Tuesday’s 6 p.m. trade deadline is less than a week away, which means a few things: contenders are looking to bolster their rosters, sellers are looking ahead to future seasons, and MLB.com’s senior national reporter Mark Feinsand isn’t getting much sleep as he keeps up with all the latest developments.
On Thursday, Feinsand filled his coffee cup and held his second Q&A with fans on Reddit AMA. As always, a lot of ground was covered:
Q: When will we see trade resume?
Fine sand: We may not see much action until Sunday or Monday, as many teams are very close in the standings. (As of Thursday) 22 teams were five games out of a playoff spot, so the results of the next four days could determine whether a number of bubble teams become buyers or sellers.
Q: What positions will be in highest demand by the deadline?
Fine sand: Starting pitchers and relief pitchers. Then probably more starting pitchers, followed by a few more relief pitchers. Pitching is the name of the game this time of year, and I expect almost every team to be looking to upgrade their roster in some way.
Q: Is it realistic for big names like Vlad Guerrero Jr. and Randy Arozarena to be traded?
Fine sand: Vlad, no. Arozarena, maybe. The Blue Jays seem intent on keeping their controllable players like Guerrero in order to try to compete next year, so I don’t expect to see Vlad, Bo Bichette, Chris Bassitt or Jordan Romano traded. The Rays are in a different situation, one they seem to find themselves in every year. Arozarena is making $8.1 million this year and is eligible for arbitration for two more years, where his salary will likely exceed $10 million. The Rays have traded players in similar situations before — think David Price and James Shields, for example — so it wouldn’t be surprising to see them trade Arozarena and/or other players with a few years of control for younger, cheaper, more controllable talent.
Editor’s Note: Arozarena was traded to the Mariners for two prospects and a player to be named later. More >
Q: Who on the Cubs is most likely to be traded? Do they plan on trading anyone?
Fine sand: Cubs president Jed Hoyer has made it clear he’s not looking for rental players to help him in 2024, but that doesn’t mean he won’t look to add controllable talent for 2025 and beyond. It certainly appears the Cubs are listening to offers for Jameson Taillon, who signed for two more years, but that could simply be a matter of due diligence from pitching-starved teams, and if one is willing to make Hoyer a big offer, he’ll have to consider it.
Fine sand: Milwaukee has a number of young outfielders, so I think the rotation remains the priority. I could see the Brewers adding a veteran at-bat — a reunion with Mark Canha, perhaps? — in the coming days, but I’d be surprised if Matt Arnold and his management don’t do everything they can to add at least one starting pitcher.
Q: What was the most surprising Deadline deal you’ve witnessed in your career?
Fine sand: The first thing that comes to mind is Zack Greinke being traded to the Astros at the buzzer in 2019. Randy Johnson being traded to the Astros in 1998 was pretty big, as was Manny Ramirez being traded to the Dodgers in 2008. Those are the ones that come to mind right now, although the Red Sox trading (Nomar) Garciaparra in 2004 was pretty amazing as well.
Q: How are the Bay Area teams doing? SF has some decent but not great players they can sell and doesn’t seem to be able to start a rebuild. Are you going to ship out some veterans and retool the team for 2025? What about Oakland? They’re not good, but they have some promising young players who could be important to them in the future. Are they going to sell someone or stay put given the current state of the team?
Fine sand: The Giants have certainly made some big free agency moves in recent years, only to see players like Aaron Judge, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto sign elsewhere. They added Matt Chapman and Blake Snell last winter, but it wasn’t enough to propel them into contention in the NL West. I expect the Giants to be moderate buyers next week and take a shot at a wild card.
Oakland is in a completely different situation. It seems like they are targeting their eventual move to Las Vegas as the time they hope to be done with their rebuild, though I don’t expect them to sell heavily, as most of their roster is young and controllable. Expect Brent Rooker and JP Sears to be in a series of rumors this week, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see one or both of them traded. But I think Mason Miller will still be in Oakland this time next week given his age, talent, and five more years of club control.
Q: Who are the Phillies’ targets? Our rumor mill has named just about every outfielder in the game, but hasn’t seen a relief arm. Is there anything gaining traction?
Fine sand: There are so many relievers in the mix that it’s hard to say who will end up where, but I can confidently say Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will grab at least one, maybe two. An outfielder going to Philadelphia wouldn’t be a surprise at all, but the market hasn’t started to settle down yet for the reasons I mentioned earlier.
Q: Do you think one of the winning teams could work together to make a trade? For example, the Mariners could trade one of their pitchers for Orioles hitters?
Fine sand: Good old baseball trades are the best, right? You don’t see many of them these days, but when they do happen, it’s great. Think of the Zac Gallen-for-Jazz Chisholm Jr. trade a few years ago. With teams generally reluctant to give up big prospects, if there’s an opportunity to make a trade in a strong area of the major league roster, general managers will certainly be open to it.
Q: Hi Mark, I’m a big fan of your reporting. You’re one of the few in the field who has a solid reporting background, while still providing breaking news.
My question is not related to this trade deadline, but in general: can you give us some insight into how things like “Arson Judge” or Scherzer to the Padres in 2021 happen? Like reporters are pushing for a roster move that ultimately isn’t official. Is this a result of everyone trying to be the first to report it? Is it agents/GMs providing information as leverage? I’ve always been very interested in how these things happen, so any insight into the process would be great!
Fine sand: I can’t speak specifically to the incidents you mentioned, because they’re not my stories. But in general, I’ve always believed that while it’s great to be the first to tell a story, it’s more important to be right. No journalist would ever report a story they knew was wrong, and if a source gave me a story that turned out to be wrong — and I mean REALLY wrong — then I could never trust that source again. Your reputation for being right about the things you report is one of the most important things you have in this business, so I try not to report things unless I think I’ve nailed them. It’s a tricky business sometimes — especially this week!
Q: How real Are the Dodgers interested in Randy Arozarena? Is he someone they really covet or is he considered just another option?
Fine sand: It’s hard to say how real it is, but I’m told the Dodgers are certainly interested. Los Angeles should be looking for an outfielder, whether it’s Arozarena, Luis Robert Jr. or someone else, but don’t overlook the fact that Andrew Friedman comes from the Rays and has a strong relationship with Erik Neander (from Tampa Bay). A deal between them wouldn’t be a surprise, especially after they got together on Tyler Glasnow’s contract last year.
Q: Why the hell would the Orioles trade Ryan Mountcastle? Sure, O’Hearn can play first, but Mounty is better at that position.
Fine sand: This is where the creativity of the management can come into play — and where trade rumors are often just that, a rumor. Mike Elias has done a masterful job rebuilding Baltimore, and while I’m sure he’s listening to offers on Mountcastle from teams in need of a first baseman, I can’t imagine him making such a move unless he’s certain he has a suitable replacement ready to go from within. The Orioles have championship aspirations, so it seems unlikely that Elias would make such a move if he thought it would create a big hole in the lineup.
Q: Current reports indicate that the Mets will have a modest Deadline. Do you think that could potentially change? Steve Cohen has been known to make some big splashes in the past.
Fine sand: I’m not sure there’s a big move that makes sense for the Mets, so I’d expect them to try to improve the bullpen first and foremost. The big move may have to wait until the offseason, when a number of big-time free agents hit the market.
Q: What do you think is the best way for the Mariners to fix their poor hitting? Their pitchers can’t carry them forever.
Fine sand: First base seemed like the most logical place for Seattle to focus, but injuries to Julio Rodriguez and JP Crawford aren’t making things any easier for Jerry Dipoto. The Mariners should look to improve their offense in any way they can, with first base being the most likely spot. This pitching staff is so good that it would be a shame to waste it because they can’t score enough runs.
Q: Who do you think will be most active at Deadline?
Fine sand: The Yankees should be one of the more active teams given the number of holes they are likely trying to fill. On the selling side, the Marlins and White Sox each have a number of players they can sell, so I expect them to make several deals between now and Tuesday.
Q: Who is the most coveted pitcher at this deadline?
Fine sand: Jack Flaherty is probably the best starting pitcher available. Tarik Skubal and Garrett Crochet are two controllable arms that are getting a lot of buzz, but I don’t think Detroit is going to trade Skubal and the White Sox will only part with Crochet if they get the price they’re looking for. One name to watch is Nathan Eovaldi, though right now I don’t think the Rangers are in a sell mode. If they do, Eovaldi’s track record in October would make him a very attractive trade option.