MLB Trade Deadline Buyers and Sellers 2026: 5 Targets by NUT

Final: the 2026 trade deadline passed Monday, August 3 at 6 p.m. ET. Of the 5 targets below, Tarik Skubal went to the Dodgers and Luis Arraez to the Phillies; CJ Abrams, Isaac Paredes and Joe Ryan stayed put. Every deal is on the Transactions page. The rest of this post is the pre-deadline read, with every number as of July 26, 2026.

Records tell you who should buy and sell. NUT tells you what records can't: which contenders are actually as good as their standing, which sellers are quietly holding valuable pieces, and which targets produce rather than just carry a name.

NUT (Net Unbiased Total) is one number for production against league average, built on the advanced hitting and pitching stats analysts trust, with fielding left out. Below, every buyer and seller is read through that lens — and the gaps between NUT and the standings are where the interesting deadline moves live.

The Locked Buyers

On July 26, five teams were at or near 100% playoff odds: the Dodgers (+9.2 NUT), Brewers (+9.3), Yankees (+6.8), Braves (+3.6), and Rays(+2.7). The NUT board mostly agrees they belong — Milwaukee and Los Angeles own the two highest team NUTs in baseball, built on opposite engines (the Brewers on a +4.3 rotation, the Dodgers on a +7.4 offense). The Yankees are the balanced one: +2.2 hitting, +4.5 pitching. These teams are shopping for depth, not identity.

The Bubble — Where NUT and the Standings Disagree

This is where the deadline is decided. A few contenders are running ahead of or behind their production:

Cubs — 93% odds, −0.8 team NUT

Chicagois all but into October, yet their team NUT is negative — dragged down by a −6.3 pitching NUT, the worst rotation mark in baseball. The bats (+5.5 hitting NUT) are carrying them. No contender needs an arm more, which is exactly why the Cubs turn up on the shortlist for every available starter.

Pirates — 3rd-best NUT in MLB, but 39% odds

The Pirateshave the third-highest team NUT in the sport (+8.9, on a +7.9 offense) while sitting at 54–52 and outside the playoff picture. That gap is the deadline's hardest call: NUT says this roster is better than its record and worth adding to; the standings say sell. Whichever way they lean, their production says the pieces are real.

Red Sox — 86% odds, −1.0 team NUT

Bostonis winning without hitting: a −2.8 hitting NUT is the third-worst among likely contenders. If the Red Sox buy, the need is offense, not another arm.

Nationals — elite bats, no arms

Washingtonowns a +6.5 hitting NUT but a −4.4 rotation, and sits at 44% odds. That fork — sell the bats or buy the arms — is why two of their best hitters are the most-discussed names on the market (more below).

Sellers with the Best Assets

Out of the race doesn't mean out of value. Ranked by what they can actually offer:

The Blue Jays (1% odds) still carry a +4.1 pitching NUT — the most attractive arms on the sell side. The Rockies are 42–65 but somehow post a +4.6 hitting NUT, the definition of sell-high bats. The Marlins (+3.1 hitting) and Giants are moving everything not nailed down. Deeper sellers — the Royals (−5.4), Angels, Mets, and Reds— are selling need, not surplus.

Top Trade Targets by NUT

The names in the rumor mill, with the number that matters attached. Season NUT, defense removed:

Buyer beware: Sandy Alcantara(MIA) is in every rumor on reputation, but his −0.2 NUT and 4.01 ERA say the production hasn't come back this year. Name value and NUT value aren't the same thing — which is the entire point of checking.

Track Every Move Live

When the deals hit, every trade, call-up, and DFA lands on the Transactions tracker in real time — each name carrying its season NUT, so you can judge the return the moment it's official. Weighing a fantasy deal off the back of it? The Trade Analyzer compares rest-of-season NUT on both sides.

For the full rules, the postseason-eligibility bar, and how the date moved off July 31, see MLB Trade Deadline 2026: Aug. 3, 6 p.m. ET — Rules and Every Move.

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