Major League Baseball trade season will head to homesteads!
While the deals were a bit slow this year, there were still fascinating acquisitions, with the Seattle Mariners landing Josh Naylor and the New York Yankees making Ryan McMahon headlines in early moves.
Now, less than 48 hours of deals left before the deadline arrived at 6 p.m. Thursday, big-name conversations including Eugenio Suarez, Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr. continue to circulate throughout the industry.
Which players will move in the last few days? Which teams will go all out to add the best players? Which trades will have the biggest impact on the rest of the season? We attracted ESPN MLB insiders Buster Olney and Jeff Passan to deliver the latest Intel as the deadline approaches.
What you hear is something that can keep moving forward in the last few hours?
Orny: The New York Metropolitan Metropolis strives to be better. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the center of a team that wants to break up with players, but from now until the deadline, the Mets are probably the most radical club, plus players, looking for a starter who can launch a playoff series 1, 2 or 3. Relief pitchers and outfielders – perhaps the Baltimore Orioles’ Cedric Mullins – were also their needs.
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Passan: The number of teams that want high leverage relief pitchers and the number of people they are relatively scarce in the market. There is a maximum rent: Ryan Hullsley of St. Louis. Then there is a bunch of controllable weapons that can act but don't have to: David Bednar of Pittsburgh, Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax of Minnesota, and Pete Fairbanks of Tampa Bay.
Given the number of teams eager to impact relief help — the Philadelphia Phillies, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers, the New York team and the Los Angeles Dodgers — those who have strong returns are understandable. Of course, there are relief workers in the second and third stages, but there is not enough elite supply for the demand that exists. That's why San Diego hung Robert Suarez, and San Francisco was calling the guys on its backend, even A's, imagine they might get a quote they couldn't turn down Mason Miller.
Which deal do you think will have the biggest impact on the rest of the season?
Orny: Whether it's Ryan Helsley or Griffin Jax or anyone else, whether it's the Philadelphia Phillies or any late relief, Rob Thomson has to rely on that pitcher to make the playoffs. Jose Alvarado was eliminated in October due to a suspension.
Passan: It all depends on the team's willingness to move players with years of control. The market scope of the upcoming free agents is between MEH and UGH. But if Joe Ryan or Mackenzie Gore were going? Duran or Jax? Steven Kua? Everything is possible. At this point, the cost is incredible, but the deadline is really weird to the previous office. Discomfort is probably the most underrated tool for deadlines.
We have seen the difference in the level of favorite activity in the World Series. Have you heard of last-minute plans by the department’s leaders?
Passan: The Blue Jays need at least relax after getting Seranthony Dominguez from the Orioles. Detroit wants to shore along the back end of the bullpen, rather than not objecting to value on the larger pieces. The Astronauts want a starting pitcher. The New York Mets will get an arm and a midfield racket. Brewers don't do much unless the value falls into their knees. The Dodgers will carry out large-scale hunts and put them in a top priority.
Orny: In the American League, the favorite of the World Series means… everyone. Since the league seems so open, there is a lot of enthusiasm for the Mariners, the Texas Rangers and even the Yankees. You can open a reasonable World Series avenue for about seven teams in AL, which will likely push some bold moves in the last few hours before the deadline.
The wildcard game is tightening. What can you hear the Chicago Cubs, the Phillies, the Yankees and the Mariners do when trying to keep their grip?
Orny: The Cubs are looking to add a front-line starting pitcher who can effectively replace Justin Steele in the rotation. But maybe more than any team, unless they value the cost of getting Joe Ryan or stopping, they may be plagued by the weakness of the market.
The Yankees focus on adding bullpen help and right-hand hitting outfielders, such as Harrison Bader. The Phillies need a high-end bullpen pitcher, but also a mix of Luis Robert. The sailors will do something for the bullpen – Additionally, some competitors still consider them a Land Eugenio Suarez favorite.
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Passan: Shane Bieber is another option for bears. The Phillies are one of the most radical teams in the relief market and will add a handful of force. The Yankees aren't gun-ho like they did two weeks ago, but they will be backfilled with at least one reliable mitigator.
However, sailors are deadline wildcards. They have a top 100 prospects for cadres – eight in total – the question they would ask themselves is: Are we willing to move people like Harry Ford to rent like Suarez? At this point, the answer is no. But something strange happened within the last 40 hours before the deadline. And so is a real team-Sailors want bullpen arms too-far from the worst thing, especially when it comes to saying the team has never even been in the World Series.
Some of the other available players are talking the most in the front desk?
Passan: Wednesday is the day the team hopes to see in exchange for the rewards of the players who are in control. If they don't, those teams will start to turn to the rental market, knowing that this will be flooded and hope to strike in the last 12 hours before the deadline, rather than strike. Big guys – Suarez, Merrill Lyn Kelly, Zach Garren, Louis Robert Jr., Bedner, Hullsley, Bieber – all have a lot of traction, most, if not all, will go.
Orny: I guess 75% of players will be reliefers between the present and the deadline. It's like a music chair game, the current office is categorized by options like Danny Coulombe and Griffin Jax for the Minnesota Twins, Pete Fairbanks for the Rays, Seth Halvorsen for the Rockies, and more. All competitors are looking to add rescuers, they are all looking for the same players.
What other teams do you hear about are probably the most active before the deadline arrives?
Orny: Tampa Bay Rays and Rattlers numbers are the most prominent players, and San Diego Padres will do something To expand their offense and try to return to October's dance.
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Passan: Even after moving Dominguez and Gregory Soto, Orioles have a large inventory. Defender D will be very busy. The Marlins played a major role along with Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera and a group of relief workers. There is a lot to offer for the twins. In addition to Duran and Jax, left-hander Coulombe and right-hander Brock Stewart are two market-based reliefists, super durable man Willi Castro can go too. Pirates will be very busy. The Guardian has many cards along with Guan and Bieber.
What else do you hear before the deadline?
Orny: It was frustrated that the teams who wanted to trade outstanding players (know the market for this year) had high demands, their demands were high, and the teams who wanted to add were struggling to wait for them. “It's a slow market,” one executive said Tuesday night. But at some point, rest assured that the dam will break and the deal (mostly for relief workers) will be quick and angry.
Passan: As always, Padres is playing big things. The twins continue to put in unusually high demands on relief weapons. The chances of moving to the guardians in the lockdown are higher than those of the team a week ago. The Phillies and the Mets are very active. Some teams are looking at players under control in 2027 and considering the possibility that labor discord can have a significant impact on the season. Moreover, the lack of potentially moving stellar power will be compensated by the number of transactions.