Potential Deals That Make Sense With MLB Trade Deadline Approaching
The MLB trade deadline is Thursday, and rumors are swirling all over the internet.
What is fact and what is fiction? It's hard to say.
However, here are three trade scenarios that would make sense for both contending teams and teams already looking ahead to 2026 and beyond.
Arizona Diamondbacks-Detroit Tigerssou
The Diamondbacks trade right-hander Zac Gallen and third baseman Eugenio Suarez to the Tigers for right-handers Troy Melton and Ty Madden and outfielder Justyn Henry-Malloy.
Oddly enough, the Diamondbacks and Tigers are in the middle of a three-game series in Detroit that ends Wednesday. So, it's the perfect time to make a deal.
The American League Central-leading Tigers acquired right-hander Chris Paddack from the Minnesota Twins on Monday in a trade but could use more starting pitching depth. Gallen is having a disappointing season with a 7-12 record with a 5.60 ERA in 22 starts, but a pitcher who finished in the top five in National League Cy Young voting in 2022 and 2023 could use a change of scenery as he heads to free agency in three months.
Suarez could give the Tigers some more thump in a lineup that scored 16 runs in 10 games before beating the Toronto Blue Jays 10-4 on Sunday. The 34-year-old would be a good fit as he is hitting .248 with 36 home runs and an MLB-high 87 RBI in 105 games. Like Gallen, Suarez is on an expiring contract.
The out-of-contention Diamondbacks got an up-close look at Melton on Monday night when he shut them out for seven innings while earning his first MLB win in his second career start.
Madden, 25, pitched in six games for the Tigers last season in his first taste of the major leagues but has been sidelined all season with a shoulder injury. Henry-Malloy has hit .205 with nine home runs in 117 career games with the Tigers over the last two seasons but has upside as a 25-year-old.
Melton, 24, is ranked as the Tigers' No. 11 prospect by Baseball America, and Madden is No. 21.
Arizona Diamondbacks-New York Mets
The Diamondbacks trade right-hander Merrill Kelly to the Mets for outfield prospect Nick Morabito.
Kelly is another Diamondbacks player on an expiring contract and would provide starting pitching depth for the Mets, who are locked in a tight race with the Philadelphia Phillies for the National League East title.
Kelly is 9-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 22 starts this season. Kelly is also dependable, as he has pitched at least six innings 14 times.
The speedy Morabito has 33 stolen bases in 80 games with Double-A Binghamton this season while hitting .288 with four home runs. He had 59 steals in 119 games combined in 2024 at the two Class A levels.
Baseball America ranks Morabito, 22, as the Mets' No. 12 prospect.
Pittsburgh Pirates-Toronto Blue Jays
The Pirates trade right-hander Mitch Keller and closer David Bednar to the Toronto Blue Jays for third baseman/outfielder Addison Barger, second baseman/outfielder Davis Schneider, and right-handed pitching prospect Dahian Santos.
Keller would not only help the AL East-leading Blue Jays this year but is in the second season of a five-year, $77-million contract. He has $55.7 million left over the final three years.
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Mitch Keller stands on the mound after walking San Francisco Giants' ... More Rafael Devers during the second inning of a baseball game Monday, July 28, 2025, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Godofredo A. Vásquez)
Bednar would bolster the Blue Jays' bullpen. The two-time All-Star closer has one more year of arbitration eligibility remaining before he can become a free agent after the 2026 season.
Keller is 4-10 but has a 3.69 ERA in 22 starts this season. Bednar has converted all 17 save opportunities to go with a 2.37 ERA in 42 games.
The Pirates want young major-league hitters, and Barger and Schneider would fulfill that desire. Barger, 25, is hitting .264 with 14 home runs in 83 games. Though the 26-year-old Schneider's batting average is .205 in 42 games, he has five home runs and a .358 on-base percentage.
Schneider does not become a free agent until 2029, and Barger will qualify a year later.
The 22-year-old Santos is a projection prospect, having recorded 304 strikeouts in 210 2/3 innings during his minor-league career. However, he has yet to pitch this season due to arm problems. However, taking a gamble is all part of the MLB trade deadline.
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