2 MLB Teams That Have Become Certain Sellers as Trade Deadline Approaches

It's going to take a lot for these teams to turn their seasons around.

Jun 7, 2026; Bronx, New York, USA; Boston Red Sox left fielder Jarren Duran (16) at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

The trade deadline is now less than two months away. Teams have until August 3 to decide whether they are buying, selling, or holding firm for the rest of the 2026 season. There is still a lot of time left, but for some teams, the choice is already clear on what to do.

There are several teams who have been disappointing this season and fallen out of contention very early, and it's going to take a lot for those teams to turn things around and play their way out of where they currently are.

Here are two teams that have all but assured themselves of being sellers at the deadline.

Boston Red Sox

Dec 9, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Boston Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow speaks with the media at the Hilton Anatole during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Red Sox simply didn't do enough to supplement their strong young core, and letting Alex Bregman walk in free agency might have been their biggest blunder of the winter. Adding Willson Contreras didn't offset that loss enough, and so, the Red Sox now find themselves in sellers' territory.

They don't have a lot of tradable pieces, but the ones they do have make sense as players they could sell off. Those pieces are Aroldis Chapman and Sonny Gray, both of whom are on expiring contracts and could bring back some solid prospects.

The Red Sox are 27-39 and sit in last place in the American League East. They are only 5 1/2 back in the wild card race, but are slowly slipping there as well. To avoid selling, it's going to take a major turnaround, but the Red Sox just don't have the pieces for that.

Detroit Tigers

Scenes from Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal's rehab start with the West Michigan Whitecaps on Sunday, June 7, at LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park. | Lenny Padilla / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Tigers have the most obvious trade chip of the deadline in left-hander Tarik Skubal. They can get a lot for him if they send him elsewhere, but this is yet another team that has played its way into sellers' territory. They even had the worst record in the American League earlier this season.

The Tigers have made the postseason in back-to-back years, but just haven't been able to put it together this year, but they can certainly do well for Skubal, who is in the final year of his contract.

The Tigers are 28-40, and like the Red Sox still have a shot in the wild card race, but only because the American League has been about as weak as possible this season. It will be interesting to see who else they decide to trade if they sell.