The right trade can be the difference between a disappointing season and a World Series championship or between treading water and rebuilding, making July’s trade deadline vital for teams playing for now or later.
The 2025 MLB trade deadline is Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, with plenty of talk and transactions taking place beforehand.
We’re keeping you updated with the latest buzz and reports around the league.
Pittsburgh desperately needs to acquire fresh faces on offense and clear some payroll to sign free-agent hitters in the offseason, and trading Keller is a great option, but the Pirates reportedly don’t have a solid game plan on whether they want to move him, according to The Athletic. Moving Keller would clear his salaries of $16.5 million, $18 million and $20 million over the next three seasons. The ultimate decision belongs to general manager Ben Cherington.
The right offer for Keller would tempt the Pirates, but some sources inside the organization believe the best way to win with ace Paul Skenes is to keep some of their core pieces, per The Athletic’s reporting.
The Yankees are acquiring All-Star third baseman McMahon from the Rockies, according to multiple reports. The Rockies will receive pitching prospects Griffin Herring and Josh Grosz.
The Mets are adding two-time All-Star LHP Soto from the O’s, according to multiple reports. Baltimore will get two minor-league prospects — RHPs Wellington Aracena and Cameron Foster.
The Mariners are acquiring first baseman Naylor from the D-backs in exchange for LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi, according to multiple reports.
The Reds have now joined the long list of potential Suárez trade destinations, per The Athletic. The Reds traded Suárez to the Mariners before the 2022 season after he’d spent seven years in Cincinnati, following a season in which he’d hit .198. He has hit .243/.325/.466 with 119 homers since then, and while he struggled at the start of 2024, he has hit .279/.339/.604 with 60 home runs over his past 173 games dating back to July 2 of that year.
The Cubs are reportedly “one of the teams most actively monitoring” Clase, joining the Dodgers and the Phillies as teams looking to add the Guardians closer. Complicating matters for any of those three clubs is Cleveland’s recent performance. Whether Clase is truly available might come down to how the Guardians play over the next week.
Clase has not performed at anywhere near the level he did in 2024 (0.69 ERA), but he has logged 23 saves and has a 2.74 ERA in 46 innings in 2025. He’s also under contract through 2026, with team options for 2027 and 2028, making him a valuable trade chip the Guardians don’t have to move on from unless they want to.
The Padres are interested in acquiring Alcántara, per The Athletic, but there’s a complication: the team’s budget. Picking up Alcántara would likely require successfully dealing Dylan Cease, whom the Padres are reportedly trying to move. While both Cease and Alcántara have disappointed, they’re also both change-of-scenery candidates, and Alcántara is under contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027, whereas Cease is a pending free agent.
Steven Kwan draws interest from contenders
Whether the Guardians will make Kwan available before the deadline is unknown, but that isn’t stopping teams from trying to pry him loose. Both the Phillies and the Padres have reportedly asked Cleveland about Kwan. The Guardians are at least listening to offers, but “it would have to be quite the compelling offer” for them to actually deal the outfielder, who is arbitration-eligible in 2026 and 2027 and making just $4.175 million in 2025.
The Cardinals are in a wait-and-see state before the trade deadline, with president of baseball operations John Mozeliak stating that their decisions before it have a lot to do with where they stand in the NL Central. As part of their preparation for potentially selling attractive pieces to contenders, the Cardinals will reportedly have to discuss the no-trade clauses of players like Arenado in order to get a feel of where he would be willing to accept a deal.
It’s not just Arenado, who declined an offseason trade to the Houston Astros before this season, as Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray and Miles Milokas also have no-trade clauses. Contreras and Gray have expressed a desire to stay in St. Louis as they build toward their next contender, per Mozeliak. Arenado, however, had already stated his desire to be dealt to a contending team over the offseason, which is how the scuttled Astros trade came to be in the first place.
Mets aiming to upgrade bullpen
According to David Stearns, the Mets’ president of baseball operations, the team will use the trade deadline to upgrade their bullpen, with additions elsewhere on the roster unlikely, per ESPN. Not only are the Mets open to dealing minor-league players to improve their relief corps, but they’re willing to swap out some of their young infield depth as needed, a group that include Luisangel Acuña, Brett Baty, Ronny Mauricio and Mark Vientos.
Stearns kept the Mets’ negotiating leverage in place by saying that they’d call up top starting pitching prospects to be used as relievers down the stretch if they’re unable to make the necessary deals.
It’s not that the Red Sox are actively attempting to trade outfielder Duran, so much as that he’s the piece they’re most likely to move in order to upgrade in a position of need, per The Athletic. And with Wilyer Abreu, Ceddanne Rafaela and Roman Anthony also in the lineup, the outfield is no longer a position of need for Boston. The Padres and the Phillies are both reportedly in on Duran, with the Mariners also a possibility.
Cleveland is “listening” to trade offers for its relievers, including Clase and Smith, per the New York Post. This season, Clase, a three-time All-Star who led the American League in saves in each of the past three seasons, boasts a 2.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and posted 44 strikeouts in 44 innings pitched. He’s 21 of 25 in save opportunities. Smith, who recorded a 1.91 ERA in his 2024 rookie campaign, boasts a 3.07 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and posted 61 strikeouts in 41 innings pitched. He’s three of five in save opportunities. Clase is under contract through 2028, while Smith is through 2029.
There is growing interest surrounding left-hander Matz as the trade deadline inches closer, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The 34-year-old Matz is in the final season of a four-year contract worth $44 million. By the time deadline day rolls around, he’ll have about $3.8 million left on that contract. The Cardinals would also likely be open to offers on right-hander Phil Maton but would need an excellent offer to trade closer Ryan Helsley, per the report.
Orioles could move on from veteran players
After back-to-back playoff appearances, the Orioles are currently sitting in last place in the AL East before going into the second half of the season. You can place the blame anywhere on the O’s disappointing season from an early-season manager dismissal to past All-Stars not playing up to their level or pitching struggles. With a struggling season, the O’s could be moving on from some pieces. Left-hander Trevor Rodgers could be one of those pieces that could be on the move. A surging season after being recalled has increased his interest. Other veteran pitchers like 41-year-old Charlie Morton, Zach Eflin, Seranthony Domínguez and Gregory Soto are also on the market. Veteran outfielders Cedric Mullins and Ryan O’Hearn are pieces that could be moved from the deadline as well.
Diamondbacks have many players up for grabs
Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Josh Naylor and even All-Star Eugenio Suárez all up for grabs, according to USA Today. The Seattle Mariners reportedly already tried to reunite with Suárez in November and would be interested in trying again.
The White Sox have heard from eight different teams about Robert, per the New York Post. There’s a belief that he’d improve were he to get out of Chicago, where he has struggled just as much as the team has over the past two years. Robert has $20 million club options for both 2026 and 2027, with $2 million buyouts, a hurdle to overcome in any deal.
Diamondbacks open to dealing outfielder
The Diamondbacks are listening to offers on their outfielders, according to the New York Post. While star Corbin Carroll is not among those, Alek Thomas, Jake McCarthy, Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Randal Grichuk have come up in conversations with other teams.
Phillies looking to add bullpen help
The Phillies reportedly want to fill a hole in their bullpen with a late-inning closer amid Jose Alvarado‘s 80-game suspension, per The Athletic. Alvarado will also be ineligible in the postseason. The Phillies are open to trading some of their top prospects to acquire a closer under team control or another right-handed batter. They have kept an eye on the Minnesota Twins, who could be possible sellers at the deadline. A pair of Twins relievers, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, are high on the Phillies’ radar.
Yankees targeting pitching
Yankees senior vice president and general manager Brian Cashman made clear what the team seeks to add before the trade deadline. “Whether it’s bullpen guys or starting pitchers, it’s just all of it,” Cashman said, according to ESPN. “That’s the area. We have people that are capable, but I think it also needs to get some help. And if I can do so, great. But again, there’s no guarantees. We’re going to be fully engaged and see where it takes us. Hopefully, we can run into some opportunities that can benefit us.”
The struggling Pirates are obvious sellers at the trade deadline, and there are only two players they won’t offload — young star pitcher Skenes and veteran, franchise-icon outfielder McCutchen — and each for completely different reasons. The Pirates are maintaining Skenes is the cornerstone of their future, while McCutchen doesn’t want to be traded out of Pittsburgh, and the team is respecting his wishes.
Cubs eyeing a pair of Marlins right-handers
Chicago has expressed interest in acquiring Miami right-handers Sandy Alcántara and Edward Cabrera, among other starting pitchers, according to The Athletic. Alcántara, the 2022 National League Cy Young Award winner, is having a rough season in what’s his first one back from Tommy John surgery. Alcántara is under contract through 2027, while Cabrera is under contract through 2028.
Phillies president speaks on bullpen
If one were to pinpoint a weakness for Philadelphia, it’s the bullpen. However, Phillies president Dave Dombrowski offered up his perspective on how the team can improve its bullpen internally.
“The postseason bullpen is a lot different than the regular-season bullpen because in the NL this year, if you advance past the wild-card round … you play five games [in the next round, the NLDS],” Dombrowksi mentioned, according to The Athletic. “Nicely, the way in which the schedule is [with an extra off day], you solely want three beginning pitchers throughout that point interval. So in case you have 5 [starters], two of them can go into the bullpen as it’s there. Plus, in case you have extra [surplus starters], they’ll go into the bullpen there.”
That mentioned, Dombrowski conceded {that a} workforce cannot get complacent with its standing. “You might quit a bit bit greater than you’d wish to in different circumstances, however that chance [to win it all] doesn’t at all times come,” he added. “And I at all times inform individuals: Don’t take it with no consideration if you’re able the place you’re in it, yr in and yr out.”
Atlanta Braves president Alex Anthopoulos expressed that there is “zero” likelihood Sale will probably be traded regardless of the workforce’s 33-39 begin, according to MLB.com. Throughout his first 15 begins this season, Sale boasts a 2.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 114 strikeouts throughout 89.1 innings. Sale, who received the 2024 NL Cy Younger Award, is within the first season of a two-year, $38 million take care of the Braves.
Hill will stick with the Kansas City Royals previous his June 15 opt-out clause. Nevertheless, ought to the 45-year-old not but attain Kansas Metropolis’s big-league membership and one other MLB workforce is keen to supply the left-hander an MLB roster spot, the Royals “is not going to stand in his method,” according to FanSided. Hill signed a minor-league contract with the Royals in Might and appeared in 4 video games for the Boston Red Sox final season.
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