Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The MLB trade deadline has shifted this year, giving fans and teams three extra days to evaluate potential moves.
- The change addresses scheduling conflicts and better accommodates West Coast teams with a later end time.
- Several high-impact players are expected to change teams, with decisions that could dramatically alter playoff contenders.
Scrolling social media or tuning into the radio on July 31 was once a must for baseball fans. The end of July coincided with the annual MLB trade deadline, which always took place on the month’s final day.
However, things have changed, and this year’s MLB trade deadline is instead Monday, Aug. 3. Fans have three extra days to contemplate how their favorite team will either upgrade or let them down — or, in the case of Mets fans, to be reminded of just how quickly things have fallen apart.
Let’s quickly go through how, and why, the trade deadline process has changed.
Why is the MLB trade deadline no longer July 31?
For decades, Major League Baseball had two trade deadlines: the standard July 31 deadline, and then the Aug. 31 waiver trade deadline. However, the league abolished the latter in 2019, only two years after the Astros acquired then-Tigers ace Justin Verlander only minutes before the clock hit zero. Verlander played a pivotal role for the Astros’ 2017 championship team and stayed in Houston through 2022, winning two Cy Young Awards and another title.
MLB now has a singular deadline, which can officially take place between July 28 and Aug. 3. That said, common sense would suggest that the league prefers to have deadlines on or around Aug. 3 given how exciting the buildup is (and how much teams value the extra time). For what it’s worth, the league's website says that the commissioner’s office aims for the deadline not to overlap with games, making a Monday or Thursday the most likely option.
The other notable change is that the trade deadline now ends at 6 p.m. ET, two hours later than the longstanding 4 p.m. ET. Obviously, that makes things easier for the West Coast teams, though let’s not pretend they were likely getting much sleep during that stretch to begin with.
Who are the top players likely to be moved at the 2026 MLB trade deadline?
Trade deadline fever is at its best when there is a significant amount of hype and buzz ahead of the clock hitting zero. Here are some of the notable MLB players who change teams before the trade deadline:
- Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers: The two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner is a pending free agent for a mediocre Tigers team. Don’t be surprised to see the Dodgers or Yankees make a mad push for Skubal even when factoring in his contract status.
- Mason Miller, RP, San Diego Padres: Miller is a flamethrowing closer with several years of team control left, though the Padres are quickly showing their age. Financial commitments will likely limit their ability to start a traditional rebuild, but Miller should fetch a lofty price.
- Ketel Marte, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks: Marte recently scrubbed his Instagram page of any Diamondbacks-related content, even as they remain firmly in the NL Wild Card race.
- Freddy Peralta, SP, New York Mets: You can also throw Clay Holmes, Luke Weaver and Bo Bichette into the mix. Pretty much everything that could have gone wrong for the Mets has come to fruition, including Juan Soto getting hurt. At least the Giants have improved, and the Jets drafted Cade Klubnik.
- CJ Abrams, SS, Washington Nationals: Abrams was among the key pieces that Washington acquired from San Diego in the Soto trade, and he’s grown into an All-Star shortstop.
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