Thursday is the MLB trade deadline. It's a big moment for the MLB season, and it feels fitting in a way that it is happening on the final day of July. When August begins, there are essentially two months left in the regular season, so going from the deadline right into a new month creates a sense of, "Okay, this is the home stretch now." If MLB players are still moving around, why would you sit idle when it comes to your Sorare MLB lineup? Here are my upgrades, my holds, and my downgrades for your Sorare purposes. And you don't even need to send a vaunted prospect off to a new home to improve your roster!
Upgrades
Eury Perez, MIA ($4.56): Sandy Alcantara will be traded if the Marlins find an interested party. There's a good chance the Marlins will also find a new home for Edward Cabrera, who is actually having a good season. If those guys are gone, Perez will emerge as the new top guy in the Marlins' rotation…until it's his turn to be traded. In truth, Perez may already be the best pitcher Miami has. It is a great relief that his Tommy John surgery that cost him the 2024 season has left him no worse for the wear. Through nine starts his fastball is just as fast, he has a 9.41 K/9 rate, and his FIP is an impressive 2.75.
Jarren Duran, BOS ($3.46): While he hasn't been the J. Duran earning the most attention heading into deadline, Jarren Duran has made the case to be part of the Red Sox retooling. At first, things may have seemed disappointing, but the 21 homers Duran hit last year were probably a fluke. That being said, maybe he only has 11 home runs, but he has 29 doubles, 18 stolen bases and an incredible 12 triples in 108 games. If you like the long ball, though, Duran has hit four of those home runs in his last 17 games. Each of those games have yielded at least 15.0 Sorare points.
Kerry Carpenter, DET ($2.28): Obviously, by dint of being back from injury, Carpenter is more intriguing for Sorare players than he was while letting his hamstring heal. What is enticing — and a relief for me as a Tigers fan — is that he looks locked in. The lefty slugger had 16.0 Sorare points Wednesday, and then thanks in part to hitting a homer Thursday he had 30.0 Sorare points. Carpenter is dangerous for any opposing pitcher that is right-handed.
Holds
Tyler Glasnow, LAD ($10.74): With Glasnow, there is always the "make hay while the sun shines" element, which is a folksier way of saying, "He's been hurt already, and he will get hurt again." Since returning from his latest injury, Glasnow has three games with over 20.0 Sorare points, and one of those was over 40. In his last start, though, he had only 3.0 Sorare points. He had two games with negative Sorare points twice before he got hurt. Still, the upside is high. At least, for as long as Glasnow is able to take the mound.
Tyler O'Neill, BAL ($3.03): O'Neill will probably have a regular role in the Orioles lineup down the stretch…probably. He vies for playing time in the outfield with Ramon Laureano and time at DH with Ryan O'Hearn, but one, or both, guys are likely to be playing elsewhere after the deadline. Since returning on the Fourth of July, O'Neill has a .948 OPS in 15 games. Of course, he didn't play in several of the games in that time, but that will probably happen less often after the deadline.
Carlos Correa, MIN ($2.27): I felt like mentioning Correa because there has been talk of a reunion between Correa and the Astros in a trade. However, the ESPN reporting also said that the teams are "far apart" in terms of agreeing to a deal. That leads me to believe the shortstop won't be returning to Houston. He'll remain in Minnesota, he'll accrue Sorare points against lefties and struggle against righties, and he'll probably get hurt again and hit the IL. You know, the Correa-as-a-Twin experience.
Downgrades
Nathaniel Lowe, WAS ($3.90): Not every trade works out, though Lowe's move to the Nationals happened in the offseason, not at the deadline. Either way, Lowe's first season with Washington has been rough. Only once in his last 16 games has he had double-digit Sorare points. Over the last three weeks he has a .593 OPS, so it's not getting any better. A first baseman with a sub-.700 OPS? That's bleak stuff for Lowe and the Nationals. Maybe it makes sense why new people are making the decisions in the front office.
Lourdes Gurriel, ARI ($2.65): The Diamondbacks will be dealing at the deadline, but Gurriel likely won't be part of that. It would be a tough time to make a trade involving the Cuban, as he's having the worst season of his career. Gurriel has a sub-.300 OBP, and after another goose egg (in terms of hits and Sorare points) Wednesday, his slugging percentage has fallen to .399. If the Diamondbacks are playing out the stretch, where would the motivation be to pick things up?
Matthew Liberatore, STL ($1.16): Earlier this season, Liberatore was looking good, and it seemed like he was finally turning into the above-average, even good, starter he was expected to be as a prospect. Why, after his May 24 start he had a 2.78 ERA. Since then, Liberatore has a 5.76 ERA over his last nine starts. Twice he has had negative Sorare points, and he hasn't gotten to 30.0 Sorare points once in that time. Unfortunately, the lefty just hasn't figured out a sustainable way to get right-handed hitters out. Perhaps a move back to the bullpen is the way to go for Liberatore and the Cardinals.
