MLB Trade Deadline: Four Deals Involving All-Stars We’d Love to See - Sports Illustrated

What the report says

Sports Illustrated framed the MLB trade deadline as a speculative exercise, pairing available All-Star-level players with contenders and outlining hypothetical packages it said it would like to see before Aug. 3. The piece is not reporting completed transactions; it evaluates possible fits for clubs including the Rays, Yankees, Cubs and, according to the headline and snippet, Phillies.

One proposed deal would send Luis Arraez to Tampa Bay, with San Francisco receiving pitching prospects Ty Johnson and Jacob Kmatz. SI argued Arraez’s elite contact skills and improved second-base defense would address a weak spot in the Rays’ lineup, while the Giants, described as likely sellers, could turn a pending free agent into pitching depth for the upper minors or future bullpen/rotation use.

The largest hypothetical move would place Padres reliever Mason Miller with the Yankees for starter Will Warren and prospects Elmer Rodriguez, Kaeden Kent and Henry Lalane. SI said New York already has a strong bullpen but could shorten postseason games further with Miller, while San Diego would need a substantial return if it moved him after previously paying heavily to acquire him. The proposed return was presented as a way for the Padres to add controllable, near-ready pitching and rebuild a thinned farm system.

SI also suggested the Cubs pursue Nationals starter Foster Griffin, citing Chicago’s rotation injuries and uneven performance. The proposed return to Washington included Brooks Caple, Jostin Florentino and Will Sanders. The publicly supplied article text cuts off during that section, so details of the Phillies scenario were not available in the provided evidence.