Today’s MLB rumors roundup focuses on a possible trend with trade deadline sellers this year, the Tigers having an attractive pool of tradeable players, and an IL stint for a Dodgers player that could help him get back on track after a painful struggle so far in 2022.
Let’s start by looking at that trend that could make it tough for teams looking to buy in 2023 to upgrade.
Could MLB trade deadline feature fewer sellers than previous years?
In Ken Rosenthal’s latest column featuring several trade tidbits and breadcrumbs (subscription required), he revealed something about the Philadelphia Phillies that could just ring true for several teams and impact the overall landscape of the trade market this season.
Rosenthal featured some quotes from Phillies executive Dave Dombrowski, and mentioned briefly how their run last year serves as a great example for how the new playoff format makes it easy for teams to keep hope alive late in the season that they can compete in the postseason.
The Phillies aren’t planning on selling because they think they can pull it together after a very slow first leg. It stands to reason that many other teams around the league might have that same attitude, especially after seeing what the Phillies were able to do last year as a Wild Card team.
One could argue that in previous years, the Cardinals, Cubs, Giants, and even Padres might be clear sellers at the deadline. Under the new format, perhaps those teams want to hold on if they have hope in their team’s ability to turn it around.