A number of relievers move every deadline season. Almost every contender could at least upgrade upon the seventh or eighth man in their bullpen. Others urgently need to bring in one or more high-leverage pieces. Teams outside the playoff picture are usually willing to field offers on their relievers, particularly on middle innings arms.
This summer's market will feature a few obvious names. Carlos Estévez and Tanner Scott are good impending free agent closers on bad teams. They're going to move. Yimi García, John Brebbia, Luis García, Dylan Floro, Scott Alexander, T.J. McFarland, Derek Law and Jalen Beeks are affordable rental middle relievers on clubs that are at best fringe contenders. They could each go for a mid-tier prospect. Hunter Harvey, Kyle Finnegan and Michael Kopech -- each of whom are controllable through 2025 -- have already been the subject of trade rumors. So has A's breakout closer Mason Miller, although Oakland would need to be blown away to move him with another five years of team control.
Those are some of the more obvious options. Most teams will cast an even wider net, though, identifying a few players of interest who aren't prototypical trade candidates. There are typically a couple controllable relievers who find themselves on the move even if they weren't the subject of many pre-deadline rumors. Scott Effross and Colin Holderman fit that bill a couple years ago. Jose Cuas, Peter Strzelecki and Manuel Rodríguez were dealt at last summer's deadline.
Predicting long shot trade candidates is by definition going to lead to more misses than hits. Most of the following players will still be on their current teams come August. Yet I'll try to identify a few controllable bullpen pieces who have a small but realistic chance to be traded in the next couple weeks.
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Someone send this to stearns
Agree with you sir,Kimbrel will self detonate guaranteed.
Yes send kimbrel to Norfolk despite him being one of the best closers in the game so that the O’s can have another lefty hitting corner outfielder at the major leagues
Stowers is already 26 and has shown very little at the major league level.
I’d add Chad Green; he’s not as costly as Yimi would be and has pitched 7 to 9
I’d assume cost would be the same as Green comes with next year too
The phillies need to go after Tanner Scott or Estevez
Dumbrowski believes Alvarado is the man or maybe it is Hoffman but it isn’t either. Dumbrowski spent over 250 million to assemble this juggernaut but leaves legitimate closer vacant. Right handed power bat to replace Hoskins vacant. Shameful.
I never thought Alvarado was good in a closer role, he seems best as a setup man
I could see the Phillies as the main candidate for Scott even though Scott is known for choking in high stakes, Scott has the stuff and would make the Phillies have 3 strong lefty’s (strahm Alvarado Scott) and 2 strong righty’s (Dominguez Hoffman) in the bullpen
Mets should make a trade with the Angels and get Estevez and Matt Moore for their bullpen
Is Aaron Loup a free agent ?
Kopech just seems like the perfect candidate for a team that has a pitching coach that could fine tune him like the Braves did to Lopez.