While each trade deadline differs in the details, it typically follows the same broad pattern. There are buyers and sellers and teams hoping to do a little bit of both. There’s the team that should sell but will buy, and the team that will mysteriously stand pat. You’re right to think of recent vintages of the Angels on both counts.To get a sense of the 2026 trade deadline, let’s examine seven “archetypes” for a deadline acquisition: the ace, the shutdown closer, the one-time star, the extra bat, the back-end starter, the reliever you’ve never heard of, and the guy for next year. Not every trade falls into these categories; most of the deals will be for a reliever you have heard of who is not a shutdown closer. But how do this year’s versions of those archetypes match up to previous deadlines?With apologies to Donn Clendenon and Tom Seaver and Rick Sutcliffe, our archetypes are limited to players acquired after the trade deadline was pushed back from June 15 to around July 31. Sorry also to Justin Verlander and Cody Ross and Doyle Alexander, all of whom were acquired via waiver trades in August; those don’t happen anymore.The AceThe Archetype: CC Sabathia (2008 Brewers)
Last year’s version: Merrill Kelly (Rangers)
