There are multiple teams that are coming across as more aggressive buyers. Two of those teams are the NYM and Houston Astros. The Mets were in talks with Chicago for both Willson Contreras and David Robertson. The Mets desperately need a catcher, and every team can use a quality reliever like David Robertson.
The Mets have also been in discussion with Baltimore for 1B/OF/DH Trey Mancini and RHRP Dillon Tate. FWIW, Tate is a reliever I like a lot. He will lengthen that Mets late inning options.
The have also been know to be aggressive in their potential pursuit of Josh Bell. It might seem odd that a team that has Pete Alonso at 1B would be looking for a 1B in a trade, but what they are really looking for is a DH replacement for JD Davis and Dom Smith. Mancini and Bell are huge improvement.
The other team that teams are saying are being aggressive is the Houston Astros. They are looking for a replacement for Yuli Gurriel at 1B, thus their interest in Josh Bell. They are also more desperate for a catcher than are the NYM, so they are actively pursuing Willson Contreras.
A month or so ago, I thought Willson Contreras would be signed, sealed, and delivered to SFG. But the Giants have fallen off the cliff, and will probably not be in a buy mode. In fact, rumors have it that it is more likely that the Giants are more likely to move Carlos Rodón than to buy a difference maker.
Whether it’s Bell, Contreras, Mancini or someone else, selling teams say that both the Astros and NYM have been extremely aggressive and that they will be better teams by Aug. 2.
Thus far, the rumors for the Dodgers have focused on Juan Soto. AF has piqued the fans fantasy with comments like:
“I will echo what I’ve said in the past. Star players don’t become available often. When they are, we owe it to our fans to see those things out… Whenever star-level players become available, we’ll always have the conversation and dig in and try to make something make sense.”
I still do not believe that the Dodgers will come close to paying the expected price for Soto. Baseball executives believe that both the NYY and LAD have the motivation and prospect capital to make it happen, but they believe that the St. Louis Cardinals or San Diego Padres are the favorites.
Players who have been mentioned are:
Prospects:
It will depend as to what MLB regulars St. Louis is willing to move to then determine what prospects are needed. It may be that the Nats only want prospects and it will take 5 of those 6.
With those names, the Cardinals can put together a better package than the Dodgers. But will they. There are many Cardinal fans who say that, yes they could be in a win mode for three post seasons, but when Sosa becomes a FA, they become what the Nationals are now.
Most trade simulator deals have listed Gavin Lux as a part of any Juan Soto to LAD deal. Also Tony Gonsolin and Dustin May have been mentioned in multiple trade scenarios. I say no to any of that. But would you be willing to trade?:
That would be five top prospects the Nationals say is the price, and those seem to be the popular names mentioned by the tradeniks. I cannot see AF agreeing to that, and I would gladly say thank you to AF for walking away. But there are many who believe that to trade prospects for a 23 year old generational talent like Juan Soto is a no-brainer.
Now the question is, will the Dodgers be a better team August 2? Will they be willing to pay the price for Luis Castillo, or will they scale down their sights to middling relievers and be content to wait on Blake Treinen, Walker Buehler, Andrew Heaney, Victor Gonzalez, and Danny Duffy. I cannot predict what AF will do. Every time we may think we have him figured, he goes out and fools us. i.e. Mookie Betts, Trea Turner/Max Scherzer, Yu Darvish.
My concern is that AF will do the trade to keep SD from getting Soto. That is not a good reason to make a trade. That philosophy did not work out too well when they signed Trevor Bauer to keep him away from SD and NYM.
We have six days left to learn what the Dodgers plans are.
MILB SUMMARY
Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone continued with their dominance.
Sugar Land Space Cowboys (Houston) 4, OKC Dodgers 5 – 10 innings
Ryan Pepiot – 7.0 IP, 1 run (7th inning 1 out HR), 3 hits, 3 BB, 6 K
Drew Avans – 3-5
Ryan Noda – 2-4, HR (14)
Miguel Vargas – 2-4
Dodgers win in WP walk off.
Arkansas Travelers (Seattle) 1 – Tulsa Drillers 2
Gavin Stone – 6.0 IP, 1 run, 3 hits, 3 BB, 6 KF
Final three relievers throwing 3 scoreless innings. Jordan Leasure, Nate Robertson, and Guillermo Zuniga.
Lansing Lugnuts (A’s) 6 – Great Lakes Loons 0
Highlights are final three relievers throwing 3 scoreless innings. Adam Scoggins, Aldry Acosta, and Antonio Knowles.
Rancho Cucamonga Quakes 4 – San Jose Giants 18
There is nothing to see here.
Responding to STB from yesterday. I too read the blip on the Marlins willing to trade anyone not named Sandy Alcantara. I think that is just talk. I doubt that Pablo Lopez is going anywhere, but of course the Dodgers have to check in on him. I think Castillo is a better option for this year’s playoffs. Lopez maybe better more long term option. But I would be more than happy with either. And yes, I am a Pablo Lopez advocate.
There is another pitcher who is now being marketed…Detroit Tigers, Tarik Skubel.
https://twitter.com/BRWalkoff/status/1552014142197772289?s=20&t=lLwUhf0YOKVy6w7QubTUmg
It is rumored that Josh Bell is all but gone, and that the Nats want to move him before they get too involved in negotiations on Soto. Bell needs to be moved, Soto does not. The next days are going to be fun.
Yes, Gavin Lux made a silly error with a lack of concentration, but it was Cleavinger who gave up the long HR, and got rocked big time in the 9th. Just like Reyes Moronta, Cleavinger is not the answer. Neither is Phil Bickford. Next.
I also do not blame Doc for not removing Cleavinger. Doc/AF/BG had to see if Cleavinger could work himself out of jams. Lux put him in the 8th inning jam, but he put himself in the 9th inning jam, and could not get out of either.
Over the SF weekend series, there was one of the Giants broadcasters telling the listeners about when in MiLB a fielder made an error and the pitcher could not get out of the inning without surrendering a run, the manager jumped on the pitcher for not picking up the fielder. It was the pitchers job to get out of those jams. That is going to be a question that I have to ask my son.
A few years back while he was still with Baltimore, I was pushing to trade for Hunter Harvey even though he was always hurt. I lost track of where he went. He is no longer considered a starting option, but maybe a future Andrew Miller??? He sure has looked good the last two nights.
The Lux boner was a disaster. Clevinger would have gotten out of the inning 1-2-3 since he struck out Bell and Ruiz after the error. Then Roberts could have used Kimbrel in the 9th to close the game.
Jon Heyman is reporting that the Dodgers have interest in one of my favorites, Garrett Cooper, but will wait for a resolution on the Soto situation first.
That might prove difficult since a Soto trade might literally happen at the very last minute.
I’ve been touting Cooper for a couple of years now. Excellent righty hitter who can play the outfield, first base and DH. A little less need for him now because of how well Trayce is playing, but we don’t know how long Muncy will be kept in the every day lineup. Cooper is also controllable through next year.
Not the GM, but for Soto, I trade them who ever they want….if he will agree to negotiate a long term deal. I like Castillo, but the Dodgers might want to look at the Marlins for a starter who would not cost as much. Muncy needs to sit a while period. Or go to OKC on some sort of rehab for tightness in his elbow. Dodgers optioned Mitch White and Cleavinger, who I believe needs to be traded somewhere else, and activated Heaney and Jake Reed.
It was very refreshing to have the #5 batter look for (and get) a single to score a run instead of trying to hit it 600 feet. Difference between JT and Max Muncy.