One of the busiest stretches of the MLB season has arrived.
No, it’s not the postseason or opening day — it’s the trade deadline. The annual summer event is critical for both contending and rebuilding clubs, with World Series hopefuls looking for their missing piece and lottery-bound squads aiming to bolster their farm system.
So, when is the 2026 trade deadline? Which teams will be buying and selling? And which players could be on the move?
Here’s everything to know with the deadline approaching:
When is the MLB trade deadline 2026?
The 2026 MLB trade deadline is set for Monday, Aug. 3, at 6 p.m. ET.
What teams will buy and sell at the MLB trade deadline?
To figure out who could buy and who could sell at the deadline, you can basically just look at the standings.
Teams at the top will likely be looking for another player or two to aid in their playoff run, while teams at the bottom could try to get rid of large contracts and add prospects. That’s not always the case, though, and some teams could toe the line by adding some players and dealing others to reshuffle the deck. One hot stretch at the right time (paging the Boston Red Sox) can shift a team’s strategy, especially entering the late summer.
Here are four teams that could buy and sell:
BUYERS
- Atlanta Braves: After snapping their seven-year postseason streak last season, the Braves are back in the mix. They’re leading the NL East despite several key injuries throughout the campaign. Atlanta could use some reliable starting pitching help behind Chris Sale.
- Philadelphia Phillies: Dave Dombrowski never needs an excuse to add, but the Phillies are making life easy for him since Rob Thomson was fired in April. Philly is hot on Atlanta’s tail in the NL East, and the right trades could elevate the team to another level.
- New York Yankees: The Yankees are always buyers, and this year should be no different for Brian Cashman. Trailing the Rays in the AL East, the Yankees have floundered offensively with Aaron Judge out since May 31. Some extra bats to pair with its impressive rotation could put New York back into the hunt.
- Chicago Cubs: Firmly in the playoff picture as a wild card team, more pitching would help the Cubs come October. Injuries have decimated their rotation, and the bullpen needs a lot of work.
SELLERS
- New York Mets: Whatever can go wrong has gone wrong for the Mets in 2026. Their high-priced roster is underperforming, and now is the time to shed some salary. Seeing just how far they go with the teardown will be interesting.
- San Francisco Giants: The Giants had postseason aspirations going into this season, but they’ve been underwhelming since opening day. Their roster isn’t as expensive as the Mets’, but there are definitely some talented veterans who could fetch decent returns.
- Los Angeles Angels: For a team that hasn’t made the postseason since 2014, the Angels still have some tantalizing trade chips. Zach Neto, Reid Detmers, José Soriano could get some of the best returns this year if the Angels sell, and Mike Trout is always lurking despite his age (35 next month).
- Athletics: This summer has not been kind to the A’s, who were hovering in the wild card hunt before a 4-19 stretch in June and July. Now, the debate turns to which players the A’s should keep or trade ahead of their planned 2028 move to Las Vegas.
What is the MLB trade deadline?
The trade deadline is the last moment where teams can swap players for the rest of the 2026 season. Teams can still release or sign players, but there are no team-to-team transactions allowed once the deadline has passed.
Which MLB players will be traded at the deadline this year?
It’s been a quiet start to trade season, but don’t expect that to last long. Here are five other players who could be traded before the Aug. 3 deadline:
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers, starting pitcher
- CJ Abrams, Nationals, shortstop
- Freddy Peralta, Mets, starting pitcher
- Jung Hoo Lee, Giants, outfielder
- Aroldis Chapman, Red Sox, relief pitcher
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