When is the MLB trade deadline? Which top players could be on the move? What’s up with these Juan Soto rumors? You have questions, Boardroom has answers.
The dog days arrive. The Midsummer Classic comes and goes. And suddenly, though the summer is far from dead — have you been outside lately?!? — the Major League Baseball Playoffs are not so far away. And that means one thing in the Boardroom household:
It’s MLB trade deadline season.
With the arrival of August comes the final moments by which front offices can wheel-and-deal to turn their plausibly contending teams into formidable powerhouses that won’t take no for an answer in the playoffs. Perhaps it’s one more lefty reliever. Maybe it’s a streaky corner outfielder with a chance to progress to the mean at the perfect time. Maybe it’s a veteran starter just aching to reinvent himself as a bullpen Swiss Army knife in the playoffs.
Yes, in so many ways, the 2022 baseball season is about to get realer than real. That got us thinking — what are the most important data points fans ought to internalize ahead of the deadline? Who are the top players who could be on the move?
Stick with Boardroom as we roll through everything you need to know about MLB Trade Deadline 2022, from key dates and times to the latest trade rumors.
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Good question! The MLB trade deadline date for 2022 is Tuesday, Aug. 2.
Underrated question! Synchronize your watches for 6 p.m. ET.
If you’re looking for starting pitching, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Luis Castillo may be at the top of your list along with teammate Tyler Mahle, Red Sox righty Nathan Eovaldi, and Oakland’s Frankie Montas. ESPN’s Jeff Passan notes that Houston’s Jose Urquidy and Cleveland’s Zach Plesac could be among the starters on the move as well.
On the reliever side, the Cubs’ David Robertson’s name has come up in a series of reports linking him to the New York Mets. Tigers lefty Michael Fulmer will draw attention as well.
In alphabetical order, reports have noted Nationals 1B Josh Bell, Cubs C Willson Contreras, Reds INF Brandon Drury, Yankees OF/DH Joey Gallo, Cubs UTIL Ian Happ, Diamondbacks OF Jordan Luplow, Red Sox OF/DH J.D. Martinez, and Royals 2B/OF Whit Merrifield.
Sure, why not? The prevailing reports out of Washington are that a workable framework for a Juan Soto trade does not currently exist, so major progress would need to be made on that front before it’s realistic to imagine the superstar outfielder and Home Run Derby champ leaving town.
In the meantime, click here to read Shlomo Sprung’s deep dive on what it would take to put together a real, live Juan Soto trade and which teams could truly be in the mix.
While it feels like a spectacular impossibility that the Los Angeles Angels would even joke about listening to trade offers for Shohei Ohtani, here we are. No, it’s not considered remotely likely that ShoTime moves ahead of the deadline (and more than a year before he hits free agency for the first time following the 2023 season), but we’re looking at a non-zero possibility here and now.
For what it’s worth, Jim Bowden of The Athletic previously reported that the Mets did make a call about the two-way superstar.
No, the ridiculous waiver trade period that follows the traditional non-waiver deadline was rightly done away with after the Astros were able to steal Justin Verlander from the Tigers in 2017 and win a World Series almost immediately (plust two more AL pennants since then).
Juan Soto stays in Washington. JD Martinez and David Robertson to the Mets. Luis Castillo to the Yankees. Ian Happ to the Braves. Nelson Cruz to the Giants. Josh Bell and Willson Contreras to the Astros.
See you Tuesday, baseball fans.
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