With the August 3 deadline approaching and the top MLB postseason contenders circling, perhaps the biggest question is whether the Tigers really listen to offers on Tarik Skubal, or do they try to ride the wave after winning seven of their last 10 games and getting back into the American League Wild Card picture. MLB.com’s Skubal tracker and The Athletic’s latest report have kept the Skubal conversation at the top of the big board.
Tarik Skubal, Tigers. Skubal remains the deadline’s defining name, and the standard logic still points toward a deal because the back-to-back Cy Young Award winner is a pending free agent and the kind of ace who can reset a market. Detroit’s recent surge has complicated the outlook. However, ESPN’s July 6 update still pegged Skubal as the top trade candidate with an 85% chance of being moved.
Rival executives have argued the Tigers “have to move Skubal,” while Skubal himself has pushed back by saying Detroit is “a very good baseball team,” and he wants the club to add at the deadline rather than subtract. That’s the tension, pitting the best pitcher on the market versus a team that suddenly has a pulse. MLB.com’s deadline coverage has highlighted the same split.
Skubal has looked strong since returning from elbow surgery, touching 99.9 mph, and his stuff has kept rival front offices interested even as the Tigers’ recent run has made the situation murkier. Jon Heyman has said the Dodgers and Yankees are not expected to be among the top suitors, which leaves the market open and rather messy.
Ryan Jeffers, Twins. The Yankees’ clearest catcher target remains Jeffers, and the fit makes sense because New York’s catchers have provided almost no offensive punch. MLB.com identified catcher as the Yankees’ biggest deadline need, and Bleacher Report noted that speculation persists that the Yankees will pursue Jeffers.
Jeffers is working back from a left hamate fracture, but he was hitting .295 with seven homers, 26 RBI and a .949 OPS before the injury, which is why he keeps showing up in the rumor cycle. The Twins have depth options they can use to cover the position, and multiple reports have tied Jeffers to a possible bullpen-return type deal. Bleacher Report has kept the fit in view.
The Yankees are feeling some urgency, after losing 10 of their last 12 games and averaging a paltry 2.67 runs per game in that span. Aaron Judge has been dealing with a fractured rib, the offense has been uneven at best, and MLB.com specifically called out Austin Wells as needing to exhibit more thump behind the plate. That’s why the Jeffers rumors are among the hottest on the big board as the trade deadline looms.
GettyAroldis Chapman is considered the Boston Red Sox‘ top trade candidate.
Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox. Boston keeps showing up in the deadline conversation as both a buyer and a seller, but Chapman is the most obvious trade chip if the club decides to go for a fire sale. SI.com reported Chapman is Boston’s most likely player to put on a new uniform after August 3. ESPN ranked him among the top candidates to change teams.
Chapman is still throwing in the high 90s and missing bats. He also has a contract wrinkle with a 2027 vesting option, and that gives any acquiring team a cleaner short-term decision than a typical multi-year deal. SI and Yahoo Sports have both framed that part of the market.
Boston could also use the deadline to address the lineup, and MLB.com said a right-handed bat would be the most natural fit if the Red Sox buy. So the Chapman chatter sits inside a bigger question: does Boston add, sell, or try to split the difference?
Freddy Peralta, Mets. New York’s slide has pushed Peralta into the “for sale” aisle, and the market is watching closely because he is both affordable and a proven starting rotation arm. ESPN’s list this week gave him a 90% trade chance, and the takeaway from that report was pretty simple. Unless the Mets go on a run, they have to consider moving on from Peralta.
Peralta’s 2026 has not been dominant, but scouts are still watching the pitch mix and the swing decisions around him because his raw ingredients remain. Recent reporting has linked the Padres, Cubs, Blue Jays and Rays to Peralta, which is a sign that interest is not just hypothetical. The Athletic has been following the Peralta saga closely.
At $8 million, Peralta is exactly the sort of rental a contender can justify without asking ownership for a long-term leap of faith. That makes him one of the main Mets names to track over the next few weeks.
GettyMike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels: not likely to be on the move.
Mike Trout, Angels. Trout keeps surfacing in Phillies chatter because the fit is obvious on paper, but the latest response from Anaheim was quite unequivocal. Bleacher Report reported that Angels GM John Mozeliak answered “No!” when asked about trading Trout to Philadelphia.
Trout also has a no-trade clause and a big remaining contract, which makes any deal difficult even before the Angels’ stance enters the picture. The Angels are expected to sell in other spots, but Trout does not look like a candidate. So he stays on the rumor board. The Phillies link keeps resurfacing, even as the odds stay long.
More Cubs buzz. Chicago’s bullpen keeps landing in the rumor mill because the need is obvious and the injuries have been persistent. MLB.com listed relief help as a priority, and Yahoo Sports reported interest in several back-end arms.
There is also some broader speculation around Cubs offense and depth, but the pitching side remains the cleaner read. In practical terms, that means Chicago should be one of the teams in on any premium relief market, whether it is a rental or a more complicated fit. MLB.com has pointed to bullpen reinforcements as the likeliest path.
After that, the list gets crowded. The Dodgers, Braves, Blue Jays, Phillies, Padres and Astros all show up in one form or another across the current rumor landscape, which is usually what happens when the market starts to narrow and the same names keep bouncing from report to report.
MLB Trade Deadline Rumors: Skubal, Mike Trout, Yankees, Red Sox, Freddie Peralta