After arguably the biggest off-season in MLB history, the Los Angeles Dodgers are right where they’re supposed to be. Shohei Ohtani and Co. are sitting 20 games over .500, leading the NL West and are getting an MVP-worthy campaign from the $700-million man.
However, with an All-Star cast currently on the injured list, the Dodgers could emerge as one of the more active teams at this year’s trade deadline.
Los Angeles has already been connected to top-of-the-market arms Garrett Crochet and Tarik Skubal, but according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand, it could also be looking to add to its already formidable lineup.
One potential fit comes in Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Randy Arozarena, who has heated up in the past month after a slow start to the season. The 2021 Rookie of the Year is still arbitration-eligible for two more seasons and has significant post-season experience, making him one of the more attractive trade chips potentially available.
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“The Dodgers are in on Arozarena,” a source told Feinsand. “He would be a great fit there.”
Los Angeles is far from the only team big-name hunting, with the July 30 trade deadline now less than a week away. So, as the hot stove continues to heat up, here are some of the latest rumours from around MLB.
Yankees searching for infield help
Outside of All-Stars Aaron Judge and Juan Soto, the New York Yankees haven’t gotten much production from their lineup, specifically from their infield.
No Yankees hitter outside of Judge, Soto or the injured Giancarlo Stanton has an OPS over .720, and with the team’s top prospect, Jasson Dominguez, working back from an injury, New York is looking to boost its offence.
According to ESPN‘s Jorge Castillo, the Yankees “are looking for upgrades” that could move one or both of DJ Lemahieu and Gleyber Torres to lesser roles.
Castillo listed Los Angeles Angels switch-hitting infielder Luis Rengifo as a potential fit via trade but also mentioned that New York has interest in Cincinnati Reds second baseman Jonathan India.
India has been enjoying the best season of his MLB career since winning Rookie of the Year in 2021, slashing .275/.377/.420 with eight home runs and 21 doubles for the Reds. However, India isn’t expected to be made available unless Cincinnati falls out of the race.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. has also been linked to the Yankees in recent weeks by The New York Post‘s Jon Heyman. The Miami Marlins outfielder came up as a second baseman and is seen as a candidate to return to the infield if he is dealt at this deadline.
However, Castillo reported that a league source told him the Yankees have “concerns about how (Chisholm’s) personality would fit inside the clubhouse.”
Skubal not the only Tiger generating interest
One of the most intriguing teams to watch this deadline, the Detroit Tigers, can take several different directions.
They enter play Wednesday with a 50-52 record and sit 6.0 games back of the third wild-card spot in the American League. Detroit has also been playing better baseball as of late, gaining ground by going 7-3 over its last 10 games.
However, the Tigers have been getting interest in a number of their players outside of Skubal.
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The Detroit Free Press‘ Evan Petzold reported Wednesday that the team plans on trading starter Jack Flaherty, who has quietly been one of the top starters in MLB this season.
The 28-year-old owns a 3.13 ERA, 32.4 per cent strikeout rate and 4.3 per cent walk rate over 100.2 innings this season. He appears to have refound the form that made him one of the league’s best young starters early in his career with the St. Louis Cardinals.
ESPN‘s Jeff Passan wrote Tuesday that any potential Flaherty trade would have to bring a return “stronger than what the Tigers could get with a draft pick in the early 30s,” since the right-hander will likely command a qualifying offer as a pending free agent this off-season.
Passan also reported that veteran Mark Canha has a “robust” trade market and that infielder Gio Urshela is seen as “a cheap break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option for contenders.”
Could the Pirates take a shot at the post-season?
With the emergence of Paul Skenes and the near-return of Jared Jones, the Pittsburgh Pirates have turned the corner.
The team sits just one game back in the NL wild-card race, is two games above .500 and is 8-2 over its last 10. However, as good as Pittsburgh’s pitching has been, its offence has been among the league’s worst at pushing runs across the plate.
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Pirates general manager Ben Cherginton has committed to remaining “as open-minded as possible” at the deadline, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette‘s Noah Hiles, adding that they are looking to “help this 26-man roster be even better as we pass into August.”
Now the question is, just how can the Pirates thread the needle of capitalizing on their current team without mortgaging some of their future?
Passan suggests in his article that Pittsburgh could be open to moving “a starter such as Bailey Falter or a back-end reliever, be it Aroldis Chapman or the options who would require a bigger return: setup man Colin Holderman or closer David Bednar.”
The Pirates rotation has been the fourth-best in baseball by ERA, while their bullpen only ranks 23rd in ERA, so it seems like there would be more opportunity to trade from the back of their rotation without potentially losing some of the late-game stability the trio of Chapman, Holderman and Bednar have given them in 2024 if they do want to add an impact bat.
Quick hits
• With the Chicago Cubs committing to focusing on 2025 at this year’s deadline, The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, Patrick Mooney, Will Sammon and Katie Woo identified starter Jameson Taillon as a name to watch. They connected the dual American-Canadian citizen to the Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles and San Diego Padres on Wednesday.
• After dropping back-to-back games to the Oakland A’s, The Athletic‘s Chandler Rome reported Tuesday that the Houston Astros are interested in Tampa Bay Rays third baseman Isaac Parades.
