Five Bold Predictions for the MLB Trade Deadline

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The New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs already knocked over the first domino leading up to the MLB trade deadline when they hooked up in a four-for-one trade that sent Aroldis Chapman to Chi-Town in exchange for shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, outfield prospects Rashad Crawford, Billy McKinney and former Bronx Bomber Adam Warren.

When one domino falls, the rest go down in short order.

There are plenty of rumors and speculation out there as MLB insiders across the league and armchair GMs everywhere are constantly working the phones and refreshing their twitter feeds trying to get the inside scoop.

For a select few, the MLB trade deadline is like Christmas morning. You get a brand new toy that you’ll either play with for two months and kick to the side or you’ll open something that will keep you occupied for a number of years.

For others, it’s a glaring sign that their favorite team is nowhere near close to playoff contention and won’t be for the next few seasons.

We have the buyers, we have the sellers, and in some cases we have the New York Yankees.

That said, here are my five bold predictions as the 2016 non-waiver trade deadline approaches.

Next: Sale to LA for Urias?

1. Chris Sale to the Los Angeles Dodgers for Top Prospect Julio Urias

Blockbuster number two.

Given his team-friendly contract, extreme talent and vintage Chicago White Sox jersey antics this past weekend, Chris Sale finds himself as the best remaining asset on the trade market.

Despite the aforementioned clubhouse issues that surfaced over the weekend, the asking price on Chris Sale will be extremely high, but after the Shelby Miller trade we all witnessed this offseason, no price is too high.

One team that possesses the minor league trade chips and glaring need to acquire a pitcher of Sale’s magnitude is the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Putting Chris Sale in Dodger blue not only ensures that the Dodgers will probably win the NL West, if not certainly secure a Wild Card bid this season, it will certainly improve the Dodgers for the foreseeable future. Sale is locked up through the 2019 season, and a future rotation led by the one-two punch of Clayton Kershaw and Chris Sale will make Zack Greinke look like an afterthought.

Of course, in order to acquire Sale, the Dodgers will have to part ways with baseball’s best prospect Julio Urias, who according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post is now on the trade block.

Next: Cashner to Miami

2. Andrew Cashner to the Miami Marlins for a pair of mid-level prospects

Apparently as many as 10 teams, if not more are interested in San Diego Padres 29-year-old RHP Andrew Cashner.

Again, A.J. Preller’s Padres will miss the playoffs for the 10th straight season, and after sending Melvin Upton Jr. to the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday morning and James Shields to the Chicago White Sox a few weeks back, the flood gates are wide open for a full rebuild in San Diego.

The Miami Marlins are certainly in the hunt to upgrade their starting pitching, but they don’t have the prospect depth to acquire a big name like Chris Sale, Sonny Gray or any other elite pitcher that might find himself on the market, making them my favorite to land Andrew Cashner.

In what was likely his final start with the Pads, Andrew Cashner pitched a solid game on the road in Toronto. He allowed three earned runs on four hits while striking out six Blue Jay batters.

Cashner is now 1-2 with a 4.78 ERA after coming off the DL in early July, and while his stat line doesn’t quite jump off the page, Cashner still has some value that will benefit the Marlins starting rotation.

Next: Nationals Finally Find a Reliever

3. Wade Davis to the Washington Nationals for a prospect package

Because they missed out on their ‘top deadline priority’ in Aroldis Chapman, the Washington Nationals will need to look elsewhere in order to clean up their bullpen for a run at a title.

The Yankees probably won’t part ways with Andrew Miller, and Brad Ziegler was already traded to the Boston Red Sox in early July. That said, the best remaining option for the Nats is Kansas City Royals reliever Wade Davis.

Because the Royals are setting up to contend through 2018 while they still have control over Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer and they never have the big bucks to throw at starting pitching in free agency, they’ll likely party ways with Davis in exchange for pitching prospects that can contribute to the big league club sooner rather than later.

While the Nats won’t part ways with top prospect Lucas Giolito, a prospect package headlined by pitching prospect Erick Fedde or Reynaldo Lopez might just be enough to strike a deal.

Next: Hill Heads Home

4. Rich Hill Heads Back to Boston

Billy Beane and the Oakland Athletics do it again. They pick up a pitcher for chump change on a one-year deal and part ways with him at the deadline for a slew of minor league prospects.

The latest asset, 36-year-old southpaw Rich Hill.

The latest culprit, Dave Dombrowski and the Boston Red Sox.

Obviously the Red Sox should have never gotten rid of Rich Hill this offseason, and now they’ll pay a significant price just to bring him back to join David Price, the newly acquired Drew Pomeranz and the rest of the BoSox starting rotation as they head for October.

Acquiring Rich Hill won’t cost the Red Sox anything near the likes of Yoan Moncada or Andrew Benintendi, but they’ll still have to cough up a top-ten prospect in order to acquire him.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Clay Buchholz heading to Oakland as part of the package either.

Next: Lucroy to the Motor City

5. Jonathan Lucroy to the Detroit Tigers

With the Wild Card in sight, the Detroit Tigers need to put the petal to the metal and go for it.

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Their biggest need as we approach the MLB trade deadline is behind the dish. James McCann is a backup at best and Jarrod Saltalamacchia hasn’t quite worked out.

Aside from Buster Posey, Jonathan Lucroy might be the best catcher in baseball. The Mets, Rangers and Dodgers are all interested in acquiring Lucroy’s services as well, but the Tigers can set themselves apart from from the pack if they outbid the rest of the field with a trade package that features one of their premier outfield prospects like Derek Hill, Christin Stewart or Mike Gerber.

Miguel Cabrera is approaching the end of his prime. If there was ever a time for the Tigers to dip into their farm system and go for it all, it’s now.

Next: The Dee Gordon Redemption Tour

What do you think, baseball fans? Let us know in the comments below.

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