One bold prediction for each team ahead of the MLB trade deadline

To be bold is to be brave, and The Athletic’s staff endeavored to do just that, singling out one potential outcome for each of Major League Baseball’s 30 clubs ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline. Perhaps some of these will come true. Perhaps they remain pipe dreams. In seven days, we’ll find out, for sure. Here are their predictions, in no particular order.

Miller has entered the conversation for most dominant closer ever, and multiple contenders are interested in prying him away from a middling team. But it was just a year ago that the Padres traded Leo De Vries — now baseball’s No. 2 prospect — to acquire Miller, whom they still control for 3 1/2 more years. San Diego eventually might be compelled to flip him for controllable starting pitching — and president of baseball operations A.J. Preller will at least listen to offers — but now feels a bit soon. — Dennis Lin

This might not be too bold, but given the way the season started, adding at the deadline was far from a certainty just a month ago. The Red Sox put themselves in the buyer column with the longest winning streak in the majors this season, and while their pitching has been top-notch, adding another power bat to lengthen the lineup for Willson Contreras and Wilyer Abreu will be key. Given their pitching depth throughout the majors and minors, it wouldn’t be out of the question to see the club trading one of their pitching prospects like Kyson Witherspoon or Anthony Eyanson in a package for a bigger-name bat. — Jen McCaffrey

Maybe it comes before the deadline, maybe after. But Colorado seems keen on building around their best player, not trading him amid a lost season. Goodman could command a franchise-altering haul, given his pre-arb status and monster power numbers. The will they, won’t they with Goodman is one of the most intriguing deadline questions, and how they handle Goodman could be reflective of how they view their young core as a whole. Keeping him could be seen as a vote of confidence that new president of baseball ops Paul DePodesta sees genuine building blocks. — Sam Blum 

He’s not Aroldis Chapman, whom the Rangers acquired on their way to the 2023 World Series, but Weaver would represent a significant upgrade for a bullpen in need. The Mets, unlike Chapman’s surging Red Sox, are definite sellers. The 2026 Rangers might not resemble World Series contenders, but amid the mediocrity of the American League West — and the overall parity of the AL — adding Weaver would give them a better shot than most. — Lin

Last time the Rays were in a particularly good position to buy at the trade deadline, their big move was for Aaron Civale (then they got knocked out in the wild-card round). The Rays will do more than that this year. They could use a bat, an arm and a catcher — so they could make almost anything work — and maybe they can even bring back Twins starter Joe Ryan, the player the Rays gave up in 2021 when they made their most recent trade deadline splash for aging slugger Nelson Cruz. — Chad Jennings

The Mariners have needs, plural, but so does every American League team, and that could stifle a Jerry DiPoto-led front office that typically has the poison ivy-like itch to wheel and deal. DiPoto won’t be able to help himself. He’ll do something. But the crowd of teams near the .500 mark, trying to size up where they stand in the division and wild-card races in the AL, will make it difficult for those teams to be aggressive. Also, this is a deadline in which ample starting pitching should be available, but that’s the one thing the Mariners don’t need. Maybe the Mariners work something out with the Reds, a familiar trade partner, for Spencer Steer and/or Caleb Ferguson. — Zack Meisel

The White Sox need two starting pitchers. Chicago’s rotation is very top-heavy. Sean Burke and Davis Martin are both having very strong seasons. But both will exceed their career highs in innings within a few weeks, and there aren’t many great options behind them. This is a club that could win the AL Central and get a postseason bye. That makes them legit contenders to make the World Series in a weak American League. They can’t enter October with their current rotation, even if it’s generally been solid this season. Getting two reliable starting pitchers will be well worth the price for the shock contenders. — Blum

Yankees catchers have been among the worst in the sport offensively, and general manager Brian Cashman even called the position an “issue.” Yankees catchers have combined for a 45 wRC+ — the second-worst mark in the game, ahead of only Chicago White Sox backstops. The Yankees could simply add a platoon partner for the lefty-hitting Austin Wells, but they would do better to aim higher and replace him completely. The Colorado Rockies’ Hunter Goodman and the Minnesota Twins’ Ryan Jeffers are the standout candidates. It would be a surprise if the Rockies trade Goodman, considering his age (26) and that he still has another year of arbitration eligibility. But Goodman can really hit (123 wRC+). Jeffers, 29, has power, but will be a free agent after this season. If the Yankees acquired him, they would find themselves needing a catcher again in the offseason. — Brendan Kuty

There is a very compelling argument to keep Abrams, given his production, what he means to the clubhouse, how much control is left and how competitive the Nats have been in 2026. Even so, he is probably the most valuable player available on the market, and the Nationals may look at their internal depth at the position and consider a trade to be the best way to extend their World Series window in 2028 and beyond, especially if a contract extension does not materialize. Everything is on the table for the Nats. — Spencer Nusbaum

The Jays will sell, moving significant pieces off the MLB roster, but still bring in a big-fish starting pitcher with multiple years of control. They need an addition like José Soriano, Reid Detmers or Nick Lodolo to compete in 2027, and can get some of that work done early. — Mitch Bannon

The Diamondbacks trade with the Nationals for Luis García Jr. Arizona has the lowest OPS from first basemen of any team in the league. García is already having a 20-homer campaign and offers a high-slug, low-OBP profile not dissimilar from Eugenio Suárez. Washington might be wise to sell high, and García could fill a major need for the D-Backs in exchange for pitching prospects. — Cody Stavenhagen

In his second big-league season, Hicks has emerged as a lineup fixture, leveraging his excellent contact skills while leading the Marlins in home runs and RBIs. He’s also outhit his underlying numbers by a significant margin, and Miami has two other catchers — not including Agustín Ramírez, who could be recalled from Triple A to contribute at first base and designated hitter. — Lin

This has not gone according to plan. No, not the fourth-place standing in the AL West. That was always a possibility. But if they were going to limp through the summer, the A’s at least had a bunch of veterans they could ship out. Instead, those veterans are either injured (Mark Leiter Jr., Luis Severino) or wildly ineffective (Jeffrey Springs, Jeff McNeil). They already dumped Aaron Civale and Scott Barlow. If someone calls on any of those veterans, the A’s will surely listen. But it feels like little more than a parting with Jonah Heim is on the horizon. — Meisel

In an effort to bolster their long-shot odds, the Twins will trade someone with experience off their 40-man roster — perhaps Matt Wallner, Ryan Jeffers or Trevor Larnach — to acquire major-league pitching. The club also will dip into its farm system, though not at an all-in level, to add useful pieces to Derek Shelton’s big-league bullpen and perhaps the rotation. This, of course, assumes they didn’t fall flat on their faces against the Athletics over the weekend. — Dan Hayes

Good news! Bryce Eldridge will finish the season as the Giants’ leader in OPS. It’s a wonderful development for the franchise that their 21-year-old top prospect hasn’t looked overmatched after getting promoted on May 4. He’s been one of few batters willing to take walks on a team that ranks dead last in the majors in free passes. He adjusted well in June when opposing pitchers began throwing him anything except a fastball, taking pitches and working counts. He’s looking like an important, power-hitting piece of the puzzle for years to come and a potential franchise player. Except, well … bad news! Bryce Eldridge will finish the season as the Giants’ leader in OPS. This doesn’t speak well for the regression the Giants are already seeing from their core players signed to immovable contracts — most notably Rafael Devers, who has more than $200 million to go on a lead-balloon deal that runs through 2033. — Andrew Baggarly

Will they? Probably not. Milwaukee built up its excellent farm system through discipline and diligence, and they may not deviate from that strategy. (And the Tigers may just hold onto Skubal, anyway.) But, buddy, Skubal sure would look good beside Jacob Misiorowski at the top of the Brewers rotation, wouldn’t he? The franchise hasn’t reached the World Series since 1982. The team posted the best record in baseball last year and still got trounced by the Dodgers in the NLCS. Now might be the time to go for broke. — Andy McCullough

If not for last winter’s bilateral heel surgery, Nootbaar would have already been sent elsewhere. Since his early June return, he’s having a characteristic season, combining modest slugging with a high on-base percentage to be an above-average hitter. There are multiple contenders for whom he’d be an upgrade right now, and Chaim Bloom has shown a willingness to extend opportunities to younger players. Top-100 prospect Joshua Baez might be next to get the big-league call. — Tim Britton

Their improved play since June 1 means they could still have a shot at cracking the playoffs. Tarik Skubal is his own matter, a player who could net the type of return the Tigers decide not to pass up even if they still have hopes of competing in 2026. There’s a world, though, where the Tigers could trade Skubal and still keep others such as Casey Mize, Jack Flaherty or Gleyber Torres. Mize in particular is eligible for a qualifying offer at the end of the season, which could incentivize the Tigers to keep him, add bullpen help and thread the needle at the deadline. — Stavenhagen

Given the sheer amount of their needs, the Phillies decide to spread it around and shoot for marginal upgrades in the outfield, rotation and bullpen. This might not seem quite bold, but the Phillies lack the prospect capital to take a bigger swing like they did last summer when acquiring closer Jhoan Duran. — Matt Gelb

When Kansas City had a chance to move Lugo at last year’s deadline, the team opted to extend him through 2027. But the past two seasons have been a bust for the franchise, and they need to restock the farm system. Lugo is 36 and Wacha just turned 35. The team should be aggressive in trying to deal them. — McCullough

I suppose it’s not too bold if it’s the exact same addition they made two years ago at the trade deadline. The Guardians haven’t shown a knack for being bold in recent years, though, despite regularly contending. This time around, they’re hanging around in the race mostly because the AL is so weak, so a marginal upgrade at a spot of need — it seems like a reliable right-handed-hitting outfielder has been a need at the trade deadline for the last quarter-century — makes sense. Thomas chose the Royals over the Guardians last winter, but now the Royals and Guardians will make the choice for him. — Meisel

The Angels will add big-league talent. Even if the Angels trade several players off their team, it’s hard to imagine them fully embracing a rebuild. Even if they should. Even if it’s needed. It’s not in their vocabulary. It doesn’t matter who is running the baseball operations department; they still answer to Moreno. And it was notable during a Mozeliak scrum on July 20, when he alluded to the hope of being a playoff-caliber team next season. So whatever trades the Angels do make will likely be, at least in part, with the goal of remaining competitive in 2027. — Blum

The Dodgers, for the fourth deadline in a row, wind up trading another starting pitcher off their big-league roster. It was Noah Syndergaard in 2023, James Paxton in 2024 and Dustin May in 2025. Eric Lauer could make some sense — so long as the Dodgers are still optimistic their rotation could get back to full strength eventually. — Fabian Ardaya

The Astros will recognize their myriad issues, acknowledge their long odds of making a meaningful run in the American League playoffs and reinvigorate their farm system by trading shortstop Jeremy Peña. The Astros and Peña came close to a contract extension last season, but after talks fell apart, Peña hired Scott Boras to represent him and seems bound for free agency after next season. In the winter of 2024, Houston faced a similar situation with Kyle Tucker, the homegrown outfielder they failed to extend and decided to trade before his platform season. That precedent will make Peña an obvious trade candidate this winter. Why not seize advantage of a seller’s market and, perhaps, get more in return for Peña? — Chandler Rome

The Cubs acquire Reid Detmers and pay a hefty price for him. The Cubs just need bodies when it comes to their pitching right now and Detmers helps immediately. This is not a front office that’s going to pay a huge price for a rental. They also have multiple rotation pieces hitting free agency after this year, so could really benefit from getting some shopping done now. With a lack of sellers, the prices will be high for anyone, but getting a young pitcher who can miss bats and is under control through 2028 would be a dream for the Cubs. — Sahadev Sharma

Here’s why it makes sense: The Buccos and Astros tried to get a deal done last offseason, but the ‘Stros didn’t want to give up MLB hitting. (They found a workaround in a three-team trade.) The Astros may be more inclined to part with hitters in the next week if they fade in the playoff race. They have already plumbed the Pirates farm system and presumably have prospects they like. Pittsburgh failed to land a third baseman last winter. Jared Triolo was not the answer. I’d like their chances better in October if Nick Gonzales and Jacob Gonzalez come off the bench. Acquiring Paredes would add some real right-handed thump to the lineup. That’s Paredes’ whole thing, pulling balls in the air. That’s also why this doesn’t make sense: Houston is perfect for an extreme righty pull hitter. PNC Park is not. But Paredes is screamin’ hot. Take a swing, Buccos, then decide how to proceed with Paredes’ $13.35 million 2027 club option. — Stephen J. Nesbitt 

The Reds sure aren’t buying and they need to find out if their outfield prospect can transfer his success in the minors to the big leagues. The Reds have plenty of pieces to trade, even if none of the deals will garner a lot of attention outside the Queen City. Look for the Reds to try to maximize their return with younger prospects who can be had for spare parts — much like the team acquired Rodríguez in a deal with the Mets for Tyler Naquin at the 2022 trade deadline. The Reds have young infielders and infield prospects, but outfield remains a huge question mark. — C. Trent Rosecrans

The Mets could easily talk themselves into keeping Weaver. He’s under control for 2027 at a relatively affordable price, he’s been lights out for them this year, and he’s shown an ability to handle New York and the closer’s role when needed. But those things also make him appealing in a market that could potentially lack high-end, late-game relievers. If the Red Sox, Astros and Padres decide against dealing their closers, Weaver might be as desired as any reliever on the market. That will be tough for the Mets to turn down. — Britton

The Orioles are one of those teams stuck in between the disappointment of a losing record and the hope of a bad American League. There might still be time for the Orioles to make a run at the playoffs, but surely other teams will try to convince them to sell. Catcher Adley Rutschman might be the most interesting trade possibility, and outfielder Taylor Ward the most obvious candidate, but relief pitcher Yennier Cano will become the Orioles player mentioned most often in trade rumors. He generates a ton of ground balls, he’s having a great year, and he has two more years of team control. The Orioles don’t have to trade Cano, but he’s already 32, and selling high on a reliever is going to be awfully tempting. — Jennings

Starting pitching is a priority for the Atlanta Braves this season, but if the team plans on giving up higher prospect capital, they should get an arm with control. Sonny Gray was a name linked to the Braves, but that picture looks different after the Boston Red Sox turned their season around with a 15-game winning streak. Padres right-hander Michael King, Angels left-hander Reid Detmers and Royals right-hander Michael Wacha all fit that category. — Jesús Cano