Ranking Top 25 Potential Trade Chips of the 2022-23 MLB Offseason
The MLB offseason is fast approaching, and it's never too early to start setting the landscape for another busy winter of wheeling and dealing on the trade market.
While much of the attention this offseason will focus on the free agency of superstars like Aaron Judge, Trea Turner and opt-out candidates Jacob deGrom, Xander Bogaerts, Carlos Correa, expect an active trade market as well.
Ahead we've counted down the top 25 potential trade candidates to know for the upcoming offseason. It's a mix of speculative trade candidates and players who have previously seen their names pop up on the rumor mill. Likelihood that a player is traded helped us narrow our list to 25 players, while remaining years of control and salary commitment factored into where players fell in the rankings.
Off we go!
Nos. 25-21
1 of 13
25. LHP Madison Bumgarner, Arizona Diamondbacks
With three years and $50 million remaining on his contract, Bumgarner is an intriguing salary-dump candidate. The D-backs are a team on the rise, and finding a way to free up that salary could go a long way in helping them shore up the roster. The 33-year-old had a 4.88 ERA in 158.2 innings last season, and attaching a quality prospect to him could be enough to entice a team to buy low and absorb a sizable chunk of his remaining salary.
24. CF Ramón Laureano, Oakland Athletics
Laureano has averaged 4.2 WAR per 162 games over the course of his career, but between injuries and a performance-enhancing drug suspension, he has only played more than 100 games once in five years in the big leagues. His mix of power, speed and center field defense gives him solid upside, and entering his second year of arbitration he's an obvious trade candidate for the penny-pinching Athletics.
23. RHP Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals
The Nationals have stripped their roster to the studs, but they do still have an attractive trade chip in Finnegan. The 31-year-old has club control through the 2025 season, and he posted a 3.51 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 9.5 K/9 with 11 saves and 14 holds in 66 appearances in 2022. A low-cost option with late-inning experience is always an in-demand profile for teams looking to improve the relief corps.
22. SS Isiah-Kiner Falefa, New York Yankees
With Oswald Peraza impressing in a cup-of-coffee and Anthony Volpe quickly rising the ranks, shortstop is a crowded position for the Yankees. Kiner-Falefa logged an 84 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits and 22 steals in 142 games in his first season in New York, tallying 2.9 WAR on the strength of his defensive tools. The 27-year-old has one year of control remaining, and he could be a nice consolation prize for teams that miss out on the offseason shortstop sweepstakes.
21. RF Max Kepler, Minnesota Twins
With Byron Buxton locked in as the starting center fielder and Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach and Nick Gordon all in the mix for playing time at the corner outfield spots, the Twins could consider moving Kepler this winter. The 29-year-old is owed $8.5 million in 2023 in the final guaranteed season of his five-year contract, and that's a reasonable enough figure for teams to roll the dice on him returning to the 36-homer, 4.0-WAR form he showed in 2019.
Nos. 20-16
2 of 13
20. RHP Joe Jiménez, Detroit Tigers
While left-hander Gregory Soto has been Detroit's closer the last two seasons, Jiménez was the team's best reliever in 2022. The 27-year-old posted a 3.49 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 12.2 K/9 with 11 holds in 62 appearances, and his 5.6 percent walk rate was a career low. He earned just $1.8 million in 2022 and is entering his final year of arbitration control.
19. CF Cody Bellinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
Bellinger is a non-tender candidate for the Dodgers after another disappointing season. The 2019 NL MVP had a 78 OPS+ and 1.2 WAR in 144 games this year, posting an ugly .265 on-base percentage and a 27.3 percent strikeout rate while commanding a hefty $17 million salary. That could climb close to $20 million in his final year of arbitration, so look for the Dodgers to test the trade market before potentially cutting ties with a non-tender.
18. 1B Ji-Man Choi, Tampa Bay Rays
Solid pop and strong on-base skills have made Choi an underrated performer for several years running, and he had a 114 OPS+ with 22 doubles, 11 home runs and 1.1 WAR in 113 games in 2022. However, with a $3.2 million salary in 2022 that is likely to climb north of $5 million in his final year of arbitration, he's an obvious cost-cutting casualty for the budget-conscious Rays.
17. RHP Zach Plesac, Cleveland Guardians
From breaking COVID-19 protocols in 2021 to breaking his hand punching the mound in September, Plesac has been a bit of a headache for the Guardians. The 27-year-old had a 4.31 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 100 strikeouts in 131.2 innings this season, and with a $2 million salary in 2022 and a healthy arbitration raise coming his way, he could be a budget casualty for the Guardians, who would still have Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill anchoring the rotation.
16. LHP Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins
An All-Star and the NL Rookie of the Year runner-up in 2021, Rogers struggled to find the same level of his success this year, posting a 5.47 ERA and 1.51 WHIP in 107 innings. His 4.36 FIP provides a bit more optimism than his surface-level numbers, but a spike in his batting average allowed from .218 to .274 shows he was simply more hittable. With club control through 2026, he still represents a valuable trade chip as Miami tries to upgrade the offense.
Nos. 15-11
3 of 13
15. LHP Braxton Garrett, Miami Marlins
Another potential trade candidate for the Marlins as they search for offensive upgrades, Garrett posted a 3.58 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 90 strikeouts in 88 innings. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2016 draft dealt with injuries during his time in the minors, and he struggled to a 5.18 ERA in 41.2 innings in limited MLB action in 2020 and 2021, but he now looks like a young starter on the rise. Still just 25 years old, he is controllable through the 2027 season.
14. RHP Scott Barlow, Kansas City Royals
Barlow ranks second among all relievers over the past two seasons with 5.6 WAR, trailing only Emmanuel Clase (5.7) during that time. The 29-year-old has a 2.30 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 10.2 K/9 with 40 saves and 20 holds in 140 games over that span, and with club control through the 2024 season, moving him now is the best way to maximize his value.
13. 1B C.J. Cron, Colorado Rockies
An All-Star for the first time this season, Cron posted a 107 OPS+ with 28 doubles, 29 home runs and 102 RBI in 150 games. The Rockies signed him to a two-year, $14.5 million extension after he put together a 3.4-WAR season in 2021 and balked at trading him at the deadline, but expect to hear his name come up on the rumor mill this winter for teams looking to add some middle-of-the-order power.
12. RHP David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pirates are still multiple years away from contending in the NL Central, and that makes Bednar a luxury in the ninth inning. The 28-year-old converted 19 of 23 save chances with a 2.61 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 12.0 K/9 in 45 appearances, and he was also named to the All-Star team for the first time. Do the Pirates expect to legitimately contend before he reaches free agency after the 2026 season? If not, now is the time to sell high.
11. RHP Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics
Blackburn entered the 2022 season with a 5.74 ERA and 1.49 WHIP in 138 innings over the previous five years while shuttling between Triple-A and the majors. The offseason trades of Chris Bassitt and Sean Manaea opened up a spot for him in the rotation, and he had a 3.62 ERA in 18 starts during the first half to earn an All-Star selection. A hand injury shut him down for the year in early August, but with a clean bill of health and control through the 2025 season, he could be the next Oakland pitcher out the door this offseason.
10. C Danny Jansen, Toronto Blue Jays
4 of 13
A breakout season from Alejandro Kirk and the rise of top prospect Gabriel Moreno could leave Danny Jansen as the odd man out for the Toronto Blue Jays at the catcher position.
The 27-year-old missed time early in the 2022 season with an oblique strain, then took another trip to the injured list with a fractured hand, which opened the door for Kirk to take on a larger role.
That said, Jansen still finished with a 141 OPS+ while slugging 15 home runs in 248 plate appearances, and his 2.9 WAR in 72 games was tied for eighth among all catchers. At a thin position leaguewide, he would represent an upgrade for a number of teams.
9. LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
5 of 13
Left-hander Tarik Skubal was one of the few bright spots for the Detroit Tigers this season before undergoing flexor tendon surgery in August, a procedure that is expected to sideline him for six to nine months.
The 25-year-old had a 3.52 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 117.2 innings, tallying 10 quality starts in 21 outings, and with team control through the 2026 season, he would seem like an obvious long-term building block for the Tigers at first glance.
However, that didn't stop the Detroit front office from entertaining offers for him at the deadline, and with a new general manager set to take the reins, it could be a busy offseason for the Tigers following a disappointing 2022 campaign.
8. LF Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
6 of 13
Outfielder Ian Happ hit .274/.364/.443 with 34 extra-base hits in 368 plate appearances during the first half of the 2022 season, earning an All-Star selection and emerging as one of the top bats on the trade market.
A trade seemed so certain that he shared an emotional moment with fellow trade candidate Willson Contreras after the Chicago Cubs' final home game before the trade deadline, but Aug. 2 came and went, and he stayed put.
"Simply trading players to say you got prospects that you don’t believe in or don’t find very talented, that doesn’t make anything great at all. We never found deals that exceeded the value of the players we had," general manager Jed Hoyer told reporters.
His production dipped a bit after the break, but he still posted a 119 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 17 home runs, 72 RBI and 4.3 WAR in 158 games. With free agency looming after the 2023 season, expect to hear his name mentioned frequently on the trade block once again this winter.
7. RHP Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
7 of 13
Right-hander Lucas Giolito turned in a breakout season in 2019, emerging as the ace of the staff for the Chicago White Sox, and he followed that performance up with equally impressive seasons in 2020 and 2021.
Unfortunately, the 28-year-old took a step backward in 2022, logging a 4.90 ERA and 1.44 WHIP while serving up a .272/.338/.455 line to opposing hitters.
His 4.06 FIP and 177 strikeouts in 161.2 innings are still a good indication of his long-term upside, but change is coming for the White Sox this offseason after a disappointing 81-81 finish. With free agency awaiting after the 2023 season, Giolito is the most obvious trade candidate on the South Siders roster.
6. CF Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 13
The Pittsburgh Pirates signed third baseman Ke'Bryan Hayes to an eight-year, $70 million extension, but they have yet to nail down a long-term deal with center fielder Bryan Reynolds.
The 2021 All-Star signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal to buy out his first two seasons of eligibility, but he still has two remaining years of arbitration on the back end of that contract as a Super Two player, putting him in position to hit the open market after the 2025 season.
After hitting .262/.345/.461 for a 126 OPS+ with 27 home runs, 62 RBI and 3.0 WAR in 145 games, he has established himself as one of the top offensive center fielders in baseball, and the 27-year-old could be pried loose for the right price.
5. C Sean Murphy, Oakland Athletics
9 of 13
Sean Murphy has steadily developed into one of the best two-way catchers in baseball, hitting .250/.332/.426 for a 120 OPS+ with 37 doubles, 18 home runs and 66 RBI while throwing out 31 percent of base stealers and once again playing Gold Glove-caliber defense.
With club control through the 2025 season, he would seem like an obvious long-term building block for most teams, but for the tight-fisted Oakland Athletics, he now looks like a clear trade candidate.
A significant raise is coming his way in his first year of arbitration, and with Shea Langeliers getting his feet wet in the majors and both Tyler Soderstrom and Daniel Susac rising the minor league ranks, the club's catching depth could make him the next homegrown star out the door.
4. RHP Pablo López, Miami Marlins
10 of 13
Pablo López was one of the NL Cy Young front-runners during the first half of the 2022 season, posting a 2.86 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 104 innings before the All-Star break.
He failed to maintain that level of dominance after the break but still finished with a 3.75 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 174 strikeouts in a career-high 180 innings, tallying 3.0 WAR in 32 starts to solidify his standing as a frontline starter.
Sandy Alcántara and Jazz Chisholm Jr. might be the only untouchable players on the Miami Marlins roster, and with a glaring need to improve their offensive production, López could be the trade chip that helps reshape their entire outlook.
3. 3B Rafael Devers, Boston Red Sox
11 of 13
With Xander Bogaerts expected to opt out of his contract and Nathan Eovaldi, J.D. Martinez, Michael Wacha, Rich Hill and several others also headed for free agency, the Boston Red Sox are at a crossroads.
In order to contend in the short term, they will need to sign multiple impact starting pitchers and late-inning relievers, not to mention plug the holes in the middle of the lineup left behind by Bogaerts and Martinez if they wind up signing elsewhere. The path they decide to take will directly impact whether they pursue an extension with third baseman Rafael Devers or shop him on the trade market.
"We don’t know what’s going to happen in the offseason,” Devers told reporters. “Obviously I’m open to talk to them. And we’ll see what happens."
After posting a 141 OPS+ with 42 doubles, 27 home runs and 4.4 WAR in 141 games, Devers has established himself as one of the best offensive players in baseball, and with free agency awaiting after the 2023 season, now is the time to either extend him or flip him for future pieces.
2. RHP Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
12 of 13
Milwaukee Brewers ace Corbin Burnes earned $6.5 million in his first year of arbitration last offseason after winning NL Cy Young honors, and that number will likely climb north of $10 million this offseason.
That might not sound like a prohibitively large figure, but for a Brewers team that just flipped All-Star closer Josh Hader at the deadline to save a few million dollars, it's not out of the question to think Burnes could be traded this winter.
The fact that Milwaukee has not yet begun extension talks is also an ominous sign with free agency fast approaching after the 2024 season.
"You would think maybe there would have been some initial talks last offseason, but nothing," Burnes told reporters.
It's unlikely both Burnes and Brandon Woodruff will be retained long-term, and after falling short of the postseason, change could be coming for Milwaukee this offseason.
1. RHP/DH Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
13 of 13
The fact that Shohei Ohtani agreed to a one-year, $30 million deal with the Los Angeles Angels, avoiding his final year of arbitration in the process, does not mean he is not going to be traded.
In fact, it might make a trade even more likely.
Teams value cost certainty, especially during the offseason when they are trying to sort out how much financial flexibility they have to make moves. Locking in Ohtani's salary rather than playing the waiting game to see what his record-breaking final year of arbitration would cost makes it easier for other teams to budget for a potential trade.
The fact that the Angels were even willing to listen to offers for Ohtani at the deadline speaks volumes, and Ohtani's future status is going to be one of the biggest storylines of the 2022-23 offseason.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.
