Typically, trades in May are almost nonexistent around Major League Baseball, but that could change this season. At least, that’s the tone coming from Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski, who suggested following the firing of Rob Thomson that the market might move earlier than usual.
Dombrowski pointed to a growing number of frustrated teams that haven’t lived up to expectations out of the gate — and that kind of pressure has a way of speeding things up. Front offices that expected to contend aren’t always willing to sit around until July if the season starts slipping away in April and May.
One @MLB trend to watch:
Trade activity is starting early this year.
Dave Dombrowski said yesterday:
“I’ve had trade conversations earlier than I ever have . . . Other clubs haven’t been doing very well, either. Clubs have called around.”
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) April 29, 2026
Right in the Braves’ division, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets immediately come to mind. Both entered the season with postseason expectations and legitimate hopes of competing for the NL East, yet they now find themselves a staggering 10.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves and already nine games under .500.
Trades within the division are always unlikely, but if you look over to the American League, there are a couple of obvious teams to monitor. The Boston Red Sox appeared to be on the rise after a playoff appearance last year, but they’ve stumbled out to a 12-18 start and sit in last place in the AL East. The Houston Astros are in a similar spot, dropping 19 of their first 30 games after spending the better part of a decade as one of the league’s premier contenders.
Both clubs still have talent that could draw interest — especially from a team like Atlanta, which, despite its scorching 21-9 start, isn’t without a few clear needs.
The rotation has been far better than anyone could have reasonably expected, but the question of sustainability isn’t going away, even with reinforcements on the horizon. That’s going to remain a focal point as the season progresses.
Then there’s left field. The Braves got hit with a brutal blow when Jurickson Profar was suspended for PEDs, wiping out his entire season. That’s put more on the shoulders of Mike Yastrzemski, who’s hitting just .205 without a home run through 27 games.
Yastrzemski is likely to turn things around — he’s been a steady, reliable bat throughout his career — but he was never meant to be an everyday solution. That’s why this is a spot the Braves should already be watching closely. It’s not a hole that’s likely to fix itself internally, and if the trade market really does start moving early, this is exactly the kind of need Atlanta could look to address sooner rather than later.
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(Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire)
