The 2026 trade deadline is barely more than six weeks away. The and hooked up for a minor trade this past week ( for ) and a few more minor swaps figure to trickle in between now and the All-Star break, which begins July 10. The biggest, most impactful trades will come after the July 11-12 amateur draft. Front offices are focused on the draft right now.
and here are the latest deadline rumors.
Barring a turnaround that, frankly, would be surprising, the are likely to trade reigning two-time Cy Young winner at the Aug. 3 deadline. According to the , Detroit will seek “controllable pitching and athletic position players close to big league-ready” in any trade. Pitching figures to be a must-have in a Skubal trade given the state of the team’s staff.
Skubal will be a free agent after the season and the Tigers can expect one elite prospect and 2-3 lesser prospects in a deal. , , and top prospect give Detroit a strong foundation of position players. An MLB-ready starter and a power bat (first base?) figure to be central pieces in any Skubal trade.
Although bullpen help is the No. 1 priority, the want to add a righty-hitting catcher at the deadline, reports . Starter and backup both hit left-handed, which has led to some clunky lineups and platoon disadvantages. Wells is currently on the injured list with a neck issue. Righty-hitting is sharing time behind the plate with Escarra.
(), a free agent after the season, would be an ideal pickup for the Yankees, though Jeffers is currently recovering from hamate surgery and is weeks away from returning. Others like (Tigers) and () could be lower-cost trade targets. Wells has not hit much this year, but he is a top-flight defender, and the Yankees may not want to fully displace him as their starter.
The are getting calls about lefty starter , according to . Detmers, 27 next month, is quietly having a terrific season. He ranks fourth among all pitchers with 2.8 WAR, and the gap between his expected ERA (2.77) and actual ERA (3.68) suggests he’s been the victim of the Angels’ shoddy defense. Detmers’ best days may be ahead of him.
At 30-47, the Angels have baseball’s second-worst record, . They should sell at the trade deadline, but the Halos don’t always do what’s logical. Detmers is under team control through 2028 and would net a significant return if the Angels do actually make him available. It is no surprise they’re already getting calls about him.
D-backs GM Mike Hazen said he is “planning on buying” at the trade deadline during a recent appearance on the . Arizona has won five of its last seven games and is only a half-game out of a wild card spot at 39-36. is playing like an MVP and and are a very strong supporting cast.
Pitching, both starters and relievers, figures to be the priority for Hazen at the deadline. recently suffered a setback in his Tommy John surgery rehab, just went down a flexor injury, and will have an MRI on his hip Saturday after exiting Friday’s start after one inning.
Rotation help will be the No. 1 priority, though bullpen help wouldn’t hurt either.
