The latest episode of the MLB Trade Rumors Podcast is now live on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and wherever you get your podcasts! Make sure you subscribe as well! You can also use the player at this link to listen, if you don’t use Spotify or Apple for podcasts.
This week, host Darragh McDonald is joined by Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- The Astros have lost several players to injury but general manager Dana Brown insists they will be deadline buyers (0:45)
- With so few teams clearly out of contention, signs are pointing towards a seller’s market at the deadline (7:20)
Plus, we answer your questions, including…
- Out of the five worst teams right now (Athletics, Angels, White Sox, Marlins and Rockies), who most needs to replenish their farm system and who could possibly turn things around by 2025? (11:20)
- The Guardians need a right-handed right fielder with power. Who is a viable target? (20:40)
- Will the Marlins to try trade Jesús Luzardo and Jazz Chisholm Jr.? (24:30)
- Could you see Alex Anthopoulos of the Braves trying to get Kevin Gausman from the Blue Jays? (28:35)
- How active will the Reds be at the deadline? (32:15)
- Should the Dodgers acquire Javier Báez from the Tigers and move Mookie Betts back to the outfield and/or option Gavin Lux? (35:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Gambling Scandal, The State Of The Blue Jays And The Orioles’ Rotation Depth – listen here
- Ángel Hernández Retires, Ronald Acuña Jr. Out For The Season And Roki Sasaki’s Potential Posting – listen here
- The Likelihood Of A Juan Soto Extension, What’s In Store For Pete Alonso, And Corbin Carroll’s Struggles – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
Should the Dodgers acquire Javy Baez? Is that a serious question?
Would be the biggest blunder since Andruw Jones went to LA! Some guys just blow it all early in their careers, get a huge contract, then get the “Yips”. Maybe “MLB The Show” cover from 2020 was too much to handle. Sad to see a once very talented player, lose his mojo…
Yeah, I mentioned the same exact thing in the Baez thread.
Right now, Lux is pretty bad. The good Baez is s huge improvement. The mediocre Baez from 2022 is still an improvement. The bad Baez from 2023/24 would hurt, but if Detroit picks up enough salary, imho, it is worth the gamble.
I thought this was a joke. I don’t think any team would willingly start him at this point, let alone the top contender for the World Series. I actually suggested a team eating his entire salary in exchange for Spencer Torkelson, or a three way deal in which one team eats salary, and another trades a prospect. If the White Sox wanted to literally buy a prospect, they can do this.
Torkelson isn’t going anywhere. Still gonna be a 50 homerun guy
50 homers over how many seasons?
kinda like cryin’ day hanging 100 on you know who.
No team would willing start Baez? The Dodgers are willingly starting Lux and Taylor. Both are just as bad.
IMO, every team has a weak link. Rizzo for the NYY is probably as bad as Baez. If you are going to try to upgrade, you can trade for a quality replacement, like Vlad, but that’ll cost you. Or you go cheap and hope for the ‘change of scenery’, and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t cost you much.
That’s why I always mention clubhouse. If you think the guy just quit once he got paid, you pass. If the guy is the first one in the gym everyday, then sometimes you get paid off.
I admit I stay mostly away from Podcasts but I was bored and started scrolling down the topics to see if it was worth listening to and stumbled on the Baez question and started laughing so hard I cried. This must be the only guy in America who is clamoring for his team to acquire Baez and his horrible contract. What can you say right? There always has to be one. I think my tear ducts are completely wiped out. Wow. At least you can’t blame Scott Harris for that. All Tigers fans say together, ” Thanks AL”.
who is clamoring for his team to acquire Baez and his horrible contract.
===========================
That statement assumes the acquiring team is picking up 100% of the contract. The assumption in any trade is that Detroit is picking up the vast majority.
” The assumption in any trade is that Detroit is picking up the vast majority.”
That was mentioned. Dodgers actually save money by taking on Baez and Tigers pay the contract… and sending Taylor and a prospect to the Tigers.
Baez is a solid defender at SS. Dodgers don’t care about offense, they have a stacked lineup. It frees up Betts to play RF. Gold glover there and he’s in his 30’s. His contract lasts 8 more years… don’t burn him out now.
he just went on the IL with lumbar problems.
Re: Braves/Gausman — Been there, done that, got the T-shirt and gave it away to Goodwill. He’s a stud now, but we’d have to bring his # out of retirement from his time in ATL. And, can he hit?
Exactly!!! The Braves need hitters to get them out of their funk right now. AA can restock pitching in the offseason.
Admittedly, if its someone like Gausman, he could help near and far (being controllable thru 2026), replacing Fried, while helping in the near term. But Atkins would need to acceptable the inevitable…and trade him to his predecessor. Not likely unless the CAD-to-USD conversion rate for prospects is much more.
I’m always amused by assumptions that the Braves will fix their hitting issues and replace Acuna at the deadline. What do they have to offer in terms of prospects? Nothing but young pitchers. How do they replace Fried and Morton and deal with the possible/likely reality that Sale and Lopez have provided more so far than they will going forward? Has anyone looked at their 2025 committed salary number (nearly $200m). So trade young pitchers and restock in FA? Sorry, ownership won’t green light a $275m budget.
The 2024 Braves are not the 2021 Braves. No farm system chips, all the extensions coming home to roost. No future salary relief from expensive stars that will leave in FA. No William Contreras and Langeliers around to use in a restock.
They made a big bet on 2023 being the future level of performance for Riley, Olson, Strider, Albies and Harris. Sorry,doesn’t look good.
I don’t think anyone is trying to replace Acuna, especially assuming Acuna would have turned it around, if he stayed healthy, which is probable. That being said, AA has said this in interviews since and has said that guys just need to step and do their job. Who would have expected Olson/Riley to be going through career-lows at the same time, esp considering Riley has been one of the most consistent hitters in MLB since ’21. Sure, there was bound to be regression from ’23, but this is another level. They have scored the fewest runs in MLB since April. Think about that. This is 75% (minus Kelenic/Duvall/no Acuna) the same lineup that was historic last season. Injuries are catching up to them this year, while it didn’t last year. Any combo of Sale/Lopez can replace Fried, relying on guys: AJSS/Waldrep/Schwellenbach to take development steps forward in ’25 – though I imagine AA will try and search to find a value SP signing (not unlike Lopez to take some of the heat off). Not hard to imagine. There’s no magic potion for ’24 — they’ve got to start hitting…and if they’re not by July (Deadline), I don’t see AA taking drastic steps forward unless it can positively-impact the future. “It doesn’t look good…” — it looks very good.
Reasonable thoughts on the farm system being pitcher heavy but when you closed w/that small sample size bashing of Riley, Olson, Albies, and Harris, you lost me. Writing their future’s off before half the season’s played? They didn’t make “a big bet” on Albies either. They’re paying him $5M a year. DMC’s take is spot on.
Javier Baez and cash for Chris Taylor? Yuck…
I wonder if Baez would improve playing meaningful games? He was pretty good when the Cubs had their run. The Mets were in it when he was there.
I think he needs to adjust his swing. He seems to go all out with his swing and I think becoming a contact/line drive guy would be better for him. Spread out his stance to eliminate the stride.
Boy, there’s a LOSE-LOSE scenario if there ever was one. Both these guys have completely forgotten how to hit and are lost in the deep wilderness.
Right? Only think Baez can do for the Dodgers is move Betts to 2B and perhaps RF against LHP and Teo moves to LF with Heyward on the bench.
Dodgers have Rojas. Don’t see this happening. Ever.
With the bad teams potentially rebounding, for the Marlins, it all depends on how Bendix views the roster. I still don’t like the Arraez trade. And that kind of indicates he may do a full rebuild – which is a GMs way of securing his job for a few years if he convinces the owner that it’s the right thing to do, and the owner will save a lot of money during the process.
For me, the Marlins were the bad team with the chance to rebound, but they needed to keep Arraez to combine with the other players who are in the same age range for the Marlins. They then needed to move on from the players who are 30+ in age. And in the offeason, focus on bullpen and guys under the age of 30 – even guys who other teams may have given up on.
But as stated, the Marlins depend on how Bendix views the roster.
Love the pod but they dropped the ball in not mentioning Tyler O’Neill as a good trade candidate to fill Cleveland’s need for a RH RF with power. It wouldn’t take much to get him, he isn’t getting paid a lot, and the Sox have no room for him when Abreu returns. Between Duran, Rafaela and Abreu (with Roman on the way) Tyler will not be extended by the Sox.
As a CLE fan I think O’Neill is exactly what they need. His injury history is the only thing that concerns me. Guardians have needed a righty run producer for years and have put forth a very feeble effort to land one. Now is the time, and we’re not talking about another Laureano here.
he’s got 11 HR but this is another case of how some numbers tell a misleading story. he has only 19 RBI due to hitting only .152 with RISP w/ 8 RBI in 40 PA so far this season. i hesitate to describe someone with those stats as a run producer, with that BA with RISP, he’s a rally killer more than anything else.
this is ironic because he’s been their #3 hitter most of the season as he rakes with no one on base: .290 .377 .624 1.001.with 9 of his 11 HR. he’s another statistical version of puig. who hit .297 .377 .423 .800 with us in the cleanup spot the second half of 2019 – and yet hasn’t played in the majors since.
Because the Red Sox are competing for a wild card. Why would they subtract from the roster? Why ignite the smoldering anger of the fan base?
Cards – There are several Red Sox prospects on the cusp of promotion to the big league team, and O’Neill is not in their longterm plans. He is not an extension candidate. I posted that 2 weeks ago, prior to the team going on a hot streak.
I think the decision will go down to the wire, and will greatly depend on where the Sox are in the standings at that point in time. If they look like serious contenders at the end of July, yes it’s possible they hold onto him.
Houston being buyers is funny as well. They have little in the minors to trade as their highest rated AAA player is at 17. They spent money in the wrong places and farm system is in shambles.
Next season I expect to be worse than this season. Time to tear it down and focus on all levels of their farm system.
I don’t feel sorry for the Houston Cheaters
alum – I’m not a fan of them, but counting them out already is wishful thinking. All their issues are injury-related, and it probably won’t take more than 85 wins to grab that final WC spot.
This is Houston’s last dance with their upcoming free agents and aging core
If they make it to .500 at the deadline they will compete for the playoffs but if they don’t i wonder what Jim crane will do
I wouldn’t call their core aging, except for Altuve. Yordan, Tucker, Javier, Garcia, Pena, Diaz are all young. Nobody considers Abreu/Verlander their core lol and those are the old guys on the team. If the Astros were to trade Verlander and Bregman before the deadline that would give them 3-4 top prospects to reload the upper levels with. You insert a few top prospects and sign Tucker long term and their window stays open. If they sit on their hands and trade nobody, their farm is bad and they will be bad for the upcoming 3-5 years. Their entire future really relies on if they are smart enough to trade guys and restock, or are dumb enough to think they can really win playing Abreu at 1B everyday plus all the pitching injuries they have.
Rocker – I agree and I think with all the money coming off the books after this year they will spend this offseason. Crane is an owner who wants to win, and therefore doesn’t mind spending.
I don’t think he would have given that contract to Hader if there was any chance they would go into an extended rebuild period. Big market teams don’t need to rebuild.