Latest information on the MLB 2025 exchange deadline
Dylan Cease, Steven Kwan or Eugenio Suárez leave? This is what could change during the deadline for exchanges to less than 48 hours of closure.
The transfer season of MLB is in its final stretch!
Although this year’s agreements have been developed with some slowness, there have been interesting acquisitions, with the Seattle Mariners getting Josh Naylor and the New York Yankees to Ryan McMahon, leading the first movements.
Now, with less than 48 remaining hours to close the transfer before the deadline on Thursday at 6 PM ET, the conversations involving great names, such as Eugenio Suárez, Dylan Cease and Luis Robert Jr., continue to circulate in the industry.
What players will move in recent days? What teams will bet everything to sign the best players available? And what exchanges will have the greatest impact on the rest of the season? We contact experts from AM850 MLB, Buster Olney and Jeff Passanto give us their most recent information as the deadline is approaching.
What do they hear that could promote movement in recent hours?
Olney: The New York Mets effort to improve. The Arizona Diamondbacks are the epicenter of the teams that seek to part with players, but from here to the deadline, the Mets could be the most aggressive club to sign players, looking for a starter who can launch the first, second or third game of a postseason series. A reliever and a gardener, perhaps Cedric Mullins of the Baltimore Orioles, are also among their needs.
Passan: The number of teams looking for high impact relief and the relative shortage of them in the market. Ryan Helsley, from San Luis, is the main rental option. And then there is the group of controllable pitchers that could move, but are not obliged to do so: David Bednar, from Pittsburgh; Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, from Minnesota; and Pete Fairbanks, from Tampa Bay.
Considering the number of teams that wish impact relief (Philadelphia Phillies, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Texas Rangers, the Detroit Tigers, both teams from New York and Los Angeles Dodgers), it is understandable that those who have them expect a good return. There are second and third level relief, of course, but there is not enough elite offer for existing demand. That is why San Diego is considering Robert Suarez, San Francisco is receiving offers for his relay players, and even athletics could receive an irresistible offer for Mason Miller.
What agreement do you think will have the greatest impact on the rest of the season?
Olney: Any last entry reliever acquired by the Philis, either Ryan Helsley, Griffin Jax or any other, Rob Thomson will have to depend on that pitcher for the postseason. Jose Alvarado will be out of action in October due to its suspension for prohibited substances.
Passan: It all depends on the provision of the teams to transfer players with several years of control. The imminent free agents market ranges from mediocre and unpleasant. But what would happen if Joe Ryan or Mackenzie Gore left? Duran or Jax? Steven Kwan? All are possible. The cost, at this time, is prohibitive, but the deadline has strange effects on management. The discomfort can be the most underestimated tool at a deadline.
We have seen different levels of activity by the favorites to the World Series. What do they hear about last minute plans for division leaders?
Passan: The Blue Jays want at least one more reliever after obtaining Seranthony Dominguez from the Orioles. Detroit wants to reinforce the rear of his bullpen and does not mind looking for more valuable chips. The stars want a opening pitcher. The New York Mets will get an arm and a batter for the central garden. Milwaukee Brewers will not do much, unless they find value. The Dodgers will consider more important names, with a reliever as the highest priority.
Olney: In the American League, being a favorite to the World Series means … all. The fact that the league seems so open is very promoting the enthusiasm for sailors, the Texas Rangers and even the Yankees. You can draw a reasonable path to the World Series for about seven teams in the American League, and this could well promote some bold movements in the last hours before the deadline.
The career for the wild card is becoming more at odd. What is heard that the Chicago Cubs, Phillies, Yankees and Mariners could do to maintain their domain in the top positions?
Olney: Cubs would love to add a first -line opening pitcher, someone who could effectively replace Justin Steele in his rotation. But perhaps more than any other team, they could be limited by the shortage of the market unless they value the cost of acquiring Joe Ryan or Cease, or if they reach an agreement with Merrill Kelly.
The Yankees are focused on strengthening the bullpen and a skilled hitter gardener, such as Harrison Bader. The Phillies need a high -level pitcher for the bullpen, but they are also interested in Luis Robert Jr. and the Mariners are going to do something for their bullpen; In addition, some rival executives still consider them the favorites to sign Eugenio Suárez.
Passan: Shane Bieber is another option for Cubs. The Phillies are among the most aggressive equipment in the relief market and will add an arm. The Yankees are not as excited as it does, let’s say, two weeks, but they will meet the demand with at least one solid reliever.
However, sailors are the unpredictable option for the deadline. They have a group of Top 100 caliber prospects (eight in total) and the question that will be asked is: do we feel comfortable by changing someone like Harry Ford for a rental player like Suárez? Until now, the answer has been no. But weird things happen in the last 40 hours before the deadline. And that a team tries with all their might – the Mariners also want an arm for the bullpen – is not the worst, especially when said team has not even reached the World Series.
What other available players are being discussed more frequently in the directives?
Passan: Wednesday is the day the teams expect to see a reduction in the offers of controllable players. If not, they will begin to resort to the rental market, aware that it will be saturated and looking for the coup instead of panic during the last 12 hours before the deadline. The big names – Eugenio Suárez, Merrill Kelly, Zac Gallen, Luis Robert Jr., Bednar, Helsley, Bieber – have a lot of traction, and most, if not all, they will leave.
Olney: I guess 75% of the transferred players between now and the deadline will be relieved. This will be like a game of musical chairs, while the central offices evaluate options such as Danny Coulombe and Jax Griffin of the Minnesota Twins, Pete Fairbanks of the Rays, Seth Halvorsen of the Rockies, etc. All the contestants are looking to add relievers, and are considering the players themselves.
What other teams do they think could be more active before the deadline?
Olney: The Tampa Bay Rays and the Arizona Diamondbacks are emerging as the most prominent in exchanges, and the San Diego Padres will do something to reinforce their offensive and try to return to the October season.
Passan: The Orioles, even after redeeming Domínguez and Gregory Soto, have a huge inventory. The D-backs will be busy. The Marlins, with Sandy Alcantara, Edward Cabrera and a group of reliefs, could play an important role. The Twins have a lot to offer. In addition to Durán and Jax, the left -handed Coulombe and the right -handed Brock Stewart are two relieved with market, and Superutility Willi Castro could also leave. The pirates will be busy. And the guardians have many cards with Kwan and Bieber.
What else do you think will happen before the deadline?
Olney: There is a lot of frustration because the teams that seek to transfer prominent players, knowing this year’s market, maintain their high sales prices, and the teams they want to sign are waiting. “It’s a slow market,” an executive said Tuesday night. But at some point, they have the security, the pressure will be broken and the transfers, mainly relieved, will be specified quickly.
Passan: Parents, as always, are considering doing something big. The TWINS still asking for exceptionally high prices for their reliefs. The probability that the guardians transfer to Kwan is greater than what the teams believed a week ago. Phillies and Mets are being very aggressive. Some teams are looking for controlled players until 2027 and consider the possibility that labor conflicts significantly affect that season. And the lack of stars that can transfer will be compensated with the volume of transfer.
