The trade deadline is four days away and late Friday night the biggest pitching chip fell as the Reds sent righty Luis Castillo to the Mariners for four prospects. The trade likely takes Seattle out of the running for Nationals wunderkind Juan Soto, whose market is said to be down to four teams. With that in mind, here are Saturday’s trade deadline rumors.

Rockies likely to keep Bard

According to The Athletic, the Rockies will “almost surely” keep closer Daniel Bard at the trade deadline. The 37-year-old Bard will be a free agent after the season, though Colorado hopes to re-sign him. Last year the Rockies did not trade Trevor Story and Jon Gray at the deadline and both left as free agents. The team didn’t even receive draft pick compensation for Gray.

Bard, the 2020 NL Comeback Player of the Year, remains a top bat-misser and ground-ball-getter. He could help any contender’s bullpen. There’s still plenty of time for the Rockies to change their mind and field offers for Bard, though they have a history of zigging when other teams would zag. Keeping Bard would be very on-brand for the last place Rockies.

Blue Jays interested in Fulmer

The Blue Jays are among the teams with interest in Tigers righty Michael Fulmer, reports MLB.com. Fulmer threw a scoreless eighth inning in Toronto on Friday. The Tigers have several relievers to peddle at the deadline — Andrew Chafin and All-Star Gregory Soto are among them — though Fulmer is an impending free agent, so there is some urgency to move him.

Pitching is the top priority for a Blue Jays team that has been on a tear offensively the last few weeks. Fulmer has morphed into a slider machine who misses bats, though he’s also run into walk trouble. He is the kind of rental reliever who moves at the deadline every year and is an upgrade to every contender’s bullpen. 

Montas now Yankees‘ No. 1 target

With Castillo off the board, Athletics righty Frankie Montas is now the No. 1 target for the Yankees, reports USA Today. Everything must go in Oakland and Montas is the team’s top remaining trade chip. The right-hander missed two starts with a minor shoulder issue earlier this month, but he’s looked strong in his two starts back, and he’s pitched at a high level for several years now.

New York is seeking a rotation upgrade and will presumably have to win a bidding war to acquire Montas. Several other contenders need rotation help and Montas is appealing because he will remain under team control next season as an arbitration-eligible player. He is not a rental, and as the Castillo trade showed, the price for two postseason runs of an impact starter is high.

A’s, Brewers have talked Laureano

The Athletics and Brewers have discussed outfielder Ramón Laureano, according to the New York Post. Laureano is one of the A’s top remaining trade chips and he will remain under team control through 2025, so he’s a long-term addition. Center field has been a weakness for the Brewers all season and Laureano represents an upgrade over the Jonathan Davis/Tyrone Taylor platoon.

Currently in first place in the NL Central, Milwaukee could use another bat to lengthen the lineup and Laureano brings a speed element as well. His defense tends to be overrated — Laureano’s arm is top of the line, though his range and routes are just OK — but Brewers center fielders have hit .213/.272/.313 this year, and that’s not going to fly when you’re battling for a division title.