Updated 4m ago
MLB trade deadline live updates and rumors: Yankees send Camilo Doval to Pirates; latest transactions and analysis
Follow our live coverage as we build up to Major League Baseball’s trade deadline at 6 p.m. ET on Monday.
Live BlogDiscuss
The Athletic Live Team
August 1, 2026 at 3:20 PM EDT
MLB trade deadline
Major League Baseball teams likely will be wheeling and dealing ahead of Monday’s trade deadline
The buildup to the deadline is always intriguing. Which players will be moved? Which teams will be the most aggressive?
Follow along for the latest news, analysis and insight from The Athletic’sbaseball experts
- Deadline: 6 p.m. ET on Monday
- Join the conversation here or email live@theathletic.com
Deadline tiers: Bubble teams that could thread the needle
Technically, Tim Britton’s analysis suggested the Twins and Astros are in a “fringe buy” tier at the deadline, but a fringe buyer has obvious thread-the-needle potential, and the Astros and Twins each have some impending free agents who could be traded without giving up on a wild-card spot
- Washington Nationals
- Miami Marlins
- Minnesota Twins
- Houston Astros
The Nationals are probably the most obvious thread-the-needle team in baseball as they have an obvious strength (offense) and an obvious weakness (pitching), and we’ve already seen them balance the two by trading a hitter (Curtis Mead) for a pitcher (Connelly Early). They could do more than that, especially with Luis Garcia Jr. having a good year at the plate a perhaps being a trade chip for additional arms
The Marlins, meanwhile, went on a 12-game losing streak to fall from a buying tier to a thread-the-needle tier, though reporting suggests they’ve at least entertained some trade proposals that would fit firmly on the sell side, mostly involving their core of young hitters
Deadline tiers: Bubble teams trending toward selling
Each team in this tier, at some point, thought it would be better than this. That goes from the top of the list (the Cardinals were one of the feel-good stories of the first half) to the bottom of the list (the Tigers came into the season with 60 percent playoff odds on FanGraphs)
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Cincinnati Reds
- San Diego Padres
- Baltimore Orioles
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Detroit Tigers
Tim Britton noted this week that the Cardinals have moved into “light sell” territory while the best historical comps for the Padres suggest a “rebuild sell.” The Padres came out of the gate hot, but their World Series odds are below 1 percent. They could try to make a move to get into October, but if they aren’t going to win, could they instead begin the process of starting over? Britton noted that the Padres actually look a bit like last year’s Twins, who sold massively at the deadline.
Doval auditioning for Pirates
It’s rare the Pirates pay a reliever as much as Camilo Dovalwill command in arbitration for the 2027 season — even if it isn’t much of a raise — so I’d imagine they will consider the remainder of this season as an audition. If Doval fails to prove himself as a reliable leverage reliever in Pittsburgh, they can cut bait with him this offseason
Deadline tiers: Seven bubble teams trending toward buying
A third of the American League fits this category of teams that haven’t been great — maybe they’ve underperformed (Mariners) or maybe they’ve exceeded expectations without building strong World Series odds (White Sox, Guardians) — but they’ve been good enough to buy at the deadline
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Arizona Diamondbacks
- Boston Red Sox
- Chicago White Sox
- Cleveland Guardians
- Texas Rangers
- Seattle Mariners
In Tim Britton’s analysis, he singled out the Pirates as a bubble team trending toward an “all-in buy” as a team that fits a historical comp with teams that have approached the deadline with a need to improve their playoff odds while also believing there’s a chance to make some noise in October. With an improved offense and a strong rotation, the Pirates are exactly that kind of team. Their playoff odds are hovering below 50 percent, but if they get there, the Pirates could be sneaky
The Red Sox, by playing extremely well in July, have played their way from sellers to buyers (though their one trade so far was more threading the needle). The Mariners, by underperforming most of the season, have moved from preseason favorites to this second tier of buyers. They have a losing record, but their World Series odds remain relatively good
Clay Holmes on brink of return as deadline looms
By Will Sammon and Tim Britton
New York Mets starter Clay Holmesis slated to throw Sunday for High-A Brooklyn, according to interim manager Andy Green, who reiterated that the situation remains fluid with the Aug. 3 trade deadline two days away
Holmes, out since mid-May because of a fibula fracture, is one of the most-sought after starters available in the trade market. He’s fully healthy and multiple executives who watched his latest rehab outing last week deemed him big-league ready. The idea of pitching on Sunday in Brooklyn is mainly to continue his schedule
“I’m more than ready,” Holmes said
Deadline tiers: Six obvious sellers
This is the not-so-fun group. When The Athletic put all 30 teams into final trade deadline tiers, these six were labeled as obvious sellers
- New York Mets
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
- Kansas City Royals
- Los Angeles Angels
- Athletics
We’ve already seen the Angels start to sell by making a small trade with the Rangers. The Athletics, for a while, looked like they might stay in the playoff picture long enough to modestly buy at the deadline, but they’ve since fallen apart amid injuries and bad pitching. They have the worst run differential in baseball despite a lineup that, at times, seems promising
Biggest disappointments in this group are right at the top. The Mets came into this season as the NL East favorites which gave them an 80.4-percent chance of making the playoffs. Now, those playoff odds are down to zero and the big question is just how far the Mets will go in beginning to rebuild
The Giants, too, were supposed to be better than this. Luis Arraez proved an excellent offseason signing, and now he’s perhaps the most readily available of the sport’s highest profile trade chips
More the Doval deal
The Yankees were still intensely working withCamilo Dovaluntil the end. Just the other day in Chicago, bullpen coach Preston Claiborne and assistant coach Desi Druschel were overseeing a pregame throwing session, trying to get him on track. This deal opens a spot in the Yankees’ ‘pen
Doval made $6.1 million this year, and could be in line for a raise next year — his final year of arbitration
Yankees trade Camilo Doval to Pirates: Source
Source confirms: Pirates on verge of acquiring reliever Camilo Doval from the Yankees. Deal is in medical review stage.
Deadline tiers: Seven obvious buyers
This is the fun group. The Athletic, earlier in the week, singled out seven teams that are undoubtedly in a position to buy at the deadline. It says a lot about the state of each league that only two of these teams come from the American League
- Los Angeles Dodgers
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Chicago Cubs
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
- New York Yankees
- Tampa Bay Rays
If there’s a surprise in this group, it’s probably the Rays who came into the season predicted by FanGraphs to finish last in the AL East and instead have the best record in the entire American League. But, as is often the case, the Rays could use some offense to back their strong rotation
The Brewers are also, perhaps, a mild surprise. Not surprising that they’re buyers, but that they’re so firmly in this top tier, basically neck-and-neck with the Dodgers for the best record in baseball
For the most part, though, this group speaks for itself. According to FanGraphs, these teams have seven of the eight best World Series odds in baseball. This group would be eight-for-eight in top World Series odds, but the Mariners are a bit unusual in that they have strong World Series odds despite a losing record that puts them in a different tier
Analyzing the buyers and sellers of the deadline
Let’s spend some time this afternoon setting the stage for the next few days. Earlier this week, Tim Britton broke down all 30 teams based on whether history says they’ll be buyers or sellers. That’s a pretty good place to start to get a lay of the land
So, coming up on the live blog — unless we’re interrupted by breaking news — let’s dive into the buyers, the sellers and everything in between
Tigers make dramatic move (no, not that one)
The Detroit Tigers have not traded their ace, but they have called up their top prospect
Outfielder Max Clark, 21, was promoted for this weekend’s series in Sacramento. Clark was No. 13 on Keith Law’s latest prospect rankings. He also has a big social media presence that’s made him one of the most recognizable players in the minor leagues. Clark and Tigers rookie Kevin McGonigle have a strong, odd-couple friendship that could transform the future of the Tigers lineup
In fact, he made an immediate, sparkling impact in his MLB debut Friday going 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI against the A’s
Cubs are also in the mix for Tarik Skubal
I grew up as a Cardinals fan in Missouri, so maybe this post is directly mostly at those friends back home. But after warning the wider baseball community that Tarik Skubal might end up with the Dodgers, it’s worth warning the Cardinals fan base that they could see Skubal in a different shade of blue
I’ll let Patrick Mooney explain
In a wide-ranging search for pitching reinforcements, the Chicago Cubs are considering Tarik Skubal as their blockbuster option ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, according to several baseball officials who were granted anonymity to candidly discuss a still-developing market
In his story, Mooney went on to explain that Skubal is one of several possibilities for the Cubs, who clearly want to add to their rotation and see Skubal — naturally — as the biggest possible fish. Among other potential targets mentioned: Joe Ryan, Reid Detmers, José Soriano, Kevin Gausman, Clay Holmes and several other potential rentals
GO FURTHER
Cubs’ trade-deadline search for pitching includes Tarik Skubal: Sources
Mentally prepare yourself for Skubal to the Dodgers
Look, it might not happen, but fair warning to anyone worried that the Dodgers already have an unfair advantage…
The Dodgers could end up in the Tarik Skubal sweepstakes
As Ken Rosenthal explained earlier this week, this is mostly because Shohei Ohtaniis hurt and not pitching. Ohtani had been excellent on the mound this season, but if he’s going to be just a DH for the foreseeable future, the Dodgers might want to replace his arm, and who better to do that than a back-to-back Cy Young winner. Here’s what Ken wrote:
For weeks now, all we’ve heard from the Dodgers is talk about how their pitching cavalry is returning, how they’re eager to make prospect-for-prospect trades, how they might be more likely to sell than buy
Sure. OK. And if the Detroit Tigers are willing to deal Skubal, at a time when Ohtani is dealing with two different ailments that have kept him off the mound since July 3, the Dodgers are just going to point to their $400 million payroll and say, “Nah, we’re good?”
Nope. Not with greater payroll restrictions coming in the next collective-bargaining agreement, in one form or another. And not with the Dodgers seeking to become the first team to win three consecutive Series titles since the 1998-2000 New York Yankees
We’re just saying, prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for the possibility of Skubal in a Dodgers uniform
Are these Tarik Skubal’s final numbers with the Tigers?
The most intriguing trade candidate on the market is undoubtedly Tarik Skubal, who made perhaps his final Tigers start on Wednesday going 6 2/3 innings with three earned runs — none until the seventh inning — one walk and six strikeouts. One of those strikeouts was No. 1,000 for his career. Will he ever pitch for the Tigers again?
“I don’t even want to speculate, to be honest,” Skubal said after the game
If this his final season in Detroit, these will be Skubal’s final numbers in a Tigers uniform
Season
16 GS, 96 2/3 IP, 116 K, 14 BB, 2.79 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 2.9 fWAR
Career
150 GS, 863 1/3 IP, 1,005 K, 186 BB, 3.04 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, 22.2 fWAR
GO FURTHER
Did we just witness Tarik Skubal’s final start as a Tiger? ‘I don’t even want to speculate’
The big question: Will the Tigers trade Tarik Skubal?
Tarik Skubal pitched for the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday. Will he ever pitch for them again?
The Tigers have yet to fully declare their trade deadline intentions, but teams were expected to continue calling this weekend to check on the availability of their ace, who would be the biggest short-term addition imaginable for any would-be contender. The Tigers’ season has been trending toward selling for a while now
On May 30, the Detroit Tigers’ playoff odds dipped below 10 percent on FanGraphs. Skubal was hurt, and the month of May had been a free-fall disaster (6-22) that left them in last place in the AL Central — a notoriously weak division — heading into June. With Skubal healthy again, the Tigers have played above .500 since the start of June, and their playoff odds have jumped up to around 30 percent, but they still have a losing record (despite a positive run differential)
So, what to do?
Skubal is a free agent at the end of this season, meaning the Tigers risk losing him for nothing more than a draft pick. That would be the justification for trading him, presumably for a massive return. But if the Tigers believe they can win the division (a distinct possibility) and believe Skubal-led rotation makes them a threat in the playoffs (again, a fair analysis), then perhaps they’ll hold onto him to make a run
GO FURTHER
As Tigers slide, multiple teams expected to start calling about Skubal: Sources
Rosenthal Q&A: When is deadline going to pick up steam?
Last year’s trade deadline was pretty quiet until the final day when all hell broke loose. Where do you think this deadline is going? Are we going to be waiting until Monday afternoon for things to really heat up? And is there one team that could really open the flood gates by getting aggressive one way or the other?
Rosenthal:With so many teams bunched together, my expectation is that most of the action will occur on the final day or two. Trying to predict which team might be the most aggressive is impossible. The deadline is always full of surprises
Rosenthal Q&A: Which team is poised to be biggest seller?
The Twins announced this week that they’re going to be buyers. Now, we’ll see what exactly that means, but clearly, they’re preparing for a radically different deadline than last year. So, is any team going to do what the Twins did last year? Is there a team that could — or maybe should — trade away a third of its big league roster in the coming days?
Rosenthal: I recorded a video last week saying the over-under for the Mets was six trades. They easily could make more than that if they dug deeper into their roster. I don’t anticipate that happening, but imagine if they traded all of their players on expiring contracts, one of their catchers AND Francisco Lindor. Yikes
Cubs aggressively pursuing pitching at deadline
By Ken Rosenthal and Patrick Mooney
The Chicago Cubs anticipate a number of pitchers will return from the injured list in the final two months, starting with right-hander Edward Cabreraand closer Daniel Palencia. But they’ve dealt with so many pitching ailments this season, they are taking no chances
Ideally, the Cubs want to add three pitchers before Monday’s deadline, according to a person briefed on their thinking – two starters and a reliever or two relievers and a starter. All that might not be possible, but the supply of both rotation and bullpen options is plentiful, creating numerous possibilities
The supply of catchers and right-handed hitters, on the other hand, is minimal, creating the potential for interest in catcher Carson Kelly and right fielder Seiya Suzuki
Both, however, are highly unlikely to be dealt, a
Suzuki, the Cubs’ No. 2 hitter, is probably too valuable to move. The Cubs might have envisioned a Michael Conforto-Matt Shaw platoon in right without him, but Shaw has been on the injured list since June 29 with a sprained left wrist
Kelly, too, is part of the Cubs’ fabric, and trading him would affect the Cubs’ pitching staff and clubhouse morale. The only way the Cubs would consider it is if a team bowled them over with an overwhelming offer, which is not out of the question
The demand for catching is intense, and Colorado’s Hunter Goodman, Minnesota’s Ryan Jeffers and Baltimore’s Adley Rutschman are all longshots to be dealt. And if the Cubs traded Kelly, they would need to find another catcher, too
Rosenthal Q&A: Which GMs are under most pressure to deal?
Speaking of Tarik Skubal, is there a head of baseball ops under more pressure than Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris? I would think that contemplating a trade of Skubal’s magnitude — while trying to gauge the level of return that makes such a trade worthwhile — would be incredibly stressful, but maybe there’s another executive under even more pressure to get this deadline right
Rosenthal:Lots of executives are under pressure! I often write a column listing ’em before the deadline. Maybe I should again. Cashman, Breslow, Stearns, Elias, Dipoto, Arnold, Hoyer, Cherington . . . It would be quite a list
