The MLB trade deadline is finally here, and that means it’s decision day for a handful of teams across baseball.
Teams have until Tuesday at 6 p.m. ET to make their moves. Of course, changes in recent years also eliminated the possibility of waiver deals, so this is the last real chance for clubs to augment their roster in meaningful ways ahead of the playoffs.
We’ve already seen a flurry of activity and big names on the move. Max Scherzer to the Rangers was the most notable, but there’s obviously more on the way Tuesday. Ten teams are at least five games back or more in the wild-card race and ready to sell off pieces. Another handful sits in the purgatory of being a few games back and having to decide whether they want to buy and make a run or sell — some might even do both.
We’ll be following all the latest news and rumors right up until (and through) the 6 p.m. hour right here in our MLB trade deadline live blog:
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6:21 p.m.: The Red Sox made a move, acquiring infielder Luis Urias from the Brewers. Chaim Bloom confirmed the move.
6:16 p.m.: Garrett Cooper is getting shipped out of Miami after the Marlins acquired Bell.
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6:11 p.m.: This is a fairly notable move to roll in following the actual deadline! Josh Bell is on the move once again, heading to South Beach just one season after joining San Diego. Must be nice…
6:05 p.m.: Here’s a post-deadline report! The Angels continued to add for Shohei Ohtani while the Mets continued to light money on fire.
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6:03 p.m.: Here’s some clarity on Eduardo Rodriguez deciding to nix his trade to the Dodgers.
6:01 p.m.: Jeff Passan provided some clarity on the Orioles-Flaherty trade.
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6 p.m.: The trade deadline has officially come and gone. We have a feeling deals aren’t done filtering out.
5:58 p.m.: The Yankees did something. After having one of the ugliest months in franchise history, New York acquired right-handed reliever Keynan Middleton from the White Sox. Thrilling…
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5:52 p.m.: The Red Sox have seen another possible starter come off the market, as the Cardinals continued selling off *checks notes* everything by sending Jack Flaherty to the Orioles.
5:47 p.m.: Tommy Pham is making a deadline move yet again, heading to the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to Andy Martino of SNY.
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5:29 p.m.: The Rangers acquired some relief for All-Star catcher Jonah Heim, nabbing Austin Hedges from the Pirates, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB Network.
5:13 p.m.: Mark Feinsand was kind enough to provide details on the Verlander-Astros trade, highlighting how awful things have gotten for the Mets.
4:51 p.m.: The Dodgers, after missing out on Justin Verlander, apparently tried to pivot to Eduardo Rodriguez. They even had a deal in place, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, but the Tigers pitcher reportedly invoked his no-trade clause.
The deal, as Passan said, is “dead.”
4:41 p.m.: We’ve got another White Sox deal, this one involving Jake Burger headed down to South Beach. The Marlins acquired the big-bodied corner infielder in exchange for pitching prospect Jake Eder, per Craig Mish of the Miami Herald.
4:09 p.m.: The Brewers are rescuing “Big Country” from the Arizona heat, acquiring left-handed reliever Andrew Chafin from the Diamondbacks.
3:26 p.m.: There was some chatter about Michael Lorenzen potentially being connected to the Orioles, but the Phillies have reportedly swooped in and landed the Tigers right-hander.
3:01 p.m.: The Astros’ farm system is pretty depleted, but they’re still taking a big swing to acquire Verlander. According to reports, it will cost them outfielder Drew Gilbert, who is the team’s top prospect. Gilbert is largely considered a top-100 prospect in the sport.
2:48 p.m.: Justin Verlander is on the move, and he’s headed back to Texas.
2 p.m.: The White Sox could really go into rebuilding mode and trade young pitcher Dylan Cease, who is under contract through 2025. It doesn’t sound like that will happen unless someone is willing to give up half of its farm system, though.
1:30 p.m.: The good news for the Blue Jays is that it appears they are close to acquiring Paul DeJong from the Cardinals, according to MLB Network’s Jon Morosi. DeJong had a horrendous start to the season, but his offense is coming alive recently, and he remains a sure-handed defensive shortstop.
The bad news, though, is this probably is an indication that Bo Bichette — who got hurt Monday night — is dealing with something pretty significant. Bichette, one of the few non-Shohei Ohtani AL MVP considerations — has a knee injury, and it didn’t sound particularly encouraging after the game.
1:06 p.m.: We have our first big-ish deal of the day. The Pittsburgh Pirates are sending both pitcher Rich Hill and first baseman Ji-Man Choi to the San Diego Padres, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The return is currently unknown, but it’s worth wondering whether this is a sign San Diego has pulled out of the Eduardo Rodriguez sweepstakes.
12:54 p.m.: This is an interesting tidbit from MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. This could explain why a team like the Dodgers felt the need to potentially pivot to Eduardo Rodriguez, as the trickle of news obviously lags behind what teams are doing in real-time. Then again, if that deal is dead, it would explain a team like the Dodgers perhaps getting back into the Verlander sweepstakes, joined by the likes of the Padres or even the Orioles.
11:55 a.m.: Here’s a super-quick check-in on the Red Sox ahead of noon ET. According to reporting from The Athletic, there’s still nothing tangible, and “it’s all possibilities right now.” That’s a statement whose brevity is matched only by its vagueness.
Anyway, the Red Sox are intriguing. The players want the club to buy despite an ill-timed slump over which Boston has lost its last three games. Luckily for the Red Sox, they haven’t lost much standing in the wild-card race and sit just 2 1/2 games out of the playoff picture.
Boston looks like one of the few teams that could both buy and sell before 6 p.m.
11:44 a.m.: Could Eduardo Rodriguez be the first domino to fall? After hearing of the Dodgers’ reported interest in the Tigers pitcher, it seems like the Padres are hot on the case, too. Another NL West arms race could be in the making.
11:30 a.m.: Who doesn’t love a big reveal? The Mets look like they’re going to have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to a Justin Verlander trade package.
Will that matter, though? Verlander has a no-trade clause and theoretically could dictate the move. He’s reportedly keen on a return to Houston, but southern California is nice, too.
11:10 a.m.: The Dodgers are getting ready to make their seemingly annual deadline splash. We’ve heard the Verlander buzz already, but Jon Heyman is reporting the Dodgers also have their eye on Eduardo Rodriguez. If LA could somehow land both, they might surpass the Braves as World Series favorites.
10:40 a.m.: The Cardinals find themselves in an unfamiliar position this season. The fledgling Redbirds are expected to be sellers Tuesday with a lot of potential ammo.
Adding to the strangeness of the Cardinals being sellers, it sounds like the Marlins — in a three-way tie for the National League’s third wild card — could be a trade partner for St. Louis.
9:38 a.m.: An interesting little nugget in this dispatch from The Athletic regarding the Mets’ potential deadline-day dealings: According to the report, star first baseman Pete Alonso has been made available in trade talks. Alonso is an elite offensive player who is under contract through next season, so it probably is going to take a massive offer to convince Billy Eppling to flip the slugger.
9:25 a.m.: The Tigers are another one of those teams that are completely out of contention, which is saying something given Detroit’s residence in the woeful American League Central.
Michael Lorenzen is all but a goner, and some reports have tied him pretty heavily to the East-leading Orioles. With Rodriguez, his contract situation — he can opt out from the remaining three years and $49 million on his deal after this season — makes finding his true value difficult. Regardless, it appears A.J. Hinch is asking the world for the duo of hurlers.
9:15 a.m.: The Pirates are a team to watch as the day unfolds. Ben Cherington has plenty of pieces with which to play, and it sounds like the phone has been ringing off the hook. The Buccos showed some promise earlier in the season, and the Oneil Cruz injury basically derailed the season. They should try to thread the needle with an eye on contending sooner rather than later while knowing this is another lost campaign.
8:30 a.m.: With Max Scherzer already off the board, all eyes are on the Mets and whether they go in a similar direction with Justin Verlander. The Dodgers and Astros are reportedly interested in the future Hall of Famer, and there’s a mystery team also in the mix, according to Jon Heyman, allowing us to check that box off the bingo board bright and early.
Featured image via Brad Penner/USA TODAY Sports Images
