Under-the-Radar MLB Trade Candidates Who Can Swing Pennant Races
Luis Robert Jr., Mason Miller, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Garrett Crochet, Jack Flaherty, Bo Bichette and Tanner Scott are among the top candidates who could be moved before the July 30 trade deadline.
However, it's often the more under-the-radar additions who help solidify contending teams en route to making deep playoff runs in October.
With that in mind, here's a look at nine under-the-radar trade candidates who could make a major impact on the pennant race.
Nathan Eovaldi: SP, Texas Rangers
1 of 9
A right groin strain forced Nathan Eovaldi to miss most of May. That plus what's been a disappointing season from the defending World Series champion Rangers have kept Eovaldi from being mentioned consistently as a top trade candidate.
Eovaldi is in the second season of a two-year, $34 million deal. However, if he pitches 300 innings between 2023 and 2024, it will give him a $20 million player option for 2025, which includes a $2 million buyout if declined.
Eovaldi has thrown 224 innings so far between the two seasons. If he hadn't missed a few starts in May, he would be on track to reach that total. He still could, but it would require him racking up 70 more innings before the regular season ends.
If he does that and helps a team reach the postseason, there's a very real possibility he declines the option and becomes a free agent in the winter. If he doesn't reach 300 innings pitched between 2023 and 2024, he'll just be a rental, one a contending team would love to have.
Though the 34-year-old has struggled to stay healthy at times in his career, he's a two-time All-Star, including as recently as last year with the Rangers. He's also a two-time World Series champion, having won a title with the Rangers in 2023 and the Boston Red Sox in 2018. With a 3.05 career postseason ERA, Eovaldi should be coveted by contenders in the coming weeks.
Taylor Ward: LF, Los Angeles Angels
2 of 9
Taylor Ward, a first-round pick in the 2015 draft, was a late bloomer. But the .784 OPS he's posted since the start of the 2022 season will make him an intriguing trade candidate in July.
Ward, 30, isn't a player who can only play against left-handed pitchers. However, he does have an OPS of .956 against lefties this season, so he'll be particularly interesting to teams like the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves that are in need of a right-handed hitting outfielder.
Additionally, Ward can't become a free agent until after the 2026 season. So he could be a multi-year addition, or someone who's flipped in a trade in the winter.
There's not too many position players who will have more suitors before the July 30 trade deadline than Ward.
Kevin Gausman: SP, Toronto Blue Jays
3 of 9
From 2021 to 2023, Kevin Gausman finished second among all pitchers in WAR at 15.8, according to FanGraphs. Over that period, the only pitcher who accumulated more WAR was Zack Wheeler.
Had Gausman been available for trade last winter, it would have been a massive development. It's unclear if the underperforming Blue Jays will shop him this month, but there's an argument to be made that he represents the best chance for a team to acquire a No. 1 starter in the coming weeks.
Gausman has been relatively disappointing this year, with a 4.64 ERA caused largely by a fastball that has seen a drastic drop in its effectiveness. Gausman's fastball had a 17.6 pitch value in 2023, as opposed to minus-3.6 in 2024. That will turn off some contenders, considering Gausman uses his fastball over 50 percent of the time and is 33.
At the same time, there hasn't been a huge dip in velocity from Gausman, as he's still averaging nearly 94 mph on the pitch. There will be a team—probably multiple—that believes it can get Gausman's fastball back on track, and would then have him for the final two-and-a-half seasons of a five-year, $110 million deal that looked like one of the most team-friendly pacts in the sport entering this season.
.jpg?w=256)
Jesse Winker: LF, Washington Nationals
4 of 9
Jesse Winker slashed just .214/.337/.318 with the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers between the 2022 and 2023 seasons. The Washington Nationals signed Winker to a minor league deal this past winter; he made the club out of spring training; and now it appears he could be among the top outfielders dealt before the July 30 trade deadline.
Winker may never replicate the .949 OPS he posted in his All-Star season with the Cincinnati Reds in 2021, but he's having by far his most productive campaign since then. Winker has homered 10 times, driven in 41 runs and posted an .819 OPS, a drastic improvement from the .656 OPS he had from 2022 to 2023.
Given that he's making just $1.5 million total in 2024, Winker could be a fit for any team looking to add corner outfield/DH thump. It will be interesting to see whether the Nationals are willing to move both him and Lane Thomas, and which of the two would be more coveted.
Michael Lorenzen: SP, Texas Rangers
5 of 9
Michael Lorenzen will be an interesting test of how front offices view positive results versus concerning underlying statistics.
Lorenzen was overshadowed by Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell, but was one of the pitchers who had to wait until just days before the regular season started to sign for 2024, ultimately landing a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Rangers on March 20.
The contract includes relatively modest escalators based on how many innings Lorenzen pitches this year, but it was still considered a disappointment after he logged a career-high 153 innings in 2023, a campaign split between the Detroit Tigers and Philadelphia Phillies.
So far, Lorenzen has been much better than Montgomery and Snell, with a 3.21 ERA through 15 starts. However, he has a 4.82 expected ERA and 5.04 FIP, both of which suggest regression is coming.
The best way to view Lorenzen is back-of-the-rotation depth who could help your team get to the postseason. If he's better than that and ends up as a Game 4 postseason starter, great.
Héctor Neris: RP, Chicago Cubs
6 of 9
This may surprise you, but since the start of the 2016 season, the leader in games pitched among relievers is Héctor Neris at 545. The next closest reliever over that period is Kenley Jansen at 509, so there's some distance.
At his best, Neris was an elite seventh-inning reliever with a nasty splitter, rubber elbow and great clubhouse demeanor for the Phillies and Houston Astros.
Neris has been forced into a more high-leverage role this season in a poor Cubs bullpen and has a 7.02 ERA in 18 appearances that came in save situations. In non-save situations, Neris has a 0.64 ERA across 14 games.
There's probably a happy medium to be found here. Neris may not be best suited as a closer, but he's also a better pitcher in high-leverage situations than he demonstrated this year. If a contender acquires him to pitch primarily in the sixth or seventh inning, he'll likely be very effective.
Luis Rengifo: INF, Los Angeles Angels
7 of 9
The Los Angeles Angels placed Luis Rengifo on the injured list last week with right wrist inflammation, interrupting what's otherwise been a tremendous season for the 27-year-old infielder.
Prior to going on the IL, the switch-hitter was batting .315 with 22 stolen bases and an .800 OPS. Rengifo has done this while seeing most of his time at third base and second base, but he also has experience at shortstop and all three outfield positions.
Rengifo would seem to be a great fit for a team like the New York Yankees as their third baseman for the remainder of this season, while also giving them another option in the outfield. Given that he has one year of arbitration eligibility remaining, Rengifo could also give the Yankees an option to take over at second base in 2024 if Gleyber Torres departs in free agency.
Of course, there are plenty of contenders beyond the Yankees who will be looking for a player with positional flexibility who's having the best offensive season of his career. Rengifo seems nearly certain to be dealt.
Josh Bell: 1B, Miami Marlins
8 of 9
It wouldn't be a trade deadline if Josh Bell wasn't dealt.
In 2022, the Nationals traded him to the San Diego Padres. In 2023, the Cleveland Guardians traded him to the Marlins. Is there any doubt that Miami president of baseball operations Peter Bendix will give Bell his third consecutive midseason change of address?
Bell has disappointed in 2024, with just a .643 OPS for the Fish. However, he struggled in the first half for Cleveland in 2023 before posting an .818 OPS after being traded to the Marlins, helping them to sneak into the playoffs as a wild-card representative.
The former All-Star and Silver Slugger Award winner is wrapping up a two-year, $33 million deal, so he's motivated to turn his season around before returning to free agency. As a switch-hitter with pop, Bell would be a good low-risk, high-reward addition for a team in need of either a first baseman or DH.
Michael Kopech: RP, Chicago White Sox
9 of 9
Admittedly, there's not a ton in terms of Michael Kopech's recent results—he has a 4.58 ERA and 4.95 FIP this season—that excites you. He's a hard-throwing 2014 first-round pick who any acquiring team would be hoping benefits from a change of scenery.
Kopech's fastball is averaging a career-high 98.6 mph this season, which is sure to intrigue teams that feel like they have staffs more equipped to get the best out of pitchers than the White Sox.
To that end, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score reported in mid-June that the Phillies, Yankees and Kansas City Royals had been "doing their due diligence on Kopech."
The 28-year-old has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility, which means if a team is able to unlock him, be it as a reliever or starter, it'll have him under control for 2025 as well.
.jpg?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Report: Lawrence Wants Out of NY")
.jpg?w=600 "Browns GM Speaks on Trade Buzz")
.png?w=600 "Trae Responds to NYC Mayor 🤫")
