Tick, tock. The trade deadline clock ticks under two weeks as teams decide whether they want to buy, sell or a secret third option (be the Atlanta Braves). While no big moves have actually gone down yet, the groundwork for fireworks is being laid as we speak. Or at least some sparklers. Here's where things stand with a few potential deadline dominoes.
Braves bullpen could be on the trade market
The key word here, and most annoying word for Braves fans, is "could." As we know, the Braves have been stubborn with their stars and a big move is not expected from the team before the deadline. Even Chris Sale If there is going to be movement, it could be trading away bullpen arms, according to Thomas Harrigan of MLB.com:
"Pending free agents Ozuna, Iglesias and Rafael Montero are the most likely to go, though it’s possible the Braves could take advantage of the demand for relief pitching by making Johnson and Bummer available."
The reports coming out of Atlanta aren't likely to thrill Braves fans. This sounds more like a "We don't really want to trade guys, but we guess we will if we have to," approach from the front office. Be proactive! Go make something happen! Sitting around and waiting for other teams to call when you're 42-53 isn't how you should ever attack a deadline, no matter how confident you are in your "core."
Padres could try to revive Luis Robert Jr.
The trade market for the White Sox star (?) seems pretty much non-existent, and sadly for Robert Jr, it's not hard to see why. He's posting an OPS under .600 and a batting average under .200 (though he has stolen 22 bases!)
Maybe a long trip out to California will solve things for him. Who among us haven't thought that about ourselves? According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Padres are at least in the realm of a potential Luis Robert Jr. deal, should one go down:
"Perhaps a team such as the San Diego Padres would take Robert if the White Sox included a portion of his remaining salary, something the team has indicated a willingness to do."
It doesn't sound like Chicago has any interest in picking up Robert's team option in 2026, which would make him a free agent. And, again, that makes sense. But for a team like San Diego, who might not need Robert but could get him for a very, very small return and then have him under team control for the next two seasons if he shows anything the rest of 2025... why not?
Robert was an All-Star in 2023 and has played 179 games since then, so let's call it a "bad season" (plus a little more) and see if a change of scenery can unlock any of those All-Star capabilities again. Hopefully, Robert doesn't care about city walkability because going from Chicago to San Diego would be rough in that regard... but the "baseball" part of the move would be very positive.
Orioles could trade Charlie Morton, but probably not Trevor Rogers
The Charlie Morton renaissance continues, although it might not continue in Baltimore for much longer. After a brutal start to 2025, Morton has been rock solid since the end of May — good enough to likely get himself traded, says Rosenthal, who calls him an "attractive chip" and linked him to, unsurprisingly, the Boston Red Sox, who have been looking for pitching help since the offseason. Rosenthal noted manager Alex Cora and Morton knowing each other from their days with the 2017 Astros.
Trevor Rogers, the Orioles' other starter who's been rumored to be on the move, doesn't seem nearly as likely to be dealt in the next two weeks, and an extra year of club control (or maybe 14 years of age difference) seems to be the reason for that.
"The difference between Morton and Rogers is that Rogers is under club control for one more season. The Orioles plan to contend in 2026."
Right, sure, whatever you guys say. Maybe they will compete in 2026; there's still top end talent on the roster, after all. But if a team blows their doors down with a huge offer for Trevor Rogers (which doesn't seem so crazy considering how shallow the starting pitching pool is right now) would the O's really turn it down for the sake of hopefully competing next year? I'd hope not.