MLB Roundtable: Which team should be a seller at the trade deadline?

Fox Sports

6 hours ago

The 2025 MLB trade deadline is just over a month away and the league's buyers and sellers are starting to become clear ahead of July 31.
In this week's roundtable, FOX Sports MLB reporters Rowan Kavner and Deesha Thosar look at one team that could sell high on their talent, and marvel at the season Cal Raleigh is having:
1. The Twins are under .500, again. They've been outscored on the season, and entered play on Tuesday 1-9 in their last 10. Is it time to shop Byron Buxton, who is 31, thriving and signed through 2028 for just $15 million a season, to see if his departure can power the next quality Twins' team?
Kavner: I'm not quite to that point yet. It also doesn't sound like Buxton wants to leave, and with a no-trade clause, he has the keys to that decision. Now, it doesn't happen often when a player has a chance to go to a better situation, but there are examples of it (hi, Eduardo Rodriguez). The Tigers are already running away in the Central, but the Twins are only a couple games out of a wild-card spot right now. And despite Buxton's affordable contract, I can't see a world where they get enough value back to make it worth it losing him. I think they're better off looking for trade partners for Willi Castro, Harrison Bader or Chris Paddack, hoping Carlos Correa gets hot in the second half — things have been trending in a better direction there, despite the team's woes — and seeing what happens when Royce Lewis gets healthy again. They could even consider dealing Jhoan Duran, who should be able to fetch a significant package back if recent deadlines are any indication, and let Griffin Jax slide into the closer role. Their bullpen woes of late may deter them from doing that, though.
Thosar: Maybe I'm misreading the market and how other veteran outfielders are valued these days, but I just don't think the Twins would net this massive and quality return that could power the next Twins' team. Obviously, it wouldn't be the sort of organization-altering package the Nationals received for trading Juan Soto, but even getting a couple of valued prospects in return for Buxton doesn't make a lot of sense to me. That the Twins owe Buxton just $15 million annually is a steal, even more so when he's healthy and putting up career numbers like he is this season. Plus, Buxton is a homegrown Twin. Shopping a franchise player and fan favorite of Buxton's magnitude just for a mid-level prospect haul that may or may not pan out seems like too much risk that ultimately isn't worth the reward. I think if the Twins are going to win, they have to do it with Buxton.
2. The Reds' Elly De La Cruz led the majors in strikeouts in 2024, with 218 of them, thanks to striking out over 31% of the time. He's down to 25% in 2025, though, and in the last month as his bat has woken up, is actually under 20%. Are we seeing the 23-year-old come into his own as a star?
Kavner: I sure hope so — there's no one more fun to watch on a baseball field — but this year has been a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde situation. We know the MVP potential he possesses, but through his first 40 games (.712 OPS, five homers, 28% strikeout rate), that's not what we saw. In the 41 games to follow (1.011 OPS, 13 homers, 23.1% strikeout rate), it's improved. I think we need to see him sustain this success through at least the rest of the first half to feel confident that the latter is what we should expect the rest of the way, and he also has work to do defensively (-6 outs above average) to get back to the level he was playing at shortstop last season (+14 OAA). We know what he's capable of, and the swing decisions over the last month are certainly encouraging. I hope it sticks. When he's going the way he's capable of, he's as dynamic a position player as anyone in the sport.
Thosar: It's certainly been nice to see De La Cruz step into his own, particularly this month, and account for nearly 30% of the Reds' runs scored while, as mentioned, improving his discipline at the plate. I still believe he needs to put up these kinds of numbers consistently across the whole season before he truly finds his stride. The danger right now is that as soon as his strikeout rate climbs back up, which happens even to the game's most elite hitters like Aaron Judge, there will be more attention and nitpicking happening than necessary because De La Cruz is carrying the Reds offense. It just seems like if he runs into a slump, so will Cincinnati. The lineup needs more balance, and I think help from a supporting cast will alleviate any pressure and allow him to unlock another level.
3. June is nearly at its end: which team with players worth trading should get a headstart on next month's trade deadline and wave the white flag first?
Kavner: If the Marlins get a deal they like for Sandy Alcantara or Edward Cabrera, they don't need to wait. But the most obvious sellers right now don't have a ton of particularly intriguing pieces to deal. So in terms of the teams who could really shake up the deadline, I think the Adley Rutschman injury should trigger white flag time in Baltimore. Every time the Orioles start to seem like they might get something going, they remind us this year needs to be thrown directly into the nearest trash bin. Go see if you can turn Ryan O'Hearn and Cedric Mullins into pitchers who could help in the near future. Listen to offers on every rental on the mound (there are a lot). See what Felix Bautista could fetch. Get something positive out of what appears to be a lost year. They have a lot of pieces that should interest contending clubs.
Thosar: The Marlins! Sandy Alcantara should already be wearing a different uniform, although it's reasonable for contending teams to be slightly cautious to trade for him due to his 6.69 ERA. But, he's improved of late, posting a 2.74 ERA with 19 strikeouts and just two home runs allowed across four starts this month. And this is a former Cy Young winner we're talking about. It has always seemed like a change of scenery would only boost his performance, and he's been involved in trade rumors for the past few summers now. For opposing teams, the best time to trade for him was actually earlier in the year, when he hadn't yet figured it out and would've been more of a bargain as a result. Alcantara is under team control through the 2027 season, so the price tag will definitely be high, but the Marlins are just wasting the 29-year-old's talent by holding onto him, rather than elevating their farm system by trading him. Teams like the Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs, and Mets should all be interested in Alcantara right now.
4. Since hitting their season nadir after losing the first game of a May 24 doubleheader to the Red Sox, the Orioles are 18-10. With so much season left, are you buying them as making noise in the AL wild card race, or is this more small sample noise than anything?
Kavner: As you saw in that last section, I'm out. They've now lost back-to-back series, I still don't trust this pitching staff, their offense has yet to click and now Rutschman is out. They have a lower winning percentage than the Marlins. FanGraphs gives them less than a 3% chance to make the playoffs. A terrible offseason set the tone for the abysmal first half. Pack it up and try again in 2026.
Thosar: Speaking of Alcantara, the Orioles should be a darkhorse candidate to acquire the ace because it would help their chances for this year and beyond. That he's under team control through 2027 aligns perfectly with the Orioles' youth movement and window to win. Now, do I think the 2025 Baltimore Orioles are a World Series team? No, I do not. But, crazier things have happened as recently as 2023, when the Arizona Diamondbacks shocked the world and went to the Fall Classic. The club getting hot and the front office adding the right pieces at the trade deadline, with an ace-level starting pitcher being of utmost importance, just might give the O's the lift they've needed ever since they let Corbin Burnes walk away in the offseason. No matter how hot they get this year, the Orioles' biggest problem is that they're competing in the same division as Judge's Yankees. New York is hungry to get back to the World Series, and Baltimore will have to make some bold decisions and take more risks to get in the Bombers' way.
5. Every home run that Cal Raleigh hits between now and the break extends the record for homers by a switch-hitter and a primary catcher before the All-Star Game. Gut check: does he break the single-season home run record for catchers — 48 — currently held by Salvador Perez?
[RELATED: Inside Cal Raleigh's historic rise with the Mariners]
Kavner: He shatters it. Raleigh's on pace to hit more than 60 home runs, and I expect him to comfortably pass the 50-homer mark. While some catchers are prone to a second-half dropoff given the taxing nature of their position, Raleigh is not among them. As I wrote about this week, while it might be ludicrous to expect him to continue at this pace, Raleigh has produced better results in the second half of the season every year of his career. He has demonstrated that he knows how to hold up physically for the full marathon. Just last year, he launched 20 home runs in his last 72 games of the season. He's already at 32 dingers, and the Mariners still have 82 games to play. I'd be stunned if he doesn't launch 16 more. We may well be witnessing the best season from a catcher ever.
Thosar: Yes. I think he will break the record because he looks absolutely unstoppable right now. As exciting as it would be to watch him slug in Atlanta in a few weeks, Raleigh should stay far away from the Home Run Derby in case it zaps his momentum and leads to fatigue or injury. Though, it sounds like if MLB asked him to participate, he would do it. So I think there's a chance his involvement in the Derby, depending on how many rounds he goes, could negatively impact the chance of him breaking Perez's record. But it might not! The way that Raleigh is hitting right now, I'm not counting him out of anything.
Deesha Thosar is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. She previously covered the Mets as a beat reporter for the New York Daily News. The daughter of Indian immigrants, Deesha grew up on Long Island and now lives in Queens. Follow her on Twitter at @DeeshaThosar .
Rowan Kavner is an MLB writer for FOX Sports. He previously covered the L.A. Dodgers, LA Clippers and Dallas Cowboys. An LSU grad, Rowan was born in California, grew up in Texas, then moved back to the West Coast in 2014. Follow him on Twitter at @RowanKavner .
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