The New York Mets traded future Hall of Fame pitchers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer for top-level minor-league prospects at the MLB trade deadline. MLBbro Tommy Pham, who unexpectedly became one of the Mets best players this year, was also traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a prospect, leaving the franchise without any MLBbros left on the 40-man roster.
Until they dealt reliever Dominic Leone to the Los Angeles Angels for infield prospect Jeremiah Jackson.
If you haven’t heard of Jackson, just check out his highlights, he’s a very intriguing prospect. The 2018 Alabama “Mr. Baseball” has displayed above average pop for a shortstop with 15 bombs for the Rocket City Trash Pandas.
His 21 stolen bases on the season indicate it would be wise to monitor him when he gets on bases. The power and speed Jeremiah has in his game just happens to be two of the Mets biggest weaknesses. They lack dynamic, skill players that winning franchises like the Atlanta Braves boast.
Via MLB.com: “The Angels’ second-round pick in the 2018 Draft, Jackson …has teased with his offensive potential, particularly his power, since signing. He set the bar high when his 23 homers established a Pioneer League record in 2019, with injuries and inconsistencies slowing him since. He missed a good chunk of time in 2021, his full-season debut, with a quad injury and then an oblique strain forced him out for a month and a half in 2022. The Angels didn’t protect him on the 40-man roster and he wasn’t selected in the Rule 5 Draft. He was back to being healthy and was a league-average bat for Double-A Rocket City in 2023 before he was traded to the Mets.
Jackson still has the loud, albeit raw, tools that made him a second-round pick. He’s capable of leaving the yard in any plate appearance. The ball jumps off his bat, and even with the time missed and some issues with his overall approach, he still hit 24 homers in 136 combined games in 2021 and 2022. He has wiry strength with bat speed and loft, with the power especially to his pull side. He did cut down his strikeouts in 2022, but his ability to make consistent hard contact still has not shown up”.
Leone, was 1-3 with a 4.40 ERA in 31 games for New York this season. Getting a talent such as Jeremiah Jackson back in this trade is something to look out for. Fans of the team may end up looking back at this trade fondly, believing they got a steal. If he can add contact skills to his power and athleticism, the Mets will find a spot for him on the big league roster.
Keynan Middleton was moved from the Southside of Chicago to The Bronx as the Yankees added another piece to the best bullpen in the majors.
The news broke about 10 minutes before Tuesday afternoon’s trade deadline that the White Sox would be trading Middleton to New York in exchange for their 29th ranked prospect, Single-A pitcher Juan Carela.
He was a bright spot in what has been a disappointing year in Chicago.
“It is great to feel wanted around this time,” Middleton told MLBbro.com
“I am excited to go to New York and win. That is all I want to do.”
On the year, Middleton has a 3.36 ERA in 36.1 innings pitched with 47 strikeouts.
He did not allow a single run in the 11.2 innings he threw during the month of May and was solid throughout most of June, but ran into trouble in July posting an 8.64 ERA and allowing four home runs in just nine appearances.
A freshly shaved beard and new beginnings now await Middleton.
He joins a Yankees bullpen that leads the majors with an ERA of 3.10, the next closest team being the Toronto Blue Jays who have theirs sitting at 3.62.
The bullpen is led by former big leaguer and first-round pick Mike Harkey, who has been the team’s bullpen coach for the team since 2016.
Middleton will now play for the fifth different team in his seven-year career.
After being drafted in the third round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Angels he made his debut with the team in June of 2017 and finished the year with a 3.86 ERA.
Between 2017 and 2018, he had a 1.49 ERA in 27 games but had both seasons cut short due to injuries to his elbow, going under the knife for Tommy John surgery in 2018.
After leaving the Angeles he signed with the 2021 Seattle Mariners who at that moment had the most Black players on a roster in the majors including J.P. Crawford, Justin Dunn, Kyle Lewis, Taylor Trammell and Justus Sheffield.
Middleton spent the 2022 season with the Arizona Diamondbacks before signing with the White Sox in January.
The days of forecasting, guessing and debating about player movement finally ended at the trading deadline on Tuesday as the deal between the Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres stole the headlines and news cycle.
It was no surprise to anyone that Juan Soto was on his way out of Washington after turning down a massive 15-year, $440 million offer from the Nationals. It wasn’t a question of when Soto was leaving as opposed to where he was going. With the Padres having a cache of young talent to offer the Nats, that was the tipping point to make the deal.
The deal, which has not yet been totally finalized at the time of publication, is as follows:
The San Diego Padres receive:
Outfielder Juan Soto and first baseman Josh Bell
The Washington Nationals receive:
Left-handed pitcher, Mackenzie Gore and outfielder, Robert Hassell III, Shortstop C.J. Abrams and Outfielder, James Wood. One more player to be named later.
Went on SportsCenter to talk about the Juan Soto blockbuster. We will have much, much more on our trade deadline special today from 4 to 6 p.m. on ESPN. pic.twitter.com/WigOpc8fFU
While Juan Soto is the undisputed headliner that was no surprise, it is a mild surprise that our MLBbro, Josh Bell was added in the deal even though we had monitored possible moves for over a month. MLBro.com had San Diego on the radar as one of Bell’s possible destinations.
MLBbro.com:
“The Padres realize that the Dodgers have no issues opening up the bankbook to get the best players on the market no matter the cost. Josh Bell can add some offensive power to compete with their loaded division rivals.”
“Like the Dodgers, the Padres have a quality first baseman in Eric Hosmer, but they need help in the DH spot”.
Speaking of Eric Hosmer, he is the reason that the deal is not officially complete yet. He rejected the trade with his no trade clause and either has to sign off on the deal or a third team has to be a part of the deal. Most recent reports have him waiving his no-trade clause and going to the Red Sox in a deal.
With Eric Hosmer out of the Juan Soto trade after rejecting a deal to Washington, the Boston Red Sox swooped in and will acquire him from San Diego, sources tell ESPN. The finances are unclear: Padres could pick up a chunk of money — or could send along a prospect with Hosmer.
The undisputed jewel for right now in this deal is our MLBbro, Josh Bell. While Soto has put 21 balls in the seats with 46 RBI, he is hitting .an uncharacteristic 246 for the season, which makes Bell’s short-term contributions all the more impressive this season.
Our MLBbro is hitting a career high .301 with 14 homers and 57 RBI. The former 2019 All-Star has produced 127 dingers with 454 RBI over his career. The Padres may have collected the best hitter in the open market in a virtual steal. A change in mechanics and mindset this year allows him to be a better opposite field hitter while cutting down strikeouts.
Now while San Diego’s odds of winning a World Series has shot through the roof, the Nationals sit at the bottom of the MLB standings and have officially started a total rebuild, having lost four of their last five games. That doesn’t mean Washington did not accomplish their short-term goal of getting young talent to develop.
Two MLBbro prospects are arriving in Washington by the names of C.J. Abrams and James Wood.
C.J. Abrams:
Abrams was San Diego’s top prospect and was ranked sixth in the MiLB rankings in 2021. After spending time in the Double A affiliate San Antonio Missions last year, he was called up this season and has impressed many with his defense and his willingness to use the entire field at the plate.
Our 21-year-old MLBbro has hitting slashes of .231/.280/.322 in 134 plate appearances. This small sample size should not be used as an indictment of his budding potential. The Nationals are very well known for their player development and Abrams should flourish with more opportunities on the field to finish the season.
James Wood:
This analysis is basically the minor league prospect version of the Juan Soto/Juan Bell analysis above. While C.J. Abrams is the coveted acquisition with unbridled potential, James Wood could be the diamond in the rough that could become a star in the future. Even though James is in the Single A ranks, he is tearing up the league with a hitting slash of .337/.453/.601 with 10 homers. This includes a three homer, seven steal stretch in 21 games after returning from a wrist injury.
Wood is a 6-foot-7 tower weighing 240 pounds with power, athleticism and speed that the Nationals front office can sell to its fanbase with comparisons to a famous player in New York named Aaron Judge.
He’s also the son of former University of Richmond basketball standout Kenny Wood.
UR Hall of Famer Wood (1990-93), who was a 6-foot-5 forward, scored 1,427 points to go with 717 rebounds. James Wood lived with his family in Olney, Md., and attended St. John’s College High School in Washington.
Projections have the talented Wood ready for the big leagues in 2025, but don’t underestimate the selling point of this MLBbro. With Washington’s record and offensive fire sale trading away their two best contributors, the franchise may have a lot of explaining to do on what their plans are for the future.
Today’s MLB trade deadline will let us know which teams are throwing in the towel on 2022, and who will be fighting for an opportunity to win it all. These are just a few scenarios from what is shaping up to be an extremely active deadline.
St. Louis Cardinals – Find Replacement for Jack Flaherty
Even with the MVP season first baseman Paul Goldschmidt is having, the Cardinals find themselves trailing the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central headed into the deadline. The pitching staff for the Cards has underperformed, partially due to injury. One pitcher in particular who has certainly been missed is Jack Flaherty. Jack only pitched eight innings in 2022 before a right shoulder strain landed him on the 60-day IL.
Flaherty has looked like a shell of the pitcher who went 9-2 with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.060 WHIP in 2021.
Any talk of finding Jack’s replacement has been overshadowed by the Cardinals’ pursuit of Nationals superstar Juan Soto. A trade for Soto would come with a heavy price tag and unfortunately that would all but guarantee their No.1 overall prospect Jordan Walker would be on the move.
The 6’5, 220 third baseman has been raking at the Cardinals Double A affiliate in Texas, currently slashing .305/.389/.531 on the year. With Platinum Glove winner Nolan Arenado still in the fold for St.Louis at the hot corner combined with what it will take to acquire Soto or a quality arm to replace Flaherty, either move will see Walker hit the show for another ball club.
Milwaukee Brewers – How Trading Josh Hader affects Devin Williams
Devin Williams has been elite for the Brewers all season and has slid into the closer role flawlessly on more than one occasion. But after the Brewers decided to move on from current closer and fan favorite Josh Hader, it looks as if Devin may be spending a lot more time dominating the ninth innings for Milwaukee.
The Hader deal was structured around San Diego’s No. 7 prospect Robert Gasser and No. 28 Esteury Ruiz, who may challenge to replace MLBbro Lorenzo Cain, designated for assignment earlier this season. With Willams in the fold there is no need for Brewers fans to panic about the ninth innings.
However, if the aforementioned Cardinals are able to make some big moves, it will take a lot more than great relief pitching to maintain their lead in the NL Central.
Washington Nationals – Where Does Josh Bell end up ?
Now the two teams above are clearly buyers battling for playoff position, but unfortunately for the nation’s capital, the Nationals are nothing close.
Juan Soto may be the first name you hear leaked to trade talks in D.C, but first baseman Josh Bell’s name usually isn’t far behind.
Bell is having a career year right before being able to test free agency for the first time and the Nationals
will look to gain something before he walks.
Josh is hitting .302 with 14 home runs and 57 RBI and has made pitchers pay for trying to sneak breaking balls past him (.319 BA and SLG .511).
It’s rumored that Dusty Baker’s Astros have made a call about Bell, so we could
potentially see another major weapon added to the machine down in Houston.
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