The 2026 MLB trade deadline is now less than four weeks away. Teams are currently focused on the upcoming amateur draft (July 11-12). After that, they'll shift into deadline mode, and the deals will start to fly. Here are our top 25 trade candidates and here are Tuesday's deadline rumors.
Astros seek lefty-hitting outfielder
The Astros will look to add a left-handed hitting outfielder at the trade deadline, GM Dana Brown told The Athletic. They're also open to adding a right-handed reliever. Houston has only 906 plate appearances from left-handed hitters this year, the fewest in baseball, and Yordan Alvarez accounts for 402 of those 906. The rest are split up among journeymen and bench players.
It should be noted that, on the eve of spring training, the Astros traded lefty-hitting outfielder Jesús Sánchez to the Blue Jays for lefty-hitting outfielder Joey Loperfido in what was obviously a cost-cutting move (Sánchez is owed $6.8 million in 2026, Loperfido the league minimum). Sánchez is hitting a solid .274/.316/.437 for Toronto. Loperfido has been injured much of the season and ineffective when he has played.
Counsell not prioritizing starters over relievers
Or vice versa. Because the pitching staff is so interconnected and the lines between starter and reliever are so blurred these days, Cubs manager Craig Counsell does not see one or the other as the priority at the deadline, according to The Athletic. Counsell just sees pitching as the need, regardless of the exact role. Chicago currently has an entire 13-man pitching staff on the injured list:
| Starters | Relievers |
|---|---|
Ben Brown (neck) | Hunter Harvey (triceps) |
Edward Cabrera (hamstring) | Porter Hodge (elbow) |
Cade Horton (elbow) | Riley Martin (elbow) |
Justin Steele (elbow) | Phil Maton (knee) |
Jameson Taillon (hamstring) | Shelby Miller (elbow) |
Hoby Milner (appendectomy) | |
Daniel Palencia (elbow) | |
Ethan Roberts (forearm) |
Taillon threw 3 ⅓ innings and 45 pitches in a minor-league rehab start Sunday. He is expected to make one more rehab start this week, then rejoin the rotation after the All-Star break. Taillon will likely be on an abbreviated pitch count initially, but given all their injuries, the Cubs are better with 60 or so pitches from him than they are with some of their other options.
Chicago has already expressed interest in Mets righty Freddy Peralta, who will be a free agent after the season and knows Counsell from their time with the Brewers.
