The MLB trade deadline is Tuesday, with plenty of deals already completed. Teams have declared themselves as buyers and sellers as the final hours approach, with several squads making questionable decisions and assertions.
Here are five teams that have made the wrong decision.
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- San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres have been a disaster this season and refuse to accept their flaws. Despite their current three-game win streak and +63 run differential, they sit two games below .500 and five games back from the final wild-card spot. Given who stands in front of them, a robust San Francisco Giants team, a loaded pitching staff in the Milwaukee Brewers, a deep Philadelphia Phillies, plus the Arizona Diamondbacks and Miami Marlins, it’s an uphill battle. San Diego had an opportunity to sell this past week and reshape their future. Blake Snell would have been the best starter on the market, warranting the Padres a king’s ransom. Josh Hader could have returned multiple top-100 prospects as the best reliever in baseball. Plus, the return in a potential Juan Soto trade would have returned the Padres everything they gave up to get him. With their postseason odds slim, the threat of Snell and Hader walking in free agency is too big for them not to have sold.
- New York Yankees
The Yankees haven’t made any moves yet but have declared themselves buyers. Yes, they have plenty of holes, but are they making moves to add to this roster? I don’t see it. Riddled by injuries and underwhelming seasons, this team doesn’t have what it takes to make a run at the AL Wild Card, sitting 3.5 games back from the final spot. Seeing them turn a massive corner feels unlikely, so while they don’t need an enormous sell-off, trading away some of their expensive players should happen. Finding a suitor for someone like Gleyber Torres makes sense, who could give the Yankees a reasonable return while offloading his money.
Rise of the Orioles and Fall of the Yankees
- Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies had an atrocious weekend in Pittsburgh full of mistakes and head-scratching decisions and now sit half a game out of the wild card. Still, they sit at +1100 to win the National League, third best behind the Braves and Dodgers despite currently being out of the postseason. How has the Phillies brass not gone all-in yet? This team is loaded with talent at the plate, and their pitching staff is overperforming in the starting rotation and the bullpen, but they have pretty glaring needs. Adding a reliever and a right-handed outfield bat is almost necessary, with the NL wide open after the Braves and Dodgers. If the Phillies stand pat at the trade deadline like it looks like they will, it will be a huge mistake.
Philadelphia Phillies Winning National League Has Value
- Los Angeles Angels
The Angels kicked off the trade deadline with a bang by taking Shohei Ohtani off the market and swinging a massive deal to land themselves Lucas Giolito, following it up by acquiring CJ Cron and Randal Grichuk Sunday night. They gave up a ton of prospects in a massive gamble to make the playoffs to increase their chances of re-signing Ohtani this winter. A huge risk to make when sitting four games back from the final wild card. That said, no one will care about the prospects if they make the postseason and Ohtani re-signs. If not, losing Ohtani and their prospects will send the Angels to the bottom of the MLB for the foreseeable future.
- Chicago Cubs
The Cubs seemed to be one of the deadline’s most attractive sellers, but they managed to go on an eight-game winning streak returning them to the playoff hunt. Still, does anyone believe in this Cubs team? Cody Bellinger’s meteoric July would have gotten the Cubs a load of prospects in return despite his pending free agency, with Marcus Stroman also being one of the most attractive starting pitchers on the market. Sitting 3.5 games out of the final wild-card spot, never say never, but the Cubs having a poorly timed win streak will cost them valuable prospects years down the line.
Will the Chicago Cubs Be Buyers At the MLB Trade Deadline?
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