As summer heats up and Major League Baseball teams establish where they’re at in the standings, the 2025 MLB trade deadline looms.
With several teams in both the National League and American League right in the hunt for a Wild Card playoff spot, perhaps fans shouldn’t be surprised if there are plenty of buyers at this year’s deadline.
The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants already made the league’s first blockbuster deal of 2025 more than a month before the deadline. All-Star slugger Rafael Devers was traded to the West Coast in exchange for right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks, left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison and a pair of prospects including James Tibbs III — the No. 13 overall pick of the 2024 draft.
It’ll be tough for teams to top that eyebrow-raising deal in the weeks leading up to the deadline, but if that move is a precursor of what’s yet to come, there should be plenty of intrigue for fans watching the MLB trade market.
Here’s what fans need to know:
When is the 2025 MLB trade deadline?
The MLB trade deadline this year is July 31 at 6 p.m. ET.
As noted on MLB.com, the MLB trade deadline for many years was July 31 at 4 p.m. ET. In order to avoid conflicting with games, the Commissioner’s Office can now set the deadline for any date between July 28 and Aug. 3.
Who are names to watch at the 2025 MLB trade deadline?
When trying to deduce which players could be on the move to new organizations ahead of the trade deadline, players in contract years are a good place to start.
Even teams competing for a playoff spot may be tempted to part ways with upcoming free agents in order to get some return if they don’t plan to re-sign those players in the offseason.
As such, former Cleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor could be a trade candidate if the Arizona Diamondbacks don’t feel as though they can compete this year. The NL West is loaded with talent, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres are all ahead of Arizona in the division standings at the time of writing.
Diamondbacks pitchers Zac Gallen and/or Merrill Kelly could also be on the trade block as fellow upcoming free agents.
Of course, MLB’s cellar dwellers are sure to receive plenty of inquiring calls ahead of the deadline as well.
The Colorado Rockies — on pace to eclipse last year’s Chicago White Sox for the worst season record in league history — will undoubtedly aim to move talent for prospects in a look to the future. The problem is Colorado, a team that hasn’t even reached 20 wins yet as we near the end of June, doesn’t have much talent on the roster as it stands.
Look for Rockies right-handed reliever Jake Bird and veteran infielder Ryan McMahon to get moved.
The Miami Marlins, in the basement of the NL East, will also likely be sellers this year. Starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara, who’s struggled in 2025 coming off Tommy John surgery and rehab, is still a former Cy Young Award winner who teams could view as a good change of scenery candidate.
Edward Cabrera, another Marlins starting pitcher, and outfielder Jesus Sanchez could also be names to watch as the deadline nears.
What trades did the Cleveland Guardians make at last year’s deadline?
In 2024, Cleveland made a pair of July trades ahead of the deadline.
First, they sent a trio of prospects — left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey, shortstop Rafael Ramirez Jr. and shortstop Jose Tena — to the Washington Nationals to add outfielder Lane Thomas.
A day later, they sent starting pitcher Alex Cobb to San Francisco in exchange for lefty pitching prospect Jacob Bresnahan.
Will the Guardians be buyers or sellers at this year’s MLB trade deadline?
At the time of writing, the Guardians sit just 0.5 games back of the third and final AL Wild Card spot.
While that positioning suggests Cleveland won’t be sellers, a -25 run differential may hint to the higher ups that this team is due for regression in the season’s second half and played above their potential a season ago.
The Guardians could go a number of directions, but it’s hard to envision them being buyers. Starting pitcher Shane Bieber, recovering from Tommy John surgery, is a reinforcement Cleveland could get back to give the team a boost without making any deals, but don’t be surprised if the Guardians sell at the deadline.
The Detroit Tigers are running away with the AL Central division, so if the Guardians slip in the Wild Card hunt between now and that late July deadline, then retooling the farm system via trades feels the most likely outcome.
The aforementioned Thomas will be a free agent at season’s end, so it’s possible he could be moved again to a contender looking for a right-handed bat.
Plenty of teams will look to add bullpen arms as well, which the Guardians have in spades. Cade Smith, Emmanuel Clase and Hunter Gaddis could all be used as trade chips depending upon what Cleveland gets offered in return.
It just doesn’t feel as though the Guardians are one or two pieces away from being a legit playoff contender, so perhaps adding more prospects to join Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter and others in the minors is where the 2025 team is trending.
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