- Trade deadline timing and the playoff race
- How the expanded postseason affects seller behavior
- Joe Girardi’s view on market pressure and value
- How CBA uncertainty could push teams to act now
- Potentially active teams and players who could shape the market
The MLB trade deadline is almost here, and the tension around it is real. With more teams still in the hunt and fewer clubs willing to sell, this year’s market is shaping up to be loud, fast, and a little messy. The deadline lands on Aug. 3 at 6 p.m. ET, and World Series champion Joe Girardi thinks two big forces are driving the chaos.
One of those forces is the expanded postseason field, which has kept a lot of teams from giving up early. Since MLB added a third wild-card spot in 2022, the middle of the standings has stayed packed, and that changes everything. When so many clubs can still talk themselves into a run, front offices get a lot less eager to ship out useful pieces.
Girardi put it plainly: the teams that are out of it hold the leverage. That means the clubs already headed toward a rebuild could find themselves in the best seat at the table, because contenders are going to be chasing a small pool of available talent. When supply is thin and demand is hot, prices jump fast.
“Well, I think it changes it completely because so many teams are still in it,” Girardi told Fox News Digital in a recent interview. “I would say there’s only probably seven teams that would consider themselves eliminated out of the 30 so far.
“So, that means there’s probably not going to be a lot of people traded from the other 23 teams. So, everyone’s going to be in the hunt for those guys on those seven teams. And there’s only so many that you can acquire.”
That kind of squeeze is what makes deadline season so unpredictable. The Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, Los Angeles Angels, Athletics and Kansas City Royals are among the clubs expected to be in sell mode, and each one could become a key source of help for teams chasing October. If even a couple of those sellers decide to move bigger names, the whole board can flip in a hurry.
Girardi also pointed to another factor sitting in the background: the upcoming CBA negotiations. Even if nobody is talking about a shutdown, the uncertainty itself can change behavior. Teams do not like guessing about the rules of the road, and that can make them more willing to act before the landscape shifts again.
“I think they will. I think teams will go for it more in a sense, not knowing what’s going to happen next year. And I’m still a strong believer that a deal will get done. Because it always does. There’s nothing in the history of the game that tells me that either side is willing to shut it down for a whole year,” Girardi told Fox News Digital on behalf of Perfect Game.
“But there’s always that risk, and sometimes teams get older, they figure that their window is closing. Let’s go for it now because we don’t know what’s going to happen next year, and we’ll just adjust when we have to.”
That mindset fits a deadline where contenders feel the clock ticking. The Los Angeles Dodgers are chasing a third straight World Series title, and teams like the Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays could be right there pushing to add more firepower. In a market like this, one elite arm can become the center of every conversation.
Tarik Skubal is one of the names drawing buzz, especially with the Detroit Tigers struggling and still sitting close enough to the race to keep everyone guessing. ESPN has reported that the Dodgers, Brewers and Rays are expected to be involved if he becomes available. That kind of attention tells you exactly how scarce high-end talent can be when the deadline pressure ramps up.
Even teams hovering around the final wild-card spot can become wild cards themselves. The Baltimore Orioles, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals, St. Louis Cardinals and Tigers are all in that murky zone where one good week or one bad stretch could change the plan. If a few of them decide to sell instead of chase, the deadline could turn from active to downright explosive in a matter of hours.
Girardi knows the sport from just about every angle, and that gives his take some extra weight. He spent 15 seasons as a big league catcher, won three World Series as a player, added another title as Yankees manager and later managed the Phillies before stepping away from the dugout. He has seen plenty of deadline drama, and this one already has the same restless feel.
