MLB trade rumors and news: Extra-inning thrillers between contenders highlight a great night in baseball

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• If you’re a fan of great baseball, have a decent amount of patience, and had a few hours of free time on Tuesday night, it was as great a night as can be to watch a ballgame or three. There were three extra-inning games between contenders (and four in total, if you factor in the 15-inning battle between the Phillies and the majors-worst Tigers), led off by a 11-inning faceoff between the Athletics and Astros that swung towards the green and gold with Ramón Laureano’s go-ahead double. Later, in what some are calling the game of the year, the Yankees and Twins combined for 26 runs over 10 innings, with the Bronx Bombers ultimately finishing off their 14-12 victory with a sensational diving catch by Aaron Hicks. And the Giants and Cubs capped the night off with a 13-inning thriller that concluded with a Pablo Sandoval walk-off homer, resulting in the Giants’ fourth walk-off win in their last six games.
• Oh yeah, and Trea Turner hit for the cycle against the Rockies (for the second time, both against Colorado) while Robinson Canó had a three-homer game against the Padres. It really was a great night to be a fan of the game.
• With the Rangers rapidly falling out of playoff contention and Mike Minor, in an unexpected twist, continuing to be one of the best starting pitchers in the majors this season, it appears increasingly likely that the Rangers will try to move the 31-year-old prior to the deadline. Where will he end up?
• 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 the 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. Read up on the potential pitfalls of that approach.
• 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 last week. He finishes his first big-league season with a .224/.272/.250 slash line in 81 plate appearances.
• In one of the first noteworthy deals of deadline season, the Royals sent Martín Maldonado to the Cubs in exchange for lefty 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.
• 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.
• 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.