Deadline day always brings a little bit of everything, and this one already has enough moving parts to keep the market busy all the way to 6 p.m. ET.
The biggest question in Detroit is whether the Tigers are done after sending Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers on Saturday. That deal, which sent the two-time Cy Young winner south, brought back right-hander River Ryan and outfielder Zyhir Hope, both viewed as big league-ready or close to it.
Detroit also promoted top prospect Max Clark a day before the Skubal move. Even after all that, reporting after the trade has pointed to a Tigers club that may not be headed for a full teardown.
The Skubal deal moved them under the tax line, opening the door for a compensatory pick after the first round if they make a qualifying offer to Casey Mize. Right-hander Jackson Jobe is also working his way back from last year’s Tommy John surgery.
If Detroit is still trying to stay in the race, the possibility of additions is suddenly on the table too.
Anaheim is another club worth watching closely. The Angels have already dealt two players with multiple years of club control, right-hander Chase Silseth and catcher Logan O’Hoppe, and they scratched José Soriano from his Saturday start while openly tying that decision to how close the deadline is.
That leaves the key question: will owner Arte Moreno finally allow interim GM John Mozeliak to move the kind of controllable talent he has resisted trading for more than a decade, across several front offices? It would be a surprise to see that kind of autonomy granted with an interim GM in place, though it’s possible Moreno has already decided Mozeliak is staying on, or simply trusts his experience enough to hand him the reins anyway.
Boston, meanwhile, has already made one eye-opening move and may not be finished. The Red Sox sent young left-hander Connelly Early to Washington for Curtis Mead, a deal that caught a lot of people in the industry off guard.
Mead then fractured his wrist almost immediately, and that pushed Boston right back into the market for an infielder, with shortstop looking like the priority. The Sox have checked on Miami’s Otto Lopez and the Angels’ Zach Neto, but they have been reluctant to put elite prospects such as 20-year-old shortstop Franklin Arias in play.
The question now is whether Boston finds a lower-profile target or decides it has to pay a bigger price, maybe with Arias or right-hander Anthony Eyanson. They could also finally thin out their long-talked-about surplus of lefty-swinging outfielders.
Texas has gone in the opposite direction from where it seemed headed a few days ago. The Rangers were moving toward adding help and already dipped into that lane with the Silseth and O’Hoppe trade from the Angels.
But they have not won since last Tuesday, and after being swept by the Astros over the weekend, they slid from first place to 2.5 games back. Money is tight, and now the front office is at least considering a shift toward shedding salary instead of adding to it.
There are enough recognizable names to make that possible without calling it a total teardown, but it would be a major change from where the club stood just one week ago.
Washington has already been active, but the Nationals still have plenty left to sort through. They’ve moved controllable players Mead and Luis Garcia Jr. already, with Mead going to Boston and Garcia heading to the Bronx.
Now the focus turns to other possible deals, especially CJ Abrams. There’s interest, and the price is high on the infielder, who has already set a new career best with 28 home runs.
The Nationals will also listen on lefty Foster Griffin and several veteran pieces, including innings eaters Zack Littell and Miles Mikolas. Griffin’s future is still an open question too: he could be traded, extended, or perhaps even land a qualifying offer after the season.
And then there’s the part of deadline day nobody ever really escapes: the surprise names. Hunter Greene is drawing strong interest, but will the Reds actually move him?
Are Randy Arozarena and George Kirby staying in Seattle? Could Texas go beyond rental pieces like Joc Pederson and try to move Jacob deGrom or even Corey Seager?
The Red Sox want a shortstop, after all. Detroit could also pivot again and add one of the controllable arms still out there.
San Francisco has a chance to do something unexpected by moving one of its pricey underwater contracts - Rafael Devers, Willy Adames, or Matt Chapman. Then there are the Rockies, who are asking a lot for Hunter Goodman, and the Marlins, who are doing the same with Lopez or Xavier Edwards.
And all of that sits alongside Mason Miller and the ever-present deadline wild card A.J. Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations.
There are a lot of moving pieces, and plenty of them can still go sideways before the clock runs out.
In Other News...
Red Sox Roster Shuffle Puts Yoeilin Cespedes Back In The Spotlight
The Red Sox kept shuffling the board on the farm this week, and one of the more notable moves was the promotion of Yoeilin Cespedes to Double-A Portland. Boston also pushed draft picks Jake Schaffner and Owen Hull up to High-A Greenville, while right-hander Tommy Kahnle was released from Triple-A and Devin Sweet was reinstated from the developmental list, part of the steady roster churn that tends to follow as the organization sorts out its upper-minors depth.
There was also a final piece to one of Boston's earlier trades, as the club completed the deal that sent left-hander Jojo Ingrassia to Detroit as the player to be named later in the Jahmai Jones trade. For the Red Sox, it was a reminder that the calendar keeps moving for both prospects and the front office, with each internal move carrying a little more significance as September approaches and the system continues to get re-evaluated. [Read more 🡒]
Franklin Arias Just Put One Red Sox Decision Into Focus
Franklin Arias has started drawing a different kind of attention at Triple-A, and it has less to do with his bat than with where hes standing on the dirt. The top Red Sox prospect has spent most of his time as a shortstop, but Boston has recently moved him to second base, and the switch has come in consecutive games after he was expected to work there only once a week. For a player the organization clearly wants to keep moving, thats the sort of usage pattern that usually says more than a public explanation ever would.
The Red Sox have plenty to weigh as they look ahead to September, and Arias defensive home is suddenly part of that conversation. If he stays in the farm system and handles the new position well, a call-up in the middle or later part of the month is possible, which gives these games at second base some real meaning beyond simple versatility work. For now, the picture is still developing, but Bostons next move with Arias may hinge on whether this experiment looks like a temporary detour or something more lasting. [Read more 🡒]
Red Sox Eye One More Deadline Move To Fix A Lingering Problem
The Red Sox have already done business with Washington twice in the past nine months, adding pitcher Jake Bennett and infielder Curtis Mead, but the deadline has brought them back to the same partner again. Mead is currently out with a broken wrist, which has left Boston looking for more infield help as the market tightens and clubs decide whether to push in or stand pat before the deadline.
Reports say Boston has its eye on another Nationals infielder, a player who has been part of one of Washingtons better seasons at the plate, and the Red Sox may have to part with real value to make it happen. Jarren Duran and Patrick Sandoval have both been mentioned as possible pieces in a deal, a reminder that Bostons pursuit of a fix for a lingering problem could cost them more than just prospects if they decide to press ahead. [Read more 🡒]