A week remains until the trade deadline, and MLB faces some tough choices.
Is it time for the Detroit Tigers to deal ace Tarik Skubal? Are the Texas Rangers, the reigning champions, ready to sell? And what does the roster of the diminished Atlanta Braves look like?
The MLB on FOX analyst John Smoltz discussed a variety of topics with us this week, including the scariest team in the American League, what it’s like for players during trade season, and prospects like Mason Miller, Garrett Crochet, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., and Skubal.
Kavner: What should the Atlanta Braves do at the deadline, considering all of their injuries?
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Smoltz: They’re in an extremely difficult situation because, when healthy, they clearly have a lineup that can go up against any lineup, including a historically strong lineup from the previous season. However, the number of injuries you’re willing to accept as a trade-off because this is only a temporary solution. Navigating that when Ronald Acuña and Ozzie Albies are out is incredibly challenging. In the end, they need to make Matt Olson more attractive. Austin Riley needs to go on. Not much else has really happened, although Marcell Ozuna has been amazing. Jarred Kelenic has performed admirably. They simply need to get some guys hot because it is not acceptable to have your first baseman go 0-for-33. It’s inevitable that he will get hot and carry them for extended periods of time; the sooner the better.
You brought up Albies and Acuna, Strider’s absence, and Max Fried’s current injury. You were a member of some excellent teams throughout your playing career, but can players—even those on postseason teams—ever reach a moment in the season where they believe it’s not their season?
Yes, there are those years when management has to make difficult choices even if they are in a really solid position and they are thinking, “Can you hang on?” It’s never a pleasant feeling, is it? You can see that they once held a sizable lead in the wild-card berth, but that lead is eroding when you consider all the games they have left to play. Furthermore, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies would not be the first concern. That would be a luxury, but given where they are and who needs to stand up, I believe you just need those men to do so. And everyone is innately aware of it. You merely need to be able to fill in for players who are no longer on your squad; you can’t push yourself or be superhuman.
Atop the AL West, the Houston Astros have returned to their usual position. Are they the American League’s most terrifying team?
Indeed, their background and everything they’ve gone through have placed them in that position. You have to think they have the advantage even if they are playing a team that wins 106 games; if they make it to the playoffs, that is all that matters. Thus, their health is improving. It is imperative that they include Kyle Tucker and Justin Verlander in the mix. They simply have a team packed with formidable veterans and a strong background. Whichever team is the scariest? Even though I thought they were 10 games out, they weren’t. I am aware that many people were worried that the Astros would be sellers, but given their current roster and experience, that is never going to be the case.
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Although they have some distance to go, they have made remarkable progress and are well-positioned to not just defend their division crown but also to contend with Houston, which has become the de facto route through the American League for the past six or seven years. That’s what the Texas Rangers managed to do. Other teams will now have to be afraid of that experience. Additionally, their current situation is more familiar to them than it was roughly a month ago.
The Rangers have fallen behind in the division by a few games, but they are further behind in the wild card. They have a ton of fascinating assets as well. Do you believe they should be sellers if they’re still this far out at the deadline?
I disagree that they ought to. They have a chance since they are receiving some healthier pitches. For whatever reason, their offensive would occasionally fall quiet and fail to score during the course of the previous season. But if they can align their pitching as originally intended, I believe they’re in a strong position. They are awaiting Jacob deGrom’s arrival. They’re awaiting a few more components. Max Scherzer is back, and they feel like they have the team to contend in that division now that they have him back, so there is still plenty of time for the reigning champions.
Is Tarik Skubal a player the Tigers should trade for at the right price?
You must. They are competing to be the wild card. Lately, they became heated. How you rank your squad internally against the team you’re attempting to catch and where you are at the All-Star break will decide a lot. You keep him if you think you’re better than those teams and you can mount the kind of run that gets you into the playoffs (and naturally, it happens again the following year). However, it would be insane to ignore what you could get for one of the greatest players available at the moment.
There is a positive tendency for the Detroit Tigers. To its fan base, this can convey a confused message. However, following Juan Soto’s trade, the Washington Nationals are starting to look better. Sometimes it takes a few years to see the full potential of these athletes. They now have the best outcome, in addition to the fact that Soto is no longer with the San Diego Padres. You may watch it, consider it, and then go check out what the Nationals accomplished. Observe where they are. Examine the players they have. Even though it’s a pitcher, I believe that may be the same kind of situation since beginning pitching is such a rare product that there will occasionally be a bigger need for it than there is for a position player.
Which teams in particular ought to think about throwing everything on Skubal?
I see him as the winner. I simply don’t see anyone else being a larger piece out there, so if I were the Detroit Tigers, I would definitely be flaunting him for a big haul. Maybe they don’t, but you might take a look at a package if you think, “Whoa, we can’t pass that up.” And in my opinion, you have to add a lockdown starter to your rotation if your team is already in the running for the playoffs.
Naturally, teams like the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and the front-runners will always be at the forefront of the search for that missing piece—a starter. And if Detroit is willing to do that, whomever is willing to give up some of their best prospects will win him.
How do you feel about the market for Luis Robert and Garrett Crochet of the Chicago White Sox?
That’s an intriguing one as, if you sign Crochet, you’re not just getting him for the final few innings; you’re getting him for the future. That makes the package that the Chicago White Sox would like to acquire more enticing. He’s undoubtedly a futuristic type-pick that you’re planning on getting for the foreseeable future to where he can build up his innings, regardless of whether they package both of them together or split them. However, I believe the issue with that is that you’re putting them in your bullpen. It’s not that he can’t be a fantastic component and a wonderful asset, but when you talk about what you’re willing to give up for a guy like that, you’re really giving up the future in order to manage him.
Thus, I believe that everyone realized this was going to be an exciting game when the White Sox made him a starting. However, I believe that 60 innings may have been the most he has ever thrown, thus he won’t be able to play the entire season. Thus, even though he would still have an effect at the end of the year, that seems to have more to do with the future to me. He will not begin Game 1. He is emerging from the pen.
Is Mason Miller a tradeable asset for the Athletics?
Yes, and here’s another interesting situation: closers usually don’t ask for too much, especially if you’re renting them out for a year or two, but in this instance, you’ll have this young man for a good amount of time. Thus, I’m not sure what the Oakland Athletics will do. I know they’re moving and getting a new place, and they want to be involved when it’s time to unveil it and start playing.
This one would therefore definitely surprise me in terms of what you’re prepared to give up for this individual. Additionally, it could be considered a desperate team. They truly need a lockdown guy because they lost someone in their pen, and they’re willing to pay a high price for him.
Is Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a tradeable asset for the Blue Jays?
The Toronto Blue Jays will have to make a number of difficult choices. It seems like they designed this team with offense as their primary tactic. That was their legacy. Their fathers were players, thus they have future talent. In my opinion, Toronto might have to make the most difficult choices of any team since, in essence, they are telling their supporters that they are changing course and giving up.
They have a young club with decent pitching, so they had to kind of start again. Again, what you can get for a man with one more year will depend on whether or not they are ready to accept that deal, but they have the hardest decision of any team, in my opinion, about their course of action.
Although you were traded very early in your career, can you recall ever experiencing anxiety before a deadline related to the risk of being traded throughout your lengthy stay with Atlanta?
Luckily for me, that’s helpful when you’re in the middle of a contract. I don’t know how close I would have ever been, but in baseball, reaching the 10-year mark with one team is the biggest play. At that point, you have the option to veto. Thankfully, we were consistently winning even though your name keeps coming up. We lost a lot of guys during that time, so it has never really been as big of a moment or cause for concern for me personally. They were a part of you when you left spring training, and then they were, in a sense, a trade piece that you used to improve your club, so I’m sure it’s always difficult for them and for us.
Many people find that this time of year is unpleasant, particularly if they are in a losing situation after having been in a slightly winning one. Right now, the opposite is fantastic. It’s the best thing in the world to instantly transfer from a losing team to a winning one, but the players who have to be on the other side of the transaction never really benefit from it.
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