MLB Rumors: What are the chances Arizona trades for Shohei Ohtani?

Jon Morosi of MLB.com reported on Monday morning that the Arizona Diamondbacks and Baltimore Orioles are among the teams to inquire about a potential Shohei Ohtani blockbuster trade.

The Orioles/Ohtani link makes a ton of sense, especially considering their deep farm system and payroll flexibility. That will be a match that will surely be discussed in the offseason, too. But the Arizona/Ohtani link was new and caught me off guard, so I asked a couple sources what the likelihood of a potential Ohtani-to-Arizona blockbuster was.

It quickly became clear that Ohtani is not going to end up in Arizona.

The basis of the Angels' and Diamondbacks' conversations sounded more like checking in and seeing what each team was looking to do at the trade deadline, not a precursor to a potential Ohtani trade. It's time to move on. This has zero shot of happening right now.

It would also appear increasingly unlikely that Ohtani will be traded, as the Angels have remained in the wild card hunt. Team owner Arte Moreno has also shown zero willingness to move Ohtani and the team has not discussed Ohtani, or any of their other major-league players, seriously with other teams.

Grading the fit: 0/10.

MLB Rumors: Could the Braves trade for Adam Duvall for a third time?

Another trade deadline, another rumor connecting Adam Duvall to the Atlanta Braves.

And this rumor makes a lot of sense.

Sean McAdam of MassLive.com reported that the Braves are "said to have some interest in yet another reunion" with Duvall. The veteran outfielder, who is signed to a one-year, $7 million contract has an extensive history in Atlanta — he has been traded there twice — and also won a World Series with the team in 2021.

The Braves could use more veteran outfield depth and Duvall would make an ideal platoon partner with Eddie Rosario in left field. Duvall's versatility could also allow the team to give days off to Michael Harris II and Ronald Acuña Jr. to ensure that they are fresh for the postseason.

It's unclear what the Braves would have to part with in a potential deal, but as MLB Trade Rumors speculates, it's possible that they could part with some of their bullpen depth to facilitate a trade. It just so happens that the Red Sox (like most teams) are searching for relievers.

The fit makes a lot of sense. I like it, personally, and Braves general manager Alex Anthopoulos clearly likes Duvall.

Grading the fit: 8/10.

MLB Rumors: Don't anticipate the Cardinals trading Willson Contreras

There have been rumors suggesting that the St. Louis Cardinals will make Willson Contreras available at the trade deadline.

How it has been described to me is that a trade is incredibly unlikely, for a variety of reasons.

For starters, his five-year, $87.5 million contract makes him virtually impossible to trade. At this point, it's one of the worst contracts in baseball, and when hardly any team was willing to trade for him last season when he was on an expiring contract … it's hard to see that changing now when he has four years remaining on his deal.

Even then, Contreras has holes in his game that worried teams dating back to the last trade deadline. How he would handle working with a whole new pitching staff in the middle of the season. His defense is not his strong suit, either. He also controls his own destiny with a no-trade clause. That complicates a potential trade even more.

For this exercise, I was asked to come up with a potential trade fit for Contreras. I was unable to come up with one. The contract, and the concerns with the player from other teams, make it too difficult to forecast.