MLB Trade Rumors and News: The Mets keep wheeling and dealing as they send Vargas to the Phillies

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.

• The Mets continued their wheeling and dealing as they sent Jason Vargas to the Phillies for a minor league catcher. The Mets are purportedly trying to dictate the trade market in such a way as to end up better in the short and long-term by the end of this trading barrage, but their method so far seems to be more akin to the economic philosophy of the underpants gnomes from South Park (“do all the trades -> ???? -> PROFIT”) than anything else, but we will have to wait and see how it all plays out.
• The Nationals got some rough news yesterday as they found out that Max Scherzer is headed to the injured list with an upper back injury. Given that Scherzer is one of the best pitchers on planet Earth and the Nationals are trying to claw their way back into the NL East race, the timing of Scherzer’s injury is definitely less than ideal.
• When rumors swirled that Stroman might be heading to New York, the dial was leaning more towards pinstripes and less towards whatever it is this ancient curse that has engulfed Citi Field is. After giving up two of their biggest pitching prospects, the Mets have acquired Marcus Stroman from Blue Jays. Please contain your screaming to indoor noise levels.
• Speaking of the Blue Jays making moves, Toronto has traded Eric Sogard to the Rays.
• Last week was not full of great news when it came to injury reports. First, it was announced that Blake Snell was going to have to have surgery on his elbow to remove a loose body which will keep him out until at least September. Then, the Rangers got their own bad news as Joey Gallo is now having to go under the knife as well due to a broken hamate bone.
• The Dodgers and Astros made a minor trade yesterday as well as Houston sent Tyler White to the Dodgers in exchange for minor league pitcher Andre Scrubb. White is an interesting player due to his versatility, but this is likely to be only the tip of the iceberg in terms of the trade market over the next few days.
• All good things must come to an end. While this ending was abrupt, it couldn’t have been completely unexpected as Troy Tulowitzki announced his retirement from baseball. He has barely played this season and had not been very good, but it is still sad to see a guy who was among the top players at his position for a while walk off into the sunset.
• Oakland is adding extra bulk to their bullpen, acquiring Jake Diekman from the Kansas City Royals. The 32-year old southpaw will add to the late inning arsenal that already was Blake Treinen, Liam Hendricks, and Lou Trivino.
• Hottest of hot takes from our own Andersen Pickard: the 2019 MLB Trade Deadline will be busier than ever. Statistically speaking, that is.
• We have been putting out a series of polls regarding the more intriguing names out there on the trade market. Yesterday, we asked our readers where the Tigers’ Nick Castellanos was going to end up and so far, it looks like a certain NL Central team is leading the vote.
• 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.
• What needs and assets do the NL Central teams have at the trade deadline? The only correct answer here is the Reds sleeves jerseys. That is the most powerful asset in baseball and I won’t hear otherwise.
• 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.
• 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.