MLB trade deadline rumors: Red Sox hunt shortstop, Rays eye big swings
Boston is looking for infield help as Tampa Bay checks on Freddy Peralta and Zach Neto ahead of the Aug. 3 MLB trade deadline.
By Deshawn Carter · Sports Writer
3 min read
The MLB trade deadline rumors are starting to snap, crackle and pop with the deadline set for 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 3, and several clubs still deciding how bold they want to be.
CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder noted that Detroit is one team to watch as the final days tick down. The Tigers have dropped three straight games, sit four games out of the final American League wild-card spot and have four teams ahead of them, according to CBS Sports. Snyder wrote that if Detroit sells, left-hander Tarik Skubal would enter the market.
What are the latest MLB trade deadline rumors?
Boston’s shortstop problem is front and center. ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Red Sox are looking through the trade market for help at the position after injuries thinned their middle infield.
The Red Sox are 55-50 and hold the second AL wild card, according to CBS Sports. Trevor Story and Tsung-Che Chang are on the injured list, leaving Andrew Monasterio to cover shortstop for now.
Boston has already added Curtis Mead, but CBS Sports reported the club is still searching for middle-infield help. The catch is obvious: proven shortstops are not exactly sitting on a shelf, and Story is expected back at some point in August, according to CBS Sports.
The Rays are also making calls. FanSided reported that Tampa Bay has shown interest in Mets pitcher Freddy Peralta and Angels shortstop Zach Neto.
Peralta would be a short-term play, because CBS Sports reported he can become a free agent after this season. In Tampa Bay’s case, the appeal would be pairing him with Nick Martinez, Drew Rasmussen and Shane McClanahan in a playoff rotation, while Griffin Jax could shift back to the bullpen after working as a fifth starter during the regular season.
Neto would be a longer-view move. CBS Sports reported that the 25-year-old is under team control through 2029 and has a 117 OPS+ with 2.8 WAR this season after posting back-to-back seasons of more than 5 WAR.
That name could matter in Boston, too. If the Angels are open to moving Neto, the Red Sox’s reported search for shortstop help would make him an obvious player to monitor, as CBS Sports noted.
Why are the Cubs and White Sox looking at Reid Detmers?
Yahoo Sports reported that both Chicago teams, the Cubs and White Sox, have checked on Angels left-hander Reid Detmers.
Detmers, 27, is under team control through 2028, according to CBS Sports. This season he is 3-7 with a 4.05 ERA, a 1.10 WHIP and 136 strikeouts over 120 innings for the Angels.
The lefty’s year has bounced around. CBS Sports reported he went 4-1 with a 1.36 ERA in five starts from May 24 through June 16, then had a 7.40 ERA over his next four outings before posting a 0.79 ERA across his last two starts.
The fit is clear enough from the reporting: both Chicago clubs need starting pitching, and Detmers is not a rental. CBS Sports described that control as especially relevant for the White Sox, who are trying to rebound from rough seasons without emptying the farm for one deadline push.
Are the Mets trading Luis Torrens?
The New York Post reported that Mets catcher Luis Torrens has drawn trade interest, including from the White Sox, but that New York is not currently inclined to move him.
Torrens is signed for $4.75 million next season, according to the New York Post report cited by CBS Sports. The Mets are reportedly looking at him as part of next year’s roster while planning to contend rather than begin a rebuild.
CBS Sports also raised the possibility that the Mets’ stance could be deadline positioning as clubs try to pull stronger offers. For now, the reported message from New York is that Torrens is more likely to stay than go.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.