The stove is getting hot across Major League Baseball as the MLB All-Star break is almost finished.
The second half of the 2026 regular season opens up Thursday evening with a standalone game between the New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies.
Going around the bases, over the All-Star break, a lot has happened, including a few notable trades, which could reveal teams’ deadline plans as the official trade deadline is just under three weeks away.
MLB trade rumors are swirling from all angles, and speculation surrounding MLB’s biggest stars like Mason Miller, Tarik Skubal, Freddy Peralta, Joe Ryan, and many more trade candidates continues to grow.
Let’s get right into this MLB rumors roundup, starting with the Houston Astros and Milwaukee Brewers completing a trade on Wednesday afternoon.
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Astros Trade Lance McCullers Jr./Colton Gordon to Brewers for Jadyn Fielder
GettyARLINGTON, TEXAS – MAY 16: Lance McCullers Jr. #43 of the Houston Astros reacts after giving up a hit during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on May 16, 2025 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images)
In a pretty surprising news across Major League Baseball, the Houston Astros sent pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and Colton Gordon to the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for Jadyn Fielder (yes, MLB legend Prince Fielder’s son).
McCullers Jr. has not pitched since May, but the Brewers clearly still some effectiveness in him, which should not come as a surprise to anyone. MLBTR.com’s Steve Adams indicates why the Astros may have made this move:
“This is surely a salary-motivated move for Houston. McCullers is being paid $17MM in the final season of a five-year, $85MM contract extension, but he hasn’t pitched well since the 2022 season. That contract included a full no-trade clause, but McCullers agreed to waive that protection.”
Colton Gordon might be the real piece that the Brewers were targeting in this deal, as he’s shown a lot of promise in Triple-A, but could use further development in the Majors. Gordon, 27, has pitched 9.1 innings in MLB this season, but has surrendered 12 earned runs.
This trade between the Stros and Brew Crew could indicate that the Astros may be en route to selling, and might tip off their trade deadline plans.
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Padres Keeping ‘Open-Minded’ Approach to Trade Deadline
GettySAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 28: Mason Miller #22 of the San Diego Padres pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the ninth inning at Petco Park on March 28, 2026 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty
Whether baseless or not, there have been some speculative rumors surrounding the San Diego Padres and them potentially moving on from elite closer Mason Miller.
AJ Preller recently spoke with MLB.com reporters and made this note:
“We’re going to go into the process open-minded to see what’s there and see what can help our club. We’re going to go in open-minded about whether it’s acquiring players or looking at it if we have to go another direction. All those things are on the table,” Preller told reporters. “… We made the deal (last year) with the intention that Mason is going to be here for a long time. He’s done an unbelievable job. And our intent is still the same as when we made the deal last year.”
Preller is known across MLB as an uber-aggressive president of baseball operations, and nothing can be ruled out, but having an open-minded approach to selling/buying seems logical, given the fact that the Padres are 48-48 at the All-Star break, and a few games out of an NL Wild Card spot.
Winning the division is probably a lost cause, but the reality is there are several strong teams in the NL, and the Padres just might not be one of them, as their offense has struggled for the better part of the last two months.
The Yankees, with their obvious need of bullpen support, pop up as a potential candidate for Mason Miller, but of course, San Diego isn’t going to let anyone acquire their top trade candidate without paying a very hefty price.
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Atlanta Braves Need for a Starting Pitcher Before Final Stretch of Season
Lastly, but certainly not least, on the MLB rumors docket is the Atlanta Braves growing need for a starting pitcher.
Much like all other MLB contenders, the Braves have steadily been linked to all the top starting pitchers (Freddy Peralta, Tarik Skubal, Joe Ryan, Casey Mize), but bottom line, Atlanta’s GM Alex Anthopoulos needs to figure out a way to land one of these arms, or it could be the ultimate demise for the Braves this season.
Sure, being linked to all the top arms is cool in theory, and the speculation is one thing, but deadlines (aka the MLB trade deadline) usually spur action, and that HAS to be the case over the next three weeks for the Braves. If just about every MLB insider/analyst/ even FANS are calling for the team to acquire another front-line starter, Anthopoulos can not stay put this deadline.
If the MLB playoffs started today, here’s the Braves’ starting rotation for a five-game series: Chris Sale, Bryce Elder, and Grant Holmes.
On top of all the injuries, Elder is starting to regress all the way to the mean, and Holmes has a hard time getting through five innings usually. Atlanta also has an ELITE bullpen, which only highlights the need for starting pitching even further.
Stay updated with all the latest rumors/news/updates on all of these teams on Heavy on MLB!
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