As the MLB trade deadline nears, teams are now building around the post-draft window, with Twins, Giants and Cubs among the clubs to watch

The 2026 MLB trade deadline is getting close enough that most clubs are thinking in timelines, not just player types. CBS Sports’ look at what may be coming portrays a market where incremental swaps can happen before the All-Star break, but the most consequential decisions may wait until after the July 11-12 amateur draft, when teams can better align what they add with what they can afford to trade away.

That framework matters for contenders and rebuilders alike. A handful of small deals, CBS notes, can keep organizations moving while scouting and internal evaluation culminate. The most recent example in the reporting is a minor trade between the Braves and Pirates, with Joey Bart moving to Pittsburgh and Hunter Stratton heading to Atlanta. In a deadline race, those kinds of swaps can fine-tune depth without forcing a team to surrender a premier asset before the draft reshapes the board.

Within that broader picture, the Twins headline the discussion in a way that points to a roster decision rather than a one-off transaction. CBS frames it as a “plan” for Byron Buxton, suggesting Minnesota is thinking carefully about how his role, availability, and fit could influence the club’s deadline posture. Because the report is rooted in rumor and organizational intent, the key takeaway is less about a confirmed trade and more about how seriously the Twins are treating the timing between now and the post-draft window.

The Giants’ situation is described similarly, but with a different implication. CBS’ reporting emphasizes that there appears to be “the one Giant staying put,” a phrase that typically means one notable player is not on the active shopping list, or at least not in the near-term trading conversation. For San Francisco, the practical effect of that kind of stance is roster stability, which can matter when clubs are balancing near-term competitiveness against the uncertainty that inevitably surrounds deadline dealing.

The Cubs, meanwhile, are portrayed as being in the market for pitching, with CBS pointing to “deadline targets” as the team’s focus. For Chicago, the need is often straightforward in outline, even if the names and terms remain fluid: pitching is usually the category where teams try to convert months of roster construction into a more reliable bullpen and rotation mix for the stretch run.

Still, none of this should be read as a guarantee that big names are moving on a particular date. Deadline markets are notoriously dynamic, and CBS’ approach in this preview ties the most impactful activity to what happens after the amateur draft. That means what a front office values in June and early July can change quickly once clubs see their new amateur additions and recalibrate the cost of trading those resources away.

What to watch next is whether any of these rumblings become concrete conversations involving specific players, a clearer match of contending teams to available assets, and the point at which “pre-draft” minor swaps turn into “post-draft” core upgrades. As the draft window opens, expect teams to keep their options open and use small moves to adjust, while saving their highest-leverage decisions for the period when their organizational plans are fully updated.