Chris Elwell
Staff Writer
The second half is underway, and the pennant race is officially on. In the next two weeks, teams will decide whether to buy or sell by the July 31 trade deadline.
Pre-Trade Deadline Blockbusters
On June 15, a blockbuster trade between the Red Sox and Giants sent longtime Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers to San Francisco for a return of four players, headlined by left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison.
Tension between Devers and Boston began this offseason when the team signed Alex Bregman to be the everyday third baseman, prompting Devers to consider requesting a trade but ultimately deciding against it.
The Red Sox have been one of the hottest teams in baseball over the last month with a 10-game winning streak to close out the first half and move into the AL’s second wild card spot.
The direction of Boston was going to be a question going into this trade deadline, and now with Devers in San Francisco, it appeared that the Red Sox would continue to retool and maximize their window of opportunity with top prospects and young players on team-friendly contracts.
The emergence of young players like Roman Anthony, Carlos Narvaez, and Ceddanne Rafaela has been a huge part of a resurgent lineup built around speed and power potential as they develop in the big leagues.
The acquisition of Garrett Crochet during the offseason gave the Red Sox a true number one starter, and ownership may decide to move the needle by trading for another starting pitcher to further address their biggest need.
Who are the top players involved in trade rumors?
Teams that currently find themselves out of the playoff picture have started to field calls and plan the returns for their highly coveted assets if they are traded come July 31. Potential big names that have been involved in trade rumors include Twins’ ace Joe Ryan amid a career season, Pirates right-hander Mitch Keller, and Marlins right-hander Sandy Alcantara.
Ryan, 29, would certainly be one of the best players traded if Minnesota chooses to part ways with its emerging ace, and would cost a significant return with his $3 million salary in 2025 and two years of arbitration remaining before he can test free agency in 2028.
Currently sitting with a 48-52 record and 11.5 games behind Detroit in the AL Central, the Twins are not in a strong position to make a playoff push and have already been fielding calls about Ryan’s availability. The interest in Ryan could push teams in talks to a bidding war for the right-hander if the Twins make him available.
The Mets, Yankees, and Blue Jays have been in talks with the Pirates regarding right-hander Mitch Keller, and he is widely expected to be dealt at the deadline. Keller, 29, has been lights out in July with a 1.37 ERA and controlled through the 2028 season on a team-friendly contract worth an AAV of $15.4 million. If the Pirates were to fund some of his contract, their return could be greater and continue their overhaul of young talent.
Entering this season, it seemed certain the Marlins would trade their biggest asset at the deadline, Sandy Alcantara.
Coming off Tommy John surgery that kept him out for all of 2024, Alcantara’s trade value has plummeted on the heels of a 4-9 record and a 7.14 ERA in 19 starts. He has shown flashes of his dominant self periodically, and the value may never be better for a team to go out and acquire a former Cy Young winner to address their needs in the starting rotation.
Who will be this deadline’s biggest buyers?
Teams that have clear positions of need, the Yankees, Mets, Cubs, and Phillies, have made calls around the league to fill out their roster.
Jazz Chisholm Jr. moving back to second base and the surprise release of DJ LeMahieu made it clear the Yankees are preparing for a move to be made for a third baseman among the likes of Eugenio Suarez, Nolan Arenado, Ryan McMahon, or Ke’Bryan Hayes.
Third base has been a void for the Yankees in 2025, and with injuries sustained in the pitching staff, GM Brian Cashman said, “We’re going to go to town.”
Clarke Schmidt's landing on the IL after getting Tommy John surgery was a big blow to the team, and with Luis Gil still awaiting his return from a high-grade lat strain, Cashman could take a big swing on any of Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera, Zac Gallen, or Merrill Kelly.
The emergence of pitching prospects like Cam Schlittler, the team’s #10 prospect, and hard-throwing right-hander Carlos Lagrange gives the team potential frontline options as early as next season. After reaching the World Series for the first time in 15 years and coming up short, Cashman has said he will go all-in to bring a title back to the Bronx, and potentially one of their top developing arms could be moved to help the team do just that.
Both the Cubs and Mets have made their trade deadline wishes known in the form of starting pitching depth. The Cubs have been linked to Marlins right-hander Edward Cabrera, who is under control through the 2028 season and is having the best season of his young career. The return for the 27-year-old flamethrower would be a strong package, and the Cubs are in a position where they have the prospects to get a deal done and make a deep playoff run.
After trading Kyle Tucker, losing Alex Bregman in free agency, and being without their top slugger, Yordan Alvarez, for most of the season, the Astros remain at the top of the AL West once again.
Houston’s overhaul on the pitching front has paid major dividends as perhaps their biggest strength, and they have now pivoted to acquiring a left-handed hitting second baseman. The second base market this summer is thin and dependent on the Cardinals and Rays to fall out of the wild card mix in the coming weeks and make their second basemen available via trade.
The Cardinals are 52-49 and 3.5 games out of a wild card spot in the NL, and a slow start coming out of the All-Star Break could force ownership to trade a player like Brendan Donovan – under control through the 2027 season – to a team like Houston in the market for a bat like Brendan Donovan.
In his 93 games played this season, 75 of them have been at second base – Houston’s biggest position of need since moving Jose Altuve to left field primarily – and he is slashing .291/.364/.425 on the way to his first All-Star appearance. The Cardinals are still in the thick of the wild-card race in the NL and may decide not to sell, but Donovan could become a hot commodity at the deadline at a position that does not have many players available via trade.
Which relief pitchers could be on the move?
The market for relief pitching is highly volatile, and with some of the premier late-inning pitchers having their names involved in rumors, it will come down to the final minutes before the deadline to see who will be on the move.
Two teams in the AL Central each have a pair of top-of-the-market arms – the Guardians and the Twins – that have gauged heavy interest across the league.
Minnesota’s hard-throwing duo of Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran has become one of the best reliever duos in the league, and it is highly unlikely that both would be moved. The Twins are seemingly out of playoff contention, and it would be a logical move to trade one of them – both are under contract through 2027 – for a haul of prospects to help them retool and contend for the AL Central division title in 2026.
Cleveland’s Emmanuel Clase has been one of the most polarizing players on the trade market this year after struggles last postseason and the first month of 2025.
His trade value has steadily climbed after regaining his form from last season with a 1.42 ERA and 17 saves since May 1, but it is unlikely he will be moved at the deadline. Clase is under contract on a team-friendly deal with $10 million club options before he can test free agency in 2029, and the scarcity of dominant closers available on the trade market means teams in need of bullpen help could force teams to try to blow Cleveland away with an offer they can’t refuse.
In addition to Clase, Cleveland’s dynamic setup man, Cade Smith, has generated plenty of interest from teams in need of bullpen help, like the Cubs, Dodgers, Mets, and Phillies. Smith has become one of the best relievers in all of baseball since his debut in 2024 and has four more years of team control before testing free agency.
It would cost a massive haul back to Cleveland, making a deal unlikely but possible, especially with their track record of developing bullpen arms and already having perhaps the league’s best closer.
Other top relievers involved in rumors include Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, who led the league in saves in 2024 with 49. Helsley, 30, is in a contract year and has not been his usual dominant self this season, making him a buy-low candidate for a contender just a year removed from being named the National League Reliever of the Year.
Since getting recalled from AAA in mid-April, Pirates right-hander David Bednar has skyrocketed his trade value higher than ever before. Bednar has been lights out for Pittsburgh, currently with an 18.1 consecutive scoreless inning streak, dating back to May 24.