With Monday's non-waiver trade deadline rapidly approaching, Major League Baseball executives are in for a wild weekend of wheeling and dealing. What madness could go down in the next 76 hours? Here are some bold predictions, courtesy of theScore's MLB editors.
Dodgers land Darvish from Rangers
Short of a meteor wiping out Los Angeles, the Dodgers are going to win their division yet again, but they’ll likely need another big-name starter to finally exorcise their postseason demons, irrespective of Clayton Kershaw’s health. Having watched his club squander its shot at the pennant in each of the last four seasons, Andrew Friedman isn’t going to leave anything to chance, either; he’s going to dangle prospect Alex Verdugo in front of Jon Daniels, and the Rangers’ GM won’t be able to refuse. And so, come October, the Dodgers are going to strut into the postseason with a rotation anchored by Kershaw, Darvish, and Alex Wood - the pitching equivalent of Cerberus. - Jonah Birenbaum
Astros bring in Britton from Baltimore
It's hard to find holes in this loaded Astros squad, but there is one. While Ken Giles has done a serviceable job as the team’s closer, there’s a very solid upgrade on the market in Zach Britton. Until now, the Orioles have had difficulty finding a trade partner for Britton - who will enter free agency following the 2018 season - but rather than wait another year and risk a serious drop in performance, the Orioles will cash in on Houston’s tempting offer, giving the World Series hopefuls a formidable ninth-inning option to complement an already loaded bullpen. - Jonathan Soveta
Brewers acquire Verlander from Tigers
While everyone is half expecting the Brewers to get Sonny Gray, David Stearns will play the long con and make a move to acquire Justin Verlander. This deal is viable, but it involves some pretty selective squinting. First, the Brewers have the lowest payroll in all of baseball - a paltry $63 million. So, if there’s a team that can afford to add a large portion of Verlander’s $78 million over the next three seasons, it might be the Brewers. And the more salary the Brewers are willing to take on, the worse the prospects - of which they have plenty - the Tigers will ask for. Second, squandering a Cinderella season could conceivably come back to bite Stearns if the prospects don’t pan out, but going after a rental like Darvish would be too risky. Lastly, the Tigers seem willing to sell off players, like J.D. Martinez, for unbelievably marginal returns. Who knows - maybe the Brewers dangle some upper-echelon prospects and snag Michael Fulmer as well. - Michael Bradburn
Red Sox boost offense with blockbuster
With the Yankees and Rays both making significant moves, Red Sox president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski feels the pressure and pulls the trigger on a deal that lands him a middle-of-the-order bat. Boston’s offense has been one of the worst in the majors over the past month, and Dombrowski understands that he can’t risk letting the division get away by hoping his players snap out of their collective funk. The Red Sox are up against the luxury tax, but owner John Henry will give the front office the green light to land the bat Boston sorely needs. With the outfield and middle infield set, Dombrowski can focus his sights on trading for a first baseman, and/or a catcher - someone like Mike Napoli, Jonathan Lucroy, Yonder Alonso, Alex Avila, or Jay Bruce. - Brandon Wile
Rangers extend Darvish, deal Hamels instead
The Rangers are in a bit of a bind, given Darvish’s impending free agency and their current record that’s dropped them well back of a playoff spot. That means all the veterans are likely to go, and Darvish’s name has been one of the most talked about in recent days. But it’s hard to give up on someone as good as Darvish, and Rangers general manager Jon Daniels knows that. Despite recent reports, he’ll make the right-hander a Ranger for life with a last-second extension at the deadline, making Darvish the club’s ace going into its next wave of contention. Meanwhile, it will be Cole Hamels who leaves Arlington on deadline day in a shocking blockbuster move to a contender; with Hamels under contract for at least another year (plus a 2019 club option), Daniels will get a nice package in return for the 33-year-old southpaw - and something better than what he would have picked up for Darvish thanks to the team control. - Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb
Yankees acquire Sonny Gray
The Yankees made one blockbuster trade when they acquired Todd Frazier and David Robertson from the White Sox, and they’ll outdo themselves by trading for Gray. The Athletics are reportedly prioritizing young center fielders in exchange for their prized righty and appear enamored with Yankees prospect Estevan Florial, so it looks like a match made in heaven between the two sides. Add in the fact that the Yankees are gaining ground on the struggling Red Sox for the AL East lead and Brian Cashman may be forced to make a deal like this one just to appease the crazed Yankee faithful. - Bryan Mcwilliam
Rangers trade Beltre amid pursuit of 3,000 hits
Go big or go home. Though it seems preposterous to imagine a scenario in which the Rangers trade Beltre - who's only four hits shy of 3,000 - a trade would benefit both sides. If the club decides to trade Darvish, the idea of dealing Beltre to a contender becomes more plausible. The future first-ballot Hall of Fame third baseman is still contributing at the plate and on defense at age 38, but is under contract next season for $18 million. A bold contender or team on the cusp would be the right trade partner. - Lucas Casaletto
Dealin' Dipoto acquires Miggy from Motown
The soon-to-be rebuilding Tigers have no bigger liability than two-time MVP Miguel Cabrera, who turned 34 in April, has another six years and about $194 million left on his contract, and is going through the worst season of his career. Still, there have been some encouraging signs from the 11-time All-Star - his expected wOBA (.395) is 59 points higher than his actual wOBA (.336) - and, well, he's Miguel Cabrera, so someone is going to be interested in acquiring him if Detroit is willing to eat more than a bit of the money left on his contract. That someone is Jerry Dipoto, the Seattle Mariners' indefatigable general manager, who's wheeled and dealed his team into the verge of a postseason spot but continues to receive bupkis from his first basemen; Danny Valencia and Mike Freeman et al have combined for -0.7 WAR and a .685 OPS in 2017. - Birenbaum
A's don't find deal for Yonder Alonso
Betting against Billy Beane and David Forst making a deal for a player on an expiring deal seems outlandish at face value, but when you look deeper, it's entirely outlandish. However, there is a more than zero chance that the Athletics don’t get a reasonable enough offer for Alonso. With so few teams shopping for a first baseman, it seems like the Yankees can almost set the price. If they elect to go with Mike Napoli or any other available option, the A’s might find themselves without a seat in the trade deadline musical chairs. - Bradburn
Blue Jays trade Bautista, Estrada, Liriano
Mired in the basement of the AL East with no guiding light in sight, the front office of the Blue Jays takes a bold step toward improving the team's future while still keeping some pieces in place. While they decide to keep Josh Donaldson and J.A. Happ, Toronto manages to secure trades for struggling starters Marco Estrada and Francisco Liriano, but shock baseball fans north of the border by trading franchise icon Jose Bautista. Bautista, who made six All-Star appearances in a Blue Jays uniform, leaves the franchise after 10 years of service which included 281 home runs. - Mcwilliam
