Bullet point summary by AI
- With only seven days left until the MLB trade deadline, several All-Stars remain in play, including Diamondbacks infielder Ketel Marte.
- The Colorado Rockies are unlikely to trade Hunter Goodwin due to defensive concerns.
- The next moves could dramatically reshape playoff-contending rosters, with multiple teams still weighing their options.
Major League Baseball fans can only hope that Saturday’s Red Sox-Nationals trade is just the start of a busy week ahead. Only seven days remain until the trade deadline, and much is still up in the air regarding several All-Stars, including Tigers ace Tarik Skubal and Brewers closer Mason Miller.
Next up on that list could be Diamondbacks second baseman Ketel Marte, who agreed to a $115 million extension last April. If that sounds odd, you’re telling us. Arizona is 55-51 and one game up on Pittsburgh for the NL’s third Wild Card spot. So what’s going on?
Here are the most important MLB conversations you need to know on Monday, July 27.
What’s the Diamondbacks plan with Ketel Marte?
- Ketel Marte’s up-and-down Diamondbacks tenure could be coming to a close.
- Marte scrubbed his social media of any Diamondbacks references.
Monday’s Immaculate Grid featured the Diamondbacks/one-team-only combo, and I totally blanked on Brandon Webb. Hence, I went with Corbin Carroll, who unsurprisingly had a rarity score of well over 60%. Anyone who picked Marte would have lost, as the three-time All-Star actually began his career with the Mariners.
Marte has been with the Diamondbacks for well over a decade, and he’s since become one of the greatest hitters in club history. However, he turned heads on Monday morning after a Reddit user found that he’d since unfollowed the D-Backs on Instagram and scrubbed his personal page of any Diamondbacks-related content.
The 32-year-old Marte is hitting .254 with 19 home runs, 61 RBIs, and a .764 OPS in nearly 450 plate appearances. However, trading him is far easier said than done, partly because he is under contract through 2030 and has an $11.5 million player option for 2031. Marte also earned 10-and-5 rights earlier this season, giving him a full no-trade clause for the rest of his time in Arizona. Odds are the Diamondbacks won’t trade him, but this surely isn’t a great look.
What will the Rockies do with Hunter Goodman?
- The Rockies are likely to sell at the MLB trade deadline, but who should they keep?
- Hunter Goodman’s defense has some likely buyers concerned, meaning he may not be traded after all.
At 42-65, the Rockies are on the verge of surpassing last year’s 43-119 finish, so that’s the good news. All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman has more than done his part, hitting 31 home runs with an .888 OPS through 98 games. At his current pace, he should have no problem becoming the first Rockies player with 40 home runs since Nolan Arenado in 2019.
That’s assuming that the Rockies don’t trade Goodman within the next week, though The Athletic threw cold water on that idea. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon spoke with two executives and a scout, all of whom expressed concerns about Goodman’s defense. One executive admitted his team hasn’t even called the Rockies solely because of Goodman’s issues behind the plate.
Goodman, who turns 27 in October, is under team control through 2030. The Twins’ Ryan Jeffers remains the most popular catcher on the trade market.
Are the Brewers a realistic landing spot for Mason Miller?
- The Brewers are likely to buy at the MLB trade deadline, but how far will they go?
- Milwaukee has been connected to Padres closer Mason Miller.
The Brewers are on track to win their fourth consecutive NL Central crown, and that’s despite trading ace Freddy Peralta last winter. Although the Brewers aren’t big spenders, that doesn’t mean they won’t make a splash at the deadline. Major League Baseball Advanced Media’s Adam McCalvy reported that the Brewers have talked to the Tigers and Padres about Skubal and Miller, respectively.
A pitching staff with Miller and Jacob Misiorowski is an easy way to break the American Family Field (née Miller Park) radar gun. There have been conflicting reports about the Padres trading Miller, who turns 28 in August and is under team control through 2030.
Miller has been his usual electric self, carrying a 0.82 ERA and 27 saves into this week’s series with the Rockies. He already has 80 strikeouts in 43 ⅔ innings and has yet to allow a home run.
As for Skubal, he’s a rental who appears to have fully recovered from a recent elbow injury. Although the Tigers are only six games out in the AL Central and 3 ½ games back of the AL’s final Wild Card spot, they’re expected to sell at the deadline.
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