MLB Teams That Already Have Clear Needs for 2024 Trade Deadline
Zachary D. RymerApril 12, 2024MLB Teams That Already Have Clear Needs for 2024 Trade Deadline0 of 10
Spencer Strider’s elbow injury spells early and serious trouble for Atlanta.Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images
As a general rule, teams don’t really know what they have until a given MLB season reaches Memorial Day. And for the 2024 season, that’s still weeks away.
In the case of some teams, though, it’s already painfully obvious what they’ll need to be shopping for ahead of the July 30 trade deadline.
Some clubs have lost important players to injuries recently, while others are finding out the hard way that apparent weaknesses they had coming into the season are indeed problems in need of solving.
We’re going to look at 10 specific clubs with 10 specific needs that can only be solved on the trade market. All of them are contenders, whether it’s of the absolute or merely ostensible variety.
We’ll count ’em down in order of urgency, starting with the least and ending with the most.
10. Detroit Tigers: Power1 of 10
Spencer TorkelsonNic Antaya/Getty Images
Home runs are down in general at the outset of 2024, but especially so for three teams in the American League Central.
These are the Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins with nine apiece, as well as the Chicago White Sox with eight. One of those teams should be worried, and it’s not the Twins (they should hit for power eventually) or the White Sox (they are doomed).
Though the Tigers can and should lay blame for their power outage on inhospitable weather, it’s also an unwelcome recurrence of a familiar problem. Across 2022 and 2023, only one team hit fewer home runs than they did.
Five positions have yet to produce even one homer for Detroit, hypothetically pointing to five targets for upgrades. But unless they’re going to move on from Spencer Torkelson, Javier BĂĄez or Colt Keith, it’s third base and center field that really stand out.
Potential Solutions: Pete Alonso, Josh Bell, Jake Burger, Michael A. Taylor
Alonso has to be brought up in conjunction with any power-needy team this season, but don’t read too much into his inclusion here. He and Detroit aren’t a great fit.
The best and most realistic fit is Burger, and not just because he’s hit 37 long balls since the start of 2023. He’s also likely to have a reasonable acquisition cost if the Miami Marlins shop him, which seems possible in light of their 2-11 start.
9. San Francisco Giants: Middle Infield Offense2 of 10
Thairo EstradaSuzanna Mitchell/San Francisco Giants/Getty Images
It’s the Giants’ pitching that has been their biggest problem early on, but nobody should be pushing the panic button.
Blake Snell only just made his 2024 debut, after all, and he’s part of a rotation that also features Logan Webb and a revitalized Jordan Hicks. Sooner rather than later, those three alone should turn run prevention into a strength for San Francisco.
The offense, meanwhile, is off to a slow start with a .658 OPS and an average of 4.1 runs per game. And that’s no thanks in large part to an infield with a collective .612 OPS.
Matt Chapman and Wilmer Flores will likely be fine on the corners, but it’s harder to feign optimism about Nick Ahmed and Thairo Estrada up the middle. The latter, especially, has been inept at the plate by way of a .413 OPS.
Potential Solutions: Luis Arraez, Willy Adames, Tim Anderson, Jonathan India, Brandon Drury
The longer the Milwaukee Brewers keep up their hot start, the more likely it will be that Adames will stay put. India, likewise, is a candidate to stick with the Cincinnati Reds.
The other three are fairer game, and Arraez is the best possible upgrade for the Giants. And not just for 2024, as he’s also under team control through 2025.
8. Philadelphia Phillies: Center Fielder3 of 10
Johan RojasRob Tringali/MLB Photos via Getty Images
If the Phillies’ lineup was clicking like it’s supposed to be, it’s doubtful anyone would notice their relative deficiency in center field.
Alas, the lineup is not clicking and the knives are out for the club’s center field brigade. And not unjustifiably so, given the position has been an offensive black hole to the tune of a .171 average and one home run.
One plus side is that Johan Rojas and Cristian Pache have the Phillies co-leading MLB in Outs Above Average from center field. And yet, it’s fair to ask how much defense can account for such putrid offense.
If anything, that question especially applies in this case. Because in a bandbox that’s as friendly to home run hitters as Citizens Bank Park, it’s only worth so much to be strong defensively at any outfield position, not just center field.
Potential Solutions: Michael A. Taylor, JJ Bleday, Dylan Carlson
Taylor is a plus defender with sneaky power, so he’d be the best option for the Phillies if the Pittsburgh Pirates make him available. But with the Bucs off to a 9-4 start, that’s no sure thing.
Neither of the other options here is overly attractive, but both would have potential as upside plays. Carlson, in particular, has been a change-of-scenery candidate for a while, and he was notably having a hot spring before injuring his shoulder in a collision.
7. Boston Red Sox: Shortstop4 of 10
Trevor StoryBillie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images
Shortstop wasn’t a problem for the Red Sox through April 3. That’s when they had Trevor Story, who was giving them elite defense out there.
But then on April 5, this happened:
Mike Kurland @Mike_Kurland#RedSox Trevor Story injured his left shoulder on this diving play.
Keep an eye out for an update on the injury. pic.twitter.com/4h81Py5qGH
The 31-year-old fractured a bone in his left shoulder on that play, resulting in surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the year. It’s a brutal blow for a team that had been playing well above expectations at the outset.
The only way that’s going to continue now is if the Red Sox find someone who can at least replicate Story’s defense, which is already sorely missed. And before anyone thinks about Marcelo Mayer, it’s a bit soon for that. He’s only played 46 games at the Double-A level.
Potential Solutions: Ha-Seong Kim, Willy Adames, Tim Anderson, Paul DeJong
Again, Adames may not end up going anywhere. And the same will be true of Kim if the San Diego Padres keep finding ways to stay ahead of the Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks.
Between Anderson and DeJong, the latter might be the better fit for Boston. It’s been a while since he was an effective hitter, but his defense at short is typically on the strong side.
6. Minnesota Twins: Mid-Rotation Starter5 of 10
Bailey OberEd Zurga/Getty Images
The Twins co-led the American League in home runs last season, so it’s shocking to see them struggling so badly to hit the ball over the fence early in 2024.
It shouldn’t last, though. The collective long ball counter for Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Carlos Santana won’t stay stuck on one all season. And come June, they’ll hopefully have Royce Lewis back for good.
Rather, it’s the back end of the rotation that should have the Twins worried.
Whereas Pablo LĂłpez and Joe Ryan have been fine in the top two spots, the other three starters Minnesota has used have run up an 8.25 ERA. It’s a downstream effect of losing Sonny Gray to free agency, and it’ll have to be addressed eventually.
Potential Solutions: Alex Wood, Ross Stripling, Paul Blackburn, Kyle Gibson
Wood, Stripling and especially Gibson, who pitched for the Twins for the first seven years of his career, are the most familiar names here. But the most interesting is Blackburn.
The Oakland Athletics righty was a surprise All-Star in 2022, and he’s looking good again this year with only six hits and one walk allowed through 13 innings. Even if he doesn’t have the swing-and-miss stuff that the Twins prefer, he could still help.
5. New York Yankees: Late-Inning Reliever6 of 10
Jonathan LoĂĄisigaNew York Yankees/Getty Images
The Yankees’ bullpen has done excellent work so far, pitching to a 2.40 ERA and helping to preserve five one-run wins.
But it’s not going to have Jonathan LoĂĄisiga for the rest of the year, and that’s a problem.
The hard-throwing righty has a torn UCL in his elbow, which is going to require some kind of season-ending surgery. He had begun his season with three straight scoreless appearances, in which he ran his fastball up to 99 mph.
Despite its early success, don’t be so sure that New York’s pen is capable of withstanding LoĂĄisiga’s absence as is. It’s striking batters out at only a 15.3 percent clip, the lowest in MLB. To this end, his replacement will ideally be someone of bat-missing vintage.
Potential Solutions: Tanner Scott, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Carlos Estévez, Adam Ottavino, Michael Kopech
There’s also Devin Williams, but the Brewers’ hot start isn’t the only reason it was appropriate to omit him. He’s likely out until June with stress fractures in his back.
Though Scott is the best of the hurlers listed above, the most interesting is Kopech. He’s taken a liking to relief work, striking out 12 of the 31 batters he’s faced while allowing only four hits. If he keeps it up, the Chicago White Sox would be wise to cash him in.
4. Tampa Bay Rays: Relief Pitchers7 of 10
Pete FairbanksMike Ehrmann/Getty Images
Whereas the Yankees merely have one hole in their bullpen, what the Rays have is more like a need for a whole new bullpen.
Theirs has been outright awful so far, posting a 6.43 ERA that ranks ahead of only the lowly Colorado Rockies. And unlike them, the Rays can’t point at their surroundings and grumble, “Coors.”
Of particular note is the alarming returns on closer Pete Fairbanks. His average fastball is down 1.9 mph from 2022, with the 36 batters he’s faced getting to him for five hits and walks apiece.
The Rays should otherwise be worried about their left-handed relief corps. It’s all Colin Poche and Garrett Cleavinger for now, and they have a 6.75 ERA and barely more strikeouts (actually, just one) than walks so far.
Potential Solutions: Tanner Scott, Kenley Jansen, Chris Martin, Carlos Estévez, Matt Moore, Adam Ottavino, Brooks Raley, Michael Kopech
This is the same list as the one for the Yankees, except with two additional lefties (Moore and Raley) thrown in for good measure.
Acquiring Scott is the best possible way the Rays could take care of their two biggest issues with one stone. His control issues have come back early in 2024, but he’s still sitting on a 2.26 ERA and a 32.6 K% since the start of last season.
3. Seattle Mariners: Contact Hitter8 of 10
Jorge PolancoJohn Fisher/Getty Images
The Mariners just missed the playoffs in 2023, and president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto had a theory for what ultimately did them in.
“If there was a reason why we were sitting home in the postseason,” he said in November, “we felt like it was probably the inability to consistently make contact.”
Ryan Divish @RyanDivishHere’s a few minutes of @jonmorosi talking to Jerry Dipoto at the GM meetings pic.twitter.com/iRapPNrccc
The story was supposed to be different in 2024, but it’s been very much the same so far. Worse, even. Whereas the Mariners finished second in strikeout rate last season, they now occupy the top spot.
It’s a collective problem, but it’s especially frustrating that newcomer second baseman Jorge Polanco has played such a big part. He’s already struck out 19 times in 13 games.
Potential Solutions: Luis Arraez, Tim Anderson, Jonathan India, Brendan Donovan, Jake Cronenworth
Donovan may be no more likely to leave the National League Central than India. And while his name was often mentioned during the winter, Cronenworth is now in the midst of reestablishing himself as a building block for the San Diego Padres.
This leaves Arraez and Anderson, and the former fits even better in Seattle than he would in San Francisco. After all, what better fix could there be for the Mariners’ strikeout woes than the best pure hitter in MLB today?
2. Cleveland Guardians: Top-of-the-Rotation Starter9 of 10
Shane BieberEzra Shaw/Getty Images
Like the Tigers, Twins and White Sox, the Guardians are another AL Central club that could use an infusion of power.
They’re relatively well off with 11 homers so far, but that’s not a huge improvement on where Cleveland’s offense has been with its power production. Its 262 long balls since the start of 2022 are the fewest in MLB.
Yet all of this is almost academic right now.
As soon as the Guardians announced Shane Bieber needed Tommy John surgery, a No. 1 starter shot to the top of the club’s list of needs. He had a rough year in 2023, sure, but he had come out of the gate this year with 12 scoreless innings marked by 20 strikeouts and one walk.
Potential Solutions: JesĂșs Luzardo, JosĂ© Quintana, Lance Lynn, Frankie Montas
This list would hit different if Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease hadn’t been traded in the run-up to Opening Day. But they obviously did, so you’ll have to forgive me for making do.
This said, Luzardo is the single most valuable trade chip out there right now. Though he’s been hit hard so far, 26-year-old lefties with swing-and-miss stuff and two additional years of arbitration-eligibility aren’t exactly plentiful right now.
1. Atlanta: Top-of-the-Rotation Starter10 of 10
Spencer StriderMatthew Grimes Jr./Atlanta Braves/Getty Images
Speaking of contenders that are looking at going the rest of the year without their No. 1 starter, Atlanta is likely to end up in that boat as well.
There’s still no official word on what awaits Spencer Strider, but we know he has a damaged UCL in his right elbow. That typically means Tommy John surgery, and he’s already had one of those.
In the meantime, it’s not hyperbolic to say Atlanta’s rotation is already in trouble.
Its depth was on the thin side even with Strider. Without him, Atlanta would be putting a lot of faith on a struggling lefty (Max Fried), two older starters (Charlie Morton and Chris Sale) and a guy who spent the last two seasons as a full-time reliever (Reynaldo LĂłpez). For a team with World Series aspirations, this is south of optimal.
Potential Solutions: JesĂșs Luzardo, JosĂ© Quintana, Lance Lynn, Frankie Montas
Atlanta and Cleveland should have their eyes on the same guys, in other words, though it’s harder to imagine the former landing Luzardo or Quintana. Teams generally don’t like to trade assets to division rivals.
Lynn is not to be dismissed out of hand, however. He’s always good for bulk innings, if nothing else, and so far this year he has a 2.63 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 13.2 innings.
