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Only one week left until the trade deadline! Ken talks Tarik SkubalDetroit Braves Try exchanging it Ozzie Albies Featuring Fabian Aldaya, Dodgers Rotation. I Levi Weaver,here Ken Rosenthal — Welcome to The Windup!
Trade Deadline: Countdown Begins
While it’s been clear in recent weeks that buyers and sellers could be clearly identified ahead of the July 30 deadline, the situations of several other teams have found a clearer resolution in the past week or two.
Buying trends: of Astros Despite a 4-0 defeat in Oakland last night, the team is off to a terrible start. First Place (Just a few percentage points.) They’re looking to acquire a starting pitcher and maybe a first baseman.
of Royals are in third place in the wild card stakes and need to strengthen their bullpen. Pirate“They’re halfway to the playoffs thanks to their rotation. They just need some hitters.” Mets (a half-game lead over Pittsburgh) are in need of relief pitchers. Diamondbacks (Half a game behind) We need pitchers.
Selling trends: It’s time to turn it off Raise (10.5 games back in the AL East) They’ll likely use a bullpen pitcher (or, leaning towards that, a hitter like this one). Yandy Diaz and Randy Arozarena). 48-53 Red They had a ray of hope going into the All-Star break, but got soundly defeated in D.C. Last night’s win felt like it came too late to turn the tide.
I still don’t understand: I Rangers As I mentioned in the previous paragraph last night, the Astros and Mariners), they are just four games behind in the American League West. Giants (4 wins, 6 losses in the last 10 games) Cubs (6-4) are 3.5 games behind each other in the wild-card race, and while neither seems like a total selloff, neither seems like a legitimate postseason contender.
Must-read articles before the deadline:
- Our staff Bold Predictions A total of 30 teams are eligible.
- Today’s Deadline SummaryWe’ll look at some intriguing trade candidates in each of four categories: starting pitchers, relief pitchers, right-handed hitters and left-handed hitters.
Ken’s Corner: Tigers What is Skubal?
from My latest column:
Everyone wants a blockbuster. But spectacular, jaw-dropping blockbusters are becoming increasingly rare. By now, fans are well aware of the catchphrase team executives use to excuse their refusal to trade their Precious Prospects™ for anything big:
The club wants to protect its “period of dominance”, “not to mortgage its future”, and “build a sustainable competitor”.
For these reasons and more (and don’t forget “we want to keep our jobs”), many team executives are risk-averse, almost by default.
Padres General manager AJ Preller is the exception, as is his Northwest spirit animal, Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto. Most other buyers are treading very carefully, and some sellers will understandably want to keep their top talent rather than simply let it go each year.
Here is the decision the Tigers are facing regarding Tarik Skubal and our recommendation on whether he should stay or go.
In a trade market short on aces, the 27-year-old Skubal is a logical target for teams in a hurry to bolster their rotation — the Orioles and Dodgers fit the bill, as do the Guardians, Astros and Padres. Red Sox, Cardinals And the Braves are looking too.
The Tigers are simply treading carefully as they approach Skubal’s request. But after seven straight losing seasons, they’re finally feeling energized. They’ve won 11 of their last 14 games. Their young hitters, including second baseman, are doing well. Colt Keith Designated hitter Justin Henry Malloy And now they’re going to trade a Cy Young Award contender and team-controlled pitcher for two more seasons at a below-market salary?
The only reason to do that is the obvious one: fear that Skubal will get hurt. It’s a legitimate concern with seemingly every pitcher on the planet being injured, and Skubal’s health history isn’t exactly perfect. He had Tommy John surgery in 2017 and flexor tendon surgery in August 2022 that sidelined him for nearly a year. So the idea of trading him for a top position prospect isn’t far-fetched. Still.
Tigers for 6 years Jackson Holiday They’d get him for more than double what Skubal got, and they’re not a doomy, low-revenue team after boasting a top-five payroll under the late head coach Mike Ilitch from 2012 to 2017. And after starting the season ranked 25th in payroll, they should be ready to spend again soon.
Skubal’s agent is Scott Boras, so a contract extension is unlikely. But that doesn’t matter. The Tigers play in an improving but still relatively weak AL Central division. With Skubal, they could get back to the postseason before he hits free agency. Without him, they’ll remain on the same hamster wheel they’ve been on for nearly a decade.
Stay or go? Stay.
Here are my thoughts on five other players: Read the full story.
More Tigers: how Jake Rogers Became The Tigers’ momentum is building
Injury scare: Braves infield slump
The Braves, who are 54-45, have been plagued by injuries and are struggling. Spencer Strider He made two starts before succumbing to the curse of Tommy John surgery. Ronald Acuña Jr. his other ACL in May. Ozzie Albies broke his hand and is still not expected to recover. Max Fried‘s forearms will keep him on the shelf.
But this is a new and brutal development. Whit Merrifield — Released by the Phillies He officially signed with the Braves earlier this month on Monday. Welcome to the ballpark, Whit. Want to hit some ground balls before the game?
[minutes later]
Believe it or not, but it’s true: Whit Merrifield was hit by a ball on his finger while catching a ground ball an hour ago and is currently being evaluated for any injuries.
Snitker managed a smile and said, “I’m not making this up…. This is a special year.”
— David O’Brien (@DOBrienATL) July 22, 2024
O’Brien later updated the team that there were no fractures and that Merrifield was being monitored day-to-day. uponFor now, the Braves will turn to rookie Nacho Alvarez to replace Albies, who has played mostly shortstop in the minor leagues (with a bit of third base thrown in). Alvarez played second base in high school and told O’Brien he’s comfortable playing second base. His major league debut After hitting .293/.401/.417 (.818 OPS) in his second straight game against the Reds last night, the 21-year-old is hitting .336 with a 1.007 OPS in 28 games with Triple-A Gwinnett.
Beat writer Q&A: Why the Dodgers got DFA’d James Paxton?
On Sunday, James Paxton earned his first win as a Dodgers starter in 25 days. On Monday, he was released for designated release. Dodgers reporter Fabian Aldaya He was kind enough to join us to answer some questions about the move.
Rotation Clarifying trade deadline prioritiesWhy did the Dodgers fire Paxton? now?
Fabian: The Dodgers are definitely targeting starting pitchers, with Tarik Skubal and Garret Crochet Paxton certainly led LA to this point, but he is one of just two starters.Gavin StoneThe Dodgers have one veteran pitcher who has rotated through every turn of the starting rotation this season, but barring some extraordinary circumstances, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he would be pitching for the team in October.
Sure, they’ve had a lot of issues and until recently had more pitchers on the disabled list than any team, but the timing felt right: They expected Paxton to hit the trade market, and designating him now would essentially be the same as trying to move him on July 30, while also giving them the flexibility to promote River Ryan. 5 1/3 innings of great pitching In his MLB debut last night.
and Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw He’ll be back on the disabled list this week, but what does the current state of the Dodgers’ starting rotation look like?
Fabian: It’s not complete yet. Tyler Glasnow’s absence was as short as expected, but the Dodgers will have to wait and see how Clayton Kershaw returns. The Dodgers are excited about his condition and how he’ll perform, but he’s still fresh off the first major arm surgery of his illustrious career. Bobby Miller I’m trying to sort myself out in Triple-A. Walker Buehler After struggling in his first game back from his second Tommy John surgery, he went offsite to sort out his issues and get healthy.
after that Yoshinobu YamamotoThe Dodgers’ $325 million player is expected to return this season, but what will he look like when he returns from his shoulder injury? And will he be a player the Dodgers can rely on in October? That’s something the Dodgers won’t be able to determine at the deadline, but it will surely be a key factor in any decision they make.
For more on the Dodgers rotation and transitions, check out Fabian. Read the full story here.
Handshakes and high-fives
We’ll leave this week’s power rankings up to you, the readers. See how you RankedOur reporters will give you their outlook for the second half of the season for each team.
Jim Bowden said the sellers had gone ahead. Trade a star pitcher To maximize profits.
Eno Sarris takes on the second half Starting pitcher rankings.
Most clicked on from yesterday’s newsletter: The man, the myth, the legend: Nick Castellanos and His perfect timing.
Our most-read MLB articles today: Ken’s Deep Digging On the dynamics between Shohei Ohtaniformer interpreter Mizuhara Ippei, and agent Nez Valero.
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(Photo: Raymond Carlin III /USA Today)
