The 2026 MLB trade deadline is shaping up to be a weird one. Like, really weird. Almost every team still thinks they’re in the race. That means there are maybe six sellers total: the Rockies, Reds, Giants, Royals, Angels, and Mets. That’s it. When supply is that tight, prices go through the roof. Teams will overpay for any impact player they can get. But because there are so few sellers, the big splashy trades we’re used to might not materialize. Unless something completely bonkers happens.
Here are three deals that absolutely won’t get done — but if they did, they’d blow the whole deadline apart.
Mike Trout Finally Leaves Anaheim for the Team He Grew Up Loving
Let’s just get this one out of the way. Mike Trout is the best Angel ever. His peak from 2012 to 2022 is arguably the greatest 11-year stretch in baseball history. But he’s 34 now, has a no-trade clause, and has shown zero interest in leaving. The Angels have been terrible for years, and Trout just keeps showing up, playing center field, and hitting homers. He’s got 18 this season and made the All-Star Game again. But he’s never won a ring.
If he ever decides to chase one, the Phillies make too much sense. He grew up a Phillies fan. They need center field help. Their window is closing fast — Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Trea Turner aren’t getting any younger. Throw Trout into that lineup and suddenly the old core gets one more shot. In this hypothetical, the Phillies send three prospects — Gage Wood, Francisco Renteria, Jean Cabrera — and hold onto their top guy, Aidan Miller. It’s not a realistic package for a future Hall of Famer, but Trout’s injury history and six years left on his deal make his actual value almost impossible to pin down. The odds are close to zero. But it’d be fun to imagine Trout and Harper in the same lineup.
Rafael Devers Gets Shipped to Seattle After a Rough Year in San Francisco
Rafael Devers won a ring in 2018, signed a $313.5 million extension with Boston in 2023, and was an All-Star again in 2024. Then the Red Sox signed Alex Bregman and pushed Devers off third base. That caused enough tension that Boston traded him to San Francisco. But things haven’t clicked in the Bay Area. Devers has slumped, and now the Giants are sellers.
The Mariners need pop. Cal Raleigh is having a down year. Eugenio Suarez is gone. Seattle keeps coming close but can’t quite break through. Devers has still hit 20 homers this season even during what everyone calls a down year. He could slot in at first base, DH, or even third if J.P. Crawford shifts around. The contract is massive and runs through 2033. The Giants might have to eat some money to move him. But if Seattle wants to make a real push, Devers is the kind of bat that could put them over the top. It just probably won’t happen because regression and that contract make him nearly untradeable right now.
The Dodgers Get Tarik Skubal and Become Completely Unstoppable
Tarik Skubal is the best pitcher on the planet. He’s also a free agent after this season, and the Tigers are not good. So yeah, he’s going to be traded. Every contender wants him. The Dodgers might actually have the best package to offer. Their farm system is loaded, and they’ve proven they’ll go get whoever they want.
Think about this: Skubal joins a rotation that already has Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Roki Sasaki. Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow, and Gavin Stone are all expected back from injury at some point too. The Dodgers have won back-to-back titles and could be even better. It’s almost unfair. But at some point, you have to ask if other teams will let the richest franchise in baseball just keep adding the best player available. The Tigers will get a haul in return — Emmet Sheehan, Zyhir Hope, and Sterling Patrick are real prospects. But if Skubal lands in L.A., the rest of baseball might as well pack it in.
Leave a Comment