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2025 MLB Trade Deadline: 5 Bold Predictions That Could Shape Baseball’s Future

Colin Lynch Written by Sports EditorColin Lynch
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2025 MLB Trade Deadline: 5 Bold Predictions That Could Shape Baseball’s Future

These five predictions for the 2025 MLB trade deadline spotlight key moves, rising tension, and high-stakes decisions for contending teams.

The trade deadline is still six weeks away. But the murmur has already begun.

In front offices across baseball, quiet questions hang in the air—unanswered, but urgent. Are we building for October or bracing for tomorrow? Is this team one piece away—or one injury from unraveling?

Every year, the trade deadline arrives like a mirror. It forces teams to face who they are, not who they hoped to be. And in 2025, that reflection feels particularly complicated.

Here are five predictions that may define the days to come.

The Pirates Hold the Line on Paul Skenes

Some talents demand patience. Paul Skenes is one of them.

With a 4–6 record that says nothing of how dominant he’s been, Skenes is a rare kind of pitcher—already elite, but still evolving. And in a different city, on a different payroll, he might be gearing up for October. But in Pittsburgh, he’s simply anchoring hope.

The Pirates won’t trade him. Not yet.

He’s under team control through 2029. Arbitration hasn’t even started. His future is vast, and it still wears black and gold. There will come a time when money and circumstance may force a different outcome, but July 2025 is not that time.

This isn’t about leverage. It’s about identity. And Pittsburgh, for once, must choose belief over surrender.

It’ll Cost You to Buy a Bullpen Arm

In July, nothing’s more expensive than desperation. Especially when it lives in the bullpen.

This year, the supply is slim, and the demand is deafening. Aroldis Chapman. Kyle Finnegan. Félix Bautista. Pete Fairbanks. Dennis Santana. All available. All flawed. All wanted.

Some are aging. Some are injury risks. Some have numbers that hide their volatility. But none of that will matter in late July when every contender convinces itself that the right arm can protect the ninth inning—and maybe October itself.

It will be a seller’s market. Not because the talent is unmatched. But because the urgency is.

Names to Watch:

  • Pete Fairbanks, Tampa Bay Rays – 2.30 ERA, 12 saves in 28 games; free agent after 2025

  • Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals – 2.25 ERA, 18 saves; free agent after 2025

  • Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates – 2.27 ERA since joining Pirates; under control through 2026

  • Félix Bautista, Baltimore Orioles – 3.32 ERA, 12 saves in comeback year; free agent after 2027

  • Aroldis Chapman, Boston Red Sox – 1.65 ERA, 11 saves at age 37; free agent after this season

Each name will carry a price. And the closer it gets to the deadline, the higher it climbs.

Boston’s Outfield Surplus Becomes Trade Leverage

In Boston, talent is no longer the question. It’s the puzzle.

With Roman Anthony knocking at the door and Ceddanne Rafaela thriving defensively, the Red Sox are bursting with outfield options. And yet, they sit on the edge of relevance—neither collapsing nor climbing.

That’s why a trade is coming.

Jarren Duran, dynamic but inconsistent, may be the piece that goes. His 6.7 WAR from last season may not be repeatable, but his ceiling still draws interest. Wilyer Abreu, injured but promising, offers another route.

The Sox don’t have to make a move. But standing still in a crowded outfield feels more like delay than development. Something has to give. And Duran may be the name called first.

Arizona Will Define the Deadline—If It Sells

There are teams that shape a season through wins. Others do it through decisions.

The Arizona Diamondbacks could do both.

Corbin Burnes is gone for the year. The playoff hopes that once glimmered have dimmed. But the roster—veterans like Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, and Josh Naylor—still holds value.

If Arizona decides to sell, they won’t just join the conversation. They’ll drive it.

Every contender will call. Every playoff dream will be tempted. And for GM Mike Hazen, every offer will be a chance to reshape 2026 and beyond.

Arizona doesn’t need to rebuild. But a smart retreat now might mean a faster return to October.

Toronto Refuses to Fold

In a city used to second-guessing, the Blue Jays are holding their hand.

They’re above .500. The AL East isn’t the monster it once was. And leadership—front office, dugout, clubhouse—is playing for more than just a pennant. They’re playing for their jobs.

Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt? Staying. Even if the future is unclear, Toronto believes the present still matters.

They’ll add, not subtract. They’ll try to find the swing, the reliever, the spark that keeps the chase alive. It may not be enough. But it won’t be for lack of trying.

For now, the Blue Jays aren’t sellers. They’re believers.

Colin Lynch Written by Sports EditorColin Lynch
Colin Lynch covers the NFL, MLB and WNBA for Heavy.com, with a focus on the New England Patriots. His sports coverage has been featured on The Sports Daily and Basketball Insiders, as well as FanSided's Chowder & Champions. A New Hampshire native and former D1 baseball player at St. John's University, Colin was drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 and enjoyed a four-year professional baseball career.
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