MLB Rumors: Top Trade Reports Entering 2019 Deadline Day

The New York Mets have turned into one of the most intriguing MLB teams on the rumor mill ahead of Wednesday's trade deadline.

The Mets enter Sunday six games under .500 and 12.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the National League East, and since they have plenty of coveted trade targets, they have reportedly gone into full sell mode.

Closer Edwin Diaz is among the players recently mentioned in reports, and he might not be the only Mets hurler on his way out of the franchise before the deadline.

Other teams are heading into Wednesday with less clarity because of their positions in the standings.

The Cleveland Indians have moved to within one game of the Minnesota Twins in the American League Central but is still receiving interest in Trevor Bauer, while the San Francisco Giants are taking calls on Madison Bumgarner despite being 2.5 games back of the second wild-card spot in the NL.

Top MLB Trade Reports

Edwin Diaz

Bruce Kluckhohn/Associated Press

According to Mike Puma of the New York Post, Atlanta, the Tampa Bay Rays, Toronto Blue Jays and the Los Angeles Dodgers are interested in Diaz.

Puma mentioned the possibility of the Blue Jays using a potential deal for Diaz to flip him to Atlanta in exchange for prospects.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Mets are pondering one scenario in which they include Diaz and Zack Wheeler in the same trade.

Sherman also noted there is strong belief among the teams that have reached out to the Mets that Diaz, Wheeler and Noah Syndergaard will be traded by the 4 p.m. ET deadline Wednesday.

Trading Diaz not even a full season into his Mets tenure would strike some as a strange move, but if they believe it is the best scenario for the franchise to receive more prospects in return for a closer, a deal should get done.

Diaz has 22 saves in 43 appearances, but his ERA is up to 4.81, which is almost three full points worse than the 1.96 ERA he put up with the Seattle Mariners in 2018.

Despite the concession of more earned runs in four months with the Mets than in all of last season with the Mariners, Diaz still has a 4.69 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 61 strikeouts and 13 walks, which is a positive sign for any contender looking to acquire him.

Diaz's recent outings on the mound should be promising for potential buyers as well, as he has not given up a run in the past seven appearances.

Atlanta could shift its focus on the pitching market to the bullpen since Kevin Gausman and Max Fried recently returned to the starting rotation from the injured list.

If the Braves have enough confidence in Gausman and Fried, they could home in more on bolstering their bullpen, which is led by Luke Jackson, who before 2019 had a single save in his MLB career.

Adding a player who recorded 57 saves a year ago would be a significant upgrade for the Braves, who are attempting to fend off the surging Washington Nationals in the NL East.

From the Mets' perspective, Atlanta might be the best potential trade partner since it contains a deep farm system, with five players in the top 70 of MLB.com's top 100 prospects.

The Dodgers could use Diaz to combine with Kenley Jansen, but they already have a plethora of right-handed arms in their bullpen and could look for left-handed relievers before turning their focus to him.

MLB.com's Jon Morosi reported the Dodgers have interest in acquiring the Pittsburgh Pirates' Felipe Vazquez, who would fit the their need and could lead them away from a pursuit of Diaz.

Tampa Bay fits the criteria of a team in need of bullpen help—and one with enough prospects to intrigue the Mets.

Eight pitchers have earned a save for the Rays, who are a half-game back of the second wild-card position in the AL, and none of them have picked up more than seven.

Diaz would serve as the anchor of the Tampa Bay bullpen, and with seven prospects in the MLB.com top 100, the Rays presumably have enough talent in their farm system to strike a deal with the Mets.

Toronto trading for Diaz and then flipping him elsewhere seems like a strange strategy since it would likely have to give something up in order to acquire the reliever.

It is an interesting thought process, but if the Blue Jays believe they can package Diaz for prospects alone or with another trade target like Marcus Stroman or Ken Giles, it is at least worth researching.

Trevor Bauer

David Dermer/Associated Press

According to Cleveland.com's Paul Hoynes, the Houston Astros and the New York Yankees keep inquiring about Bauer.

The 28-year-old and Cleveland sit in a peculiar spot since the team is making a significant playoff push, but the pitcher only has one arbitration year left on his contract.

Bauer continues to generate interest on the trade market because he is one victory away from his fifth straight 10-win season, and he is coming off a start in which he did not give up a run over 7.2 innings against Toronto.

In each of his past six appearances, Bauer has lasted at least six innings, which is something both the Astros and Yankees could use down the stretch.

During that run of contests, Bauer conceded 13 earned runs, with five of them coming in a July 2 start versus Kansas City.

If there is any team in the majors in need of consistent shutdown innings, it is the Yankees, who struggled over the past week.

In three games against the Red Sox, New York let up 38 runs, including 19 in the series opener Thursday.

Houston is trying to add more depth to its rotation behind Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole, and if it added Bauer, it would possess one of the best starting threesomes in baseball.

The dilemma facing Cleveland is that it is a game back of the Twins in the AL Central and holds the top spot in the AL wild-card race.

At the rate they are going, the Indians appear to be a playoff team, and they would need Bauer in the rotation to provide themselves with the best chance to contend with the likes of Houston and the Yankees.

Trading a key piece to a direct contender for the AL pennant does not seem wise, and it could make more sense to look for a possible Bauer trade in the offseason.

Madison Bumgarner

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Giants are going through the process of cultivating conversation regarding Bumgarner.

Teams Olney spoke to believe the Giants are still in listening mode when it comes to the pitcher.

San Francisco is 2.5 games behind the final wild-card position in the NL thanks to an incredible surge throughout July that has left it as one of the biggest question marks ahead of the deadline.

Bumgarner is still going to be a free agent at the end of the season, and if the Giants believe the best decision is to maximize the return for him now, they could deal him away.

MLB.com's Mark Feinsand recently reported that the Giants are likely to become buyers at the deadline and it is all but certain that Bumgarner will not be traded.

For contenders in need of starting pitchers, it is worth kicking the tires on Bumgarner because he was viewed as one of the top trade targets as recently as mid-July.

Bumgarner has conceded four earned runs in his past three starts for the Giants, which would have made him more of an intriguing trade possibility if the Giants were out of contention.

Although San Francisco will not get a large return for the southpaw if they keep him after July 31, it appears to be the wisest decision, with momentum pushing the team toward the postseason.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.