MLB Rumors

The Oakland Athletics and Toronto Blue Jays are among the teams potentially interested in trading for Minnesota Twins slugger Nelson Cruz ahead of the July 31 trade deadline, according to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network. 

Cruz, who was recently announced to his seventh All-Star team, is hitting .304 this year with 18 homers, 45 RBI, 37 runs and a .939 OPS. At 41, he hasn't missed a beat. 

But with the Twins limping to a 35-50 record and well out of the postseason picture already—a disappointment, considering their playoff berths in three of the previous four seasons—a veteran slugger like Cruz is expendable. 

He's well on pace to exceed the 30-homer mark for the seventh time in the past eight seasons (and his 16 homers in just 53 games last year during the pandemic-shortened year suggest he would have hit that threshold in a full campaign, too). 

The only downside for the Twins in any trade talks for Cruz is that his market is limited to American League teams, given that he's a full-time designated hitter at this stage in his career. He hasn't made an appearance in the field since the 2018 season, and between the 2017-18 seasons played a total of just nine games in the outfield. 

But for teams in need of instant offense, Cruz fits the bill. Imagining him in a Toronto lineup that already includes Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Marcus Semien, Randal Grichuk, Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez and a now-healthy George Springer is downright frightening. 

That lineup could propel the 44-40 Blue Jays into a postseason berth. Ditto for the 49-39 Athletics, where Cruz would be an enormous upgrade at DH over Mitch Moreland and give the Athletics a nasty punch in the middle of their lineup next to Matt Olson and Ramon Laureano. 

The New York Mets have reportedly held trade talks with the Minnesota Twins involving veteran third baseman Josh Donaldson.

According to SNY's Andy Martino, the Mets are focused on upgrading at third base prior to the July 30 trade deadline, and they have had "very preliminary" talks with the Twins about Donaldson.

The Mets reportedly have interest in Chicago Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant as well, but they are unsure if the Cubs intend to be sellers.

While the Mets boast one of the best starting pitching rotations in baseball, their offense leaves plenty to be desired. 

Entering play Friday, they ranked 26th in MLB in batting average at .227, 27th in home runs with 76 and last in runs scored with 275.

Despite that, the Mets lead the National League East with a record of 41-36, two games better than the second-place Washington Nationals.

The Mets have a chance to do some damage if they make the playoffs thanks to the pitching trio of Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Marcus Stroman, but they undoubtedly need to inject more life into their lineup.

Third base in particular is a problem area for the Mets, as both Jonathan Villar and J.D. Davis are on the injured list.

New York has been using Luis Guillorme at third base recently, but he is hitting just .247 with no home runs and one RBI in 91 plate appearances.

The 35-year-old Donaldson boasts an impressive resume, as he is a three-time All-Star, two-time Silver Slugger award winner and was the American League MVP in 2015 when he hit .297 with 41 home runs and 123 RBI as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

After suffering through injuries in 2018, Donaldson experienced a career renaissance with the Atlanta Braves in 2019, hitting .259 with 37 homers and 94 RBI.

He subsequently signed a four-year contract with the Twins, but it hasn't worked out as well as hoped.

Donaldson appeared in just 28 games last season due to injury, and he has spent some time on the IL this season as well.

Still, his 2021 numbers are decent, as he is slashing .250/.345/.486 with 13 home runs and 34 RBI in 63 games.

Even though Donaldson is performing well below what he did at his peak, he would represent a massive upgrade for the Mets at the hot corner.

Per Martino, the Mets have some conditions if they are going to make a trade. One of them is that they have no interest in trading their top prospects.

Another is that New York doesn't want to go above the $210 million luxury tax threshold. That could be an issue since the Mets are less than $10 million below that number and Donaldson would put them over the top unless they are able to shed salary, according to Martino.

Regardless of who they acquire, the Mets clearly need more offensive firepower in order to be true contenders in the NL.

The Chicago White Sox are in discussions with the Arizona Diamondbacks about trading for infielder Eduardo Escobar, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

As Nightengale noted, the White Sox are looking to replace second baseman Nick Madrigal,  who is out for the season with a torn right hamstring. 

Escobar, 32, is hitting .240 (.743 OPS) with 15 home runs and 45 RBI for a Diamondbacks team that will assuredly undergo a fire sale this season. Arizona's 20-53 mark is the worst in the majors, and the team has also lost 17 straight games.

A power-hitting infielder like Escobar would certainly pique the interest of contending teams, and the White Sox have a gap to fill sans the talented Madrigal.

The 24-year-old had season-ending surgery last Tuesday, ending a promising 2021 campaign that saw him hit .305 with two home runs, 21 RBI and four triples in 54 games. Thanks in part to his efforts, the 43-29 White Sox are first in the American League Central.

Danny Mendrick has taken over at second for Madrigal, whose last game this season occurred on June 9. The 27-year-old is hitting .213 (.628 OPS) with two homers and 13 RBI.

Adding Escobar may be a one-year rental for the White Sox, as the 11-year MLB veteran is in the final year of a three-season, $21 million deal.

However, Chicago would certainly welcome his power hitting from second base as the team gears up for a potential postseason run.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have stumbled to a 20-41 start this season, and a firesale could be on the horizon. 

According to Robert Murray of Fansided, "rival executives say that outfielder David Peralta is among the players the Diamondbacks have already made available."

Murray added that Ketel Marte, Asdrubal Cabrera and Eduardo Escobar are also potential trade chips for the cellar-dweller Diamondbacks.

Peralta, 33, is hitting .245 this season with four homers, 30 RBI and 25 runs. While he's never been able to replicate his 2018 Silver Slugger campaign (30 homers, 87 RBI)—in fact, he's never hit 20 or more home runs in a season outside of that year—he's a solid offensive option who generally hits for a solid average and has a career .342 on-base percentage. 

He's also solid in the field, winning a Gold Glove in 2019. 

He wouldn't be a short-term rental, either, as he's under contract through the 2022 season on a $7.5 million salary. 

It would be a major change of scenery for Peralta were he dealt, however, as he's spent his entire eight-year MLB career with the Diamondbacks. But with Arizona already well out of the postseason picture, barring a stunning turnaround, Peralta's odds of being moved this season are high. 

The New York Yankees acquired second baseman Rougned Odor and cash considerations from the Texas Rangers in exchange for minor league outfielders Antonio Cabello and Josh Stowers on Tuesday.

ESPN's Jeff Passan was the first to report a deal was being finalized.

The Rangers left Odor off their Opening Day roster for this season, at which point president of baseball operations Jon Daniels indicated the 27-year-old's future was likely playing elsewhere.

Odor makes $12 million in 2021 and 2022 before he has a $13.5 million club option for 2023 that includes a $3 million buyout. Passan reported the Rangers are "expected to absorb almost the entirety of the $27 million owed."

That the Rangers would not only trade Odor, but also take on a lot of his outstanding money in order to do so is an indicator as to how much his on-field value has fallen in recent seasons.

In 2016, a 22-year-old Odor had 33 home runs, 88 RBI and a .271/.296/.502 slash line. He finished 14th in WAR (2.5) among second basemen, per FanGraphs.

Since then, the Venezuela native is batting .215 with a .279 on-base percentage, per Baseball Reference. His strikeouts (514) have far outpaced his hits (374) as well.

Still, Odor is a worthwhile gamble for the Yankees, especially since they won't be paying his full salary. New York already has an everyday second baseman in DJ LeMahieu, so this trade is about adding depth to the middle of the infield and getting a left-handed slugger to provide a platoon advantage.

The short porch in right field could work to Odor's benefit, too. Shortstop Didi Gregorius had 22 homers through his first four seasons before exploding for 20 in 2016, his second as a Yankee. Granted, Gregorius made contact at a far better rate than Odor, so they're not exactly at the same starting point when they embarked on their Yankee tenures. 

In general, there doesn't appear to be too much downside for the Yankees. They already have so much offensive depth, so they won't suffer too much if Odor's struggles at the plate carry over into 2021.

The Houston Astros reportedly offered shortstop Carlos Correa a six-year extension worth about $120 million but "there's no sign of traction" on a potential deal, according to Jon Heyman of MLB Network. 

Correa is heading into his final year of team control and would be the youngest player in the free-agent class next offseason.

The 26-year-old hit .264 with five home runs, nine doubles, 22 runs and 25 RBI across 58 games last season.

Correa has been a key part of the Astros success since making his debut in 2015, winning Rookie of the Year in just 99 games his first year. A year later, he ranked ninth in the majors with 7.0 wins above replacement, per Baseball Reference.

In 2017, he earned his first All-Star selection and hit five postseason home runs on the way to a World Series title.

Though consistency has been a problem in recent years, the right-handed hitter hit .279 with 21 home runs in just 75 games in 2019.

It could put him in high demand in a loaded shortstop class that is also projected to include Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, Corey Seager and Trevor Story.

After Francisco Tatis Jr. agreed to a deal that will pay him $340 million over 14 years, it makes sense for Correa to test the market next season.

The Washington Nationals would be wise to keep Trea Turner and Juan Soto around for the long term. They reportedly want to do just that this offseason. 

According to Jon Heyman of the MLB Network, the Nats are "trying to extend both Turner and Soto again after making offers to both last spring as well. There seems to be a bit of optimism at least on Turner, who has two years to go before free agency."

Turner, 27, was excellent for the Nationals in 2020, hitting .335 with 12 homers, 41 RBI, 46 runs and 12 stolen bases. Projected out to a 162-game season, Turner would have blasted 33 homers with 113 RBI, 126 runs and 33 stolen bases. That elite production is further proof that the shortstop's offense has developed him into far more than just a speedster on the basepaths.

Soto, 22, is one of the game's ascending superstars. The outfielder won the batting title in 2020, hitting .351, to go along with 13 homers, 37 RBI and 39 runs. In a full season, those numbers project to 45 homers, 128 RBI and 134 runs. 

It was no surprise that Soto was fifth in the MVP voting, the second straight year he's been a top-10 finisher.  

Likewise, it's no surprise that the Nats would want to lock up Turner and Soto as soon as possible. The team has already seen other homegrown talents like Bryce Harper and Anthony Rendon depart via free agency in recent years. 

Washington general manager Mike Rizzo said the organization would eventually like to get deals done with both players when asked about the possibility of extensions earlier in March, telling reporters: 

"We've discussed internally with ownership about it. We're in the midst of making decisions on what a timeframe would look like. And again, it goes back to my early press conference where we talked about it as we certainly would love to. We certainly have made and will make a long-term extension offer to both players sometime in the near future."

For Turner and Soto, their decisions come down to securing long-term security sooner at the expense of maximizing their market potential as free agents down the line. Harper and Rendon went the latter route. A player like the San Diego Padres' Fernando Tatis Jr.—who signed a 14-year, $340 million extension with the Padres after just two MLB seasons—preferred the former.