With six hours left before the MLB trade deadline, the market is starting to sharpen around a few clear names - and a few clubs that suddenly look ready to move.
Seattle is right in the middle of that picture. Executives who have talked with the Mariners say the club has been actively listening over the weekend on both George Kirby, who has two-plus years of control, and Emerson Hancock, who has four-plus years of control.
Rival teams believe Hancock is still the more likely piece to move, largely because of the hefty price the Mariners have attached to Kirby. But around the league, the expectation is that Seattle will trade at least one of them before the deadline hits.
The Angels’ early-day move of José Soriano to Toronto only sharpened that view. One executive involved in the conversations said that deal opens a clear window for Seattle, with Kirby or Hancock now standing as the best available starters with multiple years of control. And the demand is real: contenders with strong rotations - including the Yankees, Phillies, Red Sox, Brewers and Guardians - are still shopping for starting pitching.
Colorado appears headed toward action as well. The Rockies are expected to make at least two trades, and right-handed reliever Antonio Senzatela is viewed as almost certain to go.
Senzatela has drawn heavy interest even from teams that already have relief depth. Working strictly out of the bullpen for the first time this season, he has a fastball that averages 97 mph, good for the top 13th percentile in the league, and a 3.61 ERA across 52 1/3 innings.
Like so many Rockies pitchers, he has been better away from Coors Field. Another name to watch is Brenton Doyle, the right-handed-hitting center fielder whose bat has fallen off sharply since his breakout in 2024, though teams have long liked his glove in center.
Texas is also in selling mode, and virtually everyone on the roster is considered available. If the Rangers do make a bigger move, the target seems obvious: controllable starting pitching.
President of baseball operations Chris Young, a former big-league starter himself, acquired MacKenzie Gore from the Nationals last offseason even though starting pitching wasn’t a clear need at the time. Gore can become a free agent after next season, and it would not be a shock if Young used him to land a starter with even more control.
One Rangers person summed up Young’s preference this way: “CY loves pitching.”
The Mets have already moved a few names - right-hander Freddy Peralta, right-handed reliever Huascar Brazobán, and left-handers A.J. Minter and Brooks Raley are gone - but there is still more on their sell list. Right-hander Clay Holmes, reliever Luke Weaver, outfielders Luis Robert Jr. and Tyrone Taylor, and possibly others remain available.
In St. Louis, interim general manager John Mozeliak may be one of the busiest people left in the final stretch.
After dealing Soriano and outfielder Jo Adell earlier Monday, the Angels still have shortstop Zach Neto and starter Reid Detmers in play. The bigger question is how far Mozeliak wants to tear things down - and how much leeway owner Arte Moreno will give him.
Boston’s focus is clear: the Red Sox are pushing hard for a shortstop. League chatter keeps pointing in that direction, with CJ Abrams of the Nationals and Neto of the Angels among the names connected to them.
Otto López of the Marlins, one executive said, probably won’t be the answer. The message around the league is simple: “That’s all I hear - Boston/SS.”
Miami, meanwhile, is open to moving from its bullpen as the relief market picks up. That does not necessarily mean Pete Fairbanks is headed out; the Marlins are 58-55 and only 1 1/2 games out of the final NL wild-card spot, so they may choose to keep their closer, who is a free agent after the season.
But they could deal some middle relievers, confident they can replace them internally with Triple A arms. The Marlins have shown they can keep finding and developing pitching.
They’re also fielding interest in catcher/designated hitter Liam Hicks, outfielder Kyle Stowers and others, while Braxton Garrett is another name to watch. Garrett, 28, has a 2.90 ERA in 16 games at Triple A, though he has struggled badly in the majors, allowing seven runs in 4 1/3 innings over two starts.
And in Washington, the signals on CJ Abrams still point toward him staying put. A person familiar with the Nationals’ thinking said the club hasn’t spent much time internally discussing offers for the shortstop, reinforcing the leaguewide belief that he is unlikely to move.
That doesn’t make it impossible - the Nationals could still take it right to the wire - but it would be “very surprising” if they dealt their All-Star shortstop. Several people around the sport echoed that sense, saying Abrams looks unlikely to change teams before the deadline.
In Other News...
Rangers Just Sent A Clear Message About Their Trade Deadline Plans
After months of injuries and illness interrupted his season, Josh Smith is moving off the Rangers roster, and the club is making a very specific kind of move as the trade deadline approaches. Texas is sending Smith and pitching prospect Josh Stephan to Toronto in exchange for left-hander Adam Macko, a deal that adds a bullpen arm while subtracting a player who had been part of the 2023 World Series club and won last years American League Silver Slugger as a utility man.
Smith had already been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock, so the writing was on the wall for a player whose value had been built on versatility and steady production. Macko has worked in relief for the Blue Jays this season, going 2-0 with a 4.91 ERA in 22 games, and the trade gives Texas another left-handed option as it continues shaping the roster for the stretch run. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Trade Deadline Shift Could Mean More Than A Salary Dump
The trade deadline picture in Texas has changed quickly enough to make the rest of the month feel unsettled. The Rangers have moved from a buyers posture to one that looks more like a sellers, with the front office weighing moves that could trim salary while also taking advantage of whatever value the roster still holds. Even with the season still unfolding, the conversations around the club now sound less like a team pushing in and more like one preparing to reframe its next step.
Nathan Eovaldi, MacKenzie Gore and Jacob Latz are among the names surfacing in those discussions, a sign that the Rangers are at least listening broadly as they gauge the market. The expectation, though, is that the younger core under team control, including Wyatt Langford, Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, remains far more likely to stay put, which leaves plenty of room for the kind of deadline maneuvering that could reshape the roster without fully stripping it down. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Bullpen Shakeup Puts One Veteran In A Brutal Spot
The Rangers bullpen has been in constant motion lately, and the latest move leaves veteran right-hander Chris Martin in a tough spot. Texas activated him from the injured list and then designated him for assignment, a sign of how quickly his season has gone off track amid shoulder issues and uneven performance.
Now the club has only a short window to find a trade partner, with the afternoon deadline looming before Martin likely clears waivers and can choose free agency. The timing underscores how unsettled the bullpen picture remains in Texas, especially with the front office still weighing outside interest in other relievers after the recent losses. [Read more 🡒]