MLB Insider Shares Starting Pitcher Trade Market Update

It’s late June, and that means one thing for MLB teams: the trade deadline is not too far away, and fans are about to see a series of deals in the next month.

In fact, we have already seen one: the Kansas City Royals sent Carlos Santana to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a couple of prospects.

Pitchers are always at a premium, and they are hot commodities in the trade market.

And there aren’t many top hurlers available that can really make a difference.

But there are some really interesting names to follow.

“About the starting pitcher trade market: the perception of some of the execs involved is that any team interested in starting pitching from OAK (Montas) or the Reds (Castillo, Mahle) needs prospect-laden proposals. Neither of those teams have to move money,” ESPN’s Buster Olney tweeted.

About the starting pitcher trade market: the perception of some of the execs involved is that any team interested in starting pitching from OAK (Montas) or the Reds (Castillo, Mahle) needs prospect-laden proposals. Neither of those teams have to move money.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) June 28, 2022

Montas And Castillo Are The Most Attractive Names On The Pitching Trade Market

It was kind of an expected outcome: the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics are the worst teams in the league.

They are not playing for anything, and they have a need for prospects for their next contention window.

Between the two squads, they have three marquee trade candidates: the Reds have Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle, while the A’s have Frankie Montas.

Among the teams that could use some pitching are the Los Angeles Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals, the New York Mets (especially if Jacob deGrom fails to return quickly from his injury), the Minnesota Twins, and the Los Angeles Angels.

They are probably good with the options they have, but the AL East powerhouses (New York Yankees, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, and Toronto Blue Jays) could probably use a difference-maker like Montas or Castillo.

In any case, stay tuned: the deals will start taking place in the next few weeks.