The MLB trade deadline is quickly approaching, and teams around baseball have needs. So how can they fill those needs? More specifically, which players might offer a solution?
Here are six players who could help a contender in a deal before the July 31 trade deadline.
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Emmanuel Clase, RP, Cleveland Guardians
Last season, there wasn’t a better reliever in baseball than Emmanuel Clase. He was so good that he finished third in AL Cy Young voting, a sign of his sheer dominance during the regular season. But Clase struggled in last year’s postseason.
Those struggles carried into start of this season, but Clase appears to be putting them behind him. Over his past 13 outings, he has allowed only one earned run and has looked more like the two-time AL Reliever of the Year. For the season, the three-time All-Star is 5-2 with a 2.86 ERA.
If Clase’s struggles are indeed in the past, this could be the perfect time for a contender to woo the Guardians into trading their longtime closer.
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Potential landing spots: Yankees, Phillies, Cubs
Andrew Heaney, SP, Pittsburgh Pirates
Breaking news: The Pirates trading a starting pitcher!
But before you get too excited, the Pirates’ starter most likely to be on the move is left-hander Andrew Heaney. Heaney, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh this past winter, had been one of the more underrated starters in baseball in 2025 until recently. Through 14 starts, the 34-year-old right hander had a 3.33 ERA, despite a Pirates offense that hasn’t given him much support.
Heaney, however, has struggled of late with five of his past six starts lasting four innings or less.
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Heaney is an established veteran arm who has pitched in pennant races before, and as a left-hander, he would be a strong addition to slot into the middle-to-end of a rotation looking to add some quality depth.
Potential landing spots: Dodgers, Cubs, Tigers
Ryan O’Hearn, DH/1B, Baltimore Orioles
Ever since Ryan O’Hearn arrived in Baltimore, he has continuously improved. And this season, he made his first All-Star appearance. But in a year when the Orioles have disappointed and are unlikely to make a run to the postseason, O’Hearn might be their most valuable trade asset right now.
The Baltimore designated hitter has a .282/.378/.458 slash line, with 14 doubles and 12 home runs. O’Hearn, 31, will be a free agent at the end of the season, making him the type of rental who could help push an already strong team over the top.
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Potential landing spots: Red Sox, Mariners, Mets, Giants
Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Right-handed power is hard to come by in baseball these days, which makes Eugenio Suárez a highly coveted player. The D-backs’ third baseman has been one of the game’s top power threats this season, batting .257 with 35 home runs and 85 RBI. And that’s nothing new: Since the 2019 season, he ranks sixth in MLB in homers, behind only Aaron Judge, Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, Shohei Ohtani and Matt Olson.
Suárez, who will be a free agent at season’s end, is also considered one of the game’s top personalities and has the ability to bring a clubhouse together — an added benefit for any contender.
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Potential landing spots: Tigers, Yankees
Ryan Helsley, RP, St. Louis Cardinals
Since being named the Cardinals’ closer in 2022, Ryan Helsley has been the definition of a shutdown closer. He ranks top-six in saves during that span.
But as with Clase, there have been some struggles for the Cardinals’ closer this season. Helsley is 3-0 with a 3.18 ERA, but hitters have had some success against his fastball. The pitch is typically unhittable, but batters are hitting .400 against Helsley’s four-seamer this season.
There might be some cause for concern with the Cardinals’ closer, but Helsley isn’t the first reliever to go through struggles. And with his track record being what it is, a contender might well believe that a few tweaks and a change of scenery could be just what Helsley needs.
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Potential landing spots: Yankees, Phillies, Tigers
Josh Naylor, 1B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Josh Naylor has been one of the more underrated first baseman in baseball for a while, but in his first season in the desert, he has been able to shine. Naylor, 27, is hitting .292 for the D-backs this season, with 11 homers, 11 stolen bases and 19 doubles. The Arizona first baseman knows how to be a run producer, and he has also proven that he’s a complete hitter.
The D-backs have not had much luck on the injury front this season, with multiple pitchers going down for the season, including starters Corbin Burnes and Jordan Montgomery and reliever Justin Martinez. If Arizona decides to sell, moving Naylor, who is also a free agent at the end of the season, feels like the right decision.
Potential landing spots: Red Sox, Mets, Giants
