The shortened season trade deadline

If there is anything we love in the 108, it is chaos. And this year’s trade deadline will be the most chaotic we have seen in years. Now, we don’t know when the season will start, but we assume the trade deadline will remain where it currently is. So the distance from the start of the season to the trade deadline is unknown but I can assure you the distance is not far enough apart to be Lori Lightfoot approved.

The Sellers

There will be, let’s say a plethora, of sellers in this market. The ones that especially interest me for selfish reasons are the Royals and the Tigers. It’s reasonable to believe they’ll be dumping any veterans they believe they can get something for. Now Whit Merrifield will probably be worth something, but I have no clue what the Tigers will be dealing unless Jordan Zimmermann magically remembers how to pitch.

So the more intriguing AL sellers are outside of the AL Central. Think about these:
Will Ken Giles be on the Blue Jays opening day or will they have already traded him?
What’s the market look like for one trick ponies like Dee Gordon, Mallex Smith, and Daniel Vogelbach? I mean you know Seattle is gonna be involved in trades
Much like Giles, what happens to Mychal Givens? How much Alex Cobb salary will the Orioles eat to move him? And if Chris Davis is as roided out as I think he’ll be, can they move him too (after eating most of his salary)?
And most importantly is T.J. McFarland finally get moved to the White Sox?

But the NL is where shit gets wild:
Will Trevor Story and Nolan Arenado get traded?
If the Cubs falter under Ross to start the season, do Kris Bryant and Kyle Schwarber get moved?
What are the Pirates going to do with Chris Archer?
Are the Marlins willing to move Caleb Smith or Jose Urena?

The Middle

Then there are some that I have no idea what they’ll be:
Will the Rangers move Corey Kluber and/or Mike Minor?
What will the D’Backs do with Robbie Ray, Jake Lamb, and Starling Marte if they start slow?
Another example, what are the Mets going to do if they come out slow. They have Marcus Stroman and Rick Porcello who are free agents after the season. With Thor on the shelf, could they be sellers after a slow start? Conversely, if they start hot are they buyers?

The Buyers

Everyone else! Shit is gonna look like WalMart on Black Friday. You noticed that I didn’t mention the Reds or the Padres above. Because I absolutely think they are going to try to take advantage of the variance of a shortened season and buy like the Dukes prior to realizing they were on the bad side of a $1 bet.

This is where chaos will truly ensue. I think you will see an absolute seller’s market. So many teams will still be in it, the prices for players will go through the roof. Imagine what Ken Giles goes for if he’s the only closer out there? If the middling teams I mentioned above are all still in it, what is the price of a starting pitcher? Could the Pirates hit the jackpot if Chris Archer’s first three starts are just average?

I honestly don’t think the Cubs sell anyone. So what then is the price of a Nolan Arenado to a team like the Yankees or Nationals or Cardinals or Phillies or Brewers? Do you see what I am seeing?

The White Sox

This is where I may lose you and once games start and the meatball fan in me kicks in, I may contradict myself. But the White Sox should NOT try to be buyers in this market. Sure, if something falls to them, they should go after it. However, this market is going to be far too insane for them to buy.

Should they sell, though?

The White Sox will have two reasonable pieces in the market I described above. Those players are Alex Colome and Carlos Rodon. In a scenario where the sellers are limited, both of these players provide something that not many sellers have or are willing to part with. So if the Sox feel confident in their rotation and Adalberto Mejia or Dane Dunning being the 7th starter, maybe Carlos Rodon is more valuable pitching for a NL team making a run? Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Carlos, but this type of market will induce strange happenings. And yeah, get what you can for Colome.

-Chorizy-E