2025 MLB All-Stars Who Will Be in Trade Rumors at the Deadline
With the All-Star Game nearly upon us, plenty of names on display during the week's festivities will also be in trade talks this month.
With the All-Star Game just one day away, all eyes of the baseball world will be fixated on Atlanta to see the best-of-the-best square off in low-stakes, high-entertainment and talent-heavy showcase.
However, when the celebratory feel dies down come Wednesday morning and the dust settles on the weekend that was, all of that focus will be diverted to the unofficial second half of the season. Plenty of teams will be gearing up for a stretch run with the end-goal of October baseball, while others will be future focused.
To gear up for those postseason pursuits and rebuild accelerations, front offices around the league will turn to the trade market, looking to make their necessary moves before the clock strikes 6:00 p.m. ET on July 31.
We’re in the thick of trade season now, even if the actual trade market has yet to really become active. Mock trades are flying, the rumor mill is running and speculation is in no shortage.
Of those names grabbing attention during this trade season are plenty of players fans will get to see in full force during All-Star weekend.
Stats updated as of Monday, July 14
Biggest Name Stars Who Could Be in Trade Talks
Alex Bregman, Boston Red Sox
It’s hard to believe that Bregman, fresh off signing a lucrative contract with the Red Sox this offseason would be included in trade talks just months after putting pen to paper. However, he signed a “Scott Boras special” in February, meaning he has opt-outs in both 2026 and 2027.
Reports have already surfaced that Bregman could be on the move if productive extension talks don’t seem possible.
Given the fact that Chief Baseball Officer Craig Breslow has already showed he’s willing to trade big names, after sending disgruntled superstar Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants last month, nobody seems safe in Boston right now.
Pair all of this with the fact the Red Sox are still in the midst of a jam-packed AL Wild Card race, postseason baseball at Fenway Park isn’t a guarantee this season.
Should Boston decide to cash in on their investment in Bregman early, they could get a haul for one of the best third basemen of this era.
Before he went down with a quad injury at the end of May, Bregman had made himself at home in his new surroundings, slashing .299/.385/.553 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and a 156 wRC+ while playing above-average defense to give him a 2.4 fWAR in just 51 games.
Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
Next, we move to a name that seems even less likely than Bregman to move in Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton.
Buxton is having a great season right now, thanks to staying relatively healthy. In 78 games he’s slashing .289/.351/.574 with 21 HR, 56 RBI, 17 SB, a 152 wRC+ and 4.0 fWAR.
There’s two schools of thought here for Minnesota when it comes to the thought of dealing of Buxton.
The first is that this is a franchise altering talent with three-and-a-half years of remaining control, in the midst of a career year all while the team is still well within the hunt for a postseason spot.
However, this year has been somewhat of an anomaly for Buxton, as if he continues on this pace an surpasses 100 games played it will be just the third time in his career he’s reached that feat. Just as reminder, he debuted in 2015.
Pair that with the fact that it is still a jam-packed Wild Card race meaning October is not guaranteed in the Twin Cities. This could motivate Jeremy Zoll and the Twins front office to cash in a get a mega-haul while Buxton is still healthy, because there’s no guaranteeing if it will last.
Rentals Most Likely on the Trade Block
Eugenio Suárez, Arizona Diamondbacks
Suárez seems like the most obvious name that will be moved at the deadline. He’s both desirable enough from a production standpoint to warrant being pursued heavily, but at that career stage that D-Backs will feel comfortable moving off of him and gaining assets in exchange.
The 33-year-old is in the midst of what could very well be a career year for him at the dish, as he’s slashing .250/.320/.569 with 31 HR, 78 RBI and a 142 wRC+.
The D-backs may still be in the NL Wild Card mix, but at five-and-a-half games back and part of an extremely competitive division, putting a damper on a potential postseason push, thus making a Suárez trade look more enticing.
Ryan O’Hearn, Baltimore Orioles
It’s hard not to look at a name like Ryan O’Hearn and think he won’t be dealt. The stars all seem to be aligning on a potential deal.
At 43-52, the Orioles seem all but out of the postseason mix, despite playing some better baseball of late after an abysmal start. This is also a team built around young talent like Gunnar Henderson, Adley Rutschman, Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday among others. The nearly 32-year-old DH in O’Hearn doesn’t fit into to this category, making him one of few true trade chips for Baltimore.
With plenty of more names needing regular at-bats moving forward in similar positions in top prospects Coby Mayo (No. 44 overall) and Samuel Basallo (No. 9 overall), it gives the O’s more reason to move on from him to free up those regular at-bats.
He’s having an incredible season, hitting .286 with an .840 OPS and 138 wRC+. Pair that with the fact he’s a left-handed bat and he’ll surely be a hot commodity to target in the coming weeks.
Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox
Shifting gears to the second member of the Red Sox, it’s Aroldis Chapman, who’s in the midst of a “turning back the clock” type season in Bean Town.
Chapman might the cream of the crop when it comes to closer, as he has All-Star capabilities but will be widely cheaper than other top arms given his expiring contract and the Red Sox current state of limbo in the competitive AL postseason race.
Any team that potentially acquires Chapman is getting a true anchoring force for their ‘pen, as the 37-year-old potential Hall-of-Famer is throwing to a 1.18 ERA, 1.50 FIP, 0.76 WHIP and .143 BAA with a K-rate over 40% (40.6) and 17 saves in 38 innings this season.
He’s no stranger to trade deadline speculation, as back in 2023 the Kansas City Royals dealt him to the eventual World Series champion Texas Rangers. Then last season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, before they committed to being conservative buyers at the deadline, his name was one that the was easy to throw into trade deadline talks.
Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays (Club Option)
Now, I know the Rays are a 50-win ball club currently in a Wild Card spot. However, this is the Tampa Bay Rays we’re talking about, where the status quo can sometimes be thrown out the with them.
They are a small market team that’s been able to stay competitive over the years due to selling off assets while they can, before they become UFAs, in order to keep their net generation of talent well- stocked.
While Brandon Lowe doesn’t necessarily need to be a UFA this winter, as the Rays still hold a $11.5 million club option on him, Erik Neander and Co. could take the opportunity to cash in on an affordable contract with flexibility at position that is not the most robust at the moment talent-wise.
Lowe has been an above average hitter every year of his career (over 100 wRC+) and sports consistent 20+ HR pop, things that can’t be said about second baseman as much as the can at other positions these days.
In 2025, Lowe is up to his old tricks again slashing .272/.324/.487 with 19 HR, 50 RBI and a 125 wRC+.
All-Star Starters (with Control) on Bad Teams
When you look at the All-Star rosters right now, absent will you find a rental ace who is ready to showcase his talents for contenders on the national stage. Last year, there was no ace on the table either, but Tanner Scott was representing the Marlins and showcasing himself to deadline suitors.
There is no Tanner Scott this year, where an All-Star jumps out as a player who is already in the rumor mill. Instead, there are a few arms that could hypothetically be moved because their teams are already looking to be out of the race.
To be clear, these aren’t pitchers who are going to be shopped, but more so pitchers who other teams will likely call about, wondering if they can nab an arm for more than just the stretch run.
It would take a heavy prospect package to nab any of the following three arms, who very well could lead their rotations as All-Stars again in 2026.
Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals
The Royals certainly have a surplus of capable big league starters that they could dip into to either accumulate assets to focus on next season and beyond or try to find some impactful offensive pieces to really kickstart this offense that been basically a no show for a majority of the season.
That being said, as already mentioned, it would take a heavy package for the Royals to consider parting ways with the likes of Bubic.
He’s gone from a fifth starter who had to fight for his spot on the big league roster in spring training to statistically the best arm in this staff, which has been nothing short of a god-send given the underperformance and injury issues of their ace Cole Ragans.
While Bubic’s 2.48 ERA and 1.16 WHIP will certainly be enticing to teams, his remaining year of control may be too valuable for the Royals to give up. Especially when not only will they likely look to compete in 2026, but they’ve started July at a 8-4 pace, meaning they’re right back in this year’s AL Wild Card race and could make a legitimate run at October baseball.
It’s much more likely, Bubic’s sub-3.00 ERA partner in the rotation in Seth Lugo gets dealt, given he’s more of a rental option.
MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
The Nationals might be in the midst of a bit of an overhaul in leadership after firing GM Mike Rizzo and manager Dave Martinez just days ago, however the landscape altering moves likely stop there in the nation’s capital.
As enticing as a return for MacKenzie Gore might be in the midst of his breakout campaign might be, the new leadership in group in Washington likely won’t be eager to part ways with their newfound ace now that he’s at long last living up to the hype he carries as a prospect.
While the Nationals will most likely be sellers, Gore should be classed in the same grouping as names like James Wood, C.J. Abrams and Dylan Crews as names to build the future around.
Given the current state of the the rest of their rotation, they’ll likely want some stability to build around when Top 100 prospects in Jarlin Susana (No. 32) and Travis Sykora (No. 34) are ready to make their big league leap.
Still, a 3.02 ERA and 30.5% K-rate on a team as poor as the Nationals will surely attract buyers.
Yusei Kikuchi, Los Angeles Angels
While the signing of Yusei Kikuchi in the early stages of the offseason might have been met with it’s fair share of skepticism, the veteran southpaw has been an instrumental figure in the Los Angeles Angels’ rotation.
He’s pitching to an very impressive 3.11 ERA and a sub-4.00 FIP, establishing himself as the long-awaited ace in the rotation. That will surely attract trade attention to him.
Now the Angels are still within shouting distance of an AL Wild Card spot, however they are starting to fade a bit and could potentially adopt a sellers role.
However, with two more years on his contract and the Angels poor fortune off acquiring consistent starting pitching over the years, he looks like more of a building block rather than a trade chip.
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