MLB Rumors: Dallas Keuchel DFA’d Again; The Multiple Suitors of Dominic Smith Mets

With the All-Star now resting in rear view, the next benchmark during the 2022 Major League Baseball season is the trade deadline. The traditional July 31 deadline has been pushed back to August 2 this year. Considering that there are now three college cards per league, in theory there could be more buyers than usual, although a huge number of teams don’t look like contenders, so we might still be getting a similar number of sellers.

Let’s dive in.

Keuchel DFA, again

Southpaw writer Dallas Keuchel has been named to the job for the second time this season, According to Jeff Bassan.

Keuchel, 34, is starting the season in the third year of his $55 million deal with The white socks. He did well in 2020, reaching 1.99 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 11 starts, but then fell back to 5.28 ERA last season and 7.88 with 20 walks and 20 strikes in 32 runs for the White Sox before they let him go. The Diamondbacks Then grab it and in four starts posting 9.64 ERA and 1.82 lashes. Trails weren’t much of a problem and Arizona’s strike rate went up, but it’s a small sample and overall, Keuchel’s hitters destroyed all year long, hitting .338/.407/.564 triple mileage. Basically, every opposing hitter performed like an MVP candidate against him.

Two-time All-Star and 2015 winner AL Cy Young should still find work, but it’s possible that he’s starting his last MLB game of the season.

Smith’s Multiple Suitors

The mets They are number one in the NL East and on their way to winning over 100 games, so they are clearly not “sellers” by the traditional definition. They are in a position to cut the bait off Dominic Smith, so they can handle it.

The Cubs And the red socks et al. showed an interest in Smith, According to Robert Murray. Possible complicating factor: Smith was placed on the injured list Thursday, retroactively through July 17, with a sprained ankle. He should be back before the deadline and anyone looking for Smith as a scene-changing man might not care about this minor injury at the moment.

Smith, a former Top 100 potential player, is now in his sixth MLB season. He did very well in 2019 and in the short 2020 season he reached .316/.377/.616 (168 OPS+) with 21 doubles and 10 players in 50 games. Last year, though, it hit .244/.304/.363 with 112 strikes in 446 strokes bat. This season, it has gotten worse, reaching .194 with a paltry 0.284. He didn’t even hit an even distance on his territory. 61 OPS + and -0.4 WAR are simply unplayable for a team with post-season aspirations.

Any acquiring team will look for a breakthrough beyond the hype from Smith, and that sometimes happens.

Romo elects free agency

Exempt Sergio Romo, who was previously assigned to the task, has cleared the waivers and decided to become a free agent, according to reports. Ben Nicholson Smith.

Romo is 39 years old and in his 15th season in Major League Soccer. In 23 games this season, he has 7.50 ERA and 1.39 WHIP in 18 innings. He’s been fairly fit for the final season of A but it’s fair to say he hasn’t been good for long stretches since 2019. He’ll catch up elsewhere, but his MLB career will likely end.