2026 MLB Trade Deadline Predictions | 9 Mock Trades to Shake Up Baseball
A look into the upcoming deadline with predictions on mock trades that would shape up for a thrilling 2026 MLB Trade Deadline.
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If you are a baseball fan, the next week is pretty much the highlight of your summer. This is the time when we all turn on notifications for Jeff Passan, Ken Rosenthal, and every credible reporter with a pulse as we await with great anticipation to see what will take place at the MLB Trade Deadline!
Buyers are lining up for the top bats on the market, and this year, that is Luis Arraez and not a whole lot else.
Other teams are still sitting on the fence between buying and selling, and with a muddled Wild Card race in both leagues, there are teams who truly may do both.
All we can do at this point is wait for the moves to start to trickle in, but in the meantime, why not play GM and make a few of our own?
From now until the deadline, we are going to continue to update this story with fun trade predictions on moves that would make for a more exciting trade deadline.
These trades will come with complete mocks, as we try to best gauge what the market could be for the top talent on the board, and get to know some of the top prospects in the game that could be on the move.
Chicago Cubs Trade for the Top Relief Arm in Luke Weaver
Mets Get: C Owen Ayers, RHP Kaleb Wing
Luke Weaver has been one of the most dominant relievers in baseball this season and would immediately become Craig Counsell’s top late-inning option. With the current state of the Cubs’ bullpen dealing with a nearly unfathomable number of injuries, adding a proven leverage arm would be massive down the stretch.
He has racked up strikeouts at a 26.4% rate this season, well-above league average and something the Chicago bullpen has generally lacked. He ranks in the 78th and 81st percentile in chase and whiff rates, respectively, while also limiting hard contact at an impressive level.
These successes have fueled his production this season. Over 42 innings pitched, he’s posted a 1.93 ERA with a 0.83 WHIP that ranks 10th lowest among qualified relievers.
Weaver hasn’t had many save opportunities this season, as the Mets have given that role to Devin Williams, but does have experience closing games.
A return of Owen Ayers and Kaleb Wing would be an interesting one for the Mets.
Beginning with Ayers, he’s a 25-year-old catching prospect in the midst of a breakout season in 2026. Since slashing .379/.539/.591 and taking home the Breakout Player of the Year Award in the 2025 Arizona Fall League, he has not stopped hitting.
He began his 2026 campaign in High-A, though he didn’t stay there long. After slugging six home runs and posting a 1.341 OPS over 11 games, he was moved up to Double-A Knoxville.
That remained his home for the next couple of months, where he continued to terrorize opposing pitchers, running a 1.009 OPS over a 65-game span. That was enough to earn him a promotion to Triple-A, where he is batting nearly .400 across his first 28 at-bats.
Though he’s on the older side for a prospect, he’s shown ability to adjust at multiple levels. Ayers is not an untouchable by any means, but he would warrant a solid return.
As for Kaleb Wing, he’s on the far other spectrum in terms of prospect age. At just 19 years old, he’s shown some promising stuff.
He has a fastball that will work around 94 mph, generating roughly 19 inches of induced vertical break (IVB) in the process. To go with it, he’s got a changeup that runs heavy to the arm side and misses bats, with a pair of breaking pitches that have flashed plus potential.
The look at him has been limited, as he’s been down with an injury since June 25. Still, in six starts with Single-A Myrtle Beach, he showcased elite strikeout ability. However, that did not come without some command issues.
For Chicago, this is the type of aggressive move contenders have to consider. Weaver immediately strengthens the club’s biggest weakness while the Mets acquire two intriguing long-term pieces to aid their future.
Boston Red Sox Land Their Shortstop in Otto Lopez
Marlins receive: SS Marcelo Mayer, SP Anthony Eyanson (Just Baseball’s 69th-ranked prospect and second-ranked Red Sox prospect), OF Endy Azocar
The following excerpt comes from our article mapping a path to a perfect trade deadline for the Boston Red Sox, which you can find here if you want to read more Red Sox mock trades.
The best shortstop option for the Red Sox is a guy who ranks second in MLB in bWAR this season despite hitting just nine home runs. Just over two years removed from being designated for assignment by both the Blue Jays and Giants, Otto Lopez has been the game’s most complete shortstop this side of Bobby Witt Jr.
The 27-year-old Lopez currently leads MLB with 138 hits and 27 doubles while trailing only Luis Arraez with a .325 batting average. Though his exit velocities are middle-of-the-pack, Lopez’s combination of bat-to-ball skills (88th percentile strikeout rate) and ability to make consistently hard contact (90th percentile squared-up rate) have transformed him into one of the game’s best pure hitters.
While Lopez’s offensive breakout has been years in the making, his defense has been rock solid since he arrived in Miami in 2024. He has accumulated +29 Outs Above Average over the last three seasons, including a +6 mark this year that ranks in the 93rd percentile.
The speed and athleticism that have helped him in the field have also made him one of the most effective baserunners in baseball, as he ranks fifth in the National League with 22 stolen bases while being caught just four times.
With the Marlins losing 13 of their last 16 games and falling out of playoff position, it is understandable why they are reportedly willing to listen on every player besides ace Sandy Alcantara. As good as Lopez is, his .358 BABIP indicates this current level of production may be unsustainable, which could lead the Marlins to look to sell high on their All-Star shortstop.
Yet even if Lopez settles in as a .290 hitter instead of a .320 hitter, he would fix one of the Red Sox’s most prominent roster issues. He would provide them with a true leadoff hitter instead of the current rotating cast of Masataka Yoshida, Jahmai Jones and Anthony Siegler and shore up their shoddy defense at shortstop.
Under team control through 2029, Lopez will not come cheap, and it will require the Red Sox to get uncomfortable with their return package. The headliner of this proposal is right-hander Anthony Eyanson, Just Baseball’s 69th-ranked prospect, who has absolutely dominated in his pro debut with a 1.13 ERA in 63.2 innings.
Though Eyanson hasn’t been able to sustain the triple-digit velocity he showed in spring training, his fastball now sits in the mid-90s after operating in the 92-93 mph range during his college days. That velocity bump, along with his elite feel for spin and solid control, gives him an excellent chance to remain in the rotation long-term.
Having posted a 1.45 ERA in 43.1 Double-A innings, Eyanson is likely due for a Triple-A promotion by the end of the season. This would position him to join the Marlins rotation sometime in 2027, which is also the last year of ace Alcantara’s contract.
The second prospect going back to Miami is High-A outfielder Enddy Azocar, who has arguably been the Red Sox’s most impressive position player prospect besides Franklin Arias.
The 19-year-old began generating buzz when he posted a .511 slugging percentage in 39 Single-A games and, after an understandably slow start in High-A, he has batted .338/.378/.740 with 8 home runs over his last
Giving up prospects of Eyanson and Azocar’s caliber would hurt, but with Eyanson appearing to be squeezed out of an overcrowded rotation and Azocar still multiple years away from contributing at the big-league level, it would be a necessary sacrifice to acquire one of the best shortstops in MLB.
Acquiring Lopez would also mean waving the white flag on Mayer, a sentiment that has grown increasingly inevitable over the last month. With Caleb Durbin looking like a long-term fixture at third base, Arias getting promoted to Triple-A and Mead being acquired to play second base, Mayer’s long-term future in Boston is murky even before considering Lopez.
Yet while a variety of injuries have hampered his development and prevented him from establishing himself in Boston, Mayer has flashed his upside at both the plate and the field, and his 10% reduction in strikeout rate from his rookie season was encouraging.
Perhaps getting out of the bright lights of Boston and the massive expectations that come with being the fourth overall pick will be what he needs to get his career back on track.
While the Marlins will certainly begin negotiations by asking for Arias, who is Just Baseball’s third-overall prospect, this trade would give them two potential building-block players, as well as an MLB-caliber shortstop who is just a year removed from looking like a franchise cornerstone.
The Dodgers Trade for Tarik Skubal, Because We All Know They Will
This is a trade that needs no explanation. The Detroit Tigers are only going to move Tarik Skubal if they are overwhelmed by the return, and no team is better positioned to overwhelm them with a return than the Dodgers.
The Dodgers are clearly in win-now mode, looking to lock up their third-straight title before the lockout. Why not trade a struggling starter and one of your handful of awesome outfield prospects for the two-time reigning AL Cy Young?
Dodgers Trade Package: Emmet Sheehan, Zyhir Hope
Emmet Sheehan has struggled a bit this season, but the underlying metrics suggest there is a better pitcher there, and we have seen that in flashes throughout his young career.
Sheehan has 3.5 years of team control and would immediately fill Skubal’s vacated spot in the rotation, which would help the Tigers stay afloat in a mediocre AL Wild Card race. Hope would give the Tigers three position player prospects in the top 40, while rookie Kevin McGonigle shines at the big league level.
Ultimate win-win trade, assuming the Dodgers are actually willing to put all of that on the table for a rental.
Freddy Peralta Traded to the Tampa Bay Rays
Mets receive: Brody Hopkins (JB No. 49)
If the Mets were to deal one of their top trade pieces to Tampa Bay, Brody Hopkins would be a nice return. The 24-year-old is big league ready and has shown positive flashes in Triple-A this season.
Hopkins has struck out 105 hitters in just 84 innings thus far in 2026, generating whiffs at a strong 33.7% rate. His main issue in the minors is command, walking 20.8% of the batters he has faced this year. His upper-90’s fastball has great life, but at times he does struggle to throw strikes with the heater.
While he is big league ready, the Winthrop product has ways to go still in his development. However, with some molding and proper adjustments, the Mets could bring in a solid starting option for the foreseeable future.
New York Yankees Swing for the Fences and Land Mason Miller
Do you remember the last time the New York Yankees and the San Diego Padres linked up for a blockbuster trade? Juan Soto arrived in pinstripes, and the Yankees rode the momentum of that acquisition all the way to the World Series.
Now two and a half seasons later, the Yankees and Padres are at a crossroads again. The Padres once again have a premier asset who is the best player that could swing the Yankees’ title odds.
With Soto, the Yankees were trading for a rental.
With Mason Miller, they’d be trading for four cracks at the title with the best closer in baseball.
The comparison to Soto and Miller may seem far-fetched on the surface, but the situations are not all that dissimilar. Again, the Padres are in a position where they have multiple holes to fill on their roster and few ways to address them. They are also staring at a crowded Wild Card field ahead of them, in what is sure to be a dogfight to the finish in a loaded National League.
If the Padres accept that this year might not be their best chance to win a World Series, they are “wasting” one year of their four years of control of the best closer in baseball. A closer that is only going to get more and more expensive through arbitration, as he already made $4 million in arb-1, and is likely to more than double that in arb-2.
The Padres could use a deadline where they reshuffle their pieces and build out some much-needed depth on their roster and in their farm system. Moving Miller would make the biggest impact if they chose to go in that direction.
Yankees Trade Package: SS George Lombard Jr, RHP Carlos Lagrange, RHP Luis Gil
Now, when it comes to the Yankees package, I borrowed two pieces from Peter Appel, in his recent set of Mock Trades he’d love to see, but I made a big tweak on the final piece.
Similar to Peter, I am starting the package with the Yankees’ top two prospects, George Lombard Jr. and Carlos Lagrange.
While he is no Leo De Vries, George Lombard is a very good prospect in his own right, checking in only 16 slots behind him in our last top 100 at No. 20. A chance at landing your shortstop of the future is a great start; throw in an electric arm like Lagrange (No. 53 on the top 100), and now you have a negotiation.
Where my package differs from Peter’s is that instead of including Spencer Jones as the final piece, I am adding former Rookie of the Year Luis Gil instead.
If the Padres traded Miller, my guess is that Preller would be looking to get some cost-controlled high-upside pitching back in return. Lagrange fits the billing, and Lombard is just the best prospect you can get your hands on, regardless of the position. Gil is a fun final piece because there’s some volatility there, but there is also plenty of upside.
Gil has struggled this year, but mostly due to injuries. Whenever he has been healthy for the Yankees, he has been a very effective starting pitcher. The Padres could hope to get him right, and bet on a big bounce-back where he can slot right into the middle of their 2027 rotation.
With Jackson Merrill and Fernando Tatis Jr. entrenched in the outfield, the Padres really only have one corner outfield spot they have to worry about, and that is easier to fill through free agency on the cheap than a rotation spot, making Gil both a better fit for the Padres and likely an easier piece for the Yankees to part with considering the clear injury risk.
Seattle Mariners Trade Emerson Hancock for Zach Neto
The Seattle Mariners could use a right-handed bat, and according to reporting by Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon in The Athletic, Emerson Hancock is a valuable trade chip from their rotation they may choose to dangle. Hancock is in the midst of a breakout season, pitching to a 3.16 ERA across 19 starts.
The 27-year-old comes with four and a half years of team control, making him one of the more attractive pieces that could be moved at this year’s deadline.
In a deal that would be very similar to the Curtis Mead for Connelly Early trade over the weekend, the Mariners could send Hancock out in a deal that nets them one of the more consistent shortstops in baseball in Zach Neto.
Neto is trending towards his third-straight season of being a 3-win shortstop, where he will likely clear 25 home runs and 20 stolen bases. The 25-year-old could still hit another gear where he becomes a 30-30 guy, but even if he falls short of that, what the Angels have been getting since 2024 is a fine player at a premium position.
The Mariners have their shortstop of the future in the lineup right now with top prospect Colt Emerson getting run, but he has struggled to an 82 wRC+ through his first 54 games.
Longtime shortstop J.P. Crawford was moved to third base to accommodate Emerson, and fellow youngster Cole Young is soaking up the reps at second base. All three infielders bat left-handed, which is where Neto’s right-handed bat would fit in nicely with this lineup.
Emerson could get sent down to Triple-A for further seasoning, then get called up for the stretch run and into October. Neto could assume the reps at shortstop for this season, then when Crawford becomes a free agent this offseason, third base would open up for either Neto or Emerson next season.
Neto’s defensive metrics haven’t been great over at shortstop anyway, so a move over to third base could prove beneficial, as we have seen with Bo Bichette this season.
Mariners Trade Package: Emerson Hancock, Korbyn Dickerson
The Angels are not going to move Zach Neto lightly, but in this trade they get a plug-and-play starter who could frontline their 2027 rotation, and they also land a 22-year-old outfielder who has posted strong numbers in his first pro season (.841 OPS between A and A+).
Obviously moving Neto opens up a big hole at shortstop, but Hancock comes with an extra year of control compared to Neto, and comes with two more years of control compared to Reid Detmers and Jose Soriano.
If the Angels could land a top shortstop prospect in a separate deal for Detmers or Soriano, this trade could make even more sense.
Tampa Bay Rays Go For It: Trade for Clay Holmes and Francisco Alvarez
The Tampa Bay Rays have the best record in the American League, and things have never been more wide-open for them to get back to the World Series. The New York Yankees may be their best competition, so winning the division is imperative to making a deep run.
Like any team, the Rays could use some depth for their rotation, and adding a big bat never hurt this time of year. The Mets are expected to be one of the more overt sellers on the market, and they have a package that should be really intriguing to the Rays, with Clay Holmes able to slot right into the middle of their rotation, and Francisco Alvarez into the middle of their lineup.
Holmes is likely a rental, as he has a $13 million player option that he will surely opt out of. In nine starts this season, Holmes looked the part of a frontline arm, pitching to a 2.39 ERA. Unfortunately, he got drilled on a comebacker and fractured his fibula, forcing him on the IL for the last few months.
He is on the mend now and should be nearly ramped up post-deadline, giving the Rays a fresh arm to slot right into the middle of their rotation. If Holmes doesn’t earn a spot in their playoff rotation, he has plenty of experience pitching big innings in October out of the bullpen.
Alvarez is the real prize of this deal long-term, as the Rays would land a 24-year-old slugging catcher who comes with three and a half years of team control.
Rays Trade Package: RHP Brody Hopkins, C Caden Bodine, OF Slater De Brun
The Mets are likely to move Holmes at this year’s deadline, but Francisco Alvarez will be a much tougher piece to pry. Getting Caden Bodine back in return should make the Mets a bit more comfortable making this deal, as the 22-year-old has flown through the Rays system this season.
Drafted 30th overall by the Baltimore Orioles in 2025, Bodine was already traded once, as one of the pieces in the Shane Baz deal this past offseason. Nineteen-year-old outfielder Slater De Brun was in that trade as well.
Bodine started the year in Low-A and has already jumped up two levels to Double-A in one season. He has raked at every stop, and could find himself playing in the big leagues at some point next season if he continues this rapid progression.
De Brun has missed his first pro season due to a wrist injury, but would add a 19-year-old in their system who was a top 40 pick just a year ago, almost making him feel like a late addition to their 2026 draft class.
Finally, Brody Hopkins is a top-50 prospect who is already up in Triple-A. An electric, yet sometimes erratic arm, Hopkins would join Jonah Tong as another Mets pitching prospect with frontline upside who’d need further development to help them put it altogether.
Phillies and Twins Make Another Deadline
Last year, the Phillies and Twins lined up on a few trades, with Harrison Bader and Jhoan Duran each getting sent from Minnesota to Philadelphia for the stretch run. Once again, the Phillies need outfield help, and like any contender, they will be in the market for some premium pitching.
Twins Trade: RHP Joe Ryan, OF Trevor Larnach
Joe Ryan ranked as No. 3 on my list of players with the most trade value at this year’s deadline, behind only Mason Miller and Zach Neto, who each come with 3.5 years of control. Ryan, on the other hand, only comes with 1.5 years of control, comes very affordable through arbitration.
Ryan is making $6.1 million this season, and has a mutual option for $13 million in 2027. If Ryan declines his side of the option, he would stand to make somewhere around that number in his final year of arbitration.
The Phillies have a three-headed monster to take into the postseason with Zach Wheeler, Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo, but Aaron Nola’s struggles have been pronounced, and the fifth starter role has been an issue all season.
If the Phillies want to challenge the Braves in the NL East, and if they want to give their best shot at beating the Dodgers, Ryan is the type of acquisition an all-in buyer should make.
The cost will be extreme, but if the Phillies can kill two birds with one stone and add an outfielder in the deal, the return may be a bit easier to stomach. The Phillies outfield is already left-heavy with Brandon Marsh and Justin Crawford, but they steal could use an upgrade over rookie Gabriel Rincones.
If the Phillies can make this deal, while also landing a short side of the platoon outfielder like Lane Thomas, they could really lengthen their lineup for the playoff push.
Phillies Trade Package: RHP Gage Wood, OF Dante Nori, RHP Matt Fischer, OF Gabriel Rincones Jr.
If the Phillies could pull of a trade of this magnitude without dealing their top prospect Aiden Miller, they would have to be over the moon. Gage Wood is a tough piece to deal, as he could be part of the Phillies rotation in 2027, but you have to give to get one of the best pitchers in baseball.
If Ryan was a rental, it would be tough to justify dealing Wood, but having him for two playoff runs with Wheeler and company is pretty tantalizing.
Gabriel Rincones is in the big leagues right now, giving the Twins a plug and play outfielder who can take over for Larnach. Meanwhile Dante Nori is a former first round pick who is still only 21 years old and can use a change of scenery.
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