(Updated, 7/28/25)

July is always an extremely exciting month in the world of Major League Baseball as with the month of July comes the MLB Trade Deadline. Teams must decide if they want to sell some pieces from their future to make a move for the current season or if they want to trade away some of their stars to invest in the future of the club.

Buying and selling is always a fascinating decision especially with the expanded playoffs and six teams from each league making the postseason. Teams that might be considered out of the race now have more of a chance thanks to the extra playoff spot so they have a longer leash of deciding to sell. However, the clock is ticking and with the deadline approaching on July 31st at 1pm PST.

This will be a blog-style post with all trades made as we approach the deadline. The most recent trades will be at the top while the older trades will be towards the bottom. Also, this will be for trades this month so the Rafael Devers trade to San Francisco will not be included. Make sure to check back frequently for all off the shake-ups this month around the sport.

July 28th

• Milwaukee Brewers acquire C Danny Jansen from Tampa Bay Rays in exchange for INF Jadher Areinamo (Jeff Passan, ESPN)

This is maybe the most interesting move of this deadline so far. Milwaukee has their starting catcher in William Contreras and there is no room for another DH with Christian Yelich taking that role. Jansen is having another tough year behind the plate and outside of blocking, doesn’t offer too much behind the plate. This is a move to add depth for the Brewers who are competing for the #1 seed in the National League. Jadher Areinamo is the #24 prospect in the Brewers system and can play both shortstop and second. The concern about Areinamo is his overaggressive approach at the plate but so far he looks to be a plus hitter with solid defense that feels like the stereotypical Rays prospect.

• Tampa Bay Rays acquire C Nick Fortes from Miami Marlins in exchange for OF Matthew Etzel (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Just like that Tampa Bay replaces their starting catcher by getting Nick Fortes from Miami. Augustin Ramirez has taken over the starting spot behind the plate for Miami and Fortes saw his playing time cut way down as a result. Fortes is nothing special at the plate as a career .225 hitter He is above average defensively but excels at blocking pitches with above average framing and pop time. He will take over as the starter for the Rays who are fighting to stay in the playoff chase. Matthew Etzel is a fringe top-30 prospect for Tampa Bay and has a solid contact oriented approach with great speed. Miami has a nice outfield foundation, but Etzel can be a supplementary piece as he works his way up from Double-A.

• Detroit Tigers acquire SP Chris Paddack and RHP Randy Dobnak from Minnesota Twins in exchange C/1B Enrique Jimenez (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Detroit has fallen off a cliff over the past few weeks but they will now add some depth in their rotation and bullpen. Chris Paddack has had a tough career after a strong start to his rookie campaign and has a 4.95 ERA in 21 starts this season. He can eat innings (111 innings pitched this season) and adding him to a rotation that relies on young guys will be beneficial to the bullpen. Randy Dobnak didn’t pitch in 2022 or 2023 and has only pitched in six games at the big league level in the last two seasons so don’t expect him to see too many innings. Enrique Jimenez is a 19-year-old multi-position prospect from Venezuela that has not seen too much time in the minors. He is definitely a guy that could be interesting in a few years, but he could also turn into nothing.

July 25th

• New York Yankees acquire 3B Ryan McMahon from Colorado Rockies in exchange for LHP Griffin Herring and RHP Josh Grosz (Mark Feinsand, MLB.com)

This trade has so many layers. No question that Colorado would sell but this is one of the bigger pieces that they have sold in recent memory. The biggest part of this trade is that it removes the Yankees from the Eugenio Suárez sweepstakes. Now, if Arizona decides to keep Suárez, McMahon will end up being a big get for the Yankees. He is a fantastic defender and while the average is just .217, McMahon does have some good power with a .717 OPS. There are concerns about his home/road splits with his numbers being helped by Coors Field, but this trade shows the Yankees didn’t like the asking price for Suárez so they went out and got the next best guy.

• New York Mets acquire LHP Gregory Soto from Baltimore Orioles in exchange for RHP Wellington Aracena and RHP Cameron Foster (Andy Martino, SNY)

There aren’t really any areas that the New York Mets need to make a big splash to address. What they do need is supplemental pitching pieces and while the bullpen has been solid, they go to another level with their second Soto acquisition. The lefty has bounced back in 2025 after failing to live up to his standards the last couple of seasons. He really uses just two pitches with his sinker and slider and the two-time All-Star will slot in nicely as the 8th inning guy to bridge the gap to All-Star closer Edwin Díaz. Baltimore’s big return is Wellington Aracena, the Mets #19 prospect. The 20-year-old righty has struggled with command but has a fastball that will sit in the upper 90s and a nasty cutter to go along with a slider and a curveball. With his walk rate already starting to drop, Aracena’s youth and potential could be a nice piece in the Orioles pitching staff as they try to get back into contention in the next few seasons.

July 24th

• Seattle Mariners acquire 1B Josh Naylor from Arizona Diamondbacks in exchange for LHP Brandyn Garcia and RHP Ashton Izzi (Ken Rosenthal, The Athletic)

Here is the first big splash of the 2025 Trade Deadline. Josh Naylor is an impact bat that the Mariners definitely need in a position of weakness for them. A trio of players, Luke Raley, Donovan Solano, and Rowdy Tellez, have underperformed at first base this season for a team that has historically lacked offense, especially at first base. Naylor is slashing .292/.360/.447 this season with 19 doubles, 11 homers, and 59 runs batted in. Arizona acquires Seattle’s #13 and #16 prospects, both of whom are held up in a stacked organization when it comes to pitching. Izzi has a 4.13 career ERA in the minors while currently playing in High-A. Garcia made his MLB debut on Monday and while is short stint didn’t go well, his minor league dominance will help Arizona’s bullpen weakness as they own the fourth worst bullpen ERA in baseball. This feels like an immediate win for the Mariners and will help supplement a nice D-Backs roster sooner or later.

July 16th

• Kansas City Royals acquire 2B/OF Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for INF Cam Devanney.

Adam Frazier returns to his 2024 home as the first piece moved by the Pirates. While Kansas City needs some help to make the postseason, Frazier gives more depth on the infield with Michael Massey on the IL and Jonathan India getting bumped around as well. Like India, Frazier can be a utility piece that can play anywhere for a Royals team hoping for a second half surge.