Trade rumors: Mason Miller suitors, Skubal, Rays, Red Sox

The Trade Deadline is fast approaching -- nine days to go and counting.

Here's a look at some of the latest topics swirling in the rumor mill, including top suitors for Mason Miller, teams linked to Tarik Skubal and more.

Top suitors for Miller

While sources familiar with the Padres’ thinking told The Athletic's Dennis Lin (subscription required) that Mason Miller seems likely to remain with the club through the Trade Deadline, some rival teams aren’t so sure.

ESPN’s Buster Olney reported Friday in an appearance on “Get Up” that he heard from multiple executives with other teams who told him they believe Miller is going to be traded.

Based on his intel, MLB Network insider Jon Heyman considers the Pirates, Mariners and Yankees to be the top three suitors for Miller. Heyman reported the news Friday in his latest appearance for Bleacher Report.

All three clubs can construct packages centered around young, MLB-ready starting pitchers with multiple years of control remaining, something that could interest the Padres.

Brewers have checked in on Miller, Skubal

The Brewers are also a team to watch on the Miller front, as well as the other top prize in this year’s trade market, Tarik Skubal.

According to MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy, sources said that Brewers officials are prepared to adopt a more aggressive approach at the Trade Deadline compared to recent years. They’ve touched base with San Diego about Miller and Detroit about Skubal.

Read more here.

Rays eyeing Skubal, offensive upgrades

The Rays, who entered Saturday with the American League's best record at 60-43, are another club that could take a more aggressive approach as buyers than we are used to seeing from them, believing that a couple big adds could help them win the AL East, secure a first-round bye and ultimately give them a strong chance to reach the World Series in a weak AL.

"[Bypassing the Wild Card round is] a huge benefit," Rays president of baseball operations Erik Neander said Friday. "The more that that is in play, the more you consider aggressive adds to your roster. That's how we operate, that's how we think about it, but we need to make sure that they're meaningful adds to our roster and not something that just moves some contribution from one area to another."

Tampa Bay has been consistently linked to Tarik Skubal this summer, and MLB Network insider Joel Sherman (New York Post subscription required) went as far as predicting Saturday that the two-time AL Cy Young Award winner will end up with the Rays if he's dealt.

USA Today also named Skubal as a likely target for the Rays while mentioning a few hitters they could pursue (Luis Arraez and Heliot Ramos of the Giants and Ryan Jeffers of the Twins).

Skubal bolstered his trade stock -- but also helped Detroit's playoff chances -- with a 12-strikeout gem against the Royals on Friday night. He has one more start scheduled before the Trade Deadline.

Abrams, Langeliers on Red Sox's Trade Deadline wish list

The Red Sox’s historic 15-game winning streak was snapped Wednesday, but they bounced back Friday by knocking off the Blue Jays at Fenway Park. Boston (53-49) enters Saturday in possession of the second American League Wild Card and is trending toward being a Trade Deadline buyer.

To that end, the Red Sox have been linked to Angels dynamic shortstop Zach Neto, but he’s not the only shortstop they are reportedly keeping tabs on ahead of the Aug. 3 Deadline. According to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, Boston also has its eyes on Nationals All-Star CJ Abrams. He is under club control through 2028 while Neto is controllable through ‘29. Although the Nationals are in the thick of the NL Wild Card hunt, Abrams is reportedly one of several players they could move over the next week or so.

Trevor Story has been limited to only 41 games due to a sports hernia and has recorded a lowly .547 OPS when on the field, so shortstop is a position of need for Boston. Neither Neto nor Abrams earns high marks for their defense, but both are legitimate power-speed threats. Neto has 19 homers and 13 steals this season. Abrams has 24 dingers, 16 steals and ranks 10th in the Majors with a .905 OPS.

Elsewhere on the diamond, the Red Sox “salivate over the idea” of trading for A’s slugging catcher Shea Langeliers, per Nightengale. Boston backstops -- chiefly Carlos Narváez and Connor Wong -- have combined for just three home runs and a .629 OPS this year. Langeliers, who is arbitration-eligible through 2028, has 23 homers and an .829 OPS. But there is plenty of competition for his services as a handful of contending clubs want to upgrade at catcher.