The MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks away now, so the countdown is officially on to one of the most exciting times of the year in baseball.
Very few teams have separated themselves from the pack this season, which has led to a relatively quiet summer on the trade front thus far. That being said, deadlines spur action, and it’s widely expected that things will indeed pick up in the coming weeks.
ESPN insider Jeff Passan recently updated his list of trade deadline candidates, and the top 25 saw no shortage of big names, including nine 2026 All-Stars. Those were Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan, Mason Miller, Shea Langeliers, Hunter Goodman, CJ Abrams, Luis Arraez, Willson Contreras, and Aroldis Chapman.
Not to mention the No. 1 player on the list, who would have surely been an All-Star had he not been injured for part of the season: Tarik Skubal.
“His future depends on whether the Tigers can muster a run at an American League playoff spot. Considering the hole they’ve dug themselves, they are far more likely than not to move Skubal — beyond their 4½-game deficit for the final wild card, they are behind six other teams — and they will squeeze every ounce of value out of the best pitcher in the world. He is the dream deadline candidate, the sort of ace who can carry a team in the postseason. Whoever lands Skubal will pay an enormous price. Happily,”
Francisco Lindor, Adley Rutschman, Kevin Gausman, Josh Hader, and Sandy Alcantara were among some of the other notables to crack the list of 25.
It’s far from certain that all of those names are on the move, especially the two Red Sox given they’re on a 14-game winning streak. That being said, even just a few of them getting dealt would create fireworks, shift the MLB landscape down the stretch, and have a major impact on the push for the postseason.
