With a little more than five weeks remaining until the Trade Deadline, only a handful of teams are too far out of the Wild Card standings to be considered contenders. For everyone else – as of Wednesday, there are 23 teams that are either leading their divisions or are no further than four games out of a playoff spot – the Trade Deadline could present an opportunity to fortify their teams for an October run.
Who are the likely buyers and sellers? We turn to senior national reporter Mark Feinsand, who recently fielded questions during a Reddit AMA. Here is a sampling.
2026 Trade Deadline: Aug. 3, 6 p.m. ET
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Q: Any sense for what my beloved Red Sox are doing with Sonny Gray, Aroldis Chapman, Jarren Duran, and their other trade assets?
Feinsand: Well, Monday night's stunning loss to the Rockies was just another bad day in what is rapidly becoming a forgettable season in Boston. The Sox are on pace for 66 wins and should be headed for Sellerville soon enough. Assuming that Craig Breslow decides to sell, Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray will be the first two on the block, though their contracts will make it interesting. Gray has a full no-trade clause, while Chapman's $13 million option for 2027 becomes guaranteed once he hits the 40-inning mark. They'll both be coveted by contenders, though, so they should move and bring back a good return. Jarren Duran is still under control for two more years, and unless he starts to hit in the next month, the Sox would be trading low on him. Perhaps they'll hold on to him, hope he has a good second half and try to move him in the offseason. It's going to be a busy July for Breslow and the Sox.
Q: Do you get the sense that the Mets would be willing to do a fire sale? David Stearns strikes me as very risk-averse in both directions (going all in selling vs buying).
Feinsand: First, I'm not so sure the Mets are even going to be sellers, let alone ready for a fire sale. As bad as the season has gone for them, they're only seven games out of a playoff spot (entering their doubleheader Wednesday), and I think Steve Cohen and David Stearns are going to give their high-priced roster every opportunity to get hot and challenge for one of those Wild Card spots.
Second, if they DID decide to sell, what pieces are they actually going to be able to move? Freddy Peralta has not been as good as expected this year, though he's on an expiring contract and can certainly be traded for something. But most of the Mets' high-priced stars are on multi-year deals, and I don't see a world where Stearns moves the likes of Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor, Bo Bichette, etc. Even players with only a year or two of control remaining like Marcus Semien, Devin Williams and Jorge Polanco are going to be tough to move. The Mets may wind up being sellers, but I don't see any huge fire sale on the horizon. To me, there's a better chance of them buying than doing that.
Q: Do the Yankees need to overreact to stay in contention with Aaron Judge being out for this extended period? Also, what do you think they should do with the catcher position?
Feinsand: I don't think there's a need for the Yankees to overreact, as they have played pretty well since Judge landed on the injured list. That said, Brian Cashman is excellent at identifying what his team needs, then going out and getting it by the Deadline. A right-handed-hitting catcher would likely be high on the priority list, as would some more bullpen help. The rotation has been very good and will get Max Fried back at some point, so I don't think Cashman will get involved with any starting pitching sweepstakes such as Tarik Skubal. As always, the Yankees will do whatever they think they need to in order to put themselves in position for the postseason. And at some point in the second half, they'll add Judge back into the lineup, which will be the biggest acquisition of all.
Q: Does Tarik Skubal get traded?
Feinsand: The Tigers are 11 games under .500 and five games out of a playoff spot entering play Wednesday, so Skubal isn't going anywhere just yet. Detroit president of baseball operations Scott Harris is likely to give his team as much time as he can to show it can be a factor this season, but if we get to Aug. 1 and they're still 10 games under, then Skubal is as good as gone -- or at least he should be. The Tigers seem resigned to the fact that they won't be re-signing him, so they have to get a good return rather than letting him leave for a comp pick. I'd say it's 60-40 he gets traded, but it will depend entirely on how the Tigers play over the next 4-5 weeks. If he's made available, there will be no shortage of teams interested in acquiring him.
Q: Hey Mark, can you lie to me and tell me the White Sox are going to be big players at the deadline this year?
Feinsand: Why wouldn't the White Sox be a player? After the past few seasons they have endured, the Sox know how tough it is to contend. Assuming that Chicago continues to hang around the top of the AL Central and/or the AL Wild Card race, I think Chris Getz will add to the roster for the stretch run. Now, I'm not suggesting that the Sox will trade away their top prospects for a rental like Tarik Skubal, but if there's an opportunity to acquire players under control for another year or two, there's no reason for them not to do that. Adding a starter or two (think of guys like Seth Lugo, Michael Wacha, Reid Detmers, etc.) would not be a surprise at all.
Q: It seems pretty obvious that Preller will be active at the Deadline, but do you have any guesswork as to who specifically he might be after? The offense is dead last in the league so adding a bat seems obvious. But at the same time the starting pitching hasn’t been all that great and we’ve heard talk about adding more to the bullpen. So do you have any insight to clear this up?
Feinsand: Trying to guess what AJ Preller will do is a pointless exercise. Last year, before he traded for Mason Miller, one rival executive suggested we rename Deadline day after Preller. He's going to do something by the Deadline, but I won't even try to predict it. That said, keep an eye on the health of Joe Musgrove and Nick Pivetta as August approaches. If they're healthy, it will allow Preller to focus on the offense. If they're not, then the rotation will be a focus (a Seth Lugo reunion, perhaps?). The only thing I feel good predicting: There will be at least one Padres move between now and Aug. 3 that none of us saw coming.
Q: Do you get the sense that [the] Nationals might end up being low-buyers rather than sellers?
Feinsand: Wouldn't surprise me at all. But as I said with the White Sox earlier, I don't think Washington will trade any of its top prospects away to try making a run this season. They could add on the margins by trading some mid-level guys, but first-year exec Paul Toboni is thinking long-term. Getting to the playoffs would be a big step for this young team, but they're not going to sacrifice the future for a one-year run, especially given how tough the teams are at the top of the NL. A month ago, I might have said the Nats would be sellers and move CJ Abrams among others, but if they continue to stay in the race, then I don't think Abrams is going anywhere.
Q: Are the Royals officially selling yet? What does the market look like for Royals trade chips if they do sell?
Feinsand: I'm not sure any teams other than the Giants, Rockies and perhaps the Angels are sure-fire sellers, but the Royals are one of the few teams that appears to be headed in that direction sooner than later. Kansas City definitely has some appealing trade chips if JJ Picollo decides to sell, with Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha leading the way. Lugo is signed for $20 million in 2027 and has a $17 million club option for 2028, while Wacha is signed for $14 million in '27 with a $14 million club option for 2028. The Royals could likely get a solid return for the two pitchers, but they could also decide that both are key to their chances over the next two seasons, prompting them to hold them. Reliever John Schreiber could also be interesting for bullpen-needy contenders, as he is relatively inexpensive and will be a free agent after the season. The Royals will likely be sellers, but don't look for them to do a complete tear-down given that Bobby Witt Jr. is under contract through at least 2030.
Q: Would it make sense for Arizona to still be buyers in the sense of looking for controllable guys over rentals, regardless of playoff odds this season?
Feinsand: I think you can say that about a number of the teams in the postseason picture, especially in the National League. The Nationals, Marlins, Cardinals, Pirates and Reds are all either in playoff position or within four games of a spot as of Wednesday, and each of those teams will likely be looking at the possibility of adding controllable players rather than expiring contracts. The NL is fascinating right now; every team other than the Mets, Giants and Rockies is within four games of a playoff spot. We may not know who the buyers or sellers are for quite a while.
Q: We all know the Phillies will be buyers and don't have a great farm system. How do you see their Trade Deadline shaking out? Any names to look out for? The needs/holes are obvious outfield bat, 4/5 type starter, and maybe a reliever. Obviously they won't be able to fill all the holes and curious how you see them addressing it. Teams like Boston and San Francisco stick out as trade partners for me. My biggest question remains is it an Austin Hays/Harrison Bader type trade or Dombrowski blockbuster move?
Feinsand: Dave Dombrowski is like the original AJ Preller. Never discount what he can do at the Deadline. The Phillies will be as active as they can be, and I think the outfield and bullpen will be the primary areas of focus. With Zack Wheeler, Cristopher Sánchez, Jesús Luzardo, Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter, the Phillies can get the job done in the regular season and have enough to throw in a playoff series.