BLS Roundtable: What trade needs to happen at the deadline?
The Major League Baseball trade deadline is just days away. While there have been a lot of rumors thus far, no team has pulled the trigger on a big deal just yet.
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That should change pretty soon. We already know a number of desirable players are available, and interest is only going to increase as the deadline approaches.
With that in mind, we’ve asked our experts to pick one trade they believe needs to happen at the deadline.
TROY TULOWITZKI TO THE NEW YORK METS
You won’t find a better match in terms of needs. Of course, you probably won’t find two teams more reluctant to change things up either, so no one should get their hopes up.
The bottom line is the Mets need an offensive centerpiece, and that’s the type of guy Tulowitzki is when healthy. His durability is a great concern, no doubt, but of greater concern to me would be wasting this year with Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard all healthy and pitching well. Add Tulowitzki. Promote Michael Conforto. Give yourself a chance to score another run or two every game and watch the wins pile up.
On the other side, Colorado needs to launch a full blown rebuild at some point. Why not now? Maybe the Mets hang up the phone if they ask for Steven Matz. Maybe they don’t. It doesn’t hurt to ask. (Mark Townsend)
ANY STARTING PITCHER TO TORONTO
The Blue Jays’ trade deadline priority is simple: acquire a starting pitcher. Toronto is third-last in starters’ ERA in the American League and dead-last in FIP, so they can certainly use some help. Seriously, almost any one will do. A higher-end option like Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto would be ideal, but go down the list of available arms (Jeff Samardzija, James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, Mat Latos, Dan Haren, Mike Fiers…) and they all represent a rotation upgrade. Taking into account that they already have the league’s best offense, when you put one of those names in front of Drew Hutchison, Mark Buehrle, Marco Estrada and R.A. Dickey,, the Jays suddenly look like a more legitimate playoff contender and a threat to win the AL East. (Israel Fehr)
The Blue Jays’ trade deadline priority is simple: acquire a starting pitcher. Toronto is third-last in starters’ ERA in the American League and dead-last in FIP, so they can certainly use some help. Seriously, almost any one will do. A higher-end option like Cole Hamels or Johnny Cueto would be ideal, but go down the list of available arms (Jeff Samardzija, James Shields, Scott Kazmir, Mike Leake, Mat Latos, Dan Haren, Mike Fiers…) and they all represent a rotation upgrade. Taking into account that they already have the league’s best offense, when you put one of those names in front of Drew Hutchison, Mark Buehrle, Marco Estrada and R.A. Dickey,, the Jays suddenly look like a more legitimate playoff contender and a threat to win the AL East. (Israel Fehr)
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JOHNNY CUETO TO THE ROYALS
Let’s face it, the Kansas City Royals are in desperate need of an ace. Yordano Ventura was expected to fill that role coming into the season, but he’s gone through a bit of a sophomore slump. Ventura should be in the minors working things out at the moment, but Jason Vargas’ injury forced the Royals to bring him back up. If the Royals started a playoff series today, they would probably have to roll with Edinson Volquez, Chris Young and Ventura as their starters. That’s underwhelming, and probably not a rotation that wins the World Series. With Cueto, the team picks up a legitimate ace who gives the Royals a chance every time he’s on the mound. Those other pitchers can’t guarantee that. Cueto, or any ace, really, makes way too much sense for Kansas City. (Chris Cwik)
Let’s face it, the Kansas City Royals are in desperate need of an ace. Yordano Ventura was expected to fill that role coming into the season, but he’s gone through a bit of a sophomore slump. Ventura should be in the minors working things out at the moment, but Jason Vargas’ injury forced the Royals to bring him back up. If the Royals started a playoff series today, they would probably have to roll with Edinson Volquez, Chris Young and Ventura as their starters. That’s underwhelming, and probably not a rotation that wins the World Series. With Cueto, the team picks up a legitimate ace who gives the Royals a chance every time he’s on the mound. Those other pitchers can’t guarantee that. Cueto, or any ace, really, makes way too much sense for Kansas City. (Chris Cwik)
DAVID PRICE TO THE ASTROS
David Price NEEDS to get traded to the Houston Astros. And I don’t say this just because he has a dog named Astro. Well, not entirely anyway. The Astros were the surprise story of the first half, but they’ve slipped a little bit since then, with the Los Angeles Angels taking the lead in the AL West. David Price could help. The Detroit Tigers aren’t going to re-sign Price and could very well trade him. The young, talented core of the Astros with David Price added to the mix would change the conversation in the AL West. It would also signal that the once-lowly Astros of old are no more and these Astros are here to win. And did we mention that David Price’s dog is named Astro? Because in a Tinder world, that’s a total swipe right. (Mike Oz)
David Price NEEDS to get traded to the Houston Astros. And I don’t say this just because he has a dog named Astro. Well, not entirely anyway. The Astros were the surprise story of the first half, but they’ve slipped a little bit since then, with the Los Angeles Angels taking the lead in the AL West. David Price could help. The Detroit Tigers aren’t going to re-sign Price and could very well trade him. The young, talented core of the Astros with David Price added to the mix would change the conversation in the AL West. It would also signal that the once-lowly Astros of old are no more and these Astros are here to win. And did we mention that David Price’s dog is named Astro? Because in a Tinder world, that’s a total swipe right. (Mike Oz)
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