Major League Baseball teams have less than 24 hours to complete their summer shopping. This year’s MLB trade deadline will be at 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, Aug. 2. After that point, teams can no longer make deals until the offseason.
The deadline is usually July 31, but commissioner Rob Manfred got the power to set it to any date between July 28 and Aug. 3 as part of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement between MLB and the MLB Players Association. That, in short, is why the deadline is in Aug. 2, a few days later than usual.
Regardless of when the deadline passed, you may be wondering what top deals are going on in the final days of the sales season. CBS Sports has you covered below, with information and answers to eight frequently asked questions.
1. Who are the top buyers and sellers?
Our own Dayn Perry recently ranked each of the 30 teams as buyers, sellers, or something in between. While taking Perry seriously is always a risk, it’s one we chose to take. Here’s a look at who he listed as buyers or sellers (note that the teams are listed in alphabetical order based on their city name):
Any team not listed above was considered a middle ground, meaning they could buy or sell, or they could stand still, depending on how negotiations began. See the article : Source: ACC, Pac-12 Discuss ESPN TV Partners After Major Ten Action.
2. What notable moves have happened so far?
The Mariners shook things up on Friday by acquiring right-hander Luis Castillo from the Reds in exchange for four prospects, including infielders Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo. See the article : Miller remains on medical leave, Snyder added – University of Illinois Athletics. (You can read our detailed review of that here.)
Things were quiet until Monday, when a big move happened. The Yankees acquired Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino from the A’s, and the Astros added slugger Trey Mancini from Baltimore. But the most surprising final move came when the Padres and Brewers struck a deal to send All-Star closer Josh Hader to San Diego. Read more here.
3. Will Soto be moved?
Chief among those names would be Nationals shortstop Juan Soto, who became available this month after turning down a 15-year, $440 million extension. Read also : Juan Soto’s flight landed at 1:30 a.m. before the Home Run Derby after the Nationals denied the charter flight.
The 23-year-old Soto is on a Hall-of-Fame track under team control for two more seasons after this one, making him one of the most sought-after trades in league history. CBS Sports identified the Cardinals as the best team to land him based on their mix of big league players, as well as their financial outlook and their front office’s history of making similar trades.
The Nationals are likely to move Soto early, as the franchise is expected to be bought by new owners this offseason. It seems unlikely that the incoming owners would want their first move to trade from the face of the franchise.
If and when a Soto trade happens, it’s important to note that executives with other teams fully expect left-hander Patrick Corbin to be included as cash.
4. What about Ohtani?
The Angels are said to have listened to offers for another young professional in two-way phenom Shohei Ohtani, but the trade appears to be much less than what happened to Soto.
Ohtani is under team control for another season, but the situation is complicated. Industry sources who spoke to CBS Sports noted that owner Arte Moreno seems unwilling to green-light the deal, and that the Angels will hold on to Ohtani and try again to win in 2023.
It would be fair to say that if Ohtani is going to be traded, then it will most likely come this offseason — or, perhaps, the next deadline.
5. Who are the other top players out there?
Here are the top four players available according to our sites that have not yet been sold or mentioned in this summary:
We’ll see if Reynolds seems unlikely to leave and if the Athletics may also decide to hold on to Murphy until the winter. The other two — Contreras and Happ — appear to have a better than 50/50 shot at being moved on Tuesday night.
6. Will Yankees move Gallo?
The name you’ll find the lowest on our rankings is Joey Gallo, a Yankees player who has struggled since being acquired in the trade deadline. Gallo is becoming a free agent and adding a homeless man to New York’s list.
Naturally, the combination has fueled speculation that Gallo could be on his way out, with the Padres and Rangers, among others, standing as possible destinations.
Gallo is one of the most intriguing players of late that deserves attention, if only for the possibility that he can recapture his old form by leaving New York.
