MLB Rumors: Cubs stars Stroman, Bellinger connected to Astros trade
Though they've done an admirable job trying to fight it, all signs point to the Chicago Cubs ultimately selling at the trade deadline, even if it's with some reluctance from Jed Hoyer. And there are obviously no bigger assets that could set the Cubs up better for the future than Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger.
Stroman has been electrically good for the Cubs this season, posting a 2.88 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 20 starts on the year, a run in which he's registerd a Quality Start in 75 percent of his outings. Bellinger, meanwhile, has experienced a resurgence in Chicago this season, posting a .305/.360/.524 slash line with 12 home runs, 13 doubles and 35 RBI in 62 games. Both players, however, have options for 2024 that make them exceedingly tradeable.
A team that might be ready to try and take both off of the Cubs' hands could be the Houston Astros.
Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Monday that the Astros have reached out to Chicago about the trade availability of both Stroman and Bellinger. There was no elaboration other than that, but there is interest on the part of Houston, and it's not hard to see why.
The offseason departure of Justin Verlander combined with injuries for Luis Garcia, Lance McCullers Jr. and Jose Urquidy have tested the Astros pitching depth. Though guys like JP France and Hunter Brown have stepped up huge, they could use more certainty in the rotation, something that Stroman would provide.
But Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) also named another bat to bolster the offense as Houston's biggest needs. Bellinger would obviously help that cause with the way he's performed.
Obviously, the cost for either player, either on theoretically expiring contracts, could be massive in a trade, so the package to acquire both would be substantial. With the Astros already expressing interest, though, they might be on board to break the bank in their World Series title defense.
MLB Rumors: Blake Snell trade buzz connects Padres ace to Phillies
As things continue to crumble for the Padres with the exorbitantly priced roster now sitting double-digit games outside of the division lead, general manager AJ Preller could begin to look deeper at moving assets who could leave at the end of this season or in the next couple of years.
One such player is former Cy Young winner Blake Snell. And Zachary Rotman of Friars on Base connected the 30-year-old lefty to an intriguing National League contender: the Philadelphia Phillies.
Rotman noted that the Phillies, a club that is still 10.5 games back of the Braves in the division but just a half-game outside of a wild card spot, doesn't necessarily need an ace like Snell to bolster a rotation that features Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, Taijuan Walker and Ranger Suarez. Their need is really a fifth starter.
At the same time, though, putting Snell ahead of Walker and Suarez in the rotation, at minimum, would change the calculus immensely on last year's NL representatives in the World Series.
Overall this season, Snell has been phenomenal with a 2.71 ERA and 1.22 WHIP over 19 starts and 103 innings. But after having an ERA north of 5.00 through the first month, he's been dominant, allowing just three earned runs over his last 47 innings (eight total starts).
Given that he's a free agent after this season, the Phillies could get a discount on the possible rental of Snell, but that would also possibly open of re-signing him as part of the core moving forward too. And though they may not be in a position where they're going to catch up to the Braves in the NL East, the fact of the matter, is that they didn't do that last year, and you see where they ended up.
And if they are indeed inclined to pursue Snell, perhaps an even bigger blockbuster could be on the table, one that includes Soto too…
MLB Rumors: Could the Braves trade for Josh Hader with the Padres?
While the Eddie Rosario injury scare could at least somewhat alter the trade deadline plans for the Atlanta Braves, the fact remains that the primary objective — if the club even elects to make any type of move — for Alex Anthopoulos and the front office will be to fortify the bullpen.
Given what the Braves have traditionally done, guys like Scott Barlow, Kendall Graveman, Jordan Hicks and other rental relievers would make the most sense. Having said that, there's one major swing that Atlanta could potentially take at the trade deadline that would send shockwaves throughout the league.
That would be trading for Josh Hader.
Hader was moved at last year's trade deadline with the Padres going all-in alongside the Juan Soto trade. But one year later, the Padres are six games under .500 and 10.5 games out of the NL West lead. With the southpaw reliever in the final year of his contract, San Diego could look to recoup as much value as possible to move forward in a better position, which is why Chase Irle of SportsTalkATL had Hader as the No. 2 trade target for the Braves.
Here's what Irle said:
After a surprisingly down year in 2022, Hader is back to being the best closer in baseball, boasting 1.08 ERA and 13.5 K/9. If the Padres fall out of the playoff race, he will be one of the most coveted relievers in the game. It's not in the Braves MO to give up prospects for rentals, but Hader might just be worth it to put the team over the top.
Furthering that, the injury to A.J. Minter that landed him on the 15-day IL puts the Braves in a position where they are less certain at the back of the bullpen. Even with Minter, though, you could argue that both he and Raisel Iglesias are best in set-up type roles in the seventh and eighth innings. As such, brining in one of baseball's best closers in Hader would make for an elite back-end punch out of the bullpen.
As Irle mentioned, this isn't necessarily how the Braves often do business at the trade deadline. But if major-league talent like Travis d'Arnaud or ready talent like Vaughn Grissom or Jared Shuster could move the Padres, it's something that Atlanta should explore wholeheartedly.