In the latest MLB trade rumors, the Dodgers are engaged on Ohtani, the Cardinals could cash in, and the Mariners are undecided on their path forward.
It's Friday, July 21st as of this writing. We are 11 days away from the pure chaos of the MLB Trade Deadline.
Here's the latest on what to know in regard to MLB trade rumors today.
The Mariners seem entirely undecided on direction
Not long ago, reports indicated the Seattle Mariners, despite already sending a pitcher out this year, were going to switch things up and be buyers at the trade deadline. The latest reports indicate they're leaning back toward being sellers.
At exactly .500 as of this writing, it makes sense for the Mariners to be on the fence about direction. They're a young team who might not want to mortgage the future by adding win-now assets if it costs them prospects, especially considering the intensity of their division.
Here's what Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto said on a recent radio appearance:
"We are always one foot in the camp of buyer and one foot in the camp of seller, believing that the best way to approach any trade deadline is with the mindset of 'how do we make the Mariners better?'"
The Rangers are in the lead in the AL West, and the Astros could easily make a leap forward with a few moves. The Angels could go either direction depending on Ohtani.
Seattle's decisions at the trade deadline are anyone's guess. It sounds like that's true even for those in the Mariners organization.
The Rays are targeting pitchers
The Tampa Bay Rays have a need for starting pitching. Remember, Drew Rasmussen is out for the season with a UCL issue, and won't return until midway through 2024.
They're looking into two Midwest pitchers, one of them being Marcus Stroman of the Chicago Cubs, the other being Michael Lorenzen of the Detroit Tigers.
Jon Morosi reported on Lorenzen, and MLB Trade Rumors reminded us of the Rays' reported interest in Stroman.
Stroman is, surely, the bigger name and will command the heftier price tag. He's been a lock-down starting pitcher for Chicago this year in what will likely wind up being a contract season (player option for the final year of his deal in 2024). Stroman has been vocal about wanting to secure an extension to stay at Wrigley Field, but reports have suggested the Cubs won't work with him on an extension in-season.
He's a true Cy Young candidate with a 3.09 ERA and 1.144 WHIP. His 15 quality starts leads MLB, and every time he's on the mound he gives his team a solid opportunity to walk away with a win.
Meanwhile, Lorenzen has a 3.49 ERA and a 1.093 WHIP. At 5-6, his win/loss record has been somewhat muted thanks to the poor play from the Tigers in general.
Lorenzen's four-seam fastball is one of the 25 best pitches in MLB this season if you look at run value from Statcast. Stroman's best pitch doesn't come in until 81 overall, which makes sense considering Stroman mixes his arsenal significantly to secure ground balls rather than relying on any one lead pitch. Stroman leads the league in ground ball outs with 168.
St. Louis Cardinals are getting healthy at perfect time to sell high
Tyler O'Neill has been perpetually injured, it seems like. After appearing in 138 games in 2021, he appeared in 96 in 2022 and 30 so far this season. But with a debut on Thursday, perhaps there's some optimism that his injury history will finally be behind him, allowing the Cardinals to move him in a trade.
The Cardinals will have to sell possible buyers on the hope that O'Neill can regain his 2021 form where his OPS+ was 148. That might be a tough pitch to make considering his struggles with a 99 last season and a 78 in the games he's appeared in thus far on top of the injury issues that have prevented him from getting in any sort of groove.
If there's any hope for the Cardinals, it's that in addition to pitching, outfielders with strong bats are needed across the league. The Phillies seem to really need something there so they can move Kyle Schwarber to DH (with Bryce Harper making a move to first base). The Yankees could bite on a move like this considering left field has been a massive problem for them all season long.
St. Louis has been winning recently but still stands 10 games out of the lead. Katie Woo of The Athletic recently reminded fans that President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak's comments indicate there's probably little chance the recent wins will steer them away from being deadline sellers (subscription required).
Look for O'Neill to be on the move now that he's back in the lineup, assuming he bats well.
In his first game back on Thursday, he got a double and two walks in four plate appearances.
Shohei Ohtani to the Dodgers is very much in play at the trade deadline
As will be typical for the next week-plus, Shohei Ohtani will be the primary focus of any and all meaningful MLB rumors.
Frankly, your neighbor's guess is as good as anyone else's as far as what team will end up rostering Ohtani — I was shocked to hear the Tampa Bay Rays mentioned — come August 2nd, but clearly, some teams are ahead of others in terms of general likelihood.
One would think the Angels will demand a high price to move a generational talent like Ohtani, and the most likely possible teams to find that price tenable are those who think they have a chance of re-signing him come the offseason when he enters free agency. After all, while Ohtani might be the best rental player of all time, sending out a massive haul for just a few months of a player seems ill-advised from a long-term team-building standpoint.
Teams could view the cost as more palatable if they have hopes of getting him to sign his massive long-term deal with them in the winter. The Los Angeles Dodgers — due to their West Coast location and winning history — are thought to be current leaders.
Lo and behold, they are also rumored to be in the mix to try to trade for Ohtani as well. Jon Heyman reported that sources have told him the Dodgers aren't, "completely eliminated," as a trade candidate. This comes after reports previously that indicated the Angels were refusing to send Ohtani to the cross-town team.
Sounds like anything could go in regards to Ohtani.