MLB Trade Rumors and News: It’s All-Star Week

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• 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 following 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.
• The home run derby is tonight, in all of its new and glorious bracket format. Among the eight sluggers ready to hit nonstop dingers are Pete Alonso, Josh Bell, and the Vlad Guerrero Jr. Who do you think will walk away this year’s champion and a million dollars richer?
• J.R. Smith played in the Celebrity Softball Game without a shirt on because baseball is amazing and it would have been wrong of him to.
• Phillies’ Odubel Herrera has received an 85-game domestic violence suspension. This is the second longest domestic violence related suspension given out.
• It was a scary scene last night when Jonathan Lucroy was removed from the game in Houston after a collusion with Jake Marisnick at the plate. The catcher underwent a CT scan and will be further evaluated for a broken nose and concussion. Marisnick was called out on the play due to an illegal hit.
• The Atlanta Braves are coming off a June that saw them torch nearly every team in their path and soar to the top of the NL East standing with a comfortable lead. On July 4th, they demolished the Philadelphia Phillies thanks to home runs from every infielder including two from the resurgent Dansby Swanson.
• The MLB Futures Game was last night and if it didn’t make you excited for the direction baseball is heading then you might have been watching the wrong game. Marlins’ prospect Sixto Sanchez averaged 99.3 MPH on his fastball, Nationals’ soon-to-be-star-shortstop Carter Kieboom is electric on defense, and Rangers’ future slugger Sam Huff was the game’s MVP thanks to a walk off homer. How could you not be romantic about baseball?
• 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 both the ASG and the next 8-10 weeks after he broke his leg when he fouled a ball off his leg.
• 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.
• The Tigers’ phone is likely already ringing off the hook with teams inquiring about closer Shane Greene in advance of the trade deadline later this month. This made us ask the question where will the Tigers ultimately trade Greene?
• 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.
• Colin Poche is dominating with just his four-seamer.
• Adley Rutschman, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s MLB Draft, has reached an agreement with the Orioles that includes an $8.1 million signing bonus, breaking the record for a draft pick that was previously set by Gerrit Cole in 2011. Rutschman made his first public appearance at Camden Yards on Tuesday, taking batting practice and getting introduced to media members and fans.
• Jason Heyward is hitting like his old self.
• 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 on Monday.
• 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 2019 MLB Draft has come and gone, but who are the teams that made out like bandits and who are the teams that, well, didn’t impress. Our own Matt Powers went through the National League and reviewed each team’s draft classes while highlighting the good, the bad, and the puzzling.
• 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.
• The Reds have one of the best pitching staffs in baseball. Oh yeah, you read that right. (The pun was too low hanging fruit, so I’ll just let all of you make it to yourselves.)
• 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.
• Not ready to let the draft go just yet? Worry not. Our 2019 MLB Draft First-round pick Signing Tracker will keep you in the loop of what picks will be headed to their teams and who may just pass it up.