Ranking the 10 Players Most Likely to Be Dealt at MLB Trade Deadline 2025
Major League Baseball's trade-deadline machine has already been churning in earnest, with the likes of Josh Naylor, Ryan McMahon and Gregory Soto getting traded away late last week.
We all know, though, that the 48 hours leading up to the trade deadline (Thursday at 6 p.m. ET) are when the swap meet really kicks into high gear.
So, who's next?
Note that "most likely to be dealt" and "best" aren't necessarily kindred spirits here. Being desirable to a contender is a pivotal ingredient in the recipe of a trade, of course, but so are being both available and affordable.
Using the Pittsburgh Pirates as an example, surely impending free agent Andrew Heaney is available and affordable at a $5.25 million salary, but is his 6.84 ERA dating back to late May desirable? Conversely, Mitch Keller is desirable and available at the right price, but with roughly $60 million left on his contract and Pittsburgh surely seeking more than just salary relief in return, are we convinced he'll be on the move?
It wouldn't be shocking if the Pirates are unable/unwilling to move either of those pitchers. But for the top 10 players on this list, it legitimately would be a surprise if they're still on the same team on August 1.
10. Kyle Finnegan, RHP, Washington Nationals
1 of 10
2025 Stats: 38.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 7.3 K/9, 0.0 bWAR
Contract: $6M, Free Agent this winter
Roughly 10 weeks into the season, Kyle Finnegan would have been a phenomenal choice for No. 1 on this list. He had a 2.38 ERA and 18 saves in his first 23 appearances, tied for second-most in the majors at that point.
Moreover, he's an affordable, impending free agent on a team going nowhere fast, who was well on his way to a third consecutive season with at least 28 saves.
But then, over the course of the next six weeks, Finnegan had an 8.03 ERA, blowing all three of his save chances in a span of 13 appearances.
Granted, 10 of those 13 appearances were virtually flawless, including a stretch of 8.1 innings pitched without allowing a single hit. It's also hardly his fault that the Nationals generated so few leads to protect.
Still, there's little question Finnegan has dropped a few spots in the "desirable relievers" pecking order. And we can't forget what minimal interest there was in him this past offseason, when the Nationals non-tendered him and he lingered in free agency for more than three months before returning to the nation's capital at a slight bargain.
Nevertheless, it remains quite likely Finnegan will be on the move. He just might be viewed as more of a middle-relief solution than a sure thing for save opportunities wherever he lands.
9. Isiah Kiner-Falefa, UTIL, Pittsburgh Pirates
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2025 Stats: .266/.308/.328, 1 HR, 24 RBI, 12 SB, 1.4 bWAR
Contract: $6.283M, Free Agent this winter
A Pirates fire sale has been inevitable for so long that the initial preemptive "Hell no, we're not trading Paul Skenes, please stop asking" sorts of statements were made by the Pittsburgh brass more than two months ago at this point.
In addition to Skenes, the list of players on Pittsburgh's active roster definitely not going anywhere is probably just Andrew McCutchen, Braxton Ashcraft and Oneil Cruz—and even Cruz might be available in a blockbuster.
But for all the talk in recent weeks about the likes of Mitch Keller, Dennis Santana, David Bednar, Andrew Heaney and Tommy Pham as trade targets, Isiah Kiner-Falefa is probably their surest thing to be dealt.
Then again, a sub-.500 OPS dating back to June 4 may have even tanked Kiner-Falefa's trade value to the point where the Pirates might not be able to get anything for him.
It's not like OPS ever has been the draw with IKF, though. Versatile defense and plus baserunning instead of a career slugging percentage of .349 are why he's well on his way to a fifth consecutive season with at least 115 games played.
It's just a question of which team he'll be with and which position he'll be manning when he gets there this year.
8. Josh Bell, 1B/DH, Washington Nationals
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2025 Stats: .228/.316/.389, 13 HR, 40 RBI, 0.0 bWAR
Contract: $6M, Free Agent this winter
While several of the players on this list started out red hot before not doing a whole lot of good in the past two months, Josh Bell is in the opposite boat, surging into the trade deadline after putting up atrocious numbers through the first quarter of the campaign.
Through May 9, Bell had a sub-.500 OPS and was tied with Andrew Vaughn for the worst fWAR (minus-1.0) among position players with at least 100 plate appearances. But since May 10, he has an OPS north of .800 and might be the most coveted switch hitter on this year's trade block.
Besides, if you ever had to bet on someone getting traded at the deadline, Bell has proved himself to be an incredible choice.
He went from Washington to San Diego in the Juan Soto blockbuster in 2022, got shipped from Cleveland to Miami two summers ago and then went from Miami to Arizona when Christian Walker got hurt in late July 2024.
Not only has he been a frequent mover, but he fared well in his new home in each of the past two seasons. His pre-deadline OPS between 2023 and 2024 was, well, pretty much exactly the .705 that it is right now. But he had an .818 mark over the final two months of 2023 and a .796 OPS in the desert last fall.
7. Charlie Morton, RHP, Baltimore Orioles
4 of 10
2025 Stats: 95.1 IP, 5.48 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 9.3 K/9. -0.5 bWAR
Contract: $15M, Free Agent this winter
Just like Josh Bell in Washington, Charlie Morton would kindly request that prospective buyers disregard the ancient history of how poorly he performed early in the year.
That year-to-date 5.48 ERA is quite unsightly, but it's a 3.53 ERA dating back to May 10, before which it was a 9.38 disaster. In fact, Morton has made five quality starts since Memorial Day, same as Hunter Brown, who was one of the top candidates to win the AL Cy Young award two months ago.
Getting the walk rate under control was a huge factor in Morton turning his season around. After issuing 20 free passes to his first 126 batters faced (15.9 percent), he has walked just 8.1 percent of his last 310 foes. In turn, what was a 1.2 K/BB ratio has been a much more formidable 3.0 ratio since late April.
Quite the transformation from "arguably the biggest reason for Baltimore's horrid start to the year" into "maybe a top-three option as far as rental starting pitchers go."
And, to be clear, the terrible start was the anomaly as far as Morton's history is concerned. The 41-year-old got that one-year, $15 million deal because he had a 3.64 ERA with 99 quality starts over the previous eight seasons. It just took Uncle Charlie a bit longer than usual to find his groove this year.
6. Ryan Helsley, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals
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2025 Stats: 36.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 21 saves, 1.0 bWAR
Contract: $8.2M, Free Agent this winter
While Nolan Arenado, Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Miles Mikolas have full no-trade clauses complicating the plausibility of a proper fire sale in St. Louis, closer Ryan Helsley has no say in where he spends the final two months of this season.
But even the 31-year-old says it's unlikely he finishes the season in St. Louis, telling The Athletic's Katie Woo on Thursday: "I would say it's 90 percent I go, 10 percent I stay."
The actual percentage depends upon how many teams are looking to add a closer and how many are actually available.
Even if we disregard the "under team control through at least 2027" options like Mason Miller, Emmanuel Clase, Carlos Estévez and Jhoan Durán, you've still got Helsley, Kyle Finnegan, Raisel Iglesias, David Bednar, Shelby Miller (if he's healthy), probably Kenley Jansen and maybe Emilio Pagán on the block.
Helsley is arguably the cream of that crop, though, with a 2.03 ERA and 103 saves dating back to the beginning of 2022.
He went through a rough patch in early June, blowing saves in three consecutive appearances. Since then, though, he has reeled it back in and should be a top target for bullpen shoppers the likes of the Phillies, Dodgers, Rangers and Tigers.
5. Danny Coulombe, LHP, Minnesota Twins
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2025 Stats: 31.0 IP, 1.16 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 9.0 K/9, 1.6 bWAR
Contract: $3M, Free Agent this winter
There has been an awful lot of "Twins trade chips" chatter over the past month, with Joe Ryan, Jhoan Durán and Griffin Jax all emerging as top targets with two years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
Those arms going anywhere might be wishful thinking, but Danny Coulombe getting shipped out of Minnesota is just about a sure thing.
The 35-year-old is an inexpensive, left-handed, productive reliever, which is a trifecta that is always in high demand at the trade deadline. It's likely the list of contenders interested in acquiring him is longer than the "thanks, but no thanks" list.
His production extends back beyond just this spring, too. Since the beginning of 2023, he has logged 112 innings with a 2.17 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 9.7 K/9.
To put those numbers in context, here's the full list of pitchers with at least 100 IP, a sub-2.40 ERA, at least one strikeout per inning and fewer than one baserunner allowed per inning, over the past three seasons:
- Danny Coulombe
- Tarik Skubal (2.37 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 11.1 K/9)
- Paul Skenes (1.89 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 10.7 K/9)
- Jacob deGrom (2.32 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 10.2 K/9)
Quite the "one of these things is not like the others" group there, but also a testament to what Coulombe can bring to the table in the seventh/eighth inning in October.
Teams are going to offer up an arm and a leg for Durán and Jax, but as far as Twins relievers go, Coulombe might end up making the biggest impact the rest of the way.
4. Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/OF/DH, Baltimore Orioles
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2025 Stats: .282/.375/.450, 12 HR, 39 RBI, 1.9 bWAR
Contract: $8M, Free Agent this winter
Two months ago, Ryan O'Hearn would have been the clear-cut No. 1 on this list.
Through June 3, his .960 OPS ranked sixth-best among qualified hitters, behind only Aaron Judge, Freddie Freeman, Shohei Ohtani, Cal Raleigh and Kyle Schwarber. He was also batting .335, good for fourth-best in the majors. And he was doing it for an Orioles team languishing 13 games below .500.
That latter data point hasn't much changed. The O's are toast at nine games back in the wild-card picture, certain to put their expiring assets (which includes O'Hearn) on the trade block.
What has changed drastically, however, is O'Hearn's production.
Those year-to-date numbers still look solid, but the 32-year-old is batting .208 with a .636 OPS dating back to June 4.
O'Hearn was always going to be a "left-handed half of a platoon" candidate anyway. For his career, he has a .767 OPS with 74 home runs against right-handed pitchers, compared to .562 and five, respectively, against southpaws. And that split has been even more pronounced this year, the difference in OPS up to nearly 300 points (.875 vs. .586).
Plenty of teams could use a left-handed bat, though, most desperately the Houston Astros. And at a pro-rated cost of less than $3 million the rest of the way, none of the remotely legitimate buyers is going to balk at the price tag.
He may not be as universally coveted as he was two months ago, but O'Hearn leaving the O's within the next few days remains a near-lock.
3. Merrill Kelly, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
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2025 Stats: 128.2 IP, 3.22 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.2 bWAR
Contract: $7M, Free Agent this winter
Merrill Kelly might be the most consistently solid pitcher who never seems to get talked about as one of the better arms out there.
The 36-year-old has a 3.40 ERA dating back to the beginning of 2022, amassing 12.0 bWAR despite missing two-thirds of the 2024 campaign with a shoulder injury.
While he's not exactly Zack Wheeler, Framber Valdez or Logan Webb in the quality starts department, 54 such outings in the span of 98 starts is rather impressive, on par with the 55 George Kirby has given Seattle in his last 100 starts; better than the 58-in-115 ratio that teammate (and fellow trade block darling) Zac Gallen has given the Diamondbacks during that time.
He has been even better than usual this season, too.
Since getting tagged for nine earned runs at Yankee Stadium in early April—Remember Torpedo Bats Season?—Kelly has made 20 starts with a 2.71 ERA and 3.11 FIP. That's on par with what Max Fried (2.62 ERA, 3.06 FIP) has given the Yankees, or what Yoshinobu Yamamoto (2.55 ERA, 3.08 FIP) has given the Dodgers in their respective "fringe Cy Young candidate" campaigns.
Yet, all the attention in the desert has been on Eugenio Suárez's heroics, and on all the other pitchers who have been a disappointment en route to this short-term fire sale situation.
Now is Kelly's time to shine, though, arguably a bigger prize than Jack Flaherty or Yusei Kikuchi were as the top rental starting pitchers on last year's trade block.
2. Adrian Houser, RHP, Chicago White Sox
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2025 Stats: 68.2 IP, 2.10 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 6.2 K/9, 2.6 bWAR
Contract: $1.375M, Free Agent this winter
At dead last in the American League and hoping to remain there for 2026 draft lottery purposes, the White Sox figure to do a fair amount of rental dumping.
Outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Austin Slater have both been marginally better than replacement level on salaries below $2 million. They should be gone. Pitchers Aaron Civale and Tyler Alexander were both acquired from Milwaukee less than two months ago and will surely be for sale. Chicago would also love to unload high-salaried Luis Robert Jr. and/or Andrew Benintendi, though we'll see if they can get either of those done.
It's a busy week for the White Sox, is the gist here.
But their best trade chip by a country mile is Adrian Houser, which happened out of essentially nowhere.
At this time a year ago, the 32-year-old was released by the Mets with a 5.84 ERA. Between last fall and this spring, he logged a combined total of 74.2 IP with the Triple-A affiliates of the Cubs, Orioles and Rangers with an ERA of 5.67. Kind of seems like his MLB career could be finished.
And then he resurfaces in Chicago and reels off eight quality starts—a single-season career best—in the span of his first nine appearances, entering the All-Star break with a 1.56 ERA that ranked second-best in the majors among the 158 pitchers with at least 50 IP.
Can he remotely keep it up and become a middle-of-the-rotation starter for a contender?
At a pro-rated cost of roughly half a million bucks, it's all but guaranteed some team is going to find out.
1. Eugenio Suarez, 3B, Arizona Diamondbacks
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2025 Stats: .247/.319/.579, 36 HR, 86 RBI, 3.5 bWAR
Contract: $15M, Free Agent this winter
What's interesting about Eugenio Suárez becoming the most desirable rental on this year's trade block is that he would have been more of an under-the-radar, buy-low candidate just seven weeks ago.
Through June 6, Suárez had hit an impressive 16 home runs—a quarter of which came in a single game in late April—but he was batting a modest .228 and providing marginally above-average value; his overall production being quite similar to that of Angels outfielder Taylor Ward.
There were 166 qualified hitters at that point, and Suárez's 1.1 fWAR was basically smack dab in the middle, tied for 79th-best.
Over the course of his next 36 games, however, the 34-year-old clubbed 20 home runs (a 162-game pace of 90 dingers), batting .306 and posting a 1.158 OPS that ranked best in the majors.
It was a stretch of individual dominance during which the Arizona Diamondbacks went from one game below .500 (31-32) to...one game below .500 (50-51), cementing their fate as a seller, which they embraced on Thursday by shipping 1B Josh Naylor to the Mariners.
It's a foregone conclusion Suárez will be traded. It's just a question of which contender puts together the best offer for him.
