The 2022 MLB Trade deadline on August 2 is rapidly approaching as the second half of the Major League Baseball season gets underway. As we come out of the All-Star Break, following Juan Soto’s Home Run Derby crown and the American League winning the 2022 MLB All-Star game yet again, the next big event in the 2022 MLB season is the trade deadline. MLB trade rumors have been swirling for weeks and while every potential trade opportunity may not include the likes of a transcendent talent like Soto, there are plenty of impactful moves that can be made. Luis Castillo and Frankie Montas headline the starting pitchers who could be on the move soon and affect your fantasy baseball lineups. David Bednar and David Robertson will be great additions to a contending team’s bullpen, but fantasy baseball managers could see their save numbers dwindle depending on the landing spots. It's important to keep track of the latest fantasy baseball news in the coming days and weeks to see how MLB lineups will be changing. The fantasy baseball rankings and rest-of-season MLB projections could certainly be impacted by real-life MLB trades. Continue to be active on the fantasy baseball waiver wire and look for MLB top prospects to get called up or change teams as well. There are plenty of players that could be dealt soon, so I compiled some of the more noteworthy trade candidates and predictions leading up to the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline on August 2nd.

 

 

2022 MLB Trade Deadline Predictions Pitchers

 

 

Ignore Frankie Montas’ 3-9 record because, frankly, no one cares about it. What many MLB teams like is that he’s posted a 3.26 ERA (3.30 FIP) with a 9.31 K/9 and 1.09 WHIP across 17 starts this season. He’s slated to pitch one of the games in Thursday’s doubleheader, his first appearance since the start of the month. If Montas looks healthy and dominates Detroit, every contending team will be ready to start sending offers to Oakland. The biggest roadblock for teams trading for the Athletics' starting pitcher is the status of that shoulder as we haven’t seen him since July 3. Team control through 2023 is likely appealing to many contenders, but that also comes with a slightly higher price point than if he was a free agent after the season. When trading for Montas, the two big things MLB teams are worried about is his current health and if he can be trusted to stay healthy down the stretch.

 

 

 

Luis Castillo is just 3-4 on the year, but he’s sporting a 2.77 ERA (3.24 xERA, 3.03 FIP) over 78 innings in 2022. His 25.5% strikeout rate is better than in 2021, and right on par with his career mark. While he’s not generating as many ground balls as in years past, Castillo hasn’t been hurt by the long ball this year. Any contender should be in on the Cincinnati Reds right-hander and fantasy baseball managers should be ecstatic at the thought of getting him out of Great American Ball Park. He has a 3.60 ERA at home this year, compared to a 2.09 ERA on the road. There is still another year of team control with Castillo after this season, making him even more appealing to perennial contenders.

 

 

 

After signing a deal for $21 million this offseason, the 29-year-old right-hander has been everything the Angels could have asked for as a steady piece of the rotation. Despite a 5-7 record on the year and a dearth of strikeouts compared to what we were accustomed to seeing during his New York days, Noah Syndergaard has been healthy and effective on the mound. He has an even 4.00 ERA on the year and his 1.20 WHIP is his lowest mark since 2017. Syndergaard has posted a 5.96 ERA away from his home park this season – not to mention a 1.40 HR/9 – so his fantasy value will be rather dependent on what his new home park will be. With the Angels largely underwhelming this year, they would be wise to trade Syndergaard for a couple of pieces since he likely would head elsewhere in free agency.

 

 

 

The Pirates have been known to deal relievers at the deadline, and 2022 All-Star David Bednar will be this year’s edition to continue the trend. The right-hander has a 2.89 ERA on the year with an 11.75 K/9 and he’s gone 80% (16-for-20) in save opportunities so far for Pittsburgh. Bednar has cooled off lately after a hot start to the season and he does allow more hard contact than you would like to see from a ninth-inning man. However, he generates a ton of swings and misses – boasting three pitches with a whiff rate north of 30% this season – and has proven effective since joining Pittsburgh. Bednar has numerous years under team control, which makes him very appealing for teams with rosters built to contend in 2022 and over the next couple of years.

 

 

 

David Robertson is in a situation much like Bednar above. If a contending team wants to offer prospects for a bad team’s closer, take the deal and don’t look back. At 37 years young, Robertson has found the fountain of youth and is having his best season since 2017 or 2018. He’s 13-for-18 in save opportunities this season, but his 1.93 ERA is his lowest since 2017. Plus, he has a strikeout rate north of 21% for the fourth straight season in which he’s logged at least 10 innings on the bump. This year, Robertson has dropped the usage on his cutter in favor of his curve and slider – both of which have been excellent and induce more ground balls than his cutter. The increase in grounders has minimized his home runs, as his 0.72 HR/9 mark would be his lowest since 2013 (0.68). Fantasy-wise, Robertson may take a bit of a hit since he likely goes somewhere where he isn’t the closer. Still, the Chicago Cubs reliever has done enough this year to show that he can help your team’s ratios outside of ninth-inning work.

Other Pitchers to Watch: José Quintana, Michael Fulmer, Tyler Mahle, Josh Hader, Patrick Corbin

 


 

2022 MLB Trade Deadline Predictions Hitters

 

 

Here’s the big one. Does Juan Soto get dealt at the trade deadline? We can talk all about his numbers, but everyone knows how good he is. This is an unprecedented time, especially in baseball, because 23-year-old superstars don’t often find themselves in trade conversations. If the Nationals decide they aren’t going to pay Soto more than the $440 million deal he turned down, then it’s time to deplete another team’s farm system. Washington can get some MLB-ready talent and/or top prospects to jumpstart the post-Soto era. The Nationals do not have to trade him, and that’s the big thing here, as he’s still under team control for another couple of seasons. However, trading him at the deadline would likely generate the most bang for Washington’s buck.

 

 

 

Willson Contreras is as good as gone. He’s a free agent at the end of the year and the 30-year-old backstop, no matter how good he is offensively, likely isn’t in the long-term plans for a rebuilding Chicago Cubs squad. Contreras is hitting .253 on the year with 13 home runs and 35 RBI, and getting into a lineup with a good supporting cast would be a huge boost to his fantasy value. He has an electric arm behind the plate and can steal some outs for his pitchers, but his 33rd percentile framing may leave a few strikeouts on the table. However, Contreras' 91st percentile hard-hit rate and 91st percentile xwOBA from behind the plate would be a massive boost to a contending team with a dearth of offensive production from their current backstop.

 

 

 

A 28-year-old outfielder who was a former first-round pick slated to be a free agent after the season should be a hot commodity in general. When you sprinkle in the fact that the Royals' lefty-swinging outfielder is hitting .317 on the year with a .386 OBP and 127 wRC+, you would think he’d be one of the bigger names on the trade market. Andrew Benintendi has just three home runs and two stolen bases on the year, so he’ll provide good defense and constantly get on base for a contending team. However, the bigger issue is in regards to his vaccination status. American League teams in particular are wary to trade away a ton for Benintendi because if he remains unvaccinated, he can’t play in Toronto. What if there’s a playoff series against the Blue Jays? That’s the drawback here. The Yankees have already essentially removed themselves from the Benintendi sweepstakes for this reason alone. This will be a fascinating development leading up to the August 2nd deadline. While Benintendi may not boast elite power or speed from the outfield, contending teams would love to add a .300+ hitter to the top of their lineup – especially one that also has a double-digit walk rate on the year.

 

 

 

Josh Bell is having a career year for Washington and it couldn’t be happening at a better time. It seems like he’s been a popular trade candidate for weeks, even months, at this point! Bell's .311 batting average is a career-best, and he has 13 home runs and 50 RBI through 93 games this season. He has a sub-10% swinging-strike rate this season, which would be his lowest since 2018. Plus, the 82.2% contact rate would be his highest mark since his rookie season. The Nationals' first baseman has a 91st percentile strikeout rate and while the stats are solid, the expected stats are even better – highlighted by his 96th percentile xBA and 90th percentile xwOBA. Bell may not boast the typical batted ball profile of a corner infielder, but he’s an on-base machine and has an impressive .613 slugging percentage over his last 185 plate appearances.

 

 

 

The Reds are going to be like the Cubs and will be selling anyone to anyone who asks. Brandon Drury has come out of nowhere in his 29-year-old season, hitting .278 with a .370 wOBA and 2.3 WAR. He has 18 home runs on the year, which is already a career-best, and it should only be two or so weeks until he’s posted career highs in runs and RBI as well. Drury is a free agent after this season and would make a nice bat for a contending team. However, he has some pretty gnarly splits, as he’s hit .310 at Great American Ball Park this year but just .241 away from it. He’s been a breakout player for Cincinnati but should be a rather affordable infielder at the deadline.

Other Hitters to Watch: Sean Murphy, Ian Happ, Michael A. Taylor, Joey Gallo

 


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