Pitching Unpopular MLB Offseason Trade Ideas
The MLB offseason is underway, but it's going to be a minute until player movement picks up. There's time to kill, which is always a ripe environment for hot takes.
So, here are seven trade pitches that probably won't go down well with certain fanbases.
We're not pulling any punches here. All seven of these trade proposals involve an established star or name-brand prospect. But lest anyone think they shouldn't or downright can't get traded, well, that's what we're going to get into.
As an example, Paul Skenes is on this list even though he's the Pittsburgh Pirates' ace and on his way to becoming one of the great pitchers of all time. Suffice it to say, the Bucs need a lot more than him if they hope to contend any time soon.
Let's take it away, starting with a potential blockbuster that actually wouldn't come as much of a shock.
Note: Prospect ranks are according to B/R's Joel Reuter.
Tigers Should Trade Tarik Skubal
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Why Now Is the Right Time
We'll take a wild guess that Tigers fans don't want Tarik Skubal to get traded. He is, after all, about to become a back-to-back Cy Young Award winner.
Trade speculation is already ramping up, though, and it seems safe to stick a fork in the notion Detroit will instead extend Skubal before he can hit free agency after the 2026 season.
There's low-balling a guy, and then there's offering the best pitcher in baseball a measly $80 million contract. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, that was what the Tigers offered Skubal last year after he won his first Cy Young.
Health permitting, Skubal could be valued as high as $400 million as a free agent after 2026. So, if he's destined to leave Detroit either way, there is sense in the Tigers cashing him in for a huge haul instead of letting him walk and merely recouping a draft pick.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: New York Mets get LHP Tarik Skubal; Detroit Tigers get 3B Brett Baty, RHP Nolan McLean (Mets No. 1), RHP Brandon Sproat (Mets No. 5)
The Mets already seem to be the de facto favorites for Skubal, which makes sense. Even setting aside that they're a win-now team in dire need of a No. 1 starter, they're also one of the few teams that could hope to extend the ace lefty.
At least on paper, this trade package is enough to get a deal done. The Tigers need a regular at third base, and the duo of McLean and Sproat could ensure their rotation remains a strength for years to come even after Skubal's departure.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Boston Red Sox, Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies, Chicago Cubs
Yankees Should Trade Spencer Jones
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Why Now Is the Right Time
Trade Spencer Jones? Yeah, we're aware other teams have been barking up this tree, only to have the Yankees bark back, "No!"
Case in point, the Yankees had a chance to trade for 2022 NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcantara in July. According to Heyman, however, Jones is one of the prospects the Yankees refused to part with. Alcantara ultimately stayed put in Miami.
One could understand the Yankees' reluctance to move Jones back then, and he might be even more untouchable now. The Yankees have several holes in their outfield, and Jones' stock is back up after a 2025 season in which he slammed 35 homers with a .932 OPS at Double-A and Triple-A.
Nonetheless, the 6'7", 242-pounder is a 40-grade hitter with an obvious weak spot, with his strikeout rate having taken up a permanent spot in the mid-30s over the last two seasons. If that is happening in the minors, the Yankees have every reason to fear just how badly he could be exploited by major league pitching.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: San Diego Padres get OF Spencer Jones; New York Yankees get RHP Jeremiah Estrada
Estrada could be tough to pry loose now that Robert Suarez is a free agent. And yet, the Padres badly need to add power this winter after finishing third from the bottom of MLB with 152 home runs.
For their part, any money the Yankees don't spend on their bullpen could be used to add outfielders in free agency. To this end, it makes more sense to trade for someone like Estrada (a strikeout machine with club control through 2029) than it does to throw money at Edwin Díaz.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds
Nationals Should Trade James Wood
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Why Now Is the Right Time
The Nationals are expected to be open for business this winter, and even MacKenzie Gore and CJ Abrams are among MLB Trade Rumors' top trade candidates.
James Wood is not, nor would you expect him to be. He was a first-time All-Star as a 22-year-old this year, ultimately finishing with a .825 OPS and 31 home runs. He's under club control through 2030.
Yet with Paul Toboni now leading their front office, the Nationals find themselves in the worst of spots: having to reboot a rebuild. And given they have one of MLB's worst farm systems following a 96-loss season, the timeline for this project would seem to be long.
Trading Wood now would be a means to turn one good player into a handful of great prospects. And we use the word "good" with intent. The 6'7", 234-pound Wood is powerful, but he's also coming off a dismal second half in which he struck out at a 39.0 percent clip. He finished with an MLB-high 221 strikeouts.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: Milwaukee Brewers get LF James Wood; Washington Nationals get SS Luis Peña (Brewers No. 2), SS Cooper Pratt (Brewers No. 3)
As good as the Brewers were this season, they hit only 166 home runs. That placed in the bottom 10 of MLB, and it marked the third straight year that Milwaukee also finished in the bottom half of the National League.
Wood is precisely the kind of power supply the Brewers need. And given the potential prize is nothing less than a World Series, the rest of the team is so complete that it's worth the risk of offloading two of their best prospects.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, Detroit Tigers, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds
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Phillies Should Trade Bryce Harper
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Why Now Is the Right Time
This idea would have been unthinkable a couple weeks ago, but then Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski ran his mouth about not being sure if Bryce Harper could be an elite player anymore.
"I have given my all to Philly from the start," Harper told Matt Gelb of The Athletic in response. "Now there is trade talk? I made every effort to avoid this. It's all I heard in D.C. (with the Nationals). I hated it. It makes me feel uncomfortable."
It doesn't necessarily seem as if Harper wants out of Philly, in which case you have to commend him for committing to the bit. He didn't negotiate an opt-out into his 13-year, $330 million deal in 2019, and he has seemed more than willing to hold extension negotiations with the team.
Even so, it would arguably be the right time for the Phillies to move on even if Dombrowski hadn't gotten under Harper's skin. He's a two-time MVP, but also 33 years old and coming off his worst season since 2016.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: Chicago Cubs get 1B Bryce Harper; Philadelphia Phillies get OF Owen Caissie (Cubs No. 2), RHP Jaxon Wiggins (Cubs No. 4)
Harper has 10-and-5 rights, so he's only going to get traded if he approves of where he would be going. To this end, he famously loves Wrigley Field and has even said the Cubs were his No. 1 choice when he was a free agent six years ago.
Harper is owed $153 million over the next six years, which is a mere fraction of what Kyle Tucker could get in free agency this winter. Harper could effectively take his place in the lineup, while the Phillies would get salary relief and two MLB-ready prospects who could help in 2026.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Boston Red Sox, Seattle Mariners, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres
Braves Should Trade Ronald Acuña Jr.
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Why Now Is the Right Time
Elsewhere in the NL East, it is still shocking how much the Braves have degraded since riding a historic offense to a 104-win season in 2023. What's more, their farm system has fallen into disrepair as one of the worst in the league.
Put those two things together, and some sort of reset begins to sound more and more appealing. Trading Ronald Acuña Jr. is the nuclear option in this respect, but the concept also hits that sweet spot between outrageous and sensible.
On the one hand, he's an MVP winner and five-time All-Star who is still just 27 and signed for cheap. He'll make $17 million in 2026, followed by $17 million club options for 2027 and 2028.
On the other hand, he's had two torn ACLs in the last five years. The downstream effects are impossible to ignore, as he has largely stopped stealing bases and has become one of the worst right fielders in the league, to boot.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: Seattle Mariners get RF Ronald Acuña Jr.; Atlanta Braves get RHP Logan Gilbert, RF Lazaro Montes (Mariners No. 2)
The Mariners have holes to fill this winter, but they also have ample money to spend and MLB's No. 1 farm system to pull from in trades. They are thus an ideal landing spot for Acuña, who would form an intimidating superstar trio with Cal Raleigh and Julio Rodríguez.
The Braves aren't rebuilding, though, so this trade would allow them to retool instead. Gilbert would give them much-needed stability in the rotation, while Montes and his booming power are on track for a 2026 debut.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Detroit Tigers, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds
Guardians Should Trade José Ramírez
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Why Now Is the Right Time
The Guardians just pulled off an all-time comeback to win the AL Central, but you just never know when they're going to look at their payroll and decide it needs trimming.
Cleveland was indeed a seller at the trade deadline, and there's already speculation Steven Kwan could be next to go this winter. But dare we say it would be better off trading José Ramírez instead?
"You may not" is a valid answer, given his baseline for the last nine seasons includes 30 homers, 30 steals and 5-6 WAR. But he also turned 33 years old in September, with $69 million still coming his way through 2028.
Basically, this may be the Guardians' last best chance to sell high on Ramírez in a blockbuster that accomplishes two things: Clear payroll space and net a return of players who can help now and later.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: Blue Jays get 3B José Ramírez; Guardians get 3B/OF Addison Barger, SS JoJo Parker (Blue Jays No. 2), SS Arjun Nimmala (Blue Jays No. 3)
The Blue Jays reportedly attempted to trade for Ramírez in 2022. They have gone on to bigger and better things since then, but they'll need to make splashes this winter if they want to maximize their odds of defending their AL pennant.
A trade for Ramírez would soften the blow of Bo Bichette's likely departure, and would give Vladimir Guerrero Jr. a superstar partner in crime. And for their part, Cleveland would get two top-100 prospects and a ready-made replacement at third base in Barger, who had a breakout year in his age-25 season.
Other Potential Landing Spots: Cincinnati Reds, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Mets
Pirates Should Trade Paul Skenes
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Why Now Is The Right Time
Paul Skenes made history with a 1.96 ERA as a rookie in 2024, only to take a step back in 2025... all the way down to a 1.97 ERA. For shame.
He's a special pitcher, and the Bucs should pat themselves on the back for passing on Dylan Crews to take Skenes at No. 1 overall in the 2023 draft. Yet you can already hear the clock ticking on his time in Pittsburgh, as there's just no way MLB's most frugal franchise is going to pay what it'll take to sign him long-term.
Hence why trade rumors started swirling around Skenes when he was barely more than a year into his major league career. And while the Bucs have thus far refused to give in, they need to seriously consider changing course.
Skenes is already just four years from free agency, and there's at least one good reason to think the Pirates won't contend before then. They badly need offense, and their farm system only has one potential savior in the form of Konnor Griffin.
'Who Says No?' Trade Proposal: Detroit Tigers get RHP Paul Skenes; Pittsburgh Pirates get SS Kevin McGonigle (Tigers No. 1), OF Max Clark (Tigers No. 2)
Given all the buzz surrounding Skubal right now, it would be a heck of a switcheroo if the Tigers instead sought to pair him with Skenes—at least for 2026, after which Skenes would take over as Detroit's sole ace.
In exchange, the Bucs would get MLB Pipeline's No. 2 and No. 8 prospects, with only Griffin standing between McGonigle and the top spot. They could then hope to build a homegrown contender within the next two or three years, whereas they can only dream of scraping one together around Skenes within the next four.
Other Potential Landing Spots: New York Mets, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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