It's a bittersweet time to be a Raptors fan. The regular season success is starting to come back into the picture for the franchise, but there is a looming sense of unease. Some of the pieces of this puzzle don't fit together cleanly. The team very clearly has some bad salary, and it's a little uncertain how the roster can improve without taking unappealing and risky money in return or by offloading assets that are still needed in order to realize long-term success.
Some look at their solid (although injury-riddled) rotation depth and see no need, but the frequency of pitching injuries in the modern game begs to differ. I additionally would not be surprised to see Bryce Elder traded this offseason, as a fringy major league starter like that has substantially less value without minor league options. Acquiring a starter is tricky though, especially of the impact variety, which is the stated goal for the Braves.
Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch hears from sources on rival teams that the Cardinals don't seem to be "actively seeking to trade" outfielder Lars Nootbaar. This doesn't necessarily mean that Nootbaar won't be dealt, of course, but there are also some obvious reasons why the Cardinals might want to wait until beyond this offseason to move the 28-year-old.
Andrew Friedman and the Los Angeles Dodgers front office have proven themselves to be resourceful, flexible, shrewd, and highly effective. Friedman leads the charge in aiming to improve the roster year after year. There are many different ways to achieve this goal, and Friedman's group has mastered essentially every single one in some shape or form. This year's group of free agents isn't overly strong whether it be high-end talent or depth.
Remember last season, around the trade deadline, when every analyst in America was calling for the Tigers to trade Tarik Skubal because their "window" wasn't open? Then they went on a run, made the playoffs, did it again the next season without trading Skubal? People have already started talking about the Pirates trading Paul Skenes. They have their own issues, but trading Paul Skenes won't solve them.
The Miami Heat could prove how much Bam Adebayo means to them with one simple move. It would be a bold decision that revolves around going all-in on Trae Young or Ja Morant over the course of the next 12 months. In many ways, it would be a huge answer to what Bam has long awaited throughout his young career.
