MLB Trade Deadline 2026: Yankees, Mets, and moves around the league
The 2026 MLB Trade Deadline is Monday, August 3, at 6 p.m. ET, and both the Yankees and Mets are expected to be active. The Yankees will buy and try to save their season sans Aaron Judge, while the Mets are cleaning house midway through a bad season.
The Mets were the first New York team to make a trade, shipping lefty reliever A.J. Minter to the Twins for minor leaguers Billy Amick and Bruin Agbayani.
More moves are expected from all teams, moves that will shift win playoff projections and related futures for New York sports betting. ESNY will update this article accordingly with each new move.
Yankees boost lineup, acquire slugger Luis Garcia Jr. from Nats
The New York Yankees finally made their first move ahead of Monday’s trade deadline, sending four pitchers to Washington for Luis Garcia Jr. It is expected he will play first base against righties, with Paul Goldschmidt stepping in versus lefties and Ben Rice shifting to DH. Washington receives four righties: veteran Jake Bird and prospects Yovanny Cruz, Jack Cebert, and Ben Grable.
Bird was acquired from the Rockies a year ago and simply couldn’t pitch in New York, posting a bloated 7.24 ERA in just 39 games as a Yankee. Cruz debuted this year, has a 1.69 ERA through four games, and should immediately become a strikeout arm in Washington’s bullpen. Cebert and Grable are college arms out of Texas Tech and Indiana, respectively, and should report straight to the minors.
Garcia, meanwhile, is a .283 hitter with 26 home runs and a 134 wRC+, and also led the NL in slugging prior to the trade. He is a much-needed impact bat in the middle of a lineup starved of both Aaron Judge and Cody Bellinger.
Yankees get: IF Luis Garcia Jr.
Nationals get: RHPs Jake Bird, Jack Cebert, Yovanny Cruz, and Ben Grable.
Mets end Freddy Peralta experiment, trade righty to Rays
Freddy Peralta is leaving Flushing for the stunning views of Central Florida. Barely six months after the Mets traded top prospects Brandon Sproat and Jett Williams to Milwaukee for him, Peralta is headed out of town after a forgettable New York tenure. He went 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA and now gets a chance to salvage his contract year in Tampa Bay. The Rays are notorious for how analytically they handle their pitching staff, and Peralta should benefit from some time in the lab with pitching coach Kyle Snyder.
In return, the Mets received the Rays’ No. 15, 26, and 27 prospects. Outfielder Aidan Smith, lefty-swinging Canadian infielder Emilien Pitre, and pitcher Gary Gill Hill. The righty is also somewhat local, born in Westchester County and a product of Somers’ JFK Catholic Prep.
What a Mets return indeed, with multiple sources reporting on it.
Rays get: RHP Freddy Peralta
Mets get: OF Aidan Smith, IF Emilien Pitre, and RHP Gary Gill Hill.
Dodgers, as expected, win Tarik Skubal sweepstakes
The Detroit Tigers entered sell mode and, as expected, traded away two-time Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and his expiring contract. Even more expected, the Los Angeles Dodgers won out and look even more likely to three-peat.
The rich get richer, and baseball moves one step closer to a lockout. Skubal joins a stacked Dodgers roster that already features reigning NL MVP Shohei Ohtani as well as two former MVPs in Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. Detroit receives three players: pitchers River Ryan and Brady Smith, and outfielder Zyhir Hope. Ryan debuted in 2024 before undergoing Tommy John surgery the following year and has since been recovering in the minor leagues. Smith is currently in A-Ball, and 21-year-old Hope is a .293 hitter with 23 home runs and an .899 OPS at Double-A this year.
It’s not a matter of if the Dodgers three-peat the sport into a lockout, but when.
Dodgers get: LHP Tarik Skubal
Tigers get: RHP River Ryan, RHP Brady Smth, OF Zyhir Hope
Jeff Passan was first with both the trade and the return.
Chicago White Sox get serious, acquire Luis Castillo from M’s
The Chicago White Sox have boosted their pitching staff ahead of the Monday trade deadline and swung a blockbuster deal with the Seattle Mariners. Veteran righty and former ace Luis Castillo is headed to the South Side. Headed back west are reliever Seranthony Dominguez, former Rockies outfielder Nolan Jones, and outfield prospect Boston Smith.
The White Sox currently hold a 2.5 game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central. Adding Castillo gives the pitching staff a desperately needed veteran presence. Contrastingly, the Mariners are 2.5 games behind first-place Houston in an even weaker AL West and already have the fourth-best bullpen in baseball. Jones has also hit .257 with 14 home runs and an .806 OPS in the Guardians and White Sox farm systems this season. Seattle needs outfield help badly enough that the front office might give his bat a chance.
Bonus points for adding Chicago’s No. 15 prospect in Smith.
White Sox get: RHP Luis Castillo
Mariners get: RHP Seranthony Dominguez, OF Nolan Jones, OF Boston Smith.
Passan was first again with news of the trade.
KC Royals Lane Thomas and Bailey Falter to Braves
Yankees offload RP Camilo Doval to Pirates for prospects
The New York Yankees have offloaded right-handed reliever Camilo Doval’s bloated $6.1 million salary—of which about $2 million remains—to the Pittsburgh Pirates. New York will receive two prospects back: Catcher Omar Alfonzo and 18-year-old outfielder Luis Cruz. Alfonzo was ranked No. 17 among the Pirates’ top prospects.
The Yankees acquired Doval, from the San Francisco Giants a year ago for a handful of minor leaguers. He transitioned from the closer’s role to a high leverage/setup job and noticeably struggled. Doval posted a 4.63 ERA in pinstripes and should get a fresh start with the Pirates. Pittsburgh sits 2.5 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot and ranks 23rd with a 4.38 bullpen ERA. Doval also led the NL in saves back in 2023.
Pirates get: RP Camilo Doval
Yankees get: C Omar Alfonzo, OF Luis Cruz
ESPN’s Jeff Passan had it first.
Cleveland sends C Bo Naylor to Milwaukee for OF Blake Perkins
The Milwaukee Brewers have acquired lefty-swinging catcher Bo Naylor from the Cleveland Guardians to complement the right-handed William Contreras. Cleveland will receive reserve outfielder Blake Perkins and righty reliever Craig Yoho, and bullpen journeyman Codi Heuer is also headed to Milwaukee with Naylor.
Brewers get: C Bo Naylor, RHP Codi Heuer
Guardians get: OF Blake Perkins, RHP Craig Yoho
Jon Heyman at the NY Post was first to report this trade.
Twins acquire RHP Kremer from Orioles
The Minnesota Twins boosted their pitching staff by acquiring Orioles righty Dean Kremer, who has only appeared in seven games due to injuries this season. He is 1-4 with a 6.50 ERA, and Baltimore receives 18-year-old outfield prospect Jhomnardo Reyes in return.
Twins get: RHP Dean Kremer
Orioles get: OF Jhomnardo Reyes
Ken Rosenthal and Dan Hayes of The Athletic each reported on the deal.
Mets ship Minter to Minny
The New York Mets made their first move late Thursday night, shedding left-handed reliever A.J. Minter’s $3.4 million salary and expiring contract to the suddenly-in-the-hunt Twins. The deal is as follows:
Mets Get: IFs Billy Amick, Bruin Agbayani
Twins Get: LHP A.J. Minter
ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Will Sammon at The Athletic were first with the news.
Josh Benjamin has been a staff writer at ESNY since 2018. He has had opinions about everything, especially the Yankees and Knicks. He co-hosts the “Bleacher Creatures” podcast and is always looking for new pieces of sports history to uncover, usually with a Yankee Tavern chicken parm sub in hand.
