10:06 p.m.: Cleveland Indians starter Trevor Bauer is on the move. He’s reportedly heading to the Cincinnati Reds, per ESPN’s Jeff Passan.
8:15 p.m.: According to Sean McAdam of Boston Sports Journal, the Red Sox are targeting Arizona Diamondbacks lefty Andrew Chafin.
4:05 p.m.: Someone close to the Noah Syndergaard situation apparently is feeling chatty, as we just got a couple of new updates on the Mets pitcher.
2:30 p.m.: Sticking with the day’s evolving theme of one reporter contradicting another, here’s veteran scribe Mark Feinsand with the latest on Madison Bumgarner.
1:37 p.m.: Now we’re talking. If Madison Bumgarner ends up in Houston, the American League playoffs are going to be wild.
1:12 p.m.: It’s hard to say what’s going to happen with Ken Giles, who was figured to be one of the top relievers available, but that elbow issue couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Blue Jays. According to Jon Heyman, though, Toronto could still strike a deal to trade the righty.
1:05 p.m.: This certainly feels like more than a coincidence, as it sure looks like the Mets are preparing to start Ervin Santana — not Noah Syndergaard — on Tuesday night. If that actually is the case, we’ll have to wait and see whether the move is cautionary or there’s a deal in place.
11:18 a.m.: At some point this season, it appeared the Cleveland Indians might be poised to sell at the deadline. Terry Francona’s bunch, however, has played tremendous baseball since June 1 and now might be trying to add before Wednesday’s deadline.
11:15 a.m.: At this point, everything might be a giant shrug emoji, but here’s the latest on Tigers pitcher Matthew Boyd, per Bob Nightengale.
10:52 a.m.: The Houston Astros, meanwhile, lay in the weeds as they try to add a starting pitcher.
10:50 a.m.: Don’t go printing those Red Sox “Diaz” jerseys just yet — all of a sudden, it’s very much public that the Red Sox reportedly don’t seem likely to land Edwin Diaz from the Mets.
It can’t be stressed enough, however, that things are fluid with the deadline a little more than 24 hours away. There’s plenty of posturing being done through the media, and it’s certainly possible one of the involved parties leaked this in an attempt to gain leverage. We shall see.
9:50 a.m.: While the external interest might be increasing in Trevor Bauer, a trade doesn’t sound likely — at least not at this point.
9:06 a.m.: The latest notes column from The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal just went live, and here’s what he’s hearing about Cleveland starter Trevor Bauer.
A source with knowledge of the team’s discussions said the team on Monday experienced “a definite uptick in the interest level” in Trevor Bauer. But whether the Indians will trade their ace right-hander in the middle of a pennant race remains to be seen.
8:45 a.m.: The starting pitching market is shaping up to be fascinating … and rather small. With Marcus Stroman off the board, and fringe contenders like Cleveland and San Francisco looking like they’re going to standpat, there’s suddenly a noticeable dearth of available starters. That’s apparently leading the Mets to second-guess trading Noah Syndergaard, which seemingly goes against the idea of supply and demand.
From ESPN’s Jeff Passan: “There is increasing skepticism in some circles that the Mets will deal Syndergaard, especially considering the possibility that he can recoup value over the next two months and be shopped again this winter.”
If we attempt to read between the lines, this certainly has the feel of the Mets trying to give the illusion they’re going to keep Syndergaard for now if they aren’t able to get what they want. Perhaps that is truly the case, but if they can’t get what they want 30 hours before the deadline in a tight pitching market, are they likely to get more in the winter? Deadlines make deals happen, so we’ll see.
8:35 a.m.: We’re heard for about a month now the Yankees are a near-lock to get a starting pitcher before Wednesday’s deadline. Could it be Arizona’s Robbie Ray?
8 a.m.: It’s now or never for front offices across Major League Baseball.
Recent rules changes eliminated the league’s waiver trading period, meaning Wednesday’s trade deadline has the potential to be even crazier than usual as teams know they won’t be able to wheel and deal after the traditional non-waiver deadline.
There’s already been some movement ahead of the July 31 deadline, most notably with Toronto All-Star pitcher Marcus Stroman landing in New York … with the Mets, not the Yankees, in a very surprising turn of events. Now, the Yankees and other teams must shift their attention elsewhere in the search for starting pitching, but recent runs from teams like San Francisco and Cleveland might take players like Madison Bumgarner and Trevor Bauer off the table. Then again, the Mets acquiring Stroman might make it even more likely Noah Syndergaard is dealt before the deadline.
There also figures to be a handful of relievers on the move before Wednesday afternoon. The biggest name currently being bandied about in trade rumors is Mets closer Edwin Diaz, who has been tied to the Boston Red Sox among other teams.
Keep it here for all the latest news and rumors ahead of deadline day.
