By Blake Dowson
The days and weeks leading up to the Aug. 1 MLB trade deadline is the reason somebody coined the phrase “Christmas in July.”
Teams are evaluating whether they are buyers or sellers, and pennant races start to take shape. When the New York Mets traded for Yoenis Cespedes last season, it changed the landscape of the National League.
Below is a list of deadline deals that should happen among teams that should become sellers and teams that should add in order to contend for a championship.
Cubs and Yankees
Chicago needs a left-handed reliever, and the Yankees need a big left-handed bat. The Cubs will ask about Andrew Miller and Aroldis Chapman, and when they realize the price for Miller is too high, they should focus on Chapman.
Once that is determined, the Yankees will no doubt ask about Kyle Schwarber. The Cubs have already said Schwarber is untouchable, so New York should focus on Dan Vogelbach, a first baseman at Triple-A Iowa. Vogelbach would be on most major-league rosters, but he is blocked by Anthony Rizzo in Chicago. He would fit perfectly hitting toward the short porch at Yankee Stadium, and Chapman would fill a much-needed hole in Chicago’s bullpen.
Indians and Athletics
Cleveland hasn’t been in a contender role for a few years now, but here it is with the best rotation in the world and leading the AL Central by 6.5 games.
Yan Gomes, the Indians’ starting catcher, just went down with a shoulder injury and will miss significant time. That hurts, but there are catchers on the market the Indians can target.
Milwaukee’s Jonathan Lucroy is the best catcher on the market, but the Brewers want a king’s ransom for him.
This is where the Athletics step in with catcher Stephen Vogt, who was an All-Star this season. The A’s are looking to have a massive yard sale with their players and want prospects in return, something the Indians can offer.
Vogt for two or three mid-tier prospects makes sense, but the Indians should also ask about outfielder Josh Reddick, who the A’s would also like to move. For a package involving Vogt and Reddick, the Indians would almost certainly have to part with elite outfield prospect Clint Frazier and possibly a pitching prospect such as Brady Aiken, who was taken No. 1 overall in the 2014 draft. That’s a steep asking price, but Cleveland should look long and hard at it.
Dodgers and Braves
The Braves’ Julio Teheran is one of the best pitchers on the market this year, and the Dodgers are in the market for starting pitching — as they seemingly always are.
They added a bunch of pitchers last year at the deadline in an attempt to land one or two pieces that would perform well for them, but the move fell flat. Of the five pitchers they acquired at the deadline, none are still in the rotation. Ouch.
That’s why they need to go after a proven pitcher, and he should be young. Teheran fits that description, and the Dodgers should be all over him.
The Braves, who are trying to rebuild for their move to a new stadium next season, want to make a splash. They added 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson over the winter, and they should target Yasiel Puig if the Dodgers come calling on Teheran.
Puig is as talented and flashy as they come, and if nothing else, he would get people to show up to the ballpark to watch him play.