MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Reports After 2019 All-Star Game

With MLB's July 31 trade deadline approaching, the rumor mill will soon catch fire.

As the second half kicks into gear, 23 of the 30 teams are within six games of a playoff spot. Some fringe wild-card hopefuls at the bottom of the pack will ultimately sell or stand pat. Plenty of buyers will look to bolster their postseason pursuit.

None of them have the fallback plan of completing an August trade through waivers. MLB's elimination of this loophole should lead to a chaotic trade deadline stuffed with numerous impact moves. 

Which big names could change uniforms for the final two months? Let's examine some of baseball's juiciest rumors involving intriguing trade candidates.

Multiple Contenders Interested in Robbie Ray

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One of many teams on the playoff fence, the Arizona Diamondbacks are treading water at 48-47 despite brandishing a plus-57 run differential. The best they can hope for is a wild-card bid, so the club could instead cash in a valuable trade chip.

According to MLB.com's Jon Morosi, Robbie Ray is drawing more trade interest than fellow NL West southpaw Madison Bumgarner. The Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros are among the teams clamoring for his services.

MLB Network's Jon Heyman added one more prominent title contender to the mix:

Not quite a top-shelf ace, Ray has registered a 4.01 ERA over his career and a 3.81 clip in 20 starts this season. His 11.9 percent walk rate is the third-highest mark among 75 qualified starting pitchers. 

However, he's also 27 years old and under contract through the 2020 campaign. For all of his maddening command woes, Ray has compiled a superb 145 strikeouts in 111 innings.

The Athletic's Peter Gammons thinks his skills could fit the Bronx Bombers' needs.

Although not a franchise anchor Arizona will feel compelled to keep if presented a strong haul, he's also an upgrade for just about any contender seeking rotation depth. It will be interesting to see if anyone ignores the walks and overpays in terms of talent in lieu of dollars for a pricier rental like Bumgarner.

San Diego Selling Sluggers 

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Power is in high supply this year, but that doesn't mean someone would mind acquiring more of it.

Another mediocre team vying for one of two wild-card bids, the Padres should restructure their roster for a 2020 run. That could entail clearing an outfield logjam that has banished Wil Myers to the bench in recent weeks.

The Padres have a pair of prolific young corner outfielders in Hunter Renfroe and Franmil Reyes who have socked 27 and 26 home runs, respectively. According to ESPN's Jeff Passan, they're "both available in deals."

Both should draw plenty of suitors. Over the last calendar year, only Christian Yelich has belted more long balls than Renfroe's 46 in 145 games. He also continues to improve his glovework, notching 10 defensive runs saved this season after tallying five in 2018 and one in 2017. Per The Athletic's Dennis Lin, the 27-year-old takes pride in this overlooked element of his game.

"I want to win a Gold Glove more than I want to win a Silver Slugger," Renfroe said last month.

Reyes, meanwhile, comes with substantial upside. He's hitting .255 this season, but Statcast data provided by Baseball Savant credits him with a .276 expected batting average. At MLB's 94th percentile in exit velocity and hard-hit rate, he also owns a .379 expected weighted on-base average.

While more unpolished in the outfield, the 24-year-old has a lot of power potential. Playing in just his second MLB season, Reyes also has a while before he can test the open market. That will lead to a lofty asking price, diminishing the likelihood of San Diego moving him this summer.

Cardinals Open to Moving Carlos Martinez

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The 47-46 St. Louis Cardinals have underwhelmed, given the franchise's elevated expectations. They're still just one game behind the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL's second wild-card spot and well within striking distance of the NL Central-leading Chicago Cubs.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, the organization is "open to dealing" closer Carlos Martinez despite their probable status as buyers. He explained that St. Louis would likely still try to bolster its big league team in the process.

"Trading Martinez would seemingly be counterproductive with closer Jordan Hicks out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery," Rosenthal wrote, "but the idea might be to reconfigure the roster and acquire one or more relievers in the process."

A former rotation headliner who owns a career 3.36 ERA, Martinez moved to the bullpen after missing time last year and early in 2019. He has taken kindly to his new role, recording a 2.91 ERA and 22 strikeouts in 21.2 innings.

His $11.5 million salary was a bargain when starting. As a reliever, not so much. Trading him could be a sign of St. Louis seeing his current assignment as permanent.

Note: All advanced stats, updated as of Tuesday, are courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.