Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- With the MLB trade deadline approaching, several contenders are preparing to make bold moves to boost their playoff chances.
- Two perennial powerhouses are reportedly ready to pursue high-impact players, aiming to address critical roster weaknesses.
- Other teams are also positioning themselves for upgrades, with some willing to trade valuable assets for immediate help.
The MLB trade deadline draws ever closer, and with less than two weeks to go between now and Aug. 3, the landscape is becoming clearer. Sure, there's still so much we don't know about which teams will be buying, which teams will be selling and which players will actually be on the move, but the latestMLB rumors offer hints as to which would-be contenders are ready to push their chips in on a World Series run.
Some of those contenders, like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees, aren't too surprising. Others might be, though. Here's all the freshest trade gossip from around the league.
Dodgers plan to go big — starting with a Tarik Skubal pursuit
On Friday morning, USA Today's Bob Nightengale released his ranking of the top five most aggressive buyers ahead of this year's deadline. No. 1 with a bullet? None other the Los Angeles Dodgers, who reportedly "plan to be greedy" as they seek to become the first team to three-peat since the New York Yankees from 1998-2000.
At the top of the two-time reigning champs' wish list? Tarik Skubal, of course, with Nightengale writing that "the Dodgers are all in" should the Tigers make the lefty available. That's very much still an open question, of course, as Detroit is just four games out of a playoff spot entering play on Friday. But no team can match the combination of MLB-ready pitching and top outfield prospects that the Tigers would figure to covet in any Skubal deal, and no front office can touch Andrew Friedman's trade deadline track record.
'Desperate' Yankees eying Ryan Jeffers, Mason Miller as top targets
No. 2 on Nightengale's list? The New York Yankees, who are battling to remain within striking distance in an increasingly competitive AL East with Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton still on the Injured List (with little idea of when they might return). New York did welcome Max Fried back to the rotation this week, but this remains a team in dire need of reinforcements both offensively and in the bullpen.
To that end, Nightengale reports that the Yankees "have their eyes" on Minnesota Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers and San Diego Padres closer Mason Miller. The former would be a dream fit as part of a platoon with the lefty Austin Wells, while Miller would dramatically lengthen a relief unit that feels short on reliable high-leverage options at the moment.
Another bat, whether an infielder or a righty-hitting outfielder, could also be in the cards, though top prospect George Lombard Jr.'s looming promotion from Triple-A figures to help there. But catcher and reliever are the two most pressing areas of need for New York, and they appear to be shopping at the top of the market. Whether Brian Cashman has the capital to get one or both deals done remains to be seen.
Red Sox ready to buy, view CJ Abrams and Shea Langeliers as perfect fits
Back in late June, the Red Sox were dead in the water at 32-46, a full 15.5 games out of first place in the AL East. A 20-3 stretch later, one that included a franchise record-tying 15-game winning streak, and Boston is now smack in the middle of the divisional race while in great shape for a Wild Card spot.
It's been a remarkable turnaround, and it understandably has Craig Breslow and Co. thinking very big ahead of the trade deadline. And while the Red Sox previously moribund offense has bounced back over the course of this recent hot streak, that's still the obvious area for upgrade. Per Nightengale, Boston "has its eyes on Angels shortstop Zach Neto or shortstop C.J. Abrams from the Washington Nationals. They also salivate over the idea of having Shea Langeliers behind the plate."
Either Neto or Abrams would be a dramatic upgrade over the current middle-infield situation while coming with multiple years of team control. Langeliers, meanwhile, is a power righty bat who would feast at Fenway Park and offer a dramatically higher offensive ceiling than the duo of Connor Wong and Carlos Narvaez.
Is this finally the year the Brewers get aggressive at the trade deadline?
It's not that Milwaukee has sat out recent trade deadlines. But while the team has largely ran the NL Central this decade, their always budget-conscious front office has been loath to really take a big swing.
- 2025: Andrew Vaughn, bullpen/bench depth
- 2024: Frankie Montas, Nick Mears
- 2023: Carlos Santana, Mark Canha, Andrew Chafin
- 2022: Traded Josh Hader for Taylor Rogers and prospects
- 2021: Eduardo Escobar, Rowdy Tellez, Daniel Norris, John Curtiss
After years worth of playoff heartbreaks, though, the Brewers could finally be setting their deadline sights a bit higher. Per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, Milwaukee brass is "prepared to adopt a more aggressive approach" than we've seen in years past, with both Skubal and Miller looming as potential targets. Trade ammo will not be the issue; the Brewers once again have among the deepest farm systems in the league, and while No. 1 overall prospect Jesus Made is likely off the table, that still leaves plenty of young players like Logan Henderson, Luis Peña, Luis Lara, Jett Williams, Josh Adamczewski and Andrew Fischer to deal from.
With Kyle Harrison, Brandon Woodruff and Quinn Priester all currently on the IL, the Brewers need to bolster their starting staff if they want to go toe-to-toe with the Dodgers come October. Milwaukee will always have one eye on a sustainable future, but you can only fail to break through when it counts for so long.
Mariners open to moving Emerson Hancock in search for more offense
The Mariners didn't make Nightengale's list of aggressive buyers, but given how disappointing they've been after coming within one game of the World Series last year, Seattle figures to look to shake things up in a serious way between now and Aug. 3. One possibility, per The Athletic: Dealing from pitching depth in order to add offense, with the Mariners reportedly considering flipping righty Emerson Hancock in exchange for a righty bat.
Seattle has struggled mightily against left-handed pitching all year, one of the biggest reasons why they've struggled to stack wins together so far this season. And while Seattle would no doubt love to offload Luis Castillo's contract instead, he doesn't seem to have much of a market at the moment amid a down 2026 campaign. Hancock, meanwhile, is making the minimum and is under team control through 2030. In the midst of a breakout year with a 3.16 ERA and 3.72 FIP, he could fetch a pretty nice return if made available — while still leaving the Mariners with a rotation fronted by Logan Gilbert, Bryan Woo, George Kirby and Bryce Miller (plus top prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, both tearing it up at Double-A).
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