MLB Trade Deadline Predictions For Skubal And Other Top Targets

We can expect a flurry of moves to take place ahead of Major League Baseball’s trade deadline on Aug. 3 – and before we do, let’s make some predictions on where the top trade candidates will land. It was tough to narrow down the list to just eight players with so many trade chips potentially available this summer, so we focused on the most intriguing names that, at the very least, have a greater than zero chance of being dealt. Let’s dive in. Teams Interested: Dodgers, Yankees, Brewers, Rays, Cubs, Phillies, Braves (Everyone) Player breakdown: The two-time reigning AL Cy Young winner is the deadline’s unquestioned top prize. He returned from an early May bone chip surgery by the middle of June, and has since looked every bit like himself, which is to say, a dream deadline acquisition contenders are fawning over. Skubal struck out 12 Royals and allowed one run over 7.1 innings in his most recent start, dropping his season ERA to 2.70. Even post-surgery, his fastball still nearly touches 100 mph, and he’s one of the most accessible and friendly superstars in the game, so there’s no need for any contender to worry about how he’ll fit into a winning, tight-knit clubhouse in a pennant race. And if you think the buzz surrounding Skubal right now is extreme, just wait until the upcoming offseason. The 29-year-old southpaw is on the cusp of free agency, so any interested team will be renting a true ace for their postseason run, which is why the price will be enormous. The deadline opens up the opportunity for smaller-market teams to push all their prospect chips in for Skubal. In free agency, those same teams will be unable to afford him. Alas, there’s always a complicated factor with Detroit’s own standing. The Tigers sit four games back of the final AL Wild Card spot with five teams ahead of them after dropping their last three games. If they believe they can make a run for an AL playoff spot, they’ll hang onto Skubal, relinquishing their prime opportunity for a massive haul. Explanation: I’m not fully convinced that they’ll really go for it, but here’s why they absolutely should. Tampa Bay has the best record in the AL at 62-43 and multiple reports suggest the Rays could be the deadline’s biggest surprise buyer. They haven’t made the playoffs since 2023, FanGraphs has them ranked as the top farm system in MLB, and their 2.5-game lead over the Yankees is shrinking. The Rays have both the motivation and the young, talent-rich farm system to put together a package Detroit’s front office would find hard to refuse. That said, this is genuinely a coin flip. Per reports, the Dodgers will remain engaged on Skubal if he’s truly available. The Brewers have also been connected to the ace. And if Detroit gets hot over the next few days and claws back into a wild-card position, all of this could change and Skubal may not move at all. Teams Interested: Yankees, Mariners, Pirates, Brewers Player breakdown: Miller is the most electric arm in the bullpen market this year — if San Diego decides to make him available. He enters the stretch run with a 0.82 ERA, NL-leading 27 saves, and 80 strikeouts in 43.2 innings this season, but it hardly matters at this point just how dominant he’s been. As long as he’s healthy, Miller is extremely appealing because he’s not just a rental. The 27-year-old is under team control through 2029, making him a rare deadline target who combines elite talent and long-term value. Still, any team acquiring him would need to pay a premium far beyond a typical two-month reliever rental. We can’t rule anything out with AJ Preller. Explanation: The Padres would have to be blown away by an offer for Miller, and I just don’t see the desperation being that high for contenders who are looking to add a bullpen arm, particularly when there are more affordable options on the market. The Mets’ expected wide-ranging sell-off includes four relief arms on the trade block, with Luke Weaver representing the best of the bunch. Weaver is another right-handed, high-leverage reliever like Miller. Although not as elite, he’s also under team control for another season. Plus, the Padres might end up being buyers at the deadline after winning their last three games, bringing them just 1.5 games out of the final NL wild card spot with four teams in front of them, which lessens the odds that Preller will part ways with Miller. Teams Interested: Yankees, Brewers, Red Sox, Rays Player breakdown: Say hello to the best offensive shortstop in baseball this season. Abrams’ breakout year has been terrific to watch unfold after the former first-round draft pick is finally putting together the elite performance the Nationals expected when they traded for him three years ago. Abrams, who has easily surpassed his career mark in home runs with 27 so far this year, leads MLB with 82 RBI and his 156 OPS+ leads all major-league shortstops. Abrams took his talent to another level this year, which makes him the best hitter on the market — if he’s actually available. The Nationals already dealt one of their infielders in Curtis Mead, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re full-on sellers at this deadline. Since Washington is listening to offers for Abrams, he would be a great match for the Yankees, who have a shortstop problem, though I remain skeptical New York is willing to move on from Anthony Volpe. The Brewers tried trading for Abrams over the offseason, per a report from The Athletic, but they balked at the Nats’ high asking price. The Red Sox have reportedly checked in on Abrams, but it seems more unlikely they’ll make another infield trade with Washington after acquiring Mead. The Rays, who are expected to be aggressive buyers, are in the market for help on offense and Abrams would be an excellent match for Tampa. Explanation: Abrams is still just 25 years old with two more years of team control before he hits free agency. That timeline lines up with the Nationals’ contention window over the next couple of years, and Abrams is a potential franchise cornerstone. Much like they handled this over the offseason, the Nats will want a major haul for Abrams if he does move, but I just don’t believe they’ll really go through with it, sitting one game behind the final NL wild card spot with just two teams in front of them. Why not give Abrams the chance to experience what it takes to make an impact in a meaningful pennant race? Washington is better off resisting tempting offers and focusing on their future offensive potential fueled by Abrams and his close friend and teammate, left fielder James Wood. Teams Interested: Yankees, Rays, Rangers, Diamondbacks, Pirates, Padres Player breakdown: The market for catchers itself is thin since few true contenders have an obvious hole behind the plate right now. Colorado’s Hunter Goodman is less likely to be traded than Jeffers, who’s in the midst of a career year at the plate, batting .293/.395/.535 with a 158 OPS+ in 46 games despite his season being briefly interrupted by a hamate fracture. That Jeffers has bounced back from his stint on the injured list is great news for Minnesota, since this is now the club’s best chance to cash in before he hits free agency this winter. Jeffers’ defensive growth makes him more than just a bat-first trade chip. Now in his seventh year in the big leagues, Jeffers has developed into a roughly average defensive catcher, which removes the concern some contenders may have about him being only a DH. He also brings real power to be a threat at DH even on days he isn’t catching, underlined by his .557 slugging that’s ranked fourth among all qualified MLB hitters, which widens his appeal and lets a team plug him in almost anywhere in the lineup. Explanation: The Yankees’ production from their catchers this season has been abysmal. The combination of Austin Wells, Ali Sanchez and J.C. Escarra has produced a .186 batting average and a 58 wRC+ that are both ranked 28th in the majors. Any reservations Yankees general manager Brian Cashman might have about bringing in an external catcher who would have to learn a whole new pitching staff should be cast aside right now. The Yankees not only need more thump from their catchers, but they also need a right-handed offensive bat to help carry the lineup while Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and now, Cody Bellinger, remain sidelined with injury. Jeffers is a pure rental with his control running out at the end of the season, which would give the Yankees something like a trial run to see whether he could be a fit for their long-term solution at backstop. Teams Interested: Rays, Nationals, Dodgers, Yankees, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Guardians, Pirates Player breakdown: Arraez has quietly become one of the most improved trade chips in baseball this year. He was considered a defensive liability at second base as recently as three years ago, but his glove work there under Ron Washington’s tutelage has turned into a genuine strength, changing how teams could value him. His lack of power and speed had previously been offset by concerns about where he could play defensively. Now that the glove has caught up — and the power, too, to some extent — interested teams are looking at a more complete player than the one who hit the open market a year or two ago. Arraez’s bat, of course, was never really in doubt. He remains one of the toughest hitters in the league to strike out, and that bat-to-ball skill is crucial in October when contact becomes more valuable against dominant pitching staffs. Throw in his ability to shift over to first base when needed, and he gives any contender real lineup flexibility. Explanation: Tampa Bay makes sense as a fit for nearly every top trade candidate this year, and it’s easy to see why. The Rays are playing like a legitimate contender for the first time in a few years and, as previously mentioned, they have the prospect depth to add without touching their long-term core. A high-contact, defensively sound infielder like Arraez slots naturally into a Rays team built on athleticism and situational hitting, and his ability to cover either second or first gives them flexibility. Arraez is set to hit free agency after this season, so he won’t command a package built around years of control, which is right up the Rays’ alley. Teams Interested: Cubs, Braves, Rays, Dodgers, Brewers Player breakdown: As we inch closer to the Mets’ long-expected deadline sell-off, Peralta has been the name on everyone’s minds for months now. The only problem is, he hasn’t kept up his end of the deal. The 30-year-old is in the midst of his worst career season, registering a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts this year after posting a 2.70 ERA in 33 outings for the Brewers last year. The silver lining is he’s been healthy, tied for the most games started in the majors this year. Peralta is the ultimate change-of-scenery candidate for any contender who believes he’s close to returning to the Cy Young-caliber player he represented just one year ago. Explanation: Chicago needs a frontline starter, and more arms in general, arguably more than any other contender. They could make a serious push for Peralta and even fellow Mets starter Clay Holmes, who was pitching like an ace before he was hit by a comebacker and broke his fibula. Holmes is working his way back from that injury in time to be traded at the deadline, and Peralta has familiarity with Cubs manager Craig Counsell from their years together in Milwaukee. Chicago already engaged in a trade with the Mets for a starting pitcher last month, but David Peterson has coughed up 15 earned runs in 26.2 innings since joining the Cubs. Even if the Cubs prefer to look elsewhere than Queens for pitching, it’s hard to ignore how much of a match the Mets are when it comes to an abundance of arms, including in the bullpen. Teams Interested: Yankees, Rays, Braves, Red Sox, Blue Jays Player breakdown: The Angels have been out of contention for most of the year, and the front office is finally showing some willingness to look forward and listen to offers on their best trade chips. Even the attempt to listen is a departure from how the Angels have typically operated. The organization has a long history of holding onto talent past the point it made sense to sell — remember that they absurdly held onto Shohei Ohtani until he reached free agency — so any real movement here would be a genuine shift in approach. And even so, whether that approach includes Neto is anyone’s guess. Neto’s appeal for contenders is straightforward. He’s a young, talented shortstop under team control through 2029. The 25-year-old has quietly been steady at the plate since he made his major-league debut, flashing a 117 OPS+ since 2024, and that kind of consistent production is not readily available on the trade market. Neto’s long-term value is also why any deal would likely require a substantial package. Explanation: Despite being mentioned as a trade chip, the more plausible outcome is that Neto stays in Anaheim, at least for now. Ownership has historically been reluctant to fully commit to a rebuild, and moving a controllable, everyday shortstop is a much bigger step than dealing arms like Jose Soriano or Reid Detmers. If the Angels do eventually decide to shop Neto, the return would be steep enough that a deal within a single trade-deadline week seems less likely than a slower-developing conversation that could carry into the offseason. Teams Interested: Cubs, Braves, White Sox, Rangers, Twins Player breakdown: The Blue Jays haven’t been able to get going all year, and even though they could convince themselves they’re back in the race following a strong winning streak, time is running out with several expiring contracts to justify standing pat. And since they’re still in between sellers and buyers, Gausman represents their best trade bait. His signature splitter remains one of the better weapons in the league when he’s locating it, and even in a down year (4.51 ERA in 22 starts, paired with a more encouraging 3.58 FIP), he still brings experience and swing-and-miss ability that belongs in a playoff rotation. Plus, he’s a rental. Acquiring Gausman doesn’t necessarily mean a contending team would need to tap into the top of their farm system. For a Blue Jays front office weighing whether this is still the year to compete or the year to start retooling for next season, Gausman represents one of the easier decisions on the roster. Explanation: Gausman’s veteran presence makes sense in a Braves rotation that just needs healthy starting pitching. His destination is already somewhat narrowed because he can block trades to eight teams, which, according to reports, include the White Sox, Pirates, Brewers, Tigers, Mariners, Mets, A’s and Reds. We can most likely throw the Yankees and the rest of the AL East into that mix, since Toronto is unlikely to deal him to a division rival. I think this will come down to the Braves or Cubs, who we know are in need of arms, with Atlanta as the frontrunner. Other Names To Watch: Clay Holmes (RHP/Mets), Robbie Ray (LHP/Giants), Luke Weaver (RHP/Mets), Luis Robert Jr. (CF/Mets), Reid Detmers (LHP/Angels), Foster Griffin (LHP/Nationals), Casey Mize (RHP/Tigers), Jeremy Peña (SS/Astros).