Friday, July 31

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Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed. Today’s edition is brought to you by David Adler.

The Trade Deadline is only three days away now, and as the clock keeps ticking down, we get a better and better sense of where different teams stand — who’s buying, and who’s selling. 

And new sellers means new trade candidates. 

Let’s take a look at some of those teams and what they have to offer on the trade market before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Deadline hits. 

Tigers 

The Tigers’ recent performance has seemingly pushed them toward dealing Tarik Skubal and more. Skubal, of course, has no shortage of suitors as the best player available at the Deadline. We rank who needs the ace lefty the most here, and you can follow the latest Skubal rumors here. But also keep an eye on other Detroit players like Casey Mize, who was just scratched from his start today as a non-injury precaution before the Trade Deadline.

Blue Jays 

The defending American League pennant winners are in last place in the AL East and well out of playoff position. Toronto is looking for long-term solutions at the Deadline, and the Jays have plenty of players on expiring contracts they could move, including George Springer, Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber and Kevin Gausman. 

Reds 

The Reds’ playoff odds have bottomed out lately, which puts a bunch of players on the trade block. We have a breakdown of which Reds could be on the move here, but by far the most interesting name is ace Hunter Greene — who has a “50-50” chance of being traded, as a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. 

Cardinals 

After the Cards fell below .500 for the first time all season this week, the arrow is pointing firmly in the “seller” direction. That could mean farewells for both hitters like Lars Nootbaar and pitchers like Dustin May. St. Louis has other solid trade chips on the roster, too.

Besides that group of teams, there are a few others who could also pivot toward selling over the next few days, especially if they have rough weekends. 

Orioles 

Pending free agents like Taylor Ward and Trevor Rogers are the likeliest O’s to be dealt, but recent reports say Baltimore is even having trade conversations about core pieceslike Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser and Adley Rutschman.

Marlins 

The Marlins are still close in the National League Wild Card race, but there’s no question their recent 12-game losing streak has impacted their Trade Deadline plans. Here’s a look at where Miami stands ahead of the Deadline, including the team’s chances of trading Sandy Alcantara and others.

Nationals 

All-Star pitcher Foster Griffin and All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams are two of the bigger Nats names who’ve popped up in trade rumors, if Washington decides to go in the selling direction.

We could be in for a busy weekend, so just sit back and watch the trades roll in. 

 

GAMES OF THE NIGHT

Here are three games to watch this weekend — one for each day. 

Tonight: Pirates at Reds (6:10 p.m. ET, MLB.TV) 

We kick the weekend off with a nice Paul Skenes-Hunter Greene pitchers’ duel. Skenes is still having a weird year — in his last start, he struck out a season-high 11 against the Cubs but also allowed five runs in an 11-0 loss, but with the Pirates just out of a Wild Card spot, they need the reigning Cy Young winner to dominate. The flamethrowing Greene will make his last start before the Trade Deadline amid the recent rumors that he might be dealt.

Tomorrow: Yankees at Cubs (7:15 p.m. ET, FOX)

Max Fried’s second start off the injured list wasn’t as pristine as his first, but the Yankees picked him up in a win over the White Sox. Now the star lefty heads to Wrigley to face the other Chicago squad — a team he’s dominated over the years. Fried is 6-1 in seven career starts against the Cubs with a 1.76 ERA.

Sunday: Brewers at Angels (3:15 p.m. ET, Peacock/NBCSN)

It’s Miz Day in Anaheim, as Cy Young favoriteJacob Misiorowski takes his MLB-leading 1.58 ERA and 185 strikeouts into the series finale against the Angels. He’s coming off a crazy game against the Rockies where he struck out 12 of the first 13 batters he faced and hit triple digits on all 66 fastballs he threw. 

HOW ASTROS PLUCKED YORDAN FROM DODGERS

Ten years ago, the Astros pulled off one of the greatest trades in MLB history. And nobody had any idea at the time.

The deal happened on Aug. 1, 2016, the day of the Trade Deadline. It was announced via an innocuous post on social media: “The Astros have acquired Cuban Minor League IF/OF Yordan Alvarez from the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for RHP Josh Fields.” 

And the funniest thing was, Houston fans weren’t happy. The Astros were trading a valuable big league reliever for an unknown 19-year-old Cuban prospect who hadn’t yet played a single game in the Minor Leagues for the Dodgers. 

If only we knew then what we know now. 

A decade later, Alvarez is one of the most feared sluggers in all of baseball. He’s a four-time All-Star, a Silver Slugger, a World Series champion … and this year, he might even become a Triple Crown winner and MVP.  

On the 10-year anniversary of the Astros snatching their future superstar from L.A., Brian McTaggart looks back at how the fateful deal unfolded. 

Just remember as you watch the action this Trade Deadline, even the most minor acquisition might look like the steal of the century a few years down the road. 

TRADE RUMORS: WHO’S THE NEXT MET TO GO?

We’re bringing you all the latest rumors up to Monday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. Today, we wonder which Mets player might be the next one traded.

The Mets, who are expected to be one of the Deadline’s most active sellers, made their first deal late last night, trading A.J. Minter to the Twins.

So who’s next? 

Well, Freddy Peralta was scratched from his scheduled start tonight, so keep an eye on him. The right-hander has been drawing significant interest from around the league as a starting pitcher with upside.

Along those same lines, Clay Holmes is also not expected to make his own scheduled start on Sunday, the day before the Deadline. The ground-ball machine could be on the move, too.

The Mets’ other top trade candidates include reliever Luke Weaver and outfielder Luis Robert Jr.

Moving on from the Mets, here’s a quick look at the state of the catching market.

Could Adley Rutschman be the prize of the catching market? The Orioles could take advantage of the demand for catchers, but the chance of a Rutschman deal could hinge on their willingness to trade him within the AL East — as the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox are reportedly three of his top suitors.

The Cardinals also have a trio of catchers who could be available: Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés and Jimmy Crooks. With so many contenders looking for catching help, the Cards are reportedly listening to offers on all three players, in addition to all their other potential trade candidates.

See more of today’s latest trade rumors here >> 

AROUND THE LEAGUE

Here’s the news and notes from around the Majors …

• Shane McClanahan is headed to the injured list a day after he left his start early with left mid-back tightness. The hope is that the lefty will miss only two starts, but Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said today that the team is interested in adding a starting pitcher before the Trade Deadline — and Tampa Bay has been reported as a suitor for Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta.

• Andrew Painter will return to the big leagues tonight and start the Phillies’ series opener against the Orioles in Baltimore. The rookie struggled in his first stint in the Majors at the start of the season but has shown signs of improvement in the Minors of late.

• Pirates rookie slugger Esmerlyn Valdez has burst onto the scene with 14 home runs through his first 41 career big league games. Aiden Stepansky goes behind the scenes on how Pittsburgh discovered “The Magician” — who they first scouted as a 13-year-old in Baní in the Dominican Republic. 

• With top prospect Max Clark set to make his MLB debut for the Tigers, MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo explains how the 21-year-old outfield phenom is even more than meets the eye.

• Two-time MLB home run king Chris Davis will be inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame this weekend. Jake Rill looks back on the top moments of the lefty slugger’s career.

• With the Mets hosting their 40-year reunionfor the 1986 World Series-winning team tomorrow at Citi Field, Darryl Strawberry and Keith Hernandez reflect on what it means to see their old teammates and still have the city’s support four decades later. 

 

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