7 big questions ahead of the MLB trade deadline: Will the Tigers and Red Sox sell? What will the Yankees and Dodgers do? And more
With the 2026 MLB Draft, Home Run Derby and All-Star Game just around the corner, all eyes will be on Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park over the next week. But let’s not forget: The MLB trade deadline is less than four weeks away on Aug. 3.
With so many teams in the middle of the pack, it’s difficult to know who will buy, who will sell and what will transpire over the next few weeks. Here are seven big questions as the trade deadline approaches.
Will the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox sell or not?
If you had asked six weeks ago what the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox were going to do at the trade deadline, almost anyone around the industry would’ve said they were heading toward being sellers. The Tigers had played really poorly in a weak AL Central, and worse, health was not on their side, particularly with the loss of ace Tarik Skubal for a month.
The Red Sox were in an even worse position, as their poor performance over the season’s first six weeks led to the firing of manager Alex Cora. And with injuries to AL Cy Young finalist Garrett Crochet and second-year outfielder Roman Anthony, things looked bleak in Boston.
But both the Tigers and Red Sox have looked like different teams of late. The Tigers have the best record in MLB since June 1, at 20-12, and the Red Sox have won their past six games and four of their past six series.
Neither team is out of the woods yet, and both rosters feature players that other contenders would love to acquire. But in a weak American League, it could be easy for these front offices to talk themselves into not selling.
If Skubal doesn’t get traded, who will be the best player available?
It’s no secret that Skubal is going to be a free agent at the end of this season. And for that reason, combined with the Tigers’ poor performance the first eight weeks, the expectation was that the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner would be moved before the deadline. But with the Tigers playing better lately, Skubal getting traded is hardly a sure thing.
If he stays in Detroit, who becomes the best player traded? Stars such as Byron Buxton and Yordan Álvarez are highly unlikely to be moved. But Joe Ryan, Eduardo Rodríguez, Sonny Gray, Michael Wacha and CJ Abrams are highly coveted around baseball, and if they’re made available, their clubs could receive strong returns.
Skubal has been the best pitcher in the sport the past two years, and there is no topping that if he’s not traded. But there are several All-Star talents around the league who could be available this summer, and it would behoove their teams to shop them.
Would the San Diego Padres trade closer Mason Miller?
This seems impossible, but let’s think it through.
When the Padres acquired Mason Miller at last year’s trade deadline, it was one of the biggest deadline blockbusters we’d seen in some time. Not only was San Diego acquiring the most dominant closer in the sport, but the Padres also gave up the highest-rated prospect in baseball at the time in Leo DeVries.
Since that trade, things have not gone well for the Padres. They stumbled out of the gate offensively, with nearly all of their star players underperforming. They’ve been unable to get consistent performances from their starting pitching. And after San Diego was a real threat in the NL West the past few seasons, the Dodgers are running away with things this time.
San Diego has used a lot of prospect capitol and spent plenty of money to compete over the past few years. But while president of baseball operations AJ Preller is always looking to swing big and make a deal, his team has lost seven of its past 11 series and has not looked like a playoff team for most of this season.
Miller is undoubtedly the best closer in baseball and has only solidified that this season, going 2-1 with a minuscule 0.96 ERA and 23 saves. The Padres’ closer could fetch San Diego a haul, but would they move him after giving up so much to acquire him just last year? It seems unlikely, but if San Diego continues to fall back in the playoff race, it’s worth considering.
Which team(s) in the wild-card race will decide to take advantage of a sellers’ market?
The theme of the MLB season’s first half has been parity. The American League is extremely mediocre, and that’s putting it kindly. Seven teams not currently in playoff position are within five games of an AL wild card, behind the Yankees, Guardians and Rangers who each currently hold a spot.
The competition is better in the National League, but there isn’t a ton of separation on that side, either. Five teams not currently in playoff position are within 5.5 games of a wild card, behind the Cubs, Phillies and Marlins.
With so many teams within striking distance of a playoff spot, this creates an opportunity for a team (or teams) to take advantage if they decide to be one of this summer’s few sellers. It’ll likely mean waving the white flag on contention this season, but in what will be a sellers’ market, being opportunistic at this trade deadline could lead to a huge windfall for a team’s short-term and long-term future.
Will any team finally seize control of the AL West?
If there’s a division that personifies the struggles of the American League as a whole, it’s the AL West. Entering play Thursday, the division-leading Seattle Mariners are the only AL West team currently over .500, and even they’ve struggled to maintain that throughout the first half. Following Seattle’s incredible 2025 season, they haven’t shown that they’ll be able to fend off the Astros and Rangers this year, as both are within two games of the division lead.
In an underperforming and very winnable AL West, it might take only 85 wins to get across the finish line, meaning just one big move could help a team surge ahead and take control of the division. Who’s it going to be?
What big move will the Yankees make?
It has been a tale of two first halves for the New York Yankees. When the season began, the Bronx Bombers looked like the class of the American League, dominating the AL East and showing the league as a whole that they were going to be a force to be reckoned with in 2026.
But when it comes to the Yankees’ success or failure, things usually come down to the health and performance of their captain, Aaron Judge. Judge has been out of the Yankees’ lineup since May 31, dealing with a stress fracture in his right rib, and New York has really felt his absence.
Since June 1, the Yankees have struggled, going 15-19 and losing their division lead to the Tampa Bay Rays. Their offense has unsurprisingly faltered without Judge, ranking last in MLB in batting average (.217) and 25th in runs scored (131) over that span. The Yankees also have a significant need behind the plate, as starting catcher Austin Wells has struggled mightily. With no timeline yet for Judge’s return and Giancarlo Stanton’s recent setback in his rehab from a right calf strain, the Yankees are in need of some firepower.
General manager Brian Cashman and Co. didn’t do much to change the roster this past offseason, believing that when healthy, their squad is as good as anybody. That might be true, but unfortunately, health has once again been a problem for this team, and they’re going to have to do something about it at the deadline.
How will the Dodgers make a push for a third straight World Series title?
If there’s one thing that’s true about Andrew Friedman since he became the Dodgers’ president of baseball operations, it’s that he’s going to do whatever he can to get his team to the World Series. This season, L.A.'s roster is as strong as ever, headlined by a lineup featuring Shohei Ohtani, Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, who has gotten hot in recent weeks.
That’s not to mention the players currently on the Dodgers’ injured list whom they expect back soon after the All-Star break. That list includes Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Edwin Díaz, all of whom would represent massive second-half acquisitions for any team.
Even so, Friedman and the Dodgers have shown a willingness to make any move at any time. And with one of the best farm systems in the game, they have the ammo to pull off any trade, even one for a player such as Skubal. What will they do this time?
