Top 10 Player-Team Trade Fits We Want to See at the Deadline

The MLB Trade Deadline is a little over 24 hours away, and we are still waiting for the next big shoe to drop on the market. Things opened up with a bang, as Josh Naylor was traded to the Seattle Mariners, but since then, we have not seen many big impact moves.

That does not mean those blockbuster trades won’t come through, with plenty of star players being kicked around in trade talks right now. Between the top rentals like Eugenio Suarez and Zac Gallen from the Diamondbacks, to top pitchers with control like ace Joe Ryan and closer Jhoan Duran from the Twins, there is no shortage of names on the market.

Over the past week, we have been creating mock trades predicting where some of the top players on the market will get traded this week. Through the exercise, we have identified some trade fits between players and teams that we would love to see take place at this deadline.

Let’s dive into our top 10 favorite trade predictions that would shape up to be a wild 2025 MLB Trade Deadline.

10. Nestor Cortes Goes Back to the Yankees

The New York Yankees could use starting pitching, and there just so happens to be a former friend available on the trade market. The Milwaukee Brewers are reportedly listening to trade offers on Nestor Cortes Jr., who they acquired from the Yankees in the Devin Williams trade in the offseason.

Cortes has become expendable because he hasn’t been available this season, as he went down early with an elbow injury. The Brewers did such a good job patching up their rotation that they really have no spot for Cortes, who is nearing a return.

The Yankees would be an ideal landing spot for Nasty Nestor, as he would surely be embraced by the fan base, especially if he can hold down the back-end of the Yankees rotation down the stretch.

9. New York Mets Land Their CF in Luis Robert Jr.

It is starting to feel like the worst-kept secret that the New York Mets are interested in Luis Robert Jr., with MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand going as far as to say they are the frontrunners to land the enigmatic center fielder at the trade deadline.

Robert had been marred in a near-18-month slump, but has finally started to swing a hot bat coming out of the All-Star break. The 27-year-old has a tool set that is very attractive to teams, with his ability to play strong defense in center field, steal bases, and mash left-handed pitching.

Where Robert has struggled this season is hitting right-on-right, limiting him from reaching his previous heights in terms of power production (38 HRs in 2023). Still, few players at this trade deadline present the ceiling of a Luis Robert, especially at a position that is very hard to fill in center field.

Robert’s trade value is tough to peg, which could make this a deal that comes down to the wire. If the Mets can be the team that wins out in the end, they would have an outfield of Juan Soto, Robert, and Brandon Nimmo. That feels like the kind of group that can truly make a run come October.

8. Padres Land Mullins and Morton from the Orioles

The San Diego Padres are currently in a tough spot, needing to fill multiple needs on their roster before the deadline expires on Thursday. The biggest hole in their lineup may be out in left field, but they could also use an arm to solidify the middle of their rotation.

This is where the Orioles look like a great trade partner for San Diego, as they could target both Cedric Mullins and Charlie Morton in the same deal.

Mullins has put together an up-and-down season, where he has been just slightly better than league-average with a 103 wRC+. Most of the damage he has done came early in the season, but Mullins still does have 15 home runs and 14 stolen bases.

Considering how low the bar is for the Padres’ final outfield spot this season, Mullins represents a big upgrade, giving the Padres an impending free agent who has every incentive to salvage his value before he tests the market in a few months.

Along with Mullins, the Padres can ask for veteran starter Charlie Morton as well.

On May 7th, Morton was pitching to a 9.38 ERA, as his season could not have gotten off on a worse note. Since then, though, Morton has been able to rediscover his curveball and has gotten back to being one of the more reliable starting pitchers in the game.

Across his last 14 games (11 starts), Morton has pitched to a 3.62 ERA over 69 2/3 innings pitched. He’s 7-1 during that span. Landing Morton would go a long way towards solidifying a starting rotation that has been in a period of flux lately.

7. Phillies Get a Rental Closer with Ryan Helsley

The Philadelphia Phillies made the first big move to address their bullpen when they signed David Robertson to a one-year, $16 million deal, which will be prorated to pay him about $5.5 million for the remainder of the 2025 season.

Robertson has not pitched this year, but has consistently been one of the best relievers in baseball over the last few years, capable of sliding into a high-leverage role for the Phillies. What the Phillies don’t have, though, is a lights-out closer. That’s where Ryan Helsley comes into play.

Last year, Helsley led MLB with 49 saves and pitched to a 2.04 ERA in 66 1/3 innings pitched. This year, Helsley has not been nearly as effective, pitching to a 3.00 ERA, but has still had plenty of success in the closer’s role.

The Phillies could use one more leverage arm, and preferably one with closer experience. Helsley checks all the boxes and will make the Phillies a tougher team to face come October.

6. Mets Take a Shot on Shane Bieber

The New York Mets have been described as being opportunistic on this year’s trade market when it comes to addressing their starting rotation.

With Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and Frankie Montas now healthy, joining a rotation with All-Star David Peterson and Clay Holmes, the Mets have a full five-man rotation. They also have a pair of top 100 prospects in Triple-A who are knocking on the door of a promotion with Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat.

If the Mets are going to add a starting pitcher, they want an arm who will be a real ceiling-raiser who could start a playoff game for them. In a market that does not have many high-upside rental starting pitchers, the Mets may look towards an unconventional target, someone who has not pitched in an MLB game in over a year.

Shane Bieber is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, having last pitched in Double-A yesterday, where he allowed just one run over four innings pitched, with seven strikeouts.

Last year, Bieber made two starts before going down with TJ. He did not allow a run in 12 innings pitched and struck out 20. Bieber has a career 3.22 ERA and has a Cy Young on his resume, taking home the award in the shortened 2020 season.

The Mets have started to earn the reputation of being one of the best organizations in baseball at identifying and supporting top pitchers to get the absolute most out of them. Bieber is the ultimate Wild Card, but if everything goes right, he could be a fresh arm ready to step up come October.

5. Could Zac Gallen Be This Year’s Yusei Kikuchi for the Astros?

Last year, the Houston Astros traded a heavy package to land a struggling rental starting pitcher whom they believed they could get more out of in Yusei Kikuchi. This year, maybe they will employ the same strategy and grab Zac Gallen in a down year from the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The upside is obvious with Gallen, who has two top-5 Cy Young finishes on his resume. Pitching in a contract year, Gallen has endured the worst season of his career. Still, he has put together starts where he flashes brilliance, and could maybe rediscover his consistency with a change of scenery.

The Astros have two arms they trust in the playoffs with their co-aces, Hunter Brown and Framber Valdez. Added Gallen would give Houston a high-upside arm, who could slot into the three-spot in the rotation, and give the Astros a formidable trio come October.

4. Blue Jays Land Top Closer with Control: Jhoan Duran

The Toronto Blue Jays were not expected to be in this position, and yet here they are, in first place in the AL East, with a real chance to win their division and make a run come October. For a team that features a strong starting rotation and a surging lineup, what the Blue Jays need is help in the back end of their bullpen.

Jeff Hoffman has assumed the closer’s role this season, but has not pitched particularly well in it, pitching to a 4.87 ERA through his first 44 1/3 innings pitched. Getting the chance to slide back into a set-up role could be the best thing for Hoffman and the Blue Jays.

If Toronto is in the market for a closer, there is no one better to get than Minnesota Twins’ relief ace Jhoan Duran.

The 27-year-old flamethrower has pitched to a 2.01 ERA this season and has a career 2.47 ERA. Having spent the last three seasons in the closer’s role, Duran would be very comfortable stepping into the most important role in the Blue Jays bullpen.

It would take a lot to land Duran, as he comes with two more years of team control beyond this season. Here is the mock trade we came up with, which you can read more about in the mock trade predictions article.

3. Cubs Bring on a New Ace, Trade for Joe Ryan

The Chicago Cubs need to land an ace at this deadline, and preferably one that is less of a project, and more ready to step in a be the horse ready to lead this team to win right now. This is where the struggling aces like Sandy Alcantara or Zac Gallen may not be as attractive as landing a true ace with control. The Cubs should go out and get Joe Ryan.

Ryan comes with two years of control beyond this season, so the price will not be cheap. Still, the Cubs have a deep enough farm system to swing a deal, and pairing Ryan with Matthew Boyd and Shota Imanaga could be enough for Chicago to enjoy a long playoff run.

We wrote all about a Ryan to the Cubs trade in our predictions article, with a full mock trade proposal with a breakdown of the prospect return.

2. Eugenio Suarez and Alec Bohm Trade Places

Everyone wants to know where Eugenio Suarez is going to land at the trade deadline. We mocked four different trades for Geno in an article yesterday, and the one that keeps sticking out to me is the deal that sends Suarez to the Phillies.

Now in the mock trade we featured, we went with a straight prospect package to get Suarez. One interesting wrinkle however would be if the Phillies included incumbent third baseman Alec Bohm as part of the deal to land Suarez.

The Suarez to the Philly side of this equation is obvious. Imagine an order of Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Eugenio Suarez and Kyle Schwarber. That 1-4 is as dangerous as any team in the game, particularly with Suarez and Schwarber hitting back-to-back.

Bohm is currently working his way back from a rib injury, having just resumed baseball activities. The D-backs have Jordan Lawler ready to take over third base, but trading for Bohm still gives them an intriguing corner infielder to roll into next season with, after trading both Josh Naylor and Suarez.

Naylor and Suarez were always going to need to be replaced, but the expectation was that it would happen after a playoff run. Now they are looking to move on immediately, and they could do worse than having Bohm soak up some at-bats at third and first base for the remainder of this season and maybe into next.

As more of a doubles-hitter, playing on the fast surface at Chase Field may do wonders for Bohm, who was an All-Star just last season. He will be a free agent in 2027, but should be relatively affordable in his final year of arbitration in 2026.

1. Boston Red Sox Pair Garrett Crochet with MacKenzie Gore

The first move the Boston Red Sox made this offseason that they were ready to be a contender is when they traded some of their top prospects in a deal with the Chicago White Sox for Garrett Crochet.

Crochet was quickly signed to a six-year, $170 million contract extension, and the Red Sox had landed their ace of the future in one fell swoop. So far, that investment has worked out very well, as Crochet is in a tight race with reigning AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal in this year’s race.

Imagine if the Red Sox doubled-down on that strategy at this year’s trade deadline, and made a big push to land Washington Nationals ace MacKenzie Gore.

Gore was an All-Star for the first time this season, pitching to a 3.52 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 117 2/3 innings pitched. The 26-year-old is one of the top left-handed pitchers in the game, and would form a deadly partner atop the rotation with Crochet.

Armed with two years of control beyond this season, the Red Sox could even explore extending Gore just like they did Crochet, and create a duo of southpaw aces to go to war with at Fenway for years to come.