Seven things to watch on MLB trade deadline day: Will an ace get dealt? (2024)

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Here are seven things to watch leading up to the trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday on what will be a drama-filled day that could feature several major trades.

1. Will an ace get moved?

The Tigers have listened to inquiring teams on their American League Cy Young Award candidate, Tarik Skubal. The White Sox continue to talk with teams about their ace, Garrett Crochet. The Giants have done their due diligence on two-time Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. So far, none of them have been traded. It appears unlikely that any team will pay the prospect price it will take to land Skubal (but the Tigers still stand to get a strong return if they move Jack Flaherty). Crochet and his agency, CAA, diminished his trade value by saying he wouldn’t pitch in October unless he received a contract extension first, but there are still teams that would trade for him anyway. The Snell situation also will be interesting to watch. After trading Jorge Soler back to the Braves late Monday night, the Giants have a much higher chance of swapping Snell than they did yesterday.

Just remember, it takes only one owner, team president or GM to wake up on the right side of the bed this morning and decide they want to pay the exorbitant price for an ace who could make the biggest difference of any player traded at this year’s trade deadline.

2. Where will the best-available closers land?

The Marlins have been shopping their closer, Tanner Scott, for more than a month now and there are only a few hours left until they have to decide where to trade him. Three AL East teams have been in the lead to acquire Scott, with the Orioles, Yankees and Red Sox all in play and the Royals of the AL Central a dark-horse candidate, according to major-league sources. But will another team jump in at the last minute with an offer the Marlins can’t refuse? And, once Scott is traded, how long will it take for one of the teams that missed out to pivot and try to land Nationals closer Kyle Finnegan? It’s closing time.

3. Will the Twins do anything significant?

The Twins have been very quiet this trade deadline. They haven’t made a trade in the past two weeks. They are looking to add starting pitching depth but their situation is complicated: Most of their discussions have involved buyer-to-buyer type trade proposals as they can’t significantly add payroll and might have to take payroll off their roster to add it back in a trade. They need to find a solution though, because adding a veteran starter would give them a much better shot at making the playoffs.

4. Which AL East contender will get the most bullpen depth?

The Red Sox, Orioles and Yankees are trying to improve their respective bullpens from a leverage and depth perspective. They’ve all been in on Tanner Scott and Kyle Finnegan, but that’s just at the high end of the market. They’ve also been trying to land relievers such as Mark Leiter Jr. of the Cubs, Luis Garcia of the Angels, Dylan Floro of the Nationals, Chad Green of the Blue Jays and both Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams of the A’s.

5. Are the Rays and White Sox done selling?

The Rays have dealt Isaac Paredes, Randy Arozarena, Jason Adam, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale and Phil Maton. Yet they still could move second baseman Brandon Lowe, first baseman Yandy Díaz and closer Pete Fairbanks, among others. The Rays have been one of the stories of the trade deadline, but are they done? Meanwhile, the White Sox have traded Erick Fedde, Michael Kopech and Tommy Pham. Will they now trade Garrett Crochet or Luis Robert Jr.? Or will they end up moving more peripheral players like shortstop Paul DeJong or one of their right-handed power hitters such as Andrew Vaughn or Eloy Jiménez? They’ve lost 15 straight games — it’s time to win some trades.

6. Will the Giants keep selling?

The Giants’ trade of Soler and Luke Jackson to the Braves reduced their future financial exposure, but also indicated they might continue to sell and retool for 2025 and beyond. (A mix of buying and selling is also possible for San Francisco, which enters Tuesday four games out of playoff position in the standings.) They hold arguably the best trade chip: No pitcher or player could get a better return at the deadline than Snell. The Yankees, Red Sox and Orioles, along with other teams, would be interested in acquiring Snell and likely willing to pay a painful prospect price, especially given how he’s pitched over his past four starts (0.75 ERA over four outings in July). Will he stay or go? And what other moves will the Giants make?

7. Desperation Meter: Which teams are the most desperate to make a move?

The Yankees and Orioles are preparing for an epic race in the AL East and both are desperate to add more before the deadline. The Mariners and Astros have made significant acquisitions to upgrade their rosters, so will the rival Rangers feel pressure to make a big move too? Will the Mets land a starter? Will the Red Sox and Royals get the right-handed bat they’ve been looking for? The Desperation Meter may determine who makes a move and who doesn’t before the clock strikes 6 p.m.

(Photo of Blake Snell: Godofredo A. Vásquez / Associated Press)

Jim Bowden , a national writer for The Athletic MLB, was formerly the Sr. VP and general manager for the Cincinnati Reds and Washington Nationals for a combined 16 years, including being named the 1999 MLB Executive of the Year by Baseball America. He is the lead MLB Analyst and Insider for CBS Sports-HQ and a regular talk-show host on SiriusXM for the MLB Network and Fantasy channels. Follow him on twitter: @JimBowdenGM Follow Jim on Twitter @JimBowdenGM