tamil yogi
MLB trade deadline 2026: Just in intel from Olney, PassanplayJeff Passan: ‘The Dodgers have assembled the Avengers’ (0:54)Buster OlneyClose
ESPN Senior Writer
The MLB trade season is entering the final push.
While this year’s deals were slow to develop, the biggest summer blockbuster came with the Los Angeles Dodgers landing Tarik Skubal late Saturday night — and there are plenty of big moves ahead with less than 36 hours to deal before the 6 p.m. ET deadline arrives on Monday.
Which players will move in the final rush? Which contenders will go big to add the best available players after the Dodgers’ just in splash? And which trades will have the largest impact on the rest of the season — and October? We asked ESPN MLB insiders Buster Olney and Jeff Passan for their just in intel as the deadline nears.
Olney: The Skubal situation held up the massive market for starting pitchers, and so in the last 36 hours before the deadline, among the contending teams, it’ll feel like Oprah handing out goodies to an audience: And you get a starting pitcher, and you get a starting pitcher, and you get a starting pitcher… The Cubs, Braves, Phillies, Rays, Brewers and other teams will land a starting pitcher (and in a couple of cases, maybe two), with Clay Holmes, Freddy Peralta, Robbie Ray and others coming off the board.
Passan: Prices are finally going to come down — because they have to. All week long, executives looking to add have bleated about the premium being asked for players. Controllable players, rental players — it does not matter. There are more teams trying to get better than ones punting the season, and they know that because of the finite inventory, they can shoot high. At some point, however, the posturing and information-gathering needs to end and deals need to win the day. That point is now.
Olney: Let’s put it this way — the Brewers have The Miz, and a great team, and if anybody is going to beat the Dodgers, then the starting pitcher they acquire could be pivotal. This is part of the reason why the Dodgers paid for Skubal: The specter of having to face Jacob Misiorowski and Skubal in back-to-back games might’ve represented the greatest threat to the L.A. dynasty. But whether it’s Peralta or Holmes or some other starter, the guy that the Brewers land to be the Robin to The Miz’s Batman could be a linchpin guy in the postseason.
Editor’s Picks
Passan: In terms of actual impact, the most meaningful deals might not involve the division leaders. Milwaukee is up 6½ games, Atlanta eight and Los Angeles 10. In the National League especially, the division races aren’t over, but they’re sure trending toward it. Which leaves the American League, where the line between the division leaders and wild-card contenders is almost nonexistent. When the whole league is a mishmash, deadline aggressiveness can be a separator.
So which AL team will take the biggest swing? Do the Yankees do something to catch the Rays, or do the Rays do something to secure home-field advantage, or do the Red Sox make a splash to chase them both? And that’s to say nothing of the Central and West, led by Chicago and Houston, with Minnesota, Cleveland and Seattle chasing while Texas and Baltimore consider just how much to push.
Olney: Bryce Harper reported the other day that the Phillies need help, and he might as well have been speaking for the Braves, Yankees, Brewers, Rays, Cubs — and in this parade of deals that is now imminent, with Skubal off the board, those deals will happen.
Breaking News from Jeff Passan
Download the ESPN app and enable Jeff Passan’s news alerts to receive push notifications for the just in updates first. Opt in by tapping the alerts bell in the top right corner. For more information, click here.
The Yankees will add a reliever and a right-handed hitter. The Phillies will add a starting pitcher and a reliever. Now that the Braves have Lane Thomas, they will focus their energy on landing a starter. It’s not a great trade market, generally, but the needs of the contenders match the market pretty well — other than the broad need for right-handed hitting catchers, from teams such as the Red Sox.
Passan: The Rays are going to be busy. They’ve been in the middle of everything and are looking at starting pitchers and relievers, with another bat an option. Their farm system is loaded, and they will spend prospect capital. After owner Jim Crane spiked a deal to acquire Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach for Bryan Abreu, Houston will find a long-desired left-handed outfield bat. Milwaukee’s desire to get a starter didn’t end with Skubal. It just won’t be the starter.
Olney: The Red Sox will continue to try to land a shortstop; the Cubs are about pitching, pitching and more pitching; the D-backs should be able to land a first baseman, to fill their biggest hole; the Yankees will be aggressive. Any American League contender can dream big and believe they can reach the World Series; the league doesn’t have any great teams, and so AL execs can easily talk themselves into the possibility that trade deadline acquisitions could be difference-making.
Passan: The biggest name to drop outside of Skubal could be one of the shortstops who are marginally available, and the Red Sox are the biggest threat to land one of them. Zach Neto, Otto Lopez … even CJ Abrams — the Red Sox have the pieces for any of them, and teams are hoping to be the beneficiary of Boston’s aggressiveness. Because all are excellent and controllable for multiple years, though, the asks are exorbitant.
The Cubs need arms and will land them. The Yankees are shooting high on a catcher and figure to secure one before Monday’s deadline. Philadelphia has a lot of work to do, and a lot of ways to improve a team with multiple holes. Arizona is all over pitching: starters and relievers.
Olney: The Pirates have already been active, and the full expectation of rival executives is that Pittsburgh will continue to do what it can to fight its way into the playoffs. With Ryan O’Hearn down, the Pirates are going to need at least one more really good hitter to fill that role. The Mets have a bunch of deals to make, and the Giants have to find deals for the likes of Luis Arraez, Ray and other veterans.
2026 MLB trade deadline trackerWhich teams will make the biggest splash? Here are the just in news, rumors and analysis as 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 3 nears. Running tracker »
The Mariners are in such an interesting spot because the team seems to be performing below expectations. So Seattle is assessing whether it’s better to do a partial sell-off and take advantage of the need for right-handed hitting, which is why it’s listening to offers on free-agent-to-be Randy Arozarena.
Passan: The volume of activity will depend as much on the crystallization of who’s unloading as anything. And that might not be clear until late Sunday. Could be the Rangers. Could be the Padres. Could be the Cardinals. Could be the Nationals. Could be the Marlins. Of those committed already, the Mets clearly have a lot of work to do and are going to have a very busy Sunday. Cincinnati has seven impending free agents and is in full deal mode. The Giants are going to move Arraez and Ray and are trying hard on some of their larger contracts, too.
Olney: It depends on what you mean by available. CJ Abrams is available, theoretically, and sure, if the Red Sox or some other team goes all-in, the Nationals would be open to the conversation. Any trade for Abrams would have to be a blockbuster.
Olney: The Phillies might be the most intriguing team because of their recent freefall. Would they be so bold to make a move for a better defensive shortstop and push Trea Turner to the outfield? Especially with the Harper-David Dombrowski dynamic, there is a lot of pressure on the Philadelphia front office to be bold — at a time when the team is on the verge of dropping out of a playoff spot.
We know that Dombrowski greatly values Alex Cora and tried to hire him back in April; would he call him again now? It just seems like the Phillies are poised to shock us as they position themselves for the last two months.
✔ today silver rate
✔ 2026 winter olympics
✔ chat gtp
✔ silver rate today
✔ silver rate today live
✔ 2030 winter olympics
Sports
