The 2025 Toronto Blue Jays are on the minds of some MLB executives as they consider their team’s prospect of contending deep into October this year. The Jays were unremarkable for half of last season, and then, after a second-half surge, they came within one run and two outs of taking down the game’s great super power -- the Los Angeles Dodgers -- in the World Series.
National League teams, and even the clubs mired in the mud bog of the American League, will reasonably dream of propelling themselves for a deep postseason run, possibilities that will inspire the moves they make ahead of the 6 p.m. ET trade deadline Monday.
Here are the contenders most in need of a move, what position they should be targeting and which potential trade candidates could fit.
1. Chicago Cubs: Starting pitching
Cade Horton was supposed to be the team’s big swing-and-miss guy, and he threw 7⅓ innings before going down with an elbow injury that required season-ending surgery. The Cubs hoped that Justin Steele could come back from his own injury and be a mainstay in their rotation, but that hasn’t happened, as he suffered a setback early in the season. A pricey trade was made for Edward Cabrera this past offseason, and he suffered a major leg injury in June, from which he is slowly working his way back. Jameson Taillon, who earns the highest salary of all the pitchers on Chicago’s roster, was just designated for assignment.
So, of course, the Cubs’ primary need is for pitching -- any and all pitching. They’re fortunate in that this seems to be a position with plenty of options, from Freddy Peralta to Clay Holmes to Robbie Ray to Kevin Gausman to Reid Detmers (if the Los Angeles Angels are willing to trade him) to perhaps Tarik Skubal and Casey Mize.
Chicago’s position player group is excellent, and the Cubs may be better suited for their home games than any team in the majors. But it’s hard to imagine they can advance through October unless they get more pitching.
2. Chicago White Sox: Catcher, starting pitcher
Can you imagine a team going from 121 losses two seasons ago to the World Series? It’s not out of the realm of possibility, given the growing strength of the White Sox and the relative weakness of the AL. But the loss of talented catcher Kyle Teel to a significant ankle injury is devastating, and the White Sox could really use another catcher. Catchers Kyle Stephenson and Jose Trevino of the Cincinnati Reds are an interesting pair, with Stephenson on the cusp of free agency, and the New York Mets will listen to overtures on Francisco Alvarez and Luis Torrens.
Noah Schultz, Chicago’s fifth starter, has an ERA over 6.00; the White Sox could use an upgrade in that spot, as well.
3. New York Yankees: Bullpen arm, right-handed hitter
The injuries to Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton and Cody Bellinger leave the Yankees’ lineup looking like that of a spring training game, with a lot of players asked to assume more responsibility than expected. And yet the Yankees’ real priority as the deadline approaches seems to be a reliever, a power arm who can help them match up with the best hitters on the best teams in October. Mason Miller would be the perfect solution, and Adrian Morejon would be pretty good, too -- but it’s not clear the San Diego Padres are actually open to trading one or both of them.
New York will likely also target a hitter. The team has been linked as a possible match to Ryan Jeffers since early May and he would be a great fit, if the Minnesota Twins indicate a willingness to trade the pending free agent catcher. But this is also the time of year when homegrown surprises emerge -- and yeah, that was 29-year-old journeyman Ali Sanchez, who hit that pivotal three-run homer Monday. The Yankees could just look to upgrade their position player group with someone such as Tyrone Taylor of the New York Mets.
But bullpen help is the priority, and if the Yankees can get a Miller or a Morejon, they might have the sort of pitching staff that could win in October.
4. Atlanta Braves: Starting pitcher
The Braves will be among the teams waiting to see if the Detroit Tigers are going to move Skubal and/or Mize, and Atlanta’s farm system is in better shape to put together an offer for Skubal; the 23-year-old JR Ritchie could possibly anchor a deal. But in this game of starting pitcher musical chairs, there will be other places for the Braves to go if the Tigers keep Skubal, or if he is traded elsewhere.
5. Tampa Bay Rays: Starting pitcher
The Rays are the AL’s best team, but as good as their rotation has been, there is a history of fragility there -- Shane McClanahan is at 96 innings (and counting) after not pitching the last two years, and Drew Rasmussen has had amazing success so far in the face of past injuries, but there’s always a concern there. The Rays have a great opportunity to get back to the World Series for the first time in 18 years, but they might need more mortar in their rotation to journey through the last third of the regular season, as well as the postseason.
This is why they’ve been seen as a real sleeper if there is a round of bidding for Skubal: He’d be a perfect addition to the fleet of pitching they already possess.
6. Seattle Mariners: Right-handed hitter
Seattle might be the most mysterious team in the majors right now, following its extended playoff run last October: Why has a team with Julio Rodriguez, Cal Raleigh and Josh Naylor struggled so badly this year? Why are the Mariners in jeopardy of falling out of the race?
After losing three of four to the Texas Rangers this past weekend, the Seattle front office could realistically assess if the addition of any player could save its season. But if the Mariners do some adding, at this point, the need for a right-handed hitter to defibrillate the offense is acute. They rank 28th in the majors in OPS against left-handed pitching, after being 12th in that category last year.
7. Philadelphia Phillies: Starting pitcher, reliever
The Phillies are 43-16 when Cristopher Sanchez, Zack Wheeler and Jesus Luzardo have started, and in all other games, they are 14-34. Aaron Nola has struggled, and the No. 5 spot in the rotation has been a mess. The Phillies will most certainly add a veteran starting pitcher before the deadline.
However, the injury to Brad Keller also thinned Philadelphia’s bullpen, and rival executives believe that through the expected tornado of trades over this coming weekend, the Phillies will land a reliever, too.
8. Milwaukee Brewers: Starting pitcher
The Brewers had baseball’s best record last year, but by the time they survived the Cubs in the division series, Milwaukee was just about out of pitching, as manager Pat Murphy acknowledged in an interview last week.
The circumstances are different this year, and also the same: Jacob Misiorowski has developed into baseball’s best starting pitcher, giving Milwaukee the kind of ace needed to take down a team like the Dodgers. But with the injury to Kyle Harrison, the Brewers could use another arm for their rotation -- for right now and for the postseason. Could there be a Freddy Peralta reunion? Would it make sense for the Brewers to try to fix a pitcher they know so well? Or do they go after Skubal, or Robbie Ray?
9. Pittsburgh Pirates: Bullpen help
A year ago, there was speculation among rival executives that respected Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington might be in jeopardy of losing his job if he didn’t turn the team around -- and with another year (and, finally, some money added to payroll by ownership), the Pirates are much better. And dangerous.
“That rotation is f---ing real,” said one rival staffer last week, “and they can score.”
But Pittsburgh’s bullpen is erratic, ranking 24th in bullpen ERA. The Pirates could use big-time help with this group -- and maybe that’s one reason why a rival executive pegged them as a team to watch before the trade deadline. For Morejon? For Miller? We’ll see.
“They’re going to be aggressive,” the exec said.
10. Texas Rangers: Bullpen arm
Rival officials report that Texas isn’t in a position to take on money at the deadline, but the Rangers need relief depth, as they try to defend their position at the top of the AL West. They’ll look for ways to be creative in trades.
11. Cleveland Guardians: Any kind of offense
For a while, it looked like the Guardians’ primary focus would be for a right-handed hitter, but with the offense floundering, they’ll consider a full range of upgrades. Someone like Lane Thomas of the Kansas City Royals might be a fit.
12. Boston Red Sox: Shortstop
Boston landed Curtis Mead in the first big deal of trade season to fill its need for a right-handed hitting infielder, but rival executives report that the Red Sox continue to look for a shortstop. Maybe the most stunning aspect of that is that they seem ready to consider alternatives to Marcelo Mayer, long thought to be the club’s future shortstop.
A lot of speculation has centered around Zach Neto, and even the Washington Nationals’ C.J. Abrams. A really interesting name: The Red Sox have checked into the availability of Miami Marlins shortstop Otto Lopez, who is in the midst of a special season; he leads all hitters with a .328 average.
