Tracking latest MLB trade rumors heading into deadline

The MLB regular season is approaching the stretch run and before we know it we’ll be into the playoffs. Before we get to the postseason, teams will have a chance to add a few more pieces to their respective rosters. The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline is set for August 2 at 6 p.m. ET. Here we’ll be tracking all the latest news, rumors and reports before the deadline.

MLB trade rumors: Latest updates, news, reports

Update, July 28 — The San Diego Padres are viewed as the frontrunners to land Soto, per ESPN’s Buster Olney. The Cardinals, Yankees, Dodgers and Rangers have also been linked to Soto, per Heyman’s tweet below. It looks like the Pads have the best combination of prospects and position players who entice the Nationals.

You’d have to think a package for Soto would include SP MacKenzie Gore and infielder C.J. Abrams. Jake Cronenworth is also an interesting piece as a two-time All-Star 2B who is 28 years old and in his prime.

Update, July 28 — The Yankees acquired OF Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals late Wednesday night. New York’s acquisition of the All-Star may mean the team is out on Juan Soto, per Jon Heyman.

Update, July 27 — The Los Angeles Dodgers may go after Miami Marlins All-Star 1B/OF Garrett Cooper before the trade deadline, per Jon Heyman. Teams may wait and see what happens with Juan Soto. If Soto isn’t dealt or the Dodgers miss out on him, L.A. could move on Cooper, who has seven HRs and 40 RBI while batting .279 this season.

Juan Soto

There is still a lot of buzz that Soto will be traded prior to the Aug. 2 deadline. And a couple of teams seem to have broken through as early favorites in the sweepstakes: The St. Louis Cardinals and the San Diego Padres.

The Nationals reportedly want 4-5 young, controllable players and/or prospects, and they like what the Cardinals’ system can offer, according to Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Tyler O’Neill, Dylan Carlson and Nolan Gorman are some of the hitters on St. Louis who fit that bill. Left-handed rookie pitcher Matthew Liberatore is still considered a top-50 prospect, and third baseman Jordan Walker is currently ranked as the game’s No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Meanwhile, one MLB team executive told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal that they think the Padres are extremely likely to land Soto, a player whom they came close to signing as an amateur free agent in 2015. San Diego has a deep crop of young, high-upside players, including shortstop C.J. Abrams, left-handed starting pitcher MacKenzie Gore, a top-25 prospect in outfielder Robert Hassell III, and catcher Luis Campusano, another top-100 prospect.

The New York Yankees, New York Mets and Seattle Mariners are a few of the other teams that have reportedly expressed interest in acquiring the Nats’ superstar.

Shohei Ohtani

Let’s get this out of the way since Ohtani’s name has been bandied about as a possible trade candidate recently: The Angels will not be dealing their two-way star before the deadline. You can imagine that the Angels, amid another lost season, would get an absolute haul for Ohtani, who will be a free agent following the 2023 campaign. But MLB.com’s Jon Paul Morosi reported Saturday that the Angels have “no plans” to trade him.

Luis Castillo

Is the bidding for the top starting pitcher on the trade market a four-way competition? Heyman wrote recently that the Yankees, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros were the top contenders to land the Reds’ ace, with the Toronto Blue Jays also in the mix.

Castillo, 29, has pitched to a 1.00 ERA over his past four starts. That includes seven innings of one-run ball against the Yanks in the Bronx on July 14. With Luis Severino injured, the Yankees would certainly seem to have a need for Castillo. As would the Dodgers, who will be without Walker Buehler until at least September. The Astros are an interesting case since they have five quality starters and Lance McCullers Jr. on the way. But maybe they want to add to that strength.

Andrew Benintendi

Benintendi’s market seemed to shrink rapidly once it was known that he is unvaccinated against COVID-19. Under the current standards, no unvaccinated person can enter Canada. In other words, Benintendi would be useless for road games against the Blue Jays. So, it seemed like the Yankees, who have been tied to the Royals All-Star in rumors for a while, would drop out of the running to acquire him. But, no! MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweeted Friday that Benintendi’s vaccination status “is not having an impact on his trade market.” The next day, a source told Feinsand that the Yankees were “serious contenders” for Benintendi, who is slated to become a free agent after this season. He currently has a career-best 126 wRC+ and is among the top 10 in the league in hits.

Willson Contreras

The Cubs have reportedly many players on the trade block, including closer David Roberston and All-Star switch-hitter Ian Happ. But Contreras is the most attractive player of the bunch. The three-time All-Star catcher leads all qualified National League backstops in home runs (14) and OPS (.844). However, there hasn’t been much buzz about him since the All-Star break began. The Mets were once considered top candidates for the impending free agent, but there are veteran players in New York’s clubhouse who are “pushing” for the team to call up its top prospect, catcher Francisco Alvarez, according to Rosenthal.

The Astros are another team with an offensive void behind the plate; their catchers rank 27th in MLB in OPS (.547). But there haven’t been any recent hints toward a Contreras-to-Houston deal either.

Josh Bell

Soto’s emergence on the trade block has turned Bell into somewhat of a forgotten man, but the switch-hitting first baseman with a career-best 156 OPS+ this season is still likely to land with another team before the deadline. The Mets and Astros are both showing interest in him, according to SNY’s Andy Martino.

The Mets made a couple of moves over the weekend, acquiring designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach and backup catcher Michael Perez in separate deals with the Pirates. But they are still looking to add another bat who can DH or play first base, Rosenthal said Monday. Bell is an option there, but the Mets have also explored trading for the Orioles’ Trey Mancini or the Rockies’ C.J. Cron.

Bell would ostensibly replace Yuli Gurriel at first base if traded to the Astros. Gurriel, an AL batting champion last year, is hitting just .236 with a .671 OPS through 318 at-bats this season.

Frankie Montas

The most important development for Montas is that he actually pitched recently. Coming back from a minor bout of shoulder inflammation, the A’s right-hander threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts in a start against the Tigers on Thursday. His next outing will come Tuesday at home versus the Astros, and you can bet that will be closely watched by many clubs. If he makes it through that start healthy, expect to hear some buzz about Montas in the coming days. The 29-year-old is under contract through 2023.

Tarik Skubal

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Tigers are open to trading “just about everyone” and that includes Skubal. It’s an interesting decision for Detroit considering Skubal’s production. He’s a left-handed pitcher with a 3.88 ERA and gets through a lot of innings. He’s 7-8 this season, which is miraculous considering Detroit’s porous offense. It’ll take a lot to land him but the Tigers are reportedly willing to deal.