The Outlook of the American League on June 23rd

Which American League teams are beginning to look like buyers come the Trade Deadline? Which teams may sell?

The MLB season is moving fast as we are already at the end of June. Teams are starting to show their true identity as we are well beyond the “It’s early phase.” The Trade Deadline is approaching (July 31st). Which teams are definite buyers, definite sellers, and somewhere in the middle heading into the final week of June.

The picture below is the Wild Card standings as of today.

Let’s dive into each team and determine what they will likely do on July 31st.

The Sellers

Chicago White Sox (25-53)

Just about everybody should be open for a trade. The White Sox are still years away from competing. If there is a deal that makes sense for them for the future, they should make it. The tricky part will be if they should move Luis Robert Jr, who has two club options after this season. The issue is Robert Jr. is only hitting .185 in 277 plate appearances. If the White Sox move their center fielder, they would likely be selling at a time where his value has never been lower. The White Sox do have some interesting arms (Davis Martin, Adrian Houser) that could draw interest from other teams. There is no reason to hold onto arms for a potential injury to occur when you can get future value for them at the deadline. They could also look to move Andrew Benintendi if they are willing to eat some of the remaining $32M that is owed to him over the next two seasons after 2025. The more money they eat, the better the prospect package would be.

Athletics (32-48)

The team that is now playing in Sacramento is improving but they are still a year or two away from really competing. The Athletics should be looking at trading away any expiring contracts such as Miguel Andujar. I wonder if there is a team who is desperate for pitching that would call about Jeffrey Springs or Luis Severino, who are both under contract for next season. The Athletics could also look to acquire big league talent that has team control for the future. It’s a team that should be active because you don’t have to wait until the offseason to upgrade the 2026 roster.

Baltimore Orioles (33-44)

The most disappointing team in baseball will be sellers unless they go on a crazy run in the next couple of weeks. The Orioles do not have to blow things up but they should sell of their expiring contracts. Ryan O’Hearn is their best trade chip as he is having a really good season (149 wRC+). Guys like Zack Eflin, Seranthony Dominguez, Andrew Kittredge, Cedric Mullins, Ryan Mountcastle, and Gregory Soto should all be traded because there is no reason for them to play meaningless games in August and September and take playing time away from their young core.

The Middle

Minnesota Twins (37-40)

The Twins are a team that has premier talent at the top of the roster but the bottom of the roster is weak. I think it’s safe to assume that after hardly doing anything in the offseason, the Twins will not be aggressive at the deadline. Right now, the Twins are the definition of mediocre as they are 19th in runs scored and 20th in team ERA. The loss of ace Pablo Lopez (Out for 2-3 months) may cause the front office to be hesitant because can they realistically go on a run without their best pitcher? The Twins do not have any big time soon-to-be free agents but they do have a bunch of really good, under team control relievers. Teams are always looking for bullpen help and the Twins could get a decent package for one of their relievers.

Los Angeles Angels (37-40)

Nobody ever really knows what the Angels are going to do. After their odd behavior two deadlines ago where they bought and then released the players they bought a few weeks later, nobody can ever really tell with Arte Moreno calling the shots. The Angels are three games under .500 but trail the final Wild Card spot by just 2.5 games. The Angels don’t do anything particularly well. They have the 24th ranked team ERA and their offense ranks 21st in runs scored. I tend to believe they will buy if they are within striking distance because who knows how many more years Mike Trout will be healthy. They have never won a playoff game with Trout and I imagine they will do everything possible to make that happen. If they decided to sell, Tyler Anderson, Kenley Jansen, Taylor Ward, and possibly Yoan Moncada could all be intriguing options for teams at the deadline.

Cleveland Guardians (39-37)

If the Guardians stay a few games above .500 or at .500, they will not be buyers. This is a team that struggles to score (25th ranked scoring offense) and they struggle to hit the ball out of the ballpark. Over the years, we have seen good Guardians teams do very little at the deadline. They will not trade from their prospect pool to improve this roster as they are one of the most frugal franchises. They may consider trading to acquire a player who is cheaper and has more years of team control. Cleveland doesn’t have a lot of players on expiring contracts that they could move if they decide they are not serious contenders. Carlos Santana is really the only player who has any value.

Should Be Buyers

Texas Rangers (38-40)

The Rangers have been a streaky team all season and they are finally playing good baseball again. I fully expect this team to be buyers if they are within a few games of a Wild Card spot. The Rangers have some massive investments on their roster. They have invested in Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and most noticeably Jacob deGrom. With a healthy deGrom, the Rangers really have no choice but to push all of their chips into the center of the table. If the Rangers were to get into October, they would have one of the best 1-2 punches in deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi. The Rangers offense has surprisingly struggled this season (26th ranked scoring offense). They could definitely use a bat or two at the deadline.

Kansas City Royals (38-40)

The Royals were one of last year’s breakout teams as they made the playoffs for the first time in 9 years. This season has not gone as smoothly for them as they sit at .500. It’s hard to imagine the Royals selling because they have committed big money to Bobby Witt Jr. By selling, they would be forfeiting one of Witt’s prime years. The issue with the Royals is their offense is awful. They are the second worst scoring team in baseball and have hit the fewest home runs. Their current formula does not allow them to go on a long winning streak because you can’t rely on your pitching to consistently hold teams to 2-3 runs per game. The issue is Seth Lugo and potentially Salvador Perez could bring back pieces that could help the Royals in the future. I expect the Royals to ride this up until the deadline if they are within striking distance.

Boston Red Sox (40-39)

Prior to this hot stretch by the Red Sox, I would have said they would be sellers at the deadline. However, they trail the final Wild Card spot by a half of a game. After a shocking trade that sent Rafael Devers to San Francisco, the Red Sox desperately need to show their fans that they are invested in winning despite the trade. Boston could use another RH bat and some pitching help. By San Francisco taking on all of Devers’ salary, Boston has plenty of room left to absorb money with a trade.

Seattle Mariners (39-37)

Despite not winning over the last handful of seasons, the window of the Seattle Mariners is right now. With their ridiculously talented and deep starting rotation, the Mariners must take advantage of having all of these pitchers in their prime. Seattle’s mentality should be, “Just get in. If we get in, we can beat anyone with our pitching.” Offense has long been the issue for the Mariners and once again they are struggling to score. In June, they had the 26th ranked scoring offense just two days ago. Seattle desperately needs a power bat on the corner of the infield. I think Rhys Hoskins could be a great fit for the Mariners. The question that every Mariners fan should have in the back of their mind is if their GM, Jerry Dipoto, will actually fully invest in this team. Will he buy or try to do the buy and sell strategy that he has tried in the past? Is Dipoto only worried about winning 54% of the team’s games?

Toronto Blue Jays (41-36)

After a slow start, the Blue Jays are 16-9 in their last 25 games. They have possession of one of the Wild Card spots and they must add to this roster. After committing $500M to Vladimir Guerrero Jr, this team has no choice but to add to this roster. This team could use another bat. Andres Jimenez has been one of the worst offensive second basemen (67 wRC+) in the league. They also have guys like Jonatan Clase (66 wRC+) and Nathan Lukes getting playing time in the outfield. There is added pressure on Toronto to win if they do go for it because Bo Bichette is an impending free agent. If they keep him, do not make the playoffs, and he walks, it will look like a major missed opportunity for the organization.

Tampa Bay Rays (43-35)

Stop me if you have heard this before: The Tampa Bay Rays are good and nobody really expected it. Once again, the Rays find themselves in contention despite not financially investing in this team. Now, this team won’t add any big price players at the deadline. But maybe they don’t need to. The Rays offense could use a bat. They are giving consistent playing time to guys like Kameron Misner (77 wRC+), and Taylor Walls (78 wRC+). Part of Tampa’s success is run prevention and both of those guys help prevent runs. But Tampa could definitely add a bat. Austin Hays (.901 OPS) would be a terrific fit. The Rays could get a significant post deadline addition on the pitching side if Shane McClanahan can make his way back. I believe the Rays have the talent to be in the mix at the end of the season.

New York Yankees (45-32)

The Yankees got out of the gates quickly in 2025 as they were 17 games above .500 on June 12th. However, the Yankees had lost 6 of 7 prior to this weekend’s series win against Baltimore. In June, the Yankees have the 22nd scoring offense, which is a big difference from them being the 4th best scoring offense overall. The Bronx Bombers have been wildly inconsistent with the bats. Earlier this week they went 29 innings without scoring a run. It’s difficult to see where New York could add a bat based on the players that are already in the lineup. But in June, there’s too many struggling hitters that entered play on Sunday:

Trent Grisham: 82 wRC+

Anthony Volpe: 61 wRC+

Jasson Dominguez: 54 wRC+

Paul Goldschmidt: 49 wRC+

Ben Rice: 21 wRC+

If the Yankees cannot get some of these guys going by the Trade Deadline, Brian Cashman and Aaron Boone will have some difficult decisions to make.

Houston Astros (45-32)

An organization with winning DNA. Just when people think that this will be the year that the Astros won’t be a division-winning caliber team, they do it again. The Astros are going for their 8th consecutive AL West title (Excluding 2020). The Astros have been without Yordan Alvarez for a while and when he does return, he will give the offense a boost. I think the Astros could still use a bat to bolster their lineup. With the loss of Ronel Blanco to TJ surgery, the Astros could also target a starter to help get them through the end of the season. With an aging roster, who knows how many runs the Astros have left. They should go for it until their window is closed.

Detroit Tigers (49-30)

I’m sure many wondered if what they did down the stretch last season was real. Now, they have the best record in the American League and all of baseball. This team is talented with a good combination of veterans and young players. The Tigers have the best pitcher in baseball in Tarik Skubal and while they have him, they should be putting all their chips in the middle of the table. Detroit could go far in a wide open American League if Skubal starts twice in a postseason series. They should be aggressive looking for any way possible to improve the roster and to try to win the division for the first time since 2014.

38 Days

The Trade Deadline is July 31st, which means we are 38 days away. A lot can happen between now and the deadline. This is when the season becomes interesting.