Two weeks from this writing, the non-waiver trade deadline will be firmly in the rear-view mirror. Rumors pertaining to trades and actual trade activity should pick up substantially here over the coming 14 days, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports previews the deadline for all 30 clubs, examining each buyer’s biggest need, each seller’s greatest asset and what will determine the course of the teams that have yet to plot a course of action. Similarly, ESPN’s Buster Olney took a look at the biggest questions surrounding each of the 30 teams heading into the second half — many of which have revolve around trade deadline strategies (ESPN Insider subscription required).
General overviews aside, here’s the latest trade chatter from around the league…
- Joel Sherman of the New York Post is surprised by the number of executives he’s spoken to that feel the Phillies will not trade Cole Hamels this summer, barring a no-brainer offer (Twitter links). Sherman says that many within the industry feel that new Phillies president Andy MacPhail may wait until the Winter Meetings to shop Hamels, as he’ll by then be more comfortable with the scouts that are giving him advice and have input from a more functional analytics department.
- Newsday’s Marc Carig writes that while names like Justin Upton, Carlos Gomez and Jay Bruce would all have appeal to the Mets, each would also come with a steep prospect price. Such transactions aren’t commonplace for the Mets, Carig notes, but the addition of a versatile outfielder such as Will Venable or Gerardo Parra could help improve the club’s production at a lower cost. And, as ESPN’s Buster Olney notes (on Twitter), the Mets should be highly motivated to add pieces, as 17 of the team’s final 39 games come against a pair of selling clubs: the Phillies and Braves.
- Sherman also hears that the Dodgers, Astros, Royals and Blue Jays are the four teams that are most aggressively trying to add pitching at this juncture (Twitter link). The Royals and Blue Jays scouted the Reds, who are said to be ready to move both Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake, heavily before the break.
- Part of the reasoning behind the Braves’ signings of right-hander Jason Frasor and left-hander Ross Detwiler is that the team wanted to add some veteran leadership to a bullpen that will likely soon be without Jim Johnson, tweets MLB.com’s Mark Bowman. Johnson, in Bowman’s estimation, is very likely to be traded in the near future.
- Giants prospect Tyler Beede’s name is in high demand in trade talks, manager Bruce Bochy tells Peter Gammons (Twitter link). Per Bochy, Beede’s name is the first one mentioned by opposing clubs in the majority of the Giants’ trade talks. San Francisco selected Beede with the No. 14 pick in the 2014 draft, and he has a 2.91 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in 89 2/3 innings between High-A and Double-A in his first full pro season.
The Yankees win……the Y-A-N-K-E-E-Ssssssss Winnnnn………Again……….
I think most teams don’t think the Phillies are serious on trading Hamels right now, they might have waited too long. Trading him in the winter would be a big mistake since their will be better options in free agency without giving up prospects.
Weird, I read something earlier today saying since McPhail took over, the asking price on Hamels has dropped somewhat significantly to the point where its considered ‘reasonable.’
that was a jon heyman report; who knows how factual. and Pat Gillick is still there and certainly familiar with the scouts, so this reasoning doesnt quite make sense to me.
It was probably a report from the Phillies camp hoping to receive calls from previously interested parties. If the price is reported as lower, it’ll interest more teams.
Will the Mets Please get Tulo from Rockies and stop Pussy footing around !
Mets would be better off going after Upton or Gomez…….
The Rockies ownership (via multiple sources) is asking for the Moon for him AND he is a company man, so he’s not going to say anything to try and move to a contender. When healthy, and that is a HUGE qualifier, he is the top SS in all of baseball….but when he is on the DL…he is just that bum you traded your farm to get. If the Mets can get him at a discount bc he demands a trade and the Rockies need to dump him…then maybe he will be more reasonable, but otherwise they are smart to hang onto their HEALTHY and YOUNG and COST CONTROLLED elite arms.
Rockies need to get top flight pitching for Tulo and Cargo since they can’t get any pitchers to go there.
Mets will go after Parra and Venable along with a mid level infielder.
A bunch of elite starters are free agents. After they are all signed … then what happens to Hamels? Does his market dry up, or will there be a team that misses out and needs him? I feel like Philly is making a mistake by not moving him now. If teams are unwilling to trade elite prospects for him now I don’t see why that changes in the offseason. Unless a team like the Red Sox finally realizes it needs to pay up. (Their prospects are overrated anyways.)