The MLB trade deadline of August 1st is rapidly approaching and the MLB trade rumors are starting to heat up. With the All-Star break out of the way, teams in the postseason race are focused on improving their rosters before the non-waiver deadline. The sellers, meanwhile, are hoping to find prospects to jumpstart their rebuild. Here are all the latest rumors and news from the MLB hot stove.
Jonathan Lucroy Updates
The Brewers aren't going anywhere this year and catcher Jonathan Lucroy is a prime trade candidate. The Indians and Brewers had talks yesterday about a deal, but Cleveland isn't the only team interested.
#Brewers discussing possible Jonathan Lucroy trade with multiple teams, sources say. #Indians among them. Nothing imminent. @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 21, 2016
The Texas Rangers, in particular, have been linked to Lucroy. He's the best catcher on the market and the Brewers will likely just ransom him off to the highest bidder.
Indians Want Bullpen Help?
While the Indians did have talks with Milwaukee about Lucroy, he's not their main target.
#Brewers and Indians might be discussing C Jonathan Lucroy but you can bet relievers are part of talks. A big priority for Cleveland.
— Tom (@Haudricourt) July 21, 2016
Still hearing that #Indians above all want to upgrade bullpen. Gomes might be back, signed through ’19. Perez-Gimenez combo sufficient at C.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 21, 2016
The Indians have solid defensive catcher in Perez and Gimenez, but the catcher position is not providing much at the plate. Lucroy and his .305 batting average would be a major upgrade. However, it sounds like the Indians want bullpen help first and foremost.
SF Giants And Brewers A Match?
The Giants badly want bullpen help, and the Brewers might be an ideal fit.
#brewers could be a match for #sfgiants in bullpen search. They've been scouting Sacto and thought to like SP Adelberto Mejia.
— Henry Schulman (@hankschulman) July 20, 2016
Sacto refers to the Giants' Triple-A team, the Sacramento River Cats. Mejia is one of the Giants' top 10 prospects, and the Giants would rather trade him than one of their top two in Christian Arroyo and Phil Bickford. However, that possibility is being discussed. The Giants have already been linked to Will Smith and Jeremy Jeffress, with Jeffress the better of the two.
White Sox Now Sellers?
The White Sox made several offseason moves to get themselves into position to contend this year, but at 46-48 and 10 games back in the AL Central, Jon Heyman reports the team could sell at the deadline. Heyman says the team is getting calls on reliever David Robertson and OF Adam Eaton, both of whom could fetch promising returns. Todd Frazier could also be moved if the team goes full-out in a sell, but Heyman reports the team is still hesitant to do so.
Pirates Wants Phillies' Closer?
The Phillies are once again obvious sellers, and that includes closer Jeanmar Gomez.
Among the teams watching Phillies closer Jeanmar Gomez: Pirates, who had Gomez for the 2013 and 2014 seasons. Looking for bullpen upgrade.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 20, 2016
Gomez is in his first year as a closer and has 26 saves, a 2.76 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. The Pirates could use another bullpen arm to help them in their Wild Card race.
Michael Pineda Drawing Interest?
Several Yankees pitchers are drawing interest, including Michael Pineda.
Reps from Cubs, Astros among "a ton" of scouts in the Bronx tonight to see the Yankees. Michael Pineda pitched for NYY.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) July 21, 2016
Luckily for the Yankees, Pineda was sharp in his six scoreless innings. He has 4-9 record with a 5.25 ERA this year, but still has the stuff teams want. What he'll fetch in a trade is unclear, but he is controllable for next year as well. The Cubs likely weren't looking at Pineda, but rather trying to check out the Yankees' relievers.
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