Major League Baseball’s trade season unofficially opened late Saturday night when the Boston Red Sox and Washington Nationals got the ball rolling by swapping Connelly Early and Curtis Mead in a one-for-one deal.
So, as we now sit here less than one week away from the 6 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. PT Aug. 3 trade deadline, all eyes turn to which contenders could be positioning themselves to take the biggest swing at bolstering their rosters for the stretch run.
While this time of year is generally dominated by big-market behemoths like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, could this be the season the Milwaukee Brewers go all in to finally get over the hump?
Milwaukee enters Tuesday’s action with the second-best record in baseball — sitting just one game behind the Dodgers — while ranking fifth in MLB in runs scored and third in runs allowed.
Not only have the Brewers performed like a team worth investing in for October, but they also boast one of the best farm systems in the majors, with seven prospects on Baseball America’s recently updated top 100 list, giving them the ammo to play in the deep end of the trade market.
“(Milwaukee) president of baseball operations Matt Arnold has been working the phones and has checked in on the likes of Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller, but players like that need to be made available for him to act…,” Feinsand wrote Monday. “But with a deep farm system and the incentive to make moves, I think the Brewers will do whatever they can to bolster their roster by Aug. 3.”
The Brewers have reached the post-season in seven of the last eight years but have won just two series during that span. Perhaps a renewed deadline strategy could provide the boost they’ve long needed come October.
Of course, they’re far from the only team jockeying for talent before the clock strikes 6 next Monday. With the hot stove heating up this week, here’s a look at some other rumours and speculation from around MLB.
Detmers to the Windy City?
Every deadline, controllable starting pitching proves to be one of the hottest commodities on the market for teams willing to deal rotation pieces with multiple years of team control.
As they sit at the bottom of the American League standings, the Angels’ rotation features left-hander Reid Detmers and righty José Soriano, both of whom are under team control through 2028.
It’s Detmers, however, who is drawing some early attention across the league, including both clubs in Chicago, as Yahoo! Sports’ Russell Dorsey reported Monday that the Cubs and White Sox have shown interest in the 27-year-old southpaw.
A first-round pick of the Angels in 2020, Detmers ranks among MLB’s top strikeout artists in 2026, sitting ninth in the big-leagues with 136 punchouts in 120 innings. He has also taken a step forward on the run prevention side after moving back to the rotation this summer. Over 21 starts, he owns a 4.05 ERA and 3.28 FIP, having cut his walk rate by nearly two per cent and allowing opposing hitters to bat a paltry .210.
If the Angels ultimately decide to sell big, either the Cubs or White Sox would make for a natural landing spot for Detmers. Both currently sit in a playoff position and appear to be a starter or two short in their rotations.
Despite sitting atop the AL Central and getting breakout performances from the likes of Davis Martin and Sean Burke, “the White Sox are looking for additional depth and production,” Dorsey wrote.
“They have one of the youngest rosters in baseball, including one of the youngest rotations. Detmers, with two more years of club control, fits the window of the team’s young core.”
On the North Side, the Cubs simply haven’t been able to keep their pitchers healthy this year. Cade Horton, Justin Steele, Edward Cabrera and Ben Brown are just four of the 12 hurlers currently on Chicago’s major-league injured list, so the Cubs will be among the most motivated teams to add to their staff in the coming days.
Rays looking to make a splash
Owners of the best record in the American League, the Tampa Bay Rays appear ready to make a significant addition to their big-league roster.
Much like the Brewers, Tampa Bay is in prime position to push the chips in for the stretch run in 2026 while the American League struggles to keep pace.
Neto is one of the more intriguing names to have popped up this deadline season. The 25-year-old is under team control through 2029 and continues to produce up the middle. Through 104 games, he has 19 home runs and a .766 OPS.
It’s more surprising to see the Rays engaged on top-end starting pitching, though, as their rotation has been one of the reasons for their surge to the top of the AL East.
Tampa Bay’s starters rank fourth in MLB with a 3.53 ERA, but the Rays are prioritizing rotation depth due to the injury history of some of their pitchers.
“Adding another starter to keep (Drew) Rasmussen – and the others in the rotation fresh for a playoff push – is something that the Rays are strongly considering,” Murray wrote Tuesday.
Skubal’s appeal is quite clear. The two-time reigning Cy Young winner has returned to form since undergoing mid-season elbow surgery, and would be able to lead any staff in October.
Acquiring Peralta, however, would be a bet on his ability to bounce back over the final two months.
The 30-year-old hasn’t lived up to expectations in Queens after an off-season trade saw him go from Milwaukee to New York. Over his first 22 starts, Peralta posted a 4.99 ERA while seeing his strikeout rate drop by over six per cent from 2025.
While Peralta’s step back contributed to the Mets’ disappointing 2026, there’s likely no better landing spot to help fix a struggling pitcher than Tampa Bay.
• The Mariners are actively listening on starters Luis Castillo and Emerson Hancock, and would be willing to eat some of Castillo’s bloated contract for a legitimate return, according to MLB.com’s Daniel Kramer.