The MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching. These next two months will be extremely telling as to who’s going to go for it, or who’s going to throw in the towel and focus on the future. We’ll figure out who’s truly in the mix for the postseason and who the long shots are. All we can do now is speculate, but here are three teams that we might end up seeing become sellers when the deadline comes upon us.
New York Yankees
It’s been a disappointing year thus far for the Evil Empire. The Bronx Bombers are coming off being swept by the rival Red Sox over the weekend, which marks the first time the Yanks have been swept at home by Boston since 2011.
It might be a stretch to assume the Yankees will be sellers, as they do still have a very talented roster; one you’d expect to be a clear World Series contender. But they’ve had their fair share of offensive struggles, and if this continues, we could potentially see them retool for 2022.
It’s tough to say who New York will choose to dangle. Potential names include Gleyber Torres, Gio Urshela, and Miguel Andûjar. They could also look to see if they could get something for utility man Rougned Odor. It’s unlikely they’ll try to get rid of Torres or Urshela though, as those are two major pieces in the Yankees lineup. But anything is possible, especially if they continue to struggle the way they are right now.
There’s plenty of time for the Bombers to turn it around, but don’t be surprised to see players like Andûjar being listed as potential trade bait if they don’t.
Washington Nationals
They’re only seven games back in a weak division with plenty of talent and time left in the season. We saw them turn things around in 2019 after a 19-31 start, ultimately winning the World Series.
But in any other division, Washington would be buried by now. More and more it seems as if 2019 was a last gasp for a team that had been through so many heart wrenching postseason failures and was finally starting to see their window to win close.
The big question everybody has is what will they do with Max Scherzer. There has been some speculation that they may deal him to the St. Louis Cardinals, the team that originally drafted him, as he is a St. Louis native.
They could also look to deal players like Starlin Castro, Josh Harrison, Jon Lester and even Kyle Schwarber. The latter three are signed to one-year deals, so it may make sense to deal off some of those assets before they become free-agents again.
Though they have plenty of talent on the roster, it’s looking like the Nats’ window is shutting. They sit in fourth-place in the NL East behind the Mets, Braves, and Phillies, and aren’t that far ahead of the last-place Marlins. This is all after finishing tied with New York for last in the East in 2020, so it may be time for a rebuilding phase in the Nation’s Capital.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phils sit in third-place in the weak NL East at 28-30, four games behind the Mets, so they’re within striking distance, while also having plenty of talent on their roster. But since signing Bryce Harper to a 13-year, $330M deal prior to the 2019 season, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan.
The Phillies still haven’t made it to the postseason since 2011. They weren’t too far off last year, but it’s still worth questioning whether or not their window to win has passed just like Washington’s seems to have.
They probably won’t deal off any major pieces unless it’s for the right price. It’s always possible though that somebody could come calling about Didi Gregorious, who’s on a 2-year contract.
Players like Brad Miller and Andrew McCutchen are free-agents to be, so it would be no surprise if a team looking for an outfielder or some bench depth checks in on these guys.
There’s still plenty of time left in the season, and plenty of talent on all three of these teams’ rosters, but if things stay the way they are, we might just see some teams willing to shake things up at the deadline.
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