Trade Deadline Inbox: Will Nats be buyers?

We’re less than five weeks from the July 30 Trade Deadline, producing plenty of chatter about which players might wind up in new uniforms during the coming month.

Speaking of chatter, if you missed my Trade Deadline roundtable with Jon Paul Morosi this week, be sure to check it out. As always, it was a fun conversation covering plenty of topics.

• Trade Deadline talk: Who are buyers, sellers?

As always, you can send your questions to me on Twitter @feinsand.

Let’s get on with the show.

Now that the Nats are doing better, assuming they get into the thick of it by the Trade Deadline, do they become buyers?
-- @SammyWFTFAN

Good news, Nationals fans: we’re going to talk about your team adding players before the end of July, not trading them away!

Despite another dreadful start, Washington’s recent 9-1 run has thrust the club into second place in the NL East, giving GM Mike Rizzo plenty of hope for a strong second half and a run to the postseason. So for now, we’ll put the “Will the Nats trade Max Scherzer?” talk on hold and look at where Washington could improve its roster.

(Regarding Scherzer … As I noted in the other day's roundtable: It seems like every year we see the Nationals get off to a bad start, we talk about them selling off their stars, and then they turn it around and make a run. For this reason, I don’t see Scherzer getting dealt unless something changes drastically in the NL East between now and the Trade Deadline.)

Third base is the most obvious spot for an upgrade, as Starlin Castro has a woeful .633 OPS through 69 games. One potential trade option is Seattle’s Kyle Seager (more on him in a minute), though other candidates could include Arizona’s Eduardo Escobar and Asdrúbal Cabrera. The Nationals could also seek upgrades in the rotation and the bullpen, though the latter seems far more likely.

The Blue Jays need a left-handed bat and a third baseman. Do you see Kyle Seager being a possibility and what would it cost?
-- @pipstake

Can you see Kyle Seager being an attractive rental for a contender (or Washington)?
-- @chall77

Seager has become a popular name on the trade rumor mill, which isn’t surprising given the Mariners’ place in the standings and his own contract situation. The 33-year-old is earning $18 million this season and has a 2022 club option worth between $15-20 million. That option, however, becomes a player option if he is traded, which could cause teams to pause before dealing for him.

There is a belief that Seager -- who has 13 homers and 43 RBIs in 76 games, albeit with a pedestrian .279 on-base percentage and .696 OPS -- would be willing to negotiate that option (such as a bigger buyout, for instance) in order to make a trade happen, as the former All-Star has yet to appear in a postseason game during his 11-year career.

If Seager becomes a legitimate trade option, I could see either of the aforementioned teams -- the Blue Jays and Nationals -- in the mix, while the Brewers and Mets could also look for help at the hot corner. Giving Seager his first true shot at the postseason could be the jolt he needs.

Who is a serious low-cost starter the Yankees could target? An under-the-radar outfielder?
-- @papa_gardner11

If you’re looking for a true low-cost outfielder, Michael A. Taylor (who is owed about $1 million through the end of the season) seems to be the ideal fit for the Yankees, who are in need of help in center field.

Starling Marte (who is owed about $6.5 million through the end of the season) isn’t exactly “low-cost,” but the Yankees -- or any other team -- could likely get the Marlins to pick up some salary to improve the caliber of prospect coming back in a potential trade.

David Peralta of the D-backs, who has roughly $11 million remaining on his deal through 2022, doesn’t play center field, but he’s a professional left-handed bat, which the Yankees could also use. Ditto for Corey Dickerson (who is owed about $4.5 million through the end of the season) of the Marlins.

How has Trevor Story’s poor season affected his trade value?
-- @BiggioTruther

To be honest, I don’t think Story’s season -- which hasn’t been great, but has been better than “poor,” in my opinion -- has altered his trade value all that much. Rental position players don’t typically bring back a huge haul in July, because the competition for those players is more limited than it is for starters and relievers.

Story might be hurting the dollar figure that will be at the bottom of his next contract (though probably not all that much) with his un-Story-like season, but the Rockies probably won’t see their return take a huge hit if (when?) they trade him. A contending team with a need at shortstop will probably assume that being injected into a pennant race will reinvigorate Story for the final months of the season, especially with his free agency looming.

Of Trey Mancini, John Means, Cedric Mullins and Anthony Santander, who will the Orioles trade away by the Deadline and what can they expect back?
-- @AnjSchmidty

If I were Orioles GM Mike Elias, I would resist the urge to trade either Means or Mullins, who are under club control through 2024 and 2025, respectively. Baltimore’s rebuilding project might not be nearing its end, but there were promising signs earlier this season when the club opened the year 15-16, and those two players were key reasons for the encouraging start. They should be building blocks, not trade bait.

As for Mancini, he has trade candidate written all over him. Mancini has been a phenomenal story in his comeback from colon cancer, posting an .821 OPS with 14 home runs and 52 RBIs through his first 72 games of the season.

Santander has struggled this season, but this is a player who had an .890 OPS last year and is arbitration-eligible for three more years. If a team likes him and makes a solid offer, he could be on the move, but I would expect the Orioles to give him time to bounce back, then possibly shop him in the offseason if they don’t see him as a piece of their future.

With the Angels playing better baseball as of late, do you think they are in a position to buy at the Deadline and go after starting pitching?
-- @ryan_pierce94

Wouldn’t that be great? Shohei Ohtani has been the most captivating player to watch in 2021, and the Angels have survived the absence of Mike Trout, going 17-11 since May 23 after initially starting 1-5 following his injury.

As has been the case for years, the Angels need a rotation upgrade or two. The Angels have two outfield prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 list (No. 39 Brandon Marsh and No. 94 Jordyn Adams), not to mention former top prospect Jo Adell. With depth in the Minors from which to deal, if there’s a trade for a controllable starter out there (José Berríos? Kyle Gibson?), GM Perry Minasian should jump all over it, not only for this year, but for 2022 and possibly beyond.

Besides Adam Frazier and Richard Rodríguez, are there any other Pirates players on the trade block?
-- @kp_hockeygirl92

We addressed Frazier’s situation in last week’s Inbox, and Rodríguez has already become one of the most talked-about relievers on this year’s market. It’s fair to assume the Pirates will move both of them by July 30.

Who else could be on the block? Gregory Polanco would ordinarily be a prime trade candidate, but he’s having his second straight subpar year at the plate, making him a tough sell given that he’s owed at least $8.5 million guaranteed if his club option for 2022 is declined.

Bryan Reynolds figures to draw significant interest from contenders, but GM Ben Cherington is in no rush to trade the 26-year-old center fielder. Reynolds has 12 homers, 38 RBIs and a .924 OPS through 70 games this season, and he hasn’t even entered the first of his four arbitration-eligible seasons. Unless the Pirates believe his value will never be higher, there’s no reason to think he’ll be moved unless Cherington simply gets bowled over by an offer.

Left-handers Tyler Anderson and Chasen Shreve could be two other potential trade candidates in Pittsburgh.