{"id":125442,"date":"2026-07-09T11:49:55","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=125442"},"modified":"2026-07-09T11:49:55","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:49:55","slug":"mlb-trade-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/07\/09\/mlb-trade-market\/","title":{"rendered":"MLB Trade Market: Seager, Gray, Wacha, Lugo, and Miller"},"content":{"rendered":"

The MLB trade market continues to heat up as we inch closer and closer to the July 31st trade deadline. Once the All-Star Break is over, we will likely start to see more rumors, and then the trades will begin. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic<\/em> have dropped their latest piece on the MLB trade market<\/a>. Let’s take a look and give our two cents, shall we?<\/p>\n

MLB Trade Market: Seager, Gray, Wacha, Lugo, and Miller<\/h2>\n
\n

What we\u2019re hearing about the MLB trade market: Latest on Corey Seager<\/a>, Sonny Gray<\/a> and more. With @WillSammon<\/a>, unlocked and free to read: https:\/\/t.co\/LwVI9M19Lt<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) July 9, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Corey Seager<\/h3>\n

The Texas Rangers are entering interesting territory with Seager. As Rosenthal and Sammon put it, the trade deadline serves as a “last call” of sorts, as after this season, Seager will gain the right to veto any trade due to having accumulated 10 years of major-league service time and five with the Rangers.<\/p>\n

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Seager has been out since June 30th with a hamstring injury. The two-time World Series MVP has been bitten by the injury bug<\/a> the past few seasons. He is owed $31 million this season and then $155 million over the next five years. Given the high amount and the likelihood that the next collective-bargaining agreement will include payroll restrictions, Rosenthal and Sammon explain that it might benefit the Rangers to move him now, even if they have to eat much of the remaining salary.<\/p>\n

However, the Rangers are in the thick of the playoff race. They enter Thursday just a half game out of first place in the American League West and sit in the AL’s final wild-card spot. When healthy, Seager is a difference maker who can propel the Rangers back into the postseason.<\/p>\n

Last Word’s Two Cents<\/h4>\n

When he is healthy, Seager remains productive on the field. When he returns, the Rangers should expect to see more of the same. The AL West is more open than anyone expected, so there is a path to the playoffs.<\/p>\n

The question comes down to this: are the Rangers prepared to completely sell? If they trade Seager, they might as well blow it up and start over. They shed salary in the winter when they traded Marcus Semien<\/a>. If they decide to sell on the MLB trade market, they need to go all the way with it. They could get some prospects to help build the team’s future. Furthermore, they have a manager in Skip Schumaker<\/a> who knows how to help rebuild teams to exceed expectations sooner. He did it with the Miami Marlins<\/a>, and he is already doing it with the Rangers. Even if the Rangers sell, there should be optimism in their future.<\/p>\n

Sonny Gray<\/h3>\n

Rosenthal and Sammon have word from an unnamed source that the Atlanta Braves are interested in Sonny Gray<\/a>. Gray, who should be an All-Star, is 10-1 with a 2.61 ERA. With the Red Sox underperforming this season, it makes sense that Gray would be generating interest in the MLB trade market.<\/p>\n

The Braves’ pitching rotation has struggled with injuries, making the need for Gray strong. Furthermore, the Braves have the prospect pool to make a trade happen. The Braves would not be taking on too much salary, as the St. Louis Cardinals are still paying half of Gray’s contract.<\/p>\n

However, Rosenthal and Sammon explain that the Red Sox still may not sell. They have been playing well of late, which might motivate them to go for it rather than sell. This could flip the MLB trade market all together.<\/p>\n

Last Word’s Two Cents<\/h4>\n

The Red Sox are three games out of the wild card in the AL. They have a team capable of getting them to the postseason. The next few weeks should be the deciding factor in what they do. If they continue to play well, they will not sell. If they fall further behind, then we can expect them to trade away someone like Gray.<\/p>\n

As far as the Braves go, they should consider making an offer sooner rather than later. If they can make a strong offer to the Red Sox, they may decide to jump on it. Could this result in the Braves overpaying? Yes, but to get one of the game’s best pitchers this season, overpaying is expected.<\/p>\n

Michael Wacha<\/a> and Seth Lugo<\/a><\/h3>\n

Rosenthal and Sammon explain that the Kansas City Royals are unlikely to trade Wacha or Lugo. The Royals, near the bottom of the AL standings, continue to struggle to return to the postseason.<\/p>\n

\"Michael
May 26, 2024; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Michael Wacha (52) throws a pitch in the second inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Royals are listening to offers for both pitchers but expect a strong return. If an offer does not blow them away, they are content to stay the course and try again in 2027.<\/p>\n

Last Word’s Two Cents<\/h4>\n

This all makes sense. The Royals are not going to be in the running for someone like Tarik Skubal<\/a> or another big starter on the MLB trade market. That is just how the franchise operates. They build their talent from the inside. Trades for players like James Shields<\/a> and Johnny Cueto<\/a> only happen when the organization believes they are one piece away from being a World Series contender, not just a playoff contender.<\/p>\n

The Royals will be quiet in the MLB trade market, and that should surprise no one.<\/p>\n

Mason Miller<\/a><\/h3>\n

Rosenthal and Sammon explain that they do not necessarily think the San Diego Padres will want to move Miller, but if they do, they will need to essentially get back what they gave up for him in the first place<\/a>. Miller still has three years of control, so the Padres should have no problem getting a haul back should they trade him.<\/p>\n

Last Word’s Two Cents<\/h4>\n

The Padres are 4.5 games behind in the NL Wild Card. They are underperforming this season, but are still in the thick of the playoff race. They play competitive baseball in the playoffs when they make it, even if they have not gone as deep as they would like.<\/p>\n

The Padres acquired Miller<\/a> last season, a blockbuster move on the MLB trade market, because they wanted to go all in. It seems odd that they would change course just a year later. If Miller were a free agent after this season or even after the next one, a trade would make more sense. That is not the case, however. Yes, the Padres would get a haul due to Miller’s three years of control, but it just does not match how the Padres operate.<\/p>\n

Rosenthal and Sammon said it best. We will believe the Padres are selling when it actually happens. For now, the MLB trade market will likely not include the Padres as a seller.<\/p>\n

Last Word’s Final Thoughts on the MLB Trade Market<\/h3>\n

The MLB trade market is only going to heat up. New teams and names will emerge. The information we looked at today could even change.<\/p>\n

Ladies and gentlemen, buckle up. We are in trade deadline season.<\/p>\n

Main Photo: Matt Marton- Imagn Images<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The MLB trade market continues to heat up as we inch closer and closer to the July 31st trade deadline. Once the All-Star Break is over, we will likely start to see more rumors, and then the trades will begin. Ken Rosenthal and Will Sammon of The Athletic have dropped their latest piece on the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3464,"featured_media":115776,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4,12,1071,35,30,18],"tags":[104,28481,726,165,650],"class_list":["post-125442","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-redsox","category-royals","category-mlb","category-news","category-padres","category-rangers","tag-corey-seager","tag-mason-miller","tag-michael-wacha","tag-seth-lugo","tag-sonny-gray"],"modified_by":"Andrew Willis","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125442","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3464"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=125442"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125442\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":125443,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/125442\/revisions\/125443"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/115776"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125442"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=125442"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=125442"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}