MLB Trade Rumors: Hottest Reports As 2019 Deadline's End Approaches

The New York Mets made the most surprising move to date ahead of the July 31 MLB trade deadline by acquiring Marcus Stroman, and there is a possibility it could sell another one of its arms before 4 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Noah Syndergaard remains a top target on the trade market with many contenders still in search of pitching help.

Since the Mets are not viewed as a contender for the National League wild-card and now have an ace in place for at least next year with Stroman, they could make a move involving Syndergaard.

San Diego has been mentioned the most in discussions for the 26-year-old because of its loaded farm system.

The Mets are not the only National League East franchise on the rumor mill, as the Washington Nationals are in search of relief help in their quest to hunt down the Atlanta Braves.

Latest MLB Trade Buzz

Noah Syndergaard

High demands from the Mets front office could put the brakes on a potential Syndergaard deal.

According to MLB.com’s Jon Morosi, the Padres will not include top prospect MacKenzie Gore in any Syndergaard deal. Gore is one of the top prospects in baseball and was recently promoted to Double-A.

Because of his current trajectory and the Padres’ willingness to play as many of their young stars as possible, it makes sense for them to keep Gore and wait for his arrival in the majors.

San Diego is in possession of seven players in the MLB.com Top 100 prospects list, so it could still trade premier talent to the Mets.

According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the perception is the Padres are willing to trade Adrian Morejon, who recently made his MLB debut.

Since the Mets just sent two of their top six prospects to Toronto in exchange for Stroman, it would be wise of them to try and get at least one young player who is major league ready, which is the criteria Morejon falls under.

The Padres are not the only team reluctant to deal one of their top prospects, as the Houston Astros are pessimistic about their chances of obtaining Syndergaard partly due to their hesitance to part ways with top prospect Kyle Tucker, per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. 

San Diego would use Syndergaard as the centerpiece for success over the next two seasons because he comes with two years of team control on his contract.

With some of their young stars receiving playing time in 2019, the Padres should have enough experience on the roster in order to mount a challenge to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League West.

As for Houston, it would try to add Syndergaard to bolster a rotation containing two stars already in Justin Verlander and Gerrit Cole. 

If the Astros were able to pull off such a deal, they would have a tremendous three-pronged pitching attack that could put any collection of hitters into difficulty. 

Washington Nationals

Washington is poking around in a few different places in order to add to its bullpen, which is currently anchored by closer Sean Doolittle. 

According to Morosi, the Nationals have interest in Texas reliever Jose Leclerc, who is 1-3 with a 4.34 ERA in 49 games.

In July, the 25-year-old has conceded four runs, with two of them coming in his last appearance against Oakland Sunday. 

Because of his recent results on the mound, Leclerc could be an intriguing option for the Nationals in the latter innings to set up for Doolittle. 

Morosi reported Friday that the Nationals have been in contact with the Toronto Blue Jays regarding the status of Ken Giles and Daniel Hudson. 

Toronto showed its willingness to deal over the weekend with Stroman going to the Mets and Eric Sogard landing in Tampa Bay.

Since Stroman is a starter, he likely had more value in the eyes of the Blue Jays front office, which is why they attained two high-ranking prospects from the Mets. 

The current relief market dictates the Nationals might have to pay in the form of one or two prospects. 

Oakland traded a pair of players to Kansas City for Jake Diekman, while Minnesota acquired Sergio Romo in exchange for a first-base prospect.

Jonathan Villar

According to MASN's Roch Kubatko, the Baltimore Orioles have talked to the Chicago Cubs about infielder Jonathan Villar. 

Villar is coming off a four-game series versus the Los Angeles Angels in which he recorded multiple hits in every game. 

In fact, Villar has 11 multi-hit performances in the month of July, which could be intriguing to a team like the Cubs looking for an infield bat. 

The Cubs missed out on their pursuit of Sogard, as MLB Network's Jon Heyman reported they offered a player the Blue Jays were interested in. 

Sogard was traded for two players to be named later, so if you use that as a measuring stick for the current rate for middle infielders, the Cubs would likely be forced to give up one or two players to acquire Villar. 

Baltimore's first July deal that sent Andrew Cashner to the Boston Red Sox brought two prospects back, so that should be some sort of indicator as to what the Cubs might have to give up as well.

If the Cubs can entice the Orioles with intriguing prospects, it should get the deal done to add a hot bat to the lineup in their attempt to hold on to first place in the NL Central. 

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from MLB.com.