MLB trade deadline 2022: AL contenders wheel and deal, Padres get closer Josh Hader
four-time All-Star Josh Hader from the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for four players, including left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers.
And the New York Yankees added to their pre-trade deadline acquisition of All-Star outfielder Andrew Benintendi by adding a top setup man from the Chicago Cubs to their bullpen. Then the American League’s top team went a step further by acquiring two top pitchers from the Oakland Athletics as they make a push for their first World Series title since 2009.
What other deals could be made as the countdown to the deadline continues? USA TODAY Sports will provide updates on all the key trades.
OPINION:Yankees are making it clear at trade deadline: World Series or bust
ANALYSIS:Brewers believe they can still win without All-Star closer Josh Hader
Braves get Jake Odorizzi, Robbie Grossman
The Atlanta Braves stayed busy late Monday night, adding two more veteran players.
The Braves are reportedly adding veteran right-handed Jake Odorizzi in a trade with the Houston Astros and outfielder Robbie Grossman in a deal with the Detroit Tigers.
The Braves are sending veteran left-hander Will Smith to the Astros. Odorizzi, an 11-year major-league vet, was in his second season with the Astros, with whom he posted a 4-3 record and 3.75 ERA in 12 starts. Smith, meanwhile, has appeared in 41 games out of the bullpen this season, compiling a 4.38 ERA.
the Josh Hader trade, the Milwaukee Brewers are getting right-handed reliever Matt Bush from the Texas Rangers. The Rangers will receive infielder Mark Mathias and minor league pitcher Antoine Kelly in the deal. In 40 appearances this season, Bush has a 2.95 ERA and 1.009 WHIP.
Cardinals get pitching help from Pirates
Badly in need of starting pitching, the St. Louis Cardinals are making a deal with a division rival to help their rotation. The Cardinals are reportedly finalizing a deal to acquire left-hander Jose Quintana from the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 20 games as a starter with the NL Central’s worst team, Quintana posted a 3-5 record and a 3.50 ERA, striking out 89 and walking 31.
Sox (both Red and White) get busy
The Boston Red Sox quickly get a catcher to replace Christian Vazquez, making a deal with the Chicago White Sox. Chicago sends catcher Reese McGuire to Boston for left-handed reliever Jake Diekman.
also reportedly headed to the Boston Red Sox for a player to be named later. Once the deal is complete, this will be Pham’s fifth team in the last five seasons
The Arizona Diamondbacks acquire third baseman Emmanuel Rivera from the Kansas City Royals for pitcher Luke Weaver.
Braves lock up another young star
The Atlanta Braves signed All-Star third baseman Austin Riley to a 10-year, $212 million deal, the team announced.
The contract runs through the 2032 season with a 2033 club option for $20 million. Next season, the 25-year-old will make $15 million, $21 million in 2024 and $22 million for the rest of the contract.
Riley is hitting .301 with 29 home runs and 68 RBI this season for Atlanta, who are three games back of the New York Mets in the NL East. Eleven of his home runs came in July, and he had a franchise record 26 extra base hits in the month, breaking a 60-year old record.
AL contenders continue to wheel and deal
The Yankees, owners of the league’s best record, were always going to be a buyer at the trade deadline. It started with Andrew Benitendi on Thursday, continued Monday afternoon with the acquisition of right-hander Scott Effross and really ramped up a few hours later.
Now they are acquiring right-handers Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino from the Oakland Athletics, according to ESPN.
Montas will join the Yanks’ starting rotation, while Trivino will provide New York with another bullpen option. The A’s will get left-handers Ken Waldichuk and J.P. Sears, right-hander Luis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman.
The Houston Astros, who begin the week two games back of the Yankees in the AL standings, traded for 1B/OF Trey Mancini from the Baltimore Orioles and right hander Jayden Murray from the Tampa Bay Rays. Mancini is hitting .268 with 10 home runs and 41 RBI in 92 games. The Orioles receive RHP Chayce McDermott from the Astros and Tampa Bay gets outfielder Jose Siri from Houston.
The reigning AL champions also acquired catcher Christian Vázquez from the Boston Red Sox. Vazquez, 31, spent eight seasons with the Red Sox and is hitting .282 with eight home runs and 42 RBI in 2022. Boston will receive prospects Enmanuel Valdez and Wilyer Abreu, the 28th- and 29th-ranked prospects in the Astros organization.
said Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns. “This mix of present Major League talent and high-level prospects furthers our aim to get as many bites of the apple as possible and, ultimately, to bring a World Series to Milwaukee.”the opposite should be happening.
With two full seasons and this upcoming playoff drive available to clubs aiming to acquire the Washington Nationals slugger, it’s the usual suspects, fitting a specific profile, in play for Soto. Bigger-spending, bigger-market clubs with flush farm systems are indeed the publicly-known players, with the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and St. Louis Cardinals certainly among the finalists.
Yet we can spot many more clubs that should strongly consider trading for Soto, even if many lack the prospect goods to acquire this 23-year-old hitting savant.
Here’s a look at what we think good, healthy competition for this generation’s Ted Williams might look like.
— Gabe Lacques
pitched the first and (so far) only no-hitter in Padres history.
Yankees bolster bullpen, add Scott Effross from Cubs
With All-Star closer Clay Holmes not quite the infallible weapon he was before the All-Star break, the New York Yankees added bullpen depth by acquiring right-handed reliever Scott Effross from the Chicago Cubs for 24-year-old pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski.
Effross, 28, has a 2.66 ERA in 47 appearances (with one save) for the Cubs, and was seen as a possible closer candidate if they traded David Robertson.
Instead, the side-arming Effross is traded first as the deadline enters its home stretch.
Nationals make a trade! Just not that one.
It wasn’t a Juan Soto blockbuster that has the MLB world on edge, but the Washington Nationals did open Monday’s trading with a minor deal.
The Nats sent utility infielder Ehire Adrianza to the Atlanta Braves for minor league outfielder Trey Harris. Atlanta opened up a roster spot earlier by designating Robinson Cano for assignment.
Adrianza was a nice contributor to the Braves’ 2021 title run when he hit .247 with a .728 OPS. However, he struggled with the Nationals this year, hitting just .179 with no home runs.
Harris, 26, was Atlanta’s minor league hitter of the year in 2019. He was hitting .233/.333/.317 in 59 games this season for Class AA Mississippi.
From Nightengale’s Notebook, USA TODAY Sports’ subscriber-only MLB feature:
Outfielder Trey Mancini, Orioles: The Orioles shouldn’t trade him. He means too much to the organization and this is a team that has stunned everyone by hovering around .500. Yet, baseball is a cold-hearted business.
Starting pitcher Noah Syndergaard, Angels: He no longer blows away hitters with his fastball. He’s not considered an ace or even a No. 2 pitcher. But, oh, has he learned to pitch with his off-speed stuff. He’d be a nice No. 3 starter for any contender.
Starting pitcher Jose Urquidy, Astros: The Astros are so deep that they don’t really need him. He has a career 3.66 ERA, is eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter, and has postseason experience, too. He is being offered in package deals for a slugger.
– Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports
set to return to the mound for the Mets on Tuesday against the Nationals after more than a year away from the major league mound. – Andrew Tredinnick, NorthJersey.com
Cincinnati Reds slugger Brandon Drury carries a lot of value as a right-handed power bat who can play anywhere in the infield and in the corner outfield spots.
He’s one of nine MLB players with at least 20 homers and 20 doubles, joining a list of sluggers that includes Paul Goldschmidt, Austin Riley, José Ramírez and Vladimir Guerrero.
“It’s definitely a little bit different because it could be a whole new clubhouse in a matter of a day,” said Drury, who has been traded three times in his career. “It’s definitely on my mind a little bit, but at the end of the day, whether I’m here or somewhere else, I get to keep playing baseball. That’s all I can control.”
– Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer
signed a two-year extension on Saturday that will keep him in Colorado through the 2024 season.
Among the closers who could possibly be dealt before Tuesday’s deadline are: the Orioles’ Jorge Lopez, the Tigers’ Gregory Soto, the Marlins’ Tanner Scott, the Pirates’ David Bednar and the Cubs’ David Robertson.