{"id":195943,"date":"2025-07-23T01:10:14","date_gmt":"2025-07-23T01:10:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/195943\/"},"modified":"2025-07-23T01:10:14","modified_gmt":"2025-07-23T01:10:14","slug":"mlb-trade-deadline-most-glaring-needs-for-yankees-dodgers-cubs-astros-and-how-they-might-address-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/195943\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB trade deadline: Most glaring needs for Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, Astros \u2014 and how they might address them"},"content":{"rendered":"

The trade deadline is just over a week away, and we\u2019re gaining clarity every day about which teams are likely to be buyers upgrading their 2025 squads<\/a> and which teams will be sellers dealing with a focus on the future.<\/p>\n

Technically, trade season began early this year, with Boston\u2019s shocking decision to ship franchise staple Rafael Devers to San Francisco in mid-June, but that was an unusual situation, a deal executed in order to move on from a toxic internal dynamic<\/a> between player and team. For the most part, trades come about because contending teams have holes in their rosters that need to be addressed before the season\u2019s final two months and the daunting postseason tournament.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

With that context in mind \u2014 and rumors swirling around the industry<\/a> \u2014 here are seven of the most glaring needs that this season\u2019s contending teams are expected to address via trade before the July 31 deadline.<\/p>\n

New York Yankees: Third base<\/p>\n

Whatever the Yankees need most is always one of the hottest topics leading up to the trade deadline, and this year is no different. The position has been a sore spot in the Bronx for several years now, with the Josh Donaldson acquisition proving to be a total flop and DJ LeMahieu\u2019s sharp decline on both sides of the ball leading to a clogged-up roster without an every-day solution at the hot corner. Utilityman Oswaldo Cabrera was a reasonable temporary solution, but he suffered a fractured ankle in May and is not an option at the moment.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

With the deadline approaching, the Yankees\u2019 third-base job is again in the spotlight after the recent decision to release LeMahieu and move Jazz Chisholm Jr. back to his natural position of second base. That has left Oswald Peraza and Jorbit Vivas \u2014 two young infielders with neither a track record of hitting at the major-league level nor a standout glove to compensate \u2014 to handle third-base duties. In other words, this is one of the more obvious and severe positional weak spots on any contending team.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s no secret whatsoever that the Yankees intend to bring in a third baseman at the deadline. D-backs slugger Eugenio Su\u00e1rez looms as a natural top target, though he\u2019s expected to have plenty of suitors<\/a>, which could drive the price beyond what New York is willing to pay for a player scheduled to hit free agency this winter. If the Yankees prefer to go the rental route without coughing up what Su\u00e1rez will cost, the Angels\u2019 Yoan Moncada could fit as a short-term option, or perhaps the ultra-versatile Willi Castro from Minnesota if the Twins decide to sell.<\/p>\n

If New York prefers a longer-term fix, the Yanks could target Ke\u2019Bryan Hayes from Pittsburgh (under contract through 2030) or Ryan McMahon from Colorado (through 2027). Revisiting a Nolan Arenado trade that was contemplated over the winter<\/a> could also be tempting, but New York would also be risking a Donaldson redux that causes more harm than good.<\/p>\n

\"Each<\/p>\n

Each of this season’s top contenders has at least one glaring need to address before July 31. (Dillon Minshall\/Yahoo Sports)<\/p>\n

Los Angeles Dodgers: Pitching of all kinds \u2026 but particularly bullpen<\/p>\n

President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said this past offseason that the purpose of being ultra-aggressive in adding high-profile arms in free agency was to avoid needing to trade prospects to acquire reinforcements on the mound at the deadline. Well, here we are. The Dodgers\u2019 pitching staff remains an enigma that is constantly shapeshifting<\/a> based on injury scares and rehab timelines, the latest of which was closer Tanner Scott departing Monday\u2019s game due to a \u201csting\u201d in his forearm<\/a>. Yikes.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Tyler Glasnow\u2019s recent return and Blake Snell\u2019s expected return soon should help ease the burden on a beleaguered and generally disappointing bullpen, but it\u2019s impossible to know what to expect from those two from a workload standpoint moving forward, let alone how effective they\u2019ll be after such lengthy layoffs. Shohei Ohtani\u2019s continued buildup into a full-fledged starting pitcher will also help cover some crucial innings, but one Ohtani can do only so much for this team, and L.A.\u2019s recent struggles exemplify that. While it\u2019s important for Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts (among others) to find their groove at the plate, if the Dodgers are to reclaim their juggernaut status, it\u2019s even more important that the pitching staff be addressed externally.<\/p>\n

Last year, the deadline additions of Jack Flaherty and Michael Kopech both proved critical during the Dodgers\u2019 run to the World Series; the current state of affairs would seem to call for a similar combo of upgrades to bolster the rotation and bullpen. That said, in the wake of Scott\u2019s ominous injury \u2014 and with far more intriguing relievers than impact starters expected to be available \u2014 the bullpen appears to be the best area to seek upgrades. And with a deep farm system featuring another wave of top prospects emerging in recent months, the Dodgers have the capital necessary to shop at the top of the market.<\/p>\n

Cleveland\u2019s Emmanuel Clase, Minnesota\u2019s Jhoan Duran or even Baltimore\u2019s F\u00e9lix Bautista would all cost an absolute haul, considering they have multiple years of team control remaining. The ceiling of their dominance might be worth paying a heavy price. Alternatively, Cardinals closer and pending free agent Ryan Helsley would be a logical short-term flamethrower to target. Pittsburgh\u2019s David Bednar has enjoyed quite the bounce-back season and could represent an ideal middle ground for L.A., as he\u2019s under contract for only one more season but offers bona fide closing experience.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Philadelphia Phillies: Relief pitching<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s stay in the bullpen and turn our focus to the NL East leaders in Philadelphia. At their best, the Phillies boast a lineup loaded with veteran star power and one of the best rotations in baseball, even without meaningful contributions from staff mainstay Aaron Nola due to underperformance and, more recently, injury. Those foundational pillars of the Philadelphia roster remain enviable, but a rickety bullpen threatens to undermine this team\u2019s potential in a maddening way if it does not get upgraded before the deadline. Jordan Romano has thus far been an insufficient-to-unreliable replacement for the departed Jeff Hoffman. Orion Kerkering has shown flashes but remains volatile. Matt Strahm has been solid, but not nearly as dominant as in his All-Star season a year ago. Key lefty reliever Jos\u00e9 Alvarado could return from his PED suspension at the end of August, but he\u2019ll be ineligible to participate in the postseason. It\u2019s simply not a strong group as things stand.<\/p>\n

External additions have already begun with the midseason free-agent pickup of 40-year-old David Robertson, who was quietly excellent for Texas last year and is expected to join the Phillies\u2019 bullpen in the coming weeks. There is also the intriguing possibility of Philadelphia fast-tracking the team\u2019s first-round draft pick, right-hander Gage Wood from Arkansas, whose hellacious raw stuff is as big-league-ready as that of any arm in the class.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

More realistically, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski will act with urgency in the coming days and strike a deal for a reliever (or two or three) to give manager Rob Thomson the late-game weapons to navigate the stretch run and beyond. The Phillies\u2019 farm system has improved a fair bit over the past year, but it\u2019s still unclear if they have the prospect firepower to land a premium closer. That said, Dombrowski might be more willing than other teams to stretch for high-end relievers, which could help him land the guys he wants. Any of the aforementioned closers (Clase, Duran, Helsley, Bautista), plus Tampa Bay\u2019s Pete Fairbanks, or effective setup men Griffin Jax from Minnesota or Phil Maton from St. Louis would make sense.<\/p>\n

San Diego Padres: Left field or designated hitter<\/p>\n

Jurickson Profar started 148 games for the Padres in left field last season, providing stability and star-level production with one of the more remarkable breakouts we\u2019ve seen in some time. But since Profar departed in free agency, left field has been in flux for San Diego, and it remains a major question with the deadline approaching. Minor-league free-agent signing Gavin Sheets emerged as an unlikely contributor early on, but he has been a below-average hitter for nearly two months and isn\u2019t adding much defensive value in the outfield. Sheets still has a role on this team as a lefty slugger off the bench, but asking him to be the every-day left fielder or\u00a0designated hitter feels unwise for a team trying to secure a playoff spot. This is especially true if the Padres are going to continue to get virtually nothing offensively from their catchers, and their bench is thin as is; this team is currently giving a ton of plate appearances to well-below-average hitters.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

As such, expect president of baseball operations AJ Preller to get creative in canvassing the league for potential offensive upgrades. Does San Diego\u2019s farm system, thinned-out after so many trades over the past half-decade, have enough high-end prospects to land someone such as Jarren Duran from Boston or Steven Kwan from Cleveland? Or will San Diego be more focused on buy-low opportunities, such as Luis Robert Jr. from Chicago or even Cedric Mullins from Baltimore, both of whom have played almost exclusively center field as pros but could fit next to Jackson Merrill in the outfield? Realistically, the Angels\u2019 Taylor Ward or Miami\u2019s Jes\u00fas S\u00e1nchez are more natural left-field fits to target.<\/p>\n

Houston Astros: A left-handed hitter<\/p>\n

The controversial trade of Kyle Tucker is looking just fine for the Astros, considering how well Isaac Paredes and Cam Smith have been playing, but Tucker\u2019s departure in tandem with the ongoing absence of Yordan Alvarez due to injury has left Houston\u2019s lineup notably unbalanced from a handedness perspective. Perhaps the lefty slugger Alvarez comes back soon and rediscovers his superstar form, making this less of an issue, but right now, the Astros\u2019 lineup is exceptionally right-handed. Only switch-hitting catcher Victor Caratini is a regular left-handed presence in the lineup, with less-proven outfielders Taylor Trammell and Cooper Hummel occasionally offering a left-handed element. Jon Singleton has also made his way onto this roster recently after a short time away, but he\u2019s not someone you want in the lineup every day.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

All of which is to say, the Astros could surely use a more accomplished left-handed bat to add to this lineup, likely in a left field or DH capacity depending on Alvarez\u2019s availability moving forward. Baltimore\u2019s Ryan O\u2019Hearn is the most obvious fit on the market as a rental slugger<\/a> who crushes right-handers and can play some outfield, much like his teammate Mullins. It\u2019s also quite possible that Houston decides instead to bolster a pitching staff that has been ravaged by injuries, trusting that enough of its hurt hitters will come back to form a viable postseason lineup, even if it is predominantly right-handed.<\/p>\n

Chicago Cubs: Starting pitching<\/p>\n

Early this year, as the bullpen was routinely blowing leads and before the season-ending injury to Justin Steele and lengthy absences from Shota Imanaga and Jameson Taillon, it seemed that Chicago was more likely to add relief help than target an impact starting pitcher at the deadline. But even with Imanaga\u2019s encouraging return, an All-Star campaign from Matthew Boyd and promising progress from rookie Cade Horton, the Cubs look like they\u2019re an impact starter away from being taken seriously in a playoff series against the other top teams in the National League. Their bullpen could also use some reinforcements, but that unit has stabilized in impressive fashion over the past two months and is no longer an obvious weak spot in dire need of fixing. Instead, Chicago should be pursuing starting pitching at this deadline with the same level of urgency the Cubs exhibited in acquiring Tucker over the winter to supercharge the lineup.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

The challenge is there are few, if any, available starting pitchers<\/a> capable of making the kind of impact on the rotation that Tucker has on the lineup. Former NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara looms as the ultimate big fish that Chicago could reel in from Miami, but Alcantara\u2019s 7.14 ERA suggests he requires significant adjustments, which might be a lot to ask in the thick of a pennant race. A more modest target such as Kansas City\u2019s Seth Lugo would also arrive with some impressive pedigree, but his raw stuff isn\u2019t nearly as exciting or convincing as an impact rotation addition; Arizona\u2019s Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly fall under a similar umbrella. There will be other lower-impact starters available if Chicago is simply looking to cover innings down the stretch, but the Cubs might have to get creative if they want to land a playoff starter before the deadline.<\/p>\n

Toronto Blue Jays: Starting pitching<\/p>\n

The vibes are so immaculate north of the border right now that it\u2019s hard to believe this team needs to change anything. That said, in a competitive AL East with multiple teams looking to improve at the deadline, now is not the time for Toronto to get complacent and assume its current roster is good enough to hold off the Yankees or Red Sox, let alone the other AL playoff teams in the wild-card mix. As with the Cubs, this is a golden opportunity for Toronto to push some chips in and acquire an impact starter to not only increase its chances of winning the division but also help the team make a meaningful run in October. The Blue Jays boast three quality veteran right-handers in Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt and Jos\u00e9 Berr\u00edos (plus a total wild card in Max Scherzer), but none qualifies as a slam-dunk candidate to inspire confidence as a postseason starter. As such, Toronto should be aggressive in adding.<\/p>\n

Advertisement<\/p>\n

Of course, the Blue Jays will probably run into the same issue as the Cubs in their search for such an arm. Alcantara could also make sense for Toronto, though the Blue Jays don\u2019t have quite as many high-end prospects to offer, and Miami will likely need to be swayed into selling low on Sandy. Perhaps Toronto is a more sensible trade partner for someone such as Pittsburgh\u2019s Mitch Keller, a younger pitcher under team control that the Jays could build around after Bassitt and Gausman hit free agency. Miami\u2019s Edward Cabrera would also be an ideal target for similar reasons, and he\u2019s arguably a better bet to help right away than Alcantara, who needs some immediate fixing. Beefing up the bullpen or adding a rental stopgap starter would also be an acceptable outcome for the Blue Jays, but it\u2019d be awesome to see them shoot for something bigger, considering the circumstances.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The trade deadline is just over a week away, and we\u2019re gaining clarity every day about which teams…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195944,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1206,146,143,5,114,141,735,451,160,77,138,24,82,135,167,14842,11579,1100,35293,665,4914,406,92,1530,6439,54,893,84,871,5173,604,1363,380,18631,1825,1098,387,24332,813,393,389,29,57,999,1103,2000,381,660,778,1149,822,4163,4,1526,62,4681,1841,1364,848,4397,25,776,863,89,109,1494,137,18,378,2002,468,770,673,2081,1089,9356,5694,1567,70,10281,148,786,3614,129,3511,2264,86],"class_list":{"0":"post-195943","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mlb","8":"tag-aaron-nola","9":"tag-arizona","10":"tag-baltimore","11":"tag-baseball","12":"tag-blake-snell","13":"tag-boston","14":"tag-cade-horton","15":"tag-cam-smith","16":"tag-cardinals","17":"tag-cedric-mullins","18":"tag-chicago","19":"tag-chicago-cubs","20":"tag-chris-bassitt","21":"tag-cleveland","22":"tag-colorado","23":"tag-cooper-hummel","24":"tag-d-backs","25":"tag-david-bednar","26":"tag-deadline-approaching","27":"tag-dj-lemahieu","28":"tag-edward-cabrera","29":"tag-emmanuel-clase","30":"tag-eugenio-suarez","31":"tag-gavin-sheets","32":"tag-griffin-jax","33":"tag-houston-astros","34":"tag-isaac-paredes","35":"tag-jack-flaherty","36":"tag-jackson-merrill","37":"tag-jameson-taillon","38":"tag-jarren-duran","39":"tag-jazz-chisholm-jr","40":"tag-jeff-hoffman","41":"tag-jon-singleton","42":"tag-jorbit-vivas","43":"tag-jordan-romano","44":"tag-jose-berrios","45":"tag-josh-donaldson","46":"tag-jurickson-profar","47":"tag-justin-steele","48":"tag-kevin-gausman","49":"tag-kyle-tucker","50":"tag-los-angeles-dodgers","51":"tag-luis-robert-jr","52":"tag-matt-strahm","53":"tag-matthew-boyd","54":"tag-max-scherzer","55":"tag-merrill-kelly","56":"tag-miami","57":"tag-michael-kopech","58":"tag-minnesota","59":"tag-mitch-keller","60":"tag-mlb","61":"tag-mookie-betts","62":"tag-new-york-yankees","63":"tag-orion-kerkering","64":"tag-oswald-peraza","65":"tag-oswaldo-cabrera","66":"tag-pete-fairbanks","67":"tag-phil-maton","68":"tag-philadelphia-phillies","69":"tag-pittsburgh","70":"tag-rafael-devers","71":"tag-red-sox","72":"tag-ryan-helsley","73":"tag-ryan-mcmahon","74":"tag-san-diego","75":"tag-san-diego-padres","76":"tag-san-francisco","77":"tag-seth-lugo","78":"tag-shohei-ohtani","79":"tag-shota-imanaga","80":"tag-st-louis","81":"tag-steven-kwan","82":"tag-tanner-scott","83":"tag-taylor-trammell","84":"tag-taylor-ward","85":"tag-texas","86":"tag-toronto-blue-jays","87":"tag-trade-deadline","88":"tag-twins","89":"tag-tyler-glasnow","90":"tag-victor-caratini","91":"tag-willi-castro","92":"tag-yoan-moncada","93":"tag-yordan-alvarez","94":"tag-zac-gallen"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":"Validation failed: Text character limit of 500 exceeded"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195943","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195943"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195943\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195944"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195943"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195943"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195943"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}