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 Tim Dierkes, Steve Adams and Anthony Franco of MLB Trade Rumors to discuss…
- Were the prospect prices high in this year’s trades? Is this a new normal due to the expanded playoffs creating a seller’s market? (2:15)
- The three-team trade involving the Dodgers, White Sox, Cardinals, Erick Fedde, Miguel Vargas and others (15:40)
- The Rays and Cubs, the buy-sell tightrope and the trade involving Isaac Paredes and Christopher Morel (29:30)
- The Astros acquire Yusei Kikuchi from the Blue Jays for a three-player package and the connection to the the Dodgers acquiring Jack Flaherty from the Tigers but the Yankees reportedly being scared off by his medicals (48:00)
- The Guardians acquire Alex Cobb from the Giants and acquire Lane Thomas from the Nationals (58:35)
- The Orioles acquire Trevor Rogers from the Marlins and acquire Zach Eflin from the Rays (1:09:10)
- Will teams have to be more aggressive in the offseason going forward if the expanded playoffs will make less good players available at the deadline? (1:20:35)
- The Rockies and Angels held onto a lot of trade candidates (1:23:35)
- The Marlins leaned in hard to seller status (1:31:40)
- The Padres built a super bullpen (1:44:50)
- The Braves acquire Jorge Soler from the Giants (1:47:40)
- The Royals acquire Lucas Erceg from the Athletics (1:54:40)
Check out our past episodes!
- Trade Deadline Preview – listen here
- Top Trade Candidates, Hunter Harvey To KC And The Current State Of The Rays And Mets – listen here
- Brewers’ Pitching Needs, Marlins Rumors And The Nats Prepare To Sell – listen here
The podcast intro and outro song “So Long” is provided courtesy of the band Showoff. Check out their Facebook page here!
I haven’t listened to the podcast yet. But looked over your topics. Pirates not mentioned
Neither are the Twins, though they did basically nothing at the deadline so why should they?. I’ll still listen on the commute
wvpirates: I listened to the podcast once. It was so monotone and boring that I stopped listening even though the podcast was still on. I haven’t listened since.
The biggest surprise was the complete lack of mention of either of the Mariners trades, considering they got one of the best hitters available, yet no mention!
I agree. But this isn’t the first time they have ignored the M’s. I think with the M’s history and their location, it easy to just forget they exist.
Thought for sure Gomber was a gonner.
The Rockies don’t want to sell, they’re competing for a championship this year
In Pickle ball?
Nice job by all the writers on the deadline. Thank you MLBTR!
2nd that motion
I hope Tim took everyone out for Slurpees afterwards.
Good podcast. A lot to go over and yet you didn’t get to all of it. I think if you hit on all the deadline trades this would be a 4 hour podcast.
Astros definitely overpaid for Kikuchi, but that now has Tigers fans really upset that Flaherty didn’t yield as much. The return was otherwise reasonable. I think the medical concerns on Flaherty were overblown. Yankees may have been concerned due to their past history of buying damaged good. Once bitten twice shy I guess. But you are all correct that a lot of dominos would have fell differently had the Yankees been in on him. Plus Flaherty has pitched well since his back issue resolved. So that should have allayed some of those concerns.
Back issues don’t resolve. They can be temporarily asymptomatic. Lots of players have back issues and can play through it. Pitchers – mechanics matter. But you rarely get to vote on when it goes out again.
My back bothered me for 20+ years, hasn’t been an issue for a few years. Dropping 20 pounds certainly helped. It’s uncommon, but it happens.
I have a balky back. If I go for daily walks/run, and stretch afterwards, it doesn’t bother me. But if I go 2-3 without doing anything, it freezes up pretty quickly, and intensely.
Better hope your balky back isn’t on the mound with runners on base.
It reminds me of my foray into catching. Bases loaded, the rightfielder playing in, and I tried to pick off the runner at 1st. It was only about an inch over the 1B’s glove, but I could it sailing all the way down the RF line.
Needless to say, it was several hours, and several beers later, that anyone even bothered to say hello to me.
I think Astro’s GM needs to be drug tested.
I like hearing Darragh place the responsibility of the Angels long standing losing team square on Moreno’s shoulders where it belongs. Several GMs later, the results are the same and Moreno is the only common thread.
Minassians press talk sure did come off as “screw it, I don’t care, I’m done after this season.” Time for another first time GM who won’t last and watch Minassian end up somewhere else and do well like DiPoto.
I remember reading an article before last season that Moreno wanted to sign Trea Turner but Minasian talked him out of it. I’m not even an Angels fan and he pisses me off. What is the guys obsession with signing big name bats? At least Perry tried something different.
Time for a Poll Question:
Who will be the first to catch the Dodgers in the NLW standings this year?
1). Diamondbacks
2). Padres
3). Both at the same time
4). First one, then the other
5). Neither one
5
4
3.
5
For those who deem the Trade Deadline activity as a major source of prospect talent acquisition, consider the data presented by MLB Network on the deadline day:
Prospects from the 2013-2023 trades (11 years)
633 Prospects traded at deadline
23 prospects have become impact players (3.6%)
74 prospects have become impact players or contributors (11.6%)
The perception that “smart” teams trade current MLB talent & are successful because of their accumulation of “prospect talent” at the Trade Deadline is not exactly justified by what we see here. It makes for a lot of fantasy, but minimal results.
Teams inactivity in selling may frustrate fans that simply want some new faces, but it certainly doesn’t mean that other teams are gaining a substantial advantage during this period. The data seems to indicate teams are giving up prospects they’ve determined won’t be contributors or impact players. Not a surprise.
What’s your definition of an impact player?
Good question. MLB Network posted the information but didn’t provide any more details. It would be interesting to see what players they included as impact & contributors.
Id assume above replacement level production at the very least. Every day player or reliable pitcher in some way shape or form.
fans that simply want some new faces,
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I agree that it is part that, but accountants like myself tend to write off the season(s) for some teams, and think it is probably more productive to lose a few extra games, for the higher picks.
For the Angels to sit on all those guys, or for the Rox to not make a single meaningful TDL trade in at least ten years, just seems like a waste of resources.
hard comment or have an opinion on those posted results without a clear definition of what constitutes an impact player, contributor, or what level of prospect in this particular assessment.
“hard to comment”
If we assume above league average as impact and below league average as contributor, we’re probably close. The numbers show that a small % of Trade Deadline prospects actually make it.
I know that’s painful for those who continually espouse teams must jettison their vets in exchange for prospects, but the #’s don’t support the approach. I’ve heard the “something is better than nothing” comments and “organizational depth”. I suppose that’s true if you’re trying to win Minor League championships.
I remember CIN Lee May for HOU Joe Morgan was initially seen as a Houston overwhelming win. Go figure.
At the Trade Deadline, there has to be a demand for a player. Fewer buyers than sellers. The Rockies didn’t have talent that teams wanted, regardless of prospect return.
In business, an 88% failure rate (prospects)would sound alarms for every accountant. No business would continue operating with a model like that but the MLBTR community clamors for their teams to dump MLB players for the “prospect gold mine”. The numbers show it’s a bad model, but so many here have sold their souls to that model, they’ll defend it at all costs.
The Rockies didn’t have talent that teams wanted, regardless of prospect return.
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That’s wrong on several levels.
1-Every team has talent they can trade. The Marlins are at .367 and had 9 players that they traded. The WS might be the worst team in history, but still had 6 players to trade, plus two more stars that they held onto. Every team in history has tradeable players.
2-The 2021 Rox team had Story, Gray, Estevez and Stephenson. They obviously could’ve traded those four.
3-The 88% number is meaningless without more information. What you need to know is the expected future value of the asset you are receiving v the current value of the asset you letting go.
The Rox are likely just afraid of looking stupid.
Interesting that you spend over 10 minutes talking about Kikuchi, Flaherty trades and never mention Liranzo, arguably the second best prospect traded at the deadline.