MLB trade deadline: Eugenio Suárez, Mitch Keller, Merrill Kelly among prized players who could move

PHOENIX (AP) — The Arizona Diamondbacks got the trade deadline party started on Thursday night when they dealt 2024 All-Star Josh Naylor to the Seattle Mariners for two pitching prospects.

That probably won't be the last time the D-backs make news before the July 31 deadline.

Arizona has had a disappointing season with a 51-57 record and now appears to be one of the most active sellers on the MLB market, dangling third baseman Eugenio Suárez and starting pitchers Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

The potential buyers include teams like the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers, who are all trying to beef up their rosters in hopes of a deep playoff run.

The market is heating up quickly: The Yankees acquired third baseman Ryan McMahon from the Rockies, while the Orioles traded left-handed reliever Gregory Soto to the Mets and right-hander Seranthony Dominguez to the Blue Jays.

The Royals are among the teams who look like they've decided to keep possible trade chips. Right-hander Seth Lugo was expected to be a prized addition at the deadline, but Kansas City decided to extend the veteran on a $46 million, two-year deal that goes until 2027.

The D-backs have been one of the most intriguing teams in baseball over the past few weeks because management has had to make a tough decision whether to buy or sell. Arizona had a 50-50 record after sweeping the St. Louis Cardinals following the All-Star break but were then swept by the Houston Astros, lost two of three to the Pittsburgh Pirates and two more to the Tigers.

Naylor's already gone and he'll help a Seattle lineup that could use a little more punch. Suárez is having one of the best seasons of his career, slugging 36 homers over 104 games, and is arguably the best bat on the market.

Here's a look at some of the top players who could be available as teams try to upgrade for the stretch run:

Suarez is just an average defensive third baseman these days, but that's not why teams want to acquire him. He's got the kind of bat that can carry a team for weeks at a time, major pop from the right side of the plate. He has 312 career homers, is well-liked in the locker room and has been productive in limited postseason at-bats with a .300 average.

The 29-year-old Keller has been overshadowed in the Pirates' rotation thanks to the emergence of young star Paul Skenes, but the right-hander has been a reliable starter for the past four seasons and was an All-Star in 2023. The one catch is it'll take a sizable haul for the Pirates to make a deal: He's under contract through 2028 as part of a relatively reasonable $77 million, five-year deal.

Gallen is having the worst full season of his career with a 7-12 record and 5.60 ERA but could still be an attractive add for a team that needs a starter. The 29-year-old right-hander has been one of the top pitchers in the National League over the past five years, finishing in the top 10 of the Cy Young Award voting in 2020, 2022 and 2023. His stuff is still good and he's had a handful of dominant starts this season.

The 36-year-old righty has quietly been one of the most consistent pitchers in baseball with a 9-6 record and 3.22 ERA. He was also excellent during the D-backs' postseason run in 2023 with a 3-1 record, 2.25 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 24 innings. Kelly doesn't have an overpowering fastball but has a five-pitch mix that has consistently delivered results.

The 29-year-old Alcantara isn't the same pitcher he was when he won the 2022 NL Cy Young Award, but the right-hander still has quite a bit of upside. He's allowed just one unearned run over 12 innings in his last two starts, which might help his value. His rotation partner Edward Cabrera — another right-hander — could also garner attention with a 3.35 ERA over 18 starts.

The 31-year-old is having a career year with a .284 average, .375 on-base percentage and 12 homers, helping him earn All-Star honors for the first time in his career. His left-handed bat would be useful in a contender's lineup.

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Miami Marlins starting pitcher Sandy Alcantara pitches during the first inning of a baseball game against the Kansas City Royals, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Merrill Kelly throws against the St. Louis Cardinals during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Seth Lugo pitches during the second inning of a baseball game against the Miami Marlins, Friday, July 18, 2025, in Miami. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Arizona Diamondbacks' Eugenio Suárez, left, watches the flight of his three-run home run as St. Louis Cardinals catcher Yohel Pozo, right, looks on during the first inning of a baseball game Sunday, July 20, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Singer D4vd has been arrested on suspicion of killing a 14-year-old girl whose decomposed body was found last year in his apparently abandoned Tesla that was towed from the Hollywood Hills, authorities said Thursday.

Los Angeles police said in a brief statement that the 21-year-old Houston-born alt-pop singer whose legal name is David Burke was being held without bail on suspicion of murder after his arrest in the investigation of the killing of Celeste Rivas Hernandez.

Police said investigators would present a case to prosecutors at the Los Angeles County District Attorneys Office on Monday. The office said in its own statement that it is aware of the arrest and its Major Crimes Division will review the case to determine whether there is enough evidence to file charges.

The singer had been under investigation by an LA County grand jury looking into the death of Rivas Hernandez. The probe was officially secret, but its existence — and the designation of D4vd as its target — was revealed on Feb. 25 when his mother, father and brother filed an objection in a Texas court to subpoenas demanding they testify.

Emails seeking comment from an attorney and a publicist who have previously worked with D4vd were not immediately returned. His representatives have not responded to multiple previous requests from The Associated Press for comment on the case.

The long-dead body of Celeste Rivas Hernandez was found in a Tesla on Sept. 8, a day after she would have turned 15. She was a 13-year-old seventh grader when her family reported her missing in 2024 from her hometown of Lake Elsinore, about 70 miles (112 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles. Authorities give her age as 14 when she was killed in court documents.

The 2023 Tesla Model Y was registered in the singer's name at the Texas address of his subpoenaed family members, according to court filings from prosecutors. It had been towed from an upscale neighborhood in the Hollywood Hills where it had been sitting, seemingly abandoned.

Police investigators searching the Tesla in a tow yard found a cadaver bag “covered with insects and a strong odor of decay,” court documents said, and “detectives partially unzipped the bag and observed a decomposed head and torso.”

Investigators from the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office removed the bag and “discovered the arms and legs had been severed from the body,” according to court documents. A second black bag was found under the first, and dismembered body parts were inside it. No cause of death has been publicly revealed.

Authorities had not publicly named D4vd — pronounced “David” — as a suspect prior to the arrest.

D4vd gained popularity among Generation Z fans for his blend of indie rock, R&B and lo-fi pop. He went viral on TikTok in 2022 with the hit “Romantic Homicide,” which peaked at No. 4 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs chart. He then signed with Darkroom and Interscope Records and released his debut EP “Petals to Thorns” and a follow-up, “The Lost Petals,” in 2023.

When the body was discovered, D4vd had been on tour in support of his first full-length album, “Withered.” Later, the last two North American shows, in San Francisco and Los Angeles, along with a scheduled performance at LA’s Grammy Museum, were canceled, as was the European tour that was to have begun in Norway.

This story has been corrected to show that D4vd is 21, not 20 years old.

FILE - American singer-songwriter, David Anthony Burke, aka D4vd, performs on the Casino stage during the 58th Montreux Jazz Festival (MJF), in Montreux, Switzerland, July 19, 2024. (Cyril Zingaro/Keystone via AP, File)