The summer solstice has come and gone, and we're now just a little over a month away from the MLB trade deadline. There's no longer time for those early-season excuses; it's time to to make tough decisions, to decide whether you want to push all your chips to the middle for a run at the World Series or sell and wait 'til next year.
And the way this season is shaping up, that decision could be harder than ever. The third Wild Card spot has drastically changed the postseason calculus, and as things stand entering play on Sunday, precious few teams — really, just the Chicago White Sox, Athletics, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies — aren't in a position to tell themselves that a playoff spot is within reach.
What does that mean for the rest of the league? How will a seller's market shake out come July? Which teams are bluffing, and which teams are buying? Here are all the news and rumors we're hearing around the MLB trade deadline on Sunday, June 22.
For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, subscribe to The Moonshot, our weekly MLB newsletter, and join the discord to get the inside scoop during the MLB season.
Cardinals starters aren't going anywhere at the trade deadline
One of those teams in the Great Middle? The St. Louis Cardinals, who, along with the Milwaukee Brewers, find themselves one game back of the San Francisco Giants for the third and final NL Wild Card spot. This was supposed to be a reset year, a chance for the organization to shift priorities ahead of Chaim Bloom assuming control of the front office. Now, though, it seems like no one's willing to break up the party just yet.
Just a few months ago, trade rumors were swirling around veteran starters like Sonny Gray, Miles Mikolas and Erick Fedde. But with St. Louis in the mix for a playoff spot, USA Today's Bob Nightengale reports that neither Gray nor Mikolas have much interest in waiving their no-trade clauses. Both seem to be perfectly happy with the Cardinals, and as long as they're in the Wild Card hunt, there's not much reason for them to facilitate a deal — and there's not much reason to think St. Louis was interested in moving either player barring a collapse over the next few weeks.
What this does mean, however, is that the market for starting pitching just got even thinner. There were already precious few options available, and if the Cardinals and Arizona Diamondbacks decide to hold on to their veterans, good luck to any team looking to upgrade its rotation this summer.
Yankees have their eye on a controversial infield reunion
One of those teams could well be the New York Yankees, with Luis Gil still a question mark and Ryan Yarbrough now on the IL due to an oblique injury. But while pitching is a priority, New York has a bigger fish to fry at the deadline: namely its infield situation, with neither DJ LeMahieu and Oswald Peraza looking like permanent answers alongside Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr.
Again, though, options are slim, and that could lead the Yankees to a reunion that fans will likely have mixed feelings about. According to Nightengale, New York is "keeping a close eye" on Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa, one of several Pittsburgh veterans who figures to be available. On the one hand, IKF would be a welcome addition, an athletic player with defensive versatility and another option against left-handed pitching. On the other, his previous stint with the Yankees was a disaster: Kiner-Falefa hit just .253/.311/.333 amid near-constant calls for his benching.
Then again, if the D-backs aren't selling Eugenio Suarez at the deadline, it's unclear how New York could find somebody better.
Will the D-backs buy or sell?
Speaking of which! There might not be a more fascinating or important team to monitor over the next few weeks than the D-backs — who have the talent to make a Wild Card push but are also buried in fourth place in a tough division and could immediately control the trade market if they did decide to sell.
Suarez is one of those pieces, along with first baseman Josh Naylor and pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. All of them would be at or near the top of their respective position lists if made available, and as Nightengale points out, injuries to top relievers AJ Puk and Justin Martinez (not to mention losing Corbin Burnes) could convince GM Mike Hazen to pull the plug. Then again, the team has won three in a row and enters Sunday just 2.5 games back of the third and final Wild Card spot. Is that worth a push? Or, with Burnes, Puk and Martinez out and Gallen, Kelly, Naylor and Suarez all pending free agents, is Arizona better off planning for 2026 with what will still be a talented core?
Mets could dip into their pitching depth to make moves
Pitching has been the story for the New York Mets this season, and pitching could be the thing that helps David Stearns patch some holes at the deadline ahead of what should be a frantic push for the NL East crown. With Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea soon to return to supplement Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and the gang, New York has as many options as any team in the league, and the story on the farm is much the same.
According to a recent report from The Athletic, the Mets "possess enough attractive arms in their farm system to supplement their roster without dealing their top pitching prospects," citing attractive names like Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean, Jonah Tong, Jonathan Santucci, Blade Tidwell and Nate Dohm.
How might Stearns use those arms in a trade? New York could use another outfielder, preferably one who can play center, and every team could always use more bullpen depth. And don't be surprised if the team tries to take a run at someone like Sandy Alcantara; while the Mets have enviable rotation depth, they're missing a true ace at the top.
White Sox willing to give a little in Luis Robert Jr. trade talks
Much like starting pitching, the position-player market is shaping up to be short on real star power as things stand. The White Sox have the chance to change that, depending on how you view the five-tool potential of outfielder Luis Robert Jr. Robert is slumping through another brutal year at the plate, with his 38-homer/20-steal campaign from 2023 becoming more and more distant in the rearview mirror. Still, not many players with that upside figure to be available at the deadline, and after months of maintaining a hard line in trade talks, GM Chris Getz now appears willing to budge a bit.
According to The Athletic, Chicago is "open to including cash" in deals for either Robert or fellow outfielder Andrew Benintendi. Benintendi's contract might be fully underwater at this point, given that he can't play center field and doesn't offer much value beyond his league-average bat; $16.5 million this year, $16.5 next year and $14.5 million in 2027 is a very tough sell for that sort of player. But Robert, who holds $20 million options for 2026 and 2027, is a more well-rounded player still smack in his prime. If the White Sox are willing to pay off a little of that money, it's not hard to see a team thinking that he's worth the risk to see if a change of scenery will help him recapture his prior form.