Now that the Rafael Devers saga in Boston is over, we shouldn’t expect any major movement during next week’s MLB trade deadline, right?
Not exactly.
While it’s true that we might not see another player of Devers’ caliber get moved, plenty of action should still be expected in the days ahead of the July 31 deadline. More than a handful of teams are still in the process of figuring out if they’ll be buying, selling or doing a little of both.
Let’s take a look at the biggest need for the top contenders. For the purposes of this exercise, we included every team that’s within two games of a playoff spot — and one possible target who could fit the mold.
Arms Race
(Photo by Matt Dirksen/Chicago Cubs/Getty Images)
Chicago Cubs (60-42, 2nd in NL Central)
Biggest Need: Starting pitching
Possible Target: Seth Lugo, SP, Kansas City Royals
There’s not a team in baseball that should be more committed to going all-in than the Cubs, who traded for one season of Kyle Tucker and could use another championship-caliber arm in the rotation to get where they hope to go. Lugo doesn’t have the overpowering stuff of an ace, but his vast arsenal should make him someone they can feel comfortable giving the ball to in October. Now, how many chips are they willing to push in to pull off something even more impactful? What would it take for MacKenzie Gore? It’s at least worth the ask.
Toronto Blue Jays (60-42, 1st in AL East)
Biggest Need: Starting pitching
Possible Target: Mitch Keller, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Blue Jays have made their run atop the AL East despite a rotation ERA that ranks 24th in MLB. They could use another starter they can trust in the playoffs, and with Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer both free agents at the end of the year, it certainly wouldn’t hurt if that addition was a controllable piece. Keller, who’s 29, has a 2.59 ERA over his last eight starts, and signed a five-year, $77 million extension before last season in Pittsburgh, would fit the bill. So would Miami’s Edward Cabrera, if they can muster enough prospects to make that deal happen.
Boston Red Sox (55-49, 3rd in AL East)
Biggest Need: Starting pitching
Possible Target: Edward Cabrera, SP, Miami Marlins
Could they trade from their surplus of big-league outfielders to acquire another impact starter behind Garrett Crochet? It’s certainly possible. But their farm system is deep enough that they could also land that pitcher other ways. It would cost a lot, but pairing Crochet and Brayan Bello with a young, controllable piece like Cabrera, who has a 2.47 ERA since the start of May and is under team control through 2028, could be enticing.
San Francisco Giants (54-49, 3rd in NL West)
Biggest Need: Starting pitching
Possible Target: Adrian Houser, SP, Chicago White Sox
It wouldn’t be a shock to see the Giants add more offense — they rank 28th in OPS since acquiring Devers — but starting pitching has also emerged as a need. Their starters have an ERA over 5.00 in July. After making their big splash already, I don’t necessarily expect them to go find a Game 1 playoff starter. But adding someone like Houser, who has a 1.89 ERA in 10 starts for the White Sox, could help stabilize the group.
Looking For Relief
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
Los Angeles Dodgers (60-43, 1st in NL West)
Biggest Need: Relief pitching
Possible Target: Ryan Helsley, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman’s goal after another offseason of significant spending was not to buy in July. Unfortunately, their pitching staff — which has a 4.28 ERA this year — has been an injured mess again. Fixing the bullpen was an obvious requirement even before closer Tanner Scott left his outing Monday with a stinging sensation in his forearm. The Dodgers could be in the market for an outfielder and a starter, too, but high-end relief pitching should be their primary focus at the deadline, even with Blake Treinen due back soon.
Detroit Tigers (60-43, 1st in AL Central)
Biggest Need: Relief pitching
Possible Target: Griffin Jax, RP, Minnesota Twins
It may seem strange to those who haven’t watched much of the first-place Tigers this year, considering it was their medley of relievers and “pitching chaos” that got them to the ALDS last year, but their bullpen ranks 20th in ERA and 27th in strikeout rate. It’s been an alarming problem lately, as their relievers have tallied a 5.79 ERA in July with as many saves (four) as blown saves (four). Jax has the seventh-highest strikeout rate and fifth-highest strikeout-to-walk ratio among qualified relievers this year.
Philadelphia Phillies (58-44, 2nd in NL East)
Biggest Need: Relief pitching
Possible Target: David Bednar, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Phillies had questions in the bullpen even before José Alvarado was suspended 80 games after testing positive for a performance-enhancing substance. Now that he’s unavailable for the postseason, and that Jordan Romano’s ERA is still over 6.00, it’s imperative that they add another reliable late-inning arm (in addition, perhaps, to another outfielder). From Bednar to Emmanuel Clase to Jhoan Duran, there are a lot of impact closers potentially available, but they will come at a significant cost, as none of them are rentals.
New York Mets (59-44, 1st in NL East)
Biggest Need: Relief pitching
Possible Target: Danny Coulombe, RP, Minnesota Twins
The Mets still possess the lowest overall ERA of any club in the National League, but the bullpen has a 4.42 ERA in July. With lefties A.J. Minter and Danny Young out for the year, it’d make sense to try to add a southpaw in front of closer Edwin Díaz. While there are a lot of big-name, back-end pieces potentially available, there aren’t a lot of standout left-handers. Coulombe, who has a 0.93 ERA for the Twins, or JoJo Romero, who has allowed just one earned run in his last 27 appearances for the Cardinals, would be among the intriguing options.
Infield Help
(Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
Milwaukee Brewers (61-41, 1st in NL Central)
Biggest Need: Power
Possible Target: Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Sure, this isn’t the type of big swing (no pun intended) that the Brewers usually take. They could go a number of different ways here, and it’s probably more likely they opt for smaller moves to upgrade the bullpen. But the one thing their young, speedy, contact-first offense is missing is a serious power threat. There’s no one better on the market to fill that void than Suárez, who has nearly twice as many homers (36) as the Brewers’ top home run hitter (Christian Yelich: 19). Suárez is a rental, so adding him wouldn’t be a long-term financial burden for the thrifty club. In addition, they have the pitching capable of intriguing Arizona. The Brewers have more arms than they can use. They’ve shocked the world with their play thus far; getting the prize of the deadline would be another stunner. Time to go for it.
New York Yankees (56-46, 2nd in AL East)
Biggest Need: Third base
Possible Target: Ryan McMahon, 3B, Colorado Rockies
It’s certainly possible they do what’s necessary to acquire Suárez, who would be a great fit. But even if he’s not ultimately the answer, the Jorbit Vivas/Oswald Peraza pairing at third base needs to be upgraded as the Yankees try to make a return trip to the World Series. McMahon or Kansas City’s Maikel Garcia would represent obvious offensive upgrades at third base and are also strong defenders at the position. It wouldn’t be shocking to see them get another starting pitcher, either.
Seattle Mariners (54-48, 2nd in AL West)
Biggest Need: Corner infield
Possible Target: Ryan O’Hearn, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Among players currently on their roster, the Mariners have gotten five home runs from their third basemen and six from their first basemen. (Rowdy Tellez, who had 11 homers in Seattle, was released in June.) I’d expect them to add at least one corner infielder, and they possess the prospects to land O’Hearn, Josh Naylor or one of the top slugging rentals.
Houston Astros (60-42, 1st in AL West)
Biggest Need: Left-handed bat (among many things)
Possible Target: Willi Castro, UTIL, Minnesota Twins
With 17 players on the injured list, the first-place Astros could go a lot of different directions here. How does the latest, a hamstring injury to Isaac Paredes, potentially alter their priorities? Getting a player like Castro, who can hit from both sides and move around the diamond, potentially filling multiple needs as the Astros wait for reinforcements, would make sense. A reunion with starter Charlie Morton would also fill a need.
Wild Cards
(Photo by Jason Mowry/Getty Images)
San Diego Padres (55-47, 2nd in NL West)
Biggest Need: Left fielder/another bat
Possible Target: Ramon Laureano, OF, Baltimore Orioles
This is one of the most interesting teams to watch at the deadline considering their various needs and A.J. Preller’s willingness to deal. They have to find a way to add lineup depth, and a left fielder or DH would make a lot of sense. Could we see a deal that involves Dylan Cease going to Boston and Jarren Duran going to San Diego? In theory, that could help solve problems for both teams. There are plenty of other options, though, from Laureano to Cedric Mullins to Luis Robert Jr. They’re willing to move players around, so I don’t think they’d have any hesitation to move a center fielder to left, and Robert possesses the type of upside that could entice Preller.
Texas Rangers (53-50, 3rd in AL West)
Biggest Need: Another bat…anywhere
Possible Target: Josh Naylor, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Rangers are still on the outside of the playoff picture, 1.5 games back in the wild-card race. But after winning eight of their last 10 games, and with a pitching staff that has by far the lowest ERA in the majors, it seems more likely they’d be buyers or stand pat than sell. It’s no mystery that the offense could use a boost just about anywhere. The Rangers rank in the bottom 10 in RBI at both first base and DH, and Naylor could help drive in runs at either spot.
Tampa Bay Rays (53-50, 4th in AL East)
Biggest Need: Relief pitching? Outfield?
Possible Target: Dennis Santana, RP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Like the Rangers, the Rays are also 53-50 and 1.5 games back of a wild-card spot. Unlike the Rangers, they’re trending the wrong direction, having lost 12 of 18 games in July. The Rays, who acquired reliever Bryan Baker from the Orioles earlier this month, could really go any direction at this point. It’s possible they do a little buying and a little selling. If they do the former, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them either scour the outfield market or continue to bolster the bullpen. Right-handed hitters are batting .262 against the Tampa Bay bullpen this year, which is the fifth-highest mark in MLB.
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on X at @RowanKavner.
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