This summer’s Trade Deadline is still more than two months away, but as the Marlins taught us last spring, it’s never too early to start thinking about potential moves.
Miami dealt Luis Arraez to San Diego on May 4, jumping the 2024 trade market by several weeks. A handful of smaller deals took place that month, though the real heavy lifting of trade season wouldn’t begin until the calendar flipped to July.
Still, with a half-dozen teams already staring at sizable deficits in the standings, it stands to reason that some might look to seize the opportunity to make deals before more teams ultimately join the seller’s market.
“It’s hard to think some of those teams wouldn’t be open for business if they get a deal they like,” one National League executive said. “It all depends how badly a contending team wants to get something done this early.”
As an American League executive noted, “Teams rely on the Deadline to drive up prices,” hoping to pit multiple contenders in a bidding war for their tradable assets.
“The Marlins likely assumed the Arraez market wouldn’t be much bigger in July, because a limited number of teams would be looking for a DH,” the AL exec said. “It depends on what is motivating the seller, and what they expect the market to be later.”
With that in mind, here are six teams that could be early sellers, listed alphabetically, along with some names that could be on the move by July 31:
Marlins
Few potential trade chips stand out when looking at the Marlins’ roster, though one should dominate the headlines during the next two months: Sandy Alcantara.
The 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner returned this season after missing all of 2024 following Tommy John surgery, though his first nine starts have been uninspiring to say the least. Alcantara is 2-6 with a 7.99 ERA and a 1.61 WHIP as he struggles to find the form that recently made him one of the game’s best pitchers.
But as a number of executives said in our recent poll asking who would be the most notable name moved prior to the Deadline, Alcantara’s track record is enough for pitching-needy teams to roll the dice, especially since he’s under contract through 2026 with a club option for 2027.
Aside from Alcantara, the Marlins don’t have a wealth of trade candidates, as the vast majority of their roster consists of young players with multiple years of club control.
Cal Quantrill is their lone expiring contract, though clubs could try to pry Anthony Bender from Miami’s bullpen, as he’s earning $1.42 million this season and is entering the third of his four arbitration-eligible years this offseason.
Nationals
Washington has a number of players heading to free agency this winter, though the majority of them are having subpar seasons and are unlikely to bring back much of a return unless they turn things around.
The most appealing trade candidate on the Nationals’ roster is closer Kyle Finnegan, who is earning roughly $5.2 million this year as he heads toward free agency. The right-hander leads the NL with 15 saves, posting a 2.41 ERA in 19 appearances this season.
Andrew Chafin, who signed with Washington on May 1 after being released by the Tigers, could also be an option for clubs seeking left-handed relief help. Other expiring contracts include Josh Bell, Paul DeJong, Jorge López, Amed Rosario and Michael Soroka.
Orioles
The most surprising entrant on this list, most would have predicted Baltimore to be a buyer this summer rather than a potential seller. But the Orioles’ season has gone awry, with their 16-32 record entering leaving them with double-digit deficits in both the AL East and Wild Card races.
It seems highly unlikely that Orioles general manager Mike Elias will entertain the idea of moving any of his controllable young talent – players like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jackson Holliday and Colton Cowser, for example – but with a number of players headed for the open market next winter, Baltimore could make some impactful players available.
Zach Eflin is earning $18 million in the final year of his three-year, $40 million deal, and although he missed a month on the injured list, he had been pitching well prior to a blowup in his last start against the Nationals. His performance in 2023-2024 (3.54 ERA over 343 innings/59 starts) should be enticing enough for teams seeking to add to their rotations.
Eflin isn’t the only starter that could help a contender; Tomoyuki Sugano has been one of the few positives on the Orioles’ pitching staff this season, as the 35-year-old is 4-3 with a 3.07 ERA in his first 10 big league starts. He’s on a one-year, $13 million deal and will be a free agent at the end of the season, so Baltimore could cash him in.
Cedric Mullins is earning $8.725 million in his final year before free agency, and with 10 home runs, 31 RBIs, seven stolen bases and an .805 OPS in 2025, he would be an upgrade in the outfield for a number of contenders.
Other impending free agents include Ramon Laureano ($4 million), Charlie Morton ($15 million), Gary Sánchez ($8.5 million), Seranthony Domínguez ($8 million), Ryan O’Hearn ($8 million), Gregory Soto ($5.35 million) and Andrew Kittredge ($9 million, plus a $9 million club option for 2026 with a $1 million buyout). Ryan Mountcastle, who is arbitration-eligible for one more year, could also be a potential trade chip.
Pirates
Pittsburgh’s roster has some players that might draw interest around the league, though none that figure to bring back hefty returns. (Unless, of course, they get crazy and shop Paul Skenes, which seems highly unlikely.)
The bullpen could be the area potential trade partners focus on the most, with Dennis Santana and David Bednar among the possible trade chips. Santana is having a stellar season, posting a 1.77 ERA with five saves in 21 appearances, and his $1.4 million salary and one remaining year of arbitration offer club control that teams often seek.
Bednar has looked much better following an early-season demotion to Triple-A, and with a $5.9 million salary and another year of arbitration eligibility, the two-time All-Star could draw interest. Caleb Ferguson, an impending free agent earning $3 million this season, could also find himself on the move.
Andrew Heaney has pitched very well (3-3, 2.91 ERA in 10 starts) this season and could offer a low-cost alternative for teams looking for rotation help. Heaney is on a one-year, $5.25 million deal and will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Rockies
Colorado’s historically bad start to 2025 makes it one of the most obvious sellers of all-time – but a look at the roster shows a lack of prime trade chips.
The Rockies’ expiring contracts include Germán Márquez (7.66 ERA in 10 starts), Austin Gomber (yet to pitch this season due to shoulder soreness) and Scott Alexander (6.06 ERA in 19 appearances), while another handful of underperforming/injured players including Tyler Kinley, Thairo Estrada, Kyle Farmer and Jacob Stallings have club options.
Ryan McMahon has long been considered to be the Rockies’ best asset, though the infielder hasn’t gotten off to the best start this season (6 HR, 12 RBIs, .689 OPS). McMahon has two years and $32 million left on his deal after 2025, a reasonable price for a versatile player who has hit at least 20 home runs in each of his past five 162-game seasons.
With a limited number of trade candidates, the Rockies might look to their bullpen, with Jake Bird representing perhaps their best option. The right-hander has a 1.80 ERA in 20 appearances, and while he’s earning $770,000 in 2025, he will enter the arbitration process after the season. Given the widespread need for relievers, Bird could bring back a decent return for Colorado.
White Sox
Michael A. Taylor and Austin Slater are the only impending free agents on the White Sox roster, while Andrew Vaughn, Josh Rojas, Mike Tauchman and Bryse Wilson are headed for their final arbitration-eligible offseason. Unfortunately for the White Sox, none of those players are performing well this season, leaving Chicago with a dearth of candidates to move by this summer’s Deadline.
Luis Robert Jr. has been a popular name on the trade market for a couple years now, and while the center fielder is earning $15 million in the final guaranteed season of his six-year, $50 million contract, he does have a pair of $20 million club options for 2026 and 2027. The problem? Robert is having another bad season, slashing .178/.270/.294 with five homers and 17 RBIs, though he does lead the league with 17 stolen bases.
If Robert can bounce back over the next month or so, he could wind up being one of the more intriguing trade candidates this summer, but it will depend largely on his production between now and July 31.
Two pitchers to watch are Davis Martin and Cam Booser. Martin, a 28-year-old right-hander, has a 3.49 ERA in 10 games (9 starts) this season, but the White Sox have a wealth of young pitching with more on the way, so if they receive an offer they like for Martin – who has five years of club control – it wouldn’t be a shock to see him get moved. Ditto for Booser, a hard-throwing 33-year-old lefty reliever who could be a nice complimentary piece for a contender’s bullpen.
Mark Feinsand, a senior national reporter, originally joined MLB.com as a reporter in 2001.
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Source: https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-teams-likely-to-sell-at-2025-trade-deadline
