Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- With the All-Star break approaching, several MLB teams face critical decisions about their playoff chances and trade strategies.
- One executive faces mounting pressure despite having multiple years remaining on his contract, while another star player has repeatedly expressed his desire to stay with his current team.
- A key pitcher for a rebuilding team remains off the trade block, signaling the franchise's hope to compete again within two seasons.
With less than three weeks to go until the All-Star break, MLB executives are getting down to brass tacks. The time for patience has come and gone; it's now the moment to take a long, hard look in the mirror and decide just how good you think you can be this season. And for some of this year's biggest disappointments, they might not like the answer.
Teams like the New York Mets, San Francisco Giants and Minnesota Twins figure to be clear sellers at this year's trade deadline. But what will that process actually look like? Will star names like Byron Buxton and Logan Webb actually be available? We've got that and more in the latest MLB rumor roundup.
MLB Rumors: David Stearns likely safe despite Mets' disastrous 2026
- Stearns has New York trending toward a second straight season without a playoff berth despite the league's largest payroll
- Still, Steve Cohen spent two years luring him from the Brewers — and with a contract that runs through 2028, moving on at the end of this season isn't likely
Every time it seems like the Mets have found rock bottom this season, they manage to dig a little deeper. The latest indignity? A doubleheader sweep at the hands of the Cubs on Wednesday, including a whopping six errors in the nightcap. The crowd at Citi Field started openly chanting "Pete Alonso!"; things are bad.
And yet, despite the rancid vibes, David Stearns' job doesn't appear to be in jeopardy any time soon. That's at least according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, who wrote Thursday that "it would be an upset" if owner Steve Cohen makes a change at the top before 2027 at the earliest.
A second straight year missing the playoffs would be a disastrous turn of events, especially after Stearns led New York to the NLCS in his first year at the helm. But he was Cohen's white whale, the man he spent years luring from Milwaukee, and few teams have had more executive upheaval over the last decade-plus than the Mets. Is Cohen really willing to get the cycle churning yet again after two bad years? Or will he give Stearns, whose contract runs through 2028, one more shot before making a decision ahead of the final year of his deal next winter?
MLB Rumors: Twins once again shoot down Byron Buxton trade
- Buxton trade rumors are once again swirling, but he has a full no-trade clause and has only ever reiterated his desire to remain in Minnesota
- The Twins' long-term vision could cause him to shift that stance, but for now the Twins have shown no interest in moving their center fielder
Given the dearth of righty outfielders in this trade market — heck, the dearth of impact position players generally, if Houston and Washington hold on to Jeremy Peña and CJ Abrams, respectively — the Twins have reason to expect a haul if they actually moved on from Byron Buxton this summer. But teams like the Philadelphia Phillies shouldn't get their hopes up: Not only has Buxton repeatedly insisted that he has no interest in waiving his full no-trade clause, but Minnesota GM Jeremy Zoll told reporters in no uncertain terms this week that "we have no plans to trade Byron Buxton".
Alright then! Buxton, too, seems committed to the team that drafted him and stuck with him through all of his injuries. "I ain't said nothing about leaving, nor will I," he said. "I'm a Twin." I'd say that this should put the matter to rest, but who am I kidding: This sort of speculation will never stop, at least not as long as Buxton keeps hitting at an All-Star level and Minnesota remains in ownership purgatory. For now, though, this seems like a non-story.
MLB Rumors: Logan Webb trade not on the Giants' deadline to-do list
- San Francisco is trending toward a full reset this summer as a bloated payroll has resulted in a fourth-place team
- With a contract that runs through 2028, Webb was whispered about as a potential trade candidate — but Buster Posey told reporters otherwise
Elsewhere in potential sellers and their foundational stars: While San Francisco's focus this deadline season is getting out from under one or ideally more of their big veteran contracts — from Rafael Devers to Willy Adames to Matt Chapman — attention has also turned to stalwart righty Logan Webb, who has two more years on his team-friendly contract after this one. The Giants don't feel likely to be competitive at any point over that period, but Buster Posey shot down any notion that the team is considering trading its ace, giving a straight "no" when asked by the San Francisco Standard.
And really, there's no reason to pull that lever just yet. Posey still harbors hopes of getting this team relevant in 2027, and while that may sound far-fetched right now, crazier things have happened. Plus, Webb has struggled a bit this season, so why sell low when you'll have ample opportunity to shop him next year and beyond?
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