Monday’s MLB trade deadline promises plenty of action, with names such as Jay Bruce making the rounds.
Remember 2015? Major players such as Mike Leake, J.A. Happ, Ben Revere and Yoenis Cespedes got dealt, changing the complexion of the league and affecting the playoff race at the same time.
Those ripple effects are hardly a year old, yet here’s another deadline, as teams such as the Cincinnati Reds might want to sell a Jay Bruce type and many contenders hunt for upgrades to make playoff pushes easier.
It’s a lot to digest, so here’s a look at the latest pre-deadline buzz.
Jay Bruce Update
It’s all about the New York Mets when it comes to Bruce.
For now at least.
The original buzz around the Cincinnati slugger featured a three-team deal, with Bruce going to the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported on Saturday that transaction “isn’t going to happen.”
The Mets might make it happen, though, based on this note from MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon:
If the Mets believe the postseason is a realistic goal, it couldn’t hurt to add Bruce if the price is right.
New York sits at 53-50 and all of 7.5 games out of first place in the National League East, though both the Miami Marlins and Washington Nationals are ahead of them. With just one player sitting on more than 20 homers and 50 RBI—Cespedes, of course—the Mets could use more juice in the lineup.
Bruce provides plenty. He might wind up as a rental, but he’s 29 years old with a .265/.316/559 slash line, 25 homers and 80 RBI. He’s a workhorse at the plate, and it’d be hard to blame the Mets for going all in at the deadline once again to pick him up.
Baltimore’s Search for Help
It’s a badly kept secret that the Baltimore Orioles need help on the mound.
Thanks to one of the league’s most explosive lineups at the plate, the Orioles (58-45) remain right behind the Toronto Blue Jays (59-45) in the American League East. Quality pitching has a reputation as the most important factor in the postseason for a reason, though.
Baltimore’s starters haven’t impressed this year. Chris Tillman has a 3.47 ERA, and everyone else on the roster with a significant numbers of starts boasts a 4.18 ERA or worse.
That’s why the team is looking into Wade Miley of the Seattle Mariners, according to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball.
“The Mariners are talking to a few teams about Miley, who is clearly being dangled as the Mariners have decided to hold onto coveted kids Taijuan Walker and James Paxton, as general manager Jerry Dipoto said,” Heyman wrote.
Per the report, Baltimore has been pursuing a lefty on the mound for a while. The above explanation as to Miley’s presence on the block might give the Orioles one last shot at filling their major need.
The problem for Baltimore is simple: If the organization doesn’t move fast, others will get involved. Miley is only 29 years old with a 4.98 ERA, 82 fanned batters and a 7-8 record. Take him away from a team that is only two games above .500 and give him better run support, and those numbers would do nothing short of improve.
As is the case with all potential deals, the clock is ticking on the Orioles.
Tigers Enter the Fray
The Detroit Tigers haven’t been the busiest in the market so far, especially with the Cleveland Indians dominating the headlines. Cleveland traded for pitcher Andrew Miller from the New York Yankees on Sunday, according to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal.
Yet the Tigers have to do something to keep pace with the improved Indians, who have a 4.5-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central.
As a result, it’s not a surprise to see MLB Network’s Jon Morosi mention the Tigers as prospective buyers for on-the-mound help:
Justin Verlander and others near the top of the rotation have put together quality seasons; the rookie Michael Fulmer is the highlight with his impressive 2.50 ERA through 16 starts. Then there’s Anibal Sanchez, who has appeared in 24 games and drummed up a 6.56 ERA.
This is a broad target for the Tigers, with names such as Jeremy Hellickson coming to mind. The Philadelphia Phillies have set a price point for the 29-year-old starter, per Stark, and his 3.70 ERA and 109 strikeouts would sure look good in Detroit’s rotation.
That’s just one possible angle for the Tigers in an odd market where the organization acts as buyers at the deadline while mainstays such as the Yankees put up the white flag and sell.
As usual, nobody would dare suggest the march to the deadline isn’t fun.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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