With time winding down, answering your last-minute Deadline questions
Mark Feinsand
The countdown is on – for real.
With just about 24 hours remaining until the Trade Deadline, MLB.com senior national reporter Mark Feinsand hopped on for one final question and answer session with fans on Reddit AMA.
Here’s the rundown:
Q: Do you expect Jameson Taillon to be traded?
Feinsand: It certainly seems to be trending in that direction. The starting pitching market has some big names, but Taillon is signed with the Cubs for two more years and has drawn interest from a number of clubs. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he’s traded by Tuesday night.
Q: Do you think there are any blockbusters/legitimately shocking moves on the horizon before the Deadline, or do you expect this Deadline to be relatively quiet?
Feinsand: Unless the Blue Jays reverse course and decide to trade Vladimir Guerrero Jr., I would be surprised if any big names we haven’t already talked about get moved. That said, the fact that Blake Snell has entered the conversation in recent days is somewhat surprising, and from what I’m hearing, there’s a better than 50% chance he gets traded. I wouldn’t have predicted that a week ago.
Q: Is there an actual legitimate chance Blake Snell and/or Tarik Skubal gets traded? Or are teams just getting hung up on as soon as they call?
Feinsand: Snell, yes. Skubal, no … I think. From what I have heard, the Tigers aren’t looking to trade Skubal, but if a team comes to GM Scott Harris with a Godfather offer — i.e. one he can’t refuse — then it’s possible Detroit trades him. With two years of control left, there is no urgency for the Tigers to trade their ace.
Q: What would your ideal Rockies Deadline be?
Feinsand: Trading away Elias Díaz, Jalen Beeks, Cal Quantrill and Austin Gomber to bring in young talent to restock the farm system.
Q: What is the likelihood that the Mets trade for a starting pitcher and if the likelihood is high, what names are on their radar?
Feinsand: The chances grew exponentially once Kodai Senga suffered his latest injury. I would expect the Mets to be in on most starters, including Yusei Kikuchi, Taillon, Frankie Montas and Quantrill, among others.
Q: Is the lack of Guardians reporting because they are keeping things quiet or is it because they aren’t making calls?
Feinsand: I guarantee the Guardians are making calls. Some front offices keep their plans closer to the vest than others, which is why you aren’t hearing as much out of Cleveland. But I’d be shocked if they didn’t do something by Tuesday night. (The Guardians ended up acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas from the Nationals on Monday.)
Q: Thoughts/predictions/rumblings about what the Yankees will finish this Deadline doing? Relievers, infield, bench?
Feinsand: Having already added Jazz Chisholm Jr., I still expect the Yankees to trade for at least one reliever and possibly an infielder. In a perfect world for New York, I believe that would be Luis Rengifo and Tanner Scott.
Q: I’m about 80% sure the Yankees are trying to trade Nestor Cortes and then upgrade at starting pitcher to solidify a playoff trio. Any rumblings that this is likely to happen?
Feinsand: There are some rumblings that the Yankees are open to trading Cortes, as reported by Jon Heyman. I am not sure that will happen, though, as the cost to acquire a better starter appears to be very high. The Yankees have bigger fish to fry, namely in the bullpen and at third base.
Q: The new Wild Card expansion has objectively had an impact on the dynamics of the Trade Deadline. This year in particular has been slow to develop due to so many National League teams being within striking distance of the Wild Card leading to far less clear sellers. Is there any solution to this or can we look forward to slower and smaller Trade Deadlines moving forward?
Feinsand: The additional Wild Card has certainly had an impact on the Deadline, though I think for the better. It may result in fewer sellers up until the final days, but it also keeps more teams in the postseason hunt and gives more fan bases reasons to watch their teams. This year’s crop of sellers doesn’t feature a Juan Soto/Manny Machado type, though past years have. The hype around the Deadline always depends on the quality of players available.
Q: How much does one deal affect the market? Michael Lorenzen didn’t get as much as I’d have expected compared to some of the relievers who have been traded so far. Does that lower the market for a guy like Kikuchi or Jack Flaherty?
Feinsand: Most have Flaherty and Kikuchi a level above Lorenzen, so I doubt that deal will impact the price tags. The biggest thing that could impact the asks is simply time. The closer we get to 6 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the better the chances that the Blue Jays and Tigers lower their asking price to make sure they get something for the impending free agents.
Q: What’s your realistic trade if the Orioles were to trade for Skubal, and vice versa?
Feinsand: For the Tigers to trade Skubal, I would think that either Coby Mayo and/or Samuel Basallo would have to be in the deal, along with 2-3 other prospects.
Q: How much more do you think Rays fans will suffer this year? What are the odds I have to continually cower in fear from the sound of notifications from the MLB app? What do you think is the likelihood we see Yandy Díaz, Brandon Lowe, Pete Fairbanks, or someone else from the Rays’ roster get dealt?
Feinsand: I would say the chances of another notification regarding a Rays trade is high. This has been Tampa Bay’s MO for years; when players begin to make real money and move through the arbitration process, there’s a good chance they get traded. That said, Erik Neander is one of the best GMs in the game and tends to have a long-term plan in mind with each deal. Rays fans will be sad to see some of their favorite players leave, but they should have the trust that the front office knows what it’s doing. I won’t be surprised to see Díaz get traded, though I haven’t heard as much about Lowe and Fairbanks recently. Then again, considering what the return was for Jason Adam, Fairbanks should bring back an even better package.
Q: Some reports indicate that the Orioles are a team “in” on Blake Snell. His last few starts have been promising and he would pair nicely with Corbin Burnes atop the O’s rotation. The only thing that bothers me is the $30M player option for 2025. Are there instances where an MLB player has dropped a portion of his contract to facilitate a trade? I’ve seen it in the NFL, but I don’t recall it happening in MLB. What would the Giants be expecting back for a rental player that had a rough first half?
Feinsand: I don’t expect Snell to make any concessions on his contract. The MLBPA would likely have a big problem with that. Snell’s contract makes a trade tricky; if he’s great down the stretch, he will likely opt out and then becomes a two-month rental. If he doesn’t pitch well or gets hurt, he is more likely not to opt out, saddling his new team with a $30 million contract for 2025. This situation is a tough one for teams looking to add a big arm to the rotation.
Q: Do you expect prices for relievers to increase or decrease once the big names are off the table? I could see teams scrambling to get resources at any cost, but could also see teams waiting too long to do anything and therefore selling for pennies on the dollar.
Feinsand: With every move for a relief pitcher, I think the prices go up … for now. Every contender can use another bullpen arm, and every time one comes off the board, the supply goes down while the demand remains high. Perhaps in the final hour before the Deadline we will see prices come down a bit, but teams with good relievers to trade will probably hold firm as long as they can.
Q: What are the Pirates waiting for? Did they try and miss out on some of the bigger outfield names, or do they feel like this is not their year to make moves? Basically if they’re not buying, why aren’t they selling like normal?
Feinsand: The Pirates are in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, but they’re also probably a year ahead of schedule. If I’m GM Ben Cherington, I’m not trading prospects or young talent away for rentals this year. If a controllable player becomes an option, then that would make sense. But standing pat for the most part isn’t a crazy idea for Pittsburgh, which can still get a Wild Card spot without making a big trade. They’re on the right track, so disrupting it in either direction is risky.
Q: Do the Yankees need to go all in while they have Juan Soto this year? Big fan of your Tik Toks!
Feinsand: The Yankees will make some more moves for sure, but I don’t see them trading Jasson Domínguez (Spencer Jones, maybe, but only in the right deal) to make a huge splash. The best thing that can happen for the Yankees is for Giancarlo Stanton to stay healthy, Gerrit Cole to start pitching like Gerrit Cole and some of their other players to play the way they were in April/May. This team has talent, they just haven’t been playing well for the past six weeks unless they’re named Judge or Soto. Remember, they WERE 50-22, and even with their recent play, they were only one game behind the Orioles entering play on Monday.
And thanks for the compliment, though I have no visions of myself becoming a big Tik Tok star anytime soon.
