Postseason hopefuls have plenty to gain at the 2016 MLB trade deadline.
The Miami Marlins stand as one of the best examples of what a team looking to make the postseason and proceed to make noise can do—the front office recently acquired Andrew Cashner and other assets in a deal with the San Diego Padres, according to AJ Cassavell of MLB.com.
That’s one way to stick in the playoff race, if not catch the Washington Nationals in the National League East.
Had the Marlins not pulled the move, the team would headline a list such as this. With the expectation these teams want to make the postseason and have a willingness to wheel and deal, here’s a look at franchises in need of an upgrade at the deadline.
Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers need some help on the mound.
One of the best teams in baseball well into the month of June, the proverbial wheels have fallen off a tad, and the Rangers now clutch only a five-game advantage over the Houston Astros in the American League West.
The Texas starters aren’t bad, per se, but it doesn’t help that both Colby Lewis and Derek Holland have hit the shelf with injuries. It makes sense, then, the team would have an interest in a player such as Vince Velasquez of the Philadelphia Phillies.
Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com revealed the Rangers had reached out to the Phillies, though he noted the team also has interest in Jeremy Hellickson. Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com later noted a deal for Velasquez as unlikely:
Velasquez is all of 24 years old and in the middle of his breakout campaign at a 3.32 ERA with 108 strikeouts. Hellickson is 29 years old at 3.70 and 109 strikeouts, not to mention the cheaper of the two given the upside and contract status of Velasquez, who is under team control through 2021, per Spotrac.
Either way, it’s not hard to see where the Rangers have focused near the deadline. A Cole Hamels-led rotation complemented by Yu Darvish and a host of others isn’t a terrible lineup to trot out, but more talent to make a push couldn’t hurt. Texas has the farm system to swing a solid deal if the right trade partner emerges.
Baltimore Orioles
It’s a neck-and-neck race between the Baltimore Orioles and Toronto Blue Jays in the AL East, with the latter clutching a half-game lead.
The Orioles, though, have to believe one solid move could put the team in the driver’s seat, as well as make some serious noise in the playoffs.
Said solid move likely involves the pitching staff. To be blunt, the Baltimore starters this year have been nothing short of disappointing. Chris Tillman leads the way with a 3.47 ERA, and that’s as good as it gets. Five more players have started 12 or more games this year and come in at an ERA range of 4.18-7.06.
An offense with three players (Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Mark Trumbo) sitting on 22 or more homers and six players with 13 or more has a way of propping up a struggling staff.
Not in the playoffs. It’s likely why Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball revealed the Orioles have an interest in the Seattle Mariners’ Wade Miley: “The Baltimore Orioles are taking a hard look at Seattle Mariners lefty Wade Miley, sources said. Baltimore has been seeking a starter, especially a left-handed one, for weeks, as it tries to hold on in the tough AL is afternoon with a loss at Toronto.”
Miley is 29 with a 4.98 ERA, 82 strikeouts and a 7-8 record—what could represent an obvious boon for the Orioles considering he’d play with plenty of run support.
From the sounds of it, Baltimore seems eager to land a lefty to complement the rotation. It’s the perfect idea, though Miley might be the last chance.
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers have been a major name on the rumors market for a few days now, and it’s not hard to see why—the close battle with the San Francisco Giants in the NL West has taken its toll.
Namely, injuries have ravaged the pitching rotation most of the season. Clayton Kershaw has performed in an elite manner once again with a 1.79 ERA when healthy, but the rest classifies as so-so.
It’s one reason why Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times penned a column about what Andrew Friedman—the team’s president of baseball operations—could look to buy on the trade market, and it’s rather vast:
By Monday’s deadline, Friedman could come back from trade shopping with an outfielder, a relief pitcher, maybe a reliably healthy arm for the starting rotation. But he has said he is focusing on ‘elite-level players,’ and frankly that ought to mean a starting pitcher for whom seven innings is an expectation, not a celebration.
It really speaks to the quality of the roster in place that the team remains in contention despite the needs. Ditto for the team apparently being comfortable with letting go of Yasiel Puig in a deal, according to ESPN’s Jayson Stark.
Per Stark, the Dodgers had dangled Puig in a potential three-way deal featuring other major names:
With the Dodgers apparently disappointed in one of the team’s biggest names at the plate and unsure how well Kershaw will play upon his return, not to mention whether he can carry the entire staff, the team makes sense as buyers.
All the Dodgers have to do is strike a deal. Or two.
All stats and info via ESPN.com unless otherwise specified.
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