Trade rumors: Braves, Mason Miller, Rays-Yanks bidding war?

With less than a month to go before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, here's a look at some of the latest hot topics swirling in the rumor mill, including a potential fit for Sonny Gray, the possibility the Padres could deal Mason Miller, and why the Rays and Yankees might find themselves pursuing the same player in order to upgrade their offense.

Sonny days ahead for Braves?

As with many AL teams, the Red Sox have not staked out their Trade Deadline direction just yet. Will they buy or sell? The latter seemed more likely a couple of weeks ago, but after Wednesday's 5-0 victory over the White Sox, Boston has won five games in a row and 10 of its past 12, pulling the club to within three games of a Wild Card spot even though they are six games under .500 at 42-48.

The Red Sox have gotten some great pitching performances during this run as they have held their opponents to three or fewer runs in eight of those 12 games. They have gotten great performances from Gray all season long. The veteran right-hander will take the mound Friday against the Mets in New York with a 2.61 ERA over 89 2/3 innings. He has thrown eight consecutive quality starts.

But if Boston does decide to sell, the 36-year-old Gray will be one of its top trade chips, and many teams are already expressing interest in him, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon. One of those teams is the NL East-leading Braves, who have a handful of starters on the injured list and can see the Phillies and Marlins coming up fast in their rear-view mirror.

Gray holds a full-no trade clause, but a move to Atlanta could be especially appealing to him for a couple of reasons. For one, it would allow him to jump onto a likely postseason-bound squad, which should be of interest to a player who has appeared in the postseason in only three of his first 13 MLB seasons and has never played in a World Series.

Atlanta's proximity to home could play a role, too. Gray, a Vanderbilt alum, lives in Nashville, which is about a four-hour drive away from the Braves' home.

Again, this all hinges on the Red Sox actually being open to selling at the Deadline, something that is quite unclear at the moment. But if Gray is put on the block, expect Atlanta to be one of the teams vying fervently for his services. Gray is due the remainder of his $11 million salary for 2026 and carries a $30 million mutual option for '27.

Will Miller be traded for a second straight year?

The Padres' trade for Mason Miller was one of the biggest deals leading up to the 2025 Deadline. The Padres had to give up infielder Leo De Vries, who is now MLB's No. 2 overall prospect, and three other prospects to land the fireballing reliever as well as pitcher J.P Sears.

One year later, could the All-Star closer be on the move again? That's the question that MLB.com's Mark Feinsand put to rival executives. It's at least worth considering for San Diego, which has dropped nine of its past 12 games, is 14 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West at 46-46 and is 4 1/2 games off the pace in a very crowded NL Wild Card race. It's also worth considering because Miller could fetch a return that, while perhaps not equal to last year's price, would help the franchise restock its deplenished farm system. Miller, who has a 0.96 ERA and is armed with MLB's hardest fastball (101.3 mph on average), is arbitration-eligible through 2029.

"I would think [Padres president of baseball operations A.J. Preller] would be capable of [getting] two Top 100 [prospects] or a Top 100 and another two players that are organizational Top 10s or so,” an NL executive said told Feinsand.

So, which clubs could be the top suitors for Miller? Plenty of teams see bullpen help as their greatest Deadline need, but a few contenders stand out. The Phillies have a 5.13 bullpen ERA since June 1, and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is known for making bold, win-now moves. Meanwhile, the Cubs' relief ERA is 5.12 over that span.

The Yankees have the best bullpen ERA in the Majors (3.04), but they lack dependable, proven options behind closer David Bednar. The Brewers could also use relief help and have the best farm system in baseball, headlined by No. 1 overall prospect Jesús Made. But would they give up the prospects necessary to land Miller?

The reliever trade market doesn't seem to have a glut of great options available, but that would change in an instant if San Diego starts taking offer for the best reliever in the sport.

Bidding war brewing between Rays and Yankees?

The Rays held a five-game lead in the AL East over the Yankees heading into Thursday's series finale between the rivals at Tropicana Field. While they battle it out in the division, they may also soon be battling in the trade market for a lineup upgrade.

Specifically, both clubs are interested in catching help. Rays catchers Nick Fortes and Hunter Feduccia have combined for a .250/.307/.349 slash line. That's not amazing, but it's definitely better than what the Yankees have gotten from their catchers: .173/.250/.252 over 329 plate appearances. Most of those chances have gone to Austin Wells, who is the least productive qualified hitter in MLB this season (minimum 200 PAs).

One player that each club could pursue in the weeks ahead is Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers. According to Rosenthal, "speculation persists" that the Yankees will go after the righty-hitting Jeffers, who has been on the injured list since May 19 after fracturing the hamate bone in his left hand but could be activated as soon as Friday.

The 29-year-old Jeffers was slashing .295/.408/.541 with seven home runs through 37 games before going on the IL. He also had equal walk and strikeout rates (15.5%) as well as a robust barrel rate (15.8%). Since the start of 2023, Jeffers has a .346 on-base percentage and a .445 slugging percentage through 374 games, so he'd give most any club an offensive boost behind the plate.

Although the Twins are in the thick of the Wild Card race, they could still be open to moving Jeffers, who will be a free agent after this season. And that could result in division rivals -- and the teams with the two best records in the AL -- doing whatever they can to outbid one another.

Astros reportedly showing 'strong interest' in multiple outfielders

USA Today's Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday that the Astros are showing "strong interest" in Rockies outfielders Mickey Moniak and Jake McCarthy.

The interest makes a ton of sense given that Houston's outfielders have combined for an 87 wRC+ and an MLB-worst .294 on-base percentage this season. Both players are also left-handed hitters, which is another quality Houston covets as it has given the fourth-fewest plate appearances to lefty batters (911).

Moniak, who is under club control through 2027, is having a career year at the plate in his seventh MLB season. The No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2016 is batting .279 with a .924 OPS through 215 PAs with Colorado. McCarthy, who was acquired from the D-backs via trade in January, is batting .302 with an .856 OPS through 290 PAs. He has two more years of club control remaining.