MLB Rumors: What will the New York Yankees do at the trade deadline?
At 43-35 and 9.5 games back in the American League East, the New York Yankees are in an interesting position ahead of the July 31 trade deadline.
Aaron Judge's toe injury complicates things, especially with both Judge and the Yankees being uncertain when he will return. But it's increasingly clear that the Yankees should target offense at the deadline, specifically at least one outfielder, and perhaps look for an additional bat on top of that.
One area that the team does not need to prioritize, however, is rotation or bullpen upgrades. It's possible that they still explore that market — after all, you can never have enough pitching — but their primary focus should be on adding offensive upgrades.
MLB Rumors: Don't pay much attention to Rangers-Andrew McCutchen reports
As FanSided reported on Monday, the Pittsburgh Pirates are highly unlikely to trade outfielder Andrew McCutchen.
McCutchen wants to be with the Pirates. He wants to retire in Pittsburgh. He reached out to team owner Bob Nutting in the offseason to facilitate a reunion. By all accounts, the team wants him to be in Pittsburgh.
One team that McCutchen was linked to in reports was the Texas Rangers, but general manager Chris Young told 1053 The Fan that: "I saw there was a rumor out there today regarding an offensive player that literally we've had zero contract with that team, so where that rumor came from, it really is amazing to me that those things get floated like that."
Translation: a deal to send McCutchen to Texas is not happening.
MLB Rumors: Who might the Washington Nationals trade?
Once again, the Washington Nationals are expected to be trade deadline sellers. And while they don't have a blue chip player like Juan Soto or Trea Turner to trade, they do have a number of intriguing trade candidates.
One of them is right-handed reliever Kyle Finnegan. Finnegan, 31, is under contract through the 2026 season and has posted a 3.51 ERA in 187.1 career innings while recording 197 strikeouts.
While Finnegan's 81 career walks are a concern, he's a quality and dependable reliever, and the fact he's controllable for multiple seasons makes him an intriguing target for reliever-needy contenders.
