MLB Trade Deadline Targets
A Blog by Greg
The MLB Trade Deadline is a true milestone in every MLB season. It is the point in time in which organizations must decide whether they believe that their team can win the World Series or if they should be shifting their focus to next season. The league is typically divided into three categories: buyers (teams looking to acquire new talent as a last-ditch effort to improve their team before the end of the season), sellers (teams looking to trade away their best players in order to stockpile younger players and assets), and a third unnamed group of teams with no real identity or direction. MLB moves around the trade deadline have the ability to affect franchises for years to come, for better or worse. Sometimes your favorite team acquires Randy Johnson for practically nothing, like the Astros did in 1998, and sometimes your favorite team trades away 17-year-old Fernando Tatis Jr. for 2 full seasons of 34-year-old James Shields, like the White Sox did in 2016. Like I said, for better or worse. As the 2025 trade deadline rapidly approaches, I decided to break down who might join the likes of Mark Teixeira, CC Sabathia, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jack Parkman on the ever-growing list of prominent trade deadline acquisitions.
Cedric Mullins, OF, Baltimore Orioles
Out of all of the players I compiled for this article, Mullins is the most likely to be dealt. He is an ideal candidate for a trade deadline target. Mullins is in the last year of his contract with the struggling Baltimore Orioles and is set to become a free agent this offseason. The O’s are unlikely to make the playoffs this season given their current record, and Mullins does not seem to be a part of their young core. Baltimore should try to trade Mullins to a contending team and in return acquire some sort of pitcher prospect. Mullins is having his best offensive season since his 2021 All-Star season, and while he certainly has his limitations as a defender in the outfield, his offensive prowess as a left-handed power hitter will definitely be intriguing to a group of contending teams.
Jacob DeGrom/Nathan Eovaldi, SP, Texas Rangers
The Texas Rangers are currently three games below .500 and on pace to miss the playoffs for the second consecutive season since winning the World Series in 2023. If the Rangers continue to struggle over the next two months, DeGrom and/or Eovaldi are two potential trade candidates. DeGrom is in the midst of his best and healthiest season since 2019 (a year in which he won the NL Cy Young award). If the Rangers ever want to part ways with DeGrom, this might be their best shot to do so. A 38-year-old injury-prone starter still on the hook for $75 million over the next two years is not the most appealing trade piece for opposing teams; however, DeGrom is so effective when healthy that a team like the Yankees would certainly pay a high premium for even just half of a healthy season out of DeGrom. Eovaldi is a different story. The 35-year-old is having an incredible season (2nd highest adjusted ERA+ and 3rd best FIP in the MLB) and has a $2 million buyout option at the end of this season. Considering Eovaldi’s contract situation is significantly more lucrative to teams than DeGrom’s, there are many more landing spots for Eovaldi if Texas decides to deal him. I could see the Yankees, Mets, Tigers, and Braves all pursuing Eovaldi during the trade deadline.
Hunter Goodman, C, Colorado Rockies
The 2025 Rockies are in the process of cementing themselves in MLB history as potentially the worst team in the history of the sport. One of the few bright spots on the team thus far has been Hunter Goodman. The 25-year-old catcher has been one of the best offensive catchers in the entire MLB. His WRC+ of 110 is the 4th highest in the league amongst catchers, and his 10 HRs have him tied for 3rd at his position. The Rockies should capitalize on Goodman’s breakout season and trade him for a young prospect. The Rockies franchise as a whole is in such a poor spot that there is no use in holding onto a slightly above average hitting and poor fielding catcher. There is certainly a team that would be willing to add the young catcher to the roster for increased depth heading into the back half of the 2025 season.
Thank you for reading, everyone, and make sure to stay tuned for more blogs coming soon from myself as well as the rest of The Skippers View team!