There are less than 24 hours left until the MLB trade deadline. If you want to catch up on all the deals that happened over the weekend, here’s your recap from Thursday to Saturday, and here’s Sunday’s edition. Let’s take a closer look at all the deals that happened Monday.
Michael Lorenzen from Rangers to Royals: For Kansas City, while rotation help doesn’t appear to be at the top of the needs list, Lorenzen is a useful addition, especially with Alec Marsh approaching a career high in innings pitched.
The Rangers, in any other division, would be clear sellers at 52-55. But in the American League West, they entered Monday with just 4 1/2 games to play, with more than two months to play. So even if the Lorenzen trade was a “sell,” in a sense, it’s not that simple: Texas has Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle returning from the injured list soon. Jon Gray also hit the injured list Monday, but he’s not expected to stay long. Add in Max Scherzer, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney (with Dane Dunning and Cody Bradford also recently back from injury)… that’s a lot of starting pitchers!
So it made sense to trade from a surplus, sending Lorenzen to the Royals for left-handed pitcher Walter Pennington, who was an undrafted free agent in 2020 but has a 2.26 ERA (0.99 WHIP) with 79 strikeouts and 20 walks in 59 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year. For a surplus starter awaiting free agency, it’s not a bad deal for Texas, which might be able to use Pennington in the bullpen sooner rather than later.
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Ty France from Mariners to Reds: Given the Reds’ surplus of infielders, the recently decommissioned acquisition of France makes me wonder if they’re looking to fill the void in anticipation of more trades to come. France comes with a cash prize, and in exchange, the Mariners get 21-year-old catcher Andruw Salcedo, who is hitting .188 (.538 OPS) in Low-A.
Red Sox, Pirates trade prospects: The Red Sox needed a starting pitcher and the Pirates needed a hitter. What wasn’t expected was that the game would involve players in their early careers. Boston sent 22-year-old 2B/OF Nick Yorke (.278 ERA, .785 OPS, 68 strikeouts, 42 walks in 83 games between Double-A and Triple-A) to the Pirates for 23-year-old right-hander Quinn Priester, who hasn’t quite cracked the big leagues in 20 games yet but is 3-1 with a 3.21 ERA, 36 strikeouts and seven walks in 33 2/3 innings in Triple-A this year.
While it’s somewhat surprising to see a youth-for-youth deal, neither departure is particularly shocking on an individual basis. As Jen McCaffrey writes, Yorke was viewed as the odd man out in a middle-of-the-field jam in Boston, and the Pirates’ rotation can easily handle the loss of Priester.
(Business notes, analysis)
Three-way trade between the Dodgers, Cardinals and White Sox: Sure, why not? Let’s analyze this team by team.
Erick Fedde went 20-6 with a 2.00 ERA in the KBO in 2023. (Raymond Carlin III/USA Today)
The cardinals obtain: Right-handed pitcher Erick Fedde (7-4, 3.11 ERA) and outfielder Tommy Pham (.266 ERA, .710 OPS) of Chicago
I know win/loss records don’t mean what they used to, but a 7-4 record for this year’s White Sox team should be measured in dog years. But is he a drastic upgrade for the Cardinals’ rotation? Eno Sarris says… maybe not. Pham, meanwhile, is back where it all began, having played for the Cardinals from 2014-18. Seven teams later, he’ll help rectify the Cardinals’ miserable performance against left-handed pitching as they battle for a playoff spot. The Cards also get a PTBNL or cash from the Dodgers.
The Dodgers get: Right-handed pitcher Michael Kopech (4.74 ERA, 59 strikeouts, 24 walks, 43 2/3 innings) of Chicago, all-arounder Tommy Edman and 17-year-old right-handed pitcher Oliver Gonzalez of St. Louis
Kopech is a fiery reliever who hasn’t been able to fully tap into his core to become a regular, but he’ll give Los Angeles another late-inning powerhouse in the bullpen. Edman hasn’t played this year as he’s coming off offseason surgery on his right wrist, but he’s expected back soon. In his rehab assignment, he’s hitting just .207 (.535 OPS) in eight games, but when fully healthy, he’ll bring speed and defense (he won a Gold Glove in 2022) to the Dodgers, particularly at shortstop and center field, where injuries and underproduction have hampered them.
The White Sox get: UTIL Miguel Vargas from LA and two minor league players: 2B Jeral Perez (19, Single A), INF Alexander Albertus (19, Single A).
The sale had been rumored for months, and the first two chips — assuming you don’t count Dylan Cease this spring — have finally fallen, with Chicago bringing back a major leaguer and two lower-tier prospects, plus a PTBNL or cash from the Dodgers.
(Business notes, analysis)
Justin Turner from Blue Jays to Mariners: The Mariners finished 25th out of 30 teams in OPS against left-handed pitchers, and with Ty France leaving for Cincinnati, Turner makes a lot of sense as a 1B/DH type. He also has plenty of playoff experience from his time with the Dodgers from 2014-22. Seattle returned 24-year-old outfielder RJ Schreck, who has an .836 OPS in Double-A.
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Lane Thomas from Nationals to Guardians: The Guardians have well-documented their need for starting pitchers, but as they’ve looked, the roster has cooled a bit. While they could still get a starter, they pivoted for a moment to acquire a right-handed hitter in Thomas. His .738 OPS is slightly above average this year, but he’s crushing lefties to the tune of .326/.410/.512. The Nats got 23-year-old shortstop José Tena and two 19-year-olds — left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey and infielder Rafael Ramirez.
(Business notes, analysis)
Yusei Kikuchi from Blue Jays to Astros: Given the avalanche of injuries they’ve faced this year, it was no secret that the Astros needed a starting pitcher (or multiple starters), so it was no surprise when they got Kikuchi from the Blue Jays. The part that made me say “whoooaaaa“The return was very strong. The Astros send right-handed pitcher Jake Bloss, 1B/OF Joey Loperfido and INF Will Wagner, who is hitting .307 (.853 OPS) to Triple-A.
It’s a huge return for Toronto, especially for a pitcher who will be a free agent at the end of the year.
Kikuchi (who said after his last start that he expected to be traded) won’t be Houston’s ace, but he doesn’t have to be; between Ronel Blanco and Hunter Brown — and with Justin Verlander and Luis Garcia expected to return from the injured list at some point — Houston has pitching talent. It just didn’t have enough depth.
(Business notes, analysis)
Amed Rosario from Rays to Dodgers: No, it’s not a technical issue from last year. The Dodgers traded for Rosario AgainLast year, they sent Noah Syndergaard to Cleveland in exchange for the privilege of playing half a season in Rosario. This year, they sent 27-year-old right-handed pitcher Michael Flynn to Tampa Bay, hoping Rosario can help them gain ground at the bottom of the standings, where they have struggled this year.
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Jalen Beeks from Rockies to Pirates: What was that said earlier? The Pirates don’t need pitchers so much as they need hitters? Well, until they add a hitter or two, here’s a left-handed reliever to help shore up the remaining innings after Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and company are done for the day. The Rockies get left-handed reliever Luis Peralta (the younger brother of Brewers starter Freddy), who has a 0.91 ERA between High A and Double A this year.
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Frankie Montas from Reds to Brewers: The Reds leaned toward selling, at least a little bit. Rather than trading Montas — who could be a free agent at the end of the year if he or his team decides not to exercise the 2025 mutual option — for prospects, they traded him to a division rival for right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis (who is also in a “mutual option” situation) and outfielder Joey Wiemer, who is under team control through 2028.
Junis, who started with the Royals and Giants from 2017-22, was effective in relief but missed significant time earlier in the season. A shoulder injury after his first appearance sent him to the injured list, then in late April he was hit in the neck by a batted ball during batting practice and didn’t return until late June.
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Minor trades: The Dodgers sent right-handed pitcher Ricky Vanasco to the Tigers in exchange for cash considerations.
(Top photo by Yusei Kikuchi: John E. Sokolowski / USA Today)