The 2026 MLB trade deadline is less than a week away, and teams are actively working the phones trying to improve their short-term or long-term outlooks (or both). I want to share some of that information with you, starting with a timeline for your average MLB trade deadline. Falvey estimated that there are 10-20 touch-bases (on average) between two teams before a trade actually comes to fruition. There are a lot of hypotheticals thrown out, most of which never progress—but this is also how funkier trades, such as three-team trades, start. June-Mid JulyBy early June, teams start to sort themselves into buyers and sellers, and more concrete conversations can be had.