Buzz: Latest intel on trade rumors, Tucker's free agency and more

The baseball world gathered in Atlanta for the 2025 MLB draft, Home Run Derby and All-Star Game this week, and our baseball reporters were there talking to execs, coaches, agents, scouts, players and other team sources.

While fans are focused on the excitement on the field, behind the scenes, it's a great time to collect intel on what teams are thinking with the MLB trade deadline fast approaching and get the pulse of the sport on the topics dominating the season.

Our reporters emptied their notebooks with the latest news and rumors. Who are the big names to watch at the trade deadline (July 31 at 6 p.m. ET)? What's the latest buzz on the biggest free agent? And which teams and storylines will rule the second half? Here's everything we heard during the festivities in Atlanta.

Who will be the biggest name to move at the MLB trade deadline?

Jeff Passan: Now that Boston is firmly in playoff contention, Alex Bregman is almost certainly off the table. With Milwaukee cruising, Freddy Peralta would no longer seem to be part of an add-subtract plan for the Brewers. Which leaves the biggest name as ... the guy with the worst ERA in MLB among all pitchers with at least 90 innings. And yet Sandy Alcantara, he of the 7.22 ERA, remains a target for teams thanks to the quality of his stuff and paucity of big available names.

Some teams see Alcantara's contract as too big an impediment and complain that the Miami Marlins want too much in return for him. That's fine. Teams are twitchy. They crave upside. With the deadline creeping ever closer, the prospect of a team surveying the starting-pitching landscape and being willing to give up real talent for Alcantara's upside is tangible. Perhaps Alcantara is packaged with another Marlin to give the acquiring club a modicum of stability amid questions of whether the former NL Cy Young winner can be fixed.

Buster Olney: The Arizona Diamondbacks have indicated to other teams that they will probably be dealers -- and assuming that's how it plays out, they will be a central player leading up to this year's trade deadline. All-Star third baseman Eugenio Suarez will likely be the most coveted position player moved before the deadline, with the Seattle Mariners and New York Yankees (and perhaps other clubs) bidding for him. First baseman Josh Naylor is having a good season, hitting .294 with 11 homers, and is an experienced run producer who might fit the San Francisco Giants or Mariners.

The Minnesota Twins also could play into this question. A lot of the deals this time of year are for relievers, and the perception of other teams is that Minnesota could be a primary source with a lot to offer -- hard-throwing closer Jhoan Duran, left-hander Danny Coulombe or setup man Griffin Jax. One rival executive believes that All-Star starter Joe Ryan will be moved before the deadline, but two others disagree, saying that their perception is that the Twins would have to be overwhelmed to part with the right-hander.

It's been an up-and-down July for the two N.Y. teams: What are the Yankees and Mets most likely to do at the deadline?

Jorge Castillo: Brian Cashman was about as transparent as a front office executive dares in the week entering the All-Star break: "We're going to go to town. We're going to do everything we possibly can to improve ourselves and try to match up." He also made his objectives plain. The Yankees will prioritize pitching, first in the rotation then in the bullpen with a reliever or two, followed by an infielder, preferably a third baseman to upgrade over Oswald Peraza. Checking off all those boxes will not be simple, but Cashman appears willing to operate aggressively to tangibly bolster the roster and give the Yankees a real shot to return to the World Series -- and not waste another magnificent Aaron Judge season. That could mean making everyone in the farm system besides top prospect George Lombard Jr. available.

As for the Mets, the bullpen is atop the checklist, and adding a starter and center fielder is possible. The relief corps has faced two obstacles: Injuries and heavy usage caused by the rotation ranking 22nd in the majors in innings pitched. All-Star closer Edwin Diaz was consistently dominant, but other pillars, including Reed Garrett (39 appearances, Ryne Stanek (37) and Huascar Brazobán (39), have stumbled in spots. Injuries have decimated the rotation -- Griffin Canning (Achilles) is out for the season, and Tylor Megill (elbow) and Paul Blackburn (shoulder) are on the injured list -- but the need for a starter could be mitigated if Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga return to their usual forms after each was activated from the injured list the final weekend before the All-Star break. Otherwise, center field is an obvious position to upgrade if David Stearns finds a price he's comfortable paying.

Jesse Rogers: There isn't much mystery to the Yankees. Brian Cashman could use a reliever and a third baseman followed by starting pitching coming in third among his needs. If Suarez isn't traded or is too expensive, then Colorado Rockies infielder Ryan McMahon is another possibility. Meanwhile, the Mets aren't getting much production out of center field, making Luis Robert Jr an intriguing fit. The Mets are also looking for bullpen help, considering their injuries on the mound.

Olney: The Mets' rotation could be in its best state in the coming weeks, with Sean Manaea now back, so they probably wouldn't make a deal for starting pitching depth. But if there's a trade to be made for someone who could start the first three games of a postseason series (which is the way that some evaluators distinguish starting pitchers at this time of year), the Mets could be interested in someone like Merrill Kelly or Zac Gallen, who could be two of the best starting pitchers moved before the deadline.

One evaluator believes that Kansas City Royals starter Seth Lugo (who started his career with the Mets) is a natural target for the Mets or Yankees, as they're both big-market teams with resources to burn and a potential willingness to overpay.

However, rival execs say the hallmark of president of baseball operations David Stearns' work is that he won't overpay early, but rather, he will wait for something more reasonable to emerge. "In the end," said one executive with another team, "he'll make multiple trades that improve the team -- deals that might not be the splashiest, but good deals."

The Mets will track the center-field options closely, with that position being the most obvious spot to upgrade. Could Baltimore's Cedric Mullins represent an upgrade? The White Sox's Luis Robert Jr.? Is Boston's Jarren Duran actually available? These are questions to be answered in the Mets' front office.

Which contenders will go really big at the deadline?

Passan: The Chicago Cubs need a starting pitcher. And while other teams' needs are more urgent -- the Phillies' bullpen, third base for the Yankees and plenty more -- the Cubs are in an extremely strong position.

They have the best run differential in baseball and the third-easiest schedule for the remainder of the season. Home-field advantage is within reach. The Cubs need a starter for innings, sure, but more than that because their playoff rotation at the moment has a gaping hole. Shota Imanaga and Matthew Boyd have pitched their way into two spots, but Chicago needs a similar caliber starter that it simply doesn't have at the moment.

Alden Gonzalez: The Phillies have championship hopes, an aging core, an ultra-aggressive front office and a clear need ahead of the trade deadline: bullpen help. Phillies relievers combined for a 4.38 ERA heading into the All-Star break, tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the seventh-highest mark in the major leagues.

Rival executives expect those two teams to be among the most aggressive in pursuit of high-leverage arms over these next few weeks.

Another team to watch is the Toronto Blue Jays, who surged to the top of the American League East with 25 wins in their last 38 games before the break. They didn't lavish Vladimir Guerrero Jr. with $500 million for nothing. They'll do whatever it takes to augment the group around him.

Olney: There are a couple more interesting teams to watch. The Mariners' focus is on adding offense at first and third base. They had almost no payroll flexibility over the most recent offseason, but the perception is that they will have money to spend at this year's deadline -- and might prefer to take on some payroll rather than overpay in prospect capital. The Mariners, with a good farm system, would seem to have a lot of common denominators for deal-making with the Diamondbacks.

The Rays are typically one of the more creative clubs at the deadline, sometimes acquiring talent and sometimes trading it away -- and sometimes doing both. But news broke in recent days that the sale of the franchise is moving forward, and there is a perception in other front offices that the Rays might be given the freedom (a wink-wink from incoming ownership) to be more aggressive than usual and spend money. But they have to play better to justify a move like that.

What's the latest on Kyle Tucker's free agency?

Rogers: It's quiet. Very quiet. His current team -- the Cubs -- is likely to come to him with a good offer at some point, but it probably won't be for max dollars. Then he'll likely hear from the big boys in free agency (minus the Mets, who signed Juan Soto last offseason). From there, he will have a decision: Sign back up in Chicago where he looks comfortable or hit one of the coasts for the next megadeal. He could always keep a Cubs offer in his back pocket and circle back to them. One thing he has going for him: Cubs fans want him back.

The team to beat in each league right now is ...?

Gonzalez: The Dodgers, even still, for one clear reason: They entered the All-Star break with the National League's best record, and their best baseball might still be in front of them. Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts have not hit to their capabilities. Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow are just now getting healthy again. Shohei Ohtani is in the early stages of being built back up as a starting pitcher.

The Dodgers might not challenge the regular-season wins record, but in the eyes of many throughout the sport, they also haven't done anything to make one believe they can't repeat as champions. It will come down to how they upgrade their bullpen and whether they can keep their starting pitchers healthy, something they have proved incapable of doing these past couple of years.

Castillo: Right now, it's the Tigers -- though that could change after the trade deadline. Detroit has the best record in the league with the best pitcher in the league (Tarik Skubal) leading one of the best rotations in the league, though adding a starter is within reason after Jackson Jobe was lost for the season and Alex Cobb still hasn't thrown a pitch in 2025. The offense, while without that one MVP-level superstar, had three All-Stars and ranks third in the American League with a 110 wRC+.

If there are areas that could use improvement for October, it's the bullpen and third base. Detroit relievers rank 11th in the AL in ERA and sixth in win probability added, and Tigers third basemen have combined for an 86 wRC+ this season. Even without bolstering those areas, the Tigers should run away with the AL Central and could earn home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

What other intel did you hear during All-Star week?

Olney: The Cleveland Guardians are ready to listen to offers for all but four players -- third baseman Jose Ramirez, outfielder Steven Kwan and relievers Emmanuel Clase and Cade Smith. Everyone else is available, with the Guardians hoping to get maximum value and find more offense.

Rogers: Scouts are keeping a close eye on the Twins because Minnesota could have pitching to move in the coming weeks. The same can't be said of the Royals, who keep telling folks they aren't breaking up their team despite a middling record. AL Central teams are in a different position than they were a year ago when the division was up for grabs. Detroit will likely be the only team in the division to add anything of significance.

Olney: The Texas Rangers are among this deadline's mystery teams -- it's unclear whether they are dealing or acquiring. "I think what they do coming out of the All-Star break is going to be really important," one evaluator said. If the Rangers do decide to trade away talent, however, they could make some more measured moves. Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi are not considered to be in play, at least by some other teams; Adolis Garcia, on the other hand, could be.

Castillo: The Rockies, potentially breaking from previous years, are listening to calls and ready to make moves, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. They have big league talent to offer contenders. Third baseman Ryan McMahon, starters German Marquez and Austin Gomber, and reliever Jake Bird could all impact playoff races.

Colorado's insular front office in recent years has traded fewer major leaguers than you'd expect from an organization in its position -- without a playoff berth since 2018, on pace for the worst season ever and with a farm system that ranks in the bottom half in most public rankings -- but that could change this month.