It’s like watching a murder mystery and learning who the killer is with an hour left.
Or sitting down for a gourmet dinner and being served the filet before your drink order.
It’s like riding in a stretch limousine in Beverly Hills with champagne and caviar and being dropped off for the evening at the Holiday Inn Express.
It is this year’s Major League Baseball trading deadline.
The biggest and most fascinating trade was consummated 10 days ago when the Boston Red Sox sent Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, triggering a cascade of stories dissecting who should be blamed for the fallout.
There are five weeks remaining before this year’s July 31 deadline, and there will not be a single trade that remotely comes close to baseball’s version of the Luka Dončić deal.
Nobody will be traded with $100 million left on his contract, let alone the $254.5 million remaining in Devers’ deal, or nearly the star power.
Juan Soto won’t be traded for the third time in three years. The Los Angeles Dodgers aren’t giving Mookie Betts back to the Red Sox. Future Hall of Famers Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer are staying put this time.
Once Vladimir Guerrero signed his 14-year, $500 million contract extension in April, it ended any intrigue that he could be the biggest trade chip.
Instead, we could be in for a sleeper of a deadline, largely because there are only six teams – the Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, Athletics and Pittsburgh Pirates – who will definitely be sellers with five weeks to go. And they have no star players who would send the baseball world into a frenzy.
Please, forget about the fantasy of the Pirates even considering trading ace Paul Skenes, so don’t even bother calling. Now, if you want starters Mitch Keller or Andrew Heaney, or closer David Bednar, or infielders Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Ke’Bryan Hayes, or outfielders Bryan Reynolds and Tommy Pham, the Pirates will have an operator standing by to take your calls.
The Chicago Cubs, who have dominated the NL Central but have seen their lead getting a little too close for comfort, are one of the teams who would love to get their hands on Keller and Bednar. Every contender but seemingly the Seattle Mariners are seeking a starter, reliever or both.
While there’s so little certainty, phone calls have already begun taking place, which will become much more frequent after the July 13-14 Draft in Atlanta.
Here’s a look at the murky 2025 deadline:
Five bubble teams who could alter the MLB trade deadline
– Arizona Diamondbacks: They will be the epicenter of the deadline if they sell. They are only 2 ½ games out of a wild-card berth, but they have been decimated with injuries. All-Star outfielder Corbin Carroll and catcher Gabriel Moreno went on the injured list this week, while co-closers A.J. Puk and Justin Martinez and starters Corbin Burnes and Jordan Montgomery all have gone recent Tommy John surgeries.
The cruel reality is that they may have no choice but to sell, and if they sell, Arizona could be the epicenter of the trade deadline. Starters Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly would be two of the premier pitchers on the market, third baseman Eugenio Suárez and first baseman Josh Naylor would be two of the top available position players, and closer Shelby Miller should draw widespread interest.
– Boston Red Sox: The Red Sox may have made a solid trade for the future by sending Rafael Devers to the Giants, but they all but waved the white flag on 2025. Even though they can augment the future by selling at the deadline, can they afford to completely alienate their fanbase?
If they don’t mind a modern-day Boston Tea Party with everyone ripping up their tickets, the Red Sox could set the trade deadline ablaze by dealing Alex Bregman before he opts out or trading outfielder Jarren Duran. Boston could part with closer Aroldis Chapman and starter Walker Buehler, who joined in the winter on a one-year deal.
– St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals are a real life version of “Major League’’ where the team is winning despite of the front office’s attempts for them to fail. The Cardinals didn’t do anything in the offseason, tried to trade third baseman Nolan Arenado, asked ace Sonny Gray to waive his no-clause trade, and planned on waiting until the All-Star break to trade closer Ryan Helsley and starter Erick Fedde.
Well, here we are, and the Cardinals aren’t going away, sitting just 3 ½ games out of first place in the NL Central and tied for a wild-card berth. If the Cardinals stay close, can they really deal Helsley and Arenado? Helsley would be one of the top relievers on the market, and Gray would be among the top starters if he waived his no-trade clause.
– Los Angeles Angels: They can’t possibly stay in the race, can they? Do they really believe they have a chance to be in the playoffs and will stand pat at the trade deadline?
Well, you have to look only back to two years ago when they were in a similar position, sitting 5 ½ games back in the AL West, three games back in the wild-card race, and holding the most valuable trade chip in Shohei Ohtani.
What happened? They kept Ohtani, picked up Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez, and finished with a 73-89 record, and two months later lost Ohtani to the Dodgers in free agency.
This time around, they’ve got future Hall of Fame closer Kenley Jansen, outfielder Taylor Ward, starter Tyler Anderson and reliever Reid Detmers, all who would draw strong interest if the Angels decided to surrender.
Six best players who will (or should) be available
– Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins: This was the finest pitcher in baseball in 2022, unanimously winning the Cy Young award. Now, after recovering from Tommy John surgery, he is slowly regaining his form. He is 2-1 with a 2.74 ERA in four starts this month, and the beauty of Alcantara is that he’s still under contract through the 2027 season. The price tag will be high, and if no one is willing to meet it, the Marlins will simply hold onto him until this winter.
– Zac Gallen, Arizona Diamondbacks: Gallen likely will depart in free agency after this season, which is why the Diamondbacks signed Corbin Burnes to a six-year, $210 million deal, knowing they would needed to replace him. While Gallen has struggled this year with a 5-8 record and 5.60 ERA, he’s a big-game pitcher who thrives against top teams. Gallen, who’s from the Philadelphia area, is is 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA this season, striking out 27 batters in 19 ⅔ innings in three starts against the Mets and Yankees this season.
– Eugenio Suárez, Diamondbacks: You want a power hitting third baseman? You want solid defense? You want one of the most beloved and friendliest guys in the game? Suárez is your man. He has 46 homers and 132 RBIs since July 7, 2024. Only Aaron Judge and Shohei Ohtani have more homers. No one has more RBIs.
– Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals: The Cardinals resisted all offers for him last winter, believing his trade value should only increase. Well, he’s not pitching as well as a year ago when he saved 49 games with a 1.101 WHIP – going 3-0 with 14 saves and a 3.67 ERA and 1.444 WHIP – but considering that every contender is seeking late-inning relievers, the Cardinals were wise to hang onto him. He may not get traded if the Cardinals keep winning.
– Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals: The Nationals parted company with Finnegan last winter when they non-tendered him, not believing he could produce an encore of his All-Star season. He later returned on a one-year, $6 million contract, and here he is again, with 18 saves and and a 2.93 ERA. His WHIP has dropped from 1.335 to 1.229 this year. He’ll be a nice fit for a number of teams looking for back-end bullpen help.
– Luis Robert, Chicago White Sox : The likelihood of Robert being traded barring an injury? Just about 100%. The White Sox don’t want him. They don’t need him. And they know they should have traded him during the winter. All they can hope for now is that he starts performing much better after hitting .184 with seven homers, 31 RBI and a .573 OPS this season. He has played better of late with a .703 OPS the last two weeks, leads the league with 22 stolen bases and plays a terrific center field. It’s not as if anyone is going to pick up the $20 million options on him this year or next, but the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies are keeping close tabs on him.
Teams who will be most aggressive at trade deadline
– Philadelphia Phillies: If you know anything about Phillies president Dave Dombrowski, it’s that passive isn’t in his vocabulary. He realizes this team is getting older, Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto and Ranger Suarez are pending free agents, and the time is now to win. Anything less than a World Series appearance would be a colossal disappointment. They took a $10 million gamble on Max Kepler that has backfired, and are seeking another left fielder or center fielder plus bullpen reinforcements.
– Chicago Cubs: The Cubs didn’t trade third baseman Isaac Paredes and prized young outfielder Cam Smith for one guaranteed year of All-Star right fielder Kyle Tucker to sit back at the deadline now. The Cubs have led this division since April 4, and if they somehow aren’t playing in October there will be some premium jobs available in the front office. Jed Hoyer, president of baseball operations, whose contract expires after the season, knows what’s at stake. They are scouring the market for a starter, keeping a close eye on Alcantara (2 ½ years remaining on his 5-year, $56 million contract), Keller (3 ½ years remaining on his 5-year, $70 million deal) and Luis Severino of the Athletics (2 ½ years remaining on his 3-year, $67 million contract). It’s highly unlikely, however the A’s would consider trading Severino and risk the fallout, even with his dramatic home/road splits (0-7, 6.79 at home; 2-0, 0.93 on the road). Colorado Rockies third baseman Ryan McMahon could also be intriguing.
– Detroit Tigers: The Tigers tipped their hand when they offered Alex Bregman a 6-year, $171.5 million free-agent contract last winter. If the Red Sox shop him, they’re all in again, still in need of a third baseman. The Tigers realize this is their chance to return to the World Series for the first time since 2012, and win it for the first time since 1984. They’ve got ace Tarik Skubal under control through only 2026 and need to take full advantage of having the finest pitcher in the game. Detroit love to add a strikeout pitcher in the bullpen.
– New York Yankees: The American League is wide open, and the Yankees are poised to take full advantage of the opportunity. They badly need a third baseman or a second baseman, and realize there’s 0% chance that the Red Sox answering their prayers by trading them Alex Bregman. They are keeping a close eye on Suarez and Kiner-Falefa, which would allow them to move Jazz Chisholm back to second base. They have Devin Williams and Luke Weaver at the back end of the bullpen, but would like to have one more arm. Their ultimate prize could be Alcantara, giving them a powerful rotation, particularly when Gerrit Cole returns next year.
– Los Angeles Dodgers: You don’t have their payroll and worry about cutting costs now. The Dodgers may have a stacked team, four future Hall of Famers in their lineup, and Shohei Ohtani, but they also have a few holes. They are seeking another outfielder with Michael Conforto’s struggles. They want another starter, and yes, Alcantara is the man they want. The Dodgers are always looking for bullpen help and would like another late-inning reliever like Rays closer Pete Fairbanks.
The Dodgers continue to be on the prowl, and Andrew Friedman, president of baseball operations, will do everything humanly possible to make sure this team is given every opportunity to become the first NL team to repeat as World Series champions since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds.
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