Top Trade Deadline Candidates

We’re bringing back our annual series in the run-up to the trade deadline, drawing from our power ranking approach to pending free agents. As the summer trade market develops on a fairly tight timeline, you can expect more regular updates when modifications to the list are warranted. We’re already seeing real action this year; most recently, Edwin Encarnacion was moved to the Yankees. (He had been listed in the #4 spot below in the initial draft of this post.)

The methodology, if you can call it that, is pretty straightforward. We’re ordering players based upon a combination of trade value and trade likelihood.

In terms of trade value, we’re starting with overall on-field value — with a premium on an ability to make an impact in the current season — and then adjusting for contract and market factors. With contenders’ needs in relatively sharp focus, limitations such as future contract status, age, and niche role (platoon bats, relief-only pitchers) tend to have less of a drag on value — though obviously they still matter quite a bit.

With regard to trade likelihood, the focus is on potential selling teams’ motivation to deal, with contract status, near and long-term roster fit, and overall competitiveness all weighing heavily. Some teams simply aren’t presently in a position where it makes sense to include their top potential trade chips, but that will evolve over the coming weeks.

It’s subjective; it’s debatable; and that’s what makes it fun. Here’s the first list, with some additional names and teams to keep an eye on appended at the end (all statistics current as of June 13th):

1. Will Smith, RP, Giants: What really is there to say? A shut-down rental closer who throws from the left side and isn’t all that expensive ($4.225MM) … yeah, that’s going to be a popular trade target. Smith would upgrade every contender’s roster and suit every payroll. Accordingly, the acquisition cost will be high. Want more on Smith? Read this.

2. Madison Bumgarner, SP, Giants: This version of Bumgarner shares quite a few attributes with the vintage article, but there are some telltale signs of age and wear. He’s posting an 11.6% swinging-strike rate, but is allowing 1.35 home runs per nine. He’s back over 92 mph with his average fastball, but opposing hitters have an 89.7 mph exit velocity and 43.4% hard-hit rate (career-worst figures for MadBum). He’s affordable, but not a bargain at a $12MM annual salary. Bumgarner is a very good and highly likely trade candidate, but probably not a top-shelf rental starter who’ll draw high-end prospect talent.

3. Marcus Stroman, SP, Blue Jays: “Controllable starter” alert! Everybody wants those, it seems. The 28-year-old is earning $7.4MM this year with another arb campaign remaining. While the Jays could hold if they fancy a shot at contention next year, or see a path to an extension, it seems like a good opportunity to cash in a pitcher that has had some ups and downs. The inconsistencies and acquisition cost will be of concern, but Fangraphs’ Craig Edwards just explained why just about every team in baseball ought to have some level of interest in the grounder-heavy righty.

4. Justin Smoak, 1B/DH, Blue Jays: Did you miss on Encarnacion? Well, perhaps a cheaper, somewhat younger, switch-hitting piece whose more capable of playing first base would be a better fit. Smoak now stands out as the top rental bat, as he’s turning in a third-straight productive season at the plate at an affordable $8MM salary.

5. Kirby Yates, RP, Padres: The Friars are putting out word they’d need to be overwhelmed to deal Yates, who is the organization’s latest ultra-successful salvage reliever. But the fact that the club is interested in fielding offers at all represents an indication of a potential willingness to deal on a player who comes with another season of arb control. Yates has arguably been the best reliever in baseball this year and he’s earning peanuts. There ought to be some competition once Ken Giles of the Blue Jays is back from the IL, but for now Yates appears to be the top potential relief target.

6-7. Tony Watson (Giants) & Jake Diekman (Royals), RP: It’s hard to imagine that these southpaws won’t change uniforms this summer. Watson has flaunted his exceptional command by leading the league with a ridiculous 42.9% chase rate and walking less than a batter per nine. He’s easily worth his own healthy $6.5MM payday. The deal also includes some not-insignificant incentive pay based upon appearances, along with a player option that provides Watson with injury/performance protection, so that’ll factor in to the trade return. Diekman has by some measures been better than ever. The 32-year-old is humming along at a 17.3% swinging-strike rate. He’s dishing out a typically hefty volume of walks, but is showing some added promise in that regard by throwing first strikes at a career-best 61.9% clip. Diekman is amply affordable, too. He’s promised just $2.25MM this year, with a $500K payout for a 2020 mutual option.

8. Nicholas Castellanos, OF, Tigers: Though his age advantage isn’t quite as relevant in a rental scenario, the 27-year-old does offer some benefits over the hitters noted above. He has reeled off a string of quality seasons at the plate and is an increasingly palatable outfield defender, thus increasing his potential roster matches. The $9.95MM salary shouldn’t be much of a barrier. Castellanos has also boosted his output since a tepid start, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see him climb this board in the weeks to come.

9-10. Matthew Boyd, SP, Tigers; Whit Merrifield, INF/OF, Royals: If we were ranking possibly available players by trade value alone, these two would take the top spots. Boyd is turning in a breakout effort in his Super Two season, leaving three years of highly valuable control remaining. Merrifield has only further established himself as a quiet star who’d fit on every roster in baseball. He’s also now inked to a contract that made sense for him but also unlocked yet more value for the K.C. organization. Just how willing these organizations are to deal these players remains to be seen, but both are sure to draw widespread interest and significant offers.

11-12. Sam Dyson (Giants) & Shane Greene (Tigers), RP: Good setup men are always in demand, so these experienced high-leverage hurlers will hold appeal. Neither has to be dealt, with a season of arb control remaining, but the time feels right for a move in both cases. Neither is a dominant strikeout pitcher, but both feature quality K/BB numbers and good groundball rates. Dyson is earning his $5MM salary with 32 frames of 2.53 ERA pitching that’s fully supported by his peripherals (8.4 K/9 vs. 1.4 BB/9, 59.3% groundball rate). Greene isn’t going to keep up an absurd 0.96 ERA, but he is certainly throwing the ball well (9.3 K/9 vs. 2.6 BB/9, 51.4% groundball rate). He’s a nice piece at a $4MM salary with another arb year to go.

13-14. Tanner Roark (Reds) & Jordan Lyles (Pirates), SP: We’re not going to bury these NL Central competitors just yet, as they are still within striking distance and won’t want to sell if they don’t have to. But both face uphill battles and it’ll be awfully tempting to cash in on some veterans, particularly those on expiring contracts. Roark has exceeded expectations in Cincinnati and could be a nice piece this summer if the division is truly out of reach. Ditto Lyles, who is currently on a brief injured list respite but is already penciled in for a return start later this week. Roark is earning a hefty but fair $10MM salary, while Lyles is promised just $2.05MM on the year.

15. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Giants: We already took a look recently at the Panda, who’s available for sale or rent. TL;DR: If you’re a team of means by no means, he just might make you king of the road. (Sandoval has a 142 wRC+ away from Oracle Park, thus supporting my over-played cultural reference. Here’s a split of greater real-world relevance: the switch-hitter has been much better against right-handed pitching.)

16-17. Alex Colome (White Sox) & Mychal Givens (Orioles), RP: Though he’s carrying a 2.30 ERA, Colome is unlikely to maintain a .113 BABIP-against. With anticipated regression mixed in, the 30-year-old looks like much the same pitcher he has always been. It’s nice that he has been doing a solid job in the closer’s role for the White Sox, but that’s not going to sway many GMs in this day and age. He’s eligible for arbitration in 2020 but is already earning a hefty $7,325,000 salary. With the White Sox hoping to stay in the race this year and increase their competitiveness next season, there are some scenarios where Colome ends up staying in Chicago. You could say the same of Givens. While the O’s lack any reason for holding onto him for his immediate MLB value, he could be held in hopes of a bounceback. Givens is earning only $2.15MM this year and is controllable for two more seasons. You might wonder whether he’s even really marketable at this point. I’d argue he is. Though he has been shredded by home runs, along with the rest of the Orioles staff, Givens is sitting at a customary 95+ mph with his heater and is getting swings and misses at a career-best 14.9% rate. Plenty of teams around the game would love to get ahold of Givens and his powerful right arm.

18-19. Corey Dickerson & Melky Cabrera OF, Pirates: The Bucs are in much the same position as the Reds. We’re in no rush to say they can’t make a run. But the word is that the Pirates are interested in moving Dickerson even as they field offers on Cabrera. That’s a bit odd in some respects, given that the former is younger, is a more capable fielder, and has a better recent overall recent past at the plate. But the Pirates may prefer Cabrera from a value perspective, while some other teams may rather have Dickerson even though he costs more. Regardless, roster pressures are pushing a move of some kind here even if the Pittsburgh org tries to remain competitive past the trade deadline.

20. Andrew Cashner, SP, Orioles: Did I say starting pitcher? In that role, Cashner has been a marginal performer. And he’s earning $8MM with some incentives available for more. (Cashner almost certainly won’t throw enough innings for his 2020 option to vest.) It’s tough to imagine a contender viewing him as a big rotation upgrade after 70 1/3 innings of 4.73 ERA ball on the heels of a poor 2018 showing, but he could function as a fill-in piece down the stretch. Much more intriguing is the possibility of moving Cashner into a flexible relief capacity, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams has argued. Cashner is sitting at 94 with his four-seamer and his change has become a weapon; perhaps he’ll finally find his calling in a new-age role. The O’s will probably have to eat money and won’t be able to hold out for a huge return, but there ought to be some interest in a market that could end up being rather weak in rental pitching.

21-22. Dee Gordon (2B) & Mike Leake (SP), Mariners: Gordon is doing enough at the plate for his speed to play. His defensive metrics have faded but perhaps scouts still believe in the glovework. Leake is also still a useful player, tallying a 4.14 ERA over 95 2/3 innings despite allowing 2.07 homers per nine. Both are quite expensive, but the M’s have already proven capable of sorting out the financials in deals involving Jay Bruce and Edwin Encarnacion. Leake’s no-trade rights will play a role in his market situation.

23-24. Danny Duffy (Royals) & Jeff Samardzija (Giants), SP: Duffy is owed $15MM and change for this year and the two that follow; Shark is earning $18MM this season and next. Neither has been especially impressive this year, and both have shown velocity declines, but they’re each functioning as capable starters who could be useful pieces this year and into the future. Their respective clubs will need to eat money and temper expectations on the prospect side if they’re to make deals.

25-26. Trey Mancini (Orioles) & Hunter Renfroe (Padres), OF: The Baltimore org is “open to anything” when it comes to its best player, while the San Diego outfit is willing to consider scenarios involving its own corner outfield slugger, who has drawn interest. Both of these players are going into arbitration this fall, the latter as a Super Two, so there’s no real rush from that perspective. For the O’s, it’ll be tempting to cash in one of the org’s few desirable deadline pieces. For the Friars, there’s an outfield logjam that will ultimately have to be cleared in some manner.

27-30. Craig Stammen (Padres), Francisco Liriano (Pirates), David Hernandez & Jared Hughes (Reds): Here we have a group of affordable, grey-haired vets who have generally been on nice late-career kicks. These guys will all be surefire trade candidates — if their teams decide to fold up shop. There’s still some uncertainty there, but it seems quite likely that several (if not all) of these hurlers will swap uniforms this summer.

31. Mike Minor, SP, Rangers: The window for a Minor deal is getting smaller even as his value increases. It’ll be hard for the Texas club to move him so long as it has a plausible shot at a Wild Card berth, particularly with a new ballpark on the horizon. Minor could instead be targeted for an extension, either over the summer or in the offseason to come. Trade offers may prove tempting, making for some tough tradeoffs for the Rangers front office to weigh.

32. Freddy Galvis, SS, Blue Jays: The switch-hitting shortstop is taking down $4MM this year with a $1MM buyout for 2020. Galvis has fallen way off his hot early pace and presently carries a .254/.293/.425 slash. He does feature a capable glove and has been known to run into a pitch (ten home runs in 266 plate appearances this season). It’s not a terribly exciting profile, but it’s also quite easy to imagine Galvis filling a useful role for the right contender. He ranks above the next group of names because he’s likelier to be moved as a pure rental on a no-doubt seller.

33-35. Derek Dietrich (Reds),  Tim Beckham (Mariners) & Jonathan Villar (Orioles), INF: This year’s market does have some interesting infield pieces. Why go for a boring, glove-only piece when you can add some potential fireworks? All three of these players come with one additional season of arbitration control, effectively delivering floating-value, zero-buyout options to an acquiring team. Dietrich has been electric at the plate and can play multiple positions. While he’s not known as a strong defender, the metrics have graded him as average at second base thus far in 2019. He’s earning only $2MM this year. While Cincy second baseman Scooter Gennett is nearing a return, he’s also slated for free agency at season’s end. The other two orgs are in more obvious seller stances, but also have reasons to want to hang onto these players. Beckham is a questionable defender at short, but he’s earning only $1.75MM and has real power along with a propensity for hot streaks. He could well fit the M’s roster in 2020. Villar would seem the likeliest to be cashed in, though the O’s will want to maintain some standards at the MLB level. He’s a well-regarded and versatile defender who has some home run pop of his own along with excellent speed. Villar is owed $4.825MM for the season.

36-37. Ian Kennedy (Royals) & Mark Melancon (Giants), RP: These two righties are vastly overpayed for their present ability levels, but that won’t preclude swaps. The former has found new life as a reliever; while he carries only a 3.86 ERA through 28 innings, he’s working at a highly promising combination of 11.6 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. It’s the opposite case for Melancon, whose useful 3.49 ERA in 28 1/3 frames is not quite supported by the peripherals. He is sporting a 61.0% groundball rate but has seen his typically stingy walk rate jump to 3.8 per nine and he’s only managing 7.6 K/9 as his chase rate continues to plummet.

38-39. Felipe Vazquez (Pirates) & Raisel Iglesias (Reds), RP: It’ll take a concerted effort to pry one of these arms free. That hasn’t happened in the past, though these two NL Central relievers often end up on these lists. These clubs may well fall out of the race by the time July draws to a close, but they’ll still be hoping for near-term contention thereafter. Vazquez and Iglesias are each pitching on cost-efficient contracts. The former is especially valuable, as he’s among the game’s best lefty relief arms and is cheaply controlled through 2023. The latter hasn’t been quite as dominant and his deal isn’t as appealing (it runs through 2021), but those factors perhaps also make him a more achievable target for contenders.

40-41. Brandon Belt, 1B, Giants & Wil Myers, OF, Padres: In theory, each of these players can appear at the position stated for the other. But they’re most likely to be considered at the spots listed. Both have hefty contracts that aren’t likely to be picked up in full. In the case of Belt, concussion worries create long-term risk. As for Myers, he just hasn’t performed to the levels he’s being paid. But it’s not hard to imagine both players being of interest. Belt is back to being an under-appreciated hitter, with a .248/.372/.461 slash and nine home runs over 250 plate appearances. Though Myers is humming along at a league-average clip with the bat, he has historically performed at about ten percent above league average at the plate, offers real defensive versatility, and can add value with his legs on the bases.

42-43. Kevin Pillar (Giants) & Billy Hamilton (Royals), OF: These are specialized, glove-and-run pieces who’d only make sense for certain clubs. But there’s often a need for such players. Pillar and Hamilton haven’t proven capable of commanding regular time but could be handy reserve pieces.

44. Adam Duvall, OF, Braves: After a brutal late-season run last year, Duvall was somewhat surprisingly tendered by the Braves. He hasn’t been needed in the majors despite raking at Triple-A. With a $2,875,000 salary, he’s an expensive back-up plan. It’ll be tempting to shed the remaining obligation and trade in his remaining two years of team control to help pay for other desired upgrades. Duvall could hold appeal to some contenders, particularly those that want their purchase to come with future value, or be sent to a rebuilding outfit.

45-46. Jose Abreu, 1B, White Sox & Alex Gordon, OF, Royals: Why aren’t they higher?! How can you even put them on this list?! There are two sides to this coin. Both of these pending free agents would be of real interest to contenders, as they’re highly respected veterans that are performing well in 2019. Large salary obligations are but a point of negotiation. Thing is, the Sox have continued to indicate that they see an ongoing connection with Abreu. And the situation is similar for Gordon and the Royals, with the added complication that he has no-trade rights and a disinclination to move. That said, things can always change, so they command a spot on the list for the time being.

47-48. Zack Wheeler, SP, Mets & Anthony Rendon, 3B, Nationals: These NL East rivals seem less likely to pack it in on July 31st than some of the other sub-.500 teams whose players feature above. After entering the season with big payrolls and bigger expectations, it’d be awfully tough to admit defeat unless the odds are truly insurmountable. That said, Wheeler and Rendon would arguably be the top pure rental players available if they hit the market, so they claim back-of-the-list spots. These clubs each have other conceivable rental pieces as well as more controllable stars. It seems premature to begin batting around concepts involving players such as Noah Syndergaard and Max Scherzer.

49-50. Trevor Bauer (SP) & Brad Hand (RP), Indians: It has been said that the Indians are “poised” to listen on these two excellent hurlers, but what does that really mean at this stage of the season? The Cleveland club may have miscalculated on the division-leading Twins, but it also sits at 4 games over .500 after weathering some major injuries and surprising performance issues. It’ll be a tall order to run down their rivals from Minnesota, but it’s not out of the question. And a Wild Card berth remains amply plausible. While it will prove tempting to consider some repositioning moves to bring in more affordable/controllable assets, that’s awfully hard to do when you’re a strong postseason contender.

Injured List

Ken Giles (Blue Jays), Mitch Haniger (Mariners), Jose Urena, Neil Walker, Martin Prado & Caleb Smith (Marlins), Josh Harrison, Jordy Mercer, Tyson Ross & Jordan Zimmermann (Tigers), Alex Wood & Scooter Gennett (Reds)

Watch List

Blue Jays: Daniel Hudson, Joe Biagini, Aaron Sanchez, David Phelps, Eric Sogard

Orioles: Shawn Armstrong, Dylan Bundy

Tigers: Niko Goodrum, JaCoby Jones, Gordon Beckham

Royals: Brad Boxberger, Wily Peralta, Lucas Duda, Jorge Soler, Brad Keller, Scott Barlow, Jakob Junis, Terrance Gore, Martin Maldonado

Mariners: Domingo Santana, Roenis Elias, Cory Gearrin, Wade LeBlanc

Marlins: Starlin Castro, Curtis Granderson, Sergio Romo, Adam Conley, Wei-Yin Chen

Giants: Reyes Moronta, Joe Panik, Stephen Vogt, Drew Pomeranz, Derek Holland, Trevor Gott

White Sox: Kelvin Herrera, Yolmer Sanchez, Yonder Alonso, Welington Castillo, Ivan Nova, Evan Marshall, James McCann

Padres: Manuel Margot, Robbie Erlin

Pirates: Kyle Crick, Steven Brault, Chris Archer, Gregory Polanco, Starling Marte

Nationals: Max Scherzer, Sean Doolittle, Howie Kendrick, Yan Gomes, Matt Adams

Mets: Noah Syndergaard, Edwin Diaz, Seth Lugo, Todd Frazier, Wilson Ramos, Adeiny Hechavarria, Jason Vargas

Angels: Tommy La Stella, Kole Calhoun, Jonathan Lucroy

Reds: Yasiel Puig, Anthony DeSclafani, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, Zach Duke, Jose Iglesias

Cubs: Ian Happ

Yankees: Clint Frazier