Baseball Teams That Will Sell by the July 31 Trade Deadline
The second wild card in Major League Baseball has made the trade deadline even more interesting and necessary. There are typically more buyers and fewer sellers by virtue of more teams being in contention for the extra playoff spots.
There are some teams that are either on the brink of selling or holding off until their team can win games down the stretch or lose ground. These teams have some talent to spare, but if they lose ground, their long-term futures could be secured with some smart deadline deals.
Here are teams that should be selling by the July 31 trade deadline.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers have stirred the rumor trade mill while annoying some of their best players. They sit at 37-45, seven games out in the division, and their season is slipping away with a lack of run production from key players. With a few exceptions, their best players are over 30 years old and making a fair amount of money. The era of contention for this Tigers core is tailing off after being a strong unit for many years. If general manager Al Avila wants to be honest, no one should be untouchable but he cannot be too anxious to unravel the team without a good dividend for the future.
The Tigers would have to pay some money to move Justin Verlander, but they could get a good prospect in return for him. Verlander will be a good addition for any contender. J.D. Martinez is becoming a free agent and would be a solid part of any lineup with another good return for the Tigers. Miguel Cabrera and Jordan Zimmermann are likely untradeable due to their contracts or lack of production, but the Tigers would be wise to make everyone available.
San Francisco Giants
The drop-off for the Giants is a major reversal. Their win total was projected at 87 wins this season by the Westgate Superbook. Their losing results were magnified by the resurgence of the NL West with Colorado and Arizona playing on a much higher level. A playoff team last season, the Giants were largely undone by their bullpen, and hoped the acquisition of Mark Melancon would help their biggest weak spot. Melancon has faltered and the starting rotation has also been disappointing. Madison Bumgarner is the only starter with an ERA under four but he landed on injured reserve for the season with an extremely ill-advised off-day biking accident. That early season mishap started the Giant collapse this year.
Johnny Cueto has value but he still expects to opt out of his contract after the season ends, making him a prime trade candidate. The rest of the team players have droped in value this year. Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Brandon Crawford would be considered great trade bait, but the Giants need to build around a solid core if they have any chance next year to compete with their rivals in a much improved NL West division.
The Giants have retooled quickly in the past, but will have some tough decisions to make, since the current team roster needs more than a quick fix if they want to compete in their division.
Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays got off to a losing start out of the gate, winning just eight games in April before an 18-10 May gave them hope of a return to form. However, June looked more like April than May, with the team falling back below .500 at 11-15. They’re 10.5 games out of the AL East lead and well below the .500 mark while playing in a loaded division. The reality is becoming more apparent to the Jays to look to their future.
Starters Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano are both on expiring contracts and could fetch something in return, though both have struggled in 2017. The Jays can start over, but to move Josh Donaldson is very unlikely this year. Toronto simply isn’t good enough and they need a rebuilding strategy. They have no bargaining chips and are in a tough spot, but selling is their best option.
