Five Teams to Watch Leading Up to the Trade Deadline

 

The MLB Trade Deadline is a little more than 48 hours away. That means that the clock continues to tick away from all 30 General Managers and front offices. Once the bell rings at 6:00 PM EST on Tuesday, there are no more trades that can be made until after the conclusion of the World Series. 

To date, there have been a number of impactful trades - most notably Saturday night's trade involving starting pitcher Max Scherzer who waived his no-trade clause and is headed to the Texas Rangers. Other notable trades include Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López being traded to the Los Angeles Angels, Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly going to the Los Angeles Dodgers, David Robertson going to the Miami Marlins, and Kendall Graveman being traded to the reigning World Series Champion Houston Astros. 

There are bound to be plenty of other notable swaps over the next few days. Here are five teams to keep an eye on the most leading up to deadline Tuesday evening. 

Baltimore Orioles 

For the Baltimore Orioles, the time to strike is now to ensure that they put themselves in the best position possible to win the American League East division crown. Baltimore has a tremendously talented young core of players and needs to augment that core with the addition of a veteran starting pitcher and an impactful bullpen reliever. Baltimore has been linked to all of the primary names on the starting pitching market including the aforementioned Jordan Montgomery as well as Michael Lorezen of the Detroit Tigers. In the bullpen, the Orioles have a tremendous duo in Yennier Cano and Felíx Bautista. Going into play today, the Orioles currently have a game-and-a-half lead over the Tampa Bay Rays for first place. Regardless, Orioles Executive Vice President and General Manager Mike Elias has plenty of young talent to deal away to bolster the clubs pitching staff in an impactful manner leading up to Tuesday evening. 

 

Chicago Cubs 

Ten days ago, it appeared that the Chicago Cubs were going to most likely be a seller at this year's Trade Deadline. While many originally thought that starting pitcher Marcus Stroman and first baseman/outfielder Cody Bellinger could be dealt, that is no longer the case. Going into play Sunday, the Cubs are in the midst of an eight-game win streak, currently sit three-and-a-half games back of first place in the National League Central and are three games back of the third NL Wild Card spot. Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer has been under pressure to make trades in big moments before and this appears to be another one of those instances. Chicago will most likely look to make a trade or two to add depth to the 25-man roster particularly in the bullpen and try to capitalize on the surprise success they have been experiencing. Regardless, it should be an intriguing couple of days on the northside of Chicago counting down to the deadline.

 

Cincinnati Reds 

The Cincinnati Reds have been one of the more exciting teams to watch in baseball all season long. Like the Baltimore Orioles, the time for the Reds to strike is now in an effort to bolster the starting rotation with a veteran arm. The Reds have made it known that they are willing to trade second baseman Jonathan India for a young, controllable starting pitcher that is controlled for the next three seasons like India. Cincinnati is a landing spot for all of the notable starting pitchers on the market. However, the Reds could make a good trade partner for a team like the Seattle Mariners who have a handful of young, controllable starters in Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo and Emerson Hancock. The cost for one of those arms will be hefty because so many teams value young, starting pitching in today's market. Although, Reds General Manager Nick Krall and the rest of the front office are bound to make some sort of splash over the remaining hours. 

 

Los Angeles Dodgers 

In a year where the Los Angeles Dodgers were not expected to make a lot of noise in the National League West, the team currently holds a three-game lead over the San Francisco Giants for first place. The Dodgers have already made a few moves in acquiring the aforementioned Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly as well as shortstop Amed Rosario from the Cleveland Guardians and Enrique "Kiké" Hernández from the Boston Red Sox. Los Angeles is never afraid to make a big splash and that is the biggest storyline to watch. Dodgers President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman has always focused on building out a 25-man roster with talented pieces at nearly every position and that is a big reason why they were connected to Nolan Arenado in a potential blockbuster trade with the St. Louis Cardinals this past week. What other moves Friedman and the rest of the front office have up their sleeves leading up to 6:00 PM Tuesday evening, remains to be seen.

 

St. Louis Cardinals 

The St. Louis Cardinals have stated that they are ready to sell and will focus on "pitching, pitching, pitching" leading up to this year's deadline. St. Louis has several enticing pieces for contending teams including starting pitchers Jordan Montgomery, Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz as well as two relievers in Jordan Hicks and Chris Stratton. The primary goal for St. Louis in any trade is to look for ways to not only bolster the pitching staff, but to put the club in a position to contend in 2024. In previous years, Cardinals President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak makes trades during the final hours of the deadline and this year looks as though it will follow a similar path. Mozeliak indicated yesterday that the team will not be trading star third baseman Nolan Arenado so it does not appear that a blockbuster trade will be happening on that front. However, there should be plenty of other roster movement to come in St. Louis over the coming hours.