Jun 25, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Mets designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach (32) reacts after striking out against the Philadelphia Phillies to end the third inning at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
MLB rumors: New York Mets as sellers, San Diego Padres as buyers, Kansas City Royals
Start your weekend with some of the latest MLB rumors, including what could happen at the MLB trade deadline with the New York Mets, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals.
New York Mets rumors: Team destined to be a seller at trade deadline?
Joining Thursday afternoon’s edition of The Darren Smith Show on San Diego Sports 760, MLB insider Jim Bowden predicted that the Mets, who enter play on Friday with a 41-46 record but winners of five consecutive games, including a stunning three-game sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix, will indeed be sellers at the upcoming MLB trade deadline.
While the Mets will go to San Diego to face the Padres on Friday with both teams having additional records, Bowden believes the two teams are trending in opposite directions.
“I still have the Padres making the playoffs and I have the Mets selling at the trade deadline,” Bowden says in an interview you can hear here. “Same record, but I have different results when we’re coming to August 1.”
What kind of options might be available for the Mets to sell and get a decent return? We took a look at what a potential fire sale might look like in New York here.
San Diego Padres rumors: Small moves coming as team looks to buy?
Yes, Bowden believes the Padres are making the postseason, and he also believes the team will be buyers at the trade deadline. In the same interview linked above, Bowden says he thinks he knows the plan.
“My take is that they (Padres) need to be buyers at the trade deadline without a doubt,” Bowden said. “They don’t have to go get any more stars. They have all the stars they need. But they need to make sure they at least have an average Major League player at every position. In my opinion, they need to make sure they address the bottom third of the order offensively, and I think they need to address a little more depth in both the bullpen and rotation.”
As our friends at Friars on Base point out here, if the Mets are indeed sellers and the Padres are looking to buy, especially pieces of depth in the lineup and on the mound, could the two teams make a swap based on what they see of each other at Petco Park this weekend? It’s something to consider.
MLB rumors: Kansas City Royals holding on to Salvador Perez
While the Kansas City Royals could likely get a nice package in return for veteran catcher Salvador Perez, FanSided MLB insider Robert Murray says that the Royals will not be moving Perez this season.
“The Royals have plenty of intriguing trade pieces, notably Scott Barlow, Salvador Perez and Zack Greinke, among others,” Murray wrote in this article. “Barlow has already been the topic of trade conversations, according to sources familiar with the talks. The Royals have ‘no intention of trading’ Perez, general manager JJ Picollo said.”
For teams looking to add catching depth, it seems they will have to look outside of Kansas City for help.
