Monday’s MLB non-waiver trade deadline didn‘t disappoint, as 18 deals transpired on the final day.
Front offices once again treated the deadline the same way a college student treats a paper’s due date. Some trades slipped under the closing door right as all exchanges halted at 4 p.m. ET. Yet those who didn‘t complete their summer shopping still have an available back channel.
Waiver trades present a last-ditch hope in August. The process stifles blockbusters, but clubs can still maneuver players who go unclaimed. Or they can pull back a claimed player and negotiate an agreement with the franchise who staked a bid.
After procrastinating general managers conducted a swarm of activity right before the non-waiver deadline, let’s take a look at rumors floating around in the aftermath.
White Sox Waiting for Winter to Shop Aces
The Chicago White Sox stayed relatively quiet before the deadline. While they traded left-handed reliever Zach Duke to the St. Louis Cardinals, they refrained from making any blockbuster moves.
Given the lack of impact starters available, teams would have lined up for the opportunity to acquire Chris Sale or Jose Quintana. Yet both All-Star southpaws will keep pitching in the Windy City until they can reassess the situation this winter.
According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, the team believes suitors will intensify their efforts to land one of the aces during the offseason:
Earlier in the day, Nightengale reported growing discussions between the White Sox and Boston Red Sox, who have a loaded farm system but a barren rotation. Per MLB.com’s Phil Rogers, they were still reluctant to move blue-chip prospect Yoan Moncada.
It turns out Red Sox team president Dave Dombrowski was also hesitant to part with Andrew Benintendi, per the Boston Herald‘s Jason Mastrodonato:
This is the same man who traded four prospects for closer Craig Kimbrel last winter, so perhaps the White Sox are on to something. Besides, there’s no rush to trade either hurler. Due to multiple club options, as documented by Cot’s Baseball Contracts, the White Sox can retain Sale through 2019 and Quintana until 2020.
Sale, who started the Midsummer Classic, is undoubtedly the bigger name. The 27-year-old owns a career 2.95 ERA and 10.07 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), but those marks have regressed to 3.17 and 8.61 in 2016.
Nevertheless, his name wouldn’t have fervently frequented the rumor mill if not for him slashing the club’s uniforms last week.
Quintana, meanwhile, has quietly surpassed his teammate’s season with a 2.89 ERA and 3.6 WAR, per FanGraphs. He’s a legitimate American League Cy Young Award candidate as long as voters don’t foolishly place any significance into his 8-8 record.
They can keep Quintana over the next four years for $35.35 million, a major bargain for a premium starter. Regardless the time of year, he and Sale are highly valuable pitchers who will require huge returns.
Jim Johnson and Daniel Hudson Nearly Get Traded
Plenty of relievers changed homes over the past few days, but two sensible trade candidates stayed put for now.
According SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo, the Atlanta Braves’ Jim Johnson and Arizona Diamondbacks’ Daniel Hudson were both close to getting shipped out of town:
One would expect the worst team in baseball to barter spare parts for cheaper, younger minor leaguers with higher upside. Atlanta instead acquired Matt Kemp, an expensive veteran with eroding skills.
Per David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Braves general manager John Coppolella explained his decision to keep Johnson and other possible trade chips.
“We spoke with multiple teams on multiple players,” Coppolella said. “We didn’t find the right type of value that we felt necessitated a move, so we were happy to hold. It’s important to us that we have a strong finish to this season.”
Johnson recently won National League Player of the Week honors for converting four saves, but the Braves couldn’t capitalize on the good will. The well-traveled ground-ball specialist has notched a 1.82 ERA since June 1, making him a sensible waiver trade candidate for a contender who needs bullpen depth.
Arizona might have a tougher time finding a taker for Hudson, whose ERA skyrocketed to 6.69 after relinquishing 25 runs over the past two months.
On Thursday, MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert said the Diamondbacks were on the verge of trading Hudson. The following day, he allowed three runs without recording an out.
Hudson will have to string together some bounce-back outings for Arizona to orchestrate a waiver trade. At this rate, he’s in danger of getting waived outright.
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