Alright, I think I owe you at least one non-hypothetical or theoretical post about 2023’s MLB Trade Deadline. Luckily for you, we’ve arrived at the witching hour, the last full series of the season before teams are officially on the Trade Deadline clock. So, let’s talk about five of the most important series for this weekend with respect to determining who’s buying and who’s selling come August 1 (in no particular order).
Guardians vs. White Sox
The Guardians kicked off the Trade Deadline with a perplexing trade with the Dodgers, sending Amed Rosario to the West Coast in exchange for Thor himself, Noah Syndergaard (oh, how the mighty have fallen). It was a move to clear up any confusion as to Rosario’s contract status in Cleveland after 2023, but the trade was for a pitcher who is also a free agent in 2024. I’m not saying it was a bad trade on either side, but it was certainly a weirder one for the Ohioans. But that just makes their series against the White Sox that much more intriguing. The Guardians have been hovering around .500 for the last month and are in striking distance of the AL Central-leading Twins. Sweeping this series against a White Sox team that already announced themselves as sellers with the Lucas Giolito and Lance Lynn/Joe Kelly trades could prove to be a difference-maker in how they approach the Deadline.
Cubs vs. Cardinals
The Cubs are on an MLB-best six-game winning streak entering Friday and are back at .500 in a weak NL Central division. For the longest time, it seemed as though the North-Siders would be sellers at the Deadline (ask Yankees fans what they think of Cody Bellinger), but with Cincinnati and Milwaukee just a few games ahead of them, not to mention being in a packed NL Wild Card race, could the Cubs buy? A positive series against the Cardinals could spell fortune for the Cubbies, but a surprising collapse could see Belli and/or Marcus Stroman wearing a darker-colored blue pinstriped jersey come August 2.
Rangers vs. Padres
With the Angels going all-in with their aforementioned trade of Giolito (he’s starting tonight, by the way), all eyes shift to the Padres, the other big-named team with big-named players that should be sellers at the Deadline. I think it’s pretty obvious that the Padres are too top-heavy and will look to recoup some of that prospect pool that has made them such an attractive trade partner in years past, but to what extent? Will it just be Josh Hader on the move or will Blake Snell and Juan Soto wave goodbye to Petco Park as well? A pivotal series against the Rangers will not determine if San Diego buys or sells, but to what degree they sell.
Mariners vs. Diamondbacks
It’s a shame that, despite the major shuffling of the MLB standings in 2023 as compared to a pretty dynastic run from baseball’s best teams over the past few years, that the Mariners haven’t quite leaped their way out of the middle of the AL pack like most had hoped or anticipated. And with talks of them trading Teoscar Hernandez with a plus-.500 record, it’s tough to say if they will opt to move ahead in the pack or drop back in favor of future success. Their upcoming series in the desert will prove costly to their strategy entering the last third of the season because if things go south against the Diamondbacks, it could be 2002-2022 all over again for the Pacific Northwest.
Red Sox vs. Giants
There’s no real debate that either of these teams won’t be buyers at the Deadline. The Sox and Giants are firmly above .500 entering each team’s final series before August 1. I just think this is a fun matchup. A battle of teams that met in the second-ever World Series at one of baseball’s best ballparks? That’s called drama!
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