MLB trade deadline buyers sellers list points to a thin market
CBS Sports says the Aug. 3 MLB deadline could favor sellers, with most teams still close enough to chase a playoff spot.
By Georgia Hale · Staff Writer
3 min read
The MLB trade deadline buyers sellers board is tilted hard toward shoppers with one week left before the Aug. 3 cutoff at 6 p.m. ET, according to CBS Sports’ Matt Snyder.
Snyder reported that only eight teams, four in each league, are more than 3 1/2 games out of a playoff position. With the postseason field expanded before the 2022 season and a pack of middling wild-card contenders still hanging around, CBS Sports framed the deadline as a potential seller’s market.
In deadline shorthand, buyers are clubs looking to add help for a playoff run. Sellers are teams expected to trade current players for future value, usually prospects or controllable pieces.
Which MLB teams are buyers at the trade deadline?
CBS Sports put seven clubs in the cleanest buyer category: the Atlanta Braves, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies and Tampa Bay Rays.
Snyder wrote that those teams are strong contenders and not in immediate danger of losing playoff spots. He noted that all but the Rays and Braves reached the postseason last year, while both of those clubs are familiar with October baseball.
Nine more teams were listed as likely buyers: the Arizona Diamondbacks, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, Cleveland Guardians, Houston Astros, Pittsburgh Pirates, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers.
That group is more complicated. CBS Sports pointed out that Texas is in first place but only 1 1/2 games from being outside the playoff field. The White Sox also sit first, though Snyder described them as a rising club coming out of a rebuild rather than an obvious team to spend heavily on a short-term rental.
The Astros are three games below .500, but CBS Sports reported their general manager is looking to add. The Mariners, meanwhile, are only 1 1/2 games out after reaching Game 7 of the ALCS last season, despite Snyder describing them as appearing broken.
Which teams are hardest to read?
CBS Sports placed five teams in the gray zone: the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers, Miami Marlins, Minnesota Twins and Washington Nationals.
The Orioles are close enough to buy, though Snyder questioned whether their current roster looks like a real contender. Miami has lost 12 straight, according to CBS Sports, but could still get back into the playoff race with a hot stretch.
The Twins are only one game behind the final wild-card spot, despite looking like a likely seller entering the season, Snyder wrote. Washington has already made what CBS Sports described as a challenge trade and could have more moves coming.
Detroit may be the team to watch. CBS Sports noted that Tarik Skubal can become a free agent after the season, and the Tigers are 3 1/2 games out of the third wild-card spot. Snyder wrote that falling farther back could push Detroit to consider dealing Skubal before he reaches free agency.
Who looks likely to sell?
CBS Sports listed the Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals and Toronto Blue Jays as likely sellers.
Toronto is 5 1/2 games out with five teams to pass, according to Snyder. St. Louis has gone 13-21 since June 16 and was already positioned to sell entering the season, though the Cardinals are still just 1 1/2 games from the third National League wild card.
The Reds made the playoffs last season and hoped to return, CBS Sports reported, but they sit five games away from a berth.
The clearest sellers, per CBS Sports, are the Athletics, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants. Snyder wrote that none of those teams is closer than nine games to a playoff spot, making them the obvious clubs to take advantage if buyers outnumber sellers before the deadline.
This story draws on original reporting from CBS Sports.