Ranking the Top 25 MLB Trade Candidates for 2023 Deadline
The 2023 MLB trade deadline is fast approaching. Teams will have until Tuesday, August 1, at 6 p.m. ET to put the finishing touches on their roster for the stretch run.
Before the rumor mill kicks into high gear, let's set the trade-market landscape with a rundown of the top 25 trade candidates who could be on the move this summer.
A few things we are assuming that are worth noting:
- Corbin Burnes (MIL) and Dylan Cease (CWS) are both staying put.
- The Chicago Cubs, New York Mets and San Diego Padres will all be sellers, with a focus on moving upcoming free agents.
- The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants will be buyers, so none of their potential trade candidates are on the list.
Players are ranked based on a combination of their expected contributions down the stretch, any remaining control beyond the 2023 season and the likelihood that they are traded ahead of this year's deadline.
With that out of the way, let's start with some honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
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Starting Pitchers
- RHP Carlos Carrasco, NYM
- RHP Mike Clevinger, CWS
- LHP Rich Hill, PIT
Relief Pitchers
- LHP Brad Hand, COL
- RHP Reynaldo López, CWS
- LHP Brooks Raley, NYM
- RHP Michael Fulmer, CHC
- RHP Chris Stratton, STL
Hitters
- 1B/OF Seth Brown, OAK
- OF Mark Canha, NYM
- 1B C.J. Cron, COL
- C Yasmani Grandal, CWS
- 1B Carlos Santana, PIT
Nos. 25-21
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25. RHP Keynan Middleton, Chicago White Sox
Middleton has been one of the offseason's most successful minor league signings, returning to the quality late-inning form he showed early in his career with the Los Angeles Angels. The 29-year-old has a 3.00 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 11.7 K/9 in 35 appearances, and with a $750,000 salary this year, he fits easily onto any contender's payroll.
24. RHP Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics
An All-Star last season when he finished with a 4.28 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 111.1 innings, Blackburn is a useful back-of-the-rotation starter on a contender. The 29-year-old is controllable through the 2025 season, and with a decent raise over his $1.9 million salary likely forthcoming during the offseason, the A's will be motivated to deal.
23. SS Tim Anderson, Chicago White Sox
With a .223/.258/.262 line and a 45 OPS+ that ranks dead last among 151 qualified hitters, Anderson has been terrible this year. However, the two-time All-Star was a .318 hitter over the past four seasons, and a change of scenery to a contender might be just what he needs to jump-start his season. His contract carries a $14 million club option for next year with a $1 million buyout.
22. RHP Lance Lynn, Chicago White Sox
A 6.06 ERA in 108.1 innings doesn't jump off the page, but Lynn has shown flashes of late, including brilliant starts on June 18 (7.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 17 K) and July 6 (7.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 11 K). The 36-year-old has been to the postseason seven different times, and if the White Sox pay down some of the remainder of his $18.5 million salary, he could be a nice pickup.
21. SS Paul DeJong, St. Louis Cardinals
DeJong hit just .157 and struggled to the point that he was demoted to the minors last year, but he has rebounded nicely this season with a 100 OPS+ and 12 home runs in 253 plate appearances. He has club options for 2024 ($12.5 million) and 2025 ($15 million), so he could either be a rental or a future addition.
Nos. 20-16
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20. RHP Justin Lawrence, Colorado Rockies
With stellar numbers and five remaining years of club control, Lawrence looks like a great sell-high trade chip for the Rockies. With a mid-90s fastball, wipeout slider and a deceptive crossfire delivery, he has a 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with five saves and eight holds in 39 appearances.
19. OF Tommy Pham, New York Mets
Pham was signed to a one-year, $6 million deal during the offseason to serve as the Mets' fourth outfielder, but he has played his way into the starting left field job. The 35-year-old hit .349/.387/.640 with seven doubles, six home runs and 18 RBI in 93 plate appearances in June, and he stands as one of the market's best rental bats.
18. OF Randal Grichuk, Colorado Rockies
Grichuk missed the first 27 games of the season recovering from sports hernia surgery, and he is hitting .300/.364/.473 for a 115 OPS+ with 24 extra-base hits in 225 plate appearances since he returned to action. A 30-homer slugger at his peak, he is playing in the final season of a five-year, $52 million deal.
17. RHP Michael Lorenzen, Detroit Tigers
With a 3.75 ERA and 1.13 WHIP in 93.2 innings, Lorenzen was Detroit's lone All-Star representative this year after inking a one-year, $8.5 million contract during the offseason. The Tigers sit just five games back in a wide-open AL Central race, so the next few weeks will likely determine if they buy or sell.
16. RHP Jack Flaherty, St. Louis Cardinals
After struggling to a 6.18 ERA over his first eight starts, Flaherty has five quality starts in his last nine outings, including back-to-back scoreless starts on July 1 (6.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER) and July 6 (6.2 IP, 9 H, 0 ER) to close out the first half. Still only 27 years old, he will be a free agent for the first time this offseason.
Nos. 15-11
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15. RHP Jordan Hicks, St. Louis Cardinals
Since taking over as the St. Louis closer in mid-June, Hicks has gone 7-of-8 on save opportunities with a 2.61 ERA and 9.3 K/9. With a triple-digit sinker and a slider that has generated a 55.8 percent whiff rate, Hicks has electric stuff and can be a game-changing rental arm for any contender's bullpen.
14. LHP Eduardo Rodríguez, Detroit Tigers
Rodríguez had a 2.13 ERA over 11 starts before missing nearly six weeks recovering from a ruptured finger pulley. He has allowed nine hits and seven earned runs across nine innings since returning to action on July 5 and will need to prove he's back to full strength for Detroit to maximize his trade value. The 30-year-old can opt out of the final three years and $49 million of his contract this offseason.
13. RHP Kyle Hendricks, Chicago Cubs
Hendricks missed the first 48 games of the season recovering from a tear in his right shoulder, but he has been quietly excellent since returning, posting a 3.57 ERA and 1.09 WHIP in 58 innings. He is on a short list of active players who have started Game 7 of the World Series, and thanks to a 3.12 ERA in 57.2 career postseason innings, his playoff experience makes him an attractive rental option.
12. RHP Scott Barlow, Kansas City Royals
Since the start of 2021, Barlow has racked up 6.0 WAR, a total that trails only Jordan Romano (6.6) among all relievers. The 30-year-old has a 2.63 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 with 51 saves and 20 holds in 172 games during that span, and with an additional year of club control in 2024 he will be a hot commodity at the deadline.
11. RHP Max Scherzer, New York Mets
Scherzer has not been the same Cy Young-caliber starter this year with a 4.31 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 101 strikeouts in 87.2 innings, but he is still a future Hall of Famer who can completely reshape a team's rotation. He will still be owed roughly $15.2 million of his $43.3 million salary on deadline day, and there is also significant future uncertainty with a matching $43.3 million player option for 2024. Can those hurdles be navigated in a potential deal?
Nos. 10-6
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10. RHP David Robertson, New York Mets
The most obvious trade chip on the Mets roster, Robertson has a 2.06 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 10.5 K/9 with 12 saves in 15 opportunities while filling in for the injured Edwin Díaz as the team's closer. With 767 career appearances—second among all active pitchers—he would bring a wealth of late-inning experience to any bullpen as a two-month rental.
9. LHP Jordan Montgomery, St. Louis Cardinals
Montgomery figures to be on the move for the second straight deadline before reaching free agency this offseason. The left-hander has a 3.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 96 strikeouts in 103 innings over 18 starts for the Cardinals this year, and he has been a reliable middle-of-the-rotation workhorse the past several seasons.
8. 1B/OF Cody Bellinger, Chicago Cubs
Non-tendered by the Dodgers last offseason, Bellinger signed a one-year, $17.5 million deal with the Cubs in hopes of rebuilding his stock, and he has done just that. The 2019 NL MVP is hitting .305/.362/.531 for a 139 OPS+ with 13 doubles, 12 home runs, 35 RBI and 11 steals while playing his usual solid defense in center field.
7. RHP Shane Bieber, Cleveland Guardians
With a 3.77 ERA and a career-low 19.4 percent strikeout rate, Bieber is not the same overpowering ace we have seen the last few seasons, but he can still be a major addition to a contender's rotation. The 28-year-old is currently sidelined with right elbow inflammation and he will be shut down for the next two weeks, but he can still make an impact down the stretch and next year with club control through 2024.
6. RHP Marcus Stroman, Chicago Cubs
Stroman would have been a lock for a spot inside the top five a few weeks ago, but a 7.71 ERA and 1.71 WHIP in his final three starts leading up to the All-Star break gave some reason for pause. He tossed six innings of three-hit, one-run ball against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday, and a couple more strong starts before the deadline should effectively erase that rough patch. The 32-year-old has a $21 million player option for next year that looks like a lock to be declined.
5. 3B Jeimer Candelario, Washington Nationals
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Age: 29
Stats: 125 OPS+, .260/.336/.477, 42 XBH (12 HR), 43 RBI, 2.8 WAR
The Washington Nationals took a one-year, $5 million flier on Jeimer Candelario after he was non-tendered by the Detroit Tigers, and it has been one of the biggest steals of the offseason.
His 2.8 WAR trails only Matt Chapman (3.8) and José Ramírez (3.2) among all third basemen, and he is one of only 22 players with at least 40 extra-base hits on the year.
Outside of Shohei Ohtani, he looks like the best rental bat on the market this summer, and that should mean a nice prospect return for the Nationals.
4. LHP Josh Hader, San Diego Padres
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Age: 29
Stats: 36 G, 22/25 SV, 1.06 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 13.5 K/9, 1.6 WAR
Josh Hader will likely be aiming to surpass the record-setting, five-year, $102 million deal that Edwin Díaz signed with the New York Mets last offseason in his first trip to free agency this winter.
Considering the San Diego Padres already have a ton of guaranteed money on the books, that payday is likely going to come elsewhere, so flipping him at the deadline if they decide to sell should be a no-brainer.
Even as a two-month rental, Hader could bring back a top-tier prospect as the potential missing piece in the late innings for a number of title contenders. Think Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs for Gleyber Torres in 2016.
3. RHP Lucas Giolito, Chicago White Sox
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Age: 29
Stats: 19 GS, 6-5, 3.45 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 34 BB, 117 K, 112.1 IP, 2.9 WAR
Lucas Giolito is the best player who is a lock to be traded before the deadline, as the next two players on this list are candidates to be moved but far from a sure thing to be playing elsewhere in August.
After a down year by his standards last season when he finished with a 4.90 ERA in 161.2 innings, Giolito has returned to front-line form this year, and he has gotten better as the season has progressed.
Since the start of June, he has a 2.45 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and a .182 opponents' batting average in 44 innings, and he is capable of providing ace-caliber production down the stretch and on into October as a rental.
2. LHP Blake Snell, San Diego Padres
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Age: 30
Stats: 19 GS, 6-7, 2.71 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 52 BB, 139 K, 103.0 IP, 2.7 WAR
If the San Diego Padres decide to sell, Blake Snell is going to be at the top of a lot of contenders' wish lists.
Simply put, for the better part of two months, he has been the best pitcher in baseball.
Over his last 10 starts, Snell has a 0.62 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 91 strikeouts in 58 innings while allowing a .156 batting average and .458 OPS to opposing hitters. He has not allowed more than two earned runs in a start during that stretch, and he picked up right where he left off coming out of the break with five shutout innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Saturday.
The Padres already have Joe Musgrove and Yu Darvish signed to lucrative long-term deals, along with all the money they've spent on position-player talent, so re-signing Snell seems like a long shot. They could hold on to him and make him a qualifying offer, but the prospect return right now would be significant.
1. DH/RHP Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels
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Age: 29
Hitting Stats: 180 OPS+, .302/.386/.661, 54 XBH (33 HR), 72 RBI, 4.0 WAR
Pitching Stats: 18 GS, 7-5, 3.50 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 46 BB, 139 K, 105.1 IP, 2.4 WAR
With an MLB-worst 5-14 record since June 18 entering play on Sunday, the Los Angeles Angels have gone from the thick of the AL wild-card picture to once again looking poised to miss the playoffs.
Their complete inability to field a contending team has all but assured that Shohei Ohtani is going to walk in free agency, and it would be irresponsible at this point for the front office to not entertain trade offers when the alternative is losing him for nothing more than qualifying offer compensation this winter.
As such, the club's potential asking price was revealed over the weekend:
What is two months of the greatest baseball player on the planet worth?
We might find out this summer.
All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and accurate through Saturday's games.
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