MLB Rumors: Surprise team emerges for Shane Bieber?

Cleveland Guardians ace Shane Bieber is expected to be available for trade at the deadline should the team still find themselves out of contention. Much of this has to do with Bieber's contract, and the face that Cleveland believes they have the talent in-house to replace him.

Ken Rosenthal and other pundits have been curious about Bieber's overall value, however. While his numbers suggest otherwise, Bieber's fastball velocity has dropped considerably over the past few years. He'll have to become a different pitcher — one who throws to contact — on the fly, and on certain teams without a capable defense behind him, that may not work.

So, which teams are expected to have interest in Bieber? MLB.com's Mark Feinsand mentioned a couple, namely the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. While that's not necessarily surprising given the large markets both of those teams represent, the Baltimore Orioles would be unexpected. Here's what Feinsand had to say about the possibility of a Bieber deal:

"Bieber will be in a position to earn a raise from his $10 million salary in his final year of arbitration next winter, there's a chance the Guardians could move him if they don't view themselves as true championship contenders. Bieber, the 2020 AL Cy Young winner, has allowed two or fewer earned runs in nine of his 15 starts this season, throwing a league-high 95 innings."

However, the O's currently own one of the AL Wild Card spots, and don't seem to be going away anytime soon. Should Baltimore choose to make a move for pitching help, acquiring Bieber, even on a short-term basis, would put them over the top.

MLB Rumors: Cubs could be buyers at the trade deadline

The Chicago Cubs, at least right now, consider themselves buyers at the trade deadline. That could all change, as Tom Ricketts suggested, but it's a positive sign for a team that has sold off very talented assets the last few years.

"Obviously we're buyers right now," Ricketts said, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune. "Things can come off the rails, but I don't think they will. I think what we have is a core that can compete for the division and compete for the playoffs and now it's finding the missing parts to add to it."

That all sounds great on paper. Now, should Chicago buy instead of sell, who could they perceivably add?

That would mean Marcus Stroman and Cody Bellinger would remain on the team until the offseason, one would hope. The bullpen remains an area of need, as well as rotation depth.

Admittedly, the Cubs situation is fluid. Should they choose to sell, players like Stroman and Bellinger (along with other players in the final season of their contracts like Yan Gomes) could be on the move. Chicago would still have the option to re-sign said players in free agency, barring there were no hard feelings.

At this point in the year, most teams remain contenders. The deadline has yet to take shape, which is why Ricketts failed to make a definitive statement.

MLB Rumors: Grading a NY Mets-Shohei Ohtani trade

Shohei Ohtani will likely not be traded at the deadline, barring the Angels fall from grace as an American League contender. Los Angeles has done enough to warrant buying at the deadline, for now, in hopes of impressing Ohtani enough to give them a fighting chance in free agency. For now, the Dodgers are the heavy favorites for his services this winter.

Were, say, the New York Mets to make an offer for Shohei at the deadline, what would that trade even look like? MLB Network's Bo Porter estimated the cost, and it's a ton for Steve Cohen and Co.

This would be an all-out sell for Los Angeles. Ohtani and Rendon, who could start at third base for the Mets considering Baty would be part of the return, are bonafide stars when healthy. Rendon's health has been a major question mark, and his contract doesn't equal his productivity at this time.

From New York's perspective, this is a TON to give up for only half a season of Ohtani. They would need to feel very, very confident in their ability to re-sign him at the end of the year to trade this much. Parada and Mauricio are top-100 prospects in all of baseball. While both are somewhat blocked given Francisco Alvarez and Francisco Lindor currently man those positions for the big-league team, a position switch isn't out of the question.

There's little reason for New York to go all-in on Ohtani now, especially because the team as currently constructed is on pace for nearly 90 losses. Were they contending, then acquiring a player the caliber of Ohtani makes sense, because it would at least give the Mets a chance at a World Series run.

Consider this trade package fiction, rather than fact.