MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Marcus Stroman, Shane Greene, More

Due to their low places in their American League divisions, the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays have earned the tag of sellers ahead of the MLB trade deadline.

At 38-63, Toronto is 27.5 games behind the New York Yankees in the AL East, while the 30-65 Tigers are 28.5 games back of the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central. 

Both struggling franchises have some intriguing pieces on their rosters in the eyes of pennant contenders in both leagues, and they could be two of the more active teams ahead of July 31. 

Marcus Stroman is the coveted trade target on the Toronto roster, while Detroit has a few pitchers and position players generating interest, including closer Shane Greene.

Latest MLB Trade Buzz

Marcus Stroman

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

According to MLB.com's Jon Morosi, seven teams had scouts in attendance for Stroman's start on Friday against the Tigers at Comerica Park. 

Morosi also reported the Twins have interest in the 28-year-old, but they are not known to have had a scout at his latest start. 

It must be noted that personnel from other teams could have been in Detroit to take a look at some of the available players on the Tigers roster. 

Atlanta was one of the seven ball clubs watching Stroman Friday, but The Athletic's David O'Brien reported the Braves and Blue Jays have not had talks about the right-handed starter. 

Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos used to work for the Blue Jays, and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic noted if Toronto was reluctant to make a deal with its former executive, that stance has softened. 

Stroman's seven-inning gem Friday, when he gave up zero earned runs, was the latest performance in a string of solid outings that have potential suitors excited for what he can bring to their teams. 

Since the start of June, the 28-year-old has given up three runs or fewer in seven of his eight appearances, which is a significant total given the boost in offense throughout the majors in 2019.

If Stroman is able to keep that high level of production up, he could be one of the best acquisitions made at the trade deadline.

In his report, Morosi noted Toronto is believed to be seeking at least one rotation prospect to join the plethora of young talent it has inside the organization. 

Atlanta would be one of the teams who fit that billing, as eight of its top 11 prospects are pitchers, according to MLB.com.

San Diego, Tampa Bay, Cincinnati, Boston, the Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers all had scouts at Friday's game, so it appears there will be plenty of suitors for Stroman. 

If the interest continues to rise, Toronto should try to find the best deal for high-profile prospects who can help develop its young core in the future. 

Shane Greene

According to NBC Sports Chicago's David Kaplan, the Cubs have had discussions with the Tigers for Greene. 

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

The Cubs have already been active on the trade market in July when they acquired catcher Martin Maldonado from Kansas City, but that was a move forced out of necessity due to an injury to Willson Contreras. 

Rosenthal reported Saturday that the Washington Nationals also have interest in Greene along with San Francisco's Sam Dyson.

Despite playing for a franchise with 30 victories, Greene has 22 saves in 35 appearances, as well as a 1.03 ERA, 0.829 WHIP and 3.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio. 

The Cubs already bolstered their bullpen by signing Craig Kimbrel, but adding Greene would provide another boost since they are locked in a battle for first place in the National League Central with Milwaukee.

Kimbrel has six saves since joining the Cubs, while Pedro Strop has the current team lead with nine.

Chicago is right at the league average of 24 saves, and it is in better shape than other contenders with a staff ERA of 4.05. With the Brewers waiting to pounce in second place, though, any improvements will be welcome. 

Washington is in a different situation, as it sits 6.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East. 

The Nationals are ahead in the NL wild-card race by a half-game in a loaded field of contenders that includes Milwaukee, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Arizona and San Francisco.

Sean Doolittle is currently installed as the closer with 21 saves, but he could use more help around him, which is why the Nationals would be wise to explore the robust pitching market. 

Given how well Greene has performed and the number of teams still in contention, there should be a large market for the Detroit closer. 

If the Tigers were smart, they would begin negotiations with a high asking price for Greene and either have a team meet that, or work down and still get a solid return. Either way, Detroit should benefit off the talents of its closer and potentially a few other players. 

Nicholas Castellanos

According to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News, the Cubs are among the teams that have shown interest in Nicholas Castellanos.

Mark Cunningham/Getty Images

NBC Los Angeles' Michael J. Duarte reported Friday the Dodgers were looking at a potential package deal with the Tigers for the 27-year-old and Greene. 

Castellanos enters Monday on the back of a walk-off home run in Detroit's 4-3 win over Toronto Sunday. 

The outfielder and designated hitter has done well at the plate in July, as there have only been three games in the month in which he has not recorded a base hit. 

In the weekend three-game series with Toronto, Castellanos went 4-for-12, with a 3-for-5 performance in Sunday's victory.

The Dodgers are well in front of everyone in the NL West and have seven more wins than Atlanta in the hunt for home-field advantage. 

Even though they are at the top of the standings, the Dodgers still face a ton of pressure to end their title drought that dates back to 1988. 

To have someone like Castellanos added to their current collection of hitters would only reinforce their depth chart in case injuries occur. 

The Cubs could make a case they need his bat more to add some variety to their lineup since they have a pair of strong left-handed bats in Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward. 

Castellanos is hitting .377 against left-handed pitching; Heyward has a .206 average and .309 slugging percentage against southpaws; and Schwarber's totals are not great either, with a .220 batting average, three home runs and six RBI.

Even if they strike out on Castellanos, the Cubs should take a look at other right-handed bats in order to improve all facets of their roster in the NL Central race.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90

Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference