Photo courtesy of Brett Davis/Imagn Images
Trade season in the MLB is just getting underway, as names and suitors begin to surface. Already in June, team identities are becoming clear and naturally, trade speculation is starting to swirl around.
In terms of players available, the back-to-back Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal easily tops the list. Even with only a year of control, any team can use a generational arm like Skubal.
As for teams, the San Francisco Giants look to be preparing for quite a bit of roster turnover. The Giants are “open for business” according to general manager Buster Posey. They have four viable trade pieces spread across their infield, and Posey may as well move as many of them as possible.
There’s plenty of noise floating around the league, with several teams performing well above/below projection. The supposed volatility of these power rankings could make for a fascinating deadline.
With that said, here are our trade predictions for the top ten players that could be available at the deadline.
Whether Tarik Skubal is traded at the deadline could effectively come down to the Guardians and White Sox. Through nearly 80 games, the emergence on the Southside looks absolutely legit. Conversely, the Cleveland team that won the AL Central looks even better in 2026.
The argument to keep Skubal is the simple “anything can happen in the AL Central.” Unfortunately for the Tigers, two thriving squads roughly seven games ahead of them in a “weak” division are not a favorable look.
Detroit is a younger team, with no true rush on their competitive window. As a matter of fact, Skubal was considered by some as the window for competition. At this hour, that proverbial window looks all but shut.
The left-hander could warrant one of the biggest one-year rental packages ever seen, which could seriously retool a Detroit lineup already oozing with youthful talent. Getting an impact prospect or two to fit alongside Kevin McGonigle, Riley Greene, Dillon Dingler, and Jackson Jobe should sound more enticing than a “last dance” with Skubal.
While the runs have sputtered a tad from their scorching start to the year, Atlanta is clearly well-equipped offensively. They feature the MLB’s best bullpen by ERA so far, led by the duo of Robert Suarez and Raisel Iglesias.
Rotation depth is the only glaring issue for Atlanta. The Braves lost Spencer Schwellenbach and Hurston Waldrep before Opening Day, and the injury saga for Spencer Strider has only worsened. A 37-year-old Chris Sale has carried the load for Atlanta this season, posting a 2.14 ERA atop the rotation.
Several executives told @BNightengale that they think the Braves are the sleeper in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes. pic.twitter.com/TY4OIDs8g9
— Baseball Is Dead (@baseballisdead_) June 21, 2026
A move for Skubal would instantly make Atlanta a dreadful playoff matchup for opposing teams. Assembling lefty co-aces, paired with a high-octane offense, could have the Braves looking like the team to beat in the National League.
Luis Arraez is easily the most tradable player on the market right now. With a manageable $12 million salary for the 2026 season, Arraez is the perfect low-cost rental for a team seeking offense out of their infield. The three-time batting champion is hitting .321 with an .803 OPS in 2026 while reinventing himself defensively. Under San Francisco’s infield coach, the legendary Ron Washington, Arraez improved from a -5 to a +9 Fielding Run Value from 2025 to 2026.
The Giants have been vocal about selling off pieces very early into trade season. Among the bunch, Arraez will likely be the first to go. As long as he doesn’t slump, a well-above-.300 hitter can fit in most lineups around the league.
The D-Backs are uncharacteristically struggling at the plate, ranking 27th in OPS. Regardless, the Snakes are 40-39 and very much alive in the NL Wild Card race.
Arraez isn’t costly, and the bidding war should be minimal for the contact specialist. Getting another right-side infielder could help ease the fatigue of Ketel Marte, who’s dealt with numerous injuries in the past few years.
The 2022 Cy Young award winner isn’t the pitcher he once was, but never stopped drawing trade interest. Alcántara’s 4.01 ERA so far this year is the best he’s put together since his magical Cy Young campaign.
If the Yankees take a swing at Tarik Skubal but miss out on him, they could aim at Sandy Alcantara, next.
There are other needs, but Alcantara is one of the few starters in baseball with the mentality of pitching deep in games.
My Sandy piece for SI! https://t.co/4CkZVoUFWd pic.twitter.com/TWhRvjCTFE
— Joe Randazzo (@YankeeLibrarian) June 26, 2026
June has belonged to Miami so far, as the Marlins’ 16-5 record in the month leads all teams. After a shaky start, the Fish are right back where they expected to be: turning a corner in their rebuild.
Pair Miami’s recent surge with their vocal desire to hold onto Alcántara, and the odds of a trade seem slim. With every win this summer, Miami will be more inclined to hold onto their all-time strikeout leader. The milestone could be a factor as well, considering that Alcántara took that title just last Tuesday at loanDepot Park.
The flames in New York are getting a little too big to move the chips in on 2026. By no means is their season over, but buying at the deadline in a competitive National League could fan the flames. In what’s been such an odd season for such an expensive roster, this deadline feels like the opportunity for the Mets to do the “simple thing”.
Trading a reliable veteran starter who’s owed just $8 million for the 2026 season is the simple thing to do. Peralta’s tenure in Queens hasn’t gone as smoothly as the Mets hoped, as he’s pitched to a 4.53 ERA in 17 starts this season.
New York can cure the apparent failure of their trade for Peralta by flipping the right-hander to a hungry contender. Every pitching staff has room for an arm with Peralta’s pedigree, and the Mets’ top prospect Jonah Tong could slot right into their rotation.
Like Miami, the Cardinals are turning a corner on their rebuild, although sooner than they might have expected. The Redbirds feature a proficient offense, with some room to improve on the pitching side. As a team, they land 19th in ERA among all teams, and have relied on a frisky rotation to this point.
Right now, Michael McGreevy, Andrew Pallante, and Dustin May lead the Cardinals’ pitching attack. Left-hander Matthew Liberatore was the Opening Day starter, but currently holds a 5.56 ERA. The production from the group is holding together, but reinforcements would make a massive impact.
Peralta’s cost as a struggling, second-half rental shouldn’t be anything out of the Cardinals’ prospect budget. On a younger squad, trading away upcoming prospects can feel a little more daunting. However, the buy-now reward of a trustworthy starter should return well for a small asking price.
By all indications, Buster Posey means business when it comes to making the aggressive move to better his ball club. While Chapman isn’t the layup trade piece that is Luis Arraez, he’s the next-best chip that San Francisco will field calls for.
At age 33, Chapman is watching his bat fall to roughly league-average production, although his pure talent remains intact. His swing speed lands in the top 8% of all hitters and sustains above-average whiff and chase rates. The issue for Chapman has just been an abysmal launch-angle problem, where nearly 75% of his batted balls fall outside of the “sweet-spot” range (8° to 32°).
Of course, the defense is still high-end and would serve as the ‘constant’ for a potential suitor. Chapman is performing as the second-best third baseman in terms of Fielding Run Value this year, and figures to maintain that strength throughout the rest of his contract.
The Yankees and Matt Chapman just feel like a match made in heaven, and it’s not even because Chapman fits the “character” bill. New York is thriving offensively, but still remains one of the worst defensive infields in the game. Adding a savvy third baseman who can provide average-to-plus offense would be a pivotal step to complete their roster.
The deal itself for Chapman is where the difficulty lies. Over the next four years, Chapman is owed $100 million on the contract he signed back in September of 2024. The price is a bit hefty, especially if Chapman’s bat remains on the lighter side.
The Yankees are one of a handful of teams who could absorb Chapman’s contract, or at least a portion of it. Their offseason was rather soft on the free agency front, by the club’s historical standards. That reality could open up the door for a big-money move, such as one for Chapman.
Torres finds himself in a complex position due to four factors: his newfound consistency, his injury, the Tigers’ 2026 woes, and his impending free agency. That’s a lot to make sense of, so let’s go one by one.
In 2025, Gleyber Torres started at second base for the American League in the All-Star Game. He got there courtesy of his unrivaled patience at the plate and elite swing decisions that followed. His league-best 17.1% chase rate carried him to a .358 OBP, which paired nicely with 16 home runs.
In 2026, Torres only improved, chasing even less often (16.4%). He powered his way to a .280 AVG and .395 OBP across 43 games when he’s been healthy. Conversely, health has been the caveat for Torres this season, more specifically with his oblique.
Torres hit the shelf on June 17, when he re-aggravated his oblique that he missed time with earlier in the season. Owed $22 million for 2026, Torres is quite expensive for a rental with health concerns.
Ultimately, that oblique will likely be the reason that Detroit holds on to (or rather can’t let go of) their second baseman.
The 38-year-old closer is the biggest toss-up on this list, as his trade profile is rather cloudy. This is mainly due to his age and the corresponding narrative that his stuff is regressing. The Red Sox are in a deep hole, which should encourage a trade, but an underperforming American League makes things interesting.
Aroldis Chapman has made an impact in pinstripes and now in Boston 🔥
⚾️ Yankees vs. Red Sox
📺 #MLBNShowcase presented by @goodyear pic.twitter.com/Ohf8oNPIdz— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) June 25, 2026
Right now, the Red Sox sit at 34-46, dead last in the competitive AL East. Regardless, Boston is somehow just five games back from the last Wild Card spot. There’s an argument to be made that Boston wields more talent than some of the squads ahead of them. The next month and a half figures to be the decisive stretch, as Boston should reveal itself as a contender or not.
While Chapman could impact any of the 30 bullpens around the league, ultimately the move may feel like too much of a reach for general manager Craig Breslow. Given their crowded rotation picture, dealing a starter like Sonny Gray could prove a wiser move.
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