Injuries Have Taken Some of the Top Talent Off the Trade Market

Every trade deadline comes with its fair share of excitement, rumors and speculation that fuels the conversation of baseball fans for weeks on end.

But one thing that also arises from the trade deadline are the “What ifs?”. What if this team had taken the big swing and gone for the top name on the market? What if this team had pulled the trigger on a huge prospect return?

But one of the biggest “what ifs?” has to be, what if this player wasn’t injured?

Every year notable names in trade-conducive situations are kept off the market due to injuries they sustained in the lead up to the trade deadline.

And this year is no different. There is a vast range of names that likely won’t be dealt by July 30 due to their injuries, from superstars with several years of control left to impending veteran free agents who could’ve made a real short-term impact on contending teams.

Here are five of the top names that likely won’t see a move due to injury this trade deadline.

Injuries Changing the Landscape of 2024 MLB Trade Deadline

Mason Miller (OAK)

Mason Miller was likely the top name on the trade market heading into the July 30 deadline.

The Oakland Athletics’ closer has been excellent in his rookie season posting a 2.21 ERA, a 0.84 WHIP, with 15 saves and a major league leading 1.8 fWAR, according to Fangraphs.

And with a fastball that averages 100.9 mph, along five and half years of control, the return for Miller would be astronomical.

But after being placed on the IL with a fractured left hand on July 25, trade talks will likely have to wait until the winter now with trade deadline just days away.

With a projected hefty return, Miller was rumored to have interest from top postseason contenders, such as the Baltimore Orioles, who have one of the top farm systems in baseball featuring six prospects within the top 100 according to Just Baseball.

Now contending teams will have no choice but to head back to the drawing board to find a solution to bolster the backend of their bullpens.

While the difference in return for five years of control of Miller as opposed to five-and-a-half years shouldn’t be all that different, considering the volatility of relievers you’d have to think the Athletics will be left disappointed that they no longer have the opportunity to field offers in the midst of Miller’s torrid season.

Bo Bichette (TOR)

There’s more than just injury at play when it comes to the discussion of Bo Bichette’s trade status at the deadline, after it was reported on July 24, per Ben Nicholson-Smith, that the Blue Jays would not be trading their big names, including Bichette, at this years deadline. This reaffirmed earlier comments made by GM Ross Atkins which indicated the Blue Jays were not going to trade players with control beyond 2024.

But when Bichette hit the 10-day IL on July 20 with a right calf strain, it seemed all but certain that the trade talks surrounding him would officially die down for the season.

With the Blue Jays having such a disappointing season in 2024, as they currently sit last in the AL East, and Bichette struggling to find his past all-star form, the question of a rebuild has come into question for Toronto.

And despite his poor season so far in 2024, Bichette has the track record of being one of the league’s best offensive players at a premium position.

And given the fact he still has a year and a half of team control remaining, and that the Blue Jays do have options that can fill in at the position adequately until their presumptive shortstop of the future, 18-year-old Arjun Nimmala, gets his big league chance, Bichette would’ve been a prime target for a team that had the ability to make a big splash.

Two teams that come to mind are the Dodgers and the Braves.

The Dodgers are no stranger to acquiring big time talent of late, and with their current shortstop Mookie Betts still recovering from a hand fracture, upgrading at short seemed like the ideal move. And with the farm system the Dodgers have, a deal would not be out of the question for Bichette.

The Atlanta Braves were another realistic option for Bichette as they’ve endured their fair share of injuries and offensive struggles within their lineup this season.

And their current shortstop, Orlando Arcia, could stand to be upgraded for a guy with a track record like Bichette. Arcia is currently sporting a disappointing 60 wRC+ and a -0.1 fWAR, both of which rank lower than any total Bichette has posted in his career.

But with an uncertain week-to-week timetable for Bichette’s return, paired with his lack of quality this season, a trade for the Blue Jays star shortstop seems all but out of the question now.

Jesus Luzardo (MIA)

Jesus Luzardo entered the 2024 season as one of the most promising young arms in today’s game, after posting back to back incredible seasons with Miami Marlins in 2022 and 2023.

And after an off-season filled with trade speculation around the 26-year-old left-hander saw no deal come to fruition, it seemed all the more likely that Miami would cash in on Luzardo and his two-and-a-half years of control at this years trade deadline.

However on June 19, Luzardo went down with a lumbar stress reaction, resulting in his second IL stint of the season.

Luzardo has yet to resume throwing let alone a rehab assignment, meaning a return is not yet imminent, quashing any sort of trade talk that may’ve taken place during the season.

Luzardo’s extensive control and performance in the past two seasons would have made him a popular target on the trade market, especially considering the buzz his counterparts are creating at the moment, in Garrett Crochet of the White Sox and Tarik Skubal of the Tigers.

Both of these arms have the same amount of control as Luzardo and have garnered the attention of big-time contenders with exceptional prospect capital to trade from, such as the Orioles and the Dodgers.

While Crochet seems poised for a move before the deadline, Skubal seems less likely to be traded, given that the Tigers aren’t nearly as far out of postseason contention as the White Sox are.

But if Luzardo hadn’t gone down with injury and joined Crochet on the market, the possibility in both the Orioles and the Dodgers landing a top starting pitcher would be all the more likely to occur if he were healthy and still on the market.

Patrick Sandoval (LAA)

The Los Angeles Angels have not made a postseason since 2014. And unlike some other teams that have faced lengthy postseason droughts, they don’t have the farm system in place that really gives them a direction to long term success, having no prospects within our Top 100.

This would have made Patrick Sandoval and his two-and-a-half years of remaining control an interesting trade piece at the deadline, had he not suffered a season-ending UCL injury on June 22.

While Sandoval may not have the same flare as a name like Luzardo, with the same amount of control he could have fetched a decent haul for an Angels system in desperate need of talent for the future.

And while his season hadn’t gone to plan in 2024, he has a track record of consistency and success that would have been useful to many contending teams, especially ones that may not have the prospect capital for names like Luzardo that teams like the Orioles might have, but are still in need of starting pitching help both down the stretch in 2024 and for the immediate seasons following.

Trevor Williams (WSH)

Trevor Williams may not have the same name recognition as that of Luzardo or Sandoval, but he was having the best year of anyone on this list.

Across 56.2 innings in 2024, Williams pitched himself to a 5-0 record with a 2.22 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. This is certainly a significant step up from the 5.55 ERA and the 1.60 WHIP he posted in 2023.

But Williams hit the IL on June 4 with a right flexor muscle strain and has only recently started resuming throwing activities with no specific time table set for a return.

As an impending unrestricted free agent after this season, Williams would’ve been a prime candidate for the Washington Nationals to move before he was injured, as many teams looking to conservatively buy are always looking for rental options to get them through the stretch ahead of the postseason.