Happy Sunday MMO faithful! With Tuesday’s deadline rapidly approaching, teams will look to bolster their franchise for the 2018 playoff push and beyond. Trades are starting to materialize as some big names are expected to be on the move. Of course, there will be moves made that will take readers (and players) by surprise.

Archer Rumors Heat Up

The likelihood of the Tampa Bay Ray trading Chris Archer increases each day according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN. Archer, 29, does have a team friendly contract with a $7.7 million salary for 2019 with team options for $9 million in 2020 and $11 million in 2021. The three teams rumored to be in on Archer are the Yankees, Dodgers, and Padres according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. Of the three teams mentioned, the Padres are the most interesting suitor as they are not in the playoff hunt for 2018. With a 42-64 record, the Padres have no real reason to overpay for Archer. The Padres have one of the better (if not best depending on who you ask) prospects in the game but it remains to be seen if they will meet the Rays asking price for Archer. For now, the ask seems to be too high and Archer’s performance does not warrant a package for an ace.

Archer has not been the same pitcher since posting a 4.1 WAR placing fifth in the Cy Young Award in 2015 where he struck out 252 batters in 212 innings pitched. He had a 2.0 WAR in in 2016 and a 1.3 WAR in 2017. So far this year in 17 starts he has a 0.4 WAR. Despite his regression he still has plenty of upside and may be in need of a change in scenery to turn into the pitcher he was in 2015. As it stands now the Rays are asking for a package to reflect the 2015 Chris Archer and with the market for starting pitchers currently thin, there is a chance someone pays the asking price.

Nats Check-In on Realmuto

The Washington Nationals are willing to up their ante in an attempt to pry J.T. Realmuto from the Miami Marlins. According to Craig Mish, the Nats are now willing to part ways with top prospect Victor Robles to land Realmuto. The current asking price is rumored to be Robles AND Carter Kieboom. Kieboom is the Nats No. 2 ranked prospect and No. 35 overall according to MLB Pipeline. The Nats do not seem to be willing to trade both Robles and Kieboom but Craig Mish opines that Robles plus two other prospects not named Kieboom should be able to get a deal done by Tuesday.

Realmuto, 27, is one of the better hitters in baseball as he has a 12.2 career WAR including a 3.5 WAR through 75 games this year which ranks 7th in the NL. In those 75 games, he is slashing .309/.359/.535 with 13 home runs and 50 RBIs. He is also sporting a .894 OPS and q 147 OPS+ which ranks 5th in the NL. This kind of production is rare especially for a guy who spends most of his time behind the dish. In addition to his bat, his contract is also very attractive. JT has two more years of arbitration left before becoming a free agent in 2021. Ironically, the Marlins defeated the Nats 3-2 in ten innings on Sunday afternoon courtesy of a Realmuto walk-off hit. After the game Bryce Harper offered some commentary regarding Realmuto: “If that guy was on our side, that wouldn’t have happened.” The quote was likely in reference to Miguel Rojas reaching on catcher’s interference with a runner on first and no outs in the bottom of the tenth inning.

Market for Mesoraco Slowing Down

A deal to ship out Devin Mesoraco does not seem imminent according to  Mike Puma of the NY Post. Mesoraco has been a pleasant surprise for the Metropolitans since trading him to the Reds for Matt Harvey. So far with the Mets, he is slashing .229/.308/.405 with 7 home runs and 24 RBIs in 153 at-bats. He also has a WAR of 0.6 with the team. Although his stats are not eye-popping he was a much-needed boost after Travis d’Arnaud and Kevin Plawecki went down with injuries and the team was forced to use Jose Lobaton and Tomas Nido in their place. Mesoraco’s contract expires at season’s end so it is likely the Mets move him but not give him away.

Indians and Giants Potential Dozier Suitors

The Cleveland Indians have the largest divisional lead in MLB with eight games but are looking to play deep into October. The San Francisco Giants, on the other hand, are currently fourth place in the NL West trailing the LA Dodgers by 7.5 games. They also trail the second Wild Card spot to the Arizona Diamondbacks by six games. Second base has been a problem for both clubs and the Twins’ Brian Dozier could be the answer. Mike Berardino recently has linked the Tribe to Dozier who is set to hit the free agent market this winter. Dozier, 31, is having a down first half this season.

Dozier is slashing .226/ .307/ .409 with a .715 OPS and a 94 OPS+ through 101 games. He has also has 16 home runs with 51 RBIs through 450 plate appearances. In all fairness, he has performed better in the second half of the season. In fact, 17 of his 34 home runs in 2017 came in August and September. For his career, Dozier’s wRC+ in the second half is 13 points higher than the first half of the season so it is not unreasonable to think that Dozier can be an offensive threat for any contender down the stretch.

Currently, the Indians have Jason Kipnis at the keystone but he is in the midst of another disappointing season with a slash line of .219/ .306/ .362 to go with his 10 home runs and 42 RBIs. If the Indians were to acquire Dozier it will either greatly diminish playing time for Kipnis, 31, or likely shift him to the outfield where they have received minimal production outside of Michael Brantley.  

For the Giants Dozier will fill the void by current DL resident Joe Panik. The move seems to be risky as they have several teams ahead of them in the Wild Card and have lost eight out of their last ten. Dozier could be a jolt to the Giants lineup and help propel them up the standings but will need other pieces in order to do so.

Twins Need to be Overwhelmed to Move Gibson

With the market for starting pitching as thin as it is, it only makes sense that the Twins make Kyle Gibson available especially since he only has one more year on his contract. Ken Rosenthal reported that interest in Gibson, 30, has been increasing but the Twins have to be, “blown away” in order to be motivated to move him. Gibson has been a pleasant surprise for the Twin this season as he ranks 11th in the AL with a 3.42 ERA and has a 2.9 WAR through 21 starts. Gibson has also whiffed 126 batters in almost as many innings and has a 46.2% groundball rate this year. The Twins seem to be taking advantage of the lack of quality starters out there and are not backing off their asking price. Nor should they. If the Twins decide to keep Gibson they can still move him in the off-season or keep for the 2019 campaign as they will have to retool and pray for health in order to compete next year.

Indians and Phillies in Pursuit of Gallo

According to Evan Gant of the Dallas Morning News, the Indians and Phillies have been the “most aggressive” suitors for Texas Ranger’s Joey Gallo. Gallo, 24, is controllable through the 2022 season and would be a significant upgrade in the power department for any team. Despite only batting .190 Gallo’s OBP is .306 and has 25 home runs in 336 ABs. Last year he hit 41 dingers with an OBP of .333 but struck out 196 times. He has always had an alarming strikeout rate but still managed a WAR of 3.2 last year. As stated earlier, the Indians have had minimal production in two-thirds of their outfield spots so adding Gallo would provide them with much-needed pop. The Phillies do not have a real need for a corner outfielder but Gallo came up as a third baseman and Maikel Franco has struggled most of the season although he has found success at the plate recently. Other teams such as the Yankees are expected to check in with the Rangers regarding Gallo especially with the injury to Aaron Judge.