Trending at the Trade Deadline

As I'm sure you are well aware, or maybe you aren't, the MLB Trade deadline (meaning no more trades without waivers are allowed after the date) is on July 31st. After then all the teams are off to the races trying to get into the playoffs. Only 10 can get in, so things get pretty tight! The MLB trade deadline is unlike any other in the sense that almost any player is up for grabs. Many top-tier players will shift hands every year in order to give buying teams a "win now" approach and give the selling teams the "hey maybe we should rebuild" approach. Are you ready? I am.

Not your typical trade deadline blog post, I will give you news on what could go down, who is involved, and my personal opinion about how I feel about each player and team. Basically, here is a list and I hope you enjoy my doodling!

Giancarlo Stanton

One of the biggest bats in league (Ahem..he just passed Aaron Judge for the home run lead at 33) is looking like a big fish in the market right now. He's not going to come cheap, but at 27 years old and full of seemingly endless power, any deal for him might just be a bargain. Giancarlo is one of my favorite players in baseball and it almost makes me sad to see him on the Marlins. The Cardinals have been linked to Stanton every year for the past 3 years or so, but no moves have been made. Is this the year that the Cardinals trade off some of their plethora of young athletes to acquire the key player that they need to take the NL Central?

Sonny Gray

6-5 with an ERA over three and 94 strikeouts isn't a killer season for any pitcher, but it is enough to make a quality spot in any rotation. That is why Sonny is on the market. Oakland is 44-58 this year and over 23 games behind the stellar Astros. Needing some youth injected into their lineup, Oakland should sell all of their players at this point. A couple years ago they had a shot at the postseason and they traded everything to acquire top names in order to get a World Series and now they are paying for it. SELL SELL SELL.


The Dodgers look interested in Sonny Gray, especially now that Clayton Kershaw is having back issues. If the Dodgers are serious about making a deep run this year and possibly winning 100+ games, they could do worse.

Randall Grichuk

The Cardinal's off-and-on outfielder looks like he could be on the move soon. After struggling often at the beginning of this year he has come off the DL recently and started tearing it up. 13 home runs this year and an average on the rise, Grichuk is a young player with a lot of potential in a crowded Cardinals outfield. With the Cardinals needing big upgrades in the bullpen and infield, I could definitely see Grichuk changing uniforms.

Justin Verlander


Another team in the dumps and another ace on the trade block. Justin Verlander is a former Cy Young winner who is having a bit of a down year. Even though he is struggling this year (ERA at 4.5 and a losing W-L record) he will still be worth a lot of young talent. Don't be surprised if the Dodgers go ahead and use their huge budget to buy Verlander to solidify their rotation.

Jaime Garcia

I remember first thinking about Jaime Garcia getting traded off and then hearing that the Twins were interested in the lefty. The next day the former Cardinal's pitcher hits a....grand slam? He sure did. But sure enough the Twins bought him, a catcher and some cash for a 19-year-old Dominican pitcher. Garcia has never been one for consistency, but he has the potential to be great. Sadly, his stock has really dropped since he had Tommy John Surgery. It'll be interesting to see if the Twins keep him long, or if it is just a stopping point for him in a series of trade deals.

Johnny Cueto

Once the superstar of the embattled Cincinatti Reds, now Johnny is just another struggling pitcher on a team that missed their even year World Series and don't look like they will be heading back to the playoffs for a while. If the Giants want to make a comeback in the next few years they need to shed some weight (lol Pablo Sandoval. He's back in the bay area btw) and trade guys like Cueto. Lots of teams need starting pitching and Cueto will fetch a decent price due to his top notch history.

Todd Frazier

Another trade that has already taken place, but a big one at that. The Yankees aquired Todd Frazier in an 8-player deal that included Tyler Clippard from NY going to the White Sox. After being in the Home Run Derby in 2014 and 2015 and winning it in 2015, I would have thought that he would be set to stay in Cincinnatti on a nice comfy contract. Sadly, Todd has been tossed around in the year and a half after that and is now on his third team in as many years. If he can bring that average at .209 back up to .250 and keep slugging like he always has then maybe he will find a team to stick with for a while longer. Everyone knows that the Yankees are eager for power, so maybe batting next to Aaron Judge in NY will be a place that he can find a groove.


Pat Neshek

Never one to stay on a team for long, Pat Neshek moved from the Phillies to the Colorado Rockies just recently. With one of the strangest windups in the history of the league, somehow this righty has seemed to find a lot of success over the past four years. This year he is 3-2 with a 1.12 ERA and is looking to close out this season on another high note. I almost feel bad for him...now he will be pitching in Denver where the ball seems to leave the stadium every time Nolan Arenado sneezes. Good luck, Pat. You'll need it.

Zach Britton

A closer with some serious stuff, Zach Britton just became the holder of the AL record for consecutive saves. 55 consecutive saves in a row puts him into second place all time for that statistic. Lots of teams need a solid closer, but none more than the Nationals. After the Nationals picked up Sean Doolittle from the A's a lot of people thought they were done. I still think that a trade for Britton would be one of their smarter moves and one that could help them to win their first championship since the move to the nation's capital.

Andrew McCutchen

You know McCutchen, I know McCutchen, we all know McCutchen. One of the former superstars in the NL is looking to be up for sale. The Pirates have a shot at the less than competitive NL Central, but it might be time to start searching for some younger talent if they want to be competitive a year or more from now. In addition, Cutch only has one more year left on his contract and chances are his salary of $14.5 million a year is only going to go up. Sorry Pittsburgh fans, but you may be lucky to be holding onto your young star for another week, so much as for another few years.

Johnathan Lucroy


To finish off this list, let's talk about Johnathan Lucroy. This man was BEGGING to be traded from the Brewers a year ago. "I don't want to play on a non-competitive team." "I won't stick around for the rebuild." So naturally the Brewers sent him to the Rangers. Well now the Brewers are a half game back of the Cubs for the NL Central and only just recently lost lead. Now Lucroy is batting .245 with 4 home runs on the year and looks to be shipped off the Rangers, who don't have too great of a chance at a playoff shot again this year. If he can stop talking and get back to playing the way he did between 2012 and 2016 then any team would be more than happy to have him as their everyday backstop.





Thanks for listening to my thoughts on this year's trade deadline. Lots of trades are gunna get going this weekend and I'm excited to see which teams bail for the year and what teams look to break into the playoffs. Best of luck to your team as the deals commence!

----For more insights into the 2017 baseball season keep checking back at "Off the Bench". Hope you enjoyed! Please comment your opinions and I'll see you in the next blurb.-----