The MLB trade deadline is on Tuesday, July 30 at 6:00 PM EDT. While we’ve already seen plenty of MLB trades this summer, there are going to be plenty more exciting deals to come. While predicting MLB trades is nearly impossible, we are proposing a few deals we’d love to see.
We’ve already seen players like All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. and starting pitcher Zach Eflin traded. More deals are to come, with our eyes on a few of these MLB trade candidates who could find new homes in a matter of hours.
St. Louis Cardinals roll the dice on a Blake Snell trade
The bad news is the 2024 season has been a disaster for the San Francisco Giants. Fortunately, the MLB trade deadline offers them an opportunity to salvage something out of it. Blake Snell missed spring training and it certainly seemed to impact him in the early half of the season. He’s been much better since coming off the IL for the second time and this could be a great chance for the St. Louis Cardinals to improve.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Blake Snell, $12 million cash considerations ($6M in ’24 and 2025)
- St. Louis Cardinals trade: Dylan Carlson, RHP Tekoah Roby (Cardinals’ No. 5 prospect), OF Travis Honeyman (Cardinals’ No. 11 prospect)
As always, MLB trades get more complicated when money plays a heavy role. San Francisco will have to eat some portion of the two-year, $62 million contract they landed Snell with this offseason. In exchange for sending more cash, San Francisco gets to buy low on California native Dylan Carlson and it picks up two of the Cardinals top prospects. There’s a risk here for St. Louis because of Snell’s injuries, but he gives the Cardinals rotation another front-line starter.
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Baltimore Orioles add to bullpen with All-Star closer Tanner Scott
The early MLB trades this summer have taught us that relief pitchers are going at a premium. It’s a sellers market and the Miami Marlins will certainly take advantage. We had plenty of clubs to choose from when it came to a Tanner Scott trade, but the Baltimore Orioles feel like the best fit.
- Miami Marlins trade: Tanner Scott
- Baltimore Orioles trade: OF Dylan Beavers (Orioles’ No. 6 prospect), Max Wagner (Orioles’ No. 12 prospect)
From Miami’s angle, Dylan Beavers provides them with an enticing outfield prospect with some nice upside. Taken with the 33rd overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, Beavers hasn’t hit for a high average this season as he’s repeated Double-A Bowie. However, he does have a 12.6 percent walk rate with 11 homers and 20 steals. As for Scott, he’s an electric southpaw with outstanding swing-and-miss stuff (29.1 percent strikeout rate). While he’s a free agent this winter, Scott’s addition would make the Orioles bullpen ready for October.
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Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians make intradivision trade
The Cleveland Guardians have been connected to plenty of starting pitchers in the weeks leading up to the MLB trade deadline, but they have limitations. Cleveland won’t add a starter who would significantly add to the payroll, which makes someone like Erick Fedde perfect.
- Chicago White Sox trade: Erick Fedde
- Cleveland Guardians trade: 1B Ralphy Velazquez (Guardians’ No. 4 prospect), LHP Jackson Humphries (Guardians’ No. 13 prospect), Kahlil Watson (Guardians’ No. 15 prospect)
It’s a package of prospects for the Chicago White Sox, headlined by Ralphy Velazquez. Only 19 years old, Velazquez sports a .253/.365/.427 slash line with 9 home runs, 47 RBI and 7 steals in 74 games in A-ball this year and he could be Chicago’s first baseman of the future. Jackson Humphries projects as a starter when he develops and Kahlil Watson, the 16th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft, is a lotto ticket for Chicago. For Cleveland, Fedde (2.98 ERA and 1.11 WHIP) offers a mid-rotation starter who is a bargain at a $7.5M salary in 2025 and he would be a big help for the Guardians rotation right now.
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San Francisco Giants ship Michael Conforto back to New York Mets
We think it would be wise for the San Francisco Giants to be aggressive sellers at the MLB trade deadline. With Blake Snell already mentioned on our list of MLB trades we’d love to see, teammate Michael Conforto also makes it on as part of a trade that reunites him with the New York Mets.
- San Francisco Giants trade: Michael Conforto
- New York Mets trade: RHP Blake Tidwell (Mets’ No. 10 prospect)
In this deal. Conforto’s bat (10 home runs, 30 RBI) rejoins the Mets lineup with the hope he hits more like the player who slashed .280/.331/.490 before his name started popping up in MLB trade rumors. As for the return to San Francisco, Blake Tidwell has struggled this year at Triple-A (5.40 ERA and 16.5% walk rate), but he has the potential to develop into a No. 4 starter who could make his MLB debut at some point in 2025.
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Houston Astros bolster rotation with Jack Flaherty trade
A midseason turnaround helped the Houston Astros flip from potential buyers to aggressive buyers at the MLB trade deadline. Houston still has a problem. The Astros top prospects aren’t good enough to land a front-line starter with multiple seasons of contract control, but they can land a top rental.
- Detroit Tigers trade: Jack Flaherty
- Houston Astros trade: Jake Meyers, INF Zach Dezenzo (Astros’ No. 4 prospect)
While Jake Meyers (age 28) is on the older side, he immediately provides the Detroit Tigers with a starting outfielder who can be a solid regular. Zach Dezenzo was a 12th-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft but has developed into a solid prospect with some nice positional versatility. For the Astros, Flaherty (2.95 ERA and 32% K-rate) is an excellent No. 2 starter for the postseason push.
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Jameson Taillon returns to New York Yankees in trade with Chicago Cubs
The New York Yankees made one of the first big splashes ahead of the MLB trade deadline, acquiring All-Star Jazz Chisholm Jr. from the Miami Marlins. There’s more work to be done, with pitching needed to stabilize a rotation that has a 5.20 ERA (28th in MLB) since June 1.
- Chicago Cubs trade: Jameson Taillon, $4 million cash considerations
- New York Yankees trade: OF Everson Pereira (Yankees’ No. 5 prospect), LHP Brock Selvidge (Yankees’ No. 10 prospect)
Jameson Taillon has been excellent this season, registering a 2.96 ERA and 1.15 WHIP in 100.1 innings pitched. He also has a track record with the Yankees, as finished with a 3.91 ERA in 2022 across 177.1 innings as part of New York’s rotation. For the Cubs, they get out of a majority of the money owed to Taillon long-term ($36 million total from 2025-’26). Plus, Everson Pereira and Brock Selvidge are both intriguing prospects who could contribute in 2025.
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Boston Red Sox bolster infield by landing Los Angeles Angels’ Luis Rengifo
The Boston Red Sox have made a few MLB trades this summer, adder catcher Danny Jansen and starting pitcher James Paxton. Before the MLB trade deadline hits, it would be wise for the club to add an infielder who could help out this Red Sox lineup.
- Los Angeles Angels trade: Luis Rengifo
- Boston Red Sox trade: OF Miguel Bleis (Red Sox’ No. 4 prospect), RHP Yordanny Monegro (Red Sox’ No. 15 prospect)
Rengifo, age 27, isn’t an All-Star but he would make Boston better. With little help around him in Los Angeles, the switch-hitter is slashing .304/.347/.426 this season with 23 steals. For comparison, Boston’s second basemen are slashing .195/.251/.298 this season. Because Rengifo is under contract next season via arbitration, the Los Angeles Angels get to strengthen their farm system with a pair of quality prospects.
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Pittsburgh Pirates make a splash with Yandy Diaz trade
Credit to the Pittsburgh Pirates for putting themselves in a position where they can add at the MLB trade deadline. Pittsburgh has enough pitching to make things interesting, but the Pirates lineup is an issue. A deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for 2023 All-Star and AL batting champ Yandy Diaz makes sense for both teams.
- Tampa Bay Rays trade: Yandy Diaz
- Pittsburgh Pirates trade: RHP Thomas Harrington (PIrates’ No. 5 prospect), SS Yordany De Los Santos (Pirates’ No. 15 prospect), C/1B/3B Garret Forrester (Pirates’ No. 17 prospect)
While Diaz hasn’t replicated his success from last season (22 home runs, .330 batting average and .932 OPS), he’s still been an above-average hitter. Plus, the 32-year-old slashed .310/.339/.476 with 22 RBI in 177 plate appearances since June 1. Diaz comes with club control through 2025 and there’s a $12 million team option in 2026, so the price is relatively high for a 32-year-old bat.
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Los Angeles Dodgers execute blockbuster trade with Chicago White Sox
The level of aggressiveness from the Los Angeles Dodgers front office means there’s always a legitimate chance they make a big move. With so many injuries impacting the club this year and expectations higher than ever, now is the time to make a big splash.
- Chicago White Sox trade: Luis Robert, Michael Kopech
- Los Angeles Dodgers trade: Dalton Rushing (Dodgers’ No. 1 prospect), RHP River Ryan (Dodgers’ No. 4 prospect), RHP Payton Martin (Dodgers’ No. 9 prospect), RHP Hyun-Seok Jang (Dodgers’ No. 16 prospect), OF Eduardo Quintero (Dodgers’ No. 19 prospect)
Michael Kopech gives Los Angeles a bit of a reclamation project with the hope of turning him into a lights-out reliever. All-Star outfielder Luis Robert Jr. is obviously the big acquisition and while his durability is a concern, the Dodgers have to roll the dice. Adding Robert to the Dodgers lineup and Kopech to the pen can make this the team to beat in the National League.
As for Chicago, this kicks the rebuild into overdrive and they get to save Garrett Crochet for an offseason trade. Dalton Rushing is one of the best catcher prospects in MLB who could debut late in 2024. Ryan provides Chicago with an immediate starter and there’s high upside in the years to come.
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