2026 MLB trade deadline predictions: 10 blockbuster deals that could happen

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is nearly here, and we should see some big moves start to unfold any time now. The deadline is officially Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET, so there’s plenty of time for moves to be made. 

This next week will be awfully interesting to monitor. Which teams emerge as clear buyers? Which fringe contenders opt to take advantage of a perceived sellers’ market? Who makes the biggest splash? Which teams will fall flat in trying to upgrade their rosters? And, of course, can anyone pry Tarik Skubal away from Detroit?

Predicting where MLB’s biggest trade candidates will land before the deadline

With SeatGeek serving as the Official Ticket Marketplace of MLB, we’re keeping a close eye on every team ahead of the trade deadline. We’ve put together 10 final predictions before the deadline for some of baseball’s top contenders and big-name trade candidates. Look for more trade deadline reactions here at SeatGeek after the dust settles on Aug. 3. 

Dodgers: Tigers LHP Tarik Skubal

The champs get the big fish here. Would anyone be surprised? 

The Dodgers are as aggressive as anyone on the trade and free-agent markets, and whether it’s this summer or this winter, you know they’re going to be making a run at two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal. The Tigers are still technically in the Wild Card hunt, but they have to at least entertain offers on the elite lefty considering the type of return they can get for a player that, almost certainly, is not going to be in a Detroit uniform in 2027. 

The Dodgers’ spending and aggression are big reasons why they’re so great, but they are also a great developmental team. They regularly have one of the top farm systems in baseball, and considering they attract so many marquee names in free agency, they can be more aggressive on the trade front when it comes to shipping off top prospects. The Dodgers aren’t the only contender that can put together a big-time package for Skubal, but they are the team that could put one together and feel the least amount of hurt trading away notable prospects. The Skubal market will be fierce, but at the end of the day, the Dodgers usually get what they want. 

Cubs: Mets RHP Freddy Peralta

The Cubs need pitching help in a bad way and are sure to be kicking over every rock they can to reinforce the rotation. If you told a Cubs fan before the year started that they could acquire Freddy Peralta at the deadline, they likely would have been stoked. After all, he was fifth in NL Cy Young voting last year. But the veteran right-hander, who is set to hit free agency this winter, has had the worst year of his career in his first campaign with the Mets, so his shine has lost quite a bit of luster. 

At his best, Peralta is a top-20 to even top-10 starter in the game. He just hasn’t pitched to that level in 2026. He’ll be very incentivized to finish the year strong considering he’s a pending free agent, and the Cubs could add him at a relatively low cost and know they’re getting a high-ceiling arm. There’s also the Craig Counsell connection as the Cubs manager used to manage Peralta in Milwaukee, so that could very well be a factor in a move like this. A return to a division he knows well under a skipper he’s played for could reinvigorate Peralta and give the Cubs an impact starter that they desperately need. I’d also expect Joe Ryan and Sandy Alcantara to be names thrown around when it comes to the Cubs over the next week-plus.  

Brewers: Angels LHP Reid Detmers

The Brewers are another team that should be in on Skubal, and I’d also expect them to check in on Joe Ryan and even Sandy Alcantara among other high-end starting pitchers. I think the Brewers, outside of a blockbuster for Skubal, would be more incentivized to target a pitcher who comes with at least one additional year of club control, and the Angels’ Reid Detmers is sure to be on their list in that sense. 

Detmers’ return to the rotation after spending 2025 in the bullpen has been very good, and the young lefty, who has two more years of club control, is a solid arm that would give the Brewers a boost in the rotation after star Jacob Misiorowski. Detmers has dynamic stuff and is great at missing bats and registering strikeouts, and with Kyle Harrison dealing with an injury right now, Detmers could slot in as a potential No. 2 arm behind “The Mis.” The Brewers are also an elite pitching factory, as Harrison’s breakout season can attest to, so Detmers could get even better in a Milwaukee uniform not just this year, but across 2027 and 2028 as well. 

Yankees: Rockies C Hunter Goodman

The Yankees are often a very aggressive trade deadline team, and I think that will remain the case here. They’re set in the rotation, and while a move for an impact reliever is never out of the question, New York needs more firepower in the lineup. The Yankees also need better offensive output behind the plate, so why not swing big for Colorado’s Hunter Goodman? 

Goodman is the premier slugging catcher in today’s game, and while he’d cost quite a bit considering he’s under team control through 2029, it’d be well worth it for New York. Goodman’s power plays everywhere and he’s not a Coors Field merchant like you may think, as his numbers are actually better on the road compared to at home. Imagine what he could do in New York over an extended period of time. The Rockies don’t have to trade Goodman considering he has three full seasons of club control remaining after 2026 left, but they’re not close to competing and a trade with a win-now team like New York could bolster a middling Colorado farm system. And for the Yankees, it’d strengthen the lineup and improve a weakness behind the plate with Austin Wells and Co. not exactly setting the world on fire this season.

Rays: Nationals SS CJ Abrams

The Rays are another team to watch for this deadline in terms of a major move. Tampa Bay is back as one of baseball’s elite teams, and with another very good farm system, the Rays could be one of the more aggressive teams this deadline. A move for Skubal has been rumored, but the Rays have a great rotation already and could stand to add another impact bat to help the elite trio of Jonathan Aranda, Yandy Diaz and, most notably, Junior Caminero. A deal for CJ Abrams would be bold, impressive and give Tampa a huge boost.

Abrams is having a monster year for the Nationals, and while Washington is still in shouting distance in the Wild Card race, their poor pitching is likely going to be their undoing. That could prompt the team to entertain offers on Abrams for a chance to be blown away, and the Rays are a team that could certainly put together a package to do just that. Abrams would slide in at shortstop or second base and be an immediate upgrade at either spot, and he’d give the Rays more length and thump. A move like this would certainly make the Rays an even more legit World Series contender both in 2026 and the next two years. 

Phillies: Blue Jays OF George Springer

I think the Phillies are going to try and swing big this deadline, but with an average farm system on hand, I’m not sure if they’re going to be able to outbid other teams for some of the elite players on the market like Skubal, or pry away players with multiple years of club control left like a Detmers or Minnesota’s Joe Ryan. Enter the veteran George Springer. 

Springer is on the final year of a six-year deal in Toronto, and while his overall numbers are down after he finished seventh in MVP voting in 2025, he’s been an above-average hitter since mid-May after shaking off a truly dreadful start to the year. In Springer, the Phillies check a lot of boxes: He hits right-handed, he’s an outfielder and he has as much postseason experience as anyone in MLB history, appearing in 83 games, three World Series, winning World Series MVP and owning a career .880 playoff OPS. Paying the rest of his contract for 2026 isn’t the most enticing thing in the world, but the Phillies have a win-now roster and regularly field one of the higher payrolls in baseball. This could be a really intriguing fit, though I do wonder if the Phillies could make a run at Byron Buxton. And if so, would the Twins star waive his no-trade clause?

Rangers: Giants IF Luis Arraez

Luis Arraez should be well in demand this deadline. He’s had an incredible year for the Giants, hitting well over .300 with some of the best power numbers of his career. Arraez has also played very well defensively at second base after years of being a bit of a defensive liability. Plenty of teams make sense for the veteran infielder, and Texas should be looking to boost its lineup in addition to its bullpen, making a deal with the Giants line up quite well.

With Corey Seager missing much of the year, the Rangers have had to really mix and match their infield. If Seager returns and they add Arraez to the mix, utility man Ezequiel Duran can move around the diamond and fill in across the board while keeping his bat in the lineup. Arraez could also play first base, moving Jake Burger to DH with Duran at second, Seager at shortstop and Josh Jung at third while then sorting out the outfield logjam based on matchups or even moving Evan Carter to the bench or Triple-A amid a poor 2026. Arraez checks boxes for a lot of teams, especially the Rangers. 

Mariners: Padres RHP Mason Miller

The Mariners need offensive reinforcements, though they’ll get one in house with the impending return of Brendan Donovan. I expect them to be in on right-handed hitters like Cincinnati’s Spencer Steer and Baltimore’s Taylor Ward, but Seattle also needs more bullpen help. The Mariners tried hard to swing big for Jhoan Duran last deadline, but they were outbid by the Phillies. Armed with an elite farm system and owning a surplus of MLB-ready starting pitching, the Mariners line up awfully well with the Padres for all-world closer Mason Miller. 

Miller has had an unreal start to his career, and he’s been at his best since donning a Padres uniform. If the Padres decide to sell, they could go big with Miller and get a massive haul back. The Mariners have the pieces to make this sort of blockbuster, and the Mariners and Padres have made quite a few trades over the last few years, so there’s lots of familiarity. Seattle leans on its pitching quite a bit, and with the offense underperforming, adding another shutdown reliever to the mix could help the Mariners in low-scoring and close affairs, which they play quite often. The big question is whether the scuffling Mariners will feel incentivized to take a bold swing at the deadline given how they’ve played for the last month. 

White Sox: Giants LHP Robbie Ray

The White Sox are a tough team to look at this deadline. They’re very young with a farm system that ranks anywhere from fifth to 10th in the game and they’re also primed to make the postseason. Should a young team like this push in its chips and sell off high-end prospect capital? If so, the Sox could be in play for a ton of big names, including the aforementioned Mason Miller or Sandy Alcantara given Miami’s recent tailspin. Instead, I think Chicago will buy on a lower level, adding a notable rental arm. That’s where Robbie Ray comes into play. 

Ray has had a good 2026 after making the All-Star team in 2025, though his overall numbers are on track to be better than what he compiled overall last year. The veteran lefty has pitched at a very high level over his career, winning Cy Young honors in 2021 and establishing himself as a premier strikeout arm at his peak. The veteran lefty isn’t a bonafide No. 1 guy like he was in the past, but given he’s on an expiring contract and playing on a struggling team like the Giants, he’ll almost certainly be on the move.

The Sox have a very nice 1-2 punch atop the rotation in breakout stars Sean Burke and Davis Martin, but adding a proven veteran like Ray to the mix would give Chicago three very capable starters while also providing stability. I think Chicago will be active this deadline, and while an arm like Ray isn’t the sexiest addition the Sox could make, it’s one that would be very helpful over the next few months. 

Braves: Blue Jays RHP Kevin Gausman

The Braves have had a strange year on the pitching front. Chris Sale is a legit Cy Young contender, but the rest of the rotation has, at times, been up and down between Martin Perez, Bryce Elder and Grant Holmes. Atlanta could use more stability in the rotation, and someone like Kevin Gausman from Toronto would provide just that and give the Braves a legit No. 2 option to pen in behind Sale in a postseason series. 

Now, Gausman has struggled this year, especially since the middle of June, but he’s been one of the best pitchers in baseball since joining the Jays ahead of 2022. He’s still registering a ton of chase, pounding the zone and getting swings and misses. His fastball has been very good, but Gausman needs to be better with his secondary pitches. The splitter remains a very good offering, but Gausman has to find the slider again. The Braves have been a great pitching team in recent years, and perhaps a move to a team like that which is also competing could get the veteran right-hander back on track.