The trade deadline is four days away and on Friday night, the worst pitching fell when the Reds sent right-hander Luis Castillo to the Mariners for four prospects. The trade likely takes Seattle out of the running for Nationals prodigy Juan Soto, whose market is said to be down to four teams. With that in mind, here are the rumors for Saturday’s trade deadline.
The Rockies will likely keep Bard
According to The Athletic, the Rockies will “almost certainly” keep closer Daniel Bard at the trade deadline. The 37-year-old Bard will be a free agent after the season, though Colorado hopes to re-sign him. Last year, the Rockies didn’t trade Trevor Story and Jon Gray at the deadline and both left as free agents. The team didn’t even receive draft pick compensation for Gray.
Bard, the 2020 NL Player of the Year, remains one of the best hitters and grounders. He could help any contender’s bullpen. There’s still plenty of time for the Rockies to change their minds and field offers for Bard, though they have a history of zigging when other teams would. Keeping Bard would be quite the mark for the last place Rockies.
The Blue Jays are interested in Fulmer
The Blue Jays are among the teams interested in Tigers righty Michael Fulmer, according to MLB.com. Fulmer pitched a scoreless eighth inning in Toronto on Friday. The Tigers have several relievers to place at the deadline — including Andrew Chafin and All-Star Gregory Soto — though Fulmer is an impending free agent, so there’s some urgency to move him.
Pitching is the top priority for a Blue Jays team that has been on an offensive tear in recent weeks. Fulmer has turned into a slider machine that misses bats, though he has also struggled with walks. He’s the type of rental reliever that moves at the deadline every year and is an upgrade to every contender’s bullpen.
Montas is now the Yankees’ No. 1 target
With Castillo off the board, right-hander Frankie Montas is now the Yankees’ No. 1 target, USA Today reports. Everything has to go to Oakland, and Montas is the team’s first remaining trade chip. The right-hander missed two starts with a minor shoulder problem earlier this month, but has looked strong in his past two starts, and has been pitching at a high level for several years.
New York is looking for a rotation upgrade and will presumably have to win a bidding war to acquire Montas. Several other contenders need rotation help, and Montas is appealing because he will remain under team control next season as an arbitration-eligible player. It’s not a rental, and as the Castillo trade showed, the price of two postseason runs for an impact starter is high.
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A, the brewers have spoken to Laureano
Athletics and Cervesers have talked about outfielder Ramón Laureano, according to the New York Post. Laureano is one of the A’s remaining trade chips and will remain under team control through 2025, making him a long-term signing. Center field has been a weakness for the Brewers all season and Laureano represents an improvement over the Jonathan Davis/Tyrone Taylor platoon.
Currently in first place in the NL Central, Milwaukee could use another bat to stretch the lineup and Laureano also brings an element of speed. Their defense tends to be overrated — Laureano’s arm tops the lineup, though his range and routes are fine — but the Brewers’ center fielders have hit .213/.272/.313 this year, and that’s not going to go over well when you’re fighting for a division title.