We’re officially hours away from the 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline. By the time this article is released, there will only be a few hours left for contending franchises to either make a big splash or stay put. So far, as of this morning, I haven’t been all that impressed by the weekend’s trades. It’s hard to get excited outside of the Los Angeles Dodgers fanbase about the best team in baseball getting better (Tarik Skubal addition) while sacrificing nothing that could affect their 2026 season outcome. Sure, they gave up some prospects, but as Steve Drumwright said this morning on MLB News & Moments – “As the saying goes, prospects are suspect until they aren’t.”
That doesn’t mean that, perhaps, over the next few hours before this article goes live, there won’t be an interesting trade. By interesting, I mean something where both teams involved actually get a return that helps them this season, rather than it being one-sided as far as ’26 is concerned. With 24 squads within 5 ½ games of a postseason spot, can’t a few of them trade MLB-ready players amongst themselves?
I’ll give you an example of an odd trade. The Nationals were just swept by Atlanta over the weekend to fall three games under .500. Everyone knows they are an elite offensive team with lower-end pitching. Why have they traded two quality MLB bats over the last week (Curtis Mead and Luis García Jr.) for a combined return of Boston’s former SP Connelly Early (on the IL recovering from elbow inflammation), and Yankees low-experienced relievers Yovanny Cruz, Jake Bird, and a couple of prospects? Where is the splash? How are the Nationals better in 2026? Have they already thrown in the towel this season? If New York trades a good MLB-ready starting pitcher in that deal for Garcia as well, then I can understand it.
Anyway, I’m ranting a bit. Maybe the Nats have a big splash coming before day’s end that actually helps them this year. But right now, they just weakened the best offense in baseball for nothing that will truly help them make a playoff push this season. Let’s see how the rest of Monday goes. While we wait, here is this week’s top-five series list.
No. 1: Padres (58-54) at Diamondbacks (59-53)
Series length: Four games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Two weeks ago, I’m not even sure if this series would have cracked the top five. San Diego was two games under .500 and whispers of “rebuild time” were starting to make a lot of sense. Arizona was 51-49, and only a half-game out of a wild-card spot on July 20, but like San Diego, they were kind of hanging in the playoff picture without much promise going forward. The bottom line: Neither club was playing well, and the Dodgers, as they still are, were running away with the NL West.
So what’s changed? Why is this series suddenly No. 1 on a list that has plenty of entertaining and important matchups ranked below it? For starters, since July 20, both clubs have won three of four series and are a combined 17-10 over that period. Arizona was on the outside of the postseason picture two weeks ago, and is now tied with Philadelphia for the second and third WC positions. San Diego went from trailing five teams for the final NL wild card spot 14 days ago to now being one game behind the Phillies and Diamondbacks for a playoff berth.
What else? How about that it’s a four-game series between NL West rivals separated by one game in the wild card race? They’ve split their head-to-head matchups, 3-3, and won’t meet again until the final series of the season in San Diego at the end of September. That makes the next four days all the more important.
Monday’s opener will pair San Diego’s right-hander Michael King (22 GS, 6-7, 3.38 ERA) and Arizona’s Brandon Pfaadt (19 G, 9 GS, 5-1, 4.00 ERA). Both pitchers threw well in July. King had a 2.79 ERA over 29 innings last month while going 1-0 with four no-decisions. Pfaadt hasn’t lost a game since being added back to the rotation in late June after spending most of the campaign in relief. He went 4-0 last month with a 1.88 ERA over 28 ⅔ frames.
No. 2: White Sox (59-52) at Red Sox (60-51)
Series length: Three games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
The battle of the Sox. This is the most intriguing series of the week for me. After watching Boston sweep the Dodgers in Los Angeles over the weekend, I now consider the Red Sox a true AL East contender. They gained two games on the division-leading Rays thanks to the club they are about to face beginning on Tuesday. Boston is by far the hottest team in MLB. Eight consecutive series wins and a record of 23-4 since the start of July will earn any franchise that label.
The White Sox enter this three-game set coming off an impressive 2-1 series win at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay hadn’t dropped a series at home since the start of June. Chicago increased its AL Central lead to three games over Cleveland and four over Minnesota after both clubs lost two out of three weekend contests.
These franchises met in early July for three matches at Chicago near the start of what became Boston’s franchise-tying 15-game winning streak. A streak that has lifted the Red Sox from the basement of the AL East on July 1 to now third place in the division and only five games behind Tampa Bay for the league’s best record. The Yankees are in second place in the AL East and have a 2 ½ game advantage over Boston for the top wild card seed.
I’ve got my eye on one player for each squad in this series. Let’s start with Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami. The rookie first baseman missed well over a month of action due to a hamstring injury he sustained in late May. Since he returned to action on July 10, the White Sox have gone 12-7. Murakami has a .287/.403/.567 slash line in that time. When these clubs met in early July, Boston swept that series and outscored Chicago 15-2 over three contests without having to face Murakami on the other side. Now he’s back and enters this series on a 10-game hitting streak.
The other player I’m watching is Boston’s red-hot center fielder, Ceddanne Rafaela. The 25-year-old, who hasn’t drawn a walk in the second half, is batting .329 with 12 extra-base knocks and 18 RBI since the All-Star break. Rafaela enters this series with five straight multi-hit games. He’s clocked four homers and driven in seven runs during the multi-hit streak, and right now is must-watch TV.
If you want to argue that this series deserves the No. 1 spot this week, there won’t be any pushback on my end. Tune in for this one.
No. 3: Marlins (58-55) at Atlanta (67-45)
Series length: Three games (Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
I’ve got to hand it to Atlanta for holding MLB’s highest-scoring club to 11 runs over four weekend contests. Atlanta swept Washington and increased its NL East lead to eight games over the Phillies and 9 ½ games over their opponent in this upcoming series, the Miami Marlins. If there’s one Fall Classic contender who I feel must make a big starting pitching acquisition before the Trade Deadline expires, it’s Georgia’s team. If they don’t, I find it very difficult to see how their rotation, as currently built, stands a chance in the National League playoffs. Sure, Bryce Elder (W, 6 IP, 1 ER) and Martín Pérez (W, 7 IP, 0 ER) were fantastic in their respective starts versus the Nationals offense, but these aren’t reliable postseason arms. Atlanta needs a pitching splash, or I think we’re looking at a nice regular season followed by a short playoff run.
With that said, Atlanta is still comfortably ahead in the division, and if a team like the Marlins has any hopes of making a push for a division title, then this series is a must-win, if not a must-sweep. Miami is just getting over one of the strangest seesaw-type runs I’ve seen in a while. From an MLB-best 20-6 record in June to a 12-game losing streak that ended on July 27 versus Philadelphia. Miami went on to sweep the Phillies and enter this series as winners of six of their last seven games after taking three of four contests at Citi Field versus the Mets. Suddenly, they are hot again and only 1 ½ games out of a wild-card spot.
Unfortunately, I can’t hype this series up much more than what you see on paper. This is Atlanta’s division to lose, and the outcome of this series will determine Miami’s division hopes as far as I’m concerned. Thus, on the importance scale for the Fish, we’re looking at a nine out of 10. These clubs haven’t met since May. Atlanta has a 5-2 record versus the Marlins this season.
No. 4: Dodgers (69-43) at Cubs (63-49)
Series length: Three games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday)
Let me put it this way. If there was anyone in the NL West within realistic range of catching the Dodgers for the division lead, then this series would probably rank higher on the list. If the Cubs were within realistic striking distance of the Brewers in the NL Central, then this would probably rank much higher on the top-five list. But the facts are the facts, and I’m not going to spin this series as anything more than what it is.
The Dodgers hold a commanding 10-game lead over Arizona in their division despite being swept at home by Boston. The Cubs are 6 ½ games behind Milwaukee in the NL Central, and until the Brew Crew shows signs of slowing down, I can’t foresee a path where Chicago makes a run to the top anytime soon. However, the good news for Chicago, and another reason why this series isn’t ranked high on the importance scale, is that they have a comfortable four-game lead over Philadelphia and Arizona for the top NL wild-card position. That could all change if the Cubs are swept in this series, but for the time being, they are safe.
I’m looking at this matchup as a possible NLDS preview. Two upper-echelon clubs with plenty of star power. Some folks might even look at this three-game set as a battle between the top two MVP candidates in the league. If that’s the case, then how well Shohei Ohtani and Pete Crow-Armstrong fare in this series might stick in voters’ minds come the end of September. Ohtani can’t pitch right now due to left knee issues, but for the season he’s still been one of the best hitters out there (.292/.397/.542 slash line). As for Crow-Armstrong, I would say his offensive numbers are just as impressive (.282/.383/.538 slash line), especially if you add in his 26 stolen bases compared to Ohtani’s six thefts. We also know Chicago’s 24-year-old star plays a premier position in center field, and could be in line for his second straight Gold Glove Award. If Shohei doesn’t pitch again this year, and the offensive numbers stay relatively close the rest of the way, I’m going to find it difficult not to be on the side of those who vote Crow-Armstrong as their NL MVP. There are still two months to go, but a series like this could be a difference-maker to some voters.
Oh yeah, one other relatively important tidbit about this series. Skubal (16 GS, 7-5, 2.79 ERA) is scheduled to make his Dodgers debut on Tuesday. He’s currently expected to face Cubs right-hander Javier Assad (18 G, 9 GS, 6-1, 3.75 ERA).
No. 5: Nationals (55-58) at Phillies (59-53)
Series length: Four games (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday)
Well, as I mentioned in the lead, there could be a big splash for a contender while I’m writing this article. Sure enough, the Phillies have added one of the best pure hitters in the game. Giants second baseman Luis Arraez and reliever Caleb Kilian head to Philadelphia in exchange for prospects Ramon Marquez and Marty Gair. But the Phillies weren’t done. They also made a trade with the Mets for southpaw reliever Brooks Raley (45 G, 5-5, 1.96 ERA). The Mets received prospects John Spikerman and Luke Gabrysh.
I’m most interested in Philadelphia’s deal for the NL batting leader. Arraez leads the league with a .324 batting average. He undoubtedly helps a struggling Phillies offense that enters this series with a .237 team batting average. Who wouldn’t want the three-time batting champ on their roster? Anyway, that makes this upcoming four-game set with the Nationals all the more interesting.
This feels like Washington’s last stand. If they are annihilated on the road at Philadelphia in a similar fashion to how they were in Atlanta, then I think we can safely say their playoff hopes are over. There are too many good teams to overcome in the NL. At 55-58, and currently on a five-game slide, this is the big moment for the struggling Nats.
The Phillies are in a fight for the playoffs. As mentioned, they are tied with Arizona for the second and third wild card spots, and right behind them are two other squads within 1 ½ games of passing last year’s NL East champs in the WC race.
Here are the expected pitching matchups in this series:
Monday: WSH – Andrew Alvarez (15 G, 7 GS, 2-3, 4.06 ERA) versus PHI – Aaron Nola (22 GS, 3-9, 5.61 ERA)
Tuesday: WSH – Zack Littell (22 G, 14 GS, 7-8, 4.94 ERA) versus PHI – Jesús Luzardo (22 GS, 9-5, 3.57 ERA)
Wednesday: WSH – Jake Irvin (12 GS, 2-5, 5.56 ERA) versus PHI – Andrew Painter (15 G, 13 GS, 1-8, 6.72 ERA)
Thursday: WSH – Foster Griffin (22 GS, 12-3, 3.06 ERA) versus PHI – Cristopher Sánchez (23 GS, 14-4, 2.61 ERA)
Missed the Top Five
Cardinals (55-57) at Yankees (63-49): Three games
Pirates (56-57) at Brewers (69-42): Four games
Giants (47-65) at Rangers (55-57): Three games
Blue Jays (52-60) at Astros (58-55): Three games
Rays (65-46) at Rockies (45-67): Three games
Angels (43-69) at Orioles (54-58): Three games
Mets (47-66) at Guardians (57-56): Three games
A’s (45-67) at Reds (53-58): Three games
Twins (56-57) at Royals (46-67): Three games
Tigers (54-58) at Mariners (55-58): Three games
