10 MLB All-Stars Most Likely to Be Traded in 2025-26 Offseason
At Major League Baseball's 2025 All-Star Game, Steven Kwan wore a Cleveland Guardians hat while Byron Buxton and Brandon Lowe represented the Minnesota Twins and Tampa Bay Rays, respectively.
Could we see those All-Stars traded to new teams before Opening Day 2026?
The pool of candidates for this list was every player who has been named an All-Star in multiple years* and who is under team control^ through at least next season.
Incredibly, there are 86 players who fit that description, 10 of whom plausibly could be on the move this winter.
For each of those 10, we'll note remaining contract terms and statistics from the current season before explaining the likely motivation on both the selling and buying end of the spectrum.
*Could be any two years and does not necessarily include 2025
^Club options count; player options and mutual options do not count
Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins
1 of 8
Contract: $17.3M in 2026, $21M club option for 2027
2025 Stats: 127.0 IP, 6.31 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, 6.9 K/9, -1.5 bWAR
Why Miami Would Trade Him
The figure of $17.3M for a recent Cy Young winner is darn good value—at any rate, the runner-up to Sandy Alcantara in 2022, Max Fried, signed a $218M contract last winter—but it's an awful lot of money to a Miami team that ranks dead last in the majors in payroll this season.
That doesn't mean they'll give him away for nothing more than salary relief, but the Marlins do already have quite the stable of starting pitchers under team control through at least 2028. If they can move Alcantara for a pair of young (read: inexpensive) bats liable to help out as early as 2026, they'll probably take it.
Why Others Would Want Him
Here's a fun fact: Alcantara's FIP prior to Friday night's gem in Boston was 4.55, exactly the same as what he posted in 2019 when he was named an All-Star for the first time.
Granted, that ASG honor was a "someone from this 105-loss disaster needs to make the team" situation, but it was also the beginning of his rise to stardom. And the fielder independent data suggests he has pitched equally well this season. ERA sure paints a different story, but at least he has been healthy. Couple that with the notion that his bad luck won't last forever and Alcantara is a phenomenal buy-low candidate.
Byron Buxton, CF, Minnesota Twins
2 of 8
Contract: $15M in each of 2026, 2027 and 2028
2025 Stats: .282/.344/.560, 24 HR, 60 RBI, 17 SB, 3.8 bWAR
Why Minnesota Would Trade Him
Byron Buxton does have a full no-trade clause, and he said during the All-Star break that he had no intention of waiving it to be dealt this summer. But after the Twins burned their roster to a crisp a few weeks later, he might feel a bit differently, now that he's back from the IL and probably looking around the clubhouse as puzzled as the John Travolta gif from Pulp Fiction.
Turning Buxton into prospects would not only expedite this rebuild, but it would also open the door for top prospect Walker Jenkins to take the reins in center field just as soon as he's ready for the big leagues.
Why Others Would Want Him
Buxton is having the best season of his career, already setting high watermarks for both runs and RBI, almost certain to reach new bests in both hits and home runs, if he stays reasonably healthy.
Those last five words always have been the rub with Buxton, and $45M for three years' worth of a soon-to-be 32-year-old, injury-prone center fielder might make a lot of teams balk at trading for him. But quality center fielders are so scarce these days that even the medical history wouldn't stop a few of the bigger market clubs from aggressively pursuing him.
Emmanuel Clase, RHP, Cleveland Guardians
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Contract: $6.4M in 2026, $10M club option in 2027, $10M club option in 2028
2025 Stats: 47.1 IP, 24 saves, 3.23 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 8.9 K/9, 0.6 bWAR
Why Cleveland Would Trade Him
Without question, the gambling investigation for which Emmanuel Clase is on administrative leave through at least the end of August is a colossal factor in his trade potential. But let's play a little game of "innocent until proven guilty" and assume he'll be back on Sept. 1 and ready to play out the remainder of his contract.
Well, before the suspension news hit, Clase's name was quite popular on the speculative trade block. He has been the best closer in baseball over the past half-decade, and those $10M club options two and three years from now would be no problem whatsoever for the majority of MLB franchises. But that amount of coin for a closer? On Cleveland's budget? He's probably more valuable to them as a trade chip.
Why Others Would Want Him
Again, assuming for the moment that Clase gets cleared in this investigation, who the heck wouldn't want the best closer in baseball for three years at an average annual value of $8.8M?
Jeff Hoffman got an $11M AAV on a three-year deal last offseason with all of 12 career saves to his name. Tanner Scott had two solid years and got a four-year, $72M deal in free agency. Guys with proven track records in the ninth inning simply never come this cheap, at least in terms of salary. We'll see how much prospect capital Cleveland demands, though.
Adolis García, RF, Texas Rangers
4 of 8
Contract: Arbitration-Eligible in 2026
2025 Stats: .224/.266/.388, 16 HR, 64 RBI, 10 SB, 2.1 bWAR
Why Texas Would Trade Him
Adolis García was the hero of Texas' World Series run in 2023, with 15 RBI and a 1.293 OPS just in that seven-game ALCS showdown with the Houston Astros. But he missed the final two games of the World Series with an oblique injury and just has not been the same since, with a .671 OPS over the past two seasons.
Non-tendering him after all he did for them from 2021-23 would be almost cruel, as he does still have 41 home runs and 21 stolen bases since the beginning of last season. But trading him away to save what figures to be around $10M could be in the cards.
Why Others Would Want Him
Simply put, García is too young to be washed up, right?
In what is his age-32 season, his hard-hit percentages and exit velocities are still on par with what they were at his peak, and he has bounced back to respectable levels of play on defense after what was a horrendous 2024 season in right field.
Maybe he's no longer the guy who averaged over 30 home runs and nearly 100 RBI from 2021-23, but on a one-year flyer that isn't going to break the bank, it's worth finding out if he still has a quality walk year in the tank.
Steven Kwan, LF, Cleveland Guardians
5 of 8
Contract: Arbitration-Eligible in 2026 and 2027
2025 Stats: .277/.337/.394, 10 HR, 40 RBI, 12 SB, 3.1 bWAR
Why Cleveland Would Trade Him
Had Steven Kwan not been such a pervasive name on the trade block in late July, this wouldn't make much sense. Cleveland was in the ALCS just last October and is right there in the wild-card mix this year, which simply isn't your standard candidate for a "looking to turn the last two years of team control on one of our best players into a package of prospects" type of swap.
Nevertheless, the reports were that they were pretty aggressively shopping him right up until the deadline, so it seems as though they just aren't that interested in spending what will probably be around $20M over the course of the next two seasons on a guy they probably wouldn't (be able to) re-sign after 2027.
Why Others Would Want Him
Kwan is a three-time reigning Gold Glove recipient who is probably headed for a fourth such honor. And though he has yet to come all that close to winning a batting title, he goes through these stretches every year in which he reels off multiple-hit games seemingly four times a week for well over a month.
He's not a slugger by any stretch of the imagination, but he'll homer on occasion and provides value in every other facet of the game. Cleveland's reluctance to pay around $10M per year for the next two seasons for a guy who would easily fetch double that in free agency could be some team's huge gain.
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
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Contract: $11.5M club option in 2026
2025 Stats: .275/.323/.503, 24 HR, 59 RBI, 1.9 bWAR
Why Tampa Bay Would Trade Him
Quite simply, it's what the Rays do. They sign players to escalating contracts, milk the early years of said contract for all they're worth and then pass the buck to someone else willing to pay for the latter years in which the ROI potential is nowhere near as high.
It's why we thought they might dump Brandon Lowe this past winter once his salary for this season crept up to $10.5M, but they instead opted to let it ride for one more year of both his and Yandy Díaz's services. Decent chance both of those veterans get dealt, especially if Ha-Seong Kim exercises his $16M player option, which would leave the Rays searching for opportunities to save money elsewhere.
Why Others Would Want Him
Much like the previously discussed Byron Buxton, Lowe is one of those guys who seems to miss at least a month of action in every season, but who also always seems to hit well when available.
Since the beginning of 2019, Lowe has slugged .487 with an .816 OPS, which is pretty well in line with Trea Turner's marks of .483 and .831, respectively. That isn't to say his overall value added is anywhere close to Turner's, but $11.5M for a legitimate middle-of-the-order bat that can play first or second base is solid value, assuming he plays in at least 100 games.
Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles
7 of 8
Contract: Arbitration-Eligible for 2026 and 2027
2025 Stats: .232/.318/.386, 9 HR, 27 RBI, 1.9 bWAR
Why Baltimore Would Trade Him
Adley Rutschman felt like the long-term face of this franchise almost immediately upon his arrival in the big leagues in May 2022. Yet, here we are, 39 months later, and the Orioles have failed to sign him (or any of their other young stars) to a long-term extension.
This winter feels like the point of no return. After back-to-back seasons nowhere near as proficient as his first two, this is where they could try to buy low and get a big extension done at a price that's reasonable for them. And if they're still miles apart in those negotiations, they might as well just trade him now and clear the path for top prospect Samuel Basallo to become the primary catcher next season. Goodness knows he looks ready with a near 1.000 OPS in Triple-A this year.
Why Others Would Want Him
Even "less proficient" Rutschman would still be pretty darn coveted at a position where Cal Raleigh leading the majors in home runs and Will Smith leading the National League in batting average is very much the exception to the rule. You can almost count on one hand how many catchers have an OPS of .800 or better this season, which Rutschman did in both 2022 and 2023.
And in advance of what will be his age-28 season, you're certainly hoping he bounces back and delivers his best work yet over the next two years. Probably close to half the league would be calling Baltimore on a daily basis if it puts Rutschman up for sale.
A Conclave of Veteran Cardinals
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3B Nolan Arenado
Contract: $16M in 2026, $15M in 2027
2025 Stats: .235/.294/.366, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 1.1 bWAR
1B Willson Contreras
Contract: $18M in 2026, $18.5M in 2027, $17.5M club option or $5M buyout for 2028
2025 Stats: .255/.344/.443, 16 HR, 65 RBI, 1.8 bWAR
RHP Sonny Gray
Contract: $35M in 2026, $30M club option or $5M buyout for 2027
2025 Stats: 135.1 IP, 4.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 9.8 K/9, 1.7 bWAR
Why St. Louis Would Trade Them
The Cardinals are turning over a new leaf with their transition from John Mozeliak to Chaim Bloom calling the shots and they want to clear the deck and start over fresh with eyes on the future instead of these expensive relics from the past. Or, at any rate, they said almost a year ago that's what they wanted to do, but all they've managed to accomplish thus far is unload some impending free agents ahead of the deadline.
The complicating factor here is that all three of these players are in possession of full no-trade clauses. However, you would think they'd want to play for a team that actually intends on winning a title within the next two years, and perhaps a little sit down with this trio would grease the wheels on St. Louis' quest to save over $100M.
Why Others Would Want Them
Arenado is still a wizard at third base and still competent enough at the plate that you don't need to try to hide him at the bottom of the order like a Ke'Bryan Hayes or a Nick Allen.
Contreras got out to a horrific first few weeks of this season, but he's batting .280 with an .863 OPS over his last 96 games played—while also playing some of the best first-base defense in the majors.
And though his ERA hasn't adequately reflected it, Gray has a 3.12 FIP since the beginning of last season, tied with Framber Valdez in 10th place among pitchers with at least 200 innings pitched. $40M for one year or $65M for two years is a mighty steep price, but he might be worth it.
All three have provided respectable WAR value this season and could still be key cogs for a contender.
