Exploring MLB's Trade Market as Spring Training 2025 Begins
Welcome to MLB spring training, which isn't ordinarily a time for blockbuster trades.
Then again, you just never know when a Dylan Cease trade might happen. And in that specific case, lightning may well strike twice this spring.
With camps opening up in Arizona and Florida, it's an opportune moment to take a fresh look at the MLB trade market. Who's available? Who might be available? And even if they're seemingly not available, who might not be entirely unavailable?
The best way to go about this is to filter trade candidates into various brackets, starting with guys who aren't in stable situations with their current teams.
Veterans Who Have to Go
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3B Nolan Arenado, St. Louis Cardinals
Arenado reportedly preferred to go to the Boston Red Sox, but that door is likely closed now Alex Bregman is part of their infield.
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak is now indicating that Arenado is likely to break camp with the team. That scans with the apparent lack of enthusiasm for the 33-year-old on the trade market, but there are still potential fits for him.
The New York Yankees are one, though they'll apparently have to do better than offering Marcus Stroman. The hurdle either way is Arenado's contract, which includes a no-trade clause and owes him $74 million through 2027.
LHP Jordan Montgomery, Arizona Diamondbacks
Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick didn't mince words in expressing buyer's remorse after Montgomery put up a 6.23 ERA while collecting $25 million in 2024.
The lefty is set to make $22.5 million this season, and that is but one reason why Arizona might want to unload him. There isn't a clear role for him to play, as he's somewhere between a sixth starter and a long man for the bullpen.
It's hard to pin down practical fits for Montgomery, but contenders who could still use a starter include the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles and Chicago Cubs.
RHP Marcus Stroman, New York Yankees
Stroman is in Tampa for Yankees camp, but he was notably MIA for the first two days of workouts. To quote manager Aaron Boone, it's an "awkward" situation the two sides are in after a winter in which the 33-year-old was the subject of trade rumors.
As for the possibility of Stroman pitching out of the bullpen, the righty isn't keen on the idea:
This is a man who's practically begging to be traded. To make it happen, though, the Yankees will surely have to eat some of his $18.5 million salary.
Salary-Dump Candidates
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1B Rhys Hoskins, Milwaukee Brewers
It's been a minute since Hoskins' name appeared on the rumor mill. And even when it did in December, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic merely said the Brewers were "open to moving" the slugger.
Such a move is harder to imagine now, but it shouldn't be ruled out. The 31-year-old is earning $18 million, which is a lot for a small-market team to spend on a guy who wasn't even a replacement-level producer in 2024.
Speculatively, teams that could use Hoskins' right-handed power include the Red Sox, Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins.
RF/DH Starling Marte, New York Mets
Marte will be paid $20.8 million for 2025. It's pennies by Mets standards, but it also seems as if Marte is slated to come off their bench.
As of December, the Mets were reportedly willing to eat money to facilitate a trade of Marte. That will have to remain the case if they still want to move him, as Marte is 36 and hasn't been an impact player since 2022.
Teams that should get in on Marte include the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers, both of whom have weak offensive outlooks in the outfield.
C Christian Vázquez, Minnesota Twins
Vázquez's position in Minnesota isn't untenable, per se, but the Twins weren't shy about shopping him during the winter.
The 34-year-old is owed $10 million in 2025, which is an ample sum for a guy who projects as a backup backstop. He has a strong track record, however, and that alone could interest teams in need of depth behind the plate.
The San Diego Padres have been connected (see link above) to Vázquez. He's also worth a look for the Yankees, who have a spot to fill underneath Austin Wells.
DH Masataka Yoshida, Boston Red Sox
Yoshida has only been modestly successful as a big leaguer, and he's coming into 2025 off of shoulder surgery.
As such, the $55.8 million remaining on his contract through 2027 is money that Boston would surely love to get off its books. That is the ideal scenario, anyway, though the realistic scenario involves them eating a slice of the pie in a trade.
The other problem is that there aren't clear fits for Yoshida, though one wonders if a strikeout-prone team like the Seattle Mariners could be attracted to his bat-to-ball skill.
Assorted Padres Stars
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1B Luis Arraez, San Diego Padres
The Padres might not be cutting payroll after all. That was their posture for basically the entire winter, but then they signed Connor Joe, Jason Heyward, Kyle Hart and Nick Pivetta to push themselves nearly $20 million over the luxury tax threshold.
Yet if they do fancy cutting, Arraez is making$14 million and is an attractive trade chip.
The Yankees were briefly connected to the three-time batting champion in January. There may still be a fit there, though better on-paper fits exist in Seattle and maybe even back in Minnesota.
SS Xander Bogaerts, San Diego Padres
This concept comes straight from Jim Bowden on Foul Territory:
It's a real "Good luck with that..." idea. Though Bogaerts has name value aplenty, he's coming off a 1.2-rWAR season and his 11-year, $280 million contract still has nine seasons left.
But if trading for Bogaerts is a means of essentially buying a prospect, it could work. And if any contender should pick up the phone, it's the shortstop-needy Braves.
RHP Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres
Per Dennis Lin of The Athletic, the Padres are "inclined" to keep Cease even after signing Hart and Pivetta.
The righty's name has nonetheless been a constant in trade rumors since early in the offseason. And it makes some sense, as dealing him would clear $13.8 million and, in all likelihood, bring back legitimate talent.
A bunch of teams have been connected to Cease, including the Twins, Mets and Cubs relatively recently. The latter two are especially sensible fits for him.
2B Jake Cronenworth, San Diego Padres
Though he was an All-Star in 2021 and 2022, Cronenworth has been more like a 1-WAR player in the last two seasons. And in 2025, he'll only be in Year 2 of a seven-year, $80 million deal.
He's therefore a cost to cut in theory, though it doesn't figure to be easy for the Padres to make it happen in reality. They may have to package him with a prospect or perhaps settle for a bad-contract swap.
There aren't any truly good fits for Cronenworth, but the Mariners and San Francisco Giants are two relatively well-off franchises that could use him.
RHP Michael King, San Diego Padres
King's name is more of a recent addition to the trade rumor mill, yet he's certainly one of the more attractive players on it.
The righty broke out as one of the best starters in MLB last year, posting a 2.95 ERA over 173.2 innings. He'll earn a modest $7.8 million in his last year before free agency.
The same teams that have kicked the tires on Cease also make sense for King, though it's the Orioles who are the best fit for him on paper.
RHP Robert Suarez, San Diego Padres
Cease may be likely to stick around, but Lin's report indicates that the same may not be true of Suarez.
The righty is two years into a five-year, $46 million deal that still has $26 million left on it. And while he is a darn good late-inning reliever, so are Jason Adam and Jeremiah Estrada.
The Red Sox ought to be interested, and ditto for fellow relief-needy contenders like the Cubs and maybe the Mets.
Young Players Whose Names Have Come Up
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RF Wilyer Abreu and 1B Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox
Abreu was a speculative trade candidate throughout the winter, and that is no fault of his own. The issue is that his spot in right field is a natural fit for Roman Anthony, who ranks as MLB.com's No. 1 hitting prospect.
As for Casas, Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has denied shopping him. Yet they reportedly offered him to Seattle at one point, and the door may not be completely closed on a trade possibility.
Abreu is another guy who should interest the Royals and Tigers. The Mariners still fit Casas on paper, as do pitching-rich teams like the Padres and Pittsburgh Pirates.
3B Brett Baty, New York Mets
Baty was penciled in to start for the Mets not too long ago, but the club's deal with Pete Alonso put the kibosh on that.
Baty now figures to start 2025 in the minors, which is too bad given his profile. He was regarded as an elite prospect as recently as 2023, and he's still only 25.
Teams were reportedly calling about Baty even before the Mets re-upped with Alonso. Assuming he's even more available now, the Yankees, Brewers and Cubs are three contenders that ought to have interest.
RHP Jared Jones, Pittsburgh Pirates
Before they gobbled up Garrett Crochet, Walker Buehler and Patrick Sandoval, the Red Sox reportedly had talks with the Bucs about Jones at the winter meetings.
This doesn't necessarily mean that Jones, who impressed in spurts as a rookie in 2024, is available. Yet given their dire need for an impact bat (or two), the Bucs would be unwise to take him off the table entirely.
The Red Sox still make some sense for Jones, but it's easier to imagine clubs like the Orioles and Cubs subtracting from their hitting surpluses to get him.
1B Spencer Torkelson, Detroit Tigers
When the Tigers signed Gleyber Torres, the move forced Colt Keith to first base and Torkelson into roster limbo.
It's the latest turn in a series of unfortunate events for Torkelson. He was the No. 1 pick in 2020 and made it onto Detroit's Opening Day roster in 2022. Since then, he's been demoted a couple of times and posted only a .693 OPS in the majors.
He's still just 25, though, and thus a change-of-scenery candidate in the abstract. Plenty of non-contenders make sense, as do actual contenders such as the Giants, Mariners, Blue Jays and Brewers.
Go Ahead and Make an Offer
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RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
"We never rule anything out," was what Marlins GM Peter Bendix said in response to a question about keeping Alcantara in December.
A trade seems unlikely, yet there is sense to the idea on a conceptual level. Alcantara is healthy after missing 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery, yet the Marlins are going nowhere fast after losing 100 games in 2024.
It's hard to think of a better fit for the 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner than the Orioles, though the Cubs also have the prospects to get a deal done.
RHP Luis Castillo, Seattle Mariners
Castillo was a hot trade item for most of the winter, though Adam Jude of the Seattle Times reported on February 1 that a trade is less likely these days.
There are real hurdles here, with Castillo's no-trade clause being just one of them. He is owed $72.5 million through 2027, which is a lot of money for a 32-year-old who is starting to show signs of decline.
Nonetheless, the Orioles kicked the tires on Castillo and still fit him on paper. The same can once again be said of the Cubs.
RHP Sonny Gray, St. Louis Cardinals
Gray was the first notable trade chip of the winter, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on his candidacy all the way back in September.
There hasn't been much buzz on Gray since then, and he controls his own fate via no-trade protection. He also said in January that St. Louis is "still where I want to be."
Never say never, though, and this is another tree up which Baltimore should be barking. He also seems like the kind of guy the Braves would go after, though that is strictly speculative.
CF Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
Robert was purportedly getting "a lot of interest" at the winter meetings, and clubs like the Reds and Giants reportedly made efforts to get him.
That none of this has led to an actual trade could be indicative of the precariousness of Robert's value after a down year in 2024. He certainly has sky-high upside, however, and his $15 million salary isn't unaffordable.
There's still a fit for him in San Francisco, while the Mets, Royals and Cleveland Guardians are other contenders that could use upgrades in center field.
Unlikely to Move, But...
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1B Yandy Díaz and 2B Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
These guys were occasionally tossed out as speculative trade candidates during the winter, but SNY's Andy Martino reported in January that neither was available.
Which isn't too surprising, to be honest. The Rays are not in a bad place with their payroll, and offense isn't a luxury for them after they finished second-to-last in MLB in scoring in 2024.
Nonetheless, these two are worth keeping in mind in the event that an injury makes a team particularly desperate at first base or second base.
1B Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Toronto Blue Jays
As hard as it is to fathom the Blue Jays trading Guerrero, there is a ticking clock at play right now.
With free agency looming after the coming season, Guerrero has set a February 18 deadline for an extension. That is Tuesday, and anything less than $400 million may not be good enough for the slugger.
As the idea is to contend in 2025, it will still be hard to fathom the Jays actually trading Guerrero even if the two sides can't come to an agreement. However, "stranger things have happened" is an expression for a reason.
RHP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
Helsley was popular in trade rumors earlier in the winter, but not so much after Rosenthal reported in December that the Cardinals were inclined to hold him.
Nothing has happened since then to dramatically alter the team's outlook on 2025. It's also not as if Helsley is particularly expensive, as his $8.2 million salary is indeed on the light side for a closer coming off a 49-save season.
The righty is set to be a free agent after 2025, however, so the Cardinals would be unwise to close themselves off to offers. This is also another case where an injury could potentially result in an especially compelling offer.
RF/DH Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs
Suzuki's name loomed large on the rumor mill in December, but only for a minute as the Los Angeles Dodgers were pursuing alternatives to Teoscar Hernández.
Why the Cubs would move him now is hard to fathom. They have their eyes on the NL Central crown, and Suzuki stands to be a big part of the effort. His offense has been steadily improving, with last year producing a .848 OPS and 21 homers.
Yet there is the possibility of tension now that Suzuki has been made to cede right field to Kyle Tucker, thus forcing him into the DH spot. Regardless, Suzuki's no-trade clause ultimately gives him the final say on where he plays in 2025.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
