The Major League Baseball trade deadline is just one week away, July 30. There have been a few moves of late -- including one Friday that sent Rich Hill from the Rays to the Mets -- but the heavy lifting is to come this week. That means there will be tons of rumors as we wait for the hammer to fall. Let's check out the latest.
Yankees have checked in on Story
The Yankees are among the teams to check in on Rockies shortstop Trevor Story, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. New York would presumably put Story at short, move Gleyber Torres back to second base, and play DJ LeMahieu at first base while Luke Voit is injured.
Story, 28, will be a free agent after the season and he's still owed approximately $7 million this year, which will push the Yankees over the $210 million luxury tax threshold. Either the Yankees will have to pay luxury tax to accommodate Story, or they'll have to convince Colorado to eat money. New York has few candidates to head to the Rockies to offset that much salary.
Not surprisingly, Story is a popular target, with as many as 6-8 teams in the mix. He's having a bit of a down year but has a strong track record as an all-around star who hits for impact and plays strong defense. Our Dayn Perry broke down the Story situation earlier this week.
Mariners interested in Frazier
The Mariners are looking for infield help, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, and their search includes Pirates' All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier.
Frazier, 29, is hitting .327/.390/.453 (131 OPS+) with 27 doubles, four triples, four homers, 31 RBI, 55 runs and five steals so far this season. He leads the majors with 122 hits and has already hit a career high with 3.1 WAR.
Even if you don't buy the Mariners as having staying power, grabbing Frazier now would be a justifiable move, given that he's under team control through next season. In the immediate future, though, upgrading second base from Dylan Moore (.187/.273/.360) is certainly a need and Frazier would look great atop that order, setting the table for the likes of Mitch Haniger and Kyle Seager. It would also enable the Mariners to move J.P. Crawford down in the order to help him work out of his recent slump.
