Paul Goldschmidt, Robert Suarez and 8 Potential Surprise MLB Trade Candidates
Though the 2025 MLB trade deadline is nearly three months away, you may already be well-acquainted with the usual suspects to be dealt. We've been speculating for a while now about where the likes of Luis Robert Jr., Sandy Alcantara and Ryan Helsley might land this summer.
How about some surprise trade candidates, though?
We won't waste your time with any sort of nonsensical Aaron Judge or Juan Soto speculations. But the New York Yankees and New York Mets could put some key in-the-majors assets on the trade block to address their respective shortcomings.
We've identified one player in each division—as well as an additional wild-card pick from each league—who could make sense as a trade candidate if the price is right.
AL East: Ceddanne Rafaela, UTIL, Boston Red Sox
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Contract: In second season of an 8-year, $50M contract
2025 Stats: .219/.278/.324, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 7 SB
Boston has an enviable logjam on its hands: too many outfielders worthy of everyday playing time.
Wilyer Abreu, Jarren Duran and Ceddanne Rafaela are the regulars for now. Rob Refsnyder is hitting incredibly well yet again as the primary LF/RF reserve. There's been talk of re-converting Masataka Yoshida to an outfielder when his rehab assignment begins, seeing as how Rafael Devers is the primary DH now. And Roman Anthony is waiting in the wings, hitting well in Worcester as arguably the top prospect in all of baseball.
That logjam resulted in speculation dating back to this past offseason that the Red Sox might consider trading away Abreu, even after a 2024 campaign in which he won a Gold Glove and placed sixth in the AL Rookie of the Year vote.
Could they move Rafaela instead, though? Plenty of contenders can't be thrilled with the production they've gotten out of their center fielders thus far this season.
The Phillies, Mets and Tigers should all at least kick the tires on a possible trade for Rafaela, while the Diamondbacks, Astros and Guardians—who entered play this past Friday with a combined zero home runs from center fielders—would perhaps engage in a battle royale of a bidding war.
Rafaela can also play either middle infield position, so it might actually be quicker to list the teams who wouldn't be interested if he and his team-friendly contract hit the trade block.
While we wouldn't call Rafaela a slugger, he did hit 15 home runs for Boston last year, as well as at least 20 in the minors in each of 2022 and 2023. And with Duran, Abreu, Anthony, Kristian Campbell, Marcelo Mayer and Trevor Story all under team control through at least 2028, Rafaela might be hitting his future home runs somewhere else if the Red Sox receive an offer they can't refuse.
AL Central: Seth Lugo, RHP, Kansas City Royals
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Contract: $15M in 2025, $15M player option in 2026
2025 Stats: 44.0 IP, 3.07 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 7.0 K/9
Guys with player options rarely get traded because of the added risk. You have to hope you're getting a short-term rental who thrives before hitting the open market, but you might be taking on a major sunk cost for next season if the player suffers a major injury or otherwise falls apart down the stretch.
Such trades do occasionally happen. But whether this one would even be on the table hinges on where the Royals are at in the standings 12 weeks from now.
After getting off to an 8-14 start, Kansas City has catapulted back into the playoff picture with 11 wins in its past 13 games. Still, Seth Lugo could be a hot commodity if the Royals were to fall back out of the conversation—which isn't exactly a stretch, given the state of this offense beyond Bobby Witt Jr.
With a 3.00 ERA and 1.09 WHIP, Lugo finished second to Tarik Skubal in the AL Cy Young vote last season. He has basically picked up right where he left off, forever keeping hitters off-balance with what is now a 10-pitch arsenal.
Allowing four solo home runs in an April 14 road loss to the Yankees caused his FIP to balloon, but all other signs point toward Lugo being every bit as good as he has been over the past two seasons. He has reeled off three consecutive quality starts since that four-homer dud, including going eight shutout innings against Houston in his final start of April.
When late July rolls around, good luck finding a team that isn't looking to upgrade/fill at least one of the spots in its rotation. If the Royals can convince Lugo to pick up his player option ahead of time—a la Max Scherzer when he went from the Mets to the Rangers—maybe they can turn him into a few promising young bats.
AL West: Adolis Garcia, RF, Texas Rangers
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Contract: $9.25M in 2025, one year of arbitration eligibility remaining
2025 Stats: .217/.269/.375, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 4 SB
From 2021-24, Adolis García clubbed 122 home runs and stole 61 bases. He was one of eight players with at least 100 and 50, respectively, during those four seasons, joining Shohei Ohtani, José Ramírez, Mookie Betts, Marcus Semien, Kyle Tucker, Francisco Lindor and Freddie Freeman.
García's run through the 2023 postseason—particularly what he did to Houston en route to ALCS MVP—was legendary. But could the Rangers trade him away for more of a sure thing at closer and/or a starting pitcher better than Patrick Corbin?
To a major extent, the answer to that question hinges on the amount of faith they have in Evan Carter as the future.
Carter was also awesome late in 2023, but he was a major letdown in 2024, missing most of the season due to a back injury. He started this season 2-for-33 at Triple-A Round Rock, but he's looking more himself lately, going 14 for his next 35 with six extra-base hits. He should be back in the majors any day now, as evidenced by Texas' decision to put Leody Taveras on outright waivers on Sunday.
Whenever Carter is good to go, he can play center field, Mr. Versatility Josh Smith could play right and the Rangers should be able to fetch something of legitimate value by putting García's bat on the block.
García was barely a replacement-level player for the Rangers last season, and he hasn't gotten out to a great start this year. His four homers and four stolen bases look good at first glance, but his .644 OPS is troublesome enough to potentially consider a change.
As annoying as it may be to MLB fans outside of Los Angeles, the perfect trade partner here is probably the Dodgers. Michael Conforto has been a huge disappointment in left field, and the Dodgers have a half-dozen pitchers with more career saves than any arm currently in Texas—including last year's Rangers closer, Kirby Yates. The reigning champs also have no shortage of young starting pitchers at their disposal.
AL Wild Card: Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, New York Yankees
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Contract: $12.5M in 2025
2025 Stats: .349/.397/.475, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 1 SB
As things currently stand, there's no chance the Yankees would trade away Paul Goldschmidt. He has been one of the four most valuable bats in their lineup. Opponents probably already should be intentionally walking Aaron Judge on a regular basis, but it would become a much more common practice if Goldy's bat vanished tomorrow.
If a handful of things go in New York's favor, though, flipping Goldschmidt for a starting pitcher could be on the table. The biggest one is that the 37-year-old first baseman needs to continue hitting well.
While he doesn't need to stay "borderline batting title" good, Goldschmidt does need to be good enough for a prospective trade partner to feel it's actually getting an upgrade at first base. Any signs of regressing to last year's .716 OPS would keep the likes of Seattle and San Francisco from even checking in on Goldy's availability.
Next is either that Ben Rice (.255/.361/.559, 8 HR) also continues playing well and becomes the primary first baseman in Goldschmidt's stead, or that Cody Bellinger (.200/.276/.364, 4 HR) snaps out of his cold start well enough to take Goldy's place. Otherwise, why would the Yankees even consider getting rid of Goldschmidt?
If Rice is still hot when Giancarlo Stanton returns from his elbow injuries in a month or two, that's when the trade wheels could start to turn here. There's not enough room for all three of Goldschmidt, Rice and Stanton to start on a near-daily basis.
New York could play it safe and keep all three given Goldy's age, Stanton's injury history and Rice's limited track record of not even 300 plate appearances in the majors. What's more important, though? Injury insurance at 1B/DH or having someone other than Max Fried and Carlos Rodón who can be trusted even a little bit as a starter in October?
We'll see how the next few months play out, but we've known for a while now that the Yankees might need to do something drastic to combat the loss of Gerrit Cole.
NL East: Ranger Suarez, LHP, Philadelphia Phillies
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Contract: $8.8M in 2025
2025 Stats: Struggled in season debut on Sunday, allowing 7 ER in 3.2 IP
Ranger Suárez may well be the answer to Philadelphia's bullpen woes in his final year before reaching free agency for the first time. He could do so directly by reprising his former role as a middle reliever, but it's hard to imagine either he or the Phillies want that given how well he has pitched as a starter in recent years.
Conversely, Suárez's return from the IL pushing Taijuan Walker into the bullpen could be a problem-solver. Of course, that hinges on Walker continuing to pitch well in a relief role, which wasn't the case last year. We'll see how he adapts after his respectable first month in the rotation.
Or, if top prospect Andrew Painter is ready for the big league rotation by the end of July—doubtful, but plausible—the Phillies could look to trade Suárez to address their bullpen, third base or center field issues, whichever is most pressing at the time.
The trick there is finding a contender who both wants a rental pitcher and has an expendable asset that can help the Phillies right now. For instance, Luis Robert Jr. and Nolan Arenado figure to be available this summer, but a few months of Suárez would do nothing to help the rebuilding White Sox or Cardinals.
Which brings us back to Boston and its glut of outfielders.
That isn't to say the Red Sox would ever consider a one-for-one trade of Suárez for Ceddanne Rafaela, but it's a spot that could make sense, especially if the non-Garrett Crochet portion of that rotation continues to struggle.
NL Central: Mitch Keller, RHP, Pittsburgh Pirates
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Contract: $15.4M in 2025, $16.9M in 2026, $18.4M in 2027, $20.4M in 2028
2025 Stats: 39.0 IP, 4.38 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 6.7 K/9
If you immediately scoffed and thought, "Pittsburgh trading away one of its most valuable players would never be a surprise," you've got a point. Save for Paul Skenes and perhaps Oneil Cruz, it wouldn't be shocking if the Pirates traded away anyone on their current roster.
Generally speaking, though, a starting pitcher with three-plus years and around $60 million left on his contract getting traded would be quite the substantial development.
Sandy Alcantara (if he can bounce back from a terrible April) may well be on the move this summer with 2.3 years and roughly $44 million remaining on his contract, which would definitely be a blockbuster trade. Mitch Keller with another year on top of that could be a long-term solution for a team with rotation concerns on the horizon.
One of those teams is the Toronto Blue Jays.
Both Chris Bassitt and Max Scherzer will hit free agency this winter, while Kevin Gausman only has one more year left on his deal. But with so much money already tied up in Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Anthony Santander, Andrés Giménez, José Berríos and more, trading for Keller at a known price point through 2028 almost has to be preferable to another winter of hoping for the best in free agency.
Even if they drop hopelessly out of contention before the trade deadline, it could be a good long-term play for the Blue Jays. But if they're still hovering around .500 or better three months from now, even better.
Toronto is merely one obvious option, though. Other teams would also be in the mix for the 2023 All-Star who could be a solid No. 3 starter in most rotations. And if the Pirates can save themselves $60 million and bolster their farm system amid another losing season, well, that has been their M.O. for decades, hasn't it?
NL West: Robert Suarez, RHP, San Diego Padres
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Contract: $10M in 2025; 2-year, $16M player option for 2026-27
2025 Stats: 15.0 IP, 13 saves, 0.60 ERA, 0.60 WHIP, 9.6 K/9
Trading away maybe the best closer in all of baseball while right in the thick of a playoff push would certainly be an unorthodox decision.
Could the Padres consider it, though?
If the season ended today, there's about a 1000 percent chance Robert Suarez would opt out of the remaining two years of his contract. The 34-year-old All-Star would be liable to fetch something on par with the four-year, $72 million deal Tanner Scott got this past offseason.
Much like with Seth Lugo, that player option makes it harder to trade him. However, San Diego has to know he's most likely leaving (or will cost a lot more to keep) this winter.
While Suarez has been elite in the ninth inning, this entire Padres bullpen has been incredible. Entering play on Monday, eight San Diego relievers had logged at least five innings this season and none of them had an ERA worse than 2.57.
Jason Adam has closing experience from his time in Tampa Bay and a scintillating 0.99 ERA in 45.2 IP for the Padres. He could be the guy moving forward. Adrián Morejón is also an option, with a 1.56 ERA this season and a few saves under his belt.
And if they can make a major upgrade in left field and/or address the lack of a reliable No. 4 (let alone No. 5) starter, the risk of shaking up a top-notch bullpen could be worth the reward.
We've already noted that Texas will almost certainly be on the hunt for a closer. Atlanta could be, too, if Raisel Iglesias continues to flounder. Possibly Boston in due time, as well, but so far so good with Aroldis Chapman. Someone always desperately wants a closer, though, and maybe San Diego capitalizes on that.
NL Wild Card: Any (or All 3) of New York Mets' 29-Year-Old Starting Pitchers
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LHP David Peterson: 32.1 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 8.4 K/9; $4.63M in 2025, arbitration eligible in 2026
RHP Tylor Megill: 36.0 IP, 2.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 11.3 K/9; $1.98M in 2025, arbitration eligible in 2026 and 2027
RHP Griffin Canning: 31.0 IP, 2.61 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 9.0 K/9; $4.25M in 2025
Having the starting rotation propel the Mets to one of the best records in baseball has been the biggest surprise of the first 20 percent of the 2025 campaign.
When they lost Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas to injuries in quick succession early in spring training, it looked like their season might fall apart at the seams. Instead, the likes of David Peterson, Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill have stepped up in a massive way. New York's starting rotation has MLB's lowest ERA to date.
Paul Blackburn is almost back, though. And the expectation remains that both Manaea and Montas will return from their muscle strains long before the trade deadline, probably in June. At that point, the early saviors of this rotation would become rather expendable.
As the impending free agent of the bunch, Canning is surely the lowest hanging fruit. He has been excellent thus far, but he had a 4.78 ERA over the previous six seasons with the Angels. He'll likely hit the trade block as soon as either Manaea or Montas is back.
All three could be available for the right price, though.
The Mets might try to move Montas instead if Peterson or Megill stays hot, but his $17 million salary with a $17 million player option for 2026 might be just about untradeable.
Regardless, they should have several arms available, with which they'll presumably be looking to upgrade in center and at DH to put the finishing touches on what they hope is a championship puzzle.
