MLB Trade Rumors and News: Scherzer to come off IL this week, trade deadline rumors keep flying

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 wildfires about potential trade deadline deals. To keep track of all of the chaos that surrounds this time of year, we’ve put together a deadline rumor tracker for all of you to enjoy. Never be late to another rumor mill again.

• These five teams who are in hot playoff pursuit will be very busy as trade deadline approaches. Ten points to whoever can name them without looking at this article (but you should probably still look at the article anyway).
• For this season, MLB adopted changes which got rid of the second, more restrictive trade period that allowed players that cleared waivers to be traded during the month of August giving the league one singular trade deadline. Our own Patrick Karraker took a look at the potential pitfalls of that approach.
• The trade deadline is the time of the year where everyone speculates who could be available on the trade market. While in some cases it turns out that those players weren’t REALLY available, just yesterday we had a rumor that made some sense that Mike Minor is very available on a trade market that has other starting pitchers on it whose costs may be prohibitive.
• Everyone’s favoriting bunting martyr Man Scherzer is expected to return from the injured list this week, Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post reports. If Scherzer returns to form on the mound and can once again fend off this lingering back issue that sent him to the IL, the Nationals stand a strong chance at a postseason run. The seven-time All-Star is sporting a 2.30 ERA over 129.1 innings this season, striking out 181 batters.
• Every team has prospects that could make their MLB debuts in 2019. Andersen Pickard took a look at the AL West and highlighted a prospect from each team that could see their debut in 2019.
• Mike Trout is so good, he already has a higher WAR than most Hall of Famers. Hey MLB marketing team ARE YOU SEEING THIS?
• Infielder Brendan Rodgers, the Rockies’ top prospect, will miss the rest of the 2019 campaign after undergoing shoulder surgery on Tuesday. He finishes his first big-league season with a .224/.272/.250 slash line in 81 plate appearances.
• The Mets’ hopes of cashing in on Zack Wheeler, who is in the last year of his deal, at the trade deadline were all but dashed last Monday as it was announced that he was going on the injured list with shoulder fatigue. There may still be teams willing to gamble that he will return this season and be able to contribute quality innings, but any dreams of getting a team to part with big-time assets for Wheeler appear to be gone now.
• The Cubs and Royals made a late night trade on Monday that sent Martín Maldonado to the Cubs in exchange for Mike Montgomery. The Cubs get some insurance in case Willson Contreras’ foot injury lingers, and the Royals get a 30-year-old reliever that they want to convert into a starter with a bit of team control.
• Kirby Yates is one of the more interesting names on the trade market, mainly because it isn’t clear that the Padres would or even should trade him. Our own Andersen Pickard took a look at Yates’ status in the trade market as well as the track record for relievers dealt at the trade deadline last season.
• Zack Wheeler is likely stuck with the Mets, please cue the Curb Your Enthusiasm music.
• The trade rodeo is going strong, as the Red Sox have acquired Andrew Cashner from the Orioles. In return, the Orioles will now have minor leaguers Noelberth Romero and Elio Prado rocking their uniform.
• To kick off the frenzy that may or may not ensue in the coming weeks, Homer Bailey was traded to the fiscally-conscious Oakland Athletics, who get the veteran on a very affordable contract.
• 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.
• 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 examined the AL Central to see which prospects from each team could debut this year.
• Sheryl Ring from our sibling site Beyond the Box Score breaks down the reinvention of Sonny Gray and how he’s one of the most under the radar, valuable trade chips this deadline has to offer.
• 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. Andersen Pickard took a look at some recent events and examined umpire accountability in Major League Baseball.
• An Angels no-hitter on Tyler Skaggs night was an amazing, emotional tribute. What a beautiful moment for the Skaggs family and for baseball.
• 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.
• Combining the juiced ball with the steroid era: a case study on dingers, bombs, and moonshots.
• The trade deadline is comin’ in hot this year, with some even hotter takes. Andersen Pickard went ahead and picked five stars who could have new homes before the trade deadline passes.