The 2022 MLB Trade Deadline Day is here, with less than 10 hours until the 6 p.m. EDT deadline. While there was a slew of deals yesterday, there are still plenty of moves to be made. Some of the trades made on Monday included: Frankie Montas going to the New York Yankees, Trey Mancini and Christian Vazquez to the Houston Astros, and Josh Hader to the San Diego Padres.
That still leaves some strong trade candidates on the market. For what it's worth, Shohei Ohtani is definitely not getting traded, despite teams showing interest in the two-way star. Let's take a look at five players who could be moved on Tuesday and possible destinations.
Juan Soto
The biggest name left on the market, Soto is a generational talent who will garner a heavy package going to the Nationals. It isn't set in stone that he moves now, as Washington could very well wait until the offseason to move him. But if they do trade him now, it will be a huge blockbuster deal. As of now, the two teams for sure in on him are the St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Dodgers, with the San Diego Padres also a possibility. According to Jon Morosi on Monday evening, the Cardinals hadn't been willing to include Dylan Carlson and their top prospects in an offer for Soto.
The Dodgers also have major and minor league talent that could entice the Nationals, and perhaps the willingness to move it. The package would likely have to be headlined by the Dodgers' top prospect in catcher Diego Cartaya and also include Gavin Lux. Right-handed pitchers Bobby Miller and Ryan Pepoit could also be in play, as well as outfielder Andy Pages. As of Monday night, let's put the odds that Soto is traded at 45-55. If the Padres sneak into the mix as well, they have C.J. Abrams at the major league level who they could move. The minor leaguers who would likely be in play are Robert Hassell, James Wood, Jackson Merrill, Eguy Rosario, and Kevin Kopps. At least four or five players would probably be in the deal if it were to go down.
Update:
Willson Contreras
The Cubs began their sell-off as they traded rookie reliever Scott Effross to the Yankees on Monday for right-handed prospect Hayden Wesneski. There isn't anything to suggest they won't trade more pieces, starting with Contreras and Ian Happ. David Robertson will also likely be moved.
On the Contreras front, the Astros are now out after acquiring Vazquez which likely puts the New York Mets as frontrunners. The Mets haven't gotten any production from their catcher position this season, with Thomas Nido getting a majority of action behind the plate. Nido has just a 50 OPS+ on the season and zero homers. Contreras, on the other hand, has a 129 OPS+ (career-high) and 14 homers. He is just a rental, which could make the price not so high. The Metropolitan's top prospect is a catcher, in Francisco Alvarez. Since they would be getting a top catcher in the majors, they could potentially include Alvarez in the deal to go back to Chicago. Any of New York's other top five prospects could be discussed as well, Brett Baty (No. 2), Ronny Mauricio, (No. 3), Alex Ramirez (No.4), and Mark Vientos (No. 5). The Mets could also look to receive a package of both Contreras and Robertson, which the teams have discussed. The Tampa Bay Rays could also be in on Contreras after acquiring outfielder Jose Siri from the Astros yesterday. Another potential team is the Cleveland Guardians, who have been oddly quiet so far.
J.D. Martinez
The Red Sox have been in half buy, half sell mode. On Monday, they traded away Christian Vazquez to the Astros while also acquiring Tommy Pham and Reese McGuire. But Martinez is one they will definitely look to move, with Martinez entering free agency following the season. The designated hitter has played well this season, slashing .288/.354/.462 with a 124 OPS+, 127 wRC+, and .366 xWOBA. The asking price for Martinez is reportedly a top-five prospect, one major league player, plus an additional piece and/or cash. The Mets have also been in on him, and they could potentially offer any of their top five prospects and Dominic Smith, as well as adding a lower-tier prospect to sweeten the deal. Depending on how the rest of the market shakes out, the Dodgers could look into Martinez if they miss out on Soto. Other teams who have been rumored to be a potential destination are the Milwaukee Brewers, San Diego Padres, and Guardians.
Tyler Mahle
Now one of the top pitchers on the market, Mahle carries an extra year of control with him. The San Francisco Giants will reportedly not trade Carlos Rodon and might not sell at all. So Mahle should be pretty sawed after as the final hours of the deadline approach. Mahle has a 4.40 ERA, 3.20 xERA, 3.61 FIP, and 25.9 percent strikeout rate on the season over 104 1/3 innings. The Philadelphia Phillies have been reported to be in on the right-hander with their top prospects being in on discussions, including right-handers Andrew Painter and Mick Abel as well as catcher Logan O'Hoppe. The Minnesota Twins could also look to add to their rotation with Mahle as well as the Dodgers.
Josh Bell
While they still could trade Soto at the deadline, the Nationals are much more likely to move Bell as the first baseman is a free agent after this season. Just like pretty much every bat on the market, the Mets could look in on Bell. He could be a much more viable DH solution for the Mets than Daniel Vogelbach. Bell has slashed .311/.399/.489 versus righties this season and .287/.361/.500 against lefties. A potential deal could include two top 15 prospects and one lower-end prospect. The Brewers and Astros (who have said to be not done) are two other teams that are likely to look into adding a first baseman/DH in Bell.