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The one thing we know for sure about the MLB trade deadline is pitching will be in high demand.
Which teams are willing to deal their starters and relievers remains to be seen since a few potential sellers are positioning themselves for pushes toward the playoffs.
The Texas Rangers and San Francisco Giants could be on the fence about making deadline trades because of their positions in the standings, but not all franchises face that issue.
The Detroit Tigers should not face any difficulty with their decision to sell, as they have the worst record in the majors and are likely to ship off some of their top pitching assets to contenders as long as the price is right.
Latest MLB Trade Buzz
Matthew Boyd
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According to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman, the Tigers are asking for young major league stars, not just top prospects, when it comes to a trade for pitcher Matthew Boyd.
Heyman does not think Detroit will get that in exchange for Boyd, but he does come with three years of control and the top strikeout-to-walk ratio in the American League.
A week ago, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reported the Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Dodgers had interest in acquiring Boyd.
The Philadelphia Phillies have also checked in on the 28-year-old left-handed starter, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Jim Salisbury.
Boyd is 6-8 for the 29-win Tigers with 160 strikeouts, 24 walks and a 4.13 ERA in 20 appearances.
The strikeout-to-walk ratio is what makes Boyd an intriguing pitching target because it stands out among the rest of the potential trade candidates.
In terms of return, it makes sense for the Tigers to ask for a high price because Boyd comes with three years of control.
Detroit might not be able to bring back players who fit the young major league star category, but it does not hurt to start negotiations there and then work to a solution if a team wants Boyd enough.
No matter what comes about in the next 10 days, the Tigers should be willing to deal Boyd so they can add more assets to a young core.
The Tigers have young pitchers, like 2018 No. 1 pick Casey Mize, coming through their farm system. If they can add an arm or two to a collection of strong pitching prospects, the negotiations should be seen as a success.
Mike Minor
According to Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, Atlanta and the New York Yankees were on hand for Mike Minor’s Friday start for the Rangers against the Houston Astros.
Brandon Wade/Associated Press
Grant noted the Braves and Yankees have deep farm systems that could intrigue the Rangers in a potential deal, but no specifics of trade discussions were mentioned.
Minor is two victories away from his second consecutive 10-win season, and he boasts a 2.86 ERA with a 1.16 WHIP and a 2.91 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
On Friday, the left-handed All-Star struck out 10 batters and only walked one in a 4-3 loss to the Astros.
Those numbers are promising for any suitor, but it is likely that Friday’s game was just a continuation of the evaluation process for franchises interested in Minor since his name has been on the rumor mill for quite some time.
Texas could be more willing to sell than other teams close to the wild-card positions since it is 6.5 games back of the Oakland A’s in the final American League wild-card spot.
A six-game losing streak has doomed the Rangers’ chances of a post-All-Star surge, and it could trigger a sell-off with Minor as the key piece.
The schedule does not get any easier for the Rangers, who embark on a seven-game road trip to Seattle and Oakland starting Monday.
Since Texas is 19-27 on the road, it could struggle and drop further behind the other competitors in the wild-card race.
If the Rangers want to get the best haul in return for Minor, the Braves and Yankees would be ideal trade partners.
The Yankees have shown no hesitation to make deals for starters at recent deadlines, while the Braves already bolstered their young rotation with experience through the Dallas Keuchel signing.
Washington Nationals
According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports and The Athletic, the Washington Nationals are interested in Detroit’s Shane Greene and San Francisco’s Sam Dyson.
John Minchillo/Associated Press
The report came in conjunction with Washington general manager Mike Rizzo’s note that his team wants to bring in controllable players before July 31.
Greene and Dyson both have a year left on their respective deals, so they would not just be short-term fixes but players who could contribute for a minimum season and a half.
Since Detroit is mired in the American League cellar and San Francisco is putting together a run for one of the National League wild-card spots, Greene is likely to be more available than Dyson.
Greene has a 1.03 ERA, 3.70 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 37 strikeouts in 35 appearances. He has also given up four earned runs on 19 hits in 35 innings.
Dyson is 4-1 with a 2.68 ERA in 45 games. The big difference between him and Greene is the 7.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio with 46 strikeouts and six walks.
Even though Dyson is an intriguing trade target, the Giants could be reluctant to help a team ahead of them in the wild-card standings.
If the Giants maintain their recent surge, there is a chance they could not sell at all and go after a playoff berth in manager Bruce Bochy’s final season.
Any bullpen targets for the Nationals would be looked at as a boost to the group headlined by Sean Doolittle.
Bringing in someone of Greene’s or Dyson’s caliber would add a valuable late-inning arm to the pitching staff on a team that has to fend off a handful of competitors for a wild-card spot. Currently, six teams are separated by less than five games.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90. Statistics obtained from Baseball Reference.
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