It’s AJ Preller’s world, and the rest of the baseball industry just lives in it.
Okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration. But true to form, Preller is chasing a dizzying number of deals and seems virtually certain to make at least one major move before Tuesday’s trade deadline at 6 pm ET.
Will it be with the Nationals for right fielder Juan Soto? The Cubs for catcher Willson Contreras, left fielder Ian Happ and maybe even reliever David Robertson? The athleticism for right-hander Frankie Montas and perhaps catcher Sean Murphy or outfielder Chad Pinder, all of whom played for Padres manager Bob Melvin in Oakland?
At this point, even Preller probably doesn’t know. To some extent, he is exploring each of the above possibilities, according to major league sources. He’s also made a run for the Angels for Shohei Ohtani, not that anyone in the industry expects the two-way star to budge.
Other GMs keep a pulse on the entire market, but few are as creative and aggressive as Preller. Some teams can act first on players they have interest in and close certain options for the Padres. New avenues could open up for certain clubs depending on the course Preller follows.
Preller has prospects to trade shortstop CJ Abrams and outfielder Robert Hassell III for starters, but also two high-ceiling players in the 2021 draft, shortstop Jackson Merrill and outfielder James Wood, both from Maryland, which which makes them relatively locals of the Nationals. Preller also has contracts he’d like to move, most notably that of Eric Hosmer, who is owed the balance of his $20 million salary this season and $39 million from 2023-25.
The Padres and Cubs have talked about various concepts over the past 12 months, including one last summer that would have sent first baseman Hosmer and a top prospect to Chicago for an unspecified return. If the Padres get Contreras, it could force the Mets to move into a JD Martinez-Christian Vázquez package from the Red Sox. The Mets, however, are exploring many other possibilities, sources said.
In addition to the Padres, Montas is a target for the Twins, Yankees and Blue Jays (MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi first noted the Jays’ interest). The Astros, in search of a catcher, are among several clubs reporting a high price for Contreras. According to a source, they are focusing more on Vázquez.
The last hours will be intense. And Preller, as always, figures to be in the middle of the action.
Mookie, Trea, Freddie… And Soto too?
Freddie Freeman and Juan Soto (Geoff Burke / USA Today)
Don’t rule out the Dodgers on Soto. They’ve been in contact with the Nationals, and if the Padres make a splash elsewhere, it could create the opening LA needs to land another deadline stunner.
All of this assumes that Preller is willing to deal Soto (unlikely, especially if he fears the Dodgers are in the mix) and that the Nationals are willing to trade him (which no one will know until 6 p.m. Tuesday).
Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman keeps track of all the big names, a routine he followed even during his days with the Rays on a budget. A year ago, the Dodgers came out of seemingly nowhere to beat the Padres for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. It would take a more significant package to land Soto, but imagine the Dodgers if they added him to a lineup that already included Turner, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. terrifying
Brewers’ Hader: Really available or not?
The Brewers are once again listening to closer Josh Hader’s openings. Conversations can be little more than due diligence. But as the Brewers head toward their fifth straight postseason appearance, their motivation to trade Hader could increase.
Three reasons:
• Hader’s $11 million salary will likely increase to $16 million next season in his final year of arbitration before becoming a free agent.
• His preference to limit his appearances to one inning restricts his value to the club, and would be a particular concern in the postseason.
• Devin Williams, who has 30 straight scoreless appearances, striking out 47 in 28 2/3 innings, could replace Hader as the Brewers’ catcher.
Hader, 28, has allowed just one run in his last four appearances, rebounding from a difficult six-game stretch that saw his ERA rise from 1.05 to 4.50. Trading him would only make sense if the Brewers could acquire a hitter they desire or young players who could help address several needs.
For the Blue Jays, a diminished need
For all the talk about the Blue Jays needing a left-handed hitter, they entered Sunday ranked second in the majors in pitching OPS vs. righties and third in runs per game. They don’t feature strongly in Soto’s mix. They may not add a left-handed bat at all, focusing instead on relievers with swing-and-miss stuff.
Adding any significant left-handed hitter would likely require the Jays to trade a bat for a righty, a complicated two-step process that would likely be difficult to accomplish. The Jays are also aware of disrupting their chemistry. Their right-handed corner outfielders, Teoscar Hernandez and Lourdes Gurriel Jr., are among the most popular players on their club.
Don’t get caught up in labels
Neither the Giants nor the Red Sox are likely to be pure sellers. Both teams will be reluctant to budge when their playoff odds hover around 20 percent, and both will want to bounce back quickly in 2023.
Thus, the Red Sox are looking for major leaguers in exchange for rentals such as designated hitter JD Martinez and catcher Christian Vazquez. And the Giants, even if they move some of their own hires, most notably left-hander Carlos Rodón and outfielder Joc Pederson, plan to focus on improving their athleticism and defense in the major leagues in the short term.
The Rays, following their usual practice, are another club considering all angles. For example, at a time when they need offense, they could actually trade a hitter like first baseman Ji-Man Choi.
The Astros, according to sources, are showing interest in Choi as a possible alternative to their apparent No. 1 early pick, Josh Bell of the Nationals. The Rays are currently playing shortstop Wander Franco, and outfielders Manual Margot and Harold Ramirez on the disabled list. But if they trade Choi, they would make other moves to regain the offense they lost, trying to build the best 13-man group possible.
Around the horn
• Bell, a native of Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas, told me over the weekend that he wouldn’t mind a trade to Houston. Bell and his wife, Lia, welcomed their first child, a daughter named Noa, in December. Houston is about a 3 1/2 hour drive from Dallas, and Bell’s parents would be in a better position to help with the baby if he spent the final months of the season with the Astros. He is a potential free agent.
• Reds outfielder Brandon Drury, who is attracting interest from a number of clubs, is not certain to be traded. The Reds could be interested in exploring an extension with Drury, who will turn 30 on Aug. 21 and hit his career-high 20th home run as a pinch-hitter on Sunday. Of course, the Reds could always trade Drury and re-sign him as a free agent. But if they move him, they would lose the right to deal with him exclusively until the market opens.
• The Guardians are among the teams that have expressed interest in the Athletics’ Murphy, but a deal is more likely in the offseason than at the deadline. Only the A’s will move Murphy in the next two days if they’re motivated enough. Otherwise, they prefer to wait until the offseason, when more teams will be open to adding a catcher.
• And finally, Nationals infielder Ehire Adrianza could one day be in the thick of the deadline action, but not as a player. Adrianza wants to become a general manager and to that end is taking online sports management courses through the Honors College at Miami-Dade College.
Classes are held during the school year on Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. While those hours can be tough for a major league player, Adrianza says the work helps him take his mind off baseball.
(Top photo of Willson Contreras: Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)