INQUISITR.COM / Sports

MLB Trade Rumors: Five Players To Watch Before The Trading Deadline Arrives

By Inquisitr Staff
Published on: 07:39 PST, Jul 30, 2018

With the non-waiver trading deadline rapidly winding down, general managers are preparing to make their last-minute moves to solidify their rosters, dump salary, and create roster space, depending on the needs of each team. While no time has drastically shifted from buyer or neutral into a seller in the last week, some teams that were already sellers have made more players available. In some cases, teams that appeared fairly well set a week ago, have become buyers due to injury or trying to keep up with roster shifts in their division. Several deals are likely to go down very soon, but the odds are there are five names that will be dominating the trade deadline news cycle.

Chris Archer is the one player everyone seems to want, aside from Zack Wheeler whom it appears the Mets are now keeping. His salary is low for his talent, he is under club control for multiple seasons, and with a decent offense, he can win. Archer is being linked to the Yankees very strongly, but don’t be surprised if the Red Sox make a play for him. The Cubs, Dodgers, Padres, and Braves are all in the hunt for him as well, according to MLB.com. Currently, there is no clear favorite, but Yankee fans are pushing hard to have him in pinstripes.

Bryce Harper has been linked to the Dodgers, and he has complained as of late about the situation the Nationals are in, but it is now very long odds he is moved, according to MLB Trade Rumors. L.A. was unable to put a package together for him that Washington liked, and the Yankees only paid lip service to him. Most teams view him as being too expensive to rent as he is a free agent at the end of the season. In December, there will be a feeding frenzy around him, but for now, if he moves at all, it will be to the Dodgers.

Curtis Granderson is a salary the Blue Jays would love to dump. The problem is that he isn’t playing up to the paycheck he is getting. He still has value, but the list of suitors is a short one. If Granderson is moved, it is most likely he goes to the Yankees. New York is short three bats, two only short term, and Granderson could fill in temporarily. He is Yankee tested, well-liked, and may get his spark back when he is swinging for the short porch.

The Blue Jays are also pushing hard to move their closer Roberto Osuna, who is about to finish his suspension for violating the league’s domestic abuse policy. Talented as he may be, the odds are no one is going to bite. A ton of relievers have already shifted uniforms and even though Osuna can return on August 5, he may not be sharp enough to close until almost September which drastically decreases his value. More than that, no one seems to want him. If Toronto is going to move him, they will most likely have to give him away in a package deal.

Matt Harvey of the Reds is as good as gone. The question is where he’s going, as per Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic. While Harvey isn’t as sharp as he used to be, he eats innings, he can still get outs, and he would be an ideal fourth starter on at least four contenders right now. The market for him is about the same as it is for Archer, so it is most likely that whoever loses the Archer sweepstakes will go for Harvey as a consolation prize.

The non-waiver trade deadline is 4 p.m. ET on July 31. All trades filed with the Office of the Commissioner prior to that are eligible to go through even if physicals and paperwork are not fully completed.

Share this article: MLB Trade Rumors: Five Players To Watch Before The Trading Deadline Arrives
New York Yankees Bryce Harper
More from Inquisitr