MLB Trade Deadline 2022: End Date and Fresh Rumors

0 of 3

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

With Major League Baseball’s Aug. 2 trade deadline fast approaching, teams are now seriously looking to settle in on their trade intentions and man the phone lines to make it all happen by 6 p.m. ET.

The American League won the All-Star Game and Giancarlo Stanton was the MVP, but it was still the Juan Soto trade rumors that dominated the news cycle.

Now that the Midsummer Classic is over, most of the ball clubs are coming to terms with whether or not they are buyers or sellers and the moves they’ll have to make accordingly.

Here’s the latest on fresh rumors buzzing around the league.

1 of 3

Todd Kirkland/Getty Images

The Los Angeles Angels are on a five-game losing streak, which makes it look like there’s blood in the water, so teams are calling to express trade interest in Shohei Ohtani, according to Jon Morosi of MLB Network.

Morosi goes on to report, though, that the Angels indicated that they have no plans to move their superstar pitcher.

Currently, the Halos are sitting at 39-55, which puts them 11.5 games behind for that crucial final AL wild-card spot.

Ohtani and Mike Trout are doing their parts as the Angels’ two best players, but they don’t have much help, especially when it comes to run support.

Case in point: the Japanese two-way player was dominant on the mound through six innings with 11 strikeouts against the Atlanta Braves, but then it all came crumbling down in the seventh frame.

The right-hander gave up six runs and the Halos lost 8-1 at Truist Park on Friday.

Ohtani was visibly upset and that could be pushing him towards wanting a trade.

He hasn’t asked to be moved, though, but the stress of losing is real.

“It’s certainly got to be hard on [Ohtani],” Interim manager Phil Nevin told Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “I think every time he goes out there, he feels like he can’t give up a run. And for a while there he didn’t. It’s hard to pitch when you know your offense is struggling. When you’re pitching like he does every night and understanding one little blooper or mistake can hurt you, it’s hard to pitch like that, and that makes what he’s done over the last two months even more impressive.”

The fact that the Angels lack depth is one fact that they can’t run from, which may force them to deal the young cornerstone to build around Mike Trout, who’s under contract until 2030.

That said, the club will likely hold out until the offseason to re-evaluate and decide then if they are indeed sellers of one of the sport’s biggest draws.

As a pitcher, Ohtani has a 2.80 ERA with 134 strikeouts in 16 starts. As a hitter, he has 19 home runs and 10 stolen bases.

2 of 3

Mike Christy/Getty Images

All everyone in and around the MLB are talking about is Juan Soto and the trade rumors surrounding him.

He’s an all-time talent, so that trend won’t wane with the Aug. 2 trade deadline looming.

But as the dust begins to settle, some rumors are starting to have more validity than others.

One of them is the idea of Soto heading to the New York Yankees.

According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Yankees have reached out to the Washington Nationals to “express interest” in acquiring the left fielder.

To land Soto, New York will likely have to give up their top prospects like Anthony Volpe, Oswald Peraza and Jasson Dominguez.

But are they willing to swing for the fences for Soto?

Common sense says they should be.

A player like Soto comes around maybe every 50 years, so if the Yankees were to pull off the trade, it’s extremely likely that they won’t look back with any regret.

As for the Nationals, it’s hard to imagine them wanting to deal probably the best player they’ll see this generation, but they have no choice.

Soto rejected their 15-year $440 million extension, so they have to do what they can to get something for their star player.

“I can only say historically, anyone who trades Juan Soto has to say to himself: How do I find a replacement for Juan Soto?” Boras told The Athletic’s Andy McCullough. “And if that replacement comes in four pods, rather than one, and those pods are at different levels of the game, I wouldn’t want to be the one who is the advocate who has to explain the comparability of that.

“Because I think it would be an extremely difficult process — knowing that the person who received Juan is going to get the immediate benefit of a player who is historically great and in his prime.”

Now, Curry reported, it’s up to the Yankees and Nationals to decide if the latter has a match in terms of “talent exchange.”

That’s going to be a tall order, but in this case, both sides can’t win.

3 of 3

Ed Zurga/Getty Images

Juan Soto is getting all the press and rightfully so, but Andrew Benintendi is still an excellent trade target before the deadline.

Now that the Kansas City Royals are virtually out of playoff contention and Benintendi headed towards free agency, it makes sense that the Royals are sellers and teams are lining up to buy.

According to MLB Network insider Mark Feinsand, one of those clubs is the New York Yankees, who have emerged as “serious contenders” to land to left fielder.

The Yankees have the best record in baseball, but they want to shore up their roster to help provide balance in case they rack up some injuries before the playoffs.

New York still wants Soto, but there’s still a possibility that they could get their man and Benintendi.

The former Red Sox star got his first All Star nod this season after posting a batting average of .279, hitting 71 home runs and 372 RBI.

If they Yankees can get Benintendi, they’ll be hard to stop this postseason.