{"id":33399,"date":"2025-07-24T09:32:30","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/33399\/"},"modified":"2025-07-24T09:32:30","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T09:32:30","slug":"mlb-2025-player-every-team-should-trade-for-or-away-this-july","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/33399\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB 2025: Player every team should trade for (or away) this July"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349543_83_schoenfield_david.png&#038;h=80&#038;w=80&#038;scale=crop.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"40\" height=\"40\"\/><\/p>\n<p>David SchoenfieldJul 2, 2025, 07:00 AM ET<\/p>\n<p><a class=\"icon-font-after icon-close-solid-after\" href=\"#\">Close<\/a>Covers MLB for ESPN.com<br \/>\nFormer deputy editor of Page 2<br \/>\nBeen with ESPN.com since 1995<\/p>\n<p>This year&#8217;s MLB trade deadline is going to be complicated. So many teams are currently in the playoff race &#8212; only eight are more than five games out of a wild card &#8212; that it might make for a slow deadline if all those clubs remain in contention by the end of July.<\/p>\n<p>One thing is clear, however: The <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"43e14a76-ff66-49ed-24fc-2835932f99dd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/team\/_\/name\/ari\/arizona-diamondbacks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Arizona Diamondbacks<\/a> are the fulcrum of this deadline, with the ability to make it a lot more interesting if they decide to trade away their players heading into free agency &#8212; a group that includes slugging third baseman <a data-player-guid=\"1a1ec65f-a81f-8ce9-9f38-7275b93a2474\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32367\/eugenio-suarez\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eugenio Suarez<\/a>, starters <a data-player-guid=\"015860e5-bef1-87ae-e3c9-9ca7806418c2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32968\/merrill-kelly\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Merrill Kelly<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"fc1345d7-f487-a73d-b74a-5c781b21d2d1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39910\/zac-gallen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zac Gallen<\/a>, .300-hitting first baseman <a data-player-guid=\"04a30dc3-3637-3fbf-5ca8-0faf7a706e3a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/35066\/josh-naylor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Naylor<\/a> and rejuvenated closer <a data-player-guid=\"9370f6b5-aeb1-9ec5-5511-b71287710187\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/30738\/shelby-miller\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shelby Miller<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>While there&#8217;s always a desire for ownership and the front office to go for it and not sell out a clubhouse that has worked hard to get into the playoff chase &#8212; let alone sell out the fans who have supported the team &#8212; that&#8217;s not always possible.<\/p>\n<p>This past weekend&#8217;s sweep at the hands of the <a data-clubhouse-guid=\"74909d10-eacb-1376-ef1e-d0f37d7c67ca\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/team\/_\/name\/mia\/miami-marlins\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miami Marlins<\/a> was a crushing three games and decreased their playoff odds by about 11 percentage points, to under 20%. Factoring into Arizona&#8217;s ultimate thought process: <a data-player-guid=\"801e1ea7-15e4-fcbc-982c-9efc9d6050df\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39878\/corbin-burnes\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Corbin Burnes<\/a> is done for the season following Tommy John surgery, and with Gallen continuing to struggle with a 5.45 ERA, the rotation just hasn&#8217;t been competitive. A run to the postseason feels unlikely, and a run through October even less so.<\/p>\n<p>As July kicks off, we present our annual list of one player every team should trade for (or away) before the July 31 deadline. And yes, we have the Diamondbacks saying goodbye to a number of their impending free agents. Let&#8217;s start with them.<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Jump to team: <\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">American League<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#ath\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ATH<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#bal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BAL<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#bos\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">BOS<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#chw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CHW<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#cle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CLE<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#det\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">DET<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#hou\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">HOU<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#kc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">KC<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#laa\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LAA<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#min\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MIN<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#nyy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NYY<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#sea\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SEA<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#tb\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TB<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#tex\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TEX<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#tor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">TOR<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">National League<br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#ari\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ARI<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#atl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">ATL<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#chc\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CHC<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#cin\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">CIN<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#col\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">COL<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#lad\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">LAD<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#mia\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MIA<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#mil\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">MIL<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#nym\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NYM<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#phi\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PHI<\/a><br \/><a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#pit\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PIT<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#sd\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SD<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#sf\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">SF<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#stl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">STL<\/a> | <a href=\"http:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45619162\/mlb-2025-deadline-one-player-trade-away-july-all-30-teams#wsh\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">WSH<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349543_932_ari.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/>Arizona Diamondbacks: Trade away Eugenio Suarez<\/p>\n<p>In a deadline that lacks a marquee superstar &#8212; remember that the biggest names of the past two deadlines, <a data-player-guid=\"04a76996-4a5c-456d-8022-a9d45e3ff933\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39832\/shohei-ohtani\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shohei Ohtani<\/a> in 2023 and <a data-player-guid=\"758d4fc6-a046-3dc0-9280-c6279357128c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4297835\/garrett-crochet\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Garrett Crochet<\/a> in 2024, weren&#8217;t traded anyway &#8212; Suarez might be the best player who gets traded. He&#8217;s having a huge power season, hitting .254\/.324\/.564 with 26 home runs, recently belting his 300th home run to cement his underrated career. His strikeout rate is the lowest it&#8217;s been since 2018 as he has made a concerted effort to swing a little more often early in the count. It&#8217;s paid off. The Diamondbacks also have top prospect Jordan Lawlar ready in the minors to take over at third. He&#8217;s a natural shortstop, but <a data-player-guid=\"d8bea5dd-fa69-4b41-60d2-41da57161fd5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41355\/geraldo-perdomo\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Geraldo Perdomo<\/a> has locked down that position and Lawlar&#8217;s bat should still play at third.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349543_145_det.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349543_694_sea.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>There are several contenders in need of an upgrade at third base, including the Cubs and Reds, but the Tigers and Mariners might have the edge in prospect depth to make the deal. The Tigers will likely make multiple moves &#8212; no doubt, adding a bullpen arm at a minimum &#8212; and while the lineup has shown surprising depth, adding Suarez to hit between lefties <a data-player-guid=\"174819f6-cd46-3cf3-bfd7-257edd71dc70\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/42714\/kerry-carpenter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kerry Carpenter<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"42013927-5c1f-ca70-7434-9a616f075d2f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/42179\/riley-greene\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Riley Greene<\/a> feels like the perfect fit while allowing <a data-player-guid=\"b376a0d1-9e60-b7b9-b6a4-0653839f9520\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/38420\/zach-mckinstry\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zach McKinstry<\/a> to return to his utility role. Suarez would also hedge against some of the possible regression from the likes of McKinstry, <a data-player-guid=\"91285908-a7c2-ecb4-05f4-45a6fd304282\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32127\/javier-baez\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Javier Baez<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"17807b1c-5611-ec45-874b-33bb63e08a91\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33804\/gleyber-torres\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gleyber Torres<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"6be07c63-1f9a-39b7-89b8-d5da5d65ce31\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4424286\/spencer-torkelson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Spencer Torkelson<\/a>, who have performed much better than last season.<\/p>\n<p>The Mariners have been playing <a data-player-guid=\"79acfeaa-e1be-4927-7434-8225e4f43c67\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/40900\/miles-mastrobuoni\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miles Mastrobuoni<\/a> and rookie <a data-player-guid=\"1d82e5e1-a20b-33e1-93db-2ea03994d60d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4626239\/ben-williamson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ben Williamson<\/a> at third base. They chip in an occasional single but have combined for just two home runs in over 300 at-bats. With <a data-player-guid=\"6c27dcb5-a741-d526-b5ac-f3988e288a70\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41292\/cal-raleigh\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cal Raleigh<\/a> accounting for a third of the Mariners&#8217; home runs &#8212; granted, he has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45590221\/mlb-2025-cal-raleigh-aaron-judge-best-power-hitters-half-season-history\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">hit a lot of them<\/a> &#8212; Suarez would add a much-needed cleanup hitter to bat behind Raleigh. Oh, and it would rectify the big mistake president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto made when he traded Suarez to Arizona after the 2023 season in a cost-cutting move.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349544_161_stl.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/>Ranking the top 50 MLB trade candidates<img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/r1521404_608x342_16-9.jpg\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>A star slugger on the move? An All-Star outfielder available? Our running list of who could be traded by the deadline has new names at the top.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45568636\/ranking-mlb-trade-deadline-candidates-alex-bregman-jarren-duran\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Top 50 trade candidates \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Kelly is the type of pitcher who used to be called a bulldog. He battles, he&#8217;s tough, and he gets the most out of an arsenal that features a pedestrian 92 mph fastball. Every team would love to have him in its rotation and, for what it&#8217;s worth, he was excellent in the 2023 postseason for Arizona when he posted a 2.25 ERA across four starts. He had a nine-run blowup in his second outing of 2025 but is pitching better than ever since then with a 2.83 ERA and more strikeouts than innings pitched.<\/p>\n<p>The Cardinals continue to exceed expectations, and Kelly&#8217;s $7 million contract would be especially attractive to them &#8212; or any team looking for a starter at an affordable rate, for that matter. As for the need: The Cardinals rank in the middle of the pack in the majors in rotation ERA, but <a data-player-guid=\"3a3b11ad-786b-b169-d47f-61e4f6431a43\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33793\/erick-fedde\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Erick Fedde<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"5ac1018a-9135-3239-9b4c-dc31c11826f8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4109034\/andre-pallante\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Andre Pallante<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"a64a38aa-22f8-f033-8154-9317cb6cea88\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32116\/miles-mikolas\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Miles Mikolas<\/a> are averaging fewer than 6.5 strikeouts per nine. (St. Louis is 26th in rotation strikeout rate.) Kelly would give them a better strikeout pitcher to go alongside <a data-player-guid=\"72a5bc3d-5cb6-d1ba-5828-789d8913ea04\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32082\/sonny-gray\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sonny Gray<\/a> to head a potential playoff rotation.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349544_205_tex.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Rangers have struggled to score runs &#8212; 3.77 per game, nearly two fewer runs per game than 2023 &#8212; and while they&#8217;re looking up at the wild-card leaders, they don&#8217;t want to give up on a season where they have <a data-player-guid=\"f17ac700-ad8b-0057-ed5b-a5199e7bad9a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32796\/jacob-degrom\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jacob deGrom<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"bc065790-2066-e309-34d6-0f331a33cd9d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/31174\/nathan-eovaldi\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nathan Eovaldi<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/34973\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyler Mahle<\/a> dominating on the mound (although Mahle is out with shoulder fatigue). The Rangers rank 22nd in the majors in OPS at first base and last at DH, so even factoring in this season&#8217;s odd low-run environment at Globe Life Field, Naylor is a solution for either position, especially considering their DHs this past week included light-hitting journeyman <a data-player-guid=\"3b645949-8790-ce83-327a-2b6cd7f5030e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/38347\/sam-haggerty\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sam Haggerty<\/a> and whichever catcher wasn&#8217;t starting.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349544_778_mia.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Alcantara is signed for $17.3 million in 2026 with a $21 million team option for 2027, so even though his season stats look scary &#8212; 4-8, 6.98 ERA &#8212; the 2022 Cy Young winner still fits as a long-term option for a trade partner. More importantly, the results were at least better in June with a 4.34 ERA and .689 OPS allowed, although there are still concerns about his low swing-and-miss rate despite a fastball averaging 97.3 mph.<\/p>\n<p>The Marlins don&#8217;t have to trade him, of course, and given how bad their rotation has been &#8212; only the Rockies have a worse ERA &#8212; you can argue that trading him will only open a hole they&#8217;ll have to fill for next season anyway. They just went 6-0 on their road trip, and if they play well over the next month, it becomes less likely they trade Alcantara, with the view that he&#8217;ll be a necessary part of a potentially better team in 2026. It all comes down to the prospect haul, however, and Alcantara&#8217;s recent performance might be enough to swing a deal.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349544_437_chc.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349545_980_hou.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Cubs feel like the perfect match for multiple reasons. Their rotations ranks 22nd in ERA and 17th in innings, so they&#8217;re getting neither great production nor enough lengthy outings from their starters. The bullpen has held up to the stress so far with the second-best ERA in the majors, but acquiring Alcantara would add depth behind <a data-player-guid=\"18179f89-dcb9-9d42-a7ec-99aa1c26c5fb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/34401\/matthew-boyd\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Matthew Boyd<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"af1ec5d4-41a0-3097-9cb4-9e32ec6250a2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5134630\/shota-imanaga\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Shota Imanaga<\/a>, the team&#8217;s only reliable starters.<\/p>\n<p>A question the Cubs will have to evaluate: Alcantara has a higher-than-average ground ball rate, so will having <a data-player-guid=\"a004a121-0eb2-f885-7517-73688de8e933\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/34895\/dansby-swanson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dansby Swanson<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"b21d3016-6ad6-93a3-cb4a-24b46fa4f601\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41219\/nico-hoerner\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nico Hoerner<\/a> behind him help? That seems logical, but the Marlins have allowed a slightly lower average on ground balls this season than the Cubs, so it&#8217;s probably a negligible difference. The Cubs do have the better overall defense thanks to their outfield, but Alcantara has not been pitching into bad luck (indeed, his actual batting average allowed of .266 is lower than his expected average of .280).<\/p>\n<p>Astros general manager Dana Brown just talked about looking for a left-handed bat to help his right-heavy lineup, but the Astros have a track record for making big pitching moves like this at the deadline: <a data-player-guid=\"4c623fea-1d3d-bc16-bae8-1cd6b1bc755d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/6341\/justin-verlander\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Justin Verlander<\/a> in 2017, <a data-player-guid=\"412d17e8-14a9-32e0-b326-3f9767407031\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5883\/zack-greinke\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Zack Greinke<\/a> in 2019 and Verlander again in 2023. The one-two punch of <a data-player-guid=\"cc9ee364-ac21-3540-ab45-3fee5fe359d1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4717803\/hunter-brown\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hunter Brown<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"01b35349-cb23-ea37-392e-bfac05c9c4eb\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/36581\/framber-valdez\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Framber Valdez<\/a> is as good as it gets, but the rotation is currently counting on unheralded rookies <a data-player-guid=\"b157b76f-b342-3fb7-9218-5c649fe17ac0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5133837\/colton-gordon\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Colton Gordon<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"6b8da2bd-5835-3deb-9902-467ac364bda0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4228724\/brandon-walter\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Brandon Walter<\/a>, who have been pleasant surprises and pounding the strike zone (a combined 68 strikeouts and seven walks in 71\u2153 innings) but might be over their heads right now. With Valdez heading to free agency, Alcantara would also provide insurance if they lose Valdez in the offseason.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349545_936_kc.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s starting to look a little desperate in Kansas City. The Royals are only 4\u00bd games out of the third wild card, but they have six teams to climb over, <a data-player-guid=\"3fc95bff-3509-37f1-ae44-45eaeb035f6a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4926296\/jac-caglianone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jac Caglianone<\/a> has failed to ignite the offense, and they went 8-17 in June. They&#8217;ll need a major <a data-player-guid=\"953a1c30-3f92-3387-bc26-c4ad94124e87\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/42403\/bobby-witt-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Bobby Witt Jr<\/a>. heater just to get close by the trade deadline. The emergence of <a data-player-guid=\"115397d1-d7cb-90d6-43dd-36f2df479e17\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41201\/kris-bubic\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kris Bubic<\/a> as a likely All-Star pitcher plus rookie <a data-player-guid=\"9f2297a0-32f0-3c3e-abe9-537942d36f4b\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4417208\/noah-cameron\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Noah Cameron<\/a> give the Royals some rotation depth to deal from, and Lugo remains an extremely attractive trade option, as he&#8217;s signed through at least next year (he owns a player option for 2027) and has a 2.74 ERA in 2025. Aside from Caglianone, the Royals&#8217; system lacks impact hitters in the upper minors. Trading Lugo gives them the chance to help their offense for the future.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349545_889_lad.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349545_887_tor.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Editor&#8217;s Picks<\/p>\n<p>2 Related<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s hard to believe the Dodgers might need another starting pitcher after all the money they&#8217;ve invested in their rotation, but we still don&#8217;t know the seasonlong prognosis for <a data-player-guid=\"73885c08-1817-3726-f379-b0a479a92aae\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33190\/tyler-glasnow\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyler Glasnow<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"459f01d4-79d3-2e60-2427-fddc4a82f275\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33748\/blake-snell\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Blake Snell<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"771b4210-4007-3491-9298-c4d92f15beb4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5134638\/roki-sasaki\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roki Sasaki<\/a>, although Glasnow has at least started a rehab assignment in Triple-A. The one thing we do know is the Dodgers have a system loaded with hitting prospects that might make them the team most capable of making this trade &#8212; if they want to do it.<\/p>\n<p>The Blue Jays are currently in the second wild-card spot, despite a scuffling rotation that ranks 26th in ERA. They did just get <a data-player-guid=\"a9fe8a8f-25e3-3d90-b410-96f40b03a927\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/28976\/max-scherzer\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Max Scherzer<\/a> back, but there&#8217;s no way of knowing what he&#8217;ll bring, plus <a data-player-guid=\"acb99851-abc5-2677-293a-62440228a1ec\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33148\/chris-bassitt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Bassitt<\/a> and Scherzer will be free agents &#8212; so they&#8217;ll be looking for pitching help in the offseason anyway. Lugo&#8217;s contract is a more attractive option than gambling on a high-level free agent, even if it costs a team some good prospects.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349545_506_cle.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Guardians were 31-26 at the end of May even though they had been outscored by 18 runs, but June was a rough go, with a 9-16 record and minus-29 run differential, dropping them under .500. Clase is signed through 2028, with his salary topping out at $10 million the final two years, making him a bargain for an elite closer.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45054014\/mlb-2025-relievers-closers-struggles-clase-williams-iglesias-pressly\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Is he still elite, though<\/a>? He&#8217;s allowing a .289 average after batters hit just .154 against him in 2024, and while his location was certainly off a bit in April, he also had a lot of BABIP bad luck. His ground ball rate is significantly down from where it once was (as high as 68% in 2021, down to 45% this season), but he has still surrendered just one home run. The Cleveland bullpen hasn&#8217;t been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/insider\/story\/_\/id\/41796733\/mlb-2024-playoffs-guardians-bullpen-ranks-compares-best-all\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">as dominant as last season<\/a> but it&#8217;s still deep, and <a data-player-guid=\"8ad74cb8-30b2-35f6-a1b4-8f8b0bd00f4c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4987924\/cade-smith\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cade Smith<\/a> has been their best reliever, so he&#8217;s ready to take over as the closer. Given the potential return for Clase &#8212; and hedging against the possibility that he could be on the decline &#8212; this might be the best chance for the Guardians to get a big haul for him.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349546_791_phi.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>When I flipped on the Phillies-Braves game Saturday, the score was 1-1 in the seventh inning with the bases loaded as Philly&#8217;s <a data-player-guid=\"3f852eea-2cf3-2f76-c459-a2d14d6b7afd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/36380\/jordan-romano\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jordan Romano<\/a> pitched to Atlanta&#8217;s <a data-player-guid=\"c75a9e8d-6352-1631-bbdc-097f6097f5a1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33557\/sean-murphy\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sean Murphy<\/a>. The broadcast flashed a graphic showing the Braves were the only team without a grand slam this season. First pitch: Boom. The Phillies need bullpen help and they need to win now. This has all the markings of a Dave Dombrowski deal.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349546_710_bal.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Orioles went 16-11 in June and are playing a little better, so there might be some hope &#8230; OK, sorry, Orioles fans. You&#8217;re still seven games out of the final wild-card spot with playoff odds hovering below 4%. A playoff run is unlikely given their rotation, and with up to 11 impending free agents after this season, if you count the three players on club options, general manager Mike Elias could make a slew of deals to add prospect depth to the organization. It&#8217;s not the way the Orioles expected the season to go, but this is the rare case where punting on the year makes sense.<\/p>\n<p>O&#8217;Hearn is probably the best of the group. They got O&#8217;Hearn from the Royals and milked three excellent seasons out of him as a platoon DH\/1B\/RF, and with so many teams starving for offense, his ability to hit right-handers (.312\/.398\/.518) makes him one of the best bats available.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349546_579_sf.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You could find a half-dozen teams where O&#8217;Hearn fits, but let&#8217;s go with the Giants, who rank last in the majors in OPS at first base, with an average below .200 and just five home runs. They also rank in the bottom third of the majors in OPS versus right-handed pitching, so adding O&#8217;Hearn on top of <a data-player-guid=\"9a29840a-6ec6-8b17-995a-f01bc7567f2d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33859\/rafael-devers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rafael Devers<\/a> would give San Francisco a second middle-of-the-order lefty bat. President of baseball operations Buster Posey has already shown his cards with the Devers deal: He&#8217;s all-in, so no time to stop now.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349546_201_atl.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/>Passan&#8217;s early MLB trade deadline preview<img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/r1501664_2_608x342_16-9.jpg\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>As trade season starts up, here are the biggest names who could move &#8212; and the teams that could deal for them. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45434376\/mlb-2025-early-trade-deadline-preview-all-30-teams-jeff-passan-buehler-bichette-gallen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jeff Passan \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Braves beat the Mets in five out of seven games in June to spark some comeback talk, but they remain eight games under .500, one of five NL teams that are more than five games out of the final wild card. There&#8217;s still time, and FanGraphs gives them 23% playoff odds, but the offense actually had its worst month of the season in June. It&#8217;s hard to wave the white flag with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/30948\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chris Sale<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"f805dbf1-b179-3ce5-8e7f-dbd027796296\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4424862\/spencer-schwellenbach\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Spencer Schwellenbach<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"fe783a66-6c4d-3706-afae-cc30e5651f97\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4307825\/spencer-strider\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Spencer Strider<\/a> leading the rotation and <a data-player-guid=\"fc243676-7041-8378-88e3-e893b5382f8c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/36185\/ronald-acuna-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ronald Acuna Jr<\/a>. red-hot since his return, but the Braves will need a huge July in order to be contenders. If they don&#8217;t get that, Ozuna is the logical trade candidate, as he heads into free agency and has a .369 OBP (although he had a miserable June with a .550 OPS and just two home runs).<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349547_894_sd.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Padres have used their DH slot to give <a data-player-guid=\"f648627a-f607-58d0-f02a-9282e6a7b5ef\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/31097\/manny-machado\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Manny Machado<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"b409926d-b11a-c4db-4a63-829c33fd9707\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/31606\/xander-bogaerts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xander Bogaerts<\/a> and others an occasional day off from the field, but it hasn&#8217;t worked, with the Padres ranking near the bottom of MLB in OPS at DH. Ozuna&#8217;s June slump is a concern, but his OBP would be the best on the team and help boost an offense that ranks in the bottom third in the NL in runs per game.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349547_18_nym.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>That got very Mets-like in a hurry. The Mets have gone 3-14 since June 13, which includes an embarrassing three-game sweep to the Pirates this past weekend when they were outscored 30-4. It prompted owner Steve Cohen to post, &#8220;Tough stretch, no sugarcoating it. I didn&#8217;t see it coming.&#8221; Didn&#8217;t see it coming? These are the Mets! Something always happens.<\/p>\n<p>The Mets should get some of their injured starters back soon, and while the lineup has some soft spots, it doesn&#8217;t have any must-need upgrades &#8212; center field and catcher are their weakest spots, but <a data-player-guid=\"b81c65b4-be0e-db2a-2b08-d6e263b4c49d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32783\/tyrone-taylor\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Tyrone Taylor<\/a> is an excellent defender and &#8230; well, good luck at catcher. So that leaves the bullpen, which is strong in the ninth inning with <a data-player-guid=\"1483dd31-f9d6-ba75-5ca9-05210ae1cf00\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/35394\/edwin-diaz\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Edwin Diaz<\/a> but a little shaky elsewhere, especially as manager Carlos Mendoza ran <a data-player-guid=\"2b37e1f5-bd3b-3277-8c05-481f132fc66f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4916509\/huascar-brazoban\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Huascar Brazoban<\/a> into the ground. New York should think big here. Bautista has two more years of team control on a low salary, so Baltimore could get a lot in return &#8212; and the Mets happen to be deep in starting pitching prospects, which is exactly what the Orioles need.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349548_46_pit.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Bednar is a two-time All-Star closer who struggled in 2024 (5.77 ERA) and then lost two games and blew a save in his first three outings of 2025, but he has been rolling since then with a 1.95 ERA and &#8212; most impressively &#8212; a 37.4% strikeout rate as his curveball\/splitter combo are once again wipeout pitches. He&#8217;s making $5.9 million this year and is under team control for another season, but the Pirates aren&#8217;t going anywhere in the standings anytime soon and have a closer-in-waiting in <a data-player-guid=\"108a80eb-42f4-89a0-7133-b81022f245e2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39801\/dennis-santana\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Dennis Santana<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349548_39_tb.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>After a mediocre first month, the Rays have been as good as any team in baseball since May 1: 33-21, tied for the third-best record (just one fewer win than the Tigers and two fewer than the Astros) and with the best run differential at plus-61. Only the Dodgers have scored more runs since May 1, and while the Rays are getting a slight offensive boost from Steinbrenner Field, pitching looks like the way to go at the deadline The rotation has been homer-prone &#8212; again, related to Steinbrenner Field &#8212; but the bullpen has lacked its usual depth and ranks 23rd in win probability added. Adding Bednar &#8212; the salary shouldn&#8217;t be too steep, even for the Rays &#8212; and moving <a data-player-guid=\"8c27dca5-e141-6c88-f185-250e1d19235f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/42180\/pete-fairbanks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Pete Fairbanks<\/a> into the setup role works.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349548_965_col.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Some people dislike going to the dentist or detest boiled eggs or loathe oatmeal raisin cookies. The Rockies? They hate to make trades. And they especially are not fans of trading homegrown players like McMahon. But it&#8217;s time. He isn&#8217;t having his best season at .219\/.321\/.392, numbers that look even worse when factoring in Coors Field, but he&#8217;s one of the best defensive third basemen in the game and there are some things to like in his metrics, including an 89th percentile walk rate and 83rd percentile bat speed. He&#8217;s signed through 2027 at a reasonable $16 million each of the next two seasons, given his high floor as a plus defender with 20-homer output.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349548_726_cin.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/>Top 10 prospect lists for every MLB team<img decoding=\"async\" data-lazyload=\"true\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/r1486089_2_608x342_16-9.jpg\" class=\"round lazyload\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Who is rising and falling in every major league farm system? Kiley McDaniel digs in.<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/43639138\/2025-top-10-prospect-rankings-all-30-mlb-teams-kiley-mcdaniel\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Updated top rankings for all 30 teams \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The Reds should absolutely be looking to add &#8212; and third base has been a black hole all season, with Reds third basemen ranking near the bottom of the majors in OPS. They released <a data-player-guid=\"c9663c5a-5d02-b4a9-d9df-e08944fc9361\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32531\/jeimer-candelario\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jeimer Candelario<\/a>, even though he&#8217;s under contract for $16 million this year and another $16 million in 2026, but the ongoing roulette spin to see who starts from <a data-player-guid=\"2a198a3b-d11f-c9b2-cc57-2e9f36837083\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39924\/santiago-espinal\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Santiago Espinal<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"61adf393-4014-35be-9b32-575244c7288e\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5012106\/christian-encarnacion-strand\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Christian Encarnacion-Strand<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"1203bbaf-c0c9-1f1c-68d0-f3f7924e2b47\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/40423\/gavin-lux\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Gavin Lux<\/a> isn&#8217;t a solution. The Reds also have a couple of third-base prospects in Sal Stewart and Cam Collier that they could offer in return. It&#8217;s just a matter of them absorbing more salary on top of Candelario&#8217;s sunken cost.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349549_700_min.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Twins are another team that will need a good July to determine their trading fate. However, other than the 13-game winning streak in early May, they haven&#8217;t been that good &#8212; and they went 9-18 in June as their pitching got absolutely destroyed (worst ERA in the majors). That doesn&#8217;t bode well for the second half. Castro is heading to free agency and has value as someone who can play anywhere; he has started games at three infield positions, both outfield corners and played regularly in center field last season. His OPS+ is above average for the third straight season, so he&#8217;ll provide some solid offense as well.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349549_744_nyy.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>OK, this wouldn&#8217;t be the most dramatic of moves for the Yankees, and they could certainly be in the mix for Eugenio Suarez. (<a data-player-guid=\"7510f63d-c06d-286c-6f35-dabf28982aa5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41433\/jazz-chisholm-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jazz Chisholm Jr<\/a>. has been playing third of late but would slide over to second.) They don&#8217;t really have any glaring holes, at least if <a data-player-guid=\"87692385-ba5c-9311-e1de-37be499f26a9\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32815\/marcus-stroman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Marcus Stroman<\/a> can plug the back of the rotation, but their offense has been gradually sliding: .829 OPS in April, .792 in May, .719 in June. Castro&#8217;s versatility is key: He could play third or he could play the outfield. With <a data-player-guid=\"c5c5bb27-7dbf-baac-e243-797a845d2d8f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/34995\/trent-grisham\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trent Grisham<\/a> and <a data-player-guid=\"03285768-af4d-809e-60d5-c0cfba15e05f\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/31027\/paul-goldschmidt\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Paul Goldschmidt<\/a> tailing off from their hot starts, Castro and <a data-player-guid=\"33de8a2e-6a24-ed47-a5ea-e31b6a1d03df\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33912\/cody-bellinger\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Cody Bellinger<\/a> would give manager Aaron Boone all kinds of lineup flexibility if those two continue to struggle.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349549_299_laa.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Angels are surprisingly &#8212; shockingly? &#8212; hanging around .500. They&#8217;re hitting .229 as a team with an OBP under .300 and they rank in the bottom half of the majors in rotation ERA and bullpen win probability added. In other words, they&#8217;re not especially good at anything. Yet here they are, although they&#8217;ll have to do it without manager Ron Washington, who is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45598633\/angels-ron-washington-remain-medical-leave-season\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">on medical leave the rest of the season<\/a>. They could go in any direction, but rotation help probably makes the most sense. Baltimore&#8217;s Morton is a free agent after this season, and while the 41-year-old looked ready for retirement after an awful first six weeks, he has a 2.90 ERA over his past six starts.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349549_914_mil.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>There has been speculation that the Brewers might be willing to trade <a data-player-guid=\"aa1cac72-2915-387f-9e32-4b2f84f52b1d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39825\/freddy-peralta\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Freddy Peralta<\/a>, similar to when they traded <a data-player-guid=\"5fda622f-acfd-2831-a36b-6da82e8e798a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/32760\/josh-hader\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Hader<\/a> in 2022 when they were in the playoff race and Hader had a year-plus left of team control. That move backfired when the Brewers missed the playoffs, the only year they didn&#8217;t make it between 2018 and 2024. Trading Peralta might be an ever bigger on-field and PR disaster &#8212; and we can&#8217;t advocate trading your best pitcher. Instead, we have the Brewers adding. Given their budget, it probably won&#8217;t be a big move for a big contract, so Miller and his $1 million salary is the logical help for a bullpen that ranks in the bottom third of the majors in ERA.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349550_142_bos.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Let&#8217;s see &#8230; since trading Rafael Devers, the Red Sox have gone 6-8. Maybe they won&#8217;t be better the rest of the season without him. They could look to add a starting pitcher if they think they&#8217;ll remain in contention or go crazy on top of the Devers trade and deal one of their outfielders (<a data-player-guid=\"e2897bf5-e89b-aaca-a7de-7e5dc498352a\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/41610\/jarren-duran\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jarren Duran<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"e6c4099e-80c4-3ee3-8cf9-dc4fc0a06b1c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4987382\/ceddanne-rafaela\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Ceddanne Rafaela<\/a>, <a data-player-guid=\"c01c2305-33d5-3753-8529-79086533e04d\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4990055\/wilyer-abreu\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Wilyer Abreu<\/a>) with fellow outfielder <a data-player-guid=\"4f21b684-60dc-336d-a11c-c5c765387ebd\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/5080767\/roman-anthony\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Roman Anthony<\/a> now in the majors. Or maybe they even see what they can get for <a data-player-guid=\"b28542aa-30be-6851-75c4-501226976e1c\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/34886\/alex-bregman\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Alex Bregman<\/a>, who can opt out of his contract after the season but has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45582300\/alex-bregman-open-new-contract-red-sox-agent-says\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">said he&#8217;s open to extension talks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The less exciting route: trading Buehler, if anyone wants him. He&#8217;s 5-6 with a 6.45 ERA, after going 1-6 with a 5.38 ERA last season with the Dodgers. He did have two good &#8212; albeit short &#8212; starts in the postseason for L.A., so that&#8217;s what a team would be trading for, banking on big-game Buehler delivering some clutch performances. Some team might take the chance, although the Red Sox might have to eat some of his remaining salary.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/cws.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/>ESPN Draft Coverage<\/p>\n<p>Stay up to date with the latest intel from ESPN&#8217;s experts.<br \/>MLB: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/45344216\/2025-mlb-mock-draft-kiley-mcdaniel-first-pick-washington-nationals\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">McDaniel&#8217;s latest mock draft \u00bb<\/a><br \/>NBA: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/45591220\/2025-nba-draft-recap-value-picks-risky-moves-rookie-year-awards-predictions\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2025 draft value picks, risky moves \u00bb<\/a><br \/>NFL: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/draft2026\/story\/_\/id\/44925346\/2026-nfl-mock-draft-early-first-round-predictions-quarterbacks-trades-32-picks\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Early 2026 first-round predictions \u00bb<\/a><br \/>NHL: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nhl\/story\/_\/id\/45606178\/nhl-draft-2025-grades-best-players-top-prospects-picks-value\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2025 draft grades for all 32 teams \u00bb<\/a><br \/>WNBA: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/wnba\/story\/_\/id\/44807839\/wnba-draft-2026-mock-top-prospects-lauren-betts-olivia-miles-azzi-fudd-taniya-latson-flaujae-johnson\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Top 15 prospects for 2026 draft \u00bb<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Since the first day of spring training, <a data-player-guid=\"9d68c1cb-341c-5bb8-ba62-3a6f20d44262\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/39631\/luis-robert-jr\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luis Robert Jr<\/a>.&#8217;s name has rightfully been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/story\/_\/id\/44630485\/mlb-trade-deadline-2025-luis-robert-jr-chicago-white-sox\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">at the top of Chicago&#8217;s potential trade list<\/a>, but it&#8217;s probably time to close the door on that option. He has been even worse than last season, hitting .185\/.270\/.313, and just landed on the injured list with a hamstring strain. His defense metrics remain strong, so a team desperate for a center fielder might take a chance if the hammy heals quickly, but the White Sox won&#8217;t want to give him away with his trade value at rock bottom.<\/p>\n<p>The better move is to trade Houser &#8212; and the sooner the better, to cash in on his hot run. He&#8217;s 3-2 with a 1.91 ERA and 2.2 WAR in seven starts. The 32-year-old is throwing both his curveball and changeup about twice as often as in the past, so maybe there is some real improvement going on, but his strikeout rate remains low at 18.1% and he had a 5.03 ERA in Triple-A with the Rangers before the White Sox picked him up. Most teams need pitching depth and Houser could be a serviceable back-end starter or swingman &#8212; and maybe even something better.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349550_819_was.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The Nationals have several players heading to free agency that they might look to deal, including closer <a data-player-guid=\"67d0d6bd-ce78-edfd-be8c-55bb92a28841\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/36543\/kyle-finnegan\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kyle Finnegan<\/a> and utility man <a data-player-guid=\"bea59ed1-9ec5-bb2a-5de5-229ac48b7395\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33215\/amed-rosario\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Amed Rosario<\/a>, although none will bring back a huge return. Soroka might be the most enticing to other teams. He has been starting for the Nationals and his 4.70 ERA in 11 games doesn&#8217;t impress, but he ranks in the 76th percentile in strikeout rate and 79th percentile in walk rate while holding batters to a .210 average. He might be a better fit as a reliever. Last season with the White Sox he fanned 60 in 36 innings out of the bullpen, so you could see a team trading for him and making him a key part of its bullpen.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"floatleft\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/1753349550_655_ath.png&#038;h=60&#038;w=60.png\" width=\"30\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The A&#8217;s don&#8217;t really have much to deal, although there will be the prerequisite <a data-player-guid=\"a612c014-c389-3057-849d-d820a0d7c361\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/4730225\/mason-miller\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mason Miller<\/a> rumors. <a data-player-guid=\"be1396f1-958a-6c37-0cb1-a78e75378a50\" href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/mlb\/player\/_\/id\/33263\/luis-severino\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Luis Severino<\/a> was perhaps a possibility, but he has been roughed up in four of his past six starts (.932 OPS in June with 31 runs allowed in 32\u2154 innings), so his trade value has plummeted, especially considering his contract has another two years. So that leaves &#8230; Urias? He&#8217;s a journeyman at this point, one who has been playing second base regularly of late, can play some third and will slug the occasional home run. He fits best as a bench player for a contender.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"David SchoenfieldJul 2, 2025, 07:00 AM ET CloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":33400,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[363,99],"class_list":["post-33399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33399"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33399\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33400"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}