Latest MLB Trade Rumors Amid 2025 World Series Final Bracket
The Los Angeles Dodgers tied the 2025 World Series at one game a piece Saturday, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays, 5-1, behind a complete game from pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
While those two teams continue to battle for the top prize in professional baseball, the rest of the Majors are turning their attention to the upcoming off-season and acquiring the pieces needed to improve their squads and put them in a position be in the 2026 World Series.
That includes via trade, where some of the highest-profile, most important players at their positions may be available, as these insider reports either confirm or deny.
Bryce Harper "Pissed Off" About Trade Talk
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In the wake of the Philadelphia Phillies' ousting from the MLB Playoffs, the team's President of Baseball Operations, Dave Dombrowski, said of superstar Bryce Harper, "He's still an All-Star caliber player. He didn't have an elite season like he has had in the past."
He proceeded to compare Harper to Freddie Freeman and added, "Can he rise to the next level again? I don't really know that answer."
Since then, Harper has been at the center of trade talks and, despite Dombrowski's insistance that he will not be dealt while appearing on Foul Territory, the New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that the trade speculation had the Phillies superstar "pissed off."
Harper told Matt Gelb of The Athletic, "I have given my all to Philly from the start. Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It's all I heard in D.C. (with the Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable."
Harper has been the face of the team since 2019, when he arrived in Philly from Washington. This past season was not his finest, but he still delivered 131 hits, 75 RBI, and 27 home runs, and hit .261. He still ranked 22nd in OPS in all of MLB and was second on the team behind NL MVP candidate Kyle Schwarber.
This is not a player whose abilities fell off a cliff or suddenly bottomed out. While he was not the explosive game-changer he has been, Harper was still an efficient offensive player and one would be hard-pressed to believe the Phillies will be better in the foreseeable future without him.
Will the Pirates Actually Trade Paul Skenes?
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Paul Skenes was the National League's best pitcher in 2025 and his dominance on the mound has sparked speculations about the Pittsburgh Pirates potentially trading the 23-year-old in hopes of getting value in return at the height of his play.
Skenes went 10-10 for a bad Pittsburgh squad, but finished the season with a 1.97 ERA, struck out 216, and tallied a 0.95 WHIP. He was as sure a thing as there was on the mound and is set up to be one of the best pitchers in the game for the foreseeable future.
Pirates fans have nothing to fear, at least for now, as MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported "Skenes is still a Pirate, and there's no indication that will change any time soon."
That could change at any given point, especially considering the Pirates' propensity to deal promising young stars. Still, the backlash from fans for any deal involving Skenes would likely be so strong that the team is not ready or willing to face it at this point.
Considering they have four years of team control left, they have plenty of time before they have to weather that storm.
Do the Tigers Have the Guts to Trade Tarik Skubal?
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Tarik Skubal and the Detroit Tigers are $250 million apart on a contract extension, creating plenty of buzz and speculation that the lefty may be on the trade block, with the team looking to get something in return rather than letting him walk at the end of his deal.
Feinsand reported that one AL executive told him, "I imagine they'll consider it, if the bidding gets high enough. I'm not sure if they'll have the guts to do it."
Skubal is the AL Cy Young favorite and finished the regular season with a 13-6 record, 2.21 ERA, 241 strikeouts, and a 0.89 WHIP.
He was the best, most consistent pitcher in the American League, and stunned in the postseason, appearing in three games, establishing a 1.74 ERA and a 0.68 WHIP.
Considering how hard it is to find a legitimate ace today, one who can start a playoff game on short rest and sit down nearly every batter he faces, it is no wonder that opposing executives think Detroit may not have the guts to trade Skubal.
If the team wants to get something in return for him rather than letting him walk in free agency and receiving nothing, it will.
Or they will find common ground and get a deal done to keep the dominant pitcher in the Motor City for the foreseeable future.
