SI:AM | A Flurry of Deals Before the MLB Trade Deadline

This is shaping up to be a fun deadline.

Veteran DH Turner was traded to Seattle ahead of Tuesday night’s MLB trade deadline. / Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I’m frankly overwhelmed by everything that’s happening in sports right now. I’m still hosting an Olympics podcast, but let’s get into some MLB trade news.

In today’s SI:AM:

💍 The sports world’s most infamous thief
🇨🇦 Summer of Summer
⛳ Olympic tee times

Who’s on the move so far

The MLB trade market is starting to heat up ahead of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. There were several noteworthy moves made on Monday as the deadline neared. Let’s break them down and look at what other deals could happen before the deadline.

Toronto Blue Jays trade Yusei Kikuchi to Houston Astros

The Astros added the veteran Japanese lefty to beef up their starting rotation, giving up two of their top prospects in the process. Toronto will receive pitcher Jake Bloss (the No. 9 prospect in Houston’s system, according to MLB.com), infielder Will Wagner (No. 13) and rookie outfielder Joey Loperfido.

Kikuchi, 33, will be a free agent after this season, but the Astros are locked in a tight division race with the Seattle Mariners and need starting pitching help. Justin Verlander hasn’t pitched since June 9 due to a neck injury, although he appears to be getting closer to a return. Cristian Javier, another starter Houston was counting on this year, suffered a season-ending injury in May.

Kikuchi, interestingly, will be the first Japanese pitcher to play for the Astros. Only the St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies have never had a Japanese pitcher.

Blue Jays trade Justin Turner to Seattle Mariners

Toronto continued its sell-off sending Turner to the offense-needy Mariners. Seattle previously added slugger Randy Arozarena to boost its struggling lineup and now adds another capable veteran bat. Turner, 39, is primarily a DH at this point in his career, but he’s still a solid hitter. His 107 OPS+ would rank third among Mariners regulars.

Cleveland Guardians land Lane Thomas from Washington Nationals

Thomas gives the Guardians a quality right-handed bat to balance out their lefty-heavy lineup. He has a 113 OPS+ this season, although he’s hit just eight home runs, a big drop off from the 28 he had last year. He’s also among the fastest players in the majors. He’ll join a Cleveland team that has high hopes for October and currently has the best record in the American League.

Milwaukee Brewers get Frankie Montas from Cincinnati Reds

Montas isn’t having a great season (5.01 ERA), but the Brewers have been searching all year for help with their starting rotation. They acquired Aaron Civale from the Tampa Bay Rays earlier this month and even gave 36-year-old Dallas Keuchel four starts before releasing him. Milwaukee currently has a seven-game lead in the NL Central over the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Potential moves to watch out for

There is sure to be plenty more moves made before the deadline, particularly for teams seeking pitching help. The Chicago White Sox have the most popular pitching target in Garrett Crochet, but he’s reportedly refusing to pitch in the postseason unless he gets a contract extension first, making it less likely that he’ll be moved. The Detroit Tigers are likely to move Tarik Skubal. Other pitchers like Blake Snell of the San Francisco Giants and the New York Yankees’ Nestor Cortes are less likely trade candidates.

As for hitters, the Rays have already moved several players and could offload additional position players like Yandy Diaz and Brandon Lowe. Los Angeles Angels infielder Luis Rengifo is another quality hitter a non-contending team might want to deal.

McIntosh won her first Olympic gold medal Monday. / Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Today’s Digital Cover is Jon Wertheim’s gripping tale of a serial sports memorabilia thief.

• Here is Mitch Goldich’s daily viewing guide for the Olympics.

• Michael Rosenberg wrote about 17-year-old Canadian swimmer Summer McIntosh’s dominant win in the 400m individual medley and why she’s just getting started at these Olympics.

• The U.S. swimming team’s veterans are using important life experiences to give them perspective in the pool, Pat Forde writes.

• Bob Harig is on the ground in France, just like Rory McIlroy. But McIlroy turned heads when he was spotted preparing for the Olympics at St. Andrews.

• Lauren Green got Team USA freestyle BMX rider Hannah Roberts to explain how the sport works.

• I really enjoyed Greg Bishop’s column on the men’s street skateboarding competition and what to make of the sport in its second Olympics.

• The tee times for the first two rounds of the Olympic men’s golf tournament have been announced.

• Scott Hanson got so fired up during his Gold Zone broadcast that he drew blood.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:

5. The Yankees’ six homers against the Phillies.
4. Orioles catcher James McCann’s interview after he was hit in the face by a pitch in the first inning and still caught the entire game.
3. The thrilling finish to the men’s mountain bike race.
2. This photo from the Olympic surfing competition.
1. Stephen Nedoroscik’s pommel horse routine that clinched bronze for the U.S. men’s gymnastics team.