The 2022 MLB trade deadline is coming fast, with teams weighing their biggest needs before 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 2 arrives.
Will the Washington Nationals make a blockbuster Juan Soto trade? Could Shohei Ohtani be on the move from the Los Angeles Angels? Could Willson Contreras be dealt to a contender? And which of the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Astros will go all-in to boost their 2022 World Series hopes?
Whether your favorite club is looking to add or deal away — or stands somewhere in between — here’s the freshest intel we’re hearing, reaction to completed deals and what to know for every team as trade season unfolds.
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MLB trade deadline buzz
July 30 updates
When things could really heat up before the deadline: Two executives who are looking to add indicated the market is slower than normal and it could be because of the extra wild-card teams. Some organizations are obviously in the playoff hunt now while others feel they will be as soon as next season and aren’t looking to unload like previous years. That could change if Boston and San Francisco get into the fray and decide to subtract. Meanwhile, Jed Hoyer of the Cubs is keeping things close to the vest with an expectation he’ll be a mover on Monday and/or Tuesday. A lot could depend on Juan Soto. Whichever team gets him likely isn’t making any other deals. — Jesse Rogers
July 28 updates
What the reigning champs are eyeing at the deadline: Rival execs report that the Braves are looking for a right-handed hitter to effectively replace Adam Duvall on their roster. Some of the possible options: Ian Happ (a switch-hitter who is hitting .346 vs. lefties), Ramon Laureano, hitting .262 vs. lefties and Rob Refsnyder, who is mashing .422 against lefties in 50 plate appearances this year. — Buster Olney
A leader in the race to land Soto? As of Thursday morning, rival executives perceive the Padres to be the front-runner for Juan Soto. — Buster Olney
A leader in the race to land … everyone? The Padres are seemingly in on everyone. They’re looking for bats and arms, both big and small. They’ve inquired on both Ian Happ and Willson Contreras of the Cubs, along with the biggest fish of them all, Juan Soto. Like most teams, they’re looking for bullpen arms as well. Rival teams expect A.J. Preller to make a splash, but it’s not clear which area of the team they’ll improve on — mostly because they’re trying on all of them. — Jesse Rogers
How Giants’ struggles could change the deadline: As of Wednesday night, the Giants continue to convey to other teams that they aren’t looking to deal away veterans yet, and at the moment, they intend to hang on to possible free agents Carlos Rodon and Joc Pederson. Given the Giants’ recent swoon, other teams are monitoring closely to see if they’ll flip and start dealing. — Buster Olney
July 27 updates
The Brewers could be busy at the deadline: Sources indicate the Brewers are looking for a bat and/or an arm. Meanwhile, the return of Freddy Peralta could have Milwaukee looking at bullpen help rather than a starting pitcher. — Jesse Rogers
Multiple teams eyeing Cubs reliever: There is strong interest in Cubs setup man Mychal Givens. The White Sox could be a fit after they kicked the tires on him last offseason. As did the Phillies, and both teams need middle relievers. The Cubs and White Sox did pull off two deals for bullpen arms last year, with Ryan Tepera and Craig Kimbrel going to the South Side from their crosstown rivals. — Jesse Rogers
How Marlins’ big decision could shape the deadline: Six days remain until the trade deadline, and the Miami Marlins sit five games below .500 and 4½ games back of a playoff spot — with their star, Jazz Chisholm Jr., out for a prolonged stretch and their two big offseason signings, Avisail Garcia and Jorge Soler, putting up subpar numbers. The New York Post reported Tuesday that Marlins general manager Kim Ng would be open to trading practically anyone outside of ace Sandy Alcantara, a major development given the organization’s plethora of pitching talent. Her intentions, outsiders believe, wouldn’t be to send the franchise into another rebuild but to acquire pieces that can fortify the 40-man roster next season and beyond.
Miguel Rojas is pleading for patience.
Rojas, the unquestioned leader of the team, is in his eighth year with the Marlins and has navigated a lot of change during that stretch, most notably the aggressive rebuild that helped form the present core. He sees an opportunity with the current team; that its struggles are a byproduct of injury and underperformance from players who should be better, and that it should be given a chance down the stretch. The Marlins acted aggressively — by their standards — over the offseason, signing Garcia and Soler and trading for Jacob Stallings and Joey Wendle. Rojas thinks they need more time to come together.
“As a player, all I want is an opportunity,” Rojas said. “I’m not asking for five, six years. That’s not realistic. But for me, you can’t just give up on a team when we know that we have the potential of doing something.” — Alden Gonzalez
July 26 updates
The latest on Soto: As of Tuesday morning: One rival executive believes the Nationals are still relatively early in the process of sorting through asks and offers for Juan Soto. A lot of the foundation for potential deals still needs to be constructed. — Buster Olney
Why you should keep an eye on Tampa Bay at the deadline: The Rays have made the playoffs in each of the past three seasons, and while they have suffered devastating injuries in recent days — losing center fielder Kevin Kiermaier and catcher Mike Zunino for the season — sources say they are poking around looking for upgrades, veterans who could help push the core of young players across the finish line to a wild-card berth. The Rays expect to get Wander Franco and Manuel Margot back in the weeks ahead, but they’ll be seeking other position player help, and they have the ability to take on payroll before the trade deadline.
The Rays are among the teams to have inquired about Juan Soto, and the fact that the financial obligations are limited — he’s arbitration-eligible and not tied to a long-term deal — means they could take a shot at him, in the way they bid $150 million on Freddie Freeman in free agency. But for the Rays, a team of limited resources, surrendering a massive haul of prospects for a player even as great as Soto represents enormous risk, and for that reason, they are likely to be outbid for the slugger. — Buster Olney
What is Cleveland’s deadline strategy? The Cleveland Guardians have two players who could be headed to free agency in the fall — catcher Austin Hedges and reliever Bryan Shaw — and with some contenders looking for catching depth, the Guardians could theoretically listen to offers. But with the promotion of 23-year-old catching prospect Bo Naylor from Triple-A to the big leagues seemingly inevitable, the Guardians will need Hedges to help instruct Naylor. Cleveland is currently in the scrum of four teams trying to push into the group of wild-card leaders, and at the moment, the Guardians are 3½ games behind the Twins — so they’ll look for possible upgrades before the deadline, but probably nothing too expensive. — Buster Olney
July 25 updates
Are the Padres a Soto trade fit? One team keeps coming up among rival scouts and executives when pondering potential fits for Juan Soto: the Padres. They have an immediate hole in their outfield, a desperate need for more offense, a clearly stated desire to contend immediately and, just as important, the type of audacious GM who can pull this type of move off. The starting point in a Soto deal would probably involve C.J. Abrams and MacKenzie Gore.
But two potential issues linger for AJ Preller: 1. Does he have the organizational depth to add additional pieces and beat a deep pool of interested teams, especially after parting with so much of it in an effort to bolster the rotation? 2. What about the money component, both with the Padres’ reported desire to shed payroll to stay below the luxury-tax threshold and with the Nats’ potential desire to attach a bloated contract like that of Patrick Corbin‘s? — Alden Gonzalez
Will Cardinals prioritize an ace over a trade for Soto? While the Cardinals might be mentioned as a suitor for Juan Soto, they’re focused on pitching heading into the deadline. For the second consecutive year, St. Louis looks to add a starter or two. Would the Reds trade Luis Castillo within the division? If so, St. Louis could be a strong fit. — Jesse Rogers
Do the Dodgers have a big splash in them — Soto or otherwise? In 2017, it was Yu Darvish. In 2018, it was Manny Machado. In 2021, it was Max Scherzer and Trea Turner. Does Andrew Friedman have another big move in him? The Dodgers have been identified as an early suitor for Juan Soto, for obvious reasons — they have the prospect capital and the financial might to not only acquire Soto but perhaps even lock him in with a record-setting extension. That can’t be ruled out, but in all likelihood, Friedman, uncomfortable with the amount of young talent he has parted with in recent years, makes an assortment of lower-tier moves for his pitching staff. The Dodgers have a lot of questions in both their rotation and their bullpen, but also a lot of impact players making their way back (most notably Dustin May, Walker Buehler and Blake Treinen). Look for them to prioritize depth. They’ve shown, for a while now, that they’re elite at preventing runs even without top-shelf pitching. — Alden Gonzalez
Possible suitors for Cubs All-Star catcher: The Cubs’ Willson Contreras remains on track to be moved by the Aug. 2 deadline. To this point, the Cubs have not approached him with an offer for a contract extension. Possible suitors for the All-Star starter include the Rays, Guardians and Mets. — Jesse Rogers
Will the Angels actually trade Ohtani or make moves to build around him? The big question surrounding the Angels over the next week or so: Will they truly entertain trade offers for Shohei Ohtani, a free agent after the 2023 season, or merely make moves on the margins in an effort (perhaps a final one) to contend next season? If it’s the latter approach, look for Angels GM Perry Minasian to be aggressive in pursuit of major league players who are controllable at least through next year; the Angels have a lot of holes on their 40-man roster, and patching them all in one offseason is not realistic. Barring a midseason extension, Noah Syndergaard — solid, albeit not dominant, on a one-year deal coming off a long hiatus `– will probably be their most likely trade candidate, regardless of their approach. — Alden Gonzalez
Why the White Sox are focused on bullpen help: Setup man Kendall Graveman is on pace to blow by his career high in appearances, while Joe Kelly has been inconsistent for the White Sox this season and Aaron Bummer has been injured. Given the overall lack of bullpen options as it tries to climb in the AL Central standings, Chicago is looking for deadline help from either side of the mound. — Jesse Rogers
Completed trade tracker
Rays add outfield bat in deal with Diamondbacks
Tampa Bay acquired veteran outfielder David Peralta in a trade with Arizona. Story » | Grades »
Cards get pitching depth from Phillies
The Cardinals announced that they have acquired left-handed pitcher JoJo Romero in exchange for infielder Edmundo Sosa.
Dodgers get relief help in trade with Cubs
The Los Angeles Dodgers have added to their bullpen by trading for Chicago Cubs right-handed reliever Chris Martin, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney. Story »
Mariners acquire ace Luis Castillo in trade with Reds
The Mariners landed star pitcher Luis Castillo from the Reds in exchange for minor leaguers Noelvi Marte, Levi Stoudt, Edwin Arroyo and Dylan Moore. Story » | Grades »
Mets acquire Tyler Naquin, Phillip Diehl in trade with Reds
The first-place Mets added another outfield bat and a reliever in a deadline deal with Cincinnati. Story »
Yankees acquire All-Star Andrew Benintendi from Royals
The Yankees made the first big splash of this deadline by adding an All-Star to their outfield. Story » | Grades »
Mets get Daniel Vogelbach from Pirates
The NL East-leading Mets added much-needed DH help in a deal with the Pirates. Story »
Mariners acquire Carlos Santana from Royals
Seattle added a veteran bat by dealing two pitching prospects for Santana. Story » | Grades »
Trade deadline analysis
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The trades we want to see before the deadline
Passan’s trade deadline primers: Pitchers | Hitters
One player all 30 MLB teams should trade for (or away)
Passan: 148 names to know before the deadline
Will your team make a splash? Where all 30 squads stand
Will the Nats deal Soto?
What recent blockbusters tell us about Nats’ Soto options
Potential landing spots, the Nationals’ strategy and more
With talk of trade hot topic, Soto knows ‘it’s out of my hands’
How much Soto would help all 29 other clubs