Trade season is in full swing. Both Los Angeles teams have decided to buy while the White Sox have thrown in the towel. With the MLB trade deadline set for Tuesday, August 1, let’s look at what teams should be selling for the future and what teams are in win now mode.
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Who’s Staying Put?
Shohei Ohtani
MLB fans will have to wait till the offseason for Shohei Ohtani to be on the move. The Los Angeles Angels finally decided to buy this trade deadline with the acquisition of Lucas Giolito from the Chicago White Sox. A move that they almost had to make to keep Ohtani happy. As of publishing, the Angels are five games out of the third and final Wild Card spot. This is the first time the Angels have been buyers at the deadline since they had Ohtani. It cost the Angels a premium as they gave up two of their top five prospects in what is already one of the worst farm systems in baseball.
Cody Bellinger
The Chicago Cubs announced on Sunday that they will not be trading Cody Bellinger. After multiple lackluster years after his MVP season, Bellinger is playing at the top of his game with a .315 batting average and 31 extra-base hits. Like the Angels, the Cubs are getting hot at the right time and are just three games out of the final Wild Card spot. The Cubs still have to decide whether to trade pitcher Marcus Stroman who is in the final year of his contract.
Who Should Be Buying?
Young and small market teams have to decide whether it’s best to ride it out with their young core or make a push for October. Let’s discuss two teams that need to be buyers at the deadline.
Baltimore Orioles
The first-place Baltimore Orioles are surging. They just took three out of four games from the then leading AL East Tampa Bay Rays. But there’s one glaring hole that the team needs to address. Starting pitching. The Orioles have gotten by with veteran Kyle Gibson and lackluster play from top prospect Grayson Rodriguez. Tyler Wells has not been as sharp as he was to start the season while Kyle Bradish is leading the rotation.
The Seattle Mariners who are 5.5 games back, are in a tough situation. They made the playoffs for the first time last season in over 20 years but could be sellers at the deadline. The Orioles are the perfect team to sell a haul for a young arm like Logan Gilbert. Unlikely to deal the 26-year-old, the Mariners have a ton of young talent in their rotation where they could afford to let go of Gilbert. With the price expected to be high on Gilbert, Detroit Tigers starting pitchers Eduardo Rodriguez and All-Star Michael Lorenzen would be fine options as the Orioles look to keep their lead atop the AL East.
Miami Marlins
Like the Orioles, this is unfamiliar territory for the Miami Marlins. They’ll look to make the playoffs for just the second time since 2003 when they won the World Series. Unlike the Orioles, the pitching is not the problem, it’s their hitting. They lack power as they rank in the bottom 10 in slugging and have hit the second-fewest home runs in all of baseball. A power bat in the middle of the order like Washington Nationals switch hitter Jeimer Candelario would be the perfect fit. Candelario has 16 home runs on the season and is a righty killer.
To Make the Playoffs Market
Keep an eye on this market on DraftKings. The Yankees and Giants are great bets to “Not Make The Playoffs” if the number is right. Even if the Yankees are buyers at the deadline, their offense is too poor to keep up with the rest of the AL East. The Giants are in a similar situation where the offense just isn’t there. They rank 19th in batting average and are in the bottom half of the league in on-base percentage.
The Philadelphia Phillies to “make the playoffs” will be a play unless there’s heavy vig on the “Yes”. The lineup is solid enough to get them through, but they need Aaron Nola to return to form and get a quality 3-4 starter to round out the rotation.
