10 MLB Stars Most Likely to Be on the Trade Block by 2023 Deadline
Baseball fans everywhere are on the edge of their seats for spring training to begin, especially with just one football game left to pass the time.
Yet we're already looking ahead at the big names who could be available by the trade deadline this year.
Free agency was fun, and the offseason trade market had its moments. But the trade deadline is its own level of entertainment given what's at stake during the season and how much better we'll know the teams by that point.
So, let's take a look at the 10 MLB stars most likely to be on the trade block by this year's deadline.
C.J. Cron, Colorado Rockies
1 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post reported he Rockies have listened to offers for Cron, who will make $7.25 million in his final season before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
It makes sense to get something for Cron before he leaves in free agency, especially considering the expectations have to be low in Colorado right now.
On top of this, the Rockies have 24-year-old Michael Toglia, who they likely want to see more of at first base.
The Rockies should go all-in on the youth movement, even if they feel more comfortable with an established power bat in the lineup like Cron's.
Who He Can Help: The Tampa Bay Rays need a first baseman after trading Ji-Man Choi, and the Rays' lack of thump in the lineup has always separated them from other contenders.
It is worth noting the drastic difference in Cron's home/road splits. He slashed .303/.354.601 with 22 home runs and 75 RBI at Coors Field last year, as opposed to .214/.279/.340 with seven homers and 27 RBI on the road.
His numbers at Tropicana Field are somewhere in between (.248/.333/.451 slash line with 13 home runs in 309 plate appearances).
Corbin Burnes, Milwaukee Brewers
2 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Burnes' name has been floated as a legitimate trade candidate for months by some of baseball's top insiders.
As arguably baseball's best pitcher since moving into Milwaukee's rotation midway through the 2020 season, any team serious about winning should check on Burnes' status with the Brewers.
The two sides are headed for arbitration to determine a salary this year for Burnes, who's previously expressed disappointment with the lack of extension talks.
Who He Can Help: The Los Angeles Dodgers. Again, any contender would be smart to pursue a deal for Burnes, who won the NL Cy Young Award in 2021 after leading the NL in strikeouts and ERA.
Adding Burnes by the deadline would be like the free-agent move the Dodgers failed to make this offseason.
The addition of Noah Syndergaard and a healthy Dustin May to start the season will help the Dodgers stabilize a rotation that was among the NL's best last year.
But trading for Burnes is their best way to match up with the New York Mets signing Justin Verlander and losing Trea Turner to the Philadelphia Phillies. Other NL teams have gotten better while the Dodgers have seemed content mostly staying the same.
Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
3 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Allocating a lot of money to Happ does not fit their long-term plan. At least, that is what logic would tell you if the two sides fail to agree on an extension.
Happ is coming off his best season but could walk in free agency after this year. Coupled with the Cubs' recent struggles and with no guarantee they will be in contention by the deadline, Happ seems likely to change uniforms.
The Cubs had an impressive offseason and certainly look closer to turning things around. The question is whether Happ, who finally showed the consistency they wanted to see in Chicago this past season, will be a part of it.
Who He Can Help: The New York Yankees. They need a left fielder, and it's possible the one they want, Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds, will be too expensive in a trade.
As a switch-hitter, a number of teams could find Happ useful. But given how close yet so far the Yankees are from the Astros, they will almost certainly be looking for an upgrade around the trade deadline.
.png?w=256)
Matthew Boyd, Detroit Tigers
4 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Someone else will have more use for him by the deadline. The Tigers brought back Boyd on a one-year deal, but it's hard to imagine them contending in the American League after such a disappointing 2022 season.
If the Tigers resemble anything close to last season's team, buyers will check in to see what's up with Boyd.
He was non-tendered by the Tigers last year before signing with the San Francisco Giants, who then traded him to the Seattle Mariners.
Boyd spent much of last season still working his way back from flexor tendon surgery. When we finally returned to the big leagues in September, he pitched 13 ⅓ innings with a 1.35 ERA and 24.5 percent strikeout rate.
Who He Can Help: The Baltimore Orioles. They don't have the starting pitching to really stack up against the game's elite, but they won't be a surprise to the baseball world like they were last year. No more sneaking up on anyone.
The Orioles have a legitimate chance to compete for a wild-card spot. If they are in the mix around the deadline, adding an experienced pitcher like Boyd could be valuable.
Bryan Reynolds, Pittsburgh Pirates
5 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Reynolds has made his intentions clear. Either sign him to the long-term extension he feels he deserves or grant the trade request.
To the Pirates' credit, they don't seem inclined to trade him for less than they think he's worth.
It's interesting because both sides acknowledge Reynolds' tremendous value—the player wanting the contract and the team wanting a king's ransom in a trade—but are so clearly far apart on how tremendous that value is.
By the deadline, the Pirates are more likely to be enticed if an extension isn't reached.
Reynolds has a lifetime 126 wRC+ and 127 OPS+, an instant upgrade to any team.
Who He Can Help: The Texas Rangers.
They keep swinging for the fences with these big-time free-agent moves, but the outfield still has one glaring weakness.
Bring in Bryan Reynolds to replace Bubba Thompson in left field, and it changes the seriousness of Texas' lineup.
Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds
6 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: It's time to move on after a memorable 17 years.
Last season ended prematurely when the 39-year-old Votto suffered a rotator cuff tear in his left shoulder, which required surgery in August.
It's not clear he will be ready for Opening Day. But the Reds should start imagining life without Votto, if they haven't already.
This is the final guaranteed season of the $225 million extension he signed with Cincy in 2012. Considering it would take a miracle for the Reds to play any meaningful baseball this year, good teams should be looking at Votto, even if it's just as a designated hitter.
Who He Can Help: The Tampa Bay Rays. Votto and C.J. Cron are similarly situated as good players on bad teams who will be of interest to contenders looking for hitting.
The Rays traded Ji-Man Choi to the Pittsburgh Pirates this offseason and could stand to have more accomplished replacement options. Cron or Votto would fit this bill.
Josh Donaldson, New York Yankees
7 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: It's an interesting case we've discussed before, in that the reason why Donaldson will be dealt is the same as why he perhaps will not.
No one really seems interested in trading for him, and as bat speed increasingly becomes a question for the 37-year-old former AL MVP, he's not as valuable to the Yankees anymore either.
They don't want to keep Donaldson for the $21 million he's set to make in 2023 and would seem unlikely to be interested in his $6 million mutual option for 2024.
This is the last year with Donaldson and the Yankees, one way or another, so they will deal him if there are legitimate takers.
Who He Can Help: The Milwaukee Brewers. They did not get a ton of production from third base last season, with four players combining to slash .220/.312/.344.
Looking at their depth chart now, there really isn't a clear answer for improving those numbers this season.
The Brewers checked in with the Minnesota Twins about Donaldson two years ago, but it was considered a long shot because of the massive money left on his deal at the time.
Enrique Hernández, Boston Red Sox
8 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: If he's not one of their most important players this season after a forgettable year both individually and the Red Sox as a team, it is useless to keep him beyond the trade deadline.
Hernández, who was injured from early June until the middle of August with a strained right hip flexor, will be trying to replicate his 2021 season, which was arguably the best of his career. Even if he does so or comes close to it, it would be worth dealing him if the Red Sox don't look competitive.
Is Hernández still the same player who hit 20 home runs and 19 doubles when he first arrived in Boston? Or is he the utility player he was with the Los Angeles Dodgers?
Who He Can Help: The Colorado Rockies. It's not because he would make them a contender or anything like that.
The Rockies are just so bad at center field. Their trio of Yonathan Daza, Randal Grichuk and Garrett Hampson shared center last season and combined for a 0.1 fWAR.
Hernández would at least give the Rockies a legitimate center fielder.
Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox
9 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: Anderson is entering the last guaranteed year of his deal, as the White Sox hold a club option for 2024.
This means he's under team control for the next two seasons, and there should not be a hurry to trade him.
But what if the White Sox have another letdown year like they did in 2022?
Sure, Anderson was often unavailable for much of it, missing 83 games due to injury, but how close are the White Sox to starting over? If it looks like the AL Central belongs to the young Cleveland Guardians again and Anderson is healthy and performing well, Chicago could look to strike while the iron is hot.
Who He Can Help: Atlanta.
Maybe Vaughn Grissom is the answer at shortstop for Atlanta. That's the plan going into the season, and it certainly could work.
But Anderson is an established star who would immediately upgrade the lineup and team trajectory.
Not that it matters much, considering Dansby Swanson was an Atlanta-area native, but Anderson also grew up about a three-hour drive away in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He'd perfectly fit there.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
10 of 10
Why He'll Be Dealt: The writing appears to be on the wall.
Absent a massive extension from the Angels, one that would surely shatter anything we've seen before in baseball, expect Ohtani to be wearing a new uniform sooner than later.
Arte Moreno's recently announcement that he no longer plans to sell the team could mean more urgency to hold onto the game's biggest star. But no one really seems to believe Ohtani plans on staying there long-term.
If the Angels have another disappointing season, which has become the standard for this franchise, their reset lies in the return they would get for Ohtani.
Who He Can Help: Let's think about this for a second. Who could use a supremely athletic, power-hitting unicorn who is also one the best pitchers in baseball?
*all 29 other MLB teams raise their hands in unison*
.png?w=480)
