Rosenthal: The 4 MLB teams still not entirely sure of their trade deadline direction

New York Times

6 days ago

As the trade deadline approaches at 6 p.m. ET on Thursday, here are four teams that, crazy as it sounds, are still not entirely sure of their direction, according to major-league sources:
Are they the team that went 25-9 from May 20 to June 26, or the team that is 8-18 since? The Rays' +56 run differential actually is better than that of the AL East-leading Toronto Blue Jays, who are at +35. They pulled one of their classic buy-sell maneuvers on Monday, trading one catcher, Danny Jansen, and acquiring another, Nick Fortes. But their next three games against the New York Yankees, the last of which is a 1:05 p.m. start on deadline day, will influence their next moves.
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The Rays are reluctant to trade second baseman Brandon Lowe (one more season of club control) and first baseman Yandy Díaz (two more). Owner Stuart Sternberg surely would prefer the team to do everything possible to make the playoffs in the final season before he sells the club. And the team's wild-card deficit is only 2 1/2 games.
In other words, they're only another hot streak away from being in excellent position again.
As The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly writes, the Giants were 12 games over .500 on June 11, a half-game out of first place in the NL West. Four days later, they traded for Rafael Devers, and things were supposed to get even better.
It hasn't happened. The Giants are the NL version of the Rays, playing poorly at the wrong time. Since the Devers trade, they're 13-22. In their last 12 games, they're 2-10. They've fallen eight games back in the division, and four back in the NL wild-card race.
Buster Posey, in his first year heading baseball operations, surely wants to add another starter and a bat. But as Baggarly and Will Sammon wrote, maybe they should also consider sell-type moves, like a trade of closer Camilo Doval.
WDAW – What does Arte, as in owner Arte Moreno, want?
The Angels are 4 1/2 games back in the AL wild-card race and eight out in the AL West. They probably cannot make the playoffs unless they buy. But if they are unwilling to trade prospects and Moreno is unwilling to boost the payroll – both likely scenarios – they probably would consider only piecemeal additions.
If the Angels sold, something else Moreno might be unwilling to do, closer Kenley Jansen is probably their only rental who might bring a meaningful return. Outfielders Taylor Ward (one more season of club control) and Jo Adell (two more) are both drawing significant interest. The Angels should at least explore what both might bring back in a thin market. But even with miniscule playoff odds, Moreno might not want to concede.
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The Rangers, after winning nine of 10 and 27 of 42, dropped a Jacob deGrom start to the Angels on Monday night. Leading the majors in ERA, they want to buy. With manager Bruce Bochy in the twilight of his Hall of Fame career, they give every indication they will buy.
Still, rival clubs sense the Rangers' proximity to the luxury-tax threshold might be an issue. Losses to the Angels the next two nights might evoke memories of the team's horrid first two months, and give the club's leadership pause.
A year ago, the Rangers declined to sell coming off a World Series title, and regretted it. But they were three games under .500 then. They're five games above now. And their position in the standings – a half game out the wild-card race and four back in the AL West, behind a Houston Astros team with 18 players on the injured list – is far more encouraging than it was at the start of June.