MLB Trade Rumors

We covered the National League League earlier today, so now let’s see what the American League’s 15 teams have done (so far) to address their least-productive positions from the 2024 campaign.  Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR breakdown is our guide, so let’s dive in…

Angels (Catcher, -0.5 bWAR): Most of the Angels’ offseason moves to date have understandably focused on pitching.  However, Los Angeles had plenty of pressing needs around the diamond that haven’t really been touched, including a -0.2 bWAR in right field and even 0.0 numbers at both second and third base in 2025.  Vaughn Grissom was picked up in a trade with the Red Sox, but the former top prospect is more of a reclamation project than a real answer for the Halos at second base.  Cody Bellinger is the biggest outfield name linked to the Angels on the rumor mill, but the trade of Taylor Ward to the Orioles might open up the right field spot for Jo Adell, which would allow the Angels to improve at that corner spot while creating a new vacancy in center field.  Beyond all of these other positions, catcher was actually the Halos’ biggest problem area of 2025, and the team got less from the catcher spot than any other team in baseball.  Despite the struggles of both Logan O’Hoppe and Travis d’Arnaud, it doesn’t appear as if L.A. is planning to focus too heavily behind the plate, perhaps because the club simply has so many other concerns up and down the roster.

Astros (First base/left field, 0.3 bWAR): Christian Walker disappointed in the first season of his three-year, $60MM free agent deal, leaving Houston still looking for stability at the position even in the post-Jose Abreu era.  Sliding Isaac Paredes over to first base would be an answer, except Walker isn’t receiving much interest on the trade market, leaving the Astros with an overcrowded infield.  If Paredes is used at DH, it forces Yordan Alvarez or perhaps Jose Altuve again in to left field duty, neither of which is an ideal situation.  It makes for an imperfect surplus for the Astros, and the team will need a bounce-back year from Walker to at least elevate things to “good problem to have” status.  If the infield situation is solved, the Astros could be looking for a more traditional left fielder, and preferably a player that swings from the left side to balance out the righty-heavy lineup.

Athletics (Third base, -0.3 bWAR): New acquisition Jeff McNeil is expected to primarily play second base, but he has experience at the hot corner and could end getting at least some action at third depending on how the A’s deploy their infielders.  McNeil will play pretty much every day in some capacity, but guys like Max Muncy, Darell Hernaiz, Max Schuemann, Brett Harris and Zack Gelof will all be utilized at second or third base.

Blue Jays (Second base/left field, 2.2 bWAR): Toronto wins the prize for the best “worst” positions of any team in baseball, as plenty of clubs would be more than satisfied with a 2.2 bWAR.  Bo Bichette’s free agency has left the second base spot in flux, as it is assumed that Andres Gimenez will move over to shortstop if Bichette departs….or perhaps even if he re-signs.  Gimenez is a much better defender than Bichette, and having Gimenez at shortstop and Bichette permanently moving to second base would greatly help the Blue Jays from a defensive standpoint.  If Bichette leaves entirely, Ernie Clement and/or Davis Schneider would likely take over the keystone.  As for left field, the current plan is to have George Springer and a healthy Anthony Santander split time between the DH spot and a corner outfield position, with left as the likeliest defensive placement.  This plan would remain in place even if the Jays signed Kyle Tucker, another rumored Toronto target.

Guardians (Right field, -1.8 bWAR): Steven Kwan continues to be a one-man band in Cleveland’s outfield, as Kwan’s 3.7 bWAR single-handedly kept the Guards’ outfield out of sub-replacement range.  Instead, the Guardians had “only” the third-worst cumulative outfield bWAR (0.8) of any team in baseball, as the lack of production in right field was followed by a -0.9 bWAR from the Guards’ center fielders.  Star prospect Chase DeLauter is the top candidate for an Opening Day role in either center or right field, and fellow rookies George Valera and Petey Halpin might battle for the other position if Cleveland wanted a primary outfield mix of Kwan and the youngsters.  While the Guardians are forever hesitant about spending money or blocking any homegrown prospects, adding a veteran outfield bat to help out at least a platoon capacity in center or right would help solidify the outfield picture.

Mariners (Right field, 0.5 bWAR): While Luke Raley and Victor Robles struggled in 2025, Dominic Canzone hit well and rather unexpectedly emerged as a regular against right-handed pitching down the stretch.  Rob Refsnyder was recently signed as a lefty-mashing element to Seattle’s position-player mix, and it is easy to see Refsnyder starting in right field whenever a southpaw is on the mound.  The Mariners’ DH spot is also still open, leaving plenty of room for the team to find at-bats for any of Refsnyder, Canzone, Robles, Raley in right field, and for any other regulars that could use a partial off-day in the DH capacity.

Orioles (Center field, 0.1 bWAR): Leody Taveras was signed to a one-year, $2MM deal to provide some depth up the middle, but a healthy season from Colton Cowser is what the O’s are counting on in terms of a center field upgrade.  After finishing second in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2024, the sophomore slump came hard for Cowser in terms of both injuries and a downturn at the plate.  Cowser was limited to 92 games due to a left thumb fracture and a concussion, plus he rather unwisely tried to play through the last three months of the season while dealing with two broken ribs.  There has been some speculation that Taveras was added as depth in advance of a possible trade of Cowser or Dylan Beavers, if Baltimore opted to move one of its talented young outfielders in change for a front-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Rangers (Bullpen -0.6 bWAR): Despite posting the fifth-best bullpen ERA in baseball, Texas had the second-lowest bWAR of any relief corps, ahead of only the Nationals in 2025.  It’s an unusual discrepancy that perhaps speaks to the vagaries of the WAR formula, yet Rangers relievers were only 17th in SIERA (3.86), 20th in strikeout rate (22.3%), and the fifth-best BABIP (.277) in the league.  Ironically, the bullpen is now a need more because many of the relievers who delivered such good numbers for the Rangers have now signed elsewhere — Shawn Armstrong headed to the Guardians, while Hoby Milner, Jacob Webb, and Phil Maton all joined the Cubs.  Chris Martin decided to forego retirement for another year with his hometown team, and the Rangers have also brought in Tyler Alexander, Alexis Diaz, and Carter Baumler to help fill some of the holes left open by the departed relievers.

Rays (Left field, 0.9 bWAR): The center field and right field slots only generated 1.0 bWAR apiece, so overall, the Rays didn’t get a ton from their outfield in 2025.  Cedric Mullins was signed to a one-year, $7MM deal to become the new primary center fielder, and Jacob Melton, Jake Fraley and Ryan Vilade were also brought in to further bolster the outfield mix.  Jonny DeLuca and Richie Palacios should both contribute more after being injured for almost all of last season, though Palacios could see now work at second base now that Brandon Lowe has been traded.  In classic Tampa roster churn fashion, several players (i.e. Christopher Morel, Jake Mangum, Everson Pereira, Kameron Misner) who got a good deal of playing time last year have already been traded away.  It’s fair to guess that more turnover is coming between now and Opening Day, as the Rays are forever looking to build for both the future and present.

Red Sox (First base, 0.3 bWAR): The trade for Willson Contreras instantly turns a weak spot into a potential strength.  Contreras’ right-handed bat should play nicely in Fenway Park, and it adds balance to the lefty-heavy top of Boston’s lineup.  Paredes, Kazuma Okamoto, and Pete Alonso were among the many other first base names linked to the Red Sox in reports, and Paredes or Okamoto might still emerge as possibilities at third base, rather than across the diamond.  Triston Casas’ knee surgery contributed to Boston’s lack of production from the first base spot in 2025, and a healthy Casas can both complement Contreras or provide help at DH next year, but there continues to be plenty of speculation that Casas will be traded.

Royals (Right field, -1.9 bWAR): The Royals fielded one of baseball’s worst outfields in 2024, and they were almost literally the worst in 2025 — only the Rockies had a lower outfield bWAR than Kansas City’s cumulative -0.7 mark.  The left field spot generated -0.7 bWAR, while Kyle Isbel’s excellent defense at least brought the center field position up to semi-respectability.  K.C. has already been more active in addressing their outfield, landing Isaac Collins in a trade with the Brewers and signing Lane Thomas as a bounce-back candidate for further depth.  The club is still on the hunt for more outfield help, and acquiring a better option for right field in particular would be ideal, given Thomas’ struggles in 2025 and Jac Caglianone’s unproductive rookie season.

Tigers (Shortstop, 0.7 bWAR): Javier Baez’s comeback season fell apart over the final three months of the season, and Trey Sweeney contributed next to nothing at the plate.  Utilityman Zach McKinstry is a decent part-time option, but the Tigers would likely prefer to keep McKinstry bouncing around the diamond.  With two years remaining on Baez’s contract and star prospect Kevin McGonigle perhaps on the verge of his MLB debut in 2026, Detroit will probably look for stopgap options at shortstop, if anything.  The Tigers had some interest in Ha-Seong Kim before Kim returned to the Braves on a one-year deal.

Twins (Right field, -0.3 bWAR): While right field was Minnesota’s worst position, shortstop wasn’t far ahead at -0.2 bWAR, as the Twins got less from the shortstop position than any other team in baseball.  Third base was also a problem area with 0.0 bWAR, but the hope is that Royce Lewis can finally stay healthy enough to deliver something close to a full season in 2026.  After trading away large chunks of their roster at the trade deadline, the Twins have stopped short of a full rebuild, so they could be looking to add to some degree for next season even if their adds will surely be of the lower-cost variety.  Minnesota might add a veteran utility infield type for depth purposes, but the team surely wants to view Lewis, Luke Keaschall at second base, and Brooks Lee at shortstop plenty of runway to (hopefully) establish themselves as true building blocks.  For right field, top prospect Walker Jenkins figures to make his MLB debut in 2026, so the Twins might again stick with Matt Wallner and/or Trevor Larnach until Jenkins arrives.

White Sox (First base, -0.8 bWAR): After Chicago’s 121-loss team in 2024 yielded six different positions that had sub-replacement bWAR totals, the Sox improved to just two subpar positions in 2025, between first base and left field (-0.3).  While this perhaps counts as damning with faint praise, the Sox took a much more prominent step forward by signing Munetaka Murakami to a two-year, $34MM deal.  Projected by MLBTR and several other pundits for a much more lucrative contract, the Japanese slugger’s market never really developed, and Murakami opted for a shorter-term deal with Chicago that allows him quick re-entry into free agency following the 2027 season.  If Murakami is able to prove critics wrong about his low contact rate and display some of the power he brought to the Yakult Swallows’ lineup, the White Sox will suddenly have plenty of pop from their first base position.

Yankees (Catcher, 0.6 bWAR): Austin Wells delivered a 107 wRC+ over 414 PA during his rookie season, but that production dropped back to a 94 wRC+ in 448 PA in 2025.  Defensively, Wells is a fantastic pitch-framer, and about average when it comes to throwing out baserunners or blocking.  There isn’t all that much for New York to be concerned by with the former top prospect, and when it comes to the catching position as a whole, the Yankees also have J.C. Escarra as a traditional backup and Ben Rice chipping in behind the plate when he isn’t at first base or DH.  It’s possible Rice might get more time behind the plate if the Yankees were to sign Cody Bellinger, but even if Bellinger got some time at first base, he’d primarily stick to left field while New York kept Rice as the first-choice first baseman and Wells as the starting catcher.

Opening Day is a little under three months away, so there’s still lots of time for clubs to fill roster holes.  As the new year approaches, however, let’s look at what each team has thus far done about fixing its biggest problem area from last season.  Using Baseball Reference’s position-by-position bWAR ranking as a guide, let’s begin with the 15 National League clubs…

Braves (Shortstop/left field, 0.8 bWAR): Claiming Ha-Seong Kim off the Rays’ waiver wire gave Atlanta a boost at the shortstop position late in the season, and perhaps laid the groundwork for Kim’s decision to return to the Braves on a one-year, $20MM contract.  A shoulder surgery in late 2024 delayed Kim’s 2025 debut until July, but a full and healthy season from the infielder should result in a nice upgrade for the Braves’ infield.  Even before Kim re-signed, Atlanta made another shortstop-related move by trading incumbent shortstop Nick Allen to the Astros for utilityman Mauricio Dubon, giving the Braves a solid backup option all over the diamond.  As for left field, Mike Yastrzemski was signed to deepen the outfield mix altogether, but having a full season of Jurickson Profar should alone help the position.  Profar missed 80 games due to a PED suspension, but posted a 122 wRC+ over 371 plate appearances in 2025.

Brewers (Shortstop, 0.7 bWAR): Joey Ortiz’s defensive work earned a standout +12 Outs Above Average, though the Defensive Runs Saved metric was less flattering, giving Ortiz a -2 for his 1217 2/3 innings at shortstop in 2025.  There was no debate about Ortiz’s hitting, as his .230/.276/.317 slash line over 506 PA resulted in the third-lowest (67) wRC+ of any player in baseball who took at least 500 trips to the plate.  There has been speculation that Brice Turang could be moved to shortstop if the Brewers feel more offense is needed from the position, though that would then require a replacement for Turang at second base (or for Chad Durbin at third base, if Durbin shifted over to the keystone).  Milwaukee’s had a pretty quiet offseason so far, and might be waiting to see where the bigger names in the infield market might land, in order to then explore options in the second or third tier of available free agents or trade targets.

Cardinals (Right field, -0.8 bWAR): Since the Cardinals are in rebuild mode, the club is prioritizing playing time for its youngsters, rather than necessarily looking for veteran upgrades.  This means Jordan Walker will get another chance as the primary right fielder, but it is worth wondering if this might be Walker’s last chance in the wake of unproductive 2024-25 seasons.  Between Walker’s struggles and Lars Nootbaar’s recovery from heel surgery, St. Louis could look to bring in a veteran outfielder on a one-year deal just to give the team some cover on the grass.  The Cardinals’ rebuild efforts could also bring another younger outfielder into the mix, perhaps in exchange for any of Brendan Donovan, JoJo Romero, or Nolan Arenado.

Cubs (Bullpen, 0.4 bWAR): Between re-signing Caleb Thielbar and bringing new additions Phil Maton, Jacob Webb, and Hoby Milner into the fold, Chicago has invested $24.25MM into its bullpen revamp this winter.  This counts as a spending spree by Jed Hoyer’s standards, as the president of baseball operations has traditionally eschewed devoting much payroll space to the pen.  Andrew Kittredge was traded to the Orioles in what was essentially a cost-cutting move to avoid Kittredge’s $9MM club option for 2026, but the Cubs also had bigger relief names (i.e. Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, and Ryan Helsley) reportedly on their radar before these pitchers signed elsewhere.  It leaves open the possibility that the Cubs might look to swing a trade for another reliever with closing experience, if the team would prefer to move Daniel Palencia into more of a high-leverage role rather than a strict closer deployment.

Diamondbacks (First base, -0.2 bWAR): Pavin Smith missed roughly half of the season due to injury, and even when healthy, Smith was shielded from left-handed pitching.  A right-handed hitting platoon partner seems like a must for the D’Backs, and while Luken Baker was just inked to a minor league deal, there has been rumors that Paul Goldschmidt could potentially be returning to the desert.  Beyond the first base position, Arizona also didn’t get much from left field (0 bWAR) or center field (0.1 bWAR) due to rough seasons from Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Alek Thomas.  Some kind of outfield help will be needed since Gurriel will be out until mid-2026 due to recovery from a torn ACL, and top prospect Jordan Lawlar has gotten some center field work in winter ball, just in case the D’Backs wanted to move him out of the infield picture.

Dodgers (Bullpen, -0.4 bWAR): Los Angeles won the 2024 World Series when the bullpen carried a shaky rotation, and the team’s latest championship came after the rotation stepped up big to bail out a shaky bullpen.  Tanner Scott was a bust in the first season of his four-year, $72MM contract, but since the Dodgers have the financial might to double down on addressing problems, the club made an even bigger splash by inking Edwin Diaz to a three-year, $69MM pact earlier this month.  Signing one of the sport’s top closers is a clear and obvious way to correct a major flaw, and solidifying the ninth inning should theoretically have the ripple effect of strengthening the rest of the bullpen.  Beyond the relief corps, L.A. left fielders also combined for a -0.3 bWAR, due in large part to Michael Conforto’s struggles.  Since Conforto won’t be brought back in free agency, Los Angeles could use Andy Pages more regularly in left field if Tommy Edman is now healthy enough for regular center field duty.  As always with the Dodgers, of course, another major acquisition is always a possibility, and the team has been linked to such headline names as Kyle Tucker and old friend Cody Bellinger.

Giants (First base, 0.1 bWAR): Rafael Devers played only 28 games at first base in 2025, and top prospect Bryce Eldridge had just four games at the position during his debut season in the Show.  This duo looks to have the first base/DH situation covered in San Francisco for years to come, so the cold corner doesn’t appear to be any kind of priority for the Giants this winter….unless Eldridge is perhaps traded.  Besides first base, left field was also a weak link with just a 1.0 bWAR, but the Giants seem likely to give Heliot Ramos a chance to bounce back from his underwhelming 2025 campaign.

Marlins (First base, -0.5 bWAR): Christopher Morel enjoyed a 26-homer season with the Cubs in 2023, but his production drastically fell off over the last two seasons.  It was enough for the Rays to non-tender Morel in November, but Miami stepped in to give Morel a one-year, $2MM contract and a shot at the first base position.  Morel has never played first base during his pro career, yet it seems like a logical spot for a player who has struggled defensively at multiple other positions.  Given how little the Marlins got from the first base spot in 2025, in a sense there’s nowhere to go but up in giving Morel a chance.  While the Marlins aren’t likely to be big spenders in general this winter, Morel’s deal is inexpensive enough that it wouldn’t necessarily prevent the team from pursuing a more proven first base option if one emerged on the free agent or trade markets.  The Fish also got only 0.2 bWAR from the designated hitter spot, so there’s some room there for Morel or another hitter, depending on how much time Miami wants to give Agustin Ramirez as either a DH or a catcher.

Mets (Designated hitter, 1.3 bWAR): The DH spot edged out the Mets’ collective 1.4 bWAR in center field as the least-productive position the board, but the rotation’s 6.6 fWAR was also among the lowest for any starter group in the game.  In what has been a fascinating offseason thus far in Queens, the Mets have said goodbye to Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Jeff McNeil, while Marcus Semien and Jorge Polanco were acquired to fill the gaps in the infield.  The DH spot might well more of a revolving door than a position that has a regular player taking the at-bats, but such center field candidates as Luis Robert Jr., Brenton Doyle, and even Bellinger have been mentioned.  Any number of high-profile moves could be plausible for a New York team that seems to be overhauling itself on the fly, while still planning to contend in 2026.

Nationals (Bullpen, -3.9 bWAR): It may surprise you to learn that the Rockies didn’t have baseball’s least-productive group of pitchers in 2025, as even Colorado (at 0.9 bWAR) finished ahead of the collective -0.6 bWAR posted by Washington’s pitchers.  The Nats were dragged down by their bullpen’s terrible performance, and not only have the Nationals not done anything to upgrade their relief corps, but they sent one of their more productive relievers in Jose A. Ferrer to the Mariners in exchange for catching prospect Harry Ford.  Newly-hired president of baseball operations Paul Toboni has been busy revamping the team’s front office and dugout staff, without much attention paid to date to Washington’s on-field product.  This includes the bullpen, as well as first base (-0.4 bWAR) and third base (-0.3 bWAR) as other particular weak links on an overall underachieving Nationals team.  While there’s plenty of offseason left, it certainly doesn’t seem like the Nats will be spending big to make a push to contend, so expect any or all of these holes to be filled by lower-cost additions.  If anything, D.C. might continue tearing things down if a rival team makes a good enough offer for MacKenzie Gore or CJ Abrams.

Padres (Left field, -0.1 bWAR): This is another case of a position that has already been addressed, as Ramon Laureano did a great job of stabilizing the left field position after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline.  The Padres made the easy call of exercising their $6.5MM club option on Laureano for 2026, though interestingly, the outfielder’s name has also come up in trade talks with the Mets.  It remains to be seen if those talks were anything beyond names being floated, or if San Diego could be clearing room for some kind of longer-term left field answer.  Assuming Laureano stays in left field, his presence probably keeps Gavin Sheets as San Diego’s primary DH, which should help boost the 0.3 bWAR the Padres got from the DH spot in 2025.  The catcher position also generated only 0.3 bWAR, but the Padres are hoping their deadline trade for Freddy Fermin helps solve matters behind the plate.

Phillies (Right field, -0.9 bWAR): Adolis Garcia’s diminished numbers over the last two seasons led the Rangers to non-tender the former ALCS MVP, but the Phillies stepped in to sign Garcia to a one-year, $10MM deal.  Despite Garcia’s struggles over the last two years, he was still more productive (3.0 bWAR to 0.0 bWAR) in that span in Nick Castellanos, and at the very least Garcia will be a huge defensive upgrade.  It is an open secret that the Phillies want to move on from Castellanos, and the team may end up just eating the $20MM owed to Castellanos in the final year of his contract if a trade partner can’t be found to cover at least a slim portion of that money.

Pirates (Second base, 0.0 bWAR): Beyond the goose egg from keystone, the Buccos also got 0.1 bWAR from center field, 0.4 bWAR from the DH position, and 0.6 bWAR from left field.  The team responded to this lackluster offensive showing with one of the busiest Pirates offseasons in years, as Brandon Lowe, Ryan O’Hearn, Jhostynxon Garcia, and Jake Mangum have all been acquired in a spate of trades and signings.  With O’Hearn and Spencer Horwitz likely handing the bulk of first base/DH duties, Lowe will probably be spending most of his time at second base, giving Pittsburgh an established veteran bat in what should be a big step forward at the position.

Reds (Third base, -0.4 bWAR): Ke’Bryan Hayes was acquired at the last trade deadline, and while his outstanding glovework improved the hot corner from a defensive standpoint, it wasn’t enough to drag the position’s overall production into the bWAR plus column.  Third base was just one of three infield positions that posted subpar bWAR numbers, as the Reds also got -0.3 from their second basemen and -0.1 from their first basemen.  All in all, Cincinnati’s collective 8.1 bWAR from non-pitchers was the lowest of any team in baseball in 2025 apart from the Rockies, making it a real testament to the Reds’ pitching staff that Cincinnati still reached the postseason.  The Reds haven’t done much of anything yet with their infield or with their offense as a whole, apart from a one-year deal with JJ Bleday signed just today.

Rockies (Rotation, -3.2 bWAR): The Nationals had a collective 11.9 bWAR in 2025, ranking 29th of the 30 teams.  Coming up 30th with an unspeakable -3.8 bWAR were the Rockies, as Colorado suffered through a nightmare of a 119-loss season.  The grim set of numbers include negative bWAR totals at first base, second base, DH, right field, and the outfield as a whole.  At the bottom of the barrel, however, was the rotation, as the Rockies’ starter ERA of 6.65 was the worst in modern baseball history.  New president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta hasn’t done much to address the rotation or much of anything roster-wise yet, perhaps due to the fact that DePodesta himself wasn’t hired until early November, after the offseason had officially gotten underway.  Whatever starting pitching adds the Rockies make figure to be of the low-cost variety on either the free agent or trade front, as Colorado is only in the early stages of what promises to be an extensive rebuild.