MLB trade deadline: Teams desperate to make a move.
The trade market this year is a little like grocery store shelves just before a major snowstorm: mostly empty, with buyers frantically grabbing something that looks good rather than leaving empty-handed. There are very few teams unloading players, and even some of the available ones, executives say, are complicated by injury history.
Some of the biggest needs have been satiated with the first wave of trades on Thursday and Friday. The Seattle Mariners got a hitter in outfielder Randy Arozarena. The Baltimore Orioles pulled in a starting pitcher, Zach Eflin, who can help them this year and next. And the Boston Red Sox reacquired someone they know well, lefty James Paxton, as well as catcher Danny Jansen to add some thump.
1. New York Yankees
Brian Cashman, the Yankees’ general manager, was reminded this weekend about his most desperate need: On Friday night, Aaron Boone’s bullpen melted down, surrendering a three-run lead in the last three innings; Aaron Judge’s three-run, 470-foot homer wasn’t enough. The Yankees have typically built strong, deep bullpens in recent years, but that has not been the case in 2024. The Yankees could use a high-end reliever, but really, they need two bullpen arms (they could really use a left-hander; they were in the conversations for the Marlins’ A.J. Puk before that lefty was swapped to Arizona).
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But the Yankees’ needs don’t stop there. The ex-Yankee Luis Severino noted that lately, the team’s offense has been largely reliant on Juan Soto and Judge, and even with better swings from the likes of Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe on Friday, the depth issue persists. The Yankees could use a third baseman, or first baseman — Jazz Chisholm could help here, depending on how they use him, or maybe someone like Isaac Paredes or Yandy Diaz, given that the Tampa Bay Rays are apparently OK with trading within their own division as they continue to manage their payroll out of necessity.
Cashman has a history of making deals in the last 48 to 72 hours before the deadline in his 26 prior seasons, and he’ll need to do so again.
2. Seattle Mariners
Maybe even before his arrival, the addition of Arozarena inspired the Mariners’ hitters, who scored 10 runs on Friday. Or maybe they just feasted on the downtrodden Chicago White Sox. But Seattle needs more help, especially with Julio Rodriguez and J.P. Crawford out of the lineup, and market sources indicate that Mariners executive Jerry Dipoto continues to look for a hitter to help jump start an offense that has been shockingly poor. Since June 19, the Mariners have scored just 104 runs in 30 games, batting .203, the lowest average for any team.
