It’s never too early to start anticipating the MLB trade deadline. And as San Diego Padres president of baseball operations AJ Preller showed in acquiring two-time All-Star Luis Arraez earlier this month, the same is true in front offices.
Around Memorial Day, executives begin evaluating their rosters for strengths and areas for improvement. With the introduction of the second wildcard team into the postseason, clubs are more likely to see where they stand before definitively deciding whether to buy or sell.
The three teams below are in a unique position, one in a rebuild and the other two on the verge of a possible big change.
And each could have a big impact on this year’s July 30 trade deadline.
Biggest Trade Play: RHP Mason Miller
The A’s entered the season much maligned after team owner John Fisher announced the team’s plans to temporarily move from Oakland to Sacramento before finally landing in Las Vegas. But since the start of the season, Oakland has played better than expected considering the team is still rebuilding and has stadium issues.
The best thing to come out of Oakland this season was rookie Mason Miller, who became perhaps the most dominant player in baseball. Miller, who owns a 0.89 ERA, is 9-for-9 in save opportunities and his 100 mph fastball is getting a lot of attention around baseball.
With Miller dominating and Oakland still a long way from reaching the postseason, it’s fair to wonder if Oakland would come any closer, even this early in their career. Historically, teams that aren’t ticketed into October generally don’t keep their forwards around, especially one as dominant and electric as Miller.
Miller has appeared in preliminary trade talks across the league, sources confirmed to Yahoo Sports. As the trade deadline approaches, Miller could become the type of player whose acquisition changes the playoff race.
The benefit for Oakland is that he has leverage and the longer he waits, the more teams will need that impact arm. It will probably take a lot of effort to land Miller. For a team like the Baltimore Orioles, who have the pieces and the needs, it could be just the thing to help get over the hump and get to the World Series.
Biggest Trade Pieces: 3B Nolan Arenado, 1B Paul Goldschmidt, RHP Ryan Helsley
It wasn’t supposed to look so bad in St. Louis when it decided to go for it, but after losing 91 games last year, things haven’t gotten better. St. Louis currently sits at the bottom of the NL Central and while the franchise is not one that typically goes into rebuild mode, after deciding not to do a full rebuild last season, it may be time to reconsider that position.
Third baseman Nolan Arenado and first baseman Paul Goldschdit are two of the biggest names in baseball. Their production over the past two seasons has not lived up to their star status. This season, each has taken significant steps back, and after catcher Willson Contreras broke his arm earlier this month, it has put an even greater focus on the team’s struggles.
Goldschmidt is in the final year of his five-year, $130 million contract and will be a free agent at the end of the season. Arenado still has three years and $52 million remaining on his contract.
The name that might be most realistic to approach is Ryan Helsely, who has one more year of club control after this season before hitting free agency. Helsley has been one of the most consistent relievers in baseball over the past three seasons and could be a big name on the trade market as well.
The Cardinals may not have the appetite to be a salesman, but the reality is that the team continues to age, and at some point, St. Louis needs to put young guys on a Major League roster.
Biggest Trade Pieces: LHP Yusei Kikuchi, 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., SS Bo Bichette, RHP Jordan Romano
Things didn’t go as planned for the Blue Jays.
There was a time when they were seen as the next great team in the American League. But after disappointing results in back-to-back postseason years, underperformance from their young stars Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette, and regression from the rest of the team’s roster, the Blue Jays now find themselves at the bottom of the AL East.
Time is no longer on Toronto’s side. Bichette and Guerrero will become free agents at the end of next season. Whether the Blue Jays move them or not, the clock has already started ticking.
It appears that Toronto missed the opportunity to be a true contender and with the Orioles now becoming the juggernaut that the Blue Jays were supposed to be, and the Yankees’ rediscovery of their form with Juan Soto in the fold, the chances of getting back to the top of the division is extremely remote.
Although the Blue Jays underperformed, they got off to a strong start to the season with right-hander José Berríos and left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Although Berríos recently signed his seven-year, $131 million contract last offseason, Kikuchi will be a free agent at the end of the season and could be a name that would make sense to move on as the deadline approaches.
It seems unlikely that the Blue Jays would trade Bichette or Guerrero, but because of all the extenuating circumstances the team will face next year, holding firm and having their star duo finish out the final year of their deals and get nothing in return it seems sub-optimal and puts the franchise in a much worse position.
