As we enter the final stretch before the 2026 MLB trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET Monday, things have remained relatively quiet thus far. But recent history tells us that the trade activity doesn’t really ramp up until the final 48 hours or so.
With that in mind, here are some thoughts on a few more teams that could be major players in the hours before the deadline.
After a rollicking April and May, the Bravos are 24-25 since the start of June. They’re still NL East favorites, as the Phillies are mired in a rough stretch, but Atlanta isn’t just playing for a playoff berth. This team wants to make noise in October.
Offensive regression from the likes of Dom Smith, Mike Yastrzemski and Austin Riley has been a main culprit in the Braves’ slump. So has Ronald Acuña Jr.’s time on the injured list (he returned this week). But Atlanta’s rotation falling precipitously back to Earth over the past few months is probably the single biggest concern for president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos and his front office.
Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider have both been nonfactors this season, sidelined by assorted arm-related ailments. Entering the season, that duo was supposed to back up main man Chris Sale. That hasn’t happened. Grant Holmes, Martin Perez, Bryce Elder and Reynaldo Lopez have been serviceable, but Atlanta’s starting staff, as currently composed, isn’t causing the Dodgers or Brewers to lose a wink of sleep.
That makes the Braves a compelling sleeper for the deadline’s biggest prize: Back-to-back Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal.
Anthopoulos is not one for passivity; the swashbuckling exec has a lengthy track record of swinging blockbuster deals. In 2015, for instance, while helming the Toronto Blue Jays, he acquired David Price and Troy Tulowitzki in the span of a few days. In 2021, he authored one of the most impactful deadlines in recent memory, rebuilding his entire outfield with a series of trades that propelled Atlanta to a World Series title. This time around, it’s difficult to envision him standing pat.
Does that mean acquiring Skubal? Probably not, but it could. Atlanta’s farm system, ranked toward the absolute bottom entering the season, has had a very strong year. Breakouts from Canadian outfielder Eric Hartman and Las Vegas high school shortstop Tate Southesine have reinvigorated a very depleted unit. That, alongside a bevy of interesting young hurlers, means the Braves could absolutely cobble together a package for Skubal.
All signs point toward Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris prioritizing pitching in a Skubal deal, as the Tigers’ farm system is overwhelmingly skewed toward position-player talent. Anthopoulos, then, could offer up any combination of Schwellenbach, AJ Smith-Shawver, JR Ritchie, Didier Fuentes, Owen Murphy, Cam Caminiti and/or Hurston Waldrep. Besides Smith-Shawver, who just returned from elbow surgery, none of that group appears primed to significantly impact the 2026 Braves. Could they impact the 2027 Tigers?
Finally, there’s perhaps the most compelling argument for a Braves/Skubal deal: Keeping the left-handed monster away from Los Angeles and Milwaukee. The Dodgers and Brewers are considered the two favorites to secure Skubal’s services. Atlanta would almost surely need to knock off one, if not both, of those juggernauts to achieve October glory. The easiest way to beat Skubal might just be to trade for him.
All the rentals will go.
It has been a catastrophic season in Queens, one that has reframed the reputation of president of baseball operations David Stearns. But for all the deserved criticism levied at the Mets’ head honcho, Stearns appears to understand the harsh reality of where his team has ended up. This club is selling and selling big.
New York already got the firesale underway, dealing reliever A.J. Minter to the Twins late Thursday for a pair of minor-league infielders. That’ll just be the beginning. Freddy Peralta, a free agent at year’s end, was scratched from his start Friday, presumably in order to preserve his health and availability for a potential suitor. Other likely free agents include outfielder Tyrone Taylor, outfielder Luis Robert Jr., reliever Brooks Raley and starting pitcher Clay Holmes. All will be in other colors by Monday afternoon.
The main question then, for Stearns and Co., is whether to part with pieces under team control beyond 2026. Despite a flurry of rumors earlier this month, cornerstone shortstop Francisco Lindor isn’t going anywhere. Reliever Luke Weaver, on the other hand, is a hot commodity and likely to be moved. Other names to watch are infielders Mark Vientos and Brett Baty, though neither comes with particularly enormous trade value.
How Stearns operates in the next week will play a role in determining just how long of a leash he gets in Queens going forward.
Philadelphia Phillies
All the bickering between Bryce Harper and president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski sure is entertaining, in a rubbernecking type of way. But how much does it really matter?
Harper made waves by encouraging his boss to be aggressive at the deadline, insinuating that the roster as currently constructed doesn’t have the horses to make a deep October run. A quick glance at Philly’s roster would prove him correct, as the Phillies need upgrades in multiple spots. The back of their rotation has been an unmitigated horror show and an automatic loss whenever the No. 5 spot rolls around. Every depth starter, from Freddy Peralta to Robbie Ray to Drew Anderson to Mr. Clanky from Backyard Baseball, should be on Philadelphia’s radar. So, too, for the umpteenth year running, should be back-end bullpen reinforcements and a right-handed-hitting outfielder.
Philly’s farm system is down, meaning Dombrowski might not be able to conjure a fan-base-pleasing blockbuster. But he can upgrade this disjointed, undermanned roster and help paper over some of the cracks that have pushed the Phillies down the standings over the past few weeks.
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