MLB Trade Deadline 2024: Fixing the Biggest Need For Every Contender
With three wild cards in each league—and just the right amount of delusion—there are 19 teams you could realistically make the case will be buyers before Tuesday's trade deadline.
Those teams range from sure-fire World Series contenders like the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers and Baltimore Orioles to ones hoping to get red-hot over the final two months of the regular season so they can sneak into the playoffs, such as the Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants.
Here's a look at one trade that could fix the most pressing need for each team likely to view itself as a buyer in advance of the deadline.
Seattle Mariners Acquire a Pair of Juniors
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What franchise would it be more appropriate for to acquire a pair of Juniors as it tries to fix its issues than the Seattle Mariners?
The Mariners have a World Series-caliber pitching staff with a lineup that's 28th in runs scored. Seattle needs internal improvements from Julio Rodríguez and J.P. Crawford, but that alone isn't enough. President of Baseball Operations Jerry Dipoto needs to make multiple major additions to overhaul this lineup so they don't waste a tremendous pitching staff.
Acquiring Luis Robert Jr. from the Chicago White Sox and playing him in a corner outfield position, while also landing Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins and sliding him back to his natural position of second base would drastically improve manager Scott Servais' lineup. It would not only make the Mariners the favorites to win the AL West, but also a legitimate threat to emerge as the AL pennant winners in October.
Phillies Acquire Right-Handed Hitting Outfielder From Division-Rival
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Assuming Nick Castellanos—who is in the third season of a five-year, $100 million contract—is entrenched in right field, adding a right-handed bat that can co-exist with Brandon Marsh and Johan Rojas appears likely to be the No. 1 priority for the Phillies.
Rojas provides other-worldly defense, but has very real offensive limitations. So on some days, the Phillies might like to have Marsh play center field. But while Marsh has an .873 OPS against right-handed pitching, he's been unplayable against lefties this year, with 25 strikeouts in 56 plate appearances against southpaws. So when facing a lefty—like they will almost certainly do against Chris Sale and/or Max Fried in the postseason—the Phillies will probably go with Rojas in center field and someone else in left field.
Mark Canha of the Detroit Tigers and Taylor Ward of the Los Angeles Angels are among the potential names President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski could consider, but perhaps none make more sense than Lane Thomas. The 28-year-old has a .932 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, and is under team control through the 2025 season. Landing him from the division-rival Washington Nationals would complete what's already one of the best lineups in the league.
Yankees Acquire Super-Utility Star
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An ugly July has exposed the need for Yankees general manager Brian Cashman to add to both the starting rotation and bullpen. To avoid a 2022-esque second half where the Yankees finished 35-35 after going 64-28 before the All-Star break, multiple areas of the roster are going to have to be addressed.
Still, the biggest need for the Yankees throughout this season has been at the corners of the infield. Some combination of Ben Rice and Anthony Rizzo might be passable at first base, but DJ LeMahieu looks cooked, so third base remains a major hole. Adding Luis Rengifo—who has a .790 OPS since the start of the 2023 season–would give the Yankees an above-average contributor in the lineup beyond Aaron Judge and Juan Soto.
Rengifo would likely be the primary third baseman the rest of the season, but could also get looks all over the infield and in left field. Also worth noting is that Gleyber Torres can become a free agent after this season, so Rengifo could take down a bulk of the work at third base the rest of the 2024 campaign, and then be the Opening Day second baseman in 2025.
Cardinals Add Starting Pitching Depth
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The Cardinals probably don't have enough pitching to make it through the 2024 season, and could use a pitcher who is under contract in 2025. So it's not surprising that USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported this past weekend that the Cardinals have "strong interest" in Chicago White Sox righty Erick Fedde.
Fedde revived his career in South Korea last season, and has done very well in his return stateside. The former first-round pick has a 2.98 ERA and 3.68 ERA across his first 20 starts of the season. If acquired by the Cardinals, he would likely become the favorite to start the second game of a playoff series, behind Sonny Gray, who will certainly be manager Oli Marmol's Game 1 starter.
What's more, Fedde is due to make just $7.5 million in 2025. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has more expensive club options on older pitchers in Kyle Gibson ($12 million) and Lance Lynn ($11 million). Fedde in the second season of a two-year, $15 million deal would be a better value than either Gibson or Lynn.
Guardians Improve Starting Rotation
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The Guardians have arguably the best bullpen in baseball, a strong lineup and are in control of a division with two other legitimate playoff contenders. Having lost former AL Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber for the season, there's a case to be made that President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti should be targeting a legitimate No. 1 starter.
Given their recent history, the more likely path, though, appears to be a more moderate upgrade to the rotation, and a belief that Tanner Bibee, Ben Lively and what seems to be an undermanned rotation will be competitive in October. That may not be enough for the Guardians to make a World Series run, but it seems to be the most realistic outcome.
While trying to pry Kevin Gausman or Chris Bassitt away from the Toronto Blue Jays would be the type of move that would really move the needle, the price will be high considering both are under contractual control beyond this season. Lefty Yusei Kikuchi would be a rental from Toronto who represents an upgrade and wouldn't require nearly the prospect or financial commitment of Gausman or Bassitt.
Dodgers Bolster Banged-Up Starting Rotation
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The Dodgers will get Tyler Glasnow and Clayton Kershaw back from the injured list this week, but neither has been particularly durable in recent years. Los Angeles also has Walker Buehler (hip) and Yoshinobu Yamamoto (rotator cuff) on the IL, with Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Emmet Sheehan lost for the season. Bobby Miller struggled so much after his return from a shoulder injury that he was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
Maybe when October rolls around, the Dodgers will end up with too many good starting pitchers, due to a combination of stars getting healthy and continued success from Gavin Stone and Landon Knack. President of Baseball Operations Andrew Friedman can't just hope for the best, though. He needs to add another pitcher capable of taking the ball during a pivotal playoff game in Philadelphia or Atlanta in the postseason.
Jack Flaherty isn't an ironman himself, but he has put together a tremendous rebound season for the Detroit Tigers this season, with a 3.13 ERA and 127 strikeouts over 100.2 innings. As a rental, he makes sense for the Dodgers. A year from now, the Dodgers will likely have a much healthier pitching staff. Right now, though, they need a starter that helps them make the best of a peak year from Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman.
Astros Acquire Veteran First Baseman
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The Astros would probably love to acquire Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Blue Jays, Christian Walker of the Arizona Diamondbacks or Pete Alonso of the New York Mets. But right now, it doesn't look like any of that trio will be moved, and General Manager Dana Brown will still need to upgrade Houston's first base situation.
Former Silver Slugger Award winner Josh Bell would be a low-risk, medium-reward trade candidate. He has struggled for the Miami Marlins this season with a .648 OPS. However, he was disappointing for the Cleveland Guardians last year, posting a .701 OPS in 97 games. After a midseason trade to the Marlins, he homered 11 times and posted an .818 OPS, helping the Fish to make the playoffs.
Bell would be asked to carry a much smaller part of the load in Houston than he is with Miami right now. Landing him would also likely require just taking on the rest of the $16.5 million Bell is making in his contract year and sending a low-level minor leaguer back to the Marlins. The Astros wouldn't win the trade deadline by acquiring Bell, but he might help them to win the AL West.
Braves Land Former NL East Foe
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The Braves got a front-row view of Zach Eflin during the parts of seven seasons he spent with the NL East-rival Phillies. But Eflin–in his second year with the Tampa Bay Rays—makes quite a bit of sense for President of Baseball Operations Alex Anthopoulos and the Braves now.
In fact, Bob Nightengale reported for USA Today back in May that the Braves were "keeping a close eye on" Eflin. The veteran righty had a career-year in 2023 with the Rays, leading the junior circuit with 16 wins and finishing sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting. His 4.14 ERA this season isn't as impressive, but Eflin 3.38 expected ERA and 3.64 FIP suggest he's been a bit unlucky.
The Braves sent three starters to the All-Star Game in Chris Sale, Max Fried and Reynaldo López, but each of that trio has durability concerns (Fried has since gone on the IL with forearm neuritis.) Eflin also has quite an injury history, but adding him would improve the chances the Braves get to the playoffs with at least three healthy starting pitchers capable of taking the ball in October. He also is under contract for $18 million next year, which could serve as insurance if Fried departs in free agency.
Orioles Get Deadline's Most Coveted Arm
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Of the starting pitchers most likely to be traded in the coming weeks, Garrett Crochet—who FanGraphs says leads all starting pitchers with a 3.9 WAR—is having the best season by far.
However, he remains a difficult trade candidate to figure out, both because he's under team control through 2026 and is a Tommy John veteran whose innings will have to be limited this year.
The Orioles make the most sense as a landing spot. It seems unlikely they would trade former No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday, but General Manager Mike Elias is sitting on what B/R's Joel Reuter ranks as the fifth-best farm system in baseball. Even if the Orioles are set on keeping Holliday, third baseman Colby Mayo, catcher Samuel Basallo and second baseman Connor Norby are among the young pieces in Baltimore's organization that could be enticing to the White Sox.
If Crochet is forced to pitch out of the bullpen in October, that might prove to be a blessing in disguise, as 36-year-old closer Craig Kimbrel has a history of running out of gas in the postseason. Next year, when closer Félix Bautista is back from Tommy John surgery and AL Cy Young candidate Corbin Burnes has potentially departed in free agency, Crochet might be in line to be the Opening Day starter for the O's.
Brewers Acquire Veteran Righty Under Control Through 2025
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Like the Guardians, the Milwaukee Brewers are leading their division and probably need to add a legitimate ace to make the best of a strong lineup and a bullpen with some real stars. And like the Guardians, it's fair to be a bit skeptical of just how far General Manager Matt Arnold will be willing to go in pursuit of rotation upgrades.
An interesting compromise would be to add a controllable arm like Cal Quantrill, who has revived his career with the Colorado Rockies and is under team control through the 2025 season. Quantrill would give manager Pat Murphy another arm in the rotation along with Freddy Peralta, Tobias Myers and Colin Rea. He would set the Brewers up to have a pretty deep rotation in 2025 when two-time All-Star Brandon Woodruff returns.
Over 20 starts this season, Quantrill has a 4.15 ERA. He's actually pitched a bit worse on the road this season, but it's still fair to think he'll get better results in August and September starting his home games anywhere other than Coors Field.
Royals Land Slugger with Elite Power
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The Royals may be just a year removed from winning 56 games, but Salvador Perez is 34, Seth Lugo is 34 and Cole Ragans is only going to get more expensive in the coming years. Even though Bobby Witt Jr. is signed through at least the 2030 season, there's a possibility 2024 and 2025 will represent the best chances to compete with the superstar shortstop.
So what's the biggest need for General Manager J.J. Picollo and company? It's definitely another big bat to add into a lineup that's too reliant on Witt and Perez to be great every night.
Oakland Athletics slugger Brent Rooker would provide that. He homered 30 times last year, and already has 22 this year. Even though he's 29, he was a late bloomer and won't become arbitration eligible for the first time until next season. That means Rooker can't become a free agent until after the 2027 season. So there's an opportunity to acquire a premier power hitter in Rooker, and have him for parts of four seasons.
Sure, there may be some clubs that are turned off by the fact that Rooker is more of a DH than an outfielder. The Royals would probably value Rooker even more if they thought he could play 125 games a season in a corner outfield spot. But they are a team who desperately needs more thump, and could get it for multiple seasons by adding Rooker via trade in the coming days.
Padres Add Another Late-Inning Reliever
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You know President of Baseball Operations A.J. Preller—who some believe might be on the hot seat—isn't going to just tread water at the deadline. He's going to make his presence felt, perhaps in an even bigger manner than what we are projecting here.
However, while Robert Suarez has done an excellent job replacing Josh Hader as the closer, manager Mike Schildt needs more help out of his bullpen. Tanner Scott leads all relievers in WAR since the start of the 2023 season, and is capable of pitching as either a closer or a set-up man. Acquiring him from the Miami Marlins would bolster the chances of the Padres claiming one of the three wild-card spots in the NL, and being able to compete if they do reach the postseason.
Preller typically has acquired star players with more than one year of control, such as the aforementioned Hader, Juan Soto and Dylan Cease. However, doing that requires giving up more prospect capital. As a rental, the price for Scott wouldn't be exorbitant, and it would leave Preller room to pursue upgrades elsewhere on the roster.
Twins Net Corner Outfield Upgrade
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The Angels may say that they aren't inclined to trade non-rentals, but this isn't a team particularly close to contention. General Manager Perry Minasian would actually be moving the Halos closer to contention by being realistic and maximizing the return for someone like Taylor Ward, a 30-year-old corner outfielder.
We mentioned Ward as a possible fit for the Phillies earlier, and virtually any team in need of corner outfield pop figures to be interested in him. Ward has a .903 OPS against left-handed pitching this season, so he's going to be particularly coveted by teams who struggle against southpaws. The fact that he can't become a free agent until after the 2026 season will also help the former first-round pick's trade value.
Ward would be a clear upgrade over Manuel Margot in left field, and also make it easier for the Twins to use Margot in center field if (when?) Byron Buxton were to get hurt. It's unclear whether Minnesota would be willing to part with 26-year-old outfielder Matt Wallner, who looked like a budding star a year ago. But the Angels should certainly make the Twins say no if they make a push for Ward.
Diamondbacks Get Reliever Having Career Year
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Whether the Diamondbacks can make a surprising deep playoff run for the second year in a row will largely depend upon Corbin Carroll playing like Corbin Carroll, and getting healthy versions of Merrill Kelly, Jordan Montgomery and Eduardo Rodríguez at some point in the second half.
But at full strength, this is a roster that looks like one of the 10 best in the sport, if not better. If the Diamondbacks get the necessary internal improvements—which will also include more from former All-Stars Eugenio Suárez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.—they're going to be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
As always, it's important to have a deep bullpen in the playoffs. Supplementing a bullpen that already has Paul Sewald, Kevin Ginkel, Justin Martinez and Ryan Thompson pitching at high levels by adding Carlos Estévez would give manager Torey Lovullo a ton of capable high-leverage options should the Snakes claim one of the three wild-card spots.
Mets Acquire Two-Time All-Star Lefty
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It's difficult to figure out how President of Baseball Operations David Stearns will operate in his first trade deadline with the Mets. New York has played too well for Stearns to seriously consider trading first baseman Pete Alonso, even if that would have helped to improve the farm system. But they don't feel like a team that's going to push all their chips to the center of the table for 2024 either.
Acquiring lefty Tyler Anderson from the Angels would improve New York's postseason odds in 2024, while also giving them a capable starter under contract for 2025, with both Luis Severino and Jose Quintana set to become free agents after the season.
It will be interesting to see how the Mets, and the league as a whole, view Anderson. He has a 2.97 ERA and was an All-Star for the second time in three years. However, wedged in between those two stellar campaigns was a disastrous 2023 season, where Anderson posted a 5.43 ERA across 141 innings. It's also a red flag that both his FIP (4.59) and expected ERA (4.41) are significantly higher than the aforementioned 2.97 ERA he's posted this year.
Red Sox Bring Back Accomplished Veteran
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Like the Mets, the Red Sox have probably had a better season than Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow anticipated. So instead of shopping Kenley Jansen, Tyler O'Neill and Nick Pivetta, the Red Sox figure to make some smaller additions.
A logical one would be to bring back Justin Turner, who hit 23 home runs for them a year ago. Turner wanted to return to Boston for a second season, but after declining his $13.4 million player option for 2025, the Red Sox allowed Turner to leave for a one-year, $13 million deal with the division-rival Blue Jays.
At 39, Turner is getting near the end, with just 95 wRC+ in 2024. However, Turner still has an .812 OPS against left-handed pitching this year. He wouldn't cost much for the Red Sox to acquire, and could get at-bats both at DH and first base down the stretch. He's also an accomplished postseason player who would be a valuable presence for a team without a ton of collective playoff experience.
Giants Land Right-Handed-Hitting Outfielder from Across the Bay
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It's a sellers market, and the best thing for the long-term health of the Giants organization might be to take advantage of that by considering offers for veterans like Matt Chapman, Michael Conforto, Taylor Rogers and Tyler Rogers. But President of Baseball Operations Farhan Zaidi's seat is perceived to be warm, so it's unlikely the Giants sell.
Zaidi, though, probably won't have ownership's blessing to make a move that risks the franchise's future. So he may have to do some tweaks around the edges, while hoping for better results internally from reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell and former All-Star closer Camilo Doval.
The biggest issue for the Giants is a lack of building block players in their lineup. That's not going to change in the next few weeks. But Miguel Andujar has a .745 OPS for the A's this season, and would give the Giants a right-handed hitting corner outfielder to complement the aforementioned Conforto and Mike Yastrzemski.
Rangers Add High-Upside Righty
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Given that they could realistically move everyone from Nathan Eovaldi to Kirby Yates, the trade deadline would be much more interesting if it becomes clear to the Rangers in the coming days that they don't have a path to the postseason and should sell.
However, they are currently within five games in the AL West, and can realistically sell themselves on the idea they will be better in the second half of the season. Future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer missed much of the first half of the season, while Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle could both make an impact late in the season. Adolis García, Marcus Semien, Jonah Heim and Wyatt Langford all underperformed in the first half to varying degrees, and Josh Jung has been absent since the first week of the campaign with a right wrist fracture he'll be back from at some point before the regular season concludes.
If the Rangers do buy, adding another live arm to the bullpen would be a wise investment for General Manager Chris Young. The aforementioned Yates is 37, and David Robertson is 39. Playoff hero José Leclerc has underwhelmed in 2024. Manager Bruce Bochy would probably like to have one more late-inning relief arm.
Michael Kopech would be an interesting investment for the Rangers, because if he helps them make the postseason this year, great. Regardless, he would be under team control for one more season. The results aren't there, as he has a 4.85 ERA this season for the White Sox. But his fastball averages 98.6 mph, and he has experience both starting and relieving. There will be teams who think they can get Kopech to reach his ceiling.
Pirates Acquire Reigning AL Batting Champion
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We'll finish with a bang for the Buccos. The Pirates are one of many teams in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, and could be a dangerous team in a short playoff series with the starting pitching trio of Paul Skenes, Mitch Keller and Jared Jones. They owe it to their fanbase to buy in pursuit of the first playoff appearance for the franchise since 2015.
That doesn't mean General Manager Ben Cherington should mortgage the future, but if there's a chance to get a player that makes an impact both in the present and moving forward, they should pounce.
Even though he's 32, Yandy Díaz fits that bill. He won the AL batting title last season, hitting .330 for the Tampa Bay Rays. While he had a slow start to this season, the former Silver Slugger Award winner has hit .314 since June 1. He would not only be an upgrade over Rowdy Tellez in 2024, but is due $10 million in 2025 and has a very affordable $12 million club option for 2026.
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