Tracking Buyers and Sellers at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline

This year’s MLB trade deadline is shaping up to be one of the most unpredictable in recent memory.

For one thing, it’s not clear who the top trade chips will be. The two most talked-about trade candidates, Luis Robert Jr. and Sandy Alcantara, are both playing shockingly poorly.

What’s more, there are only a handful of teams in each league sure to be sellers, and there’s a reason for that – they don’t have much to sell. Meanwhile, several clubs will still be waiting to see how the first few games after the All-Star break play out before deciding whether to buy or sell. A few more are likely to take a mixed approach at the deadline, shopping some of their veterans on expiring contracts but still looking to contend.

Without a clear sense of which players will be dealt – or which teams will look to acquire them – it can be hard to know what to expect from trade deadline season. Thankfully, Just Baseball has you covered with this buyer/seller tracker. We’ve grouped all 30 teams into four categories, and we’ll be updating this post regularly as the trade deadline approaches.

Last updated on July 14, 2025.

These Teams Will Be Buying

American League Buyers

• Detroit Tigers
• New York Yankees
• Houston Astros
• Toronto Blue Jays
• Seattle Mariners
• Boston Red Sox

The Yankees and Astros are perennial contenders. The Blue Jays surged into “serious contender” territory with a 10-game winning streak that put them ahead of the Yankees in the AL East. The Tigers have been the best team in the AL all year. What more explanation do you need?

The Mariners are several games behind the Astros in the AL West, but they have as good a chance as anyone to claim a Wild Card spot. According to Adam Jude of the Seattle Times, they’re preparing to be “one of the most active teams” ahead of the deadline.

The Red Sox won their final 10 games of the first half, making them the latest team to move from “we’ll see” to “sure to be buying.” They are now eight games above .500 and in possession of the second AL Wild Card spot.

National League Buyers

• Los Angeles Dodgers
• Chicago Cubs
• New York Mets
• Philadelphia Phillies
• San Francisco Giants
• San Diego Padres

The Dodgers, Cubs, Mets, and Phillies are the cream of the crop in the National League. They’re all off to strong starts, but they all have holes to fill. They’ll be buying.

The Giants, meanwhile, have been surprisingly competitive this year. I’m still on the fence as to whether or not their success is sustainable. However, their aggressive acquisition of Rafael Devers makes it clear that Buster Posey’s Giants are in it to win it.

As for the Padres, I wondered whether or not to put them in the “a bit of both” category. After all, just this past offseason, they were rumored to be shopping (or at least taking calls on) several key players, including Dylan Cease, Michael King, and Luis Arraez.

Ultimately, however, the Padres need all hands on deck – and then some – to compete in the National League, and I think A.J. Preller knows that.

These Teams Will Be Selling

American League Sellers

• Chicago White Sox
• Athletics
• Los Angeles Angels
• Baltimore Orioles

The White Sox and Athletics are already buried deep below .500. The A’s would need a miracle to make the playoffs, and the White Sox would need three miracles and some magic beans. It’s not happening.

The Angels have moved around more than any other team on this list. They never looked like true contenders on paper, but it wasn’t so long ago that they were tantalizingly close to a Wild Card spot. However, now that they’re back to a couple of games below .500 with a -62 run differential, I feel pretty confident returning them to the “sellers” category.

Last but not least, we come to the Orioles.

I’ve finally done it. I’ve finally moved the Orioles into the “sellers” category. They’re running out of time to go on the kind of big run that would convince the front office not to sell. Indeed, they already started to sell last week when they traded reliever Bryan Baker to the division rival Rays.

National League Sellers

• Washington Nationals
• Miami Marlins
• Pittsburgh Pirates
• Colorado Rockies

None of these teams is within sniffing distance of a .500 record or a Wild Card berth. The Rockies could very well be the worst team in modern baseball history, while the Nationals and Pirates are merely bad teams with too many serious contenders ahead of them.

The Marlins played surprisingly well leading into the All-Star break, but even so, they remain seven games below .500 and 7.5 back of a playoff berth.

We’re Still Waiting To Find Out

American League

• Minnesota Twins
• Cleveland Guardians
• Kansas City Royals
• Texas Rangers

None of these teams is above .500. They’re all sitting on the outside of the Wild Card race, looking in. Yet, all of them can still contend. Given the talent on each of their rosters, I’m not ready to count any of them out.

The Rangers, Twins, Royals, and Guardians could enter the Wild Card picture with one great week. (And a little help from the teams ahead of them.)

National League

• Arizona Diamondbacks
• St. Louis Cardinals
• Cincinnati Reds
• Atlanta Braves

After missing the playoffs due to a lost tiebreaker last season, the Diamondbacks were aggressive in the offseason, signing Corbin Burnes and trading for Josh Naylor. Those two were expected to complement a strong pitching staff and a powerful offensive core.

Yet, while Arizona’s lineup has lived up to expectations, the pitching staff has not. With Burnes and Justin Martinez lost for the season, the D-backs just might not have the arms to contend. That said, they’re hanging on around .500. It’s way too soon to suggest that the 2023 NL champs throw in the towel.

On paper, you could argue that neither the Cardinals nor the Reds should be as competitive as the D-backs. Yet, their current win-loss records and run differentials say otherwise. They have been in the mix (or, more accurately, just outside the mix) all year.

I can’t in good conscience suggest that either of them sell while their records are at or above .500, but I also wouldn’t be altogether shocked to see either club go on a losing streak in the next little bit that convinces them they aren’t ready to go all in.

As for the Braves, things aren’t looking good. Not so long ago, president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos made it very clear in an interview on 680 The Fan that his team was “not selling.”

Of course, that was before Chris Sale and Spencer Schwellenbach landed on the IL – and before the Braves fell below the Marlins in the NL East standings. I can’t list them with the buyers right now. I just can’t.

A Bit of both?

• Tampa Bay Rays
• Milwaukee Brewers

The Rays and Brewers are both strong postseason contenders, but these teams operate under strict payroll limitations. They have shown a willingness to trade core contributors at the deadline, even amidst a winning season.