On Wednesday, ESPN published a ranking of 100 names to know for Trade Deadline season, and not surprisingly, Tigers left-hander Tarik Skubal was up at No. 1. Now that the two-time defending AL Cy Young Award winner is back healthy, suitors are sure to line up if and when the struggling Tigers decide to sell.
But look past Skubal, and there is further intrigue -- especially with regard to a few other possible sellers outside of Detroit. A few teams aside from the Tigers -- who also have second baseman Gleyber Torres at No. 14 -- come up multiple times in the top 15 of ESPN’s list. That trio consists of the Twins (OF Byron Buxton at No. 2, SP Joe Ryan at No. 4), Angels (SPs Reid Detmers at No. 6, Jose Soriano at No. 7) and Red Sox (RP Aroldis Chapman at No. 8, 1B Willson Contreras at No. 9, SP Sonny Gray at No. 15).
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To help make sense of what to expect from these teams over the next several weeks, we called in their MLB.com beat writers, as well as senior national reporter Mark Feinsand.
As ESPN notes, Buxton would drop off the list entirely if he makes clear that he will exercise his no-trade clause. The 32-year-old, who has spent his entire professional career with the Twins organization, is signed through 2028. Is there a real chance that both Minnesota, and Buxton himself, decide it’s time to move on?
Short answer: No. Longer answer: Is it conceivable? Yes, but it’s a very long shot. Buxton has no desire to go anywhere. He’s happy with the Twins and he’s said repeatedly that it’s important to him to wear one uniform for his whole career. Plus he’s healthy and happy and having a great year, enjoying playing for new manager Derek Shelton and clearly enjoying the leadership role he’s grown into. He wants to win with the Twins, and if you remember hearing some irritation from him in Spring Training, it’s because he would’ve liked the club to have been as categorical about the matter as he’s been. Not because he wants out.
Now: Is there a scenario where he goes? Yes. But it starts with a bigger teardown, which right now doesn’t appear to be the direction they’re likely to go. But if, say, the Twins part with Ryan Jeffers and Joe Ryan, then Buxton might well decide he doesn’t want to be the last one standing. But it’s hard to envision a sequence of events where he gets moved other than as part of a much bigger selloff.
-- Twins beat writer Matthew Leach
With both Detmers and Soriano not set to reach free agency until after the 2028 season, the Angels have a shot to control the market for controllable starting pitching, which is always a precious commodity. But this is also a team that has traditionally been reluctant to go into full-on sell mode. Is there any indication that could change this summer?
To say the Angels have had trouble developing starting pitchers over the last decade is an understatement, but they finally have two starters performing well and under team control for two more seasons after this one. They could get a haul for either Detmers or Soriano to revamp a farm system that’s considered by experts to be among the game’s worst, especially when it comes to position players. They’ve done a better job in recent years in stockpiling young pitchers, which could make it more palatable to trade Detmers or Soriano.
But owner Arte Moreno has been reluctant to approve trades of productive players who aren’t impending free agents. They memorably never traded two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani and didn’t move outfielder Taylor Ward until this offseason with him set to be a free agent after the season. So it’s unclear if Moreno has softened his stance on a potential rebuild, but it’ll be fascinating to see what the Angels decide to do, because Soriano and Detmers are both difference-makers who could infuse some much-needed young talent into the system. But they also could look to hold them in an effort to compete next year, as the Angels are still searching for their first postseason berth since 2014.
-- Angels beat writer Rhett Bollinger
Trading Chapman is one thing, as relievers are always the most likely players to move at the Deadline. But Contreras and Gray were just acquired from the Cardinals in the offseason, and both still have no-trade protection. Is one of those two more likely to go if the Red Sox sell?
I think Gray is more likely to go, despite the no-trade protection, because he will likely become a free agent at the end of the season. The one thing the Red Sox have going for them is starting pitching depth both in the short and long term. What they don’t have is an abundance of right-handed power. In fact, they have a glaring lack of it. Contreras is on pace for a career year and it’s no coincidence it is happening as he plays half of his games at Fenway Park. As chief baseball officer Craig Breslow suspected in the offseason, Contreras has a swing built for Fenway. He also has the fiery personality that thrives in a place like Boston. Not only is Contreras signed through next season but he has an affordable club option for ‘28 at $17.5 million. I will be really surprised if he gets traded.
-- Red Sox beat writer Ian Browne
Which of these three potential sellers do you think is the most intriguing to watch between now and Aug. 3, and why?
As I detailed earlier this week, the Red Sox are the most intriguing of these three teams for a number of reasons. First, Boston would likely get a good return for Aroldis Chapman -- remember, the Royals got Cole Ragans for the reliever a few Deadlines ago, and the price for top relief pitching is always high as the Deadline approaches -- and Gray can opt out and be a free agent next year, a likely scenario if the Red Sox don’t appear to be contenders.
Contreras seems likely to stay in Boston, but will this be the time the Sox move Jarren Duran? He’s been better recently after a dreadful start, and with two years of control remaining beyond 2026, he could be the ultimate change-of-scenery candidate.
Lastly, watching how Craig Breslow approaches this Deadline is intriguing in its own right. Boston’s chief baseball officer is in his third season, and there has been talk about how John Henry hasn’t been happy with his team’s performance. Could Breslow actually try to buy in an effort to solidify his job status? Would a fire sale expedite a change in the front office? There’s plenty to watch in Boston if the Sox don’t turn things around soon.
-- Senior national reporter Mark Feinsand
What’s a team other than the Tigers, Twins, Angels and Red Sox that you are keeping a close eye on for their ability to shake up the trade market?
I’ll give you three.
The Giants have let it be known that most of their veterans can be had, namely Matt Chapman, Rafael Devers and Willy Adames. They also have Luis Arraez and Robbie Ray, who could be appealing to contenders. Whether San Francisco can move any of its high-priced trio will be an interesting storyline.
The Royals are having a very disappointing season, and while I don’t expect a full teardown as long as Bobby Witt Jr. is in Kansas City, a pair of starting pitchers could be on the move. Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha are each signed through 2027 with club options for 2028, but they’re both in their mid-30s and could help contenders willing to pay the price for rotation help.
And, of course, there are the Mets. At 33-41, New York is 14 games back in the NL East and 5 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot. There’s still plenty of time for the Mets to put themselves in the Wild Card mix, but if they’re still well under .500 and have a bunch of teams ahead of them – there were six teams between them and the third Wild Card spot as of Wednesday afternoon – they would be negligent not to shop impending free agents Freddy Peralta, David Peterson and A.J. Minter at the very least.
-- Feinsand