The Biggest Mistake Every MLB Team Must Avoid at 2026 Trade Deadline
For those of us obsessed with MLB's trade deadline, it is officially finals week. Within the few remaining days until August 3, several dozen swaps will go down, and we'll find out which teams are most serious about trying to win the 2026 World Series.
But in this chaotic window of roster reshaping, there are pitfalls that every team should be diligent about avoiding.
Some contenders arguably should go for broke right now, while others are at a spot in their five-year plan to just kind of let it ride with what they've got.
Similarly, on the other end of the spectrum, a couple of the sellers might as well approach the deadline with a flamethrower, while others should avoid the temptation to part with anyone controllable.
Teams are presented in alphabetical order by location. If you only particularly care about one of them, you can quickly jump to it here:
Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Expecting Eduardo Rodriguez to remain their savior
With Corbin Burnes, Zac Gallen, Michael Soroka and Ryne Nelson (not to mention several key bullpen arms) all on the IL, it's almost hard to believe that Arizona is still hanging around in this wild card picture.
At least Brandon Pfaadt has been a whole heck of a lot better since returning to the rotation in late June. However, the Diamondbacks have had no choice but to put rookies Mitch Blatt and Kohl Drake into the mix, too, which has not gone particularly well.
Meanwhile, all the expected data suggests that ace Eduardo Rodriguez is destined to implode at some point, his 2.64 ERA flanked by a 4.16 FIP, 4.58 xFIP and 4.99 xERA.
Adding to the rotation is a must here.
Athletics
2 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Selling anything of value
Most of the A's roster is controllable through at least 2028. And among the six A's who will hit free agency in the next 18 monthsโJonah Heim, Mark Leiter Jr., Jeff McNeil, Luis Severino, Jeffrey Springs and Jose Suarezโtrade value is virtually nil.
As such, 2026 All-Star Shea Langeliers emerged as the trade block candidate from the Athletics that had everyone buzzing, even though he has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. (Having Scott Boras as an agentโwho all but outright refuses to even discuss extensions for players who have yet to reach free agency for the first timeโwas certainly a motivating factor in those speculations.)
However, even that tentative splash is no more, with Langeliers suffering a torn meniscus and likely to miss the rest of this season.
At this point, the A's are a seller with nothing much to offer. Should be a quiet deadline in West Sacramento.
Atlanta Braves
3 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Not landing a legitimate running mate for Chris Sale
Conventional wisdom with Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos is that he'll be working the phone lines as aggressively as anyone, but that he won't even consider selling the farm for rentals.
It's why most assume that even if Tarik Skubal happens to be available, Atlanta will not be paying the astronomical asking price for a few months of the one guy who could instantly put them neck-and-neck with the Dodgers as World Series favorites.
What about for 15 months of Joe Ryan or Sandy Alcantara, though?
Would A.A. consider parting with a couple of his top prospects who haven't even advanced to AA ball yet in order to pair one of those aces with Sale atop a rotation that desperately needs some help?
Or are the Braves primarily focused on getting several years of Reid Detmers or Josรฉ Soriano from the Angels, even though either one would be a considerable step down from Ryan and Alcantara?
If we don't feel a good deal better about this rotation a week from now, we shall see if they even hang on to win the NL East, let alone the NLCS.
Baltimore Orioles
4 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Trading Adley Rutschman
It's still unclear whether the Orioles should/will buy or sell. But if they do sell, there has been a lot of scuttlebutt recently about Adley Rutschman potentially landing on the trade block with one year of arbitration eligibility remaining.
That feels like it would be a mistake.
Not only would it be an unnecessary subtraction from their 2027 potential, but the catcher market is evidently flooded like never before.
Hunter Goodman is the long-term option believed to possibly be on the block. Ryan Jeffers and Tyler Stephenson are the rentals. There simply aren't that many teams looking to upgrade their backstop situation. Throw in the fact that Rutschman is currently on the IL for a third time this season and it's hard to see the Orioles getting a fair price for him.
Boston Red Sox
5 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Letting the good times roll
The Red Sox recently went three weeks between losses, going in the blink of an eye from a prime candidate for a deadline fire sale to a team in postseason position. And when you're that hot for that long, you might be inclined to look around the clubhouse and think that you're good to go into October with what you've got.
Don't go forgetting about that 32-46, dead-last-in-the-AL start to the year, though.
Even after swapping Connelly Early for Curtis Mead, Boston needs bats. During the 15-game winning streak, they got nothing out of three of their six most commonly used position players (Jarren Duran, Anthony Siegler and Romy Gonzalez), and both middle infield and catcher have been season-long problems. The Red Sox also need to improve their bullpen.
Chicago Cubs
6 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Under-addressing the pitching woes
It's readily apparent that the Cubs are aware of their shortcomings on the mound. They designated Jameson Taillon for assignment on Monday to make room on the roster for 30-year-old Andrew Wantzโwho has logged 3.0 innings pitched in the majors since the beginning of 2024 and isn't exactly a budding ace.
But how far are they willing to go at the trade deadline to actually improve what has been, hands down, the worst pitching staff among the 12 teams currently in the postseason picture?
Will they swing big for a Tarik Skubal rental, when they already have a roster loaded with impending free agents? (Do they even have a strong enough farm system to win that bidding war if they wanted to?)
Can they instead find a way to land a couple of controllable arms?
Whatever they do, it needs to be big. Because "Game 1 starter Shota Imanaga" and "Closer Jacob Webb" sure sound like the recipe for a swift exit from the postseason.
Chicago White Sox
7 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Giving up anything substantial from the farm system
On the one hand, strike while the iron is hot, right?
Even though this was expected to be another rebuilding year for the White Sox, there is an increasingly legitimate chance that they could not only reach the postseason, but actually win a series in October. And we're talking about a franchise that has won a postseason series in just one of the past 109 seasons. If any team knows better than to let an opportunity slip away, it's this one.
On the other hand, the White Sox went through three years of hell and farm system restocking to get to the point where they could overachieve this year. Trading away key prospects to chase glory in 2026 would feel a bit like trying to eat a cake before it has finished baking.
Cincinnati Reds
8 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Selling more than rentals
Prior to landing on the IL on Monday with a wrist injury, Spencer Steer was beginning to emerge as a candidate for the trade block. The right-handed hitting utilityman has amassed 80 home runs since the beginning of 2023 and surely would have been a desirable bat.
However, Steer has two years of arbitration eligibility remaining, and it's hard to see why the Reds would have particularly considered going down that road if he had stayed healthy.
With the National League's lowest-scoring offense and so many teams standing in their path to a wild card spot, it's likely that the Reds will be selling their impending free agents. (And they should get a nice haul of prospects for the likes of Eugenio Suรกrez, Brady Singer and Tyler Stephenson.)
But they have a solid nucleus in place for at least the next two years and don't profile as a team that should be unloading anyone controllable beyond this winter.
Cleveland Guardians
9 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Failing to improve the offense
As is, Cleveland's offense isn't scaring anyone. Even with Josรฉ Ramรญrez back from his broken hamate and even with Steven Kwan hitting drastically better in July than he did for the first three months, runs have remained tough to come by.
However, aside from giving up four prospects for Andrew Miller one decade ago, it's hard to come up with any examples of Cleveland aggressively buying at the trade deadline.
Can they break from tradition and add a legitimate bat or two?
Colorado Rockies
10 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Clutching at pearls
There are a lot of factors that led to Colorado becoming the annual cellar dweller that it is today, but one was its refusal to trade away Trevor Story before he hit free agency in 2021.
Over his last three seasons with the Rockies, Story had an .864 OPS, averaging 33 home runs and 27 stolen bases per 162 games played. But all they have to show for it is a trio of fourth-place finishes in the NL West and a compensatory 2022 draft pick from when he spurned their qualifying offer and signed with Boston. (Notably, though, the player they used that pick on, Sterlin Thompson, has blossomed into one of their better prospects.)
Smash cut to the here and now and the Rockies once again have an extremely coveted trade chip on a team going nowhere fast.
Hunter Goodman has hit 62 home runs in 242 games played over the past two seasons. He has three years of arbitration eligibility remaining, and it's likely the Red Sox and Yankees would enter into quite the bidding war for him if Colorado made him available.
Unless they honestly think they'll be contending again by 2029, they should at least see if they can fetch a king's ransom for their catcher.
Detroit Tigers
11 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Waiting too long to pick a lane
By all accounts, Detroit is planning to wait as long as it reasonably can before making a decision on buying or selling. And understandably so. The Tigers are within striking distance for either the division or a wild card spot, and have been (prior to the recent three-game skid) one of the better teams in the league since falling to 16 games below .500 at the end of May.
The problem with waiting, however, is that not everyone will. There could be several semi-blockbusters finalized before Detroit picks a lane, which impacts the market as a whole.
And while it might be plausible to put together a last-minute flash sale if they opt to throw in the towel and start answering calls about Tarik Skubal, Casey Mize and more, it's tough to truly enter the buyer's market in the 11th hour unless you're prepared to sell as much of the farm as necessaryโsee: 2025 San Diego Padres.
Houston Astros
12 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Further depleting the farm
At 20-14 since mid-June, the Astros have clawed their way back into the playoff conversation. Whether it's catching Texas to win the AL West or surging past Cleveland or Boston in the wild-card mix, making it to October is about as tangible now as it has been since early April.
Buying is far more likely than selling at this point.
However, after more than a decade's worth of trade deadlines in which the Astros were doing more buying than sellingโnot to mention most recently picking higher than 15th in the draft in 2015โthis farm system has paid the price.
Our Joel Reuter had Houston in dead last in his post-draft farm system rankings earlier this month. Also, in MLB.com's preseason farm system rankings, it was noted that Houston (then No. 29) hasn't ranked better than 27th at any point since they started publishing twice annual updates in 2020.
If they steer any further into the strategy of dumping prospects for short-term gains, they are probably two years away from embracing another rebuild as drastic as what they endured from 2009-14. (And this time around, it'll be harder, as there are rules that would prevent them from getting the No. 1 pick in three consecutive drafts.)
Kansas City Royals
13 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Taking a half measure
The biggest question about the clearly selling Royals is whether they're willing to move 2026 All-Star pitcher Michael Wacha.
He is making $18M this season, could make up to $18M in 2027 and has a club option that could be as much as $18M in 2028. Even though he's already 35 years old, it's a desirable, controllable contract for what has been a consistently solid pitcher over the past half-decade.
But if the Royals move Wacha with two years remaining, are they also moving Seth Lugo, Vinnie Pasquantino, Daniel Lynch IV and Michael Massey with two years remaining?
They should completely shut down the Wacha chatter unless they're prepared to really sell.
Los Angeles Angels
14 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: See: Royals, Kansas City
Like the Royals, the Angels are toast in 2026 and should absolutely be looking to turn their impending free agentsโKirby Yates, Jorge Soler, Brent Suter, Travis d'Arnaud, Adam Frazier and Yoan Moncadaโinto something at the deadline, whether that's lottery-ticket prospects, a bit of salary relief or both.
But if they go any further than that, are they prepared to fully embrace a multi-year fire sale?
Reid Detmers and Josรฉ Soriano are the big names, both having a solid year on the mound and both with two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. The Halos could fetch a small fortune of prospects by moving both of them.
If they do that, though, should they also look to move Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel each with three years remaining?
Basically, where is the line in the sand when this team envisions making it back to the postseason for the first time since 2014? And how do they best solidify that goal?
Los Angeles Dodgers
15 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Resting on their laurels
For all intents and purposes, the Dodgers have already won the NL West, spending all of July with at least a 10-game lead.
Though the race for a first-round bye is more competitive, they have a nice five-game cushion over Atlanta and very easily could (and perhaps should) end up with home-field advantage throughout the postseason.
They're getting Edwin Dรญaz back on Wednesday from more than three months on the IL. And barring any setbacks, they should be getting Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, Will Smith and the pitching half of Shohei Ohtani back in the next few weeks.
It would be all too easy for the twice-reigning champions to approach the trade deadline with a fat and happy mindset.
But with the chance to become the first NL team to ever complete a three-peat, this is the opportunity for the rich to become even richer.
If they go get Tarik Skubal, not only does it allow them to ease the injured starters back into the rotation while turning into even more of a juggernaut, but it keeps the Brewers or Braves from doing so.
Miami Marlins
16 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Sticking with the plan from three weeks ago
You remember three weeks ago, right?
Miami was hotter than the sun, 10 games above .500, three games behind Atlanta for first place in the NL East. The Marlins appeared destined to add a bat or two, while ideally also upgrading their problematic closer situation.
But they evidently flew too close to the sun, their wings melting off in tragic fashion.
Not only did they endure a 12-game losing streak before finally defeating the Phillies on Monday, but they lost Max Meyer to the IL with a neck strain, with no return date in sight for what had been one of their breakout stars.
Just like that, we are back to talking about Sandy Alcantara as a top trade candidate.
That said, another mistake to avoid would be selling Alcantara just to sell something.
Pete Fairbanks is an impending free agent, but struggling mightily. Anthony Bender has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, but he is recovering from a stress reaction in his leg. John King could be worth something also with one year of arbitration eligibility left. But those three and Alcantara (with a $21M club option for 2027) are the only Marlins who aren't controllable through at least 2028.
Alcantara should be available, but Miami should set the asking price pretty high.
Milwaukee Brewers
17 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Repeating recent deadline inactivity
Two years ago, Milwaukee was up seven games in the NL Central in late July. Its only trade of any potential consequence was taking a flyer on Frankie Montas, who had a 5.01 ERA through his first 19 starts with Cincinnati that season.
Last year, the Brewers were leading the division by one game at the deadline, yet still felt no apparent urgency to improve their roster. They added Brandon Lockridge, Shelby Miller and the dead contract of Jordan Montgomery, but exited the swap meet in no better shape to dethrone the Dodgers in October.
Are they headed for more of the same complacency?
Or could the Brewers give us all flashbacks to 2008 with a CC Sabathia-like blockbuster to aggressively pursue a ring for a change?
The attempt to buy low on Lance McCullers Jr. has already proven to be a colossal flop, designating him for assignment after just two appearances. Maybe that pushes them to go all-in for a more sure thing instead of continuing to live on the margins of the deadline madness.
Minnesota Twins
18 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Embracing another big sell-off
The Twins are in a tough spot.
They have scored the most runs among American League teams, and like Detroit, they are close in both the AL Central and wild card pictures. They could easily justify buying.
They also have a dreadful pitching staff outside of Joe Ryan and Taj Bradley, an extremely desirable rental in Ryan Jeffers and five other key players who will be free agents by the end of next season. They could easily justify selling.
But if they burn it down for a second consecutive year, Byron Buxton might stop happily telling people that he's a "Twin for life" and instead start begging for passage off a sinking ship.
New York Mets
19 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Settling amid a fire sale
Though New York's forthcoming fire sale probably won't quite match Minnesota's 2025 approach of dumping 11 players from its 26-man roster in the span of about 72 hours, it's certainly going to be a busy time for the Mets front office.
Impending free agents Freddy Peralta, A.J. Minter, Brooks Raley and Tyrone Taylor are obvious candidates to be moved. Clay Holmes and Luis Robert Jr. are maybes with options for 2027. Luke Weaver will probably be on the move. And maybe they can convince someone to take Jorge Polanco off their hands.
It's a lot of irons in the fire, but can they use this window to actually improve what has become one of the least promising farm systems in the business?
With Steve Cohen's checkbook, they can afford to retain most of the salaries of the players they're unloading, provided it means a more lucrative return of prospect capital.
New York Yankees
20 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Banking on getting healthy
Max Fried just returned from 10 weeks on the IL, and the Yankees hope to have all of Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, Carlos Rodรณn and Clarke Schmidt back from their respective injuries in the next few weeks.
If that's the caseโand they don't lose anyone else along the wayโthey'll have one heck of a starting rotation and a lineup with a serious infusion of power.
But hoping for the best with guys who have been out for a while is not a deadline plan.
The Yankees ought to make a "Jazz Chisholm Jr. in 2024" type of splash or two for a Hunter Goodman or Mason Miller while viewing the currently injured quartet as potential luxury re-additions sometime down the road.
Philadelphia Phillies
21 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Balking at outfield upgrades
At least when Brandon Marsh was batting .319 with an .881 OPS through the team's first 87 games, the Phillies had that going for them in the outfield.
But with Marsh coming crashing back to earth and then some in July, this outfield situation has become downright dire. Part-time center fielder Derek Hill has been the only one providing any tangible value in nearly a month.
The Phillies could also use a starting pitcher and probably a couple of relievers, but they need to do something about this outfield, ideally by adding multiple options.
At any rate, limited offense more so than pitching is the reason they have a negative run differential for the year.
Getting Byron Buxton or Mike Trout to waive their no-trade clauses is a pipe dream, but there are other options. Just from the obvious sellers, Jo Adell, Mickey Moniak, Jake McCarthy and Jung Hoo Lee could be available as more than just rentals.
Pittsburgh Pirates
22 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Failing to see this effort through
During the offseason, Pittsburgh spent more than $50M on free agents for the first time since the winter of 2014-15. The Pirates also traded for Brandon Lowe, Jake Mangum, Mason Montgomery and Jhostynxon Garcia during an uncommonly aggressive pursuit of a playoff-caliber team.
At three games above .500 with a +41 run differential, they have become a top 10 team, worthy of a big buy at the deadline in pursuit of what would be their first World Series appearance since 1979.
So, you know...do that.
Upgrade at closer.
Make a big addition to the lineup (preferably a right-handed bat with pop) while waiting for both Oneil Cruz and Konnor Griffin to return from the 60-day IL.
Paul Skenes isn't getting any younger, and he certainly won't be getting any cheaper. This is the window to go all-in. And with Seth Hernandez and Edward Florentino atop their farm system, they have the prospects to make it happen.
San Diego Padres
23 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Investing in fools' gold
The Padres just swept the ice cold Marlins to climb back to .500. They will wrap up the pre-deadline portion of their schedule with a homestand against the woebegone Rockies and Giants.
Despite having lost 16 out of 23 heading into this stretch, they might win something like eight out of nine and be tempted to believe they've turned a corner and deserve to see this thing through by buying ahead of the deadline, with hopes of both Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta returning to the rotation for the homestretch.
And who knows? Maybe it's true.
Both Manny Machado and Jackson Merrill have come to life in a big way at the dish over the past 5-6 weeks, while Ty France inexplicably refuses to show any signs of slowing down. If they can snag one solid starting pitcher via trade before getting Musgrove and Pivetta back, they could overtake the Arizonas, Pittsburghs and Washingtons standing in their way for a wild card spot.
They better be sure, though, because there are teams ready to restock this depleted farm system in exchange for Mason Miller, not to mention impending free agents France and Adriรกn Morejรณn.
San Francisco Giants
24 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Aiming too high with their rentals
While we all speculate on star players like Mason Miller, C.J. Abrams and Hunter Goodman who might get traded, the laughably sub-.500 Giants have three noteworthy veterans who absolutely should be on the move as impending free agents: Luis Arraez, Robbie Ray and Tyler Mahle.
Mahle is easily the least coveted of the bunch with a 5.31 ERA, but he has had solid outings over the past month and stands out among the buy-low candidates in a market where so many teams are looking for pitching.
To that end, the Giants will have no shortage of suitors for Ray, who has a 1.04 ERA over his last seven starts. He's a far cry from the strikeout artist that he was back in 2021 as the AL Cy Young winner, but he gets the job done. (Or so it seems. Prospective buyers may want to note that Ray has an .811 OPS against on the road compared to a .584 mark at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park.)
Arraez is the big one, liable to win his fourth batting title in five years if he doesn't get traded across league lines.
San Francisco simply cannot expect the world for these two-month rentals, though, or they'll be going down with this sinking ship.
Seattle Mariners
25 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Overdoing it
If the regular season ended today, neither of last year's ALCS participants would be in the postseason.
But while Toronto might be about willing to admit defeat, Seattle is within reasonable striking distance of not just a playoff spot, but even a first-round bye.
In fact, the Mariners are closer right now to the AL's No. 2 seed (4.0 games) than they were on the morning of last year's trade deadline (6.5 games). And after taking the pretty aggressive approach of adding Eugenio Suรกrez, Josh Naylor and Caleb Ferguson, they ended up claiming last year's No. 2 seed with two games to spare.
How aggressive would be too aggressive, though?
They have an impressive stockpile of desirable prospects, and there is certainly an urgency to win right now, with both Randy Arozarena and J.P. Crawford headed for free agency this winter. At any rate, there has been a lot of talk about Mason Miller possibly heading north to Seattle, which definitely would not come cheap.
But instead of trading any of (let alone multiple of) their top minor leaguers away, calling up Lazaro Montes and/or Michael Arroyo to see if they can bolster the offense could be the answer.
St. Louis Cardinals
26 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Adding any rentals
At an NL-worst 6-14 since Independence Day, the jig appears to be up for the Cardinals. They have fallen back to .500 for the first time since mid-April, entering play on Tuesday 1.5 games back in the mad rush for the final wild card spot.
But this was always going to be a tricky deadline for the Cardinalsโunlikely to buy any rentals as they try to emerge on the other side of a mild rebuild, but also with precious little to offer as a seller after already dumping most of their expiring/pricy assets this past winter.
Adding a controllable starting pitcher would be swell, though, if they can swing it.
This rotation has been better than expected, especially Kyle Leahy with a 3.55 ERA in 20 starts after spending the past three years almost exclusively as a reliever. But they're going to lose Dustin May as a free agent this offseason and could greatly benefit from the addition of a guy like Josรฉ Soriano with multiple years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Tampa Bay Rays
27 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Doing the conventional Rays thing and refusing to really go for it
Tampa Bay won 100 games in 2021 and won 99 more in 2023. But the Rays went a combined 1-5 in those postseasons, at least in part because aside from swapping a pitching prospect by the name of Joe Ryan for a two-month rental of 40-year-old Nelson Cruz (whoops), they just kind of sat on their hands at both trade deadlines.
Now, I'm not suggesting they're hopelessly screwed in October if they don't go out and get one of the three best players on the block. But they definitely have some holes to fill and the Yankees are right on their heels in this race for the AL's No. 1 seed.
Take a legitimate plunge into Buyer Pond for a change and maybe go win your first World Series.
Texas Rangers
28 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Inadequately addressing the bullpen
Jacob Latz's breakthrough as an All-Star closer has somewhat concealed the fact that the Rangers are otherwise lacking for reliable relievers.
Both Jakob Junis and Tyler Alexander have been plenty adequate as set-up men who get the occasional save. However, the Rangers could certainly be better equipped to handle the 5th-through-8th innings in the postseason.
Though it's highly unlikely that Texas (because its farm system isn't exactly loaded up top) will be legitimately in the mix for Mason Miller's services, there are plenty of middle relievers plausibly/definitely on the market who could provide a boost to Texas' chances of hanging onto first place in the AL West and ultimately getting back to the World Series.
They tried to upgrade their bullpen at last year's deadline, but simply did not get what they needed out of Phil Maton and Danny Coulombe. (More so the latter than the former.) Got to do better this time around, lest they suffer a similar collapse.
Toronto Blue Jays
29 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Throwing good money after bad
It's pretty unusual for a team to flirt with losing 90 games the season after reaching a World Series. It certainly wasn't supposed to be the case with Toronto, which invested $341M in free agency in hopes of having an even better chance at toppling the Dodgers this time around.
Yet, here the Blue Jays are, spending nearly $150M this season just on their 10 most expensive hitters, but ranking dead last in the majors in runs per game.
It's a tough pill to swallow, but they should be looking to move their small stockpile of impending free agents: George Springer, Kevin Gausman, Daulton Varsho, Shane Bieber and Max Scherzer. But they instead might be tempted to buy after talking themselves into the theory that the bats are going to wake up in the process of leapfrogging half a dozen teams in an underwhelming wild card race.
Washington Nationals
30 of 30
Mistake to Avoid: Selling anything more than Foster Griffin
The Nationals have already made a very interesting move, giving up four remaining years of team control on 3B Curtis Mead to acquire five more years of LHP Connelly Early.
Considering Early is on the IL rehabbing an elbow injury, it was arguably more of a "selling for the future" move than a "buying to contend now" move. However, they haven't necessarily chosen a lane yet and may well be one of the teams trying to thread the proverbial needle.
If they do end up selling, though, there should be no talk whatsoever of moving James Wood or C.J. Abrams, each with several years of team control remaining.
Even moving Luis Garcia Jr. with one year of arbitration eligibility remaining would feel like a mistake, as the Nationals tentatively could have Josiah Gray and DJ Herz back next year alongside Early and Cade Cavalli in a rotation much better equipped to do something with the run support that this potent offense can provide.
The Nats could get a decent return for Foster Griffin, though, if they're unsure whether they'll be able to re-sign him this winter. He's on a one-year, $5.5M deal with 12 wins and a 2.76 ERA. He deserves to be in a postseason rotation.
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