The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline is just over 72 hours away, and while there’s already been a couple deals involving big name players, it seems like many teams are hanging on as long as they can before making a decision about the direction of their season.
This is the reality of this new era of baseball. The expanded playoffs have worked as intended. They’ve allowed far more clubs to operate as buyers, as organizations that believe they might be able to make the postseason. Obviously, the counter to that is the fact that there are fewer teams in an obvious position to sell.
With that in mind, let’s run through which teams will definitely be selling off assets before 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday and which teams are still on the bubble.
2025 MLB Trade Deadline Sellers
Fire Sale Has Already Begun
Diamondbacks – The first big move the of deadline came back on Thursday night of last week, with Arizona shipping the expiring contract of Josh Naylor to Seattle. In the days since, platoon outfielder Randal Grichuk has also been traded. That should just be the tip of the iceberg for the Diamondbacks, with Eugenio Suarez, Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly all set to hit free agency this offseason. Suarez, who currently ranks fourth in the league in home runs (36), will likely be the highest impact bat on the market, with the Cubs and the Phillies appearing to make the most sense as a destination.
Orioles – Baltimore made the first of what will likely be several moves last Friday, sending back-end reliever and former Tigers’ closer Gregory Soto to the Mets for a couple pitching prospects. The Orioles have been one of MLB’s largest disappointments in 2025, and while the front office will act in accordance with competing again in 2026, this 26-man roster is filled with players on expiring contracts. Zach Eflin, Charlie Morton, Seranthony Dominguez and Cedric Mullins are all candidates to be traded in the coming days, while All-Star Ryan O’Hearn is also set to call a new city home. However, O’Hearn’s value may be lower than initially expected, as the LHB has struggled since the beginning of June.
Rockies – Despite being on pace for roughly 120 losses, no one really knew what the Rockies were going to do at the deadline. First and foremost, the team’s front office has always marched to the beat of their own drum, but it’s also not like Colorado has all that much to sell. German Marquez owns a 5.67 ERA and is hurt again. Kyle Farmer sports a 53 wRC+. Tyler Kinley is walking over five opposing batters per nine. This is a bad team for a reason. Still, the Rockies did make a move last Friday, sending Ryan McMahon and the remaining money on his contract to the Bronx, addressing a huge area of need for the Yankees. It’s legitimately possible that that’s the only significant transaction that Colorado will be apart of when the dust settles.
On the Bubble
Rays – Tampa might be the key to the entire deadline. Less than a month ago, the Rays were a half-game back of leading the AL East. Now the team is 53-53 and 10 games back of the Blue Jays, having dropped 10 of their last 13 contests. You can never rule out his organization acting as both a buyer and a seller in the same year, as Tampa’s front office is constantly looking for cost-effective ways to build for the future. However, in the immediate, the Rays being willing to trade pieces like Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz and Pete Fairbanks could swing the second-half of the regular season. Lowe possesses a 139 wRC+ off right-handed pitching and is well on his way to a 30 home run campaign.
Guardians – Cleveland ended June and began July in the midst of a 10-game losing streak. At that point, the fate of the team’s season seemed sealed. Now, thanks primarily to a massive swoon from the Tigers, the Guardians are hovering around the .500 mark and are only eight games back in the division. The real question with Cleveland is what they’d even be willing to sell if they decide to go in that direction. Carlos Santana is the club’s highest profile pending free agent — and he’s a 39-year-old first baseman with an 88 wRC+. Shane Bieber has a $16 million player option in 2026, so his days with the Guardians could be numbered, yet that’s a lot of money to risk acquiring for a player that’s only thrown 12.0 innings since the beginning of 2024. Emmanuel Clase being placed on the restricted list on Monday afternoon also takes Cleveland’s biggest trade asset off the table.
Angels – The Angels shouldn’t be on the bubble. The Angels should have already accepted that they’ve outperformed their talent level, especially in terms of the rotation, and that they have no business considering themselves in the hunt for a Wild Card spot. However, Los Angeles tends to handle the deadline with more confidence than most organizations. If the team does eventually decide to sell, Tyler Anderson, Kenley Jansen, Yoan Moncada and Luis Rengifo could all be useful pieces on contending clubs. Then there’s the possibility of the Angels trading Taylor Ward, who will go into his final year of arbitration in 2026. The 31-year-old has 24 home runs and he’s been fantastic since the middle of May.
Cardinals – While St. Louis comes into Monday’s action one game above .500, the club has lost seven of its last 10 contests and finds itself 3.5 games back of the last Wild Card spot in the NL. In what will be John Mozeliak’s final season as GM of the Cardinals, it seems like selling will be in the organization’s best interest. If that’s the route St. Louis does end up taking, this roster could really help some contenders fill out the back end of their bullpen. The flame-throwing Ryan Helsley will get a majority of the attention, but don’t sleep on Phil Maton. The veteran reliever is no stranger to a deadline deal and Maton has been amazing for the Cardinals in 2025, pitching to a 2.35 ERA and a 2.49 FIP with a 30.4% strikeout rate across 40 appearances.
Clear Sellers
Twins – While much of the attention surrounding the Twins has been focused on controllable assets like Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Joe Ryan, Minnesota does have some interesting rentals to trade. Danny Coulombe will be pitching for a contender later this week, as the lefty sports a 1.16 ERA and has yet to surrender a long ball in 2025. Willi Castro could also be super useful on many other rosters. Not only is Castro a switch-hitter with a 116 wRC+ over 331 plate appearances, but he’s logged innings at second, third, shortstop and all three outfield spots so far this season for the Twins. He’s truly the king of utility players.
White Sox – For as much as I like Adrian Houser and his increased fastball velocity, the main question for the White Sox over the next three days is the fate of Luis Robert. Once a “can’t miss” prospect who put together a phenomenal 2023 campaign, Robert has struggled immensely over the last two years, and in 2025, he’s hitting just .204 with a 76 wRC+. That said, Robert is playing much better in July and he’s still a very capable defender in center. He’s also a player that screams for a change of scenery. Would it hurt the perception of Robert’s character if he ends up thriving on a team actually contending for wins? Maybe. But it definitely wouldn’t be the first time that’s happened in the history of the league.
Athletics – The A’s have some smaller assets that they could deal if anyone was interested, but the likes of Luis Urias, Sean Newcomb and Miguel Andujar aren’t really going to move the needle. The big name to watch on this roster is Luis Severino, who just signed a three-year, $67 million contract this past offseason. Severino has not been quiet about his distaste for pitching at a Triple-A park in Sacramento and his stats bare out the same. Severino has an ugly 6.68 ERA at Sutter Health Park in 2025. On the road, that ERA falls to just 3.03. He wants out. It’s simply a matter of if the Athletics will be willing to make his wishes come true.
Nationals – Like many teams on this list, the Nationals sort of have two tiers to their deadline assets. On the one side, there’s helpful bullpen veterans like Mike Soroka, Andrew Chafin and Kyle Finnegan. On the other, there’s MacKenzie Gore and the looming upcoming cost of his final two years in arbitration. The former third-overall pick is having a true breakout campaign, maintaining a 3.52 ERA and a 3.27 FIP over 21 starts. Gore’s also striking out just over 11 opponents per nine innings. Mike Rizzo is gone. There’s a new management team in place in Washington and they could be looking to exploit a market without a lot of available top-end starting pitching. One thing is for sure: Gore would bring back a haul.
Braves – Atlanta isn’t going to start selling-off massive pieces of their future, but with almost no healthy starters left standing, there’s no reason to keep holing out hope for anything resembling success in 2025. Rasiel Iglesias, Pierce Johnson and Rafael Montero are all veteran arms that are capable of pitching high-leverage innings for a playoff team, while Marcell Ozuna’s underlying stats suggest there’s still some real upside left in the tank. Ozuna’s basically been phased out of the Braves’ everyday lineup since the All-Star break, so I doubt the 34-year-old would want to stick around in Georgia much longer.
Marlins – Should I have included the Marlins in the “On the Bubble” section? Miami is suddenly one of the hottest teams in MLB, though it’s important to note that the club still sits six games back of a Wild Card spot. There are no expiring contracts of substance to be found here. The Marlins’ deadline is all about what the team wants to do with Sandy Alcantara and Edward Cabrera. To me, Cabrera feels like the most obvious trade candidate, as the 27-year-old’s value has never been higher. Over 88.0 innings, the RHP owns a 3.48 ERA and a 24.9% strikeout rate. Alcantara is a more difficult situation. Sandy’s been unlucky in 2025, but at the end of the day, his 6.66 ERA is the second-highest mark of any starter with at least 100 innings thrown. It’s possible Miami waits to trade the former Cy Young Award winner until this winter, when his value might rebound slightly.
Pirates – Can you rebuild during a rebuild? I can guarantee that the Pirates will be a major player at this year’s trade deadline, but there are still degrees to that statement. If Pittsburgh only chose to trade soon-to-be free agents, it could easily find a home for Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Andrew Heaney and Caleb Ferguson. However, things start to get really interesting when you include the likes of Mitch Keller and David Bednar. That’s not even to say anything of the rumors surrounding Oneil Cruz, Bryan Reynolds and Ke’Bryan Hayes. My guess? Keller and Bednar are on different teams by 6:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. The Pirates’ system is brimming with young pitching talent and this organization will look to save money by trading away two players at the height of their value.
What Are You Doing?
Royals – Kansas City gets its own category. Congratulations to all involved. The Royals are two games below .500 and four games back of a Wild Card spot that is currently tied between the Mariners and the Rangers — two clubs much more talented than Kansas City. The Royals also just had to put both Jac Caglianone (hamstring) and Kris Bubic (shoulder) on the IL this weekend, where they’ll join ace Cole Ragans (shoulder). I don’t know who needs to hear this, but this team isn’t making the playoffs again. Yet, Kansas City traded for the aforementioned Grichuk on Saturday night and then inked Seth Lugo — the organization’s one big trade chip — to an extension on Sunday. I don’t want to bully a team for trying to win, but I’m confused by what’s going on here.
