We are just over a week away from the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline and, with apologies to Bryan Baker, we have yet to see a big name get dealt. I’d expect that starts to change very soon.
The difficult aspect of this year’s trade deadline is that so many teams find themselves in a bit of a grey area when it comes to their playoff aspirations. While clubs like the White Sox, Athletics, Nationals and Rockies are obvious sellers — and you can never just assume anything with Colorado — there’s a much larger handful of squads that are still undecided as to what they are in late July. Will the Angels sell? Will the Royals sell? Will the Cardinals sell?
I’m here to answer some of those questions. Let’s sort through the mystery and break down 10 players who will, without a doubt, be traded at this season’s deadline.
MLB Trade Deadline: 10 Players Who Will Get Traded
1. Eugenio Suarez | 3B | Diamondbacks
Suarez has become the gem of the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline and you don’t have to dig into the numbers too much to figure out why. Equipped with a 91st percentile barrel rate (15.3%) and a 88th percentile hard hit rate (51.5%), Suarez has clubbed an NL-high 36 home runs so far this season with a 25.7% strikeout rate that is his lowest mark since all the way back in 2018. In the final year of a $79 million contract, the middling Diamondbacks would be silly not to part ways with Suarez, especially considering the haul they’ll get in return.
Possible Trade Destinations: Yankees, Blue Jays, Mariners, Cubs
2. Ryan O’Hearn | 1B | Orioles
O’Hearn was an All-Star for the first time in his career in 2025, and the honor was warranted with the veteran carrying a 137 wRC+ into the break. There is no doubt that a Baltimore team currently 14.5 games back in the AL East will be looking to ship O’Hearn’s platoon bat elsewhere for some compensation, though I do wonder if teams will be scared off by the 31-year-old’s recent struggles. In 142 plate appearances since the beginning of June, O’Hearn is slashing just .200/.310/.325 with a .282 wOBA. Cedric Mullins is another slumping Orioles’ asset on an expiring contract to keep an eye on, by the way.
Possible Trade Destinations: Brewers, Mariners, Red Sox, Padres
3. Mitch Keller | SP | Pirates
Keller is the first player on this list not set to be a free agent at the end of 2025, but it does feel like this would be a great time for the Pirates to sell high on the long-time MLB starter. Despite a career-low 18.7% strikeout rate, Keller possesses a 3.48 ERA and a 3.34 FIP across 20 starts and 119.0 innings of work this season. He’s also turning it on at the right time, with a 1.96 ERA and a 0.85 WHIP in specifically his past six outings. The Pirates are blessed with young pitching talent in the form of Paul Skenes, Bubba Chandler, Jared Jones, Thomas Harrington and even Mike Burrows. For as reliable as Keller has been, they won’t necessarily need his services in the future.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Yankees, Blue Jays, Mets
4. Raisel Iglesias | RP | Braves
While the Braves surely won’t commit to a full rebuild at this deadline, it also seems likely that the team will be more than open to trading away some big name pieces on expiring deals. Iglesias feels like the most obvious candidate for a new home, as the veteran closer finishes out the final year of a $58 million contract signed in 2022. While Iglesias’ overall numbers aren’t amazing — namely a 5.12 ERA — the RHP had strung together 15 straight scoreless appearances prior to blowing up late against the Yankees this past weekend. He can still help a team in a high leverage role.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Dodgers, Phillies, Yankees
5. Marcell Ozuna | DH | Braves
Honestly, though Ozuna’s inability to play a defensive position does hamstring his trade market, there might not be a single person on this list of likely-to-be-traded players that is more likely to be traded. Why? Well, Atlanta is already phasing Ozuna out, with Drake Baldwin and Sean Murphy beginning to get a majority of the DH at-bats in the Braves’ lineup. While there’s little question that Ozuna’s numbers are down from 2023 and 2024, it’s not like the 34-year-old is having a bad campaign. In fact, Ozuna combines an 85th percentile expected wOBA (.373) with an 82nd percentile hard hit rate (49.2%).
Possible Trade Destinations: Brewers, Padres, Mariners, Astros
6. Seth Lugo | SP | Royals
According to FanGraphs, the Royals still have a 10.9% chance of making the playoffs, but I’m not even that optimistic. With that being the case, I’d say Kansas City should obviously look to sell big, yet the team really only has two players on expiring contracts of any real worth: Seth Lugo and Hunter Harvey — and the latter has been on the IL for most of 2025. Meanwhile, Lugo will surely decline his upcoming $15 million player option for 2026, making him a soon-to-be free agent. The 35-year-old’s 2.94 ERA looks suspect next to his 4.71 xERA, however, Lugo’s posted a 3.17 ERA dating back to the beginning of 2023. The sample size is large enough. This man can start a playoff game.
Possible Trade Destinations: Yankees, Cubs, Blue Jays, Mets
7. Kyle Finnegan | RP | Nationals
Getting anything of value for Finnegan will be a major win for a new Nationals’ regime, as the closer didn’t even sign an MLB contract in 2025 until late February. That said, the RHP has not done the best job at maintaining his own value over the past two weeks, having surrendered 10 earned runs over his last 2.2 innings of work. It’s a stretch where Finnegan’s ERA has jumped from 2.36 to 4.62. Not ideal! Still, the 33-year-old has 85 saves over the past three seasons. I’m confident a team will be willing to take a chance on that level of experience.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox
8. David Bednar | RP | Pirates
This is an interesting one. Much like his aforementioned teammate, Bednar is not set to be a free agent this winter. He has one year of arbitration left. Still, we’ve seen how up and down Bednar can be and, at this very moment, he is as “up” as he’s ever been. In theory, that would make this a great time to sell for the Pirates. After locking up his 14th save of the year on Monday, Bednar hasn’t allowed an earned run since all the way back on May 23. It’s a span of 20 games where the RHP flaunts a 1.38 FIP and a 34.3% strikeout rate. I personally am dubious that Emmanuel Clase or Jhoan Duran are getting traded next week. That means Bednar could legitimately be the best reliever on the market.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Phillies, Yankees, Blue Jays
9. Adrian Houser | SP | White Sox
Houser finally had a bad start his last time out, giving up three earned runs and 10 hits to the lowly Pirates this past weekend. Still, the 32-year-old is in possession of a 1.89 ERA and 3.01 FIP across 10 outings and 62.0 innings with Chicago in 2025. That type of success probably isn’t sustainable in the second-half, yet there are reasons to dream big with the right-hander, none more important than a noticeable increase in the veteran’s average fastball velocity (95.2). Houser also isn’t conceding many opponent home runs per nine (0.29) or opponent barrels (4.3%). He’s not an ace or anything, but he’s a solid rotational depth piece with experience working out of an MLB bullpen. That could be useful in October.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Yankees, Dodgers, Mets
10. Gregory Soto and Seranthony Dominguez | RP | Orioles
I guess this counts as a bonus 11th player, yet it’s truly difficult to separate these two assets in my mind. Both Soto and Dominguez are former closers on expiring contracts. Both Soto and Dominguez have electric stuff, but sporadic control. Both Soto and Dominguez are striking out over 10 opponents per nine innings with an expected ERA hovering around 3.30. I swear that the only difference is their handedness. So, as a general manager, you just have to ask yourself if you want the lefty or the righty. It’s like the back-end reliever version of a starter Pokemon.
Possible Trade Destinations: Cubs, Blue Jays, Phillies, Dodgers
