MLB Rumors: Suitors for Skubal; Yankees’, Rays’ shared targets; Angels’ Trout Program; how far will the mets tear it down?

We’re less than a month away from Major League Baseball’s trade deadline (Aug. 3) and, well, it’s looking like a seller’s market. Thanks in part to the expanded playoff field, only six teams are more than five games out of a playoff spot. Hopefully things will shake out in the next few weeks and give us a little more clarity — ie, provide a larger group of sellers. Until then, we continue with the rumours.

Yankees, Rays eye catching help

The Yankees have been among the worst teams in baseball this season at getting production at the catcher position. Through 89 games, Yankees catchers hit .172/.252/.253 with a poor WAR. With Austin Wells failing to live up to his Rookie of the Year status, New York is eyeing Twins shortstop Ryan Jeffers — who is on rehab assignment while recovering from a Hamate injury — according to The Athletic. The Yankees aren’t alone here, though, as the AL East-leading Rays are also reportedly involved; Nick Fortes has caught most of the Rays and is hitting .259/.301/.347.

Speculation still persists that the New York Yankees will go after Jeffers. The Tampa Bay Rays are another team interested in acquiring relief, making an AL East bidding war possible.

In 37 games this season, Jeffers is hitting .295/.408/.541 (163 OPS+) with seven home runs and will clearly be a huge upgrade behind the plate for any team.

Of course, the Twins are only four games out of first place in the AL Central and 1 ½ games back of the wild card right now, so their position as sellers is unclear. That said, they have both Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson, which would make Jeffers useful even if they don’t trade.

How much will the Mets shed?

One of the few teams out of playoff contention is the Mets. They are 16 games out of the NL East and 11 ½ out of a wild card spot. It’s an opportunity to strengthen the farm, so the question is how far the Mets want to go in the trade. They would like to compete next season, so a serious rebuild is not in the cards, according to SNY, but they have a lot of pieces to move.

They aren’t out to sell everyone, but they will listen to offers from almost anyone. Players on expiring contracts — Freddy Peralta, Clay Holmes, Brooks Raley, AJ Minter, and Tyrone Taylor — will be available, unless something changes their long-term status with the team. If the Mets put Holmes on an extension, for example, that would obviously change their plans.

Peralta is the biggest name in that group. He’s having a bad year, but he finished fifth in Cy Young voting last season and is a two-time All-Star with playoff pedigree. This makes him a good candidate for a scene change.

Holmes is adorable. He’s not far from coming back from a broken fibula and was good (2.39 ERA in nine starts) before the fluke injury. There is a player option for next season that may not be picked up.

SNY also floated Luke Weaver (free agent after 2027) and Francisco Alvarez (free agent after 2029) as potential buyer targets, although their team control makes them both more expensive and unlikely to leave if the Mets plan to contend next year.

In addition, there was speculation on Bo Bichette. His three-year, $126 million contract has an opt-out clause after this season. He’s been awful this season, but he’s started to hit recently. In his last 29 games, he is hitting .350/.373/.564. If this continues, he could probably opt out of his deal and if the Mets believe that is the case, could they step in and trade him? Can anyone take that money?

It is a situation that deserves to be monitored.

Angels say they don’t sell Trout

Another elusive team that should be able to sell a good number of quality players is the Angels. They recently fired general manager Perry Minasian and former Cardinals CEO John Mozeliak has taken over. The biggest question about the possible trade is whether or not Mike Trout can go. He is coming back from injury and is having a solid year (2.8 WAR, 145 OPS+). He’s still worth nearly $150 million through 2027-30, but he can certainly be traded if he and the Angels are willing. In the latter case, it doesn’t sound like they are.

Via the Los Angeles Times:

Trade Trout? That’s not possible, is it?

“That doesn’t happen,” Mozeliak said.

Things can always change, but that was the correct answer.

Phillies, Yankees mentioned as Skubal suitors

The Phillies and Yankees are saviors for Tigers ace lefty Tarik Skubal, via Jon Heyman (via MLB Network).

Skubal, a two-time Cy Young winner, is in his final year under Tigers team control and is set to become a free agent after the season. If the Tigers get enough out of the race, they will likely trade him. They are 10 games under .500, but in the poor American League, they are only five games out of the playoffs, and have gone 18-12 since the start of June.

If Skubal were to hit the trade floor, every competitor would ask — even those who have no need to trade him, because he’s that good and no team wants their competition to get him.

Any of these specific teams will have a stacked rotation down the stretch with Skubal. The Yankees will be putting him alongside Cam Schlittler, Max Fried and Gerrit Cole, while the Phillies have aces in Christopher Sánchez and Zack Wheeler in addition to the very talented Jesús Luzardo.

However, again, these wouldn’t be the only ones.