No, the MLB season hasn’t necessarily gone to form, but that makes for an even juicier July with the trade deadline. Here are five players and five teams with fascinating scenarios ahead.
The glow from the Fourth of the July may be fading, but there are more fireworks on the way – a few entertaining weeks heading into the 2026 MLB trade deadline.
So many clubs are in position to potentially contend for a wild-card spot — even clubs well under .500 in the American League — that the decision-making process will be fascinating to see play out. Be a seller and make a run? Take advantage of the market and reload? Options, plural, are on the table.
With that in mind, here are five players and five teams that we are fascinated with in early July.
What will they do? Where will they go? Stay tuned through the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
MORE MLB ON OPTA ANALYST
Metric ExplainersMeasuring the Moment: Explaining Our MLB Leverage Index and Clutch-Adjusted Statistics
2 months ago Lucas Haupt BaseballMLB’s Early Contract Extensions Make a Splash, but Come With Risk, Reward
2 months ago John Denton BaseballRanking the Top 25 MLB Teams of the Past 25 Years
7 months ago Taylor BechtoldTarik Skubal
Here’s the thing: No matter what uniform the two-time Cy Young Award winner is wearing in August, the story that brings him to that destination will feel kind of shocking. The Detroit Tigers left-hander is the type of pitcher who can make that type of impact. His dominant start against the Yankees in New Yok on June 30 should put to rest any worries about his recent surgery.
If Skubal winds up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, as most available big names seem to do, it would be shocking how they managed to pull it off yet again (remember the reaction when the two-time defending World Series champions signed Kyle Tucker in the offseason?).
If he winds up on the Chicago Cubs, it will be shocking that the franchise made the type of move fans have been clamoring for almost daily for the past several years.
If he winds up with the Milwaukee Brewers or Tampa Bay Rays — either one would be all kinds of fun — it would be shocking to see a smaller-market club push its chips all in on a short-term rental.
If Skubal stays with the Tigers through the MLB trade deadline, it would be especially shocking because the chances of them giving him a market-value extension seem exceptionally small, and letting him leave with only draft-pick compensation seems exceptionally, well, dumb.
Joe Ryan
Ryan might not have the most name recognition on the market, but you can bet rival executives (and the Minnesota Twins, of course) know all about the talented right-hander. He’s so much better than most fans know, ranking in the top 20 of raw value (RV-), strike+, whiff+ and command+.
This season, there are only three pitchers with at least 50 innings who have the following: 10.0 K/9 or higher, 2.0 BB/9 or lower, 0.9 HR/9 or lower and an opposing OPS of .650 or under. The list is Ryan plus Cy Young candidates Cristopher Sanchez (Philadelphia Phillies) and Cam Schlittler (Yankees).
Since the start of the 2024 season, only 35 pitchers have made at least 70 starts. Among those, Ryan is fourth in K/BB ratio (5.45/1.00), 11th in FIP (3.35), sixth in BB/9 (1.86) and seventh in WHIP (1.04).
A number of teams will be involved in the bidding process should the Twins make him available. He’s under club control through the 2027 season – it’s worth noting he stayed through the purge at last year’s trade deadline – but Ryan would bring back quite the haul.
Freddy Peralta
Peralta has gone from prize of the offseason trading pool after his brilliant 2025 season to “I guess maybe we’ll take a chance on him if we can’t get anyone else.” The numbers in his first season with the New York Mets are the worst they’ve been since he moved into the Milwaukee rotation full-time in 2021.
Compare last year (when he finished fifth in the NL Cy Young Award voting) to this season:
2025: 2.70 ERA/3.73 FIP, 6.3 H/9, 10.4 K/9, .603 Opp OPS 2026: 4.81 ERA/4.28 FIP, 9.2 H/9, 8.7 K/9, .757 Opp OPS“Not good,” Peralta told reporters after his July 1 start in Toronto. “I don’t feel good. But just trying to come back and make the adjustments.”
Could one of those adjustments be finding a new franchise to call home? Peralta certainly feels like a change-of-scenery candidate, and he’ll have plenty of motivation – atoning for his performance with the Mets and rebuilding his resume for his upcoming free agency – if (OK, when) he’s traded somewhere else. The biggest question is simply when he’ll get moved.
There’s zero chance the Mets would extend his contract at this point, and there will be no qualifying offer, either. If he doesn’t rebound over the next couple weeks, it will be fascinating to see which franchise picks up a high-upside rental for pennies on the dollar.
Luis Arraez
Arraez has a skill set – elite bat control, not much power – that’s not exactly hot at this point in baseball cycles, as evidenced by the fact he had to accept a one-year deal with the San Francisco Giants despite picking up NL batting titles in 2022, 2023 and 2024.
He’s been great in San Francisco, one of the bright spots in an overall frustrating season for the franchise. He’s No. 2 in MLB in batting average (.326) and contact+ (114) – see both advanced and traditional stats on our MLB Leaderboards – but maybe more importantly, he’s shown himself to be a capable fielder at second base again. That’s key because teams can live with a singles-hitting middle infielder much more than they can a singles-hitting first baseman/DH, which is what he was primarily for the San Diego Padres in 2025.
Arraez represents a potential top-of-the-lineup upgrade for contenders looking to mitigate swing-and-miss elsewhere in their lineup. Where does he wind up? Don’t expect the Giants to make this move anytime soon, unless they’re presented with an offer they can’t refuse.
Willson Contreras
There are few things clubs value more at the MLB trade deadline than power, and Contreras has that in spades. He’s been outstanding for the Boston Red Sox this season, posting a 154 OPS+ (No. 6 in MLB) with 20 homers and 59 RBIs. He’s hit both righties (.909 OPS) and lefties (.952). He has a 1.022 OPS with runners in scoring position, and that bumps up to 1.060 with two outs.
Contreras has one year and a 2028 club option remaining on his current contract, at levels that are bargains with his current rate of production. The Red Sox don’t have to trade him, but you can expect plenty of suitors as the deadline approaches.
Team records through July 5. The Miami Marlins (52.5%) are the only other team with a playoff probability above 50 percent.Chicago White Sox
These White Sox are not only the best team story of the year, they’re arguably the best out-of-nowhere team story in recent memory. You know the win totals for the past three seasons: 61, 41 (still had to triple check to make sure that wasn’t a typo) and 60. Even the most bullish 2026 projections had the Sox struggling to get to 70 wins on the season. So, yeah, sitting at/near the top of the AL Central and ranking seventh in TRACR (Team Roster Adjusted for Competition and Roster) has been a bit of a Southside miracle.
What now? The White Sox need to capitalize on this momentum by doing something. It’s a must for a fan base that’s suffered through a lot the past couple years.
Is this team good enough to make a World Series run with a couple big additions? Nah. But that’s not the point. Enjoying the journey over the course of the six-month season is a worthy goal, especially when they’re in a division that makes reaching the playoffs very realistic, and especially with slugger Munetaka Murakami coming back from the IL sooner than later. It’s not every year that 87 wins could get a division title. Swing your swing.
The White Sox are not going to part with any of their top prospects or youngsters who have already made an impact in the bigs, of course. But adding a veteran arm or two – at least one in the rotation – seems more than manageable.
St. Louis Cardinals
Speaking of exceeded expectations, the Cardinals have been a nice story in 2026. NL Rookie of the Year contender JJ Wetherholt has been everything the team could have hoped for after taking him with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft. Jordan Walker has had the type of long-awaited breakout season that will make front office types even more hesitant to give up on hyped prospects who are floundering at the major league level (he has more homers and RBIs this year than he did in 2024-25 combined). They’re not going to catch the Brewers in the NL Central, but a wild-card spot isn’t far-fetched.
What now? Much like the White Sox situation, it’s quite the dilemma. Supplement the young core for a playoff push or follow the preseason plan to acquire assets as part of the rebuild or just stand pat, basically? The third one wouldn’t sit well with a fanbase that’s showing life for the first time in a while.
The plan was always to trade Dustin May if he was having a bounce-back season, and he showed during a 12-start stretch from April to June that he can be an effective starter for a playoff team, rattling off a 2.54 ERA with a 2.69 FIP. Thing is, if the Cardinals are going to contend, they’ll likely need to acquire more pitching, not trade it away. Maybe they trade May in one deal and attempt to find a starter with another few years of club control?
It would make sense to trade away reliever JoJo Romero, who is a free agent after this season. Every contender would find a spot for a lefty with plenty of late-inning experience. Maybe move outfielder Lars Nootbaar, a free agent after the 2027 season? Closer Riley O’Brien’s name has been bandied about quite a bit, but he has four more years of club control and it’s hard to imagine any team offering enough to make it worth the Cardinals’ while to move on from him.
Washington Nationals
Not to be a broken record here, but who had the Nationals in the wild-card conversation in July?
No, you didn’t. Stop lying.
They’re No. 1 in the majors in runs and top-five in several other offensive categories. Their pitching isn’t great, but it’s been enough to keep the team above .500.
What now? This team doesn’t necessarily have to sell. The Nationals haven’t won more than 71 games since their 2019 World Series season, so this year has been a breath of fresh air, and getting to the playoffs isn’t a make-or-break proposition. Most of the tradable assets would still be tradable in the offseason, aside from starter Foster Griffin, who has been incredible (9-2, 2.87 ERA in 18 starts) on a one-year deal coming back from pitching in Japan. Keeping him around with a two- or three-year extension would seem to be appealing for both sides, if the money is right.
But if the front office decided to open shop? James Wood obviously isn’t going anywhere, but contenders would line up for Griffin, and if the club doesn’t feel like an extension is happening, they could get a decent return.
CJ Abrams’ trade value has never been higher; he’s a question with the glove but with 18 homers, 14 stolen bases and a 130 OPS+ at the shortstop position – plus an additional two years after 2026 – he would bring a big return. Luis Garcia Jr. (19 homers, 134 OPS+, free agent after 2027) would be a nice bat for a contender.
Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays have the best record in the AL, but they are the wild card of the MLB trade deadline equation.
They have one of MLB’s best offensive trios in Yandy Diaz (AL-best .321 average), Junior Caminero (26 homers, 160 OPS+) and Jonathan Aranda (58 RBIs, 136 OPS+) – the Dodgers are the only other team with three hitters in the top 40 of RV+ – but they also have six lineup regulars sporting an OPS+ of 83 or below. Starting pitchers Nick Martinez, Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen and Griffin Jax have been stellar, and the club’s pitching magic has turned 31-year-old Brian Baker into one of the league’s best closers.
What now? Honestly, who knows? The Rays could pull off a stunner and trade for rental Tarik Skubal – they recognize the opportunity for this season to be special, and he could be the difference in October – or they could trade either Rasmussen or McClanahan, both of whom are set to become free agents after the 2027 campaign. Heck, they could trade for Skubal and trade away a starter, just because.
The Rays have the pieces – the farm system has been described as deep but lacking truly elite prospects – to swing a deal for an offensive upgrade in the outfield, or find a bat nobody is talking about.
New York Mets
What a complete disaster. Here’s how bad it’s been: Huascar Brazoban, a 36-year-old reliever making $1.05 million this year who pitches almost exclusively in the sixth and seventh inning, is third on the team in WAR behind Juan Soto and Clay Holmes, who has been on the IL since mid-May. No shade to Brazoban, who has been outstanding (1.94 ERA through June before a July 5 blowup against the Atlanta Braves), but that’s pretty embarrassing for a roster with MLB’s highest payroll.
What now? Here’s the thing that’s so frustrating for Mets fans: Aside from the aforementioned Freddy Peralta, who won’t bring back more than a fraction of what it cost to acquire him, the only players the Mets will be able to move before the MLB trade deadline are the relievers who have actually been decent. Lefties A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley will help a contender. Same with righty Luke Weaver.
Some of the position players who have been problems this season (Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Mark Vientos) will be around next year, too, unless very dramatic moves are ahead.
For more coverage, follow along on social media on Instagram, Bluesky, Facebook and X.
Who’s All In? Five Players, Five Teams to Watch Before the MLB Trade Deadline Opta Analyst.
Hence then, the article about who s all in five players five teams to watch before the mlb trade deadline was published today ( ) and is available on The Analyst ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( Who’s All In? Five Players, Five Teams to Watch Before the MLB Trade Deadline )
Also on site :