MLB trade deadline buzz: Cubs and White Sox in on Reid Detmers, Marlins not in full sell mode and more

Ahead of the MLB trade deadline on Aug. 3, there could be a battle in the Windy City for starting pitching. Multiple sources tell Yahoo Sports that both the Chicago Cubs and the Chicago White Sox have shown interest in Angels left-hander Reid Detmers. Detmers, who is 3-7 with a 4.05 ERA in 21 starts this season, is one of the hot names on this year’s trade market and has generated plenty of interest around the league. Both Chicago teams are in need of starting pitching and have cast a wide net as they look for reinforcements.

The White Sox have gotten significant production from right-handers Davis Martin and Sean Burke, who are both having career years. But with an opportunity to win the AL Central in front of them, the White Sox are looking for additional depth and production. They have not only one of the youngest rosters in baseball but one of the youngest rotations as well. Detmers, with two more years of club control, fits the window of the team’s young core. 

As the Sox look to add starting pitching, acquiring arms with experience in the postseason is something the club is factoring in as well. That means that while controllable starting pitching is a plus for the White Sox, adding a rotation rental isn’t completely off the table. Someone such as San Francisco Giants left-hander Robbie Ray would make sense. The White Sox have also been intrigued by New York Mets right-hander Clay Holmes.

The Cubs, meanwhile, have been one of the most injury-riddled teams in baseball this season, dealing with significant injuries to their rotation. Many of the team’s top starters have missed time while on the injured list, including the loss of right-hander Cade Horton to season-ending elbow surgery and Justin Steele‘s prolonged rehab after Tommy John surgery in spring 2025. Right-handers Ben Brown and Edward Cabrera are currently on the 15-day IL. Even so, the Cubs are in win-now mode this season, and if there’s starting pitching to be had, they will be looking to acquire it over the next week.

As for the Angels, there’s still some uncertainty about their plans for the deadline. The team is just a few weeks into the tenure of interim general manager John Mozeliak, following the firing of Perry Minasian. The belief around the industry is that the Angels will ultimately be sellers, but the extent to which they’ll sell is still unclear.

Detmers is one of the few starting pitchers on this year’s trade market with multiple years of club control remaining. The Angels’ southpaw, who is just 27, wouldn’t be a free agent until after the 2028 season. His Angels’ rotationmate, José Soriano, is another arm with club control who is potentially available. 

Expect the Chicago teams to leave no stone unturned in their quest to add starting pitching over the final week before the trade deadline.
lurking, with focus on bolstering the rotation

If there’s one team that could do something big at the trade deadline, it’s the Milwaukee Brewers. Rival executives believe that because of Milwaukee’s highly regarded farm system, it should not be taken lightly as an aggressive buyer at this deadline. And when it comes to the talent and depth needed to make a move for the likes of Tigers ace Tarik Skubal, the Brewers have both.

Starting pitching is always part of Milwaukee’s identity and has been one of the team’s biggest strengths this year. Behind NL Cy Young Award front-runner Jacob Misiorowski and breakout left-hander Kyle Harrison, Milwaukee has two strong pieces of a postseason rotation. But sources tell Yahoo Sports that Milwaukee, which currently boasts baseball’s second-best record, is scanning the market for another playoff-caliber arm as they prepare for another push to the postseason.
not in full sell mode

Entering the month of July, the Marlins were flying high. Having gone 20-6 in the month of June (the best record in MLB that month), it appeared that for the first time in a long time, the Marlins were going to be deadline buyers. But unfortunately for Miami, things have changed rapidly over the past three weeks. Entering play Monday, the Marlins have lost a franchise-record 12 games in a row, getting swept in their past four series dating to July 10.

But even after their rough July, the Marlins are just three games back in the NL wild-card race and are not expected to be pure sellers. According to sources, the team is in position to be “nimble” and would sell or buy if an opportunity to add to their core for the future emerges.

The Marlins have several pieces that could be attractive for teams looking for bullpen help, including Calvin Faucher, Pete Fairbanks, Michael Petersen, John King and Anthony Bender. The two most intriguing names in the Marlins’ pen are Bender (2.62 ERA in 35 appearances) and King (2.43 ERA in 41 appearances), who both have a year of club control after this season. 

While other teams have shown interest in the Marlins’ breakout stars, NL All-Star shortstop Otto Lopez and second baseman Xavier Edwards, neither player is expected to be moved.
problem

It has been an absolute nightmare season for Freddy Peralta and the New York Mets. Once expected to be the next ace in Queens, Peralta has been anything but ace-like this season. The Mets are going to be sellers at the trade deadline, but even in a market starving for starting pitching, Peralta might not be the easiest to move.

Simply put, the 30-year-old right-hander is having the worst season of his career. He is currently 5-9 with a 4.99 ERA in 22 starts this season. And things haven’t gotten any better lately, as the Mets’ right-hander has a whopping 7.92 ERA over his past seven starts. 

Normally, when a contender acquires a starter at the trade deadline, that team is expecting that arm to make a start for them in the postseason. But any contending team evaluating Peralta has to ask themselves: Which version of him would we be acquiring? In his career, Peralta has made six postseason starts with a 4.32 postseason ERA. But given his poor results over the past month and with confidence in him clearly wavering, adding him might represent one of the biggest gambles at this year’s trade deadline.