With trade season in full swing, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. The Trade Deadline Draws Near:
MLB’s trade deadline is less than 36 hours away, and things kicked into gear in a big way over the weekend. The Rangers transformed their rotation by adding Max Scherzer in a deal with the Mets and Jordan Montgomery in a deal with the Rangers. Meanwhile, the Blue Jays found a replacement for the injured Jordan Romano in Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks. The Angels added depth to their position player group by acquiring Randal Grichuk and C.J. Cron from the Rockies, while the Braves added infield depth of their own by dealing for Nicky Lopez from the Royals.
Looking ahead, the Red Sox are at least listening on outfielder Alex Verdugo, who could hold extra appeal to teams seeking a lefty-hitting outfielder after the Cubs took Cody Bellinger off the trade market. Among the biggest question marks headed into the last day before the deadline is Mets ace Justin Verlander. He signed a two-year, $86.666MM deal with the Mets during the offseason that included a no-trade clause, though comments from Verlander have indicated that the club’s decision to deal Scherzer and that decision’s implications for the club’s competitiveness in 2024 could make him willing to waive that no-trade protection. The Dodgers, Astros, Braves, and Reds have all been connected to the future Hall of Famer.
2. Thor Starts In Cleveland:
Right-hander Noah Syndergaard was recently shipped from the Dodgers to the Guardians in a change of scenery deal that sent infielder Amed Rosario the other way. He’ll make his first start for his new club today, taking the mound this evening against J.P. France and the Astros in Houston this evening. It will be Syndergaard’s first start since a three-inning, six-run blowup against the Reds in Cincinnati that raised his season ERA in 7.16. That was nearly two months ago, as the Dodgers placed Syndergaard on the IL with a blister issue. Now that Syndergaard is presumably fully healthy, the Guardians will hope that a new organization can help him get back on track, allowing Syndergaard to stabilize a Cleveland rotation that will be without Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie for the foreseeable future.
3. Series Preview: Reds @ Cubs
The NL Central has been one of this summer’s most back-and-forth division races, and a coming four-game set between the Reds and Cubs at Wrigley Field could once against turn the tides in their division. The Reds took the lead in the Central yesterday, putting them half a game ahead of Milwaukee and four games ahead of Chicago. The Reds are 3-3 in their last six games, while the Cubs just saw an eight-game win streak snapped by a loss last night. The Reds will try to pull further ahead in the Central with rookie left-hander Andrew Abbott on the mound (1.90 ERA). The Cubs will counter with right-hander Marcus Stroman (3.51 ERA) as they try to gain ground in the division.