MLB Trade Market Hidden Gems of 2025 Deadline
The MLB trade deadline is just days away, and one thing we all have in common is that we're desperately awaiting news of blockbusters.
But lest anyone forget, sometimes it's the smaller trades that end up making the biggest difference.
An example that should be trotted out until the end of time is when the Atlanta Braves acquired Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler in 2021. Neither deal really moved the needle at the time, but they ended up winning MVP awards for the National League Championship Series and World Series, respectively.
Though it's impossible to know for sure, we can at least play some hunches for which trade candidates on this year's market could make that kind of impact.
Without further ado, here are eight hidden gems ranked according to how desirable they should be for prospective buyers.
8. RHP Adrian Houser, Chicago White Sox
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Age: 32
2025 Stats: 11 GS, 68.2 IP, 62 H (3 HR), 47 K, 22 BB, 2.10 ERA
Contract Status: 1-year, $1.35 million
To give you an idea of the kind of journey Adrian Houser has been on this year, it started with a minor league contract with the Texas Rangers.
What's more, he pitched to a 5.03 ERA for their Triple-A affiliate before he was granted his release in May. That was when the White Sox picked him up, and he's done nothing but shove for them ever since.
Houser has not given up more than three earned runs in any of his 11 starts since May 20, and his overall 2.10 ERA is the seventh-best in MLB for this span. Even his kinda-sorta former teammate, Jacob deGrom, doesn't have him beat.
The catch with Houser's current dominance is he's sticking with a pitch-to-contact style that has always been his trademark. He is doing so effectively, however, mainly by way of well-above-average ground ball and barrel rates.
He's at worst an innings-eater for the stretch run, and potentially a No. 3 or No. 4 in a playoff rotation. At worst, he could work as a long man out of the bullpen.
Potential Fits: Houston Astros, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers
7. OF Harrison Bader, Minnesota Twins
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Age: 31
2025 Stats: 93 G, 298 PA, 12 HR, 9 SB, .255 AVG, .336 OBP, .441 SLG
Contract Status: 1 year, $6.25 million with 2026 mutual option
Apropos of our introductory note about small trades having huge payoffs, Harrison Bader already has some experience in that area.
He was the guy the New York Yankees got for Jordan Montgomery in 2022, and he erased the initially bad optics of the deal for New York when he caught fire in the playoffs. He homered five times in nine games.
Bader is, of course, normally known for his spectacular defense. That remains the case in 2025, wherein he's been good for five Outs Above Average for the Twins.
Bader's bat tends to be less reliable, but he has a solid .777 OPS overall and he's been hot in July with a .972 OPS. He has been hitting the ball better than usual, as his barrel rate is close to a career high at 11.8 percent.
At the least, Bader is fit to serve in a platoon role against left-handers and otherwise serve as a defensive replacement. If a team just plain wants better defense in the outfield, he's more than capable of being an everyday player in that capacity.
Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies
6. INF/OF Willi Castro, Minnesota Twins
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Age: 28
2025 Stats: 83 G, 331 PA, 10 HR, 8 SB, .254 AVG, .342 OBP, .423 SLG
Contract Status: 1 year, $6.4 million
There have already been a number of teams linked to Willi Castro, and you can rest assured their ranks will continue to grow.
He checks all the boxes for a Swiss Army knife-type player, as he's a switch-hitter who has logged ample time at three infield spots and all three outfield spots. He got Rookie of the Year votes in 2020 and was an All-Star just last year.
The caveat with Castro's versatility is that he isn't an especially good defender at any one position. On the contrary, his career Defensive Runs Saved for every position he's ever played are at or below zero.
Even still, versatile defenders are always welcome, and that much more so when they can hit. This is the case with Castro, who has cleared a 100 OPS+ in each of the last three seasons.
Moreover, his exit velocity, hard-hit rate and walk rate are all at career-best levels in 2025. He also has a .865 OPS and eight homers away from Target Field, suggesting he could be more than just a utility guy simply by escaping the Twin Cities.
Potential Fits: Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers, San Francisco Giants
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5. RF Jesús Sánchez, Miami Marlins
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Age: 27
2025 Stats: 83 G, 324 PA, 9 HR, 9 SB, .259 AVG, .321 OBP, .415 SLG
Contract Status: Arbitration-eligible through 2027
Jesús Sánchez is in Year 5 of a five-year run as a solid, but generally unremarkable hitter. His OPS+ for the last five years is 102 and therefore two percent above average.
He does have a way of upping his game against right-handers, though, and that is especially true thus far in 2025. He has a .803 OPS against righties, with eight of his nine homers.
As most pitchers in MLB throw right-handed, this makes Sánchez a touch more valuable than the average platoon bat. He's also one of those hitters who just seems to have more potential than he's shown, and this is another thing that is especially apparent in 2025.
His bat speed has ticked up into the 93rd percentile, and his batted ball metrics have remained easily above average even as his strikeout rate has plummeted.
Also factoring in that Sánchez has been hot with a .306 average and .814 OPS in July, there's a real chance here for an offense-needy team to solve a problem in a corner outfield spot.
Potential Fits: Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers
4. RHP Jake Bird, Colorado Rockies
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Age: 29
2025 Stats: 44 G, 53.1 IP, 54 H (4 HR), 62 K, 21 BB, 4.05 ERA
Contract Status: Arbitration-eligible through 2028
Jake Bird is a relative unknown on the worst team in MLB. But before you scroll to the next player, do us a favor and hear us out.
For one thing, it's a big deal that he's under club control for three more seasons after 2025. And for another, he is absolutely nasty.
Though he hasn't been fanning as many batters lately, Bird is still in the 79th percentile for strikeout rate and in the 71st percentile for whiff rate. These are mostly thanks to his sweeper and curveball, which account for 50 of his punchouts.
Since the curveball has the better metrics (including a 38.4 Whiff%) of those two pitches, prospective buyers have to wonder if it could be even more of a weapon away from Denver. Curveballs famously don't break as much at Coors Field, so it's understandable Bird only throws it 23.1 percent of the time.
If his curve does benefit from a Rocky Mountain exit, Bird could be a proper late-inning weapon with a repertoire similar to that of prime Ryan Pressly, who pitched in three World Series for the Houston Astros.
Potential Fits: Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Texas Rangers
3. LHP Reid Detmers, Los Angeles Angels
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Age: 26
2025 Stats: 44 G, 47.1 IP, 45 H (4 HR), 59 K, 19 BB, 3.99 ERA
Contract Status: Arbitration-eligible through 2028
Reid Detmers had brushes with greatness as a starter, including with a no-hitter in 2022 and as one of the top performers of last April.
But the bullpen is his home now, and not undeservedly on account of his career 4.99 ERA as a starter. It's also just plain proven to be an effective transition, and even more so than his 3.99 ERA lets on.
His velocity has ticked up by nearly 2 mph, from 93.8 mph in 2024 to 95.6 mph this year. His slider has also become more of a lethal weapon, drawing whiffs 42.1 percent of the time.
The southpaw is also on a two-month binge of untouchability, with 29 appearances since May 20 yielding a 1.24 ERA and 40 strikeouts over 29.0 innings. And while right-handed batters do own all four home runs off him, they've gotten on base at only a .307 clip in the process.
Basically, this is a genuine late-inning reliever a team would get for three more years after this one. He's an ideal fit for any team looking at a years-long contention window.
Potential Fits: New York Yankees, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs
2. LF Taylor Ward, Los Angeles Angels
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Age: 31
2025 Stats: 104 G, 450 PA, 24 HR, 2 SB, .232 AVG, .309 OBP, .486 SLG
Contract Status: Arbitration-eligible through 2026
Taylor Ward has clubbed 20-plus home runs in three of the last four years, so it might not be fair to frame him as some kind of unknown.
Here's the thing, though: Now more than ever, you have to wonder what he could do if he escaped Anaheim.
Though Angel Stadium generally plays as solid hitter's park in general and for right-handed hitters in particular, Ward has always done better on the road. He has a .742 OPS at home, compared to a .782 OPS away from home.
This year has been something else entirely. He has a .957 OPS in road games, with 16 of his 24 homers. By wRC+, he's between Shohei Ohtani and Kyle Schwarber in road productivity.
As Ward is also in the 85th percentile with his barrel rate, teams ought to be looking at him as a guy who could pop a few down the stretch and into October. As such, he could be for 2025 what Jorge Soler was for 2021.
Potential Fits: Texas Rangers, San Diego Padres, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox
1. LHP Trevor Rogers, Baltimore Orioles
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Age: 27
2025 Stats: 8 GS, 48.1 IP, 25 H (2 HR), 40 K, 13 BB, 1.49 ERA
Contract Status: Arbitration-eligible through 2026
This one might actually be a reach. After all, the Orioles don't seem to be in "tear it down and rebuild" mode even amid a disappointing 47-58 season.
If the Orioles do trade Trevor Rogers, it'll be because they decided to sell high. And there is some sense in doing so, as it was just last year that he flopped hard with a 7.11 ERA in four starts for them.
As far as prospective buyers should be concerned, though, he is a different pitcher this year. This is most evident in his fastball velocity, which is up 1.4 mph on average after he spent the offseason working with Driveline in Arizona.
Apart from the velocity, Rogers has also added a sweeper to go with his slider and changeup. Though the changeup is his go-to secondary offering, it's the slider and sweeper that have better whiff rates. An enterprising team might see an opportunity there.
In any case, the lefty represents an upside play for both the rest of 2025 and 2026. If he stays on the track he's put himself on, he fits as a top-of-the-rotation starter for most teams.
Potential Fits: Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, Houston Astros, Boston Red Sox
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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