Astros, Mets Have Expressed Interest In Brandon Lowe
The Rays are a game above .500 and sit 2.5 back of the AL’s final Wild Card spot. A terrible 6-15 showing in July has dropped them from expected buyers to a bubble team that looks likely to walk the line between adding and trading away veterans. They began that process on Monday, shipping out impending free agent catcher Danny Jansen in one deal while acquiring a slightly worse but controllable backstop (Nick Fortes) in a second trade. They downgraded a bit in the short term to add a superior prospect than the one they surrendered without giving up on the season.
Trading Jansen is an easier call than it’d be to move either Brandon Lowe or Yandy Díaz. They’re longer-tenured members of the organization and more impactful players. The Rays had been reluctant to move Díaz or Lowe for most of this month. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported over the weekend that the team’s recent play has led the front office to be more open to hearing other teams out on the pair of veteran hitters.
Joel Sherman of The New York Post wrote on Monday that the Rays still prefer to add. That preceded a win over the Yankees in the first of a four-game set in the Bronx that’ll run up to the deadline. The Red Sox are known to be monitoring Díaz in case the Rays sell. Meanwhile, Sherman reports that the Mets and Astros are among the teams that have contacted the Rays about Lowe. He suggests that Houston, in particular, has strong interest in the left-handed hitting second baseman. Astros GM Dana Brown has made no secret about his goal of acquiring a lefty bat to provide a semblance of balance to the game’s most right-handed lineup.
Lowe is currently on the 10-day injured list with ankle tendinitis. The Rays seem to anticipate he’ll be back when first eligible on Wednesday. Lowe already had a minimal IL stay this month because of oblique tightness. The two-time All-Star has had an impressive year around the recent injuries. He’s batting .269/.320/.480 across 350 trips to the plate — including a massive .296/.352/.556 line following a dismal April. His 19 home runs rank second at the position behind Ketel Marte’s 20.
Houston could plug Lowe in at the keystone and use Jose Altuve as a primary designated hitter until Yordan Alvarez returns from a hand fracture. At that point, Altuve could return to left field and push Taylor Trammell, who is hitting well in 25 games but has a limited MLB track record, to a fourth outfield role.
The Mets don’t have a huge need on the dirt, but they’ve reportedly considered moving one of their controllable infielders (Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio, Luisangel Acuña) for help elsewhere on the roster. Lowe would be a significant offensive upgrade over Baty, who is playing regularly at second base. It makes sense that the Mets at least gauged the Rays’ asking price, but there’s no indication they’ve made a huge push. President of baseball operations David Stearns has cast the bullpen as his top priority, with secondary interests ranging from the rotation to center field.
Lowe is playing on a $10.5MM salary, around $3.35MM of which will be owed after the deadline. The Rays can keep him around for another season on an $11.5MM club option. That comes with a $500K buyout.
Mets, Yankees Have Shown Interest In Harrison Bader
The Dodgers, Mets and Yankees have all shown interested in Twins outfielder Harrison Bader, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN. The interest from the Dodgers was reported by Bob Nightengale of USA Today yesterday.
Bader, 31, has long been a useful big leaguer on account of his speed and defense. His offense has been more mercurial but he’s currently in the midst of what could be his best season at the plate. In 298 plate appearances, he already has 12 home runs. Only once in his career has he hit more than that, which was the 16 he hit in 2021. His 26.2% strikeout rate is a bit high but his 8.7% walk rate is his best mark in years.
On the whole, he has a .255/.336/.441 line this year. His 118 wRC+, a career high, indicates he has been 18% better than league average at the plate this year. Thanks to nine stolen bases and some quality glovework, he’s already been worth 2.0 wins above replacement on the year, in the eyes of FanGraphs.
The Twins seem to be pivoting to sell mode, at least in terms of guys who aren’t core pieces. They are 50-55, a record which puts them 5.5 games back of a playoff spot in the American League. It was reported last week that they were leaning towards making their rental players available. They flipped Chris Paddack to the Tigers earlier today. It’s likely that Bader, Christian Vázquez, Danny Coulombe, Ty France and Willi Castro will follow in the coming days.
Bader signed a one-year, $6.25MM deal with the Twins in the offseason. That guarantee came in the form of a $750K signing bonus, a $4MM salary, and a $1.5MM buyout on a mutual option. Mutual options are essentially never picked up by both sides, which is why Bader will be viewed as a rental. His buyout can also increase via plate appearance incentives. He would add $200K at 400, 425 and 450 plate appearances, then $450K at 475 and 500. He came into tonight’s game with 298 trips to the plate. His deal also has a $500K assignment bonus if he’s traded.
Though he has mostly been playing left field this year, that has been out of deference to Byron Buxton. Suitors calling the Twins will likely view Bader as a center fielder, since he’s perfectly capable of sliding back to that spot.
Even with the little extra bits in his contract, Bader’s price is still attractive. Some of the other notable center field options on the market are Cedric Mullins and Luis Robert Jr. Mullins is making $8.725MM and has been in a rough slump since April. Robert is making $15MM this year and is also owed at least a $2MM buyout on his $20MM club option for next year. He’s been hitting better lately but is having a bad season overall.
The Mets and Yankees would both be logical landing spots for Bader. He has already played for both New York clubs, so there’s already familiarity there. The Mets have already been connected to Robert and Mullins. They came into the year with Jose Siri and Tyrone Taylor as their center field options. Siri suffered a fractured shin a couple of weeks into the season and has been on the IL since. He still hasn’t started a rehab assignment. Taylor has a dismal .204/.260/.298 line at the plate this year.
Lately, Jeff McNeil has taken over the center field job. If the Mets were to acquire a center fielder, McNeil could move back to the infield. The Mets have a cluttered infield mix with Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña. They are reportedly open to trading from that group of younger players, however, so it’s possible the roster gets shaken up in a few different ways this week.
For the Yankees, they just lost Aaron Judge to the injured list with a flexor strain. They now have a regular outfield alignment of Cody Bellinger, Trent Grisham and Jasson Domínguez. Bellinger and Grisham are both lefties while Domínguez is a switch-hitter who is far better against right-handed pitchers. Bringing in a righty bat like Bader to complement that group makes a lot of sense. Bader has fairly neutral splits in 2025 but has been better against lefties in his career. He has hit .248/.315/.461 against lefties for a 110 wRC+ overall, with a career .241/.307/.374 slash and 87 wRC+ against righties.
Both the Mets and the Yankees are third-time payors of the competitive balance tax. Both clubs are also above the top CBT threshold this year. That means each club faces a 110% tax bill for any spending they add to the ledger for the rest of the season. Bader’s relatively modest salary should therefore be appealing to both clubs for the same reason.
Photo courtesy of Matt Blewett, Imagn Images
Mets Discussing Mark Vientos In Trade Talks
The Mets are clear buyers this summer with a 1.5 game lead over the Phillies for control of the NL East, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible that they would deal from their big league roster. As the club seeks help in multiple areas of it’s roster, Andy Martino of SNY reports that the club has been discussing infielder Mark Vientos with rival clubs ahead of this week’s trade deadline. He adds that teams have inquired after not only Vientos but also fellow infield youngsters Brett Baty and Ronny Mauricio, though Martino notes that teams have come away with the belief that Vientos is the most available of those three names.
It’s a position that would have been unthinkable just a few months ago. The 25-year-old enjoyed a breakout season last year when he slashed .266/.332/.516 with 27 homers and 22 doubles across just 111 games. That seemed to position Vientos as the club’s third baseman of the future in spite of his lackluster work with the glove last season. Unfortunately for the Mets and Vientos, however, things have gone off the rails this year. The Mets were surely hoping that his glove would improve at least somewhat with time, but he’s remained one of the worst defenders in the sport this year. This time, however, his offense isn’t carrying the overall package. Vientos has slashed just .226/.280/.358 (81 wRC+) across 73 games this year amid a power outage that’s seen his barrel rate collapse from 14.1% last year to just 7.3% in 2025.
With Vientos unproductive on both offense and defense, he’s arguably expendable on a club with better options at first base (Pete Alonso) and DH (Starling Marte). Baty, Mauricio, Luisangel Acuna and Jeff McNeil can all hold their own on the infield as well, to say nothing of the anticipated eventual return of Jesse Winker from the injured list, at which point he’ll likely return to sharing time with Marte at DH. All of those options leave Vientos somewhat squeezed out of the mix for playing time, but another club could look at Vientos’s 2024 performance and the fact that he remains under team control through the end of the 2029 season and see an opportunity to buy low on a bat with an All-Star caliber ceiling.
The White Sox, for instance, have interest in Vientos according to a report from USA Today’s Bob Nightengale. Nightengale suggests that the Sox would want Vientos in return for center fielder Luis Robert Jr. after months of connections between Robert and the Mets in the rumor mill. Robert’s value is unlikely to be high enough to land Vientos in a one-for-one trade at this point, though speculatively speaking it’s at least possible he could be had if Robert was packaged with pitching help that would help address New York’s other needs.
Chicago is far from the only team that should have interest in Vientos if he’s available, however. The Diamondbacks are primarily targeting young pitching, but Vientos would be an intriguing fit given the recent loss of first baseman Josh Naylor and the club’s impending plans to trade third baseman Eugenio Suarez in the coming days. The Padres are dangling Dylan Cease in hopes of adding a bat or two this summer, and Vientos’s combination of upside and cheap team control could be attractive to a cash-strapped contender. The Rays are always creative and appear to be at least considering dealing incumbent first baseman Yandy Diaz this summer. The Red Sox are in need of first base help and could benefit from another right-handed bat in their lineup.
A handful of those clubs mentioned remain in playoff contention alongside the Mets, but it certainly wouldn’t be the first time a pair of buy-side GMs managed to get creative and work out a trade that benefits both clubs. Vientos should have broad appeal to teams looking for help on the infield corners or at DH regardless of their competitive timeline thanks to his combination of near-term upside and long-term team control. Of course, it’s far from a lock that the Mets will actually move Vientos. New York stands to benefit as much as anyone from the slugger’s upside in 2026 and beyond, particularly in the likely event that Alonso opts out of his contract this winter. Even in 2025, the depth Vientos provides could prove essential in the event of an injury sidelining a player like Marte or any of the club’s infielders. While the slugger isn’t the key cog in the Mets’ lineup he was last year, all the traits that make him an attractive buy-low candidate would make it difficult for the club’s front office to justify selling low on him.
Starling Marte Drawing Trade Interest
With two hits in the Mets’ 5-3 win over the Giants tonight, Starling Marte is now slashing .289/.372/.416 over an even 200 plate appearances this season, which translates to a very solid 129 wRC+. The veteran hitter’s continued production in his age-36 campaign hasn’t gone unnoticed, as the New York Post’s Mike Puma reports that multiple teams have checked in with the Mets about Marte in the lead-up to the trade deadline.
Marte has served almost exclusively as a designated hitter in 2025, with only a handful of appearances as a corner outfielder. Initially tabbed as part of a righty/lefty DH platoon with Jesse Winker, Marte has ended up getting more action right-handed pitching than against southpaws, and he took a .793 OPS in 86 PA against lefties and a .762 OPS over 110 PA against righties into action tonight. Marte is benefiting from a .336 BABIP and he isn’t generating much power, but the former All-Star has shown he is still productive within somewhat limited parameters.
Now in the final season of the four-year, $78MM free agent deal signed in the 2021-22 offseason, Marte has around $6.4MM remaining of his $19.5MM salary for the 2025 campaign. While not the biggest chunk of change to take on over the season’s final two months, it does seem a little steep for a part-time primary DH, so it is interesting to speculate on what exactly other clubs could be offering Marte, or what the Amazins are asking in return. New York floated Marte’s name in trade talks this past offseason, with the Mets reportedly willing to cover part of that $19.5MM salary in order to help facilitate a deal.
The Royals were the only team publicly linked to Marte’s market, though obviously no agreement was reached. Hypothetically, it stands to reason that Kansas City could still be an interested party, given how the Royals are struggling offensively and have gotten next to nothing from their outfielders or their lineup in general. Marte could be slotted into the Royals’ DH slot moreso than a regular role in the outfield, though K.C.’s acquisition of Randal Grichuk may have filled some of that need with a player who has more defensive utility.
Trading Marte would free up some space within a Mets lineup that is already overloaded in position players. While the younger members of New York’s infield mix have been inconsistent this year, the Mets would probably prefer to deal a veteran on an expiring contract like Marte before parting ways with a more controllable talent, even if younger players are likewise more attractive to trade suitors.
It is fair to assume the Mets would look to land pitching when trying to deal Marte or any hitter. The Mets have reportedly shown interest in a number of different starters, and president of baseball operations David Stearns said even after Friday’s Gregory Soto acquisition that the bullpen is still the team’s primary focus as the deadline approaches. To that end, the Athletic’s Will Sammon added Ryan Helsley to the long list of relievers under consideration, but as of early Sunday morning, the Mets had yet to actually have any talks with the Cardinals about the closer.
Mets Designate Jose Castillo For Assignment
The Mets have designated left-hander Jose Castillo for assignment, per a club announcement. The move makes room for the addition of lefty Gregory Soto to the active roster. Soto was acquired from the Orioles on Friday.
Castillo, 29, debuted with the Padres all the way back in 2018. That rookie year saw him pitch to a 3.29 ERA with a 2.64 FIP in 38 1/3 innings of work while striking out opponents at a 34.7% clip. It was an impressive showing, but injuries and ineffectiveness limited Castillo to just three total outings in the majors over the next six seasons. He surrendered five runs on four walks while striking out three in two innings of work during those outings, though he posted decent numbers at the Triple-A level with a 4.32 ERA in 125 innings of work with a 29.1% strikeout rate during that time.
The lefty eventually resurfaced this year and has split his time between the Mets and Diamondbacks. His five outings in Arizona went quite poorly, as he surrendered eight runs on ten hits and three walks while striking out just three in 6 1/3 frames, but since joining the Mets back in May he’s looked much better with a 2.19 ERA and 2.76 FIP in 14 appearances. Castillo has already been designated for assignment and outrighted off New York’s roster once this season. He’ll now go through the waiver process again unless the Mets are able to work out a trade involving him prior to Thursday’s trade deadline. If he goes unclaimed on waivers once again, he’ll have the opportunity to either accept an outright assignment to the minor leagues from the Mets or elect free agency, at which point he would be free to sign with any of the league’s 30 clubs on a fresh contract.
Replacing Castillo on the roster is Soto who the Mets dealt a pair of prospects to Baltimore in order to acquire. The southpaw has a 3.96 ERA in 36 1/3 innings of work for the Orioles this year, with a 27.5% strikeout rate and a 3.28 FIP. A two time All-Star with the Tigers in 2021 and ’22, Soto was shipped to the Phillies prior to the 2023 season and has struggled during his time with Philadelphia and Baltimore since then, with a lackluster 4.53 ERA across the 2023 and ’24 seasons despite a tidy 3.63 FIP. The Mets will surely help that they can help him return to his prior All-Star caliber form so he can join the late-inning mix alongside closer Edwin Diaz, but even if Soto is little more than a league average middle relief arm for the club he’ll offer much-needed depth to a bullpen that has lost a half dozen relievers to the injured list already.
Mets Have Shown Interest In Sandy Alcantara
The Mets are among the teams that have shown interest in Sandy Alcantara, reports Mike Puma of The New York Post. They’d seemingly remain one of the longer shots to land the former Cy Young winner. Intra-division trades of controllable players aren’t easy to make, and the Mets have reportedly been more focused on bullpen upgrades than the rotation.
New York already made the first of what’ll likely be multiple bullpen pickups this afternoon. They sent a pair of pitching prospects to the Orioles for hard-throwing southpaw Gregory Soto. They’re at least exploring the starting pitching and center field markets in addition to their reliever pursuits.
Alcantara has a 6.66 earned run average across 20 starts. His career-low 16.7% strikeout rate is well below average. Alcantara has gotten far fewer chases and swinging strikes this year than in any prior season. For all those alarming trends, he’ll intrigue teams as a change-of-scenery candidate. Alcantara’s 97.6 MPH average fastball velocity is back to where it was before he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023. He is signed with Miami for $17MM this year and next and is guaranteed a $2MM buyout on a $21MM club option for 2027.
President of baseball operations David Stearns suggested this week that the Mets would be comfortable with a potential playoff rotation comprising some combination of Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, David Peterson, Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. Holmes is already at a career-high workload in his first full MLB season as a starter. He has struggled in July after a strong first three months. Senga, Manaea, and Montas have all had injury issues this year. The Mets could also get Tylor Megill back next month, yet he’s a question mark as he rehabs an elbow sprain.
Stearns also indicated the Mets could be content with the combination of Jeff McNeil and Tyrone Taylor in center field. Still, they’re on the periphery of that market. The Post’s Jon Heyman suggests they’re showing continued interest in long-rumored target Luis Robert Jr. Earlier this week, SNY’s Andy Martino called Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins a “consideration.”
Mullins is an impending free agent who’ll definitely be moved, but he hasn’t hit since April. Robert, whose contract contains consecutive $20MM team options for 2026-27, had an awful first few months offensively but has picked things up over the past couple weeks. Robert hits left-handed pitching well, plays plus defense, and steals bases, so he’s the more desirable trade candidate of that duo.
Mets Select José Castillo
The Mets announced today that they have selected left-hander José Castillo to the roster. Right-hander Alex Carrillo has been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding active roster move. Righty Max Kranick has been transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. It was reported a week ago that Kranick will require season-ending elbow surgery.
The Mets have been churning arms through their bullpen for a long time, thanks to a string of injuries, particularly to left-handers. They had planned on having A.J. Minter and Danny Young as their southpaw contingent in the bullpen but both required season-ending surgeries by the middle of May. Since then, they’ve also lost Kranick and Dedniel Núñez to the scalpel.
Castillo, 29, was one of the reinforcements. He was acquired from the Diamondbacks in mid-May, shortly after Minter and Young went down. He spent a little over a month on the roster, tossing 11 1/3 innings, allowing three earned runs despite giving up 16 hits, issuing six walks and hitting four opponents. He struck out 14 batters and got ground balls on 55.9% of balls in play allowed.
The Mets bumped him off the roster at the end of June and then passed him through waivers. He accepted an outright assignment and has since been pitching for Syracuse, allowing one earned run in 5 1/3 innings.
Not too long ago, the Mets activated Brooks Raley from the injured list, as he had recovered from last year’s Tommy John surgery. They acquired Gregory Soto from the Orioles earlier today. Now with Castillo coming back, they will have three lefties whenever Soto reports to the team. However, it’s also possible that Castillo gets bumped out again to make room for Soto at that point. The Mets could also make further relief additions between now and next week’s deadline.
Photo courtesy of Vincent Carchietta, Imagn Images
Mets Acquire Gregory Soto
The Mets and Orioles announced a deal sending left-handed reliever Gregory Soto from Baltimore to New York. The O’s acquired minor league right-handers Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.
Soto, 30, has pitched to a 3.96 ERA this season and carries a 3.91 mark dating all the way back to 2021. He’s playing the season on a $5.35MM salary and is a pure free agent at season’s end. He still has about $1.87MM of his salary yet to be paid out, and since the Mets are third-time luxury tax payors in the top penalty bracket, there’ll be a 110% tax on that sum. That brings the total financial expenditure to about $3.925MM.
Armed with a four-seamer that averages 97.1 mph and a sinker that’s sitting 96.7 mph, Soto can miss bats in bunches but struggles to command his sizzling repertoire. He’s fanned 27.5% of his opponents this year but also issued walks at an 11.3% clip that’s pretty well aligned with his career mark.
Still, Soto has avoided too much damage from righties, and lefties may as well not even bother stepping into the box (.138/.271/.276). He’ll give a Mets club that has been focused on adding at least one lefty to its bullpen a potent weapon against divisional foes like Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber and Matt Olson down the stretch, to say nothing of potential key matchups against prominent lefties like Shohei Ohtani or Kyle Tucker in the postseason.
The Mets opened the season with lefties A.J. Minter and Danny Young locked into key bullpen roles. Both required season-ending surgery in May — Minter to repair a torn lat and Young to repair a torn ulnar collateral ligament. They’ve since re-signed Brooks Raley, who was rehabbing from his own Tommy John surgery but is now back in the big league ‘pen. Soto now adds a second lefty back into the mix as well as another flamethrower who sits 97 or better (alongside closer Edwin Diaz and setup men Ryne Stanek and Reed Garrett).
Adding to the bullpen has been president of baseball operations David Stearns’ top priority as the deadline approaches. The Mets figure to continue to explore the market for bullpen help, and Stearns has at least acknowledged that they could pursue an upgrade in center field. The Mets have a healthy rotation at the moment, but one would assume that if they could find a price to their liking, a deal for a potential playoff starter isn’t entirely off the table.
In exchange for Soto, the Orioles will add a pair of pitching prospects to their system — one (Foster) that’s close to the majors and another (Aracena) who is more of a development project but comes with a higher ceiling.
The 26-year-old Foster was a 14th-round pick out of McNeese State in 2022. He opened the season in Double-A Binghamton’s bullpen and breezed through opposing lineups, pitching to a minuscule 1.01 ERA with a 34% strikeout rate and 5% walk rate in 26 2/3 innings. It’s eye-catching production, though it bears noting that at 26, Foster was noticeably older and further along in his development than his Double-A opponents. He was recently moved up to Triple-A, where he’s pitched 3 2/3 innings and been tagged for seven runs on seven hits and three walks.
Listed at 6’5″ and 230 pounds, Foster has the frame of a power reliever. He’s never ranked among the Mets’ top prospects, though FanGraphs Eric Longenhagen noted just last month that he’s sharpened his slider since being drafted and it now grades as a plus offering. He’s a potential bullpen option and, given his recent promotion to Triple-A, could feasibly get a look as soon as this season. Foster would be Rule 5-eligible in the offseason if the Orioles leave him off the 40-man roster, so it seems there’s a good chance he’ll be selected to the 40-man after the season, if not sooner.
Aracena, 20, is widely ranked within the Mets’ top-30 prospects, sitting 14th at FanGraphs as of last month and 28th at Baseball America. There’s a wide range of opinions on him due to the hard-throwing righty’s poor command. Aracena has walked 13.2% of his A-ball opponents in 2025, and that’s actually a significant improvement over 2024, when he issued free passes to 20.2% of the batters he faced.
Shaky command notwithstanding, Aracena sits 97-98 mph with a fastball that tops out around 101 mph. Baseball America’s scouting report on him also touts a heavily used cutter that sits 93 mph and a still-developing slider with more movement that checks in a few miles per hour slower. In ranking Aracena 14th in the Mets’ system, Longenhagen praises the life on all of his pitches and adds that there “aren’t really many other big league pitchers whose stuff bears a resemblance to Aracena’s cutter-heavy mix.”
Aracena won’t turn 21 until December. In all likelihood, he’s not likely to be a big league option until at least 2027, and that’s assuming continued health and progression in his development. He’s a bullpen prospect with a lofty ceiling, however, and coupling him with another late-blooming relief prospect who’s much closer to big league readiness makes for a solid return on two-plus months of a hard-throwing Soto, to whom the Orioles were never going to extend a qualifying offer.
Soto becomes the second reliever traded from the Baltimore bullpen, joining Bryan Baker (who went to the Rays). Just as Stearns & Co. surely have more additions in store for the Mets, O’s general manager Mike Elias will have several more sell-side moves to execute in the next six days. Soto’s bullpen-mate Seranthony Dominguez, first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, center fielder Cedric Mullins and starting pitchers Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin and Tomoyuki Sugano are all free agents at season’s end.
SNY’s Andy Martino was first with the trade terms.
Latest On Eugenio Suárez’s Market
The D-backs have officially chosen a lane and are heading down a seller’s trajectory. First baseman Josh Naylor is already on his way to the Mariners for a pair of pitching prospects, but it’s third baseman Eugenio Suárez and his thunderous power output that have captivated fans of contenders for much of deadline season. The 33-year-old, earning $15MM in the final year of his contract, is hitting .252/.325/.593 with 36 home runs on the season — including 21 round-trippers dating back to June 1 (a span of 179 plate appearances.
Even after the Mariners landed Naylor, they remain in the mix for Suárez, per multiple reports from the Seattle beat (link via Shannon Drayer of Seattle Sports 770 AM). Naylor cost the Mariners two well-regarded pitching prospects — lefty Brandyn Garcia and righty Ashton Izzi — but left the upper tiers of a Seattle farm system that’s arguably the best in baseball untouched. Earlier in the week, Suárez was reported to be the Mariners’ top deadline target. Adding Naylor, it seems, will not put an end to that existing pursuit.
They’ll face steep competition, however, It’s known that in addition to the Mariners, each of the Reds, Cubs and Yankees have some level of interest in the Arizona third baseman. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, as John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reported earlier today that as many as a dozen teams have at least looked into the possibility of adding Suárez to their lineup.
That includes at least one division rival. Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports that in the wake of a serious injury to Isaac Paredes, the Astros have joined the bidding for Suárez. Houston has some hurdles in their path to landing the coveted D-backs slugger, however. Owner Jim Crane has been loath to cross the luxury tax threshold for what would be a second straight season. Adding Suárez would put them into tax territory unless the ‘Stros shed payroll elsewhere or convince the Snakes to pay down his salary. Houston also does not have as strong a farm system as many of the teams against which they’d be bidding.
Whether it’s Suárez or another bat, the Astros’ priorities seem to have shifted. General manager Dana Brown suggested earlier in the summer that pitching would be his primary focus. Now, with Paredes shelved indefinitely and Yordan Alvarez‘s recovery from a hand fracture dragging out, Brown tells Chandler Rome of The Athletic that his primary focus is on adding to its lineup. The Astros have several starters on the mend, including Cristian Javier, Luis Garcia, Spencer Arrighetti, J.P. France and Lance McCullers Jr. It seems they’ll hope for some internal reinforcements to support co-aces Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez and instead aim to use their limited financial and prospect resources to augment the offense.
With that number of teams at least on the periphery of the market, it can be presumed that most contenders have at least put out some feelers. One team that notably is not in the running, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman, is the Mets — at least for the moment. Despite a rotating cast of characters on the infield this year — Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Ronny Mauricio and Luisangel Acuña have all seen time around the infield but struggled to varying extents — the Mets’ main focus has been and remains upgrading the bullpen.
That said, SNY’s Andy Martino suggests that if the Mets use that infield depth to add to the bullpen or rotation (which they’re reportedly willing to do), they could at least consider the idea of pursuing Suárez to take over at the hot corner. The Mets haven’t been keen on parting with top prospects for rental players, but the D-backs have been scouting their Double-A club, in particular, with an eye toward potential Suárez packages, per Martino.
There’s no immediate indication that a Suárez trade will come together quickly on the heels of the Naylor swap, but the very fact that Naylor is on his way out the door serves as a clear indicator that any combination of Suárez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly — at the very least — could be on the move in the next week. The D-backs also have rental relievers Jalen Beeks and Shelby Miller as trade candidates (Miller is on the injured list but has resumed throwing), and outfielder Randal Grichuk has a mutual option that won’t be exercised by both parties.
Diamondbacks Reportedly Planning To Be Deadline Sellers
The Diamondbacks seem to have picked a lane. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports that they are informing rival clubs that they plan to trade at least some of their veteran players, though the extent of their sell-off is still to be determined. Many of their players are impending free agents and qualifying offer candidates, so the trade returns would have to notably eclipse QO compensation for the Diamondbacks to pull the trigger on trading one of those players. It also seems they don’t want to totally wave the white flag on 2025, so they won’t just sell any theoretical candidate.
It’s a tricky spot for the club to be in. As noted by Rosenthal, the club may not want to punt the 2025 season. Back in 2023, they snuck into the playoffs with 84 wins and ended up going all the way to the World Series, eventually falling to the Rangers. But their 2025 club has been decimated by injuries, particularly on the pitching side. Corbin Burnes, Jordan Montgomery, A.J. Puk, Justin Martínez and others have required season-ending surgeries. Notable position players like Gabriel Moreno and Pavin Smith are also on the shelf.
Despite all of that, the club has hung around the playoff race. General manager Mike Hazen has spoken about how he would like to act as a buyer at the deadline but needed the club to justify that position by winning games. They came out of the All-Star break with a sweep of the Cardinals, but then got swept by the Astros. They are currently 50-53 and 5.5 games out of a playoff spot. They’re not totally buried but it seems the club has decided this may not be their year and some decisions should be made to help the club focus on the future.
Moving more clearly into seller position will have its advantages. With the expanded postseason, many clubs are still in contention, which makes it a seller’s market. By making some attractive players available, the front office could do a lot to help the Diamondbacks in the future.
Young pitching seems likely to be a focus. The rotation is set to lose Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly to free agency. Burnes will still be recovering from his surgery for a lot of next year. The 2026 rotation projects to include Eduardo Rodríguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. Rodríguez and Pfaadt are struggling this year. Nelson is doing well but has only really had a rotation spot for about six weeks, having been in long relief until injuries opened a spot for him. The Snakes could improve their 2026 rotation outlook by getting some younger pitchers now.
Eugenio Suárez seems the most likely player to be traded. He’s an impending free agent and his stock is tremendously high right now, since he’s been on a heater for more than a year. Dating back to July 7th of last year, he has 60 home runs, a .277/.334/.607 batting line and 154 wRC+. He has a $15MM salary this year, which will leave about $5MM left to be paid out at the deadline.
He will be highly attractive. He’s already been connected to teams like the Cubs, Yankees, Mariners and Reds. Rosenthal mentions those teams and adds the Mets to the pile. John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Phoenix says 12 teams in total have contacted the Snakes about Suárez. Bob Nightengale of USA Today says the Mariners and Yankees are the most aggressive of the suitors, though the market appears to be very crowded.
The Mets have a cluster of young infielders which includes Brett Baty, Mark Vientos, Luisangel Acuña and Ronny Mauricio. Baty is the only one in that group having a good season, though he’s also been playing some second base, so it’s possible he could co-exist with Suárez. The Mets are also reportedly willing to trade from that infield depth, so it’s possible Suárez could be brought in as part of a bigger shake-up.
With that hot market, it’s easy to the appeal for the Snakes in cashing in. It’s also possible that it could hurt their 2025 chances less than trading some of their other veterans. Jordan Lawlar is one of the top prospects in baseball but has been blocked from getting a big league audition. He can’t be expected to come up and produce at the same level as Suárez but it’s possible he could run with the opportunity and make up some of what is lost. He is currently out with a hamstring strain but could be back in the coming weeks. Even if he doesn’t come up and immediately succeed, there would be value in the Diamondbacks giving him an extended audition before they have to make key offseason decisions about their lineup.
There are some parallels on the other side of the infield. Josh Naylor is an impending free agent and consistently above-average hitter. Dating back to the start of 2022, he has a .272/.336/.462 line and 121 wRC+. He is making $10.9MM this year, which will leave a little under $4MM to be paid out as the deadline nears. Smith has been putting up big numbers the past two years and could take over for Naylor at first, though he’s currently sidelined by an oblique strain. Naylor has been connected to the Mariners though they are reportedly more interested in Suárez.
As mentioned, Gallen and Kelly are also impending free agents. Rosenthal has previously suggested the club is unlikely to trade both as they will still need innings to get through the season. That’s a bit of an odd hedge. They could always grab cast-offs from other clubs, Erick Fedde types, to finish the year. But perhaps the Snakes are trying to walk a fine line where they sell some pieces without totally punting their 2025 campaign. Trading one of this duo but keeping the other could be a compromise along those lines.
Kelly is having the better season but Gallen has higher theoretical upside. Jesse Rogers of ESPN recently reported that teams were a bit more interested in Gallen, despite the recent results. Gallen, 29, has a 5.58 ERA and 22.2% strikeout rate this year. Some of that might be luck, as he his 65.1% strand rate and 16.7% home run to fly ball rate are both to the unfortunate side. His 4.16 SIERA suggests he might not be too far from his past self, though his hard hit rate and barrel rate are also quite high this year, so it might not be all luck.
From 2022 to 2024, Gallen tossed 542 innings with a 3.20 ERA, 26% strikeout rate, 6% walk rate, 44.4% ground ball rate, 3.20 FIP and 3.60 SIERA. FanGraphs credited him with 12.1 wins above replacement in that time, seventh among all pitchers. It’s understandable that teams looking for rotation upgrades, particularly for the postseason, would be intrigued by acquiring Gallen and getting him back to that level. He is making $13.50MM this year, which will leave about $4.5MM left to be paid out at the deadline. He’s been connected to the Blue Jays but should be of interest to several other pitching-needy teams.
Kelly, 36, doesn’t have the same ace ceiling but has been more steady. He is in his seventh season with the Snakes and has a 3.76 ERA. That figure was 3.37 in 2022 and 3.29 in 2023. Last year, injuries limited him to 13 starts and his ERA jumped a bit to 4.03. This year, it’s back down to 3.32. He has a 24.2% strikeout rate, 7.6% walk rate and 44.2% ground ball rate. He’s making $7MM this year, so he’ll have just $2.33MM left to be paid out at the deadline.
Any of those four players is a plausible candidate to receive and perhaps a reject a qualifying offer candidate at season’s end. The exact value of the QO hasn’t been set, but is likely to be somewhere around $22MM. The 2024-25 qualifying offer was $21.05MM and it usually goes up annually.
The Diamondbacks are a revenue-sharing recipient, which affects their compensation for a player rejecting a QO and signing elsewhere. If the player ultimately signs for $50MM or more, the Snakes would get an extra draft pick just after the first round. Less than $50MM and the pick would come just ahead of the third round.
While teams value draft picks, drafted players usually take a few years to reach the majors. The Diamondbacks are presumably hoping to contend again in the near future, while they still have core players like Corbin Carroll and Ketel Marte putting up great numbers. By trading these impending free agents, they could garner returns of prospects who are closer to the majors than anyone they would draft next summer. That should move the needle to the trade side, though it also seems like they’re leery of totally bottoming out their chances of hanging in the race this year.
In addition to those names, the Diamondbacks could also sell other impending free agents, such as Randal Grichuk and Shelby Miller. Those players wouldn’t bring back huge returns, though they’re also less essential to the club contending down the stretch in 2025. The Snakes have also reportedly gotten some interest in Lourdes Gurriel Jr., who is signed through 2027. They have also reportedly listened to offers on controllable outfielders like Alek Thomas and Jake McCarthy. Time will tell how aggressively they smash the sell button but it seems like the Diamondbacks will be one of the most interesting clubs to watch over the next week.
Photo courtesy of Mark J. Rebilas, Imagn Images