[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Football league for the 2025 NFL season<\/a>]<\/p>\n Tigers acquire RP Ryan Helsley from Cardinals for RHP Troy Melton, INF Max Anderson<\/p>\n The assortment of ultra-effective, if mostly anonymous, relievers who starred as key figures in Detroit\u2019s \u201cpitching chaos\u201d strategy last season have taken a collective step back in 2025, leaving the first-place Tigers with a far flimsier bullpen than anticipated. That dynamic makes the Tigers obvious candidates to add a reliever or two ahead of the trade deadline. Reeling in a long-term closer such as Emmanuel Clase or Jhoan Duran from a division rival feels highly unrealistic<\/a>, so let\u2019s instead turn our attention to the top rental reliever likely available<\/a>, Helsley.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n While he remains one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in baseball, with a four-seamer that averages 99.3 mph, Helsley has not been nearly as effective this season as his past three years, when he was indisputably one of the best relievers in the sport. That said, this version of Helsley would still bring a much-needed swing-and-miss element to a Tigers bullpen that ranks 29th in K\/9. Sometimes you need a punchout in a huge spot in October, and Helsley is an enticing option to deliver in those moments, compared to what Detroit currently has.<\/p>\n As for Melton, don\u2019t be fooled by his struggles Wednesday in his major-league debut<\/a>; he\u2019s still a pitching prospect trending up in a big way<\/a>. Melton is exactly the kind of upper-level arm worth targeting for a St. Louis club with immense uncertainty on the mound beyond this season. He\u2019s a talented and sturdy right-hander who has made meaningful strides this season and would be in great position to compete for a rotation spot next spring after a full season in Triple-A.<\/p>\n Anderson is an unremarkable defender at second base but has raked in Double-A this season, posting a 158 wRC+ that ranks fourth among qualified hitters at the level<\/a>. He\u2019s not good enough to be a headliner \u2014 and it\u2019s possible St. Louis would try to add as many arms as possible, rather than more bats \u2014 but he\u2019s another solid prospect who could debut in the next year-or-so. \u2014 Shusterman<\/p>\n Which of these players will be wearing new jerseys on Aug. 1? (David Heringer\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n Red Sox acquire LHP Kris Bubic from Royals for OF Jarren Duran<\/p>\n Even after the shocking trade of Rafael Devers, the Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders. At present, Boston\u2019s OF\/DH mix consists of Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, Cedanne Rafaela, Roman Anthony and Masataka Yoshida. That\u2019s five every-day-caliber players, none of whom is an impending free agent, for four spots. While this is undoubtedly a first-world problem<\/a> \u2014 \u201coh no, we have too many quality players\u201d \u2014 Boston could serve itself well by dealing from a strength.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Yoshida\u2019s contract and defensive limitations make him the least valuable and most difficult to trade. Rafaela has emerged as an elite defensive center fielder with a burgeoning bat; he\u2019s not going anywhere. Neither, likely, is Anthony, who entered the season as the game\u2019s top prospect and has held his own at the big-league level as a 21-year-old. That leaves Abreu and Duran, the latter of whom, in my opinion, is the more tradable asset given his ability to play center.<\/p>\n Starting pitching is Boston\u2019s most glaring need, even with Garrett Crochet\u2019s Cy Young finalist-worthy season and strong bounce-backs from Bryan Bello and Lucas Giolito. Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow is notoriously analytically inclined, meaning he\u2019s unlikely to jettison Duran for a rental arm such as Arizona\u2019s Zac Gallen or Kansas City\u2019s Seth Lugo.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why Bubic, fresh off his first All-Star Game, is a worthwhile target. After battling through a barrage of injuries, Bubic looks healthy and capable of shouldering a full-season workload. He would balance out Boston\u2019s righty-heavy rotation; Crochet is currently the only lefty. Also, the 27-year-old southpaw hits free agency after next season, meaning Boston would have him for multiple playoff runs.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Kansas City, on the other hand, is desperate for offense. Duran is under control through the end of 2028 and would give the Royals the potent outfield stick they need for this season and beyond. There\u2019s a chance, given the two extra years of control with Duran, that K.C. would need to toss in a prospect to even things out, but this deal is a win for both sides. \u2014 Mintz<\/p>\n Brewers acquire 3B Eugenio Su\u00e1rez from Diamondbacks for RHP Brett Wichrowski, 1B Tyler Black<\/p>\n Eugenio Su\u00e1rez has quickly become the hottest player on this year\u2019s trade market<\/a>, as the power-hitting third baseman has been on fire since the All-Star break, continuing what has been a monster season. The Yankees are likely the most desperate for Su\u00e1rez<\/a>, and he would make the Cubs\u2019 offense even better, but the team with which he might be a perfect fit is the Brewers.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Milwaukee, winners of 12 of its past 13 games, has been the hottest team in baseball<\/a> over the past two months. But the Brew Crew haven\u2019t gotten much production from third base this season. The Brewers are 26th in MLB in OPS at the position, so plugging the hottest hitter in the game at the hot corner in a race for first place in the NL Central would be huge. Taking a potential target of the Cubs off the board would be huge, too.<\/p>\n In Wichrowski, the D-backs, who have seen their starting pitching decimated by injury this season, would acquire a live arm who isn\u2019t too far away from impacting a major-league roster. And Black, who is ready for regular big-league at-bats, can provide Arizona with a viable replacement for Josh Naylor, who could also be on the move at the deadline. \u2014 Dorsey<\/p>\n Padres acquire OF Luis Robert Jr. from White Sox for LHP Boston Bateman, OF Kavares Tears<\/p>\n The 28-year-old Robert has largely been a mess at the plate since his 38-home-run, All-Star season in 2023, but he still offers more upside than most position players available at this year\u2019s deadline, and he has been playing much better over the past month. At worst, he\u2019s a super streaky bat with a plus glove in center field who can make an impact on the basepaths. But if he\u2019s starting to stabilize offensively into something more reliable, we\u2019re talking about a game-changing talent.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Either way, Robert should be appealing to a San Diego team that has massive holes at the bottom of the lineup and in left field. Robert has played only center field in the big leagues, so how he would fit with Jackson Merrill would be interesting to see, but San Diego is no stranger to moving guys around defensively to accommodate the roster. Robert\u2019s contract \u2014 $20 million team options for the next two years \u2014 could be viewed as a rental or as a buy-low, long-term commitment if he finishes this season on a good note. Plus defensive center fielders with his kind of power are easily worth $20 million a year.<\/p>\n For the White Sox, it\u2019s difficult to imagine a volatile asset such as Robert netting a huge haul of elite prospects at this stage, but Chicago should still aim high. Trading a player with Robert\u2019s upside for a low-variance role player feels unfitting; the White Sox should be swinging for prospects with more impact potential, even if they\u2019re years away from fulfilling that promise. Bateman and Tears \u2014 San Diego\u2019s second- and fourth-round picks from last year \u2014 are worthy gambles. Bateman was one of two big high school southpaws selected in last year\u2019s draft, and San Diego drafted another from the same genre, 6-foot-8 Kruz Schoolcraft, earlier this month. The White Sox are known to adore big-framed left-handers (hello, Noah Schultz and Hagen Smith), making the 6-foot-8 Bateman a natural target. He has had his ups and downs this season as one of the youngest starting pitchers in A-ball, but teenage lefties who throw this hard and project as durable starting pitchers are rare.<\/p>\n The 22-year-old Tears ranked No. 44 on my list of the top 50 prospects for the 2024 draft<\/a> but fell all the way to San Diego at No. 134. He has also been in Low-A this season, and his impressive physical tools have yet to translate meaningfully in pro ball. Still, this is the kind of athlete who could break out in a big way if things start to click, and he provides Chicago some intriguing offensive upside to pair with Bateman on the mound. The Padres have shown zero hesitation to flip recently drafted players for immediate big-league help<\/a>, so a deal of this style would make a lot of sense for both sides. \u2014 Shusterman<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Phillies acquire RHP Griffin Jax from Twins for OF Justin Crawford, 1B Keaton Anthony<\/p>\n He might not be a closer, but for a team in serious need of high-leverage arms, right-hander Griffin Jax could be the answer to the Phillies\u2019 prayers. Jax is one of the best swing-and-miss relievers in baseball, with a K\/9 over 14 this season. He also doesn\u2019t walk batters, which would make manager Rob Thomson very happy.<\/p>\n Jax hasn\u2019t been a closer much in his time in the big leagues, but he did record 10 saves for the Twins last season while Jhoan Duran was injured. The Phillies historically have not gone with a traditional closer, but given their recent lack of bullpen success, an arm like Jax\u2019s might give them a good reason to try it. He also comes with three years of club control after this season.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Prying a top-50 prospect away from a team is a big ask, but given Jax\u2019s contract terms, it\u2019s the cost of doing business here, and in Crawford, the Twins get one of the best athletes in the minors. The son of longtime veteran Carl Crawford, Justin inherited his dad\u2019s speed and has also grown into his hit tool, hitting .329 this season with an on-base percentage well over .400.<\/p>\n First-base prospect Keaton Anthony is knocking on the door of the big leagues, and he\u2019ll provide Minnesota with the solution to a problem they\u2019ve been trying to address at first base for a while. Not only that, but being traded to the Twins will allow Anthony to not be blocked at his position; there was no way he was moving Bryce Harper from the spot in Philly. \u2014 Dorsey<\/p>\n Yankees acquire 3B Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes, RHP Mitch Keller from Pirates for prospects and a young arm<\/p>\n The Yankees\u2019 hole at third base has ballooned into a canyon<\/a> so massive it can be seen from space. With Jazz Chisholm Jr. entrenched at second base where he belongs, the Bombers have been using a platoon of Jorbit Vivas and Oswald Peraza at the hot corner. That strategy, frankly, has been a comedy of errors (at times literally<\/a>) on both sides of the ball. No contending club in either league has a more obvious need. But because the Bombers already have a stout offense, they don\u2019t need an All-Star-level bat at third.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n Enter Hayes, who, in his six years in Pittsburgh, has failed to develop into the impact hitter he showed flashes of when he debuted in 2020. But offensive woes aside, Hayes is a special defender who took home a Gold Glove in 2023. He\u2019s under contract through the end of 2029 at a paltry $7 million per year (it kicks up to $8 million in \u201828 and \u201829). For the Yankees, that\u2019s a reasonable price to pay for an unspectacular, reliable every-day third baseman, something they haven\u2019t had in years.<\/p>\n But as YankeeLand gesticulates wildly about infield defense, the team\u2019s starting pitching situation remains a potential Achilles\u2019 heel. Season-ending injuries to ace Gerrit Cole and playoff-caliber workhorse Clarke Schmidt have left New York\u2019s rotation dangerously undermanned. Reigning AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil is due back sometime in August but probably shouldn\u2019t be relied upon as a bankable October option. The same should be said about veteran soft-tosser Marcus Stroman and rookie tandem Will Warren and Cam Schlittler. Max Fried and Carlos Rod\u00f3n in Games 1 and 2 of a playoff series is A-OK; adding Keller would give the Yankees a legit, capable Game 3 arm.<\/p>\n What\u2019s in it for the Pirates, who, once again, find themselves well out of contention at deadline time? A regime change seems impending in Pittsburgh, with GM Ben Cherrington on the hot seat. But with Paul Skenes around, it probably doesn\u2019t make sense to completely pull the plug. And so it would behoove the Pirates to focus on high-level, relatively advanced prospects in a deal for controllable players such as Keller and Hayes.<\/p>\n Advertisement<\/p>\n The Yankees have a number of interesting pieces in the upper minors. Shortstop George Lombard Jr., a consensus top-50 prospect ranked in the top 10 by some outlets, might be off limits, but the Buccos should certainly ask. Spencer Jones is a fascinating player, a true boom-or-bust type in the Joey Gallo mode. The lefty slugger has outrageous power and a swing that looks like a mirror image of Aaron Judge\u2019s. He also has a gargantuan strikeout problem that makes his big-league floor subterranean. But for the Pirates, a team trapped in a hamster wheel of blah, that feels like a risk worth taking. If they can get Jones, a few other interesting, albeit lower-ranked dudes (I like high-energy infielder Roc Riggio, who is raking in Double-A), and one of Schlittler or Warren from the Yankees, they should part with Hayes and Keller.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trade deadline is one week away, which means it’s time for contenders to dream big on the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21561,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[435],"tags":[465,5585,3333,17945,1515,49,8293,48,17943,17947,6681,17948,17946,8823,14252,3990,1514,3986,17949,14574,14570,4013,14558,12416,17951,8290,13992,17942,7678,17950,14557,8297,17944,13648,7670,2598,13945,462,8296,504,1498,4847,1493,1491,4015,4019,14556,3974,82,14577,17941,2781,1497,8306,4010,1505,10622],"class_list":["post-21560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-aaron-judge","tag-arizona","tag-boston","tag-brett-wichrowski","tag-bryce-harper","tag-ca","tag-cam-schlittler","tag-canada","tag-carl-crawford","tag-carlos-rodon","tag-chicago","tag-clarke-schmidt","tag-craig-breslow","tag-detroit","tag-diamondbacks","tag-emmanuel-clase","tag-eugenio-suarez","tag-garrett-crochet","tag-gerrit-cole","tag-griffin-jax","tag-jackson-merrill","tag-jarren-duran","tag-jazz-chisholm-jr","tag-jhoan-duran","tag-joey-gallo","tag-jorbit-vivas","tag-josh-naylor","tag-kris-bubic","tag-lucas-giolito","tag-luis-gil","tag-luis-robert-jr","tag-marcus-stroman","tag-masataka-yoshida","tag-max-fried","tag-milwaukee","tag-minnesota","tag-mitch-keller","tag-mlb","tag-oswald-peraza","tag-paul-skenes","tag-phillies","tag-pittsburgh","tag-rafael-devers","tag-red-sox","tag-roman-anthony","tag-ryan-helsley","tag-san-diego","tag-seth-lugo","tag-sports","tag-st-louis","tag-troy-melton","tag-twins","tag-white-sox","tag-will-warren","tag-wilyer-abreu","tag-yankees","tag-zac-gallen"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21560"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21560\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21561"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Which](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1d140430-68d1-11f0-bef9-448afac56736.jpeg\"\/)
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