Trade Deadline Looms as the Rumor Mill Hits Full Speed

The deadline is never just about the deals that get done - it is about the calls that start at 7 a.m. and never really stop. Teams are weighing rentals, retention, and whether to spend futures that look shinier in October than they do in April. The Athletic’s tracker has the league’s movers and shakers doing what they always do this time of year: lying, leaking, and lining up their next move.