July is the most exciting month in baseball. We’re bombarded with the Futures Game, the MLB Draft, the Home Run Derby, and the All-Star Game. Then, to cap it all off, we get the most impactful event in fantasy baseball circles—the trade deadline.
Last year, Jack Flaherty was dealt to the Orioles, Jake Burger was traded to the Marlins, and the Cubs acquired Jeimer Candelario. The deadline had an apparent footprint on the World Series as Paul Sewald went to the desert and Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer set forth on their quest for rings in Texas.
Plenty of big names have been floated around the rumor mill again this year. Tarik Skubal, Jazz Chisholm Jr., and Garrett Crochet are just a few of the stars mentioned as headlines of potential blockbuster trades. However, those names can take away from the trades that go under the radar but are no less impactful.
Relief pitchers are traded more often than any other position at the deadline. The plethora of deals meets everyone’s needs. Fantasy managers in standard leagues will look for closers to be traded, managers in deeper leagues will be keeping a keen eye on dark horse closer candidates on selling teams, and managers in saves plus holds (SV+HLD) leagues will have the most fun watching setup men and middle relievers change threads.
Let’s look at some of the impact relievers most likely to be dealt before the end of the month. We’ll go team by team in reverse winning percentage order, grouping relievers by years of control.
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PO = Player Option, CO = Club Option, MO = Mutual Option
Status: Obvious fire sellers.
2025 FREE AGENTS: John Brebbia (MO), Michael Soroka, Dominic Leone, Chad Kuhl
Brebbia will be the main attraction while Soroka will earn interest as a swingman. Leone and Kuhl will likely hit waivers and land with a contender as depth options.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Michael Kopech
The White Sox have been prepping both MLB and Kopech to be traded by deploying him as the team’s closer. It’s a “broken but could be fun to fix” situation. The extra year of control should entice potential suitors on the prospect of having an offseason to figure him out.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Matt Foster (’27), Steven Wilson (’28), Jimmy Lambert (’28), Justin Anderson (’28), Tanner Banks (’29)
I wouldn’t expect the club to turn away offers for these arms, but they may not have pitched well enough to earn too many looks from other teams. Also, their control decreases the urgency of trading them before they hit free agency.
Status: Obvious fire sellers. They’ll trade anyone to all takers.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Tanner Scott
Scott is the top relief arm available at the deadline. The southpaw has legit potential to be the closer almost anywhere he ends up.
2026 FREE AGENTS: JT Chargois
Chargois may be dealt if a team gets fooled by his sub-2.00 ERA (he has a 100% LOB%) or they see potential in putting him through a pitching lab. The righty has pitched for five teams in six seasons.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: A.J. Puk (’27), Anthony Bender (’28), Andrew Nardi (’29), Huascar Brazoban (’29), Bryan Hoeing (’29)
The asking price will be high on Puk and he may need more time back in the bullpen to build his trade value. The rest of the fish will only be traded if the right deal comes around.
Status: Obvious fire sellers, but it’s the Rockies. They could extend the closer and trade no one.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Jalen Beeks, Daniel Bard
Beeks is an ideal candidate to be traded, but the Rockies can be weird, as evidenced by Bard who was extended a couple of years ago at 38 years old with the Rockies far from contention. Bard is now recovering from right flexor tendon surgery and I’d be shocked if they dealt him now.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Tyler Kinley (CO)
Kinley’s ERA is over seven and the Rockies extended him (of course they did) for a reason. He’s not going anywhere.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Peter Lambert (’27), Lucas Gilbreath (’28), Nick Mears (’28), Justin Lawrence (’29)
I’d love to see Lawrence outside of Coors, but alas, the Rockies probably won’t trade any of these guys unless someone comes to them with a weird offer.
Status: Obvious fire sellers with a bit of intrigue surrounding their top arms.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Scott Alexander, T.J. McFarland, Trevor Gott
Alexander and McFarland will earn interest as lefty specialists. Gott underwent Tommy John surgery in April and will only be dealt if a team sees the benefit in acquiring him and establishing a relationship with him before he hits free agency.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Austin Adams
I don’t see why the A’s wouldn’t trade him if a team’s interested. His trade value won’t get any higher.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Dany Jiménez (’28), Zach Jackson (’28), Mason Miller (’30), Lucas Erceg (’30)
Jimenez is out with a strained oblique and Jackson’s trade value is as low as ever. The real fun lies in the potential for 2024 All-Star Game-winning pitcher Miller and his sidekick Erceg to be traded. It’ll take the whole farm and then some to acquire either of them, but don’t count out the dream of a blockbuster.
Status: Mild sellers because they’re a bit like the Rockies. Rentals will be the only ones to go but they could change their mind when Mike Trout returns.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Carlos Estévez, Matt Moore, Luis Garcia, Hunter Strickland, José Cisnero
All of these guys should already have one foot out the door, except for Cisnero who is on the IL. Estevez has few destinations where he’d remain in a closer role.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Robert Stephenson (CO), José Quijada
Stephenson had Tommy John surgery in May and Quijada just returned from his own TJ. The team will look for them to build their case to be traded across the next year.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Roansy Contreras (’29)
The Angels acquired Contreras from the Pirates earlier this year and he’s pitched to a 5.18 ERA (24.1 IP) since landing in LA. I wouldn’t expect teams to be interested or for the Angels to be ready to give up on him.
Status: Surprise mild sellers. Anyone that won’t be here next year won’t be here in August.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Yimi García, Trevor Richards
Both of these arms are guaranteed to be wearing different threads in August. Garcia would only maintain his closer status on a couple of teams.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Chad Green, Jordan Romano, Génesis Cabrera, Erik Swanson
The Jays look to be a team that will only sell rentals, but they could consider offers for Green and Cabrera. Both have been good this year while Romano is injured and Swanson has an ERA over eight. The club likely wants to wait for them to recover their trade value and stick around for a potential playoff run in a last-chance 2025 campaign.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Nate Pearson (’27), Zach Pop (’28)
Pearson appears to be the closer of the future and Pop still has potential at the big league level.
Status: Mild sellers. I expect them to look to take a big step and compete next year.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Dylan Floro, Jacob Barnes
These seasoned vets are sure to be traded during comeback seasons in their late 30s. Floro will be favored because of his postseason experience.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Kyle Finnegan, Derek Law, Tanner Rainey
Hunter Harvey was already dealt from this group. I think Law will be the only one to be traded. He’s been excellent and is in his mid-30s and Rainey has an ERA over six. As for Finnegan, my view is that the Nats will look to be contenders next year and will hold onto their All-Star closer to assist in their pursuit of a playoff appearance. The extra year of control allows them to wait until next year’s deadline to decide on Finnegan’s future.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Jordan Weems (’28), Mason Thompson (’28)
Status: Minimal sellers. They aren’t quite out of it and they’re in win-now mode.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Luke Jackson (CO)
With an ERA over five this year, Jackson should have his $7M club option declined, making him the only reliever likely to be traded out of The Bay barring a surge in the next few days.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Tyler Rogers, Taylor Rogers
It would be drastic if either of the Rogers twins were traded. The Giants have a competitive roster for 2025 and will look for the brothers to be key members of the arm barn next year.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Camilo Doval (’28), Mike Baumann (’29)
There’s no way they trade Doval but Baumann is already on his third team this year, so he should be perceived as a temporary team member.
Status: Minimal sellers. They’re in last place but are within their window of contending, so they’ll only trade players without contracts for next year. They also announced they’re not shopping their relievers just yet.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Lucas Sims, Emilio Pagán (PO), Nick Martinez (PO), Buck Farmer, Justin Wilson, Brent Suter (CO)
Sims, Farmer, and Wilson should be traded if teams are interested barring a drastic turnaround in the standings, while Pagán and Suter are on the IL and Martinez could add depth to the staff next year.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Alexis Díaz (’28), Sam Moll (’28), Fernando Cruz (’29)
The Reds are enamored with Diaz and will want this group around when everything clicks in the next year or two.
Status: They announced they’ll be minimal sellers. They’ll look to compete again next year, so anyone not locked down will be shipped out.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Héctor Neris (PO), Drew Smyly (MO), Jorge López
All of these guys will be dealt. Neris’s player option vests if he reaches 60 appearances, incentivizing the Cubs to escape paying his 2025 contract and acquiring teams to limit his usage upon arrival.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Yency Almonte
Almonte is recovering from shoulder surgery and will be counted on in 2025.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Mark Leiter Jr. (’27), Julian Merryweather (’27), Adbert Alzolay (’27)
This trio will stick around. Especially with Leiter sporting a 4.50 ERA, Merryweather having just returned from a lengthy IL stint, and Alzolay currently on the IL.
Status: Minimal sellers. They’re still in the division race and just won the World Series. Selling may be a last-minute decision resulting in a fire sale of impending free agents.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Kirby Yates, David Robertson (MO), José Leclerc, Jose Urena
All these guys are gone as soon as the decision is made to sell. It could come down to the final day when they make their assessment. Only a handful of teams will acquire Yates as a closer.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Josh Sborz (’27), Jonathan Hernández (’27), Brock Burke (’27)
This group will stick around.
Status: Obvious fire sellers. They’ll take anything to ignite their farm system.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Andrew Chafin (CO), Shelby Miller (CO)
Chafin’s $5.5M and Miller’s $4.25M club options benefit their value on the market, so they’ll be easy to trade and will find themselves on different clubs come August.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Kenta Maeda
I’d expect them to hold onto Maeda in the hopes he recovers his trade value as a starter next year.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Jason Foley (’28), Alex Lange (’28), Will Vest (’28), Tyler Holton (’29), Beau Brieske (’29)
It will take a lot to pry Foley out of the Tigers’ claws. Meanwhile, Lange’s trade value is at an all-time low and the trio of others may be in their late 20s, but they’ll likely stick around unless an interested buyer piques Detroit’s interest.
Status: Surprise mild sellers. No one is off limits but they’ll still want a return to help them shoot for the playoffs next year.
2025 FREE AGENTS: Shawn Armstrong
The Rays have no reason to hold onto Armstrong but he has an ERA nearing six, so they may have a hard time finding suitors.
2026 FREE AGENTS: Pete Fairbanks (CO), Colin Poche
The club is considering offers on all of their arms, but it will take a lot to convince the Rays to part ways with their closer. Poche is an underrated southpaw with 3.52 and 27.5% rates in ERA and K% respectively for his career and may earn added intrigue as a more affordable alternative.
2027+ FREE AGENTS: Jason Adam (’27), Garrett Cleavinger (’28)
These two are in the same boat as the previous two. Trading with the Rays is a gamble because they always seem to wind up winners.