Over the next two weeks, the names of many MLB players will be released as potential trade targets. Some of these players will actually be moved; others don’t.
In some situations, there are players who to need to be moved. And these negotiations must occur not only for the good of the player, but, in some cases, also for the organization.
Here are five players who need to be traded at the 2024 MLB trade deadline.
Who would have thought Guerrero would be a candidate to be traded this summer? But here we are.
Things haven’t gone as planned for the Blue Jays, and after years of expectations that they would be one of the best teams in the game, it’s probably time for them to retool and move in a new direction. Guerrero has always been expected to carry a franchise — perhaps unfairly at times, though that hasn’t stopped him from being runner-up for AL MVP in 2021 — and after a few “good” seasons, he’s shown this season that he can still be one. strength in the middle of a lineup. While 2024 shortstop Bo Bichette hasn’t been the player the league has seen in recent seasons, Vladdy’s value could provide Toronto with an opportunity to prepare for the future.
Enter the Mariners, whose biggest problem in recent seasons has been their inability to hit. Even their best outfielder, Julio Rodríguez, has struggled to produce consistently. A player like Guerrero could help take the pressure off Rodríguez and change the overall dynamic of Seattle’s offense. The added benefit of acquiring the 2021 AL MVP runner-up would be that the team would have another year of club control after this season. If things work out in Seattle, perhaps Rodríguez and Guerrero could become MLB’s next great duo.
The Blue Jays may not be willing to move Guerrero, but the reality is that what they built hasn’t worked and it’s time for them to start thinking about a future that doesn’t involve Guerrero or Bichette.
There’s no doubt that any team that wants to make the postseason and needs to start pitching has its eyes on the White Sox ace. Coming off Tommy John surgery, Crochet had a great season in his first year as a starter and currently leads the MLB in strikeouts. The big lefty showed that he can not only lead a rotation, but also dominate in the playmaker role.
The Orioles have built their roster and farm system methodically over the past few seasons. After being the best team in the American League last season but being eliminated in the wild card round for failing to make any key moves by the deadline, they need to strike while their iron is hot this year. Corbin Burnes has been everything they thought he would be since coming over from the Brewers, but he will be a free agent after this season. And given season-ending injuries to John Means, Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells, the O’s are in desperate need of weapons.
Crochet would provide the O’s with an additional arm at the top of their rotation as they pushed for the pennant again. What’s more, with his two years of club control beyond 2024, he would give the O’s a great option if Burnes leaves as a free agent. One caveat: Crochet has never thrown as many innings in professional football as he has this year, which will be something any team that acquires him will have to watch as the season goes on.
The White Sox have a lot of leverage here, but the Orioles should be kicking down the doors in their attempts to acquire one of baseball’s most valuable assets.
Chisholm may be the most polarizing player in baseball. His skill and confidence are unmatched, but they don’t always translate into production on the field. Much of that is due to his inability to stay healthy throughout his five MLB seasons, but this year Chisolm has reaffirmed his value, having already appeared in 93 games.
Chisholm’s best attribute comes with his bat, as it offers a good combination of speed and power. While he has been an elite defender at second base in 2021, his defensive prowess and athleticism have not translated to center field, where he does not excel as a good defender.
Elsewhere in the NL, the Reds were expected to be players in the wild card race this season, but they haven’t found the magic they had last season. Much of this setback came from the inability to sustain the attack. But Great American Ballpark is the kind of environment where Chisholm’s smooth, left-handed swing could thrive and provide some thunder. The Bahamian outfielder could be the perfect platoon partner for current Reds center fielder Stuart Fairchild, who crushes lefties, and the smaller stadium could help Chisholm’s defense, as he would have less space to cover than in Miami.
Cincinnati needs a spark and should bank on Chisholm’s upside. Furthermore, Chisholm and Elly De La Cruz in the same lineup would be, at the very least, the most presumptuous duo in baseball.
There was a time when Alonso signing an extension to remain in Queens long-term was a possibility, but those days no longer exist. With a new regime in the boardroom and Alonso’s time under club control coming to an end, now seems like the right time for the Polar Bear to spring into action.
Perhaps Alonso’s best quality as a player is his consistency. Over the past four full seasons (excluding 2020), he has hit at least 37 home runs, played in at least 150 games, and posted an OPS+ above 120. This year, he is once again on pace to reach those marks.
For most of the last decade, the Astros have been banking on that. And the organization’s aggressive approach at the trade deadline is one of the reasons they reached the ALCS in seven consecutive seasons, winning two World Series championships. However, due to this aggressiveness, its agricultural system is not as well supplied as it once was. Still, they may have enough to get two months of Alonso’s services.
It’s true that the Mets have been a big story so far this season and currently hold the NL’s third wild card, but it’s a lot to ask for them to continue to play the way they did before the All-Star break.
While the Mets have publicly stated that they would love for Alonso to remain in Queens, the reality is that it is up to Alonso and his representative, Scott Boras. At this point, Alonso is more likely to test the free agent market. If that’s the case, it would behoove the Mets to make their first baseman available this month, especially considering their other areas of need and a farm system that could use more talent and high-quality depth.
It seems unbelievable that Scherzer could soon be on his fifth team in four seasons, but with the Rangers 7.5 games out of the wild card, that could be the reality for the three-time Cy Young winner come July 31. franchise history last season, things haven’t gone so well for the Rangers this year, and they should probably be sellers at the deadline.
The Brewers, on the other hand, have been the class of the NL Central for most of the season and if there’s one area they could bolster their roster, it would be the rotation. Due to several injuries to young starters such as prospect Robert Gasser, the Brewers needed a lot of depth. Milwaukee already added an arm via trade earlier this month, acquiring right-hander Aaron Civale from the Tampa Bay Rays. Scherzer would bring another quality arm to a rotation that could use depth and postseason experience to support Civale, Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Colin Rea.
With Scherzer a free agent at the end of the season and the Mets/Rangers paying his salary this year, acquiring him wouldn’t cost Milwaukee nearly the potential capital they would have to give up for other starting pitchers who might be available.
