The Trade Deadline is six weeks away, and if you're looking for clarity in the standings, you won't find much. Nearly three-quarters of the teams in MLB are within three games of a playoff spot, so identifying which teams are going to be sellers is anyone’s guess.
Still, there are players on bubble teams worth monitoring -- guys who could be on the move if the next six weeks don't go according to plan for their clubs.
Tarik Skubal headlines the list. A pending free agent, the Tigers ace has generated more Deadline buzz than anyone in baseball, and the chatter is only going to get louder as Aug. 3 gets closer.
However, the Tigers haven’t yet committed to selling. Following Friday's win, they are five games out in the murky AL Wild Card race, having started off June with a 13-9 record and +40 run differential after getting outscored by 48 runs during a 6-22 May.
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He's not alone. Across both leagues, there are plenty of interesting players facing similar uncertainty as their teams toe the line between buyer and seller.
Here’s a look at 10 intriguing trade candidates besides Skubal on playoff bubble teams. (All stats below are through Thursday.)
Isaac Paredes, 3B, Astros
The Astros have gone 20-12 following a 20-31 start to the season, putting them right back in the mix for both the AL West title and an AL Wild Card berth at 40-43. Even if they continue to hover around .500, we can rule out an extensive Trade Deadline sale, considering virtually their entire roster is under contract or controllable beyond 2026.
If Houston does trade any of its veterans this summer, Paredes (controllable through 2027) is most likely to go. With Christian Walker at first, Jose Altuve at second, Yordan Alvarez at DH and Carlos Correa returning from injury to play third next year, the team could put the 27-year-old Paredes on the block to either bolster its lackluster farm system or bring back an MLB-ready arm who can help in 2026 and beyond. Shortstop Jeremy Peña (also controllable through 2027) would fetch an even greater return, but the Astros would be more likely to trade him this offseason, like they did with Kyle Tucker two winters ago.
Kevin Gausman, SP, Blue Jays
After a heartbreaking loss to the Dodgers in the 2025 World Series, the Blue Jays entered this season determined to finish the job. Instead, they’ve spent almost the entire year below .500. Toronto nonetheless entered Friday mere percentage points behind the Astros for the third AL Wild Card spot. At this point, the Blue Jays seem more likely to be buyers than sellers.
However, if they still find themselves south of .500 in late July, it could behoove them to start looking ahead to 2027, which would mean shopping their pending free agents. That list includes Gausman, who is in the final season of a five-year, $110 million contract. The 35-year-old has had a rough month (7.62 ERA in June), but his track record would make him one of the most coveted starters on the market if Toronto decides to punt on 2026.
Dustin May, SP, Cardinals
Signed to a one-year, $12.5 million deal with the Cardinals in December, May looked like an obvious candidate to be flipped at the Trade Deadline when this season began. After all, St. Louis seemingly signaled its plans to rebuild when it traded Willson Contreras, Sonny Gray, Brendan Donovan and Nolan Arenado in the offseason.
St. Louis’ strong first half has made it more of a question whether the team will end up moving May. However, if the team starts to fade before the Trade Deadline, we expect the right-hander to be dealt as president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom continues to lay the groundwork for the future in his first year at the helm. The 28-year-old May gave up six runs his last time out, but he had a 2.54 ERA and a 2.69 FIP in the 12 starts before that.
Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, D-backs
The D-backs are above .500 this season, but the state of their rotation could make it tough for them to stay in the postseason race. Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly are struggling, Brandon Pfaadt is in the Minors, Ryne Nelson and Michael Soroka recently went on the IL and Corbin Burnes won’t be back until September at the earliest.
Although E-Rod is under contract through 2027, it would be wise for Arizona to capitalize on his rebound season by making him available via trade. The veteran left-hander has posted a 2.27 ERA this season after pitching to an ERA over 5.00 in each of the past two years. Rodriguez does have some questionable peripherals (4.06 FIP, 4.77 xERA), but the demand for starting pitching is such that he should draw significant interest anyway, allowing Arizona to get back some young talent and also free up payroll heading into the offseason.
Sandy Alcantara, SP, Marlins
The Marlins are the hottest team in baseball, going 16-5 in June to run their record to 42-39. But even with that surge, Miami is seven games out in the NL East and 1 1/2 games behind in the NL Wild Card standings. If the Marlins hit the skids again, they could look to move Alcantara, who has a $21 million team option for 2027.
Miami fielded offers for Alcantara last summer, but with his ERA over 6.00 at the time in his first year back from Tommy John surgery, his value wasn’t all that high. Alcantara’s 4.01 ERA this season isn’t especially impressive, either, but much of the damage was done in May (7.39 ERA). The 2022 NL Cy Young winner had a 3.04 ERA through the end of April and has gone 5-0 with a 2.60 ERA in June.
Trevor Rogers, SP, Orioles
Coming off a 75-87 season in 2025, the Orioles were one of the most aggressive teams this past winter, making several high-profile additions -- headlined by Pete Alonso -- to ensure a postseason return in ’26. The result so far? A 38-44 record.
The Orioles aren’t far removed from a large-scale rebuild, so they’ll probably stay the course with their current core rather than tearing it all down again. However, they have some pending free agents who could be of interest, including Rogers. The left-hander’s ERA has ballooned from 1.81 last season to 5.30 in 2026, but he has pitched well in June (2.22 ERA, 3.06 FIP).
Taylor Ward, OF, Orioles
Traded from the Angels to the Orioles for former top prospect Grayson Rodriguez in the offseason, Ward has been a solid addition for Baltimore. Although his power has mysteriously disappeared (5 HR, .365 SLG) after he hit 61 homers over the past two seasons, his disciplined approach has led to a 17.2% walk rate, a .389 on-base percentage and a 121 wRC+.
A pending free agent like Rogers, Ward is likely to be dealt unless the Orioles start building some positive momentum. That hasn’t happened yet -- Baltimore finished April at 15-16, went 13-16 in May and is 10-12 in June.
Casey Mize, SP, Tigers
Skubal isn’t the only intriguing trade candidate in Detroit’s rotation. There’s also Mize, who like Skubal is a pending free agent. The oft-injured righty has made two trips to the IL already this season, first with a left hamstring strain and then with a right adductor strain, but he’s otherwise off to an even better start this season than he was when he earned his first All-Star selection a year ago.
Mize owns a 2.95 ERA, a 2.78 FIP, a 1.07 WHIP and a 25.1% strikeout rate, all of which would be career bests for the 2018 No. 1 overall Draft pick.
Joe Ryan, SP, Twins
The Twins were one of last year’s most active Trade Deadline sellers, but they refrained from dealing Ryan and Pablo López, while Byron Buxton made it clear he had no intention of waiving his no-trade clause. One year later, López is recovering from right elbow surgery and nothing has changed with Buxton, so the Twins have limited options if they want to add to their stockpile of young talent.
After what happened with López, the Twins need to seriously consider capitalizing while Ryan is healthy and pitching like an ace (3.18 ERA, 2.81 FIP). The 30-year-old is controllable through 2027, so he could bring back a considerable haul.
Ryan Jeffers, C, Twins
Jeffers is sidelined with a left hamate bone fracture, but he’s expected back before the Trade Deadline and was one of the best-hitting backstops in baseball with a .949 OPS before his injury. Granted, it’s a step up from his usual production, but even so, his 115 wRC+ across 2023-25 was a top-five mark among catchers (minimum 750 PAs).
A pending free agent, Jeffers isn’t known as a strong defender, but his bat could be of interest to a team with good defense but weak offense behind the plate (like, say, the Yankees).