5 questions as clock ticks toward Trade Deadline

Saturday night’s Tarik Skubal trade was supposed to open the floodgates, setting the stage for a flurry of deals on Sunday.

Yes, there was some action on the penultimate day before the Trade Deadline, with Freddy Peralta, Kevin Gausman and Luis Garcia Jr. among those heading for new destinations. But the vast majority of trade candidates remained with their current clubs, setting up a potentially wild Monday that could rival last year, when 35 trades came down on Deadline day.

“It’s weird,” one National League executive said. “Teams are being a lot less aggressive than usual.”

With the clock ticking rapidly toward the 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, MLB.com looks at some of the most intriguing questions that will shape this pivotal day.

Will starting pitching dominate Deadline day?

The market for rental starting pitchers is already off to an active start, with Skubal being dealt to the Dodgers Saturday night and Peralta heading from the Mets to the Rays and Gausman going from the Blue Jays to the Cubs on Sunday.

None of the remaining rental starters will necessarily have the same type of impact as Skubal, but most of them have the potential to be difference-makers during the playoff push.

Clay Holmes made what should be his final rehab start on Sunday, proving to potential suitors that he is healthy after suffering a fractured right leg earlier this season. Casey Mize, Robbie Ray and Brady Singer are all expected to be traded, while All-Star Foster Griffin -- who is having the strongest season of the group -- could also be dealt if the Nationals get an offer they like.

Skubal brought back a pair of Top 100 prospects along with a third player, though none of the remaining rental starters are going to bring back such a heavy return. The returns for Peralta (Tampa Bay’s Nos. 15, 26 and 27 prospects) and Gausman (Chicago’s Nos. 13 and 21 prospects) give buyers a better idea of what it may cost to acquire one of the impending free agents for the stretch run.

Controllable starters will also be in play, though pitchers such as Hunter Greene, Reid Detmers and Emerson Hancock will be costly to pry from their current clubs. These feel more like offseason moves, though Deadline urgency can make teams do crazy things sometimes.

Among the clubs seeking rotation help are the Brewers, Braves, Phillies, Cubs and White Sox. Though both Chicago clubs have already added starters -- the White Sox acquired Luis Castillo in a Saturday trade with Seattle -- they could still look to add another starter as the Deadline approaches.

Will the relief market be as active as it usually is?

Relievers are typically the belles of the ball on Deadline day, as virtually every contender can use at least one arm to upgrade their bullpen.

We’ve already seen a few on the move -- Camilo Doval to the Pirates, A.J. Minter to the Twins and Chase Silseth to the Rangers -- but a number of relief arms figure to be dealt leading up to Monday’s Deadline.

Unlike recent years when some of the league’s top closers have been traded -- Mason Miller, Jhoan Duran, David Bednar and Ryan Helsley were all moved at last year’s Deadline -- this year’s relief crop doesn’t feature any established closers in their prime.

Sure, Miller’s name continues to float around the rumor mill, but most executives expect him to remain in San Diego. The top relievers likely to be discussed on Monday include Luke Weaver, Adrian Morejon, Jeff Hoffman, Riley O’Brien, Brooks Raley and Antonio Senzatela. Veteran closer Kenley Jansen could also be in play, though the 38-year-old is no longer the lock-down late-inning presence he’s been throughout his career.

Some lesser-known, controllable relievers could also find themselves on the move, with Hogan Harris (Athletics), Brennan Bernandino (Rockies), Daniel Lynch IV (Royals) and Ryan Zeferjahn (Angels) among the potential candidates.

Which Wild Card contenders will step up?

The cluster of teams in the Wild Card races in both the AL and NL have left a number of them contemplating their approach with less than 24 hours until the Deadline.

Every team in the AL except for the Royals, Athletics and Angels is within 4.5 games of a Wild Card spot, while the Blue Jays are the only one of that group further than 2.5 games back.

In the NL, every team other than the Giants, Mets and Rockies is within 5.5 games of a spot, though the Reds (5.5) and Nationals (4.5) appear to be taking a sell-first approach with the idea of adding controllable talent for 2027 and beyond.

That still leaves the Twins (1.0), Rangers (1.5), Mariners (2.0), Orioles (2.5), Tigers (2.5), Padres (1.0), Marlins (1.5) and Pirates (3.5) in the thick of the race, giving their front offices something to think about as they consider whether to buy, sell, do a little bit of both or stand pat.

Minnesota, San Diego and Pittsburgh are expected to be buyers, while Texas, Seattle, Baltimore and Miami could try a hybrid approach, moving impending free agents (or players only a year or two from free agency) for more controllable players. Despite their trade of Skubal on Saturday, the Tigers could actually look to buy and sell in an effort to make a playoff push, moving their expiring contracts (Mize, Jansen, Gleyber Torres) while adding controllable pieces.

In other words, just about anything can happen on Monday.

“It feels like a lot of teams are still trying to figure things out,” an AL executive said. “But there isn’t much more time to do that, unfortunately.”

What about the hitters? Should we expect any bats to be traded?

A handful of hitters have been traded prior to Monday, headlined by Sunday’s Yankees-Nationals deal that sent Garcia Jr. to the Bronx. Curtis Mead went to Boston (where he suffered a fractured wrist in his first game with the Red Sox) and Lane Thomas was dealt to the Braves, but that was the extent of the position-player market as of late Sunday night.

Why have so few bats been on the move? Let’s start with the prices, which have been “sky high” according to multiple sources. With so few teams committed to selling and a relatively weak free-agent hitting market this offseason, there simply aren’t a lot of position players guaranteed to move by the Deadline.

Gleyber Torres is a potential trade candidate (though the Tigers aren’t a lock to move him), while others such as Daulton Varsho, Eugenio Suárez and Luis Robert Jr. are having down or injured years.

The simple fact is that most of the hitters that have been discussed are either on contending teams (Ryan Jeffers, Taylor Ward, Jeremy Pena) or have multiple years of control remaining (CJ Abrams, Zach Neto, Otto Lopez) and are far from certain to be moved before the Deadline.

There will be some hitters traded on Monday. Jo Adell is likely to move, with the Phillies and Yankees looming as favorites. The Reds could deal JJ Bleday, the Rockies could trade either Mickey Moniak or Jake McCarthy, while the Cardinals could move Lars Nootbar.

There is one position that could see some movement, which brings us to our final storyline to watch Monday ...

How many catchers will be wearing new uniforms?

At least five teams have been looking for catching help, led by a trio of AL East clubs in the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays. The White Sox and Rangers also fall into this category, though the list of available catchers has been slim at best.

Hunter Goodman would be the jewel of the bunch, but unless the Rockies are absolutely overwhelmed, they have little reason to move the All-Star with three years of control remaining.

Liam Hicks is also under control for multiple years, but the Marlins have Joe Mack as their everyday catcher, potentially making Hicks available. Ditto for the catching-deep Cardinals, who could move Iván Herrera, and the Orioles, who have been listening to offers for Adley Rutschman, who is under control through 2027.

Tyler Stephenson is one of seven impending free agents on the Reds roster -- and the one most likely to bring back a solid return given the need for catching by multiple teams. Jonah Heim, also a free agent after the season, could also be an option.