Here are 10 intriguing Trade Deadline questions facing NL teams

Unlike the American League, which has only six teams over .500 entering Thursday’s slate of games, the National League boasts nine teams with winning records, setting up a fascinating few weeks as clubs jostle for position leading up to the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline.

Having already examined 10 key questions facing AL clubs with a month left until the Deadline, it’s time to dig in on some of the key questions facing NL teams over the next month.

How much do the Dodgers actually need to do at the Deadline?

The Dodgers usually find their way into the Trade Deadline mix, whether it’s making a big deal for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner in 2021 or minor moves as they’ve done in the past few years.

With a loaded roster that has Los Angeles sitting atop the NL, how much does president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman really need to do in the next month?

The Dodgers will be getting a number of players back from the injured list in the coming weeks, including Will Smith, Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Edwin Díaz, so reinforcements are on the way. That won’t preclude Friedman from checking in on big names – namely Tarik Skubal – but the need for a big, splashy move simply may not exist. This roster is stacked and in prime position to make a run at a three-peat.

Will the Mets be sellers … and what do they have to sell?

After making a change in the manager’s office and trading David Peterson to the Cubs, the last-place Mets feel an awful lot like a team ready to pack it in for 2026.

But even if owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball operations David Stearns decide to sell, how many assets do the Mets have to trade?

Freddy Peralta tops the list, as the right-hander is headed for free agency at the end of the season. But Peralta hasn’t performed well during his first year in New York, going 5-7 with a 4.81 ERA in 18 starts. Peralta has thrown six innings or more in only six of those outings, logging five or fewer frames eight times. After giving up Jett Williams and Brandon Sproat for Peralta last winter, the Mets are unlikely to get a return anywhere close to that this summer.

Relievers Brooks Raley and A.J. Minter will draw interest, while Luke Weaver (signed for $12.5 million in 2027) and Huascar Brazobán (arbitration-eligible for two more years) could also be candidates to move. If a team is willing to gamble that Clay Holmes can return from his fractured leg to make an impact down the stretch, he could bring back a decent return.

Beyond that, the Mets’ list of trade candidates is slim, putting Stearns in a precarious position with a month left before the Deadline.

Will the Brewers target a big name?

The Milwaukee machine just keeps on churning, as the Brewers occupy first place in the NL Central in yet another season when few believed they would reach the postseason for the fourth straight year and the eighth time in the past nine.

Jacob Misiorowski is a Cy Young favorite in the NL, but he’s already thrown 104 innings, leaving him only 25 1/3 away from last season’s career-high, set between Triple-A and the Majors. The Brewers figure to monitor his innings during the second half, so the idea of him getting anywhere close to 200 seems far-fetched.

Kyle Harrison is more than halfway to his career high of 124 1/3 innings, having already thrown 77 excellent frames. Brandon Woodruff has looked good in two starts since returning from the injured list, but can the Brewers count on his shoulder holding up? Quinn Priester is out for the year. Brandon Sproat has a 5.28 ERA. In other words, the Brewers may need to add a starter or two if they hope to take the next step after getting swept in the NLCS last October.

Will president of baseball operations Matt Arnold take a big swing at the Trade Deadline? Dealing for a rental such as Tarik Skubal would be un-Milwaukee-like, but the Brewers understand the challenge the Dodgers present in the NL. They acquired Sproat and Jett Williams this past winter in exchange for Freddy Peralta; could Arnold put those two (or a comparable pair) in a package for Skubal or some other big arm that might become available?

That hasn’t been the Brewers’ identity during their past decade of success, but they also have four Wild Card losses, an NLDS loss and two losses in the NLCS to show for all of those postseason appearances. The last time Milwaukee made a bold move of that nature was 2008, when the Brewers and then-GM Doug Melvin acquired CC Sabathia in early July. Could history repeat itself?

Does Dave Dombrowski have the capital for a big Deadline?

The Phillies have rebounded from their 9-19 start, going 40-19 under new manager Don Mattingly to climb back into the NL East race, where they trailed the Braves by only 2.5 games entering Thursday. Philadelphia is tied with the Cubs for the top NL Wild Card spot, putting president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski in position to add for the stretch run.

The outfield is the top need, especially now that Adolis García is done for the season. Brandon Marsh’s versatility gives Dombrowski options when it comes to which outfield spot to target, but the group of Edmundo Sosa, Derek Hill, Justin Crawford and Gabriel Rincones Jr. might not be good enough as the Phillies try to chase down the first-place Braves. Adding a right-handed outfield bat should be a priority.

The struggles of Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have created the need for a starting pitcher to provide a steady presence at the back of the rotation. The bullpen is another concern for the Phillies, whose 4.04 ERA as a relief corps ranks in the middle of the NL pack. Jhoan Duran has the closer’s job locked down, but the bridge from the rotation to the right-hander is shaky at best.

Dombrowski has never been shy when it comes to trading his prospects, but RHP Andrew Painter’s value is down following his underwhelming rookie season and top prospect SS Aidan Miller has been sidelined all year with a back issue. RHP Gage Wood (Phillies’ No. 2 prospect, No. 54 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100) could be their best chip if the Phillies target a big name at the Deadline.

Which way will the winds blow in Chicago?

The Cubs figure to be a buyer, though it remains to be seen just how aggressive president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer will be.

Chicago trails the first-place Brewers by 5.5 games entering Thursday, though the Cubs are tied with the Phillies for the NL’s top Wild Card spot. Still, with eight teams within three games of each other for the three Wild Card spots, the NL could be a wild second-half race. If the Cubs don’t believe a division title and first-round bye are realistic, will they be willing to trade away prime prospect capital for a chance to play in a best-of-three Wild Card Series?

The bigger key to the Cubs’ chances may be their health, which hasn’t been favorable for much of this season. Injuries have ravaged both the rotation (Edward Cabrera, Jameson Taillon, Ben Brown, Cade Horton) and bullpen (Daniel Palencia, Hoby Milner, Phil Maton, Ethan Roberts, Riley Martin), leaving the Cubs wondering whether getting some of these arms healthy can make enough of a difference down the stretch. They already acquired David Peterson from the Mets, but are more pitchers on the way?

Last summer, the Cubs made four trades to bolster their depth rather than making any headline-grabbing moves. Unless Hoyer believes his club can challenge the Brewers for the NL Central title (and, perhaps more importantly, that first-round bye), we could see a repeat of that approach in 2026.

Are the Marlins, Nationals and Cardinals ready to be buyers?

Entering the season, these three clubs figured to be sellers by July, all three embroiled in various stages of a rebuild. But the Marlins, Nationals and Cardinals are all in the thick of the NL Wild Card race, giving their respective front offices some decisions to make in the coming weeks.

How many clubs will be firmly in that Wild Card mix, and how will that impact the buy-or-sell decisions? The Braves, Dodgers, Brewers and Phillies all figure to be buyers to cement their postseason chances, leaving two spots for eight teams currently within three games of a Wild Card berth.

Chaim Bloom of the Cardinals and Paul Toboni of the Nationals are each in their first seasons atop their respective baseball operations departments, while Peter Bendix of the Marlins is in year three in Miami. All three executives seem unlikely to sacrifice any future assets to make a run at a Wild Card spot this season, but the three clubs could take a hybrid buy/sell approach, dealing away expiring contracts for controllable players who can help in 2026 and beyond.

What will AJ Preller do?

No, we’re not going to try to seriously predict the unpredictable, though it’s safe to say that the Padres’ president of baseball operations will make some type of impact by the Trade Deadline.

In 2022, it was trades for Juan Soto and Josh Hader. In 2023, it was the addition of five new players. Tanner Scott was the big addition in 2024, then the Padres shocked the baseball world last summer with their trade for Mason Miller, one of five deals that included 22 players and also landed Ryan O’Hearn and Ramón Laureano in San Diego.

How aggressive might Preller be this year? The Padres’ 23-3 beating at the hands of the Cubs on Wednesday was San Diego’s fifth straight loss, dropping its record to 43-42. Although they trail the Dodgers by 12 games in the NL West, the Padres are only two games out of a Wild Card spot, putting them firmly in the playoff chase.

How the Padres fare over the next three or four weeks will determine Preller’s approach, as he’s never been shy to make a big move if he believes his team is a true contender. The status of Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta – who may not return until August – will also play a role, as the Padres may have to plan for all possibilities regarding their rotation.

Will the Braves upgrade their rotation?

Atlanta’s 3.86 rotation ERA ranks third in the NL, but don’t be surprised to see president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos look to add another frontline starter to pair with Chris Sale in the coming weeks.

As it stands now, Bryce Elder and Martín Pérez would be the Braves’ No. 2 and 3 starters in the postseason, and while Spencer Schwellenbach could return in late-August, it’s unclear how quickly he will round back into form after going more than a year without starting. Ditto for Spencer Strider, who is currently sidelined due to right elbow inflammation without an exact timeline for his return.

The Braves have the financial flexibility and prospect capital necessary to pursue Tarik Skubal or any other top starter who becomes available, though Anthopoulos’ willingness to part with top prospects for a rental remains to be seen. But Atlanta has seen its NL East lead shrink from 10.5 games on May 22 to only 2.5 games entering Thursday, creating a new sense of urgency leading up to the Trade Deadline.

Can the Pirates fix their bullpen and make a run?

The Pirates have 17 blown saves this season, tying them with the Reds for second most in the NL. The bullpen hasn’t been the Pirates’ only issue – inexplicably, they have lost each of Paul Skenes’ last nine starts dating back to May 17 – but at 43-44, Pittsburgh is only three games out of a Wild Card spot.

GM Ben Cherington had an active offseason, bringing in Brandon Lowe and Ryan O’Hearn to help bolster a Pirates’ lineup that finished last in the NL in runs scored in 2025. Those moves have contributed to an offense that ranks fourth in the NL in runs scored this season, giving Cherington every reason to be a buyer this month.

The bullpen, which ranks 12th in the NL with a 4.44 ERA, should be the primary focus for Pittsburgh, and while a reunion with Aroldis Chapman seems like a long shot, there should be a number of relievers available who could help the Pirates in their quest to make the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

Can the Giants unload any of their big-money contracts?

San Francisco was the first team to make its selling plans known, telling teams in mid-June that a number of its veterans were available.

Impending free agents Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray should be on the move at some point, but the players the Giants would be most interested in moving are Rafael Devers (who is owed $211 million from 2027-2033), Willy Adames ($140 million from 2027-2031) and Matt Chapman ($100 million from 2027-30). Even if the Giants are able to find teams interested, Adames and Chapman have full no-trade clauses, giving them total control over their situations.

The Giants are said to have no plans to trade ace Logan Webb or any of their young players, though Heliot Ramos, Jung Hoo Lee, Harrison Bader and Adrian Houser could be available if San Francisco decides to sell big.

The Giants’ farm system was 19th in MLB Pipeline’s preseason rankings, but their three Top 100 prospects are all teenage shortstops who are likely a few years away from getting to the Majors. In fact, only two of their top 10 prospects have even reached Double-A, so adding young talent closer to the big leagues will likely be their goal.