of baseball at a premium position and help strengthen one of the worst fundamental teams in baseball.
2. Miami Marlins trade Edward Cabrera to the Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays have rapidly become bona fide contenders in the American League, but they’re only 21sth in the league in ERA entering play on Thursday. Solidifying their starting rotation would go a long way toward putting them over the top in the American League East. Cabrera would likely cost a significant haul in terms of prospects, but it might be worth it for Toronto. When you have a chance to win, you owe it to your team to go for it. Cabrera has been a 2-3 WAR pitcher when healthy throughout his career and is having a career season. He would massively upgrade their rotation.
3. Arizona Diamondbacks trade Eugenio Suarez to Seattle Mariners
Seattle is clinging to a wild-card spot in the American League, and while they have one of the league’s elite power hitters (and MVP contenders) in Cal “Big Dumper” Raleigh, they are getting absolutely nothing offensively from their corner infield spots. Suarez already has 29 home runs this season and would give Seattle so much-needed pop on its infield, while also giving Raleigh some added protection in the lineup.
4. Minnesota Twins trade Griffin Jax to the Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies bullpen right now is a full gas can sitting on top of a roaring fire, just waiting to fall in and ruin everything else this team does well.
They are one of the top contenders in the National League, and they need to act like it by aggressively and significantly addressing their biggest need and weakness.
Minnesota’s Griffin Jax would be an ideal fit because he is one of the best relief pitchers in the league, and the Twins might have some motivation to move him. Even though Jax is fantastic, and the Twins tend to place high prices on their players, he is also one of their best trade chips and would be wise to strike while the iron is hot with him. Especially if there is a desperate buyer.
5. Kansas City Royals trade Seth Lugo to the Chicago Cubs
This should be an all-in type of season for the Cubs, especially after adding outfielder Kyle Tucker before the season when they knew he was probably only a one-year rental.
They need another starting pitcher, and Seth Lugo would be an ideal fit, giving them a legitimate front-line starter who has a player option for next season at an extremely reasonable $15 million. That price shouldn’t scare them off, nor should the potential prospect payment when they already gave up a lot to get Tucker. If you are all-in, make it worth it.
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