Contending MLB Teams' Most Desperate Trade Deadline Needs
Major League Baseball's 2026 trade deadline is less than six weeks away, and the top contenders are already figuring out their biggest needs to be addressed.
The "contender" status was based not on the current standings, but on the consensus playoff odds from FanGraphs, PECOTA and Baseball-Reference. The 10 teams with at least a 50 percent chance of making the postseason were given their own section. But we'll start out with a few others who have better than 25 percent odds.
Statistics are current through the start of play on Tuesday.
The Seven Tweeners
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In addition to the top 10 contenders with better than 50 percent consensus odds of reaching the postseason, there are seven others in the 25-50 percent range who may or may not be contenders and aggressive buyers at the deadline. Here are their biggest needs.
Athletics: Pitching of Any Kind
Only the Rockies have allowed more runs than the A's, who have a 6.21 ERA in home games between West Sacramento and Las Vegas. Rookie Gage Jump has been a revelation in his five starts, but this team needs a substantial influx of both starters and relievers if we're to take the A's seriously as a contender.
Baltimore Orioles: Bullpen
The once disastrous Orioles rotation has made major positive strides over the past month. But aside from Rico Garcia and Yennier Cano, the bullpen has been a mess. They finally got closer Ryan Helsley back after seven weeks on the IL, but he allowed home runs to three of the first 11 batters he faced.
Chicago White Sox: Starting Rotation
Davis Martin continues to impress more often than not. However, he is responsible for half of Chicago's 20 quality starts, as this rotation otherwise packs very little punch—aside from Anthony Kay's MLB-high 14 HBPs. The White Sox weren't expected to be a contender, but now that they are right in the thick of the race for the AL's No. 2 seed, they should be looking to bolster the rotation.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Bullpen
With Dennis Santana taking a gigantic step backward from last year's 2.18 ERA, Pittsburgh's bullpen has been pedestrian, at best. The Pirates have a team-wide reliever ERA of 4.46 and nearly as many blown saves (15) as successful saves (16).
San Diego Padres: Bats
A dozen Padres have made at least 60 plate appearances this season. Five of them are batting below .200, and only one of them has an on-base percentage north of .320. And with all due respect to Ty France, it's a testament to San Diego's inability to generate offense that he has been this team's most valuable position player, per bWAR.
St. Louis Cardinals: Starting Rotation
Michael McGreevy has been solid, and Dustin May had a stretch of 12 starts with a 2.54 ERA. But the starting rotation has been a struggle for a Cardinals team that is contending at least a year ahead of schedule. Will be interesting to see if they actually buy, though.
Texas Rangers: Bats
Texas has had one of the lowest-scoring offenses in the majors, in large part because Corey Seager, Evan Carter and Danny Jansen have all been injured and underperforming. Nevertheless, the Rangers need to find a way to score, which probably means trading for a bat or two.
Atlanta Braves
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Biggest Need: Starting Pitcher
Chris Sale has been fantastic, among the top five candidates in an absurdly loaded race for the NL Cy Young.
But who's starting Game 2 of the postseason for this squad?
Bryce Elder started out hot, but he has an 8.31 ERA over his last five starts. He might be reverting into the guy who had a negative bWAR in each of the past two seasons.
Martín Pérez's 2.78 ERA has been a pleasant surprise, but can the 35-year-old soft tosser keep it up into October?
Spencer Strider is back on the IL and will be out of commission until at least mid-August. But he was struggling while healthy and might not have been the choice for Game 2 (or even Game 3) anyway.
There's a chance that Spencer Schwellenbach and/or AJ Smith-Shawver will be back from their elbow injuries by the end of the regular season, but banking on either one for legitimate postseason innings would be quite the gamble.
The Braves need at least one arm. Maybe a couple.
Viable Targets
Every "needs an arm" conversation is going to begin with Tarik Skubal. However, selling the farm for a rental has never been Alex Anthopoulos' M.O., and there's going to be at least one team out there willing to give up more prospect capital than Atlanta can even offer.
Same goes for Freddy Peralta, but with the added complication that the Mets wouldn't want to help out the Braves. Those NL East rivals haven't put together an in-season trade in more than a decade.
Minnesota's Joe Ryan is probably the ideal option here. His prorated salary at the trade deadline is only about $2M, he is arbitration-eligible for 2027 and he's more than good enough to be their Game 2 starter.
Plan B might be Angels southpaw Reid Detmers. His track record isn't as impressive, but he has been sensational recently, his salary is about 40 percent of Ryan's, he is arbitration-eligible through 2028 and goodness knows the Braves and Angels have an open line of communication, having completed 12 trades just in the past four calendar years.
Chicago Cubs
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Biggest Need: Starting Pitchers
At least Atlanta has Chris Sale atop its starting rotation.
Chicago has a certified mess on its hands.
By leaps and bounds, the Cubs' most reliable starting pitcher has been Ben Brown with a 1.85 ERA. But he was a middle reliever until about six weeks ago, this after posting a 5.92 ERA and minus-1.5 bWAR in 2025. Let's just say he wasn't Plan A for Game 1 of the postseason a month ago.
Not much else is working for them, though. Shota Imanaga has imploded a few too many times. Trading for Edward Cabrera hasn't been the windfall they hoped it would be. Matthew Boyd is still recovering from playing with his kids in early May. Cade Horton is done for the year. And who knows if Justin Steele will ever return from the IL?
Viable Targets
With nary a top 75 prospect in this farm system, trading for Tarik Skubal is a pipe dream. Acquiring Freddy Peralta probably isn't happening, either.
If Miami ultimately ends up selling, though, this could be where Sandy Alcantara lands. He has a $21M club option for 2027, but the Cubs have five big salaries—Imanaga, Boyd, Jameson Taillon, Ian Happ and Seiya Suzuki—hitting free agency this winter and should have no problem fitting that figure into next year's budget.
If they'd prefer to go the "relatively inexpensive rental" route, both Detroit's Casey Mize and Kansas City's Kris Bubic ought to be available as plausible postseason starters. Each one has a lengthy injury history, which is just about the last thing this team needs, already seemingly losing an arm to the IL every 7-10 days. Either one could be huge if healthy, though.
Cleveland Guardians
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Biggest Need: Bats
Even before losing José Ramírez for the foreseeable future to a broken hamate, limited offense was a clear concern for this AL Central leader.
Calling up former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana in late April was a big win, as he has an .841 OPS thus far. No one else is doing much, though, which has been exacerbated by both Angel Martínez and Chase DeLauter presently residing on the IL.
Perhaps the biggest dagger has been Steven Kwan's vanishing act. He entered 2026 with a .281 batting average and a .741 OPS in his four-year career; a staple in the leadoff spot. But he's barely batting .200 and his OPS has fallen all the way to .572.
Having Gabriel Arias' career .632 OPS in the clean-up spot in Sunday's 2-1 loss to Houston—while Rhys Hoskins struck out as a pinch hitter to bring his batting average down to .174—was quite the microcosm of how not intimidating this lineup has become.
Viable Targets
This is Cleveland we're talking about, so we know better than to think they might do anything too drastic or expensive. But the Guardians did give up three prospects for two-plus years of Lane Thomas back in 2024, so let's also not pretend that they are unwilling to wheel and deal.
If Ryan Mountcastle is healthy and the Orioles are selling—TBD on both fronts—his prorated salary of about $2M at the deadline could fit right into Cleveland's budget.
Colorado's Mickey Moniak is also pretty cheap as far as salary goes, only making $4M this season. And he has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining before hitting free agency. We'll see how he looks once he makes it back from more than a month on the IL with ankle tendonitis, but goodness knows the Guardians could use an outfielder.
Los Angeles Dodgers
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Biggest Need: Health/Luxury
Most contenders have at least one clear area of concern to be addressed, regardless of how healthy they end up being five weeks from now.
But if the Dodgers could just get a decent chunk of their 15 players presently on the IL back into action, their deadline needs become: "Tarik Skubal, just because they can."
To that end, the status of Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow—both of whom are listed on MLB.com's injury news page as expected return of "mid-July at the earliest"—looms large.
If both are looking good after the All-Star Break alongside Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani, maybe Los Angeles barely even bothers to buy. But if they're looking at Roki Sasaki, Emmet Sheehan and Justin Wrobleski as the candidates to start Game 3 of the postseason, look out for the ultimate splash.
(Second base has also been a problem for most of the season for the Dodgers, but with Tommy Edman back in the fold, this lineup is looking mighty tough to beat.)
Viable Targets
The Dodgers have arguably the best farm system, top heavy with a quartet of highly touted outfielders, but also absurdly deep.
Skubal has become the trendy name over the past few weeks. But with their supply of top prospects and their complete lack of give-a-darn about the payroll, they're going to have their pick of the deadline litter.
Could be Joe Ryan. Might be Sandy Alcantara. Freddy Peralta is very much in play. And if they wanted to acquire several of those arms in advance of a near-inevitable lockout that they are fueling, they have the means to do it.
Milwaukee Brewers
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Biggest Need: Big Bat or Bullpen Arm
Milwaukee is scoring seemingly at will, averaging 5.3 runs per game. But the Brewers also rank almost dead last in home runs, which was a hurdle they couldn't overcome in last year's NLCS.
Washington's CJ Abrams would be the dream, but are the Nationals even going to sell? Doesn't look like it at the moment, and the Brewers would need to give up an arm and a leg to get him.
Maybe a buy-low on Eugenio Suárez is the play, provided the Reds don't mind swapping within the division. Third base is definitely Milwaukee's lowest-hanging fruit for a lineup upgrade.
They'll probably just focus on improving the bullpen, though.
Viable Targets
Going directly from the Guardians to the Dodgers to the Brewers in this article is quite the reminder of the seismic chasm between MLB's financial haves and have-nots.
But after three consecutive years of A) not doing much at the trade deadline, B) winning at least 92 games anyway and C) getting mostly embarrassed in October, maybe Milwaukee swings big this year for another CC Sabathia type of acquisition in the form of Tarik Skubal.
The rotation isn't their biggest need, but having to choose between Skubal and Jacob Misiorowski to start Game 1 of the postseason would be an enviable dilemma.
More likely, they'll look to do something about Trevor Megill's struggles and what has been a team-wide 4.74 ERA in the ninth inning this season. And without a close runner-up, the top closer thought to be available this summer is Boston's Aroldis Chapman.
Getting rid of closers as soon as they start to get expensive has been Milwaukee's M.O. for years. They've also never won a World Series and might want to switch things up.
New York Yankees
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Biggest Need: Bullpen Help
The bullpen was New York's big need last year, adding three relievers on deadline day.
Things are trending toward a similar story this summer.
Yankees closer David Bednar hasn't allowed a run in more than a month, but that good stretch only began after he allowed at least one run in 11 of his first 21 appearances, at which point his ERA was north of 5.00. If they can upgrade at closer, it's definitely worth pursuing.
Camilo Doval, Tim Hill and Jake Bird have all been struggling, too, the latter optioned back to Triple-A a few days ago.
Set-up men Brent Headrick and Fernando Cruz have been solid, but they need more than that.
Viable Targets
A reunion with former Yankees closer Aroldis Chapman has already been discussed, but it doesn't sound likely to happen, with Chapman recently saying that Yankees GM Brian Cashman owes him an apology for the way things ended in 2022.
Maybe a different reunion, though?
Luke Weaver has gone 20 scoreless innings since the beginning of May, emerging as the best reliever on a Mets team going nowhere fast. He is three months into a two-year, $22M deal, but that shouldn't be an issue for the deep-pocketed Yankees.
The Yankees could also call up Colorado again. They traded for both Ryan McMahon and Jake Bird last July and sent TJ Rumfield to the Rockies for Angel Chivilli in January. Now, one of Colorado's most coveted trade assets is Antonio Senzatela, who struggled for years as a starter, but he is thriving as a reliever this year.
Philadelphia Phillies
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Biggest Need: Outfielder(s)
Brandon Marsh has been outstanding, flirting with a batting crown and possibly the first All-Star Game appearance of his career.
But Philadelphia's other two outfield spots have been a mess, ranking dead last in the majors in outfield WAR, per FanGraphs.
Adolis García was batting .195 when he suffered a season-ending torn lat two weeks ago. Since then, the Phillies have been oscillating between Edmundo Sosa and Gabriel Rincones Jr. in the non-Marsh corner OF role, neither of whom is providing any tangible value.
Meanwhile, they've started platooning Justin Crawford and the recently acquired Derek Hill in center, but that isn't going much better than the Sosa/Rincones revolving door.
Viable Targets
The dream addition would be Byron Buxton, who just hit his AL-leading 25th home run on Monday. However, thanks to a recent surge of seven wins in nine games, the Twins are only two games back for the third wild card spot. Also, Buxton has a full no-trade clause and has yet to indicate that he would be willing to waive it.
If Buxton is off the table, the next-best option is probably Boston's Jarren Duran. The Red Sox are seven games back and 14 games below .500 after a disastrous collapse in Colorado on Monday. They'll almost certainly be selling to some degree, and Duran's two remaining years of arbitration eligibility would be huge for the Phillies—as was the case when they traded for the unrelated Jhoan Duran last summer.
Baltimore's Taylor Ward is another intriguing option who is finally starting to hit for some power again. Like Minnesota, though, the O's are merely two games out of the playoff picture and probably wouldn't be sellers if that decision had to be made today.
Seattle Mariners
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Biggest Need: Reliable Relief
The simple fact of the matter for Seattle is that Andrés Muñoz hasn't been himself this season.
He had a 1.92 ERA and 60 saves over the past two seasons combined, culminating in a 2025 postseason run of just two hits allowed in 8.1 innings of work. But that two-time All Star has a 5.27 ERA through 30 appearances this season, suffering either a loss or a blown save in eight of those outings.
Jose A. Ferrer has gotten the occasional save chance when Muñoz was unavailable, but he has had a few recent implosions of his own.
Matt Brash has a scintillating 0.54 ERA, but is on the IL for a second time with a lat strain and isn't expected back until at least the trade deadline. Banking on him for September and October might be a problem.
Viable Targets
The big question at this point is whether the Mariners will call up their No. 3 overall pick from the 2025 draft, southpaw Kade Anderson. Through 12 starts at Double-A Arkansas this season, he has a 1.02 ERA and 13.1 K/9, relentlessly mowing down the competition. He could be a godsend for this bullpen down the stretch.
Should they go that route, maybe they take it easy at the deadline, counting on Muñoz to figure things out eventually.
Alternatively, Seattle is yet another potential landing spot for Aroldis Chapman. He would add about $4M to their 2026 payroll, but that shouldn't be a deal breaker for a team that is all-in on winning now. And with one of the deeper farm systems in the game today, they surely have the assets necessary to make it happen.
Tampa Bay Rays
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Biggest Need: Bats
The big three of Yandy Díaz, Jonathan Aranda and Junior Caminero has continued to produce at a high level, but Tampa Bay has gotten next to nothing out of the likes of Chandler Simpson, Ben Williamson, Richie Palacios and Jonny DeLuca over the past month.
As a result, the Rays have gone 9-17 after their 34-15 start, averaging just 3.5 runs during that 26-game funk.
While home runs aren't a be-all end-all necessity, it's staggering that six of the 12 Rays with at least 100 plate appearances have either zero or one home runs to show for all those trips to the plate. The other 29 teams have a combined total of 26 such players.
Viable Targets
San Francisco's Luis Arraez wouldn't resolve Tampa Bay's "lack of home runs" predicament, but adding his .320 batting average could go a long way toward addressing the sheer number of holes in this lineup. He is signed for $12M this season, but he could fit within the constraints of this budget.
Similar story for Baltimore's Taylor Ward, who is making $12.2M before hitting free agency this winter. He is reaching base at a clip of nearly .400 and would be a most welcome addition in right field—even though he has exclusively played left field over the past four seasons.
Minnesota's Ryan Jeffers is another good option here. The catcher has been on the shelf for more than a month with a broken hamate, but he should be back before the trade deadline. And with a salary ($6.7M) that is barely half of what Arraez and Ward are making, he might be No. 1 on Tampa Bay's board.
Toronto Blue Jays
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Biggest Need: Outfield
Outfield depth was a big strength for the Blue Jays en route to the 2025 World Series. But aside from Daulton Varsho, they haven't brought much of anything to the table this year.
Seven Blue Jays have appeared in at least one game in the outfield in 2026.
Five of those seven players—Myles Straw, Jesús Sánchez, Yohendrick Piñango, Davis Schneider and Addison Barger—have a bWAR of 0.0 or worse. And while Nathan Lukes does have wins above replacement, he is pretty much unplayable when the opponent is starting a southpaw.
Viable Targets
See: Philadelphia Phillies.
The two major several-year targets in the outfield are Byron Buxton and Jarren Duran. The former is signed at $15M annually through 2028; the latter is $7.7M this season with two years of arbitration eligibility remaining. (Boston probably wouldn't be too keen on the idea of helping out a division rival, but it's at least worth making the phone call.)
Angels OF Jo Adell, Cardinals OF Lars Nootbaar, Twins OF Trevor Larnach and Rockies OF Mickey Moniak each have one year of arbitration eligibility remaining on their deals and all could be on the trade block.
