Week Ahead: Rumors heating up summer

The week ahead in baseball takes us to the final day of July, and as the schedules of the contending clubs of the Major Leagues are undoubtedly heating up, well, so is that stove.

The last work week before the Aug. 1 non-waiver Trade Deadline is upon us, and throughout the next seven days, while solid matchups promise to alter the standings in the American and National Leagues, big-time trades could do the same.

The biggest names being bandied about are current Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman and White Sox ace Chris Sale. The departure of either or both from their current teams would not only mean serious prospects would be coming back. It would mean that the teams shooting for those stars would be as all-in as anyone as we prepare for the final two months of the regular season leading up to October.

As of late Sunday, reports were swirling that a deal to send Chapman to the Cubs for 19-year-old shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres, ranked 24th overall by MLBpipeline.com, was nearing completion.

Meanwhile, Sale’s five-game suspension by his club for insubordination and destruction of team property raises questions of how long the left-hander might stay in Chicago and if the White Sox will try to land what is expected to be an enormous package of talent in return.

Those aren’t the only two names that could be in play during the next seven days.

Starters Rich Hill, Sonny Gray, Julio Teheran, Andrew Cashner, …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com