Everything you need to know about the 2026 Trade Deadline

July is here, and that means trade season is about to go into full swing across MLB.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2026 Trade Deadline.

What time is the MLB Trade Deadline?

• For 2026, it is Monday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. ET.

• For many years, the Deadline was always on July 31 at 4 p.m. ET. The Commissioner's Office can now set the Deadline for any date between July 28 and Aug. 3, in an effort to avoid conflicting with games.

What is the MLB Trade Deadline?

• The Trade Deadline is the last point during the season at which players on 40-man rosters can be traded from one club to another. Those players may still be placed and claimed on outright waivers, but trades will no longer be permitted after Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET. Prior to 2019, July 31 was referred to as the non-waiver Trade Deadline, and players could be traded after that date if they first cleared revocable trade waivers. The August waiver trade period was eliminated in 2019, with MLB moving to a single Deadline.

• Minor Leaguers not on 40-man rosters can still be traded after the Deadline. However, any player must be in an organization by the end of Aug. 31 (whether on the 40-man roster or not) in order to be eligible to appear in the postseason for that club.

Read more here.

Where can I follow MLB Trade Deadline news?

• News and rumors: Stay up to date on all the latest Trade Deadline rumblings here.

Who are the top trade candidates?

Here are some of the notable players who could be on the move leading up to this year's Deadline:

• Starting Pitchers: Sandy Alcantara (Marlins), Kris Bubic (Royals), Reid Detmers (Angels), Jack Flaherty (Tigers), Kevin Gausman (Blue Jays), Sonny Gray (Red Sox), Foster Griffin (Nationals), Clay Holmes (Mets), Seth Lugo (Royals), Dustin May (Cardinals), Casey Mize (Tigers), Freddy Peralta (Mets), Robbie Ray (Giants), Eduardo Rodriguez (D-backs), Trevor Rogers (Orioles), Joe Ryan (Twins), Tarik Skubal (Tigers), José Soriano (Angels), Michael Wacha (Royals)

• Relief Pitchers: Drew Anderson (Tigers), Anthony Bender (Marlins), Aroldis Chapman (Red Sox), Pete Fairbanks (Marlins), Kyle Finnegan (Tigers), Ryan Helsley (Orioles), Kenley Jansen (Tigers), A.J. Minter (Mets), Riley O'Brien (Cardinals), Brooks Raley (Mets), John Schreiber (Royals), Antonio Senzatela (Rockies), Luke Weaver (Mets), Garrett Whitlock (Red Sox)

• Position players: CJ Abrams (Nationals), Willy Adames (Giants), Luis Arraez (Giants), JJ Bleday (Reds), Byron Buxton (Twins), Willi Castro (Rockies), Matt Chapman (Giants), Willson Contreras (Red Sox), Rafael Devers (Giants), Jarren Duran (Red Sox), Hunter Goodman (Rockies), Ryan Jeffers (Twins), Nathaniel Lowe (Reds), Mickey Moniak (Rockies), Zach Neto (Angels), Isaac Paredes (Astros), Jeremy Peña (Astros), Casey Schmitt (Giants), Matt Shaw (Cubs), Jorge Soler (Angels), Gleyber Torres (Tigers), Christian Walker (Astros), Taylor Ward (Orioles)

What are the key storylines to follow?

Will Tarik Skubal stay or go?

We've known for many weeks that this year's Trade Deadline will revolve around one prized left arm. Skubal, the reigning two-time American League Cy Young Award winner, hasn't had the best contract year; he missed five weeks after undergoing surgery on his left elbow, and he hasn't quite been his utterly dominant self since returning in early June. But there's no doubt that he is this year's No. 1 trade candidate, and there will be a litany of teams lining up their best offers to land one of the top pitchers on the planet.

But ... will Skubal actually be traded? That likely depends on where the Tigers sit as we get closer to the Aug. 3 Deadline. Once its ace landed on the injured list on May 4, Detroit lost 21 of its next 25 games. The Tigers were one of the more disappointing teams in the league, and the chances of a midseason selloff involving Skubal and others appeared to be rising. However, the Tigers rebounded a little in June and are among the jumble of AL clubs that are within shouting distance of a Wild Card spot.

So, will the Tigers get what they can for their special starter, or will they decide to make one more postseason push with him? To be determined.

Who are the actual sellers?

You see the names of those potential trade candidates up above, but it's difficult to say definitively how many of them will be on the block leading up to Aug. 3. That's because there are so many teams on the periphery of the playoff race. Given that traffic jam in the standings, a fruitful week or 10-day stretch could suddenly turn a perceived seller into a buyer.

The Giants, Rockies, and Mets -- who dismissed manager Carlos Mendoza on June 26 -- are all at least 10 games under .500 in the powerful National League. It's probably safe to say they will be Deadline sellers. The Angels and Royals appear to be the likeliest AL clubs to offload talent.

Conversely, the Dodgers, Braves, Phillies, Brewers, Cubs, Rays, Yankees and White Sox are currently in a good position to buy ahead of the Deadline.

But everyone else? Again, to be determined.

Which other starting pitchers could be dealt?

Skubal is at the top of the list, but depending on what develops in the coming weeks, there could be a plethora of notable starters wearing new uniforms in August.

Freddy Peralta hasn't had a great first season with the Mets, but he was one of the game's best strikeout artists from 2023-25 and finished fifth in the NL Cy Young voting just last year. The Giants want to hold on to Logan Webb, but pending free agent Robbie Ray, who was fantastic in June, could be appealing to the many teams that need a rotation boost.

The Angels' Reid Detmers is among the leaders in FanGraphs WAR, while multi-time All-Stars Sonny Gray, Sandy Alcantara and Kevin Gausman might all be made available if their respective clubs experience a July slide. The Twins' Joe Ryan and the Royals' Michael Wacha are two more reliable right-handers who are in the middle of productive campaigns.

So, while Skubal dominates the discourse, he's far from the only impact starting pitcher worth tracking as Deadline season heats up.

What happened at the 2025 Trade Deadline?

Mason Miller, Carlos Correa, Eugenio Suárez and Jhoan Duran were some of the best players traded last year. If you would like a full refresher on what went down ahead of the 2025 Deadline, click here.