2025 MLB Draft: ESPN releases new mock with major twist involving trades

The 2025 MLB Draft is less than two full weeks away, with the first round set to begin on Sunday, July 13 in Atlanta. Ahead of draft weekend, ESPN has released a brand new mock with an intriguing twist – trades!

Of course, MLB teams are not allowed to trade draft picks, unless it is a Competitive Balance pick. Still, ESPN decided to have some fun and let its panel of experts move around with some deadline-style trades, just as you’d see in the NFL, NHL or NBA.

While these trades obviously will not, and cannot happen, they provide a glimpse into what MLB teams could be thinking approaching the trade deadline too. MLB’s trade deadline is July 31 at 4 p.m. ET.

There’s still uncertainty right at the top of this MLB Draft class, with the Washington Nationals undecided on who to take with the top pick. That just shows how wide open this class feels to be at this point.

1. Washington Nationals: LSU LHP Kade Anderson

Kade Anderson starred as LSU’s ace this season, helping lead the Tigers to win the College World Series. He made 19 starts in 2025, going 12-1 with a 3.18 ERA and a 1.059 WHIP across 119 innings.

Even more impressively, Anderson struck out 180 batters compares to just 35 walks. He has elite swing-and-miss stuff on the mound, and seems to be trending as a favorite for the Nationals with the top pick.

2. Los Angeles Angels: Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle

Liam Doyle has played three years of college baseball, each at a different school. He started at Coastal Carolina in 2023 before transferring to Ole Miss in 2024 and Tennessee in 2025.

This season, though, was his best. He made 19 appearances (17 starts) for the Volunteers, finishing the year 10-4 with a 3.20 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He struck out 164 while surrendering just 32 walks, and has vaulted himself into contention for one of the top picks in the 2025 MLB Draft.

3. Seattle Mariners: Florida State LHP Jamie Arnold

Jamie Arnold entered the season as a candidate to be the No. 1 overall pick, and while that seems less likely now, he’s still a solid bet to go in the top five. 2024 was the best of Arnold’s three seasons at Florida State, pitching to a 2.98 ERA and a 1.09 WHIP with 159 strikeouts to 26 walks across 105.2 innings.

This year, Arnold was down to 84.2 innings and pitched to a 2.98 ERA with a 1.063 WHIP. He still struck out 119 compared to 27 walks, establishing himself as one of this year’s top pitchers.

4. Colorado Rockies: Stillwater HS (OK) SS/3B Ethan Holliday (Oklahoma State commit)

Long viewed as the favorite to be selected with the first overall pick, that’s no longer a slam dunk for Ethan Holliday. The younger brother of 2022 No. 1 pick Jackson Holliday and the son of former MLB star Matt Holliday, Ethan could still become the top prep player in this draft class.

There are some swing-and-miss concerns in Holliday’s bat, but he also possesses impressive power from the left side of the plate. He’s not out of the running for the Nationals at No. 1, either.

5. St. Louis Cardinals: Purvis HS (MS) SS JoJo Parker (Mississippi State commit)

JoJo Parker is part of a loaded crop of high school shortstops at the top of the 2025 MLB Draft. Parker brings a strong all-around bat to the plate, with a mix of power and ability to work counts.

Parker might profile more as a second baseman at the MLB level, but he’ll likely get a crack at playing shortstop to kick off his career. Either way, he’s in play in the top ten and goes all the way up at No. 5 in ESPN’s mock.

6. Pittsburgh Pirates: Oregon State SS Aiva Arquette

After spending the first two years of his collegiate career at Washington, Aiva Arquette transferred to Oregon State prior to the 2025 season. That decision proved to be a good one, as he turned in career-best numbers, hitting .354 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI. He slugged .654 with a 1.115 OPS, establishing himself as the top college bat in this class.

Arquette has played all over during his college career. Shortstop is his primary position, with 67 games there in his career. But he also has 50 games at second base and four at third base. That, paired with a .333 career average and an OPS above 1.039 across three seasons, will have him going very early on draft day.

7. Miami Marlins: Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (OK) SS Eli Willits (Oklahoma commit)

Many view Eli Willits as the second-best high school shortstop in this class, but he’s the third prep bat to go in ESPN’s mock. He is a fantastic hitter at the plate, with tremendous bat-to-ball skills with a great eye for the strike zone.

Willits is a switch-hitter, and he should develop into a plus fielder at shortstop too. He’s an intriguing upside pick, and there is some speculation linking him to even higher picks, too.

8. Toronto Blue Jays: Corona HS (CA) RHP Seth Hernandez (Vanderbilt commit)

Coming into the year, it wouldn’t have been surprising to see Seth Hernandez be a top pick. That hasn’t changed, either, though he goes at No. 8 in ESPN’s MLB mock draft.

Hernandez sits consistently in the mid-90s with his fastball, and can get into the upper 90s and even triple digits as well. With a plus changeup and a curveball that projects to be a plus pitch, Hernandez brings loads of potential to the table as a power right-handed arm.

9. Cincinnati Reds: Oklahoma RHP Kyson Witherspoon

Kyson Witherspoon got his first taste of college baseball in 2024, part of Oklahoma’s final season in the Big 12. There, he made 11 starts and pitched to a 3.71 ERA with a 1.36 WHIP across 80 innings with 90 strikeouts to 40 walks.

In 2025, he developed into a bonafide ace as Oklahoma transitioned to the SEC. Witherspoon made 16 starts, pitching to a 2.65 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP with 124 strikeouts and just 23 walks across 95 innings.

10. Chicago White Sox: Corona HS (CA) SS Billy Carlson (Tennessee commit)

Billy Carlson continues to grow as a prospect, rounding out the top ten in ESPN’s latest MLB mock draft. He has a good all-around bat with room for growth, and he has worked on getting faster over the last year, too.

Where Carlson is most intriguing is in the field. Some scouts have him as high as a 70-grade with his arm, which makes sense considering he was once viewed as a two-way prospect. He has legitimate five-tool potential.

ESPN’s 2025 MLB mock draft: Picks 11-40

11. TRADE – Tampa Bay Rays (via ATH): Hewitt-Trussville HS (AL) SS Steele Hall (Tennessee commit)
12. Texas Rangers: Auburn RF/C Ike Irish
13. San Francisco Giants: Arizona OF Brendan Summerhill
14. TRADE – Athletics (via TB): Arkansas RHP Gage Wood
15. Boston Red Sox: Great Oak HS (CA) 3B Gavin Fien (Texas commit)
16. Minnesota Twins: Wake Forest SS Marek Houston
17. TRADE – Cleveland Guardians (via CHC): Tennessee SS/2B Gavin Kilen
18. Arizona Diamondbacks: UC Santa Barbara RHP Tyler Bremner
19. Baltimore Orioles: Arkansas SS Wehiwa Aloy
20. Milwaukee Brewers: Mount Vernon HS (WA) 3B Xavier Neyens (Oregon State commit)
21. Houston Astros: Texas A&M OF Jace LaViolette
22. Atlanta Braves: Mill Creek HS (GA) SS Daniel Pierce (Georgia commit)
23. Kansas City Royals: Wake Forest OF Ethan Conrad
24. Detroit Tigers: Indiana OF Devin Taylor
25. San Diego Padres: Johnson HS (TX) SS Kayson Cunningham (Texas commit)
26. Philadelphia Phillies: Wesleyan Christian HS (NC) 3B Josh Hammond (Wake Forest commit)
27. Cleveland Guardians: North Carolina C Luke Stevenson
28. Kansas City Royals: IMG Academy (FL) 2B/CF Sean Gamble (Vanderbilt commit)
29. Arizona Diamondbacks: Summit HS (OR) CF Slater de Brun (Vanderbilt commit)
30. Baltimore Orioles: Coastal Carolina C Caden Bodine
31. Baltimore Orioles: Newnan HS (GA) SS Dax Kilby (Clemson commit)
32. Milwaukee Brewers: Sunset HS (OR) LHP Kruz Schoolcraft (Tennessee commit)
33. Boston Red Sox: Tennessee 3B Andrew Fischer
34. Detroit Tigers: Arkansas LHP Zach Root
35. TRADE – Arizona Diamondbacks (via SEA): Clemson OF Cam Cannarella
36. Minnesota Twins: Alabama RHP Riley Quick
37. Tampa Bay Rays: Nazareth Academy HS (IL) OF Jaden Fauske (LSU commit)
38. New York Mets: Oaks Christian HS (CA) 3B Quentin Young (LSU commit)
39. New York Yankees: Hauppauge HS (NY) C Michael Oliveto (Yale commit)
40. Los Angeles Dodgers: Lincoln-Way East HS (IL) SP Jack Bauer (Mississippi State commit)

ESPN’s 2025 MLB mock draft: Full list of trades

• Tampa Bay Rays acquire No. 11 pick from Athletics in exchange for No. 14 pick, No. 86 pick
• Cleveland Guardians acquire No. 17 pick, OF Kevin Alcantara, RP Luke Little from Chicago Cubs in exchange for RP Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland’s third-round pick
• Arizona Diamondbacks acquire No. 35 pick from Seattle Mariners in exchange for 3B Eugenio Suarez