What will happen at the MLB Trade Deadline?
The MLB trade deadline of July 31, 2012 is fast approaching and while talk of some players starts to heat up, others are starting to fade further into the background.
Alfonso Soriano is finding himself in the middle of some pretty serious fire, as the Tampa Bay Rays have been heavily rumored to want him as an addition to their team. But, the Chicago Cubs are giving him a pretty sweet deal and with a year that’s matching the best he played in 2006, he may not be interested in doing anything differently to mess with that.
The Rays have also found themselves in an interesting position. Not only are they trying to acquire Soriano, but they could also be trying to match the talent brought to the mound by Alex Cobb. Finding him a great catcher, such as the Red Sox’s Kelly Shoppach, could be a good match.
The Los Angeles Angels also have a lot of talk surrounding them as well. Kendry Morales is being eyed as the Angels have just acquired both Mark Trumbo and Albert Pujols. Now rumor has it, the Angels are looking to unload Morales, along with Peter Bourjos, from their roster. No word on just who exactly Anaheim would want in exchange for either.
Perhaps one of the biggest questions is ‘what will happen to Justin Upton?’ Upton had everyone talking last year as he brought in 31 homeruns for the Arizona Diamondbacks; but his disappointing 2011-2012 season has doused that talk somewhat. Still, at one point or another nearly every team in the MLB has expressed interest, with the New York Yankees rumored to be the latest.
The deal that makes the most sense of the day is the one rumored between Boston Red Sox’s Daniel Bard, and Chicago Cubs’ Matt Garza. This is one that would work for everybody, and could truly help both teams explode. But the Sox would have to give up more than just Bard before this one went through. They are pretty beefed up in the catching department, and could afford to include Kelly Shoppach in the trade, if the Rays don’t offer enough for him.
Up north, the Toronto Blue Jays are expected to remain fairly quiet after they’ve just traded away ten of their players; while receiving only Francisco Cordero in return. But one starter just isn’t enough for the Jays, and that’s why they’re also looking for Francisco Liriano.
The Jays aren’t in dire need of help on the mound, though; especially not when compared to the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are highly active on the market today, having just traded away Brett Myers, and adding Kevin Youkilis to their roster. But they don’t feel that’s enough depth, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them make a play for Zack Greinke before that deadline hits.
These are just some of the biggest stories floating around the MLB about what July 31 will look like. Only time will tell, and if this trade deadline day is to have any excitement at all, there will still be some completely unexpected deals along the way.
Categorized in: MLB