Its a wonderful time to predict which teams will get what players at the trade deadline. No trade deadline can match the unworldly one that went down last year with the Nationals trading 23 year old superstar to the San Diego Padres with Josh Bell for a huge package of prospects and MLB ready players. That blew everyone out of the water but every trade deadline brings excitement to all viewers. No mater if your team got lucky its still very fun to see this for baseball.

Joey Votto– the 38 year old slugging first baseman is coming close to the end with his 10 year contract and seems likely to be traded from the Reds this trade deadline. He is on the IL now but seems to be making a fast recovery, he is set to be a free agent this offseason and the Reds still aren’t ready to compete so why not trade him on the open market. I think the Padres fit best for this and all swoop in to claim the aging hall of famer Ha-Seong Kim hasn’t looked too sharp at 2B and this might move him to the bench if he doesn’t heat up before July. That could make Jake Cronenworth a likely candidate to move back to 2B and have Matt Carpenter and Joey Votto take turns at 1B and DH.

Joey Votto to Padres

Colin Poche– Nothing in particular tells me this is definite I just have a weird feeling that one the Tampa bullpen arms if not Colin Poche will be traded to a contender this deadline. I think Poche will get a lot of attention by teams in need of bullpen help, one of those teams could be the New York Mets who will be cheap with acquiring big time help and will just go towards bullpen help.

Colin Poche to Mets

Nelson Cruz– Matt Carpenter will be heating up too much for the Padres not to consider him to be their everyday DH. After the move to acquire Joey Votto to be part time DH/1B, the Padres then make a corresponding move with their old trade team the Seattle Mariners. The Mariners are down major production at DH and need some pop. Why not bring back Nelson Cruz back up to the city of rain to bring som thunder in the stretch for contention. Cruz played for the Mariners from 2015-2018, during that time he produced 163 home runs and 414 RBIs, giving him an OPS+ 48% better than league average. He is 42 years old and isn’t getting younger but maybe the fine wine of hitting still has some bombs left in the tank ready to go off.

Nelson Cruz to Mariners

Eduardo Escobar- The time Eduardo Escobar had with the Mets was short but sweet. With young talent knocking on the MLB door and Escobar being on and off with productivity its time we start counting down Eddys days in Queens. The White Sox are a good team to pick up Escobar for the hill they will have to climb to be at the top of the AL central. There will most likely be no wild card winners in the AL Central, so its do or die for these White Sox to claim their spot for the postseason. The White Sox are currently loading Jake Burger at 3B for the time being until Yoan Moncada gets better, if Burger stays hot then he could force the White Sox to keep him in the lineup. If Eloy Jimenez still struggles at DH and Moncada doesn’t come back better than maybe it’ll be the best decision for Escobar to take over Jimenez’s DH spot while Burger and Moncada flip between bench and 3B. This one is a super hot take but this only works if Escobar heats up with the bat, and even then that’ll make it harder for the Mets to trade him away.

Eduardo Escobar to White Sox

Aroldis Chapman– This one looks the most likely to happen. The Yankees cut bait with Chapman last offseason after he kept giving up the long ball in high leverage games. The Royals swooped in with a one year contract for Aroldis to see if he still had his stuff and oh boy Chapman is bringing back his old 2010s Reds form to Kansas. Zero earned runs in 8 innings pitched and 15 strikeouts gives him a SO per 9 of 16.8. The Royals are not ready at all to contend so it makes sense he’s back on the trade market like 2016. And what better way to reminisce about 2016 then to bring Chapman back to the Cubs where he helped them break their 108 year curse with a World Series win. In 26 innings pitched he has an ERA smidge over 1.00 and accumulated an ERA+ almost 420 in their championship run. The Cubs bullpen is not super impressive but with a powerhouse like Chapman to anchor the back of the bullpen Im sure they will fly through the final stretch and reach the playoffs with no hassle.

Aroldis Chapman to Cubs

German Marquez- An all star and silver slugger is set to hit the open market as he becomes one of a few starting pitchers to be under 30 in free agency. He’s one of the better pitchers over the past 7 years to play at Coors Field, daunting at the idea how Coors Field disrupted his velocity and control issues, but it looks promising for Marquez since the numbers show the ‘Coors Effect’ has done more harm than help for his career ERA. Over the 7 years he has a surprisingly better home ERA (4.85) than away ERA (5.14). Though a lot of his seasons had him better away than in Denver. He is still valued as high leverage starting pitcher who will gain a lot of traction this deadline, regardless of his past records he has built himself up for longevity and will get lots of offers, this is if the Rockies play it smart and trade him to get something back. I believe teams like the Phillies, the Padres or heck if the Pirates are still in contention by July then the Pirates! Any of these teams are a good fit but I believe the Phillies are the most ideal option to acquire an arm like German. Padres have a plethora of arms they can use, Phillies a little thin on this and their arms have been struggling more than before. The Pirates are far fetched but if they still command an above .500 record then there’s no reason to count out the Pirates.

German Marquez- Phillies/Padres/Pirates

Kenta Maeda– He hasn’t been great this season but he has flashed signs of success in years past. It is his first season back from Tommy John surgery and he is putting up an (0-4 record, 9.00 ERA and a FIP of 4.50) The Twins are having success with all 4 of their main starters, Kenta Maeda holds them down., and with him being a free agent this winter why not trade him away. A team desperate for starting pitcher will swoop in. Like how we’ve seen in years past, the Cardinals are always struggling in the pitching department and will acquire a cheap pitcher at the deadline. Kenta Maeda to the Cardinals makes the most sense. But other teams are still likely. The Mets could be an option if the back of the rotation starts to flair.

Kenta Maeda to Cardinals or Mets or Orioles

And last but not least, the star, the ‘prized award’ on the trade market will be none other than Mr. ShoTime. It

Shohei Ohtani– This has a chance to match last year’s trade deadline that dealt phenom Juan Soto to the Padres. If the Angels are really struggling then it makes all the most sense to deal their prized possession. Does it? It does, the Angels cannot just get nothing in return for the loss of one of the greatest players of all time. There is no one that will replicate the art of Ohtani’s hitting and pitching repertoire. The Angels will not fool around with this one, if the Angels cannot offer their superstar a 500m+ contract then trading him is advised. Even if they want to sign him but aren’t doing well you might as well trade him and get pieces for him and just sign him back. Both work out well and its common for teams to do this last seen with Chapman traded from the Yankees to the eventual World Series winners in 2016, he signed a deal after with the Yankees.

• I don’t think the Mets will flood their entire farm system for Ohtani, they wouldn’t stop all their hard work for nothing. The Mets rank #11 in MLB farm systems, it hasn’t been this high since early 80’s.

• Dodgers are a good option with the hefty farm system they have. From past deals the Dodgers have shown they aren’t afraid to dive into their prospect stash. Most notably in 2021 when the Dodgers traded their #2 RHP Josiah Gray and #4 C Keibert Ruiz prospects in their system for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. The dodgers are an option but so is any major team, it just doesn’t mean they are the likest to win.

Likelihood of Ohtani being traded to these teams

1. Dodgers
2. Mariners
3. Padres
4. White Sox
5. Orioles
6. Pirates
7. Mets

Kenta Maeda– He hasn’t been great this season but he has flashed signs of success in years past. It is his first season back from Tommy John surgery and he is putting up an (0-4 record, 9.00 ERA and a FIP of 4.50) The Twins are having success with all 4 of their main starters, Kenta Maeda holds them down., and with him being a free agent this winter why not trade him away. A team desperate for starting pitcher will swoop in. Like how we’ve seen in years past, the Cardinals are always struggling in the pitching department and will acquire a cheap pitcher at the deadline. Kenta Maeda to the Cardinals makes the most sense. But other teams are still likely. The Mets could be an option if the back of the rotation starts to flair.

Kenta Maeda to Cardinals or Mets or Orioles

There are a lot of options how this could unfold but it’s the beauty of baseball that anything can happen. The trade deadline is always a fun and exciting time seeing your favorite team get amazing rentals to help them push for contention. The trade deadline has historically provided fans a whirl ride of emotions, complete shock and relief, this is what makes the trading period so and Im sure this deadline won’t be any different.