Account
MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Xander Bogaerts, Andrelton Simmons and More
August 30, 2020
The 2020 MLB trade deadline is Monday and will be one of the most uncertain in baseball history. With 16 teams making the playoffs in this unprecedented season, the relative lack of movement thus far is completely understandable.
Expect that to change over the next 24 hours.
Teams that see the window creeping open are going to try to barrel through it, and there are enough teams starting to flounder—particularly one in Boston—that some high-profile names could be on the move.
Here's a look at some of the latest buzz around baseball.
Xander Bogaerts Likely Staying; BOS Could Move Others
The Red Sox are baseball's worst team outside Pittsburgh despite boasting the sport's third-highest payroll. There's no way they're standing pat ahead of Monday's deadline. It's one thing to be bad—it's another entirely to be bad and expensive.
Speculation has been rampant about nearly every player on the roster, with everyone likely available for the right price.
However, it does not appear teams are willing to pay that tag for Xander Bogaerts. Jon Heyman of MLB Network reported Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez are likely staying in Boston through the deadline. That's probably owing to the fact that Bogaerts and Martinez both have hefty salaries moving forward, with the shortstop raking in $20 million per season through at least 2022 and Martinez at $19.4 million the next two years.
The Red Sox already traded first baseman Mitch Moreland to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, per Dennis Lin of The Athletic.
Jackie Bradley Jr., Kevin Pillar and Christian Vazquez are among the other position players who could find themselves on the move.
Blue Jays Want Andrelton Simmons?
Jon Morosi of MLB Network reported the Toronto Blue Jays have reached out to the Angels about shortstop Andrelton Simmons, who is an impending free agent. Simmons has appeared in only 10 games this season after an extended period on the injured list, his second straight year spent on the shelf.
The Jays are currently 17-14 and among the teams that could be buyers for an extended playoff run in the 16-team postseason. They're currently about a 50-50 shot to make the field and are in need of shortstop help with Bo Bichette on the injured list.
Jason Castro, Brian Goodwin and Dylan Bundy were mentioned as potential fits in a trade to the Angels.
Simmons has never played a position other than shortstop, so it would be interesting to see how he'd fit in the event Bichette returns to the lineup.