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Only a few days remain before the MLB trade deadline Monday. Yet there are probably still a couple front offices around the league surveying the market and the tight-knit playoff race to determine whether they should be buyers or sellers leading up to Aug. 1.

Those on the fringe may ultimately lean toward selling. Since there are so many teams with a legitimate chance at the postseason thanks to the presence of two wild-card spots, there are a select number of teams already looking toward the future and thus willing to part with major league talent.

With that in mind, let’s check out some of the latest rumors from around the league. That includes a breakdown of what the potential deals would mean for the players and teams involved.

Matt Moore Likely on the Move

Moore isn’t yet all the way back to the level he reached before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2014. In his final full season before the major injury setback, he went 17-4 with a 3.29 ERA and 143 strikeouts in 150.1 innings to emerge as a legitimate ace.

He’s posted a 4.08 ERA and 1.27 WHIP in 21 starts so far this season. While those numbers are nothing special, they represent plenty of improvement from his limited action last year. Yet despite the progress, Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports reported there’s a good chance the Tampa Bay Rays will trade him by Monday:

He could represent a nice value buy for a contender. Not only are his stats trending in the right direction, but his velocity is right in line with where it was before the arm problems, with his fastball capable of reaching the mid-90s, according to FanGraphs.

At 27, Moore should also be entering his peak seasons at the same time he gets all the way back to full strength. If he can rediscover his command down the stretch, he’d be a perfect mid-rotation addition for a championship hopeful.

David Robertson Available as Teams Seek Bullpen Help

A lot of high-profile relief pitchers could find new homes before Monday. Help in the final three innings seems like the one thing just about every team could use. Robertson is one of the latest players who fits the bill to pop up in the rumor mill.

The Chicago White Sox closer hasn’t been quite as effective this season. His 4.25 ERA is the highest mark since his rookie campaign. So, while he’s still converted 24 of 28 save chances, Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reported he could be on the move:

The biggest key for him getting back in top form for the final months is control. His walk rate has jumped from 1.85 last season to 4.68 during the current campaign. That’s the main reason his ERA has increased, and it could give interested teams some pause.

That said, the demand for quality relievers far outweighs the supply right now. So the White Sox should still be able to acquire a couple promising assets from a desperate team like the Washington Nationals if they do decide to move Robertson.

Price Tag High on Ervin Santana

Santana seems like the prototypical trade candidate. He’s a veteran starting pitcher with a strong track record and is enjoying a solid season, posting a 3.78 ERA through 19 starts. Add in the fact the Minnesota Twins have one of the worst records in baseball, and it’d make sense to deal him.

Apparently, they aren’t eager to send him packing with an eye toward the future, though. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports reported the Twins are planning to keep the 33-year-old right-hander unless another team blows their socks off with an offer before Monday:

Maybe putting that idea out there is merely Minnesota’s way of trying to drum up interest in Santana. Even though Spotrac notes he’s under contract through 2019, he’ll be far removed from his peak by the time the Twins are ready to make a serious charge up the standings.

So it wouldn’t come as a surprise if he does end up getting traded before the deadline. He’s not a top-tier starter a contending team would want to lean heavily on during the final months, but he’s more than capable of filling a No. 3 or No. 4 role to bolster a rotation.

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Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore is reportedly the subject of trade negotiations with the Aug. 1 non-waiver deadline approaching.

Continue for updates.

Rangers in Ongoing Talks with Rays About Moore

Saturday, July 16

Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the link between Moore and Texas but indicated no trade is close.

Moore had a rough May, posting a 7.36 ERA. But he has rebounded since with stellar form, yielding only 22 earned runs over nine starts in that span, as opposed to the 21 he gave up in five May appearances.

Morosi also reported Texas has inquired about relief pitchers in its discussions with Tampa Bay, noting the Rangers want both a starter and a bullpen arm.

Just as Moore was coming into his own as a bright young starter for the Rays, disaster struck in 2014, when a torn ligament in his left pitching elbow triggered the need for Tommy John surgery only two starts into the season.

Although he returned in time to make 12 starts last year, Moore’s rust was evident, as he posted a 5.43 ERA and career-high 1.54 WHIP.

The small-market Rays could bring back Moore on a $7 million club option next year, with increasing dollars on two subsequent team options, per Spotrac. That may be too steep a price to pay for them, but for a club like the Rangers, that’s a team-friendly proposition.

If Moore doesn’t perform well, Texas or another trade suitor could move on. Should the 27-year-old southpaw deliver the goods, though, he would be a savvy addition.

The Rangers are evidently keen to upgrade their pitching as they sit atop the American League West and brace for a playoff push. Between Yu Darvish’s return to the rotation Saturday and a potential addition like Moore, Texas could be in great shape for a World Series run.

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Being a rookie in Major League Baseball is all about adjustments. Pitchers are facing hitters far better than anything they have in the minors, and vice versa. 

It’s even more difficult for first-year players because they have likely never faced any adversity before. When you are a top prospect, more often than not you are going to dominate every level you play.

But that won’t be the case in the big leagues. 

Success is a difficult thing for any young player to have in this game. There are a few young studs who will not put up the numbers that fans are expecting from them. 

Here are the high-profile rookies that will disappoint in 2011. 

Yoenis Cespedes, Oakland A’s

Everyone has seen what Cespedes can do against Cuban pitching and in a gym. It all looks great, and provides hope for what could be, but it doesn’t actually tell you what is. 

Cespedes has great tools—speed, power and throwing arm being the best—but he has really never been challenged by quality pitching in his career. No disrespect to the pitchers in Cuba, but they are the equivalent of a low Class-A team, at best. 

He is already 26 years old, which means that his window to succeed is much smaller than a typical prospect. His swing is hard and fast, but he tries to pull everything as far as he can. He has to learn to shorten his stroke and take the ball the other way to succeed. 

Cespedes is making the most money of any player on the A’s, so he is going to start with the big-league club. He might hit early because pitchers don’t know how to work him, but eventually they will catch on to tendencies. Then it falls on him to change things up. 

Drew Pomeranz, Colorado Rockies

Pomeranz was the key to the Ubaldo Jimenez-to-Cleveland trade last July, and he wound up making his big-league debut last September. He should have the inside track on a starting spot for the rotation out of spring training, just by virtue of the team not having any real depth. 

While he does have the upside of a No. 2 starter thanks to his size, low-90s fastball and dominating curveball, there are some reasons to be skeptical of him in Coors Field. 

First, Pomeranz is a fly-ball pitcher. I don’t know if you have heard this, but balls tend to fly out of Colorado. He is going to have to miss a lot of bats to keep his home run rates down or find a way to get hitters to punch the ball into the ground. 

Second, his curveball isn’t going to be as sharp and, as Kevin Goldstein of ESPN and Baseball Prospectus wrote, he is still looking for a consistent changeup. 

Breaking balls tend not to break as much in the high altitude, so Pomeranz’s biggest weapon will lose some of its luster.

All of those questions without a lot of positive answers make Pomeranz a risky gamble this season. 

Matt Moore, Tampa Bay Rays

Before the riots start, let me just say that Moore is going to be really good this year. But based on what he did last September and October, fans don’t want greatness right away. 

It is important to remember three things regarding Moore. The first is that he is just 22 years old. He is still learning how to pitch, which is remarkable considering how much he has evolved over the last two years in the minors. 

The second thing to keep in mind is that most of Moore’s success came in September, which is the worst time to try evaluating any player. Teams load their rosters with Triple-A players that they want to get in games, and that waters down the competition. 

The third and final thing is Moore’s never dealt with adversity in the big leagues. He has dominant stuff and the makeup to be a top-of-the-rotation starter, but we have never seen how he responds to an extended period of failing. 

The American League East tends to eat pitchers alive, because the lineups in the division are so much deeper than anywhere else. Moore is not going to go up in smoke, but there will be instances when he struggles mightily. 

An ERA in the high-3.00 range is what we should expect from Moore. Again, nothing wrong with it, but it isn’t great either. He will eventually grow into one of the top five pitchers in baseball, just not this year.

Follow @adamwells1985 

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