AL Central Trade Deadline
Recapping the completed deals and previewing what's to come from the AL Central division
The 2025 MLB Trade Deadline is less than a day away and momentum is picking up. I wanted to breakdown the AL Central given the Detroit Tigers position and the interesting players available within the rest of the division.
Recap
Let’s first recap the trades that have already happened involving players within this division:
The Chicago White Sox traded away OF Austin Slater to the New York Yankees for RHP Gage Ziehl (Yankees 18th ranked prospect)
The Detroit Tigers acquired RHP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak from the Minnesota Twins for C/1B Enrique Jimenez (Tigers 14th ranked prospect)
The Kansas City Royals acquired OF Randal Grichuk from the Arizona Diamondbacks for RHP Andrew Hoffman
The Minnesota Twins traded away RHP Jhoan Duran to the Philadelphia Phillies for RHP Mick Abel (Phillies 6th ranked prospect) and C Eduardo Tait (4th ranked prospect)
What’s to Come
The disparity in the AL Central makes it a captivating division to analyze pre-trade deadline. There’s likely one buyer in the Tigers and three sellers in the Guardians, Twins, and White Sox, with the Royals not really moving the needle either way. Let’s breakdown each team, going in order of the standings.
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers losing Reese Olson makes adding more SP depth, in addition to Paddack, imperative. Alex Cobb is supposedly starting a rehab assignment but I’m not putting any eggs in that basket. To give me confidence in a deep postseason run, I'd love to see them acquire a veteran starter, third baseman, and a relief pitcher. Predictions:
Acquire: RHP Merrill Kelly, 3B Eugenio Suarez, and Dennis Santana/Raisel Iglesias/Pete Fairbanks
Kelly and Suarez in a package would fill the gaps perfectly for the Tigers but it’s going to take a haul of prospects to get it done. The Tigers are one of those teams with a rich enough farm system to complete this deal. On top of that, an above average, not elite closer, is what I’m hoping for. Given what the Phillies had to give up for Duran, I don’t want to deplete the farm just for a closer.
Kansas City Royals
Given the Royals current position in the Wild Card race (3.5 GB) and their 2024 postseason appearance with virtually the same roster, I don’t foresee them making any significant moves to sell or buy. Extending a potential trade candidate in Seth Lugo put the icing on the cake that they were going to stick it out with this roster. With Cole Ragans and Jac Caglianone set to return at some point in August, the Royals could make a postseason push if they gain momentum at the right time. No true predictions since I see them staying put.
Cleveland Guardians
The Guardians are the most mysterious team within this division to predict. An organization that never truly sells as they like to keep their window to win always open. However, with the recent gambling suspension of their All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, I think all bets are off (pun intended). Predictions:
Trade Away: OF Steven Kwan, 1B Carlos Santana, SP Shane Bieber
Kwan and Bieber will get very solid returns for the Guardians organization. Santana is a veteran, with serviceable defense and a good eye at the plate that would give a contending team some depth.
Minnesota Twins
The Twins are a bit unpredictable as well. They lack stellar offensive pieces but have a very strong and deep bullpen that buying teams could pluck from. Already ranked as a top 10 farm system before the start of the 2025 season, the Twins got even better in adding Abel and Tait for Duran. I think a couple more deals could get prospect folks talking about this Twins organization as a top 5 farm heading into 2026. Predictions:
Trade Away: UT Willi Castro, OF Harrison Bader, SS Carlos Correa, RP Griffin Jax, RP Danny Coulombe
Castro and Bader will both net average prospects in return. Coulombe is a solid lefty middle-relief option that could net a decent return. Rumors have swirled about the Astros reuniting with Correa and I think that’s highly likely given the “all-in” attitude that the Houston organization operates with. The Twins should receive a solid return for Correa, as well as Jax, being one of the top relievers left in the market.
Chicago White Sox
The White Sox will try their best to sell off as many assets as they can before the deadline tomorrow. This team is trending up as the youth movement takes over and they hope to add more top prospects to their farm. Predictions:
Trade Away: OF Luis Robert Jr, OF Michael A. Taylor, RHP Adrian Houser, RHP Aaron Civale
Luis Robert Jr expects to be one of the bigger bats dealt, so the White Sox should receive a substantial return for him. Taylor still plays above average defense and hits the ball fairly hard. I could see him being traded away as a depth piece to a contending team. Houser had a bit of a renaissance in Chicago and will be one of the better SPs dealt away, so that should net a decent return. The White Sox acquired Civale for Andrew Vaughn earlier in the season as a clear rental in hopes to get a prospect back from a contender at the deadline, we’ll see if that works out for them.
Summary
The AL Central has been fairly quiet so far but I expect several moves to be made still prior to tomorrow’s deadline, as the Tigers and Royals eye potential postseason runs and the Guardians, Twins, and White Sox look to the future. Seeing new faces in different uniforms post-deadline is always an adjustment but also a true indicator that postseason baseball is around the corner. I am looking forward to the next impactful move that could shape this division’s outcome for the remainder of 2025 or years to come.
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