Welcome to The Pregame Lineup, a weekday newsletter that gets you up to speed on everything you need to know for today’s games, while catching you up on fun and interesting stories you might have missed.
This is our last newsletter before the Fourth of July weekend. We'll be back on Monday.
Now that the calendar's flipped to July, it's officially trade season. We'll have you covered with the latest Trade Deadline buzz all month long.
Today Mark Feinsand takes a look at the biggest trade questions facing American League clubs ahead of the Aug. 3 Deadline.
He's got a whole top 10 in his article, so check out the full list, but here are five of the most interesting:
1) Will the Yankees' internal "additions" be enough?
The Yankees have been scuffling lately with stars like Aaron Judge, Max Fried and Giancarlo Stanton on the injured list, but they're still one of the best teams in the AL. They should be even better once those guys come back … but that doesn't mean they'll stand pat at the Trade Deadline. Feinsand expects the Yanks to at least add a relief arm or two, and maybe do even more.
2) Will the Rays go all-in?
The Rays have taken back first place from the Yankees in the AL East and currently boast the best record in the American League. President of baseball operations Erik Neander has been aggressive in the past when his team's in contention, so will he push his chips in again in 2026? Tampa Bay has multiple areas of need, especially some depth for a top-heavy lineup. Feinsand thinks Luis Arraez might make sense as a trade target.
3) Can the Tigers find a way to hold onto Skubal?
The biggest fish on the trade market is still Tarik Skubal. But what once seemed like a lock that the back-to-back reigning Cy Young winner would get traded is now more of a question, with the Tigers playing better and both the AL Central and Wild Card races wide open. Whatever Detroit ultimately decides to do, expect to hear Skubal's name a whole lot between now and Aug. 3.
4) Will the surprise White Sox be buyers?
The White Sox are the big surprise of that aforementioned wide-open AL Central. They lead the division at 45-40 after three straight 100-loss seasons. Chicago might already be good enough to win the Central, but if the team wants to swing some trades to really make the leap, the pitching staff will likely be the focal point.
5) Do the Rangers have enough to add any difference-makers?
The AL West is also wide open, and the Rangers have used their recent hot streak to get to the top -- they're tied with the Mariners for the division lead at 44-43. Last time they were a playoff team, in their World Series-winning 2023 season, president of baseball operations Chris Young made several big moves at the Trade Deadline, adding players like Max Scherzer, Aroldis Chapman and Jordan Montgomery. Texas might want to do that again, but the team doesn't have a ton of high-end prospects. So the Rangers might have to get creative to make trades.
See all the biggest questions facing AL teams ahead of the Trade Deadline here >>
