Major League Baseball clubs have until 6 p.m. Aug. 2 to complete a deal. What are the latest rumours?
Here are a few :
Soto: Finished for the Yankees?
Now that they’ve acquired outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Kansas City Royals, have the New York Yankees given up on Juan Soto?
According to Jon Heyman of New York Postthe Yankees haven’t officially given up, but it’s clear they aren’t as committed to the talks anymore.
Heyman adds that the San Diego Padres, Los Angeles Dodgers, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers are currently the most active clubs on this file.
Soto recently turned down a 15-year, $440 million contract extension offer from the Washington Nationals.
While there’s no word the Yankees are officially out on Juan Soto it’s clear they aren’t currently at the forefront of those talks. So it makes sense they jumped on Andrew Benintendi. SD, STL, LAD and TEX, perhaps due to better prospect matches, seem more involved in Soto talks.
—Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) July 28, 2022
What are the defending champions looking for?
Executives from other teams say the Atlanta Braves are looking for a right-handed hitter to effectively replace Adam Duvall on their roster, according to ESPN network insider Buster Olney. Some of the possible options: Ian Happ (Cubs), Ramon Laureano (Athletics) and Rob Refsnyder (Red Sox).
Will Castillo stay in Cincinnati?
Depending on what Olney hears, the Reds could retain the services of pitcher Luis Castillo. His sources, however, say the Reds are acting as if they are fully engaged in the process of swapping whoever is seen as the best No.1 starter available on the market.
There’s been some speculation in the industry the Reds might choose to hang on to pitcher Luis Castillo, but talent evaluators say Thursday morning that CIN is proceeding as if it is full steam ahead in the process of trading the All-Star, widely viewed as best available starter.
—Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 28, 2022
Change of plan in San Francisco?
As of Wednesday night, the Giants have continued to let other teams know that they are not yet looking to trade veterans, and for now, they intend to keep up-and-coming free agents Carlos Rodon and Joc Pederson. Given the Giants’ recent setbacks, other teams are watching them closely to see if they’ll turn around and engage in negotiations, Olney said.
