Tick, tick, tick.
The Trade Deadline is just hours away, leaving buyers and sellers alike -- not to mention the bubble teams still wavering on their status in that department -- scrambling to make deals prior to Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Last July, the transactions page was littered with significant position players (Manny Machado, Tommy Pham, Mike Moustakas, Eduardo Escobar, Wilson Ramos, Brian Dozier), starting pitchers (Chris Archer, Cole Hamels, J.A. Happ, Nathan Eovaldi, Kevin Gausman, Lance Lynn) and relievers (Brad Hand, Zack Britton, Joakim Soria, Roberto Osuna, Ryan Pressly, Darren O’Day, Jeurys Familia).
This year’s market is considerably lighter, as the majority of the players being shopped carry additional years of club control, erasing any urgency to make a deal Wednesday. Two of the biggest names -- Trevor Bauer and Marcus Stroman -- have already been traded, but there should still be plenty of action Wednesday, especially given the new rules prohibiting waiver trades in August.
MLB Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of all the news, with a special edition of MLB Tonight beginning at 1 p.m. ET that will be simulcast on MLB.com through the Deadline.
What should fans be looking for in the final hours before the Deadline? Here are seven key questions that will be answered one way or another:
1. Has the biggest trade of the week already taken place?
It was shaping up to be just another ho-hum Tuesday night when the bomb dropped: Trevor Bauer was traded to Cincinnati as part of a monster three-team deal between the Reds, Indians and Padres.
Taylor Trammell -- the Reds’ No. 1 prospect and No. 30 in all of MLB according to MLB Pipeline -- was sent to the Padres, while the Indians landed Yasiel Puig, Franmil Reyes, Logan Allen, Victor Nova and Scott Moss.
Got all that?
Plenty of notable names remain out there for the taking Wednesday, though as we’ll examine below, some of the biggest may or may not ultimately be on the move. It’s difficult to imagine a bigger trade taking place prior to the Deadline, but as one executive noted a couple of days ago, “Deadlines have a way of making things happen.”
2. Stroman to the Mets, Bauer to the Reds … what about the contenders?
The Bauer deal rocked the industry, not because the Tribe decided to trade the starter, but because it was the Reds who acquired him. Much like the Mets’ acquisition of Marcus Stroman, a frontline starter moved to a team on the outskirts of the postseason picture while contenders such as the Astros, Yankees, Twins and Brewers continue to look for rotation help.
“Crazy that the Reds and Mets have acquired the two biggest players thus far,” one general manager said. “Throwing supply and demand out of whack.”
For those contenders to pry away a big-name starter, they’ll have to overwhelm the Mets (Noah Syndergaard), Giants (Madison Bumgarner) or maybe even the D-backs (Zack Greinke?) to get a deal done. There are plenty of second-tier starters available (or so it seems) including Robbie Ray, Mike Minor and Zack Wheeler, but do teams view those pitchers as difference-makers come October?
3. Will Noah Syndergaard (or Zack Wheeler) be traded?
The Mets made a big move with their acquisition of Stroman on Sunday, leading most to believe the next move would be a trade of Syndergaard and/or Wheeler.
But as the clock struck midnight and Deadline Day was upon us, it looked increasingly unlikely that the Mets would deal Syndergaard, who dominated the White Sox for 7 1/3 innings Tuesday night, allowing one unearned run while striking out 11 and walking one.
That the Mets sent Syndergaard to the hill Tuesday night was a sign that GM Brodie Van Wagenen didn’t think a deal was imminent, as the club wouldn’t have risked an injury to the right-hander if it believed he was close to heading elsewhere.
Wheeler’s next turn is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, though the belief throughout the industry is that he’ll be taking that turn in a new uniform. The Astros are believed to be the front-runner for his services now that Bauer is in Cincinnati, though the Athletics, Yankees, Braves, Rays and Brewers remain in the hunt, too.
4. Will Madison Bumgarner finish the season with the Giants?
San Francisco was still speaking with a number of teams about their ace, the most intriguing being the Astros, whom Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports reported were engaged with the Giants as of Tuesday.
That said, a source said Tuesday afternoon that it remained “doubtful” that the left-hander would be dealt by Wednesday’s deadline as the Giants have hopes of making a Wild Card run during the final two months of the regular season. The source added that the Giants were trying to find some incremental upgrades, most notably in the rotation.
Should the Giants -- who enter Wednesday 2 1/2 games out of a Wild Card spot -- choose to become sellers, they would have several assets to move aside from MadBum. Relievers Will Smith, Sam Dyson and Tony Watson could be traded, while Kevin Pillar and Pablo Sandoval could also be of interest to a number of teams.
5. Will any of the big-name closers be on the move?
The asking prices for top closers such as Edwin Diaz (Mets), Felipe Vazquez (Pirates), Raisel Iglesias (Reds) and Kirby Yates (Padres) remain very high, according to a source, making it difficult to believe any of them will be traded unless their teams lower their demands.
Shane Greene's price is "far more reasonable," the source said, as the Tigers appear motivated to move him. As mentioned earlier, the Giants’ relievers could find new homes should San Francisco opt to sell.
Other closers who could be moved include Mychal Givens (Orioles), Alex Colome (White Sox), Roenis Elias (Mariners) and Ian Kennedy (Royals).
Among the next tier of available relievers are Daniel Hudson (Blue Jays), Andrew Chafin (D-backs), Craig Stammen (Padres), Francisco Liriano (Pirates), David Hernandez and Jared Hughes (Reds).
6. Which outfielders might be traded -- and where could they land?
The Braves and Rays have been two teams actively pursuing outfield help, though the Indians’ acquisition of both Puig and Reyes took two powerful outfield bats off the market.
Nicholas Castellanos remains the outfielder most likely to move, with Corey Dickerson, Hunter Renfroe, Domingo Santana, Trey Mancini, Melky Cabrera and Adam Jones among the other options.
7. Who are the available rental players?
A year ago, we saw a number of high-profile rental players moved in late-July: Machado, Moustakas, Britton, Escobar, Eovaldi, Happ and Ramos.
The crop of impending free agents isn’t nearly as stimulating this year, as top free-agents-to-be include Gerrit Cole, Anthony Rendon, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Josh Donaldson, Didi Gregorius and Dallas Keuchel and all play for contenders and won’t be traded. Bumgarner fits the description of a star rental, but as we detailed earlier, the odds of him being dealt aren’t great.
Wheeler and Castellanos are the two top rentals out there, with Dickerson, Justin Smoak, Jarrod Dyson, Tanner Roark and Alex Wood representing some others who could be traded as they head for free agency.