MLB Trade Rumors and News: The second half of the 2019 season has officially begun

The MLB Daily Dish is a daily feature we’re running here at MLBDD that rounds up roster-impacting news, rumors, and analysis. Have feedback or have something that should be the shared? Hit us up at @mlbdailydish on Twitter or @MLBDailyDish on Instagram.

• It is that time of the year where rumors spread like wildfire about rumored trade deadline deals. To keep track of all of the noise that surrounds this time of year, we have put together a deadline rumor tracker for all of you to enjoy.
• Now that the 2019 Draft is all done and (almost) all of the early picks have signed, our own Cristiana Caruso put together a list of all of the first round picks from this year’s draft with links to their social media so that you can better get to know them and probably send your grievances whenever things don’t always reach your expectations.
• Zack Wheeler has been a popular name on the trade rumor front now that the Mets have mad their annual transformation from dark horse contender to league dumpster fire. The question we posed is where will the Mets trade him? As for those of you that have questions about the reliever market, fear not....we are asking about Will Smith, too.
• The MLB All-Star Game took place Tuesday night, and — surprise, surprise — the American League emerged victorious. That makes the AL 19-3-1 in the Midsummer Classic since 1997 and 7-0 over the last seven years. While the outcome may have been predictable, we did see some great Cleveland-centric moments as Carlos Carrasco, who is battling leukemia, made an appearance during the in-game Stand Up 2 Cancer salute, and Indians starter Shane Bieber won the MVP award for the night.
• The Home Run Derby Monday night was one of the absolute best we have ever seen, period. It had an instant classic duel during the semifinals which saw Vladimir Guerrero Jr.outlast Joc Pederson 40-39 after multiple tiebreakers. Vladdy Jr. hit an astonishing total of 91 home runs in the event, and Pete Alonso get hot at the right times to take down Ronald Acuña Jr. in the semis and finally Vladdy Jr. in the penultimate round to win the event.
• More tragic news in baseball last week: Cleveland’s Carlos Carrasco has been diagnosed with leukemia. He’s kept in good spirts and has recently started playing catch again at Progressive Field after taking two months off the battle the cancer. The 32-year-old has said he’s planning to be back on the mound by late July.
• Phillies’ Odubel Herrera has received an 85-game domestic violence suspension. This is the second longest domestic violence related suspension given out.
• Tommy La Stella was amidst a breakout campaign this season which has seen his power production skyrocket and saw him get named to his first All-Star Game. Unfortunately, he will miss the next 8-10 weeks after he broke his leg after fouling a ball off of it.
• Over the last few years, we have seen a slew of exciting young prospects make their debuts in the majors to much fanfare and excitement. The current crop of minors looks exciting yet again so our own Andersen Pickard went over the AL Central to see which prospects from each team could debut this year.
• Tuesday was the first day of the international signing period, and teams across the majors were very active. Check out our international signing tracker to get caught up with the moves that every team made Tuesday.
• Sometimes, this world just is not fair, and last Monday was one of those days as 27-year-old Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs was found dead in Texas. The Angels’ game was cancelled and as of this moment in time, no cause of death has been announced. Our thoughts are with the family, friends, and fans of Tyler.
• There are some very real divisions that exist between MLB, MLB umpires, and MLB players at this moment as to how umpires and players should be expected to relate to one another and be held accountable. Our own Andersen Pickard took a look at some recent events and examined umpire accountability in Major League Baseball.
• The Cardinals’ Jordan Hicks has been lighting up radar guns since he got into the league with a fastball that routinely is in excess of 100 mph. Unfortunately, we were reminded that the laws of physics and the human body do not always get along as Hicks was diagnosed with a torn UCL and underwent Tommy John surgery.
• It is no secret that the Rays both have had real trouble drawing any meaningful crowds to their games (despite a strong product on the field) and that they are quite unhappy with their current stadium situation. However, an interesting wrinkle has developed as MLB has granted the Rays permission to explore a “two-city” model which would have the Rays call both Tampa AND Montreal home. Let’s get weird.
• Fan safety has been a hot topic of late, particular regarding foul balls that very often come screaming into crowds before anyone has time to react. While some would argue that this is long overdue, the Nationals and White Sox are joining a growing number of teams that are extending the netting along the foul lines.
• The trade deadline will be here before you know it, and we are already starting to hear whispers of which teams are going to be buyers and sellers despite the actual deadline being over a month away. Andersen Pickard went ahead and picked five stars who could have new homes before the trade deadline passes.
• Are you excited about the new, young future of baseball? Who isn’t? Our Andersen Pickard wants you to be even more excited as he breaks down one prospect worthy of making their MLB debut from every AL East team. Keep an eye out as Andersen takes on the other divisions next.