Buckle up, baseball fans: The wildest day of the 2025 MLB season has officially been announced.
That would be the trade deadline, a summer tradition rivaled by few others. Per ESPN’s Jeff Passan, MLB has settled on Thursday, July 31 at 6 p.m. ET as this season’s date.
Thanks to an expanded playoff field in baseball (now with 12 teams instead of 10) more teams than ever find themselves in a position to be buyers at the trade deadline. To give you an idea, more than 60 swaps went down leading up to last year’s deadline, including a good chunk (32) just on the final day alone.
MLB used to have a waiver trade deadline in August, in which clubs could continue fortifying their roster until September call-ups. However, that practice was eliminated as of 2019.
In terms of this year’s buyers and sellers, we should already know most of the latter bunch, even with the 2025 season still yet to commence. The Miami Marlins, Chicago White Sox and Colorado Rockies would fit that bill, with other potential sellers including the Los Angeles Angels, St. Louis Cardinals and potentially even the Toronto Blue Jays.
As for buyers, you can chalk up obvious contenders like the Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles, though there will be plenty of others as well.
Some key players to watch this summer:
- RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins: Coming off Tommy John surgery, Alcantara is likely to be the best available starting pitcher this summer if the Marlins decide to move him.
- RHP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals: The Redbirds closer will be a free agent at the end of the 2025 season, and the Cardinals don’t look poised to contend.
- SS Bo Bichette and 1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays: If the Blue Jays’ attempt to contend in 2025 falls apart, they would be wise to recoup some value for their two star free agents-to-be this summer.
- OF Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels: The Angels are the owners of MLB’s longest playoff drought, and there’s no reason to believe that won’t continue in 2025. Ward is arguably their most attractive trade piece.
- 3B Ryan McMahon, Colorado Rockies: The rumor mill has swirled around McMahon for a little while now, but could this finally be the year that the typically dormant Rockies strike a deal for their veteran third baseman at the trade deadline?
Let the games begin.
