The trade deadline in Major League Baseball is now just one week away, as it is set for Monday, Aug. 3. Some jockeying still needs to be done by then, of course, as the overwhelming majority of teams are still technically in the playoff race. On that front, we’ll see some action this week, but much of the maneuvering will happen next Monday.
In the meantime, let’s get to the rumors from today.
We aren’t even sure if the Tigers are sellers or not, given that they enter Monday 3 ½ games out of a playoff spot. If they do end up as sellers, two-time Cy Young winner will be the big deadline prize. The two-time defending-champion , at least for now, aren’t expected to pursue Skubal should he become available. Per the :
With a week to go before the trade deadline on Aug. 3, the don’t appear to be moving toward a trade for Skubal, according to people with knowledge of the situation not authorized to speak publicly.
Things can change, obviously. The Dodgers are always lurking with their deep pockets and fruitful farm system. Even if they don’t necessarily need starting pitching, the move here would be to prevent other teams from getting the ace lefty.
Also, keep in mind that and are injured and has been shut down from pitching indefinitely. The hunch here is, if Skubal becomes available, the Dodgers are lying in the proverbial weeds.
general manager Dana Brown continues to make it clear that the Astros are planning to buy in the hopes of making the playoffs in the final year of his contract.
“The division is wide open,” he said (via ). “The wild card is wide open. There’s some parity there. There’s a lot of teams bunched up,” Brown said on the Astros pregame radio show Sunday. “I think the team that gets hot is going to be the team that takes the run. We would anticipate that we’re going to be buyers.”
The Astros are two games out in the AL West and from the third American League wild-card race.
As for what the Astros would like to add, a big bat in the outfield appears to be the priority.
“We’re looking for some type of offensive bat that can play the outfield,” Brown said. “If it’s a left-handed bat, great, but any type of offensive upgrade that can help lengthen the lineup would be our focus.”
The are only one game away from the last National League wild-card spot right now, but the organization is in the midst of a retooling and has shown a willingness to deal from the big-league club. Lefty All-Star (12-2, 2.76) is on a one-year deal and, accordingly, is drawing a ton of interest.
The and both had a scout watching Griffin in his start on Saturday, per . The big takeaway here isn’t necessarily that those teams are hotter on Griffin than others, but instead that he’s a major trade chip here .
The expectation should be that every contender looking for starting pitching will be involved.
The will be one of the biggest sellers at the deadline this season, and their lineup boasts a number of players set to hit free agency after this season. As for players under control past 2026, president of baseball operations David Stearns will set a high bar on any return in order to make a deal, according to the . He’s open to moving such players, as long as the price is met.
Mets players hitting free agency after this season: Jr. (team option for next season), (player option), , , ,
Mets players controlled through 2027: , , Huascar Brazobán
Needless to say, we’ll be talking about the Mets a lot this coming week, regarding the trade market.
The pitching-needy made their situation even starker on Monday when they designated right-handed starter for assignment.
Taillon, 34, has been a fixture in the Cubs’ rotation the last four years. He’s in the final year of his four-year, $68 million pact with the club. He’s only been off the injured list for two starts but has been hit really hard, allowing 11 runs on 11 hits in 8 ⅓ innings, including five home runs (the big blow on Sunday was a grand slam).
This is notable in front of the trade deadline as the Cubs were already looking for starting pitching. is out for the season and continues his lengthy rehab from Tommy John surgery. is out indefinitely and is slated to return around the second week of August. That leaves , , and in the rotation. The odds are joins the rotation until Cabrera is back, but long-term, the Cubs would surely love to replace at least the Rea spot and move him to long relief. Peterson’s spot could be up for grabs, too. If they can hang on, a possible playoff rotation would be Boyd, Imanaga and, the Cubs will hope, Cabrera.
Bad timing here. The have placed utility power hitter on the 10-day injured list due to a right wrist sprain. He’ll be in a splint for the next two weeks and then re-evaluated, but surgery is not part of the plan, Steer told reporters on Monday. The expectation was that Steer would be on the move here in front of the deadline (and president of baseball operations Nick Krall ), so the wrist injury complicates things. Keep in mind, though, that it isn’t unheard of for an injured player to be traded. The Dodgers added in 2024, for example, and he didn’t return until Aug. 19 that season before being a regular starter in the playoffs en route to a World Series title.
Steer, 28, is hitting .238/.319/.421 (101 OPS+) with 16 home runs this season. He’s under team control through 2028.
The have acquired right-handed pitcher José Urquidy, the team announced late Sunday.
Once a productive starter, Urquidy posted an 8.53 ERA in 6 ⅓ innings for the earlier this season and a 7.71 ERA in 2 ⅓ innings last season for the . He’s clearly a flier for the White Sox here, as they could use the organizational depth with starting pitching.
