Tensions are mounting as Major League Baseball’s trading TBEN arrives at 6:00 PM ET today. Several big names are already on the move – and there’s no doubt more will come.
On Monday, Josh Hader was traded to the San Diego Padres, Frankie Montas was traded to the New York Yankees and Trey Mancini was traded to the Houston Astros.
Will Juan Soto be next? The bidding war for the All-Star outfielder has come down to the Padres, St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, according to multiple reports.
Follow today’s action and get the latest news and rumors counting down to the TBEN:
OPINION: Yankees make it clear on trade TBEN: World Series of bust
ANALYSIS: Brewers believe they can still win without All-Star closer Josh Hader
MONDAY BLOG TBEN: Recap Josh Hader, Frankie Montas deals and more
Twins bring Orioles closer Jorge Lopez
Desperate for bullpen help, the Minnesota Twins have acquired 2022 AL All-Star Jorge Lopez from the Baltimore Orioles.
According to Jeff Passan of ESPNwill receive the O’s left-handed Cade Povich, right-handed reliever Yennier Cano and Extra Low Prospects in exchange for 29-year-old Lopez.
In by far the best season of his seven-year career, Lopez has made the transition from struggling starter (3-14, 6.07 ERA in 2021) to lights-out closer – converting 19 of 23 save chances and pitching for a 1.68 ERA in 44 appearances.
The Twins went through several closers after trading 2021 All-Star Taylor Rogers to the Padres this spring. Emilio Pagan leads the team with nine saves, with five others picking up at least one.
Padres front runners in Soto sweepstakes?
The San Diego Padres are now seen by multiple observers as the “most motivated” team to put together a package for Juan Soto, in the words of The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
They have several high-level prospects — including shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder Robert Hassell III — that would be key to creating a package that the Nationals would accept.
Barry Svrluga of the Washington Post goes even further, calling the Padres the “most likely landing spot” for Soto. In addition, he says the Padres could also acquire first baseman Josh Bell as part of a Soto deal.
What makes the Padres different from the other rumors about Soto is that they may have a little more trouble getting him to sign a long-term extension before becoming a free agent at the end of the 2024 season. That’s because they already have two huge contracts on the books: Fernando Tatis (14 years, $340 million) and Manny Machado (10 years, $340 million). However, Machado’s contract does allow him to opt out after the 2024 season.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY, the Padres wouldn’t necessarily have to exhaust their farm system in the coming years if they bought Soto. They could always trade him for more top people before he becomes a free agent.
Monday’s 5 Biggest Trades
Yankees lands Frankie Montas, improved everywhere
The New York Yankees have been at the top of the baseball world all season, but they were far more concerned about their team than they’ve ever publicly revealed.
So, what did they do?
They took the ace of Oakland A, Frankie Montas, on Monday when they couldn’t get Luis Castillo off the Cincinnati Reds. They passed Brewers All-Star closer Josh Hader, who went to San Diego, but turned around and acquired Oakland closer Lou Trivino in the Montas-trade. They also bought Cubs rookie reliever Scott Effross. They are competing in the Juan Soto sweepstakes, but took over Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals last week.
– Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
Brewers Think They Can Still Win Without Josh Hader
The Milwaukee Brewers informed teams in early July that four-time All-Star closer Josh Hader was available, believing they could still win the NL Central without him, but warned that the asking price would be high.
Well, they’ll soon find out if they’re right in their assessment, trading Hader on Monday for the San Diego Padres for closer Trevor Rogers, starter Dinelson Lamet, pitching prospect Robert Gasser and outfield prospect Esteury Ruiz.
“Trading good players in good teams is difficult, and that is certainly the case with Josh,” said Brewers chairman David Stearns. “We also recognize that we need to make decisions that are not easy to give our organization the best chance of sustained competitiveness and to avoid the lengthy periods of downtime that so many organizations experience.”
– Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
The Tigers of 2022 were not allowed to be sellers. How it all went wrong.
There was a time, not too long ago, when the Detroit Tigers envisioned a very different approach to the 2022 trading TBEN – 6pm Tuesday, less than two hours before they play against the Twins in Minnesota.
On paper, the Tigers lined up to compete. But on the field, due to numerous injuries and poor performances, the Tigers have the third-worst record in the AL, and the offense — averaging 3.21 runs per game — is one of the worst in baseball history.
“I’m just trying to make sure our guys realize we’ve put ourselves in this situation,” Hinch said. “We have to deal with the effects of the stress, fear, curiosity and the reality that if I was on the outside and I had a fighting club I would have some pieces that I would like to have here as well.”
-Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MLB Trading TBEN: Updates on Rumors, News and Deals on Tuesday
