Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several teams could make surprise moves before the trade deadline as pennant races remain wide-open.
- Disappointing starts from big-market teams like the Mets and Red Sox could lead to significant player movement.
- Each potential trade target addresses specific needs for contenders looking to upgrade their rosters before July.
Is it a bit premature to start talking trade deadline destinations in the middle of May? Of course it is. Will that stop us from doing it anyway? Of course not.
After all, if you're a fan of a would-be contender, it's ever too early to start looking ahead to what your team needs to get over the hump — and how it might acquire it. That's especially true this year, when both pennant races feel as wide-open as they have in quite some time. And with disappointing starts from big-market behemoths like the Mets, Red Sox and others, there could be some huge names moving around the league. Here are some dark-horse destinations to look out for with the top trade assets potentially on the market.
RHP Freddy Peralta: Los Angeles Dodgers
Would the New York Mets simply refuse to deal with the Dodgers no matter the price, and no matter how far back they remain in the NL East come deadline season? Quite possibly. But David Stearns is nothing if not pragmatic, and we've seen Los Angeles go above and beyond to get the guy they want for the stretch run.
Why shouldn't that be Peralta? The Dodgers will no doubt look to also address their bullpen at the deadline, but right now the only members of this rotation with legitimate postseason bonafides are Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell (just returned from a shoulder issue), Tyler Glasnow (lengthy injury history) and Shohei Ohtani (hasn't pitched a full season since 2022). What are the odds that all four make it to October healthy and ready to go six or seven innings a night? L.A. was in on Peralta during trade talks last winter, and we know they have the prospect capital to get a deal done.
RHP Joe Ryan: St. Louis Cardinals
At what point do we start taking this Cardinals team seriously? Even if they don't manage to keep pace with the Cubs atop the NL Central, I don't really see a reason why they can't take one of the Wild Card spots given just how wide-open the National League race is right now. And that would be especially true if they added one no-doubt, frontline arm — someone like Ryan, who appears to have put his elbow scare behind him and whose fly ball-heavy approach would make him a great fit for Busch Stadium.
It feels like this would be the time for Minnesota to finally move on from Ryan, who has one more year of team control remaining beyond this one. That would add to the appeal for an up-and-coming St. Louis squad, which is now ahead of schedule but doesn't want to completely mortgage the future. This Cardinals team needs arms in the wake of injuries to a slew of their homegrown prospects, and this offense deserves a real chance to compete.
INF CJ Abrams: Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays making a major splash at the deadline? Hey, never say never; this is the same team that sniffed around runs at guys like Freddie Freeman and Kyle Tucker in free agency in years past. They have the prospect capital to compete with just about anybody in trade talks, and if they're ever going to make a push, it would be in a year in which the AL is there for the taking and they're already out to the best record in the league.
It would also be for a player like Abrams, who's in his first year of arbitration and has two more cost-controlled years remaining before hitting free agency. Tampa is in desperate need of some more offense from its middle-infield spots. I'm just saying, don't count it out.
RHP Jhoan Duran: New York Yankees
Granted, this is no sure thing. The Phillies have been playing a bit better of late, and you know that Dave Dombrowski will always look to buy if he has the faintest excuse. Still, how much of this recent run of form is simply a byproduct of a soft spot in the schedule? Philly still has a ton of questions to answer, especially offensively — if they remain stuck below .500 come July, Duran seems like an ideal candidate to get dealt.
He's admittedly awesome, but he's also a reliever, and he just so happens to be the biggest trade chip that the Phillies have to play. If it comes time to retool for the future, is it really worth hanging on to a closer who will be a free agent after the 2027 season? We know that the Yankees were interested in prying the righty from the Twins before Philly swooped in at last year's deadline, and they're very much in need of some more high-octane stuff at the back of their bullpen.
RHP Sandy Alcantara: Athletics
The A's remain, improbably, atop the AL West — and the longer this goes, the more realistic it becomes that a team owned by John Fisher might actually buy at the deadline. Pitching is the clear need, and Alcantara is a perfect fit for their tiny home park given his ability to keep the ball on the ground. Miami has resisted offers for the righty for 24 months or so now, but he has just a team option for 2027 remaining on his current contract; sooner or later, the Marlins are going to pull the trigger.
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