MLB Trade Deadline mailbag: Latest rumors, questions

Tuesday’s 6 p.m. Trade Deadline is less than a week away, which means a few things: contenders are looking to fortify their rosters, sellers are looking toward future seasons, and MLB.com senior national reporter Mark Feinsand is not getting a lot of sleep as he keeps up with all of the latest developments.

On Thursday, Feinsand refilled his coffee cup and held his second question-and-answer session with fans on Reddit AMA. As always, a lot of ground was covered:

Q: When will we see trades starting to pick up?

Feinsand: We may not see a ton of action before Sunday or Monday, as so many teams are so close in the standings. [Entering Thursday] 22 teams were within five games of a postseason spot, so the results over the next four days could determine whether a number of bubble teams become buyers or sellers.

Q: What will be some of the most in-demand positions at the Deadline?

Feinsand: Starting pitching and relief pitching. Then probably more starting pitching, followed by some more relief pitching. Pitching is the name of the game this time of year, and I expect nearly every team to seek an upgrade to its staff one way or another.

Q: Is it realistic that big names such as Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Randy Arozarena will be traded?

Feinsand: Vlad, no. Arozarena, maybe. The Blue Jays seem to be set on keeping their controllable players such as Guerrero in order to try contending next year, so I don’t expect to see Vlad, Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt or Jordan Romano get dealt. The Rays are in a different spot, one they seem to find themselves in on an annual basis. Arozarena makes $8.1 million this year and is arbitration-eligible for two more years, when his salary will likely move north of $10 million. The Rays have traded players in similar situations before — think David Price and James Shields, for instance — so it would not be a surprise to see them trade Arozarena and/or other players with a couple years of control for younger, cheaper and more controllable talent.

Editor’s note: Arozarena was dealt to the Mariners for two prospects and a player to be named later. More >

Q: Who on the Cubs is the most likely to be traded? Are they planning on trading anyone at all?

Feinsand: Cubs president Jed Hoyer made it clear that he’s not in the market for rental players to help in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he won’t look to add controllable talent for 2025 and beyond. It sure sounds like the Cubs are listening to offers for Jameson Taillon, who is signed for two more years, but that could simply be a matter of pitching-needy teams doing their due diligence, and if one is willing to make Hoyer a big offer, he will have to consider it.

Feinsand: Milwaukee has a number of young outfield options, so I think the rotation is still the priority. I could see the Brewers adding a veteran bat — a Mark Canha reunion, perhaps? – in the coming days, but I would be surprised if Matt Arnold and his front office didn’t do everything they can to add at least one starting pitcher.

Q: What has been the most stunning Deadline deal you’ve witnessed in your career?

Feinsand: Zack Greinke going to the Astros at the buzzer in 2019 is the first one that comes to mind. Randy Johnson going to the Astros in 1998 was pretty big, as was Manny Ramirez going to the Dodgers in 2008. Those are the ones that come to mind at the moment, though the Red Sox trading [Nomar] Garciaparra in 2004 was pretty stunning, too.

Q: What’s up with the Bay Area teams? S.F. has some OK-but-not-great players they can deal and don’t seem to be in any kind of mode to initiate a rebuild. Do you send off vets and retool for 2025? What about Oakland? They’re not good, but they have some promising young players who could be big for them in the future. Do they sell off anyone or just stand pat given the whole situation with the team?

Feinsand: The Giants have certainly taken some big swings in free agency in recent years, only to watch players including Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto sign elsewhere. They did add Matt Chapman and Blake Snell last winter, but it hasn’t been enough to thrust them into contention in the NL West. I expect the Giants to be moderate buyers in the next week and take their shot at a Wild Card.

Oakland is in a different spot altogether. It feels like they are targeting their eventual move to Las Vegas as the time when they hope to have completed a rebuild, though I don’t expect them to have a huge selloff, as most of their team is young and controllable. Look for Brent Rooker and J.P. Sears to be in a bunch of rumors this week, and it won’t be shocking to see either or both of them get dealt. But I think Mason Miller will still be in Oakland this time next week given his age, talent and five additional years of club control.

Q: Who are the Phillies targeting? Our rumors have named just about every outfielder in the game but haven’t seen a bullpen arm. Is there anything gaining traction?

Feinsand: There are so many bullpen arms out there that it’s tough to tell who will wind up where, but I can say with confidence that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will snag at least one of them, possibly two. An outfielder going to Philly would not be a shock at all, but the market has yet to begin sorting itself out for the reasons I mentioned earlier.

Q: Can you see any of the win-now teams working together to make a trade? For instance, the Mariners trade one of their pitchers for some Orioles bats?

Feinsand: Good old-fashioned baseball trades are the best, aren’t they? We don’t see a ton of them anymore, but when they happen, it’s great. Think of the Zac Gallen-for-Jazz Chisholm Jr. deal a few years ago. With teams generally hesitant to give up their big-name prospects, if there’s an opportunity to make a trade from an area of strength on the big-league roster, GMs will certainly be open to it.

Q: Hi Mark, I’m a big fan of your reporting. You’re one of the only guys in the space with a solid track record of not reporting too early on things, while still breaking news themselves.

My question is not related to this Trade Deadline but in general: Can you give any insight into how things like “Arson Judge” or Scherzer to the Padres in 2021 happen? As in, reporters pushing out a roster move that ended up not being official. Is it a product of everyone trying to be the first one to report it? Is it agents/GMs feeding info as leverage? I’ve always been super interested in how these things go down so any insight into the process would be awesome!

Feinsand: I can’t speak specifically to those incidents you mentioned, as they weren’t my stories. But in general, I have always taken the approach that while it’s great to be first with a story, it’s more important to be right. No reporter would ever report a story they knew to be false, and if a source fed me a story that turned out to be wrong — and I mean REALLY wrong — then I would never be able to trust that source again. Your reputation for being right with the things you report is one of the most important things you have in this business, so I try not to report on things unless I believe I have them nailed down. It’s a tricky business sometimes — especially this week!

Q: How real is the Dodgers interest in Randy Arozarena? Is he someone they genuinely covet or is he viewed as one option of many?

Feinsand: It’s hard to say how real it is, but I’m told the Dodgers are certainly interested. Los Angeles should be in the market for an outfielder whether it’s Arozarena or Luis Robert Jr. or someone else, but don’t overlook the fact that Andrew Friedman came from the Rays and has a strong relationship with [Tampa Bay’s] Erik Neander. The two of them making a deal would not be a shock, especially after they got together on the Tyler Glasnow deal last year.

Q: Why on earth would the Orioles trade Ryan Mountcastle? Sure, O’Hearn can play first, but Mounty is better in that spot.

Feinsand: This is where creativity in front offices can come into play — and where trade rumors often are exactly that, a rumor. Mike Elias has done a masterful job with Baltimore’s rebuild, and while I’m sure he’s listening to offers on Mountcastle from the teams in need of a first baseman, I can’t imagine he makes such a move unless he feels certain that he has a suitable replacement ready to go from within. The Orioles have championship aspirations, so it seems unlikely that Elias would make such a move if he believed it would create a big hole in the lineup.

Q: Current reports are that the Mets will have a modest Deadline. Do you think that could potentially change? Steve Cohen’s been known to go for big splashes in the past.

Feinsand: I’m not sure there is a big splash that makes sense for the Mets, so I would look for them to try improving the bullpen first and foremost. The big splash may have to wait until the offseason, when a number of big free agents will hit the market.

Q: What do you think is the best way for the Mariners to fix their bad hitting? Their pitching can’t carry them forever.

Feinsand: First base seemed to be the most logical spot for Seattle to focus on, but the injuries to Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford aren’t making it easy on Jerry Dipoto. The Mariners should be looking to upgrade the offense in any way possible, with first base being the most likely spot. That pitching staff is so good, it would be a shame to waste it because they can’t score enough runs.

Q: Who do you think is going to be most active at the Deadline?

Feinsand: The Yankees figure to be one of the more active teams given the number of holes they are likely trying to address. On the seller side, the Marlins and White Sox each have a number of players they can move, so I would expect them to be making multiple deals by Tuesday.

Q: Who’s the most coveted pitcher this Deadline?

Feinsand: Jack Flaherty is probably the best rental starter available. Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet are two controllable arms getting a lot of press, but I don’t think Detroit trades Skubal and the White Sox will only move Crochet if they get the price they’re seeking. One name to watch is Nathan Eovaldi, though at the moment, I don’t think the Rangers are in sell mode. If they get there, Eovaldi’s October track record would make him a very interesting trade option.