6 Fresh Trade Ideas for Cole Ragans, Ketel Marte and More at 2025 MLB Winter Meetings
The annual MLB winter meetings will get underway on Dec. 7, as the baseball world will converge on Orlando, Florida, for what is often a flurry of activity both in free agency and on the trade market.
Aside from the lucrative deal Dylan Cease signed with the Toronto Blue Jays and the one-for-one swap that saw Marcus Semien and Brandon Nimmo change teams, it has been a relatively quiet offseason so far, but that will soon change.
Ahead we've proposed six fresh trade ideas based on recent rumblings and speculation of players that could potentially be available and teams with a clear need to fill, providing both a landing spot and a return package for the seller.
Ryan Jeffers to the Philadelphia Phillies
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To PHI: C Ryan Jeffers
To MIN: LHP Mavis Graves, 3B Carson DeMartini
The Phillies will either need to re-sign J.T. Realmuto, or find a veteran replacement outside of the organization, as there is no in-house candidate to step into the starting catcher role in 2026.
After their trade deadline fire sale, the Twins have to be viewed as open for business, and while Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton are the trade chips most frequently mentioned in speculative deals, catcher Ryan Jeffers would also be a useful piece for a contender in need of catching help.
The 28-year-old has a 113 OPS-plus in 1,264 plate appearances over the past three years, with a .356 on-base percentage and 10.8 percent walk rate helping to pump up his offensive value this past season.
A free agent after the 2026 season, he won't fetch a huge return, but Mavis Graves is a promising 6'6" southpaw who had 103 strikeouts in 81.2 innings at High-A, while Carson DeMartini has 55-grade power and and reached Double-A in his first full professional season.
Trevor Megill to the New York Yankees
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To NYY: RHP Trevor Megill
To MIL: RHP Carlos Lagrange, 1B T.J. Rumfield, RHP Harrison Cohen
The Brewers are reportedly concerned about their payroll for the upcoming season, and while that has led to increased speculation that Freddy Peralta will be traded, he's not the only candidate to be shipped out in a cost-cutting move.
Closer Trevor Megill has 51 saves with a 2.60 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 10.6 K/9 in 98 appearances over the past two seasons, and he was an All-Star for the first time in 2025. He is also projected to earn $4.2 million in his second year of arbitration after making $1.94 million in 2025, which would make him one of the 10 highest paid players on the team.
With flame-thrower Abner Uribe waiting in the wings as a ninth-inning replacement, flipping Megill could bring back a nice prospect haul and shed some salary without necessarily gutting the bullpen.
The Yankees have a clear need to bolster their relief corps and a history of dealing with the Brewers, as just last winter they acquired Devin Williams under similar circumstances.
Giving the Brewers their pick of Carlos Lagrange, Bryce Cunningham or Elmer Rodriguez as the prospect centerpiece, alongside a couple second-tier prospects that are close to MLB ready in 25-year-old T.J. Rumfield and 26-year-old Harrison Cohen would be a nice return package for Megill's two years of remaining control.
Brendan Donovan to the Los Angeles Dodgers
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To LAD: IF/OF Brendan Donovan
To STL: SS Emil Morales, RHP River Ryan, OF Kendall George
For years, Chris Taylor and Enrique Hernández were invaluable pieces on the Los Angeles Dodgers roster thanks to their combination of offensive production and defensive versatility.
Brendan Donovan could fill a similar role.
The 2025 All-Star played primarily second base in 2025, but he has logged at least 100 career innings at all four infield spots and both outfield corners, and he is a career .282/.361/.411 hitter over four seasons.
With club control through 2027 and a reasonable $5.4 million projection for his 2026 salary, the Cardinals will need to be motivated to move him, and his versatility means a long list of potential suitors.
Emil Morales hit .314/.396/.515 with 24 doubles, 14 home runs and 70 RBI in 89 games between rookie ball and Single-A in his stateside debut, and he could be a consensus top-50 prospect in baseball by the summer.
River Ryan missed all of 2025 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and he is already 27 years old, but he was a prospect on the rise prior to the injury who logged a 1.33 ERA in 20.1 innings over four starts in his first taste of the big leagues.
Those two give the Cardinals a nice mix of long-term upside and near-term impact, and rounding out the package with a flier on speedster Kendall George would make this an extremely competitive offer.
Brady Singer to the Houston Astros
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To HOU: RHP Brady Singer
To CIN: OF Jacob Melton
If the Reds are going to make a significant addition on the offensive side of things, they will likely need to find a way to shed some payroll, and trading from an area of strength by dealing one of their starting pitchers is one potential approach.
Ace Hunter Greene has received some trade buzz, but the more likely trade chip is Brady Singer, who is projected to earn $11.9 million in his final year of arbitration and is unlikely to be signed to an extension before he hits the open market next winter.
The 29-year-old was acquired from the Royals last offseason in exchange for Jonathan India, and he went 14-12 with a 4.03 ERA and 163 strikeouts in 169.2 innings in his Reds debut.
The Astros are in serious need of starting pitching help behind Hunter Brown, and Singer would slot in nicely as a middle-of-the-rotation option who does not come with a long-term financial commitment.
With Yordan Alvarez, Jesús Sánchez, Cam Smith, Jake Meyers and Zach Cole all vying for playing time in the Houston outfield, it's hard to see where Jacob Melton fits into their plans.
The 25-year-old hit .286/.389/.556 with 22 extra-base hits in 35 games at Triple-A last season, and offers a 50-power, 60-speed offensive profile with the defensive chops to be a solid defender in center field.
Ketel Marte to the Seattle Mariners
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To SEA: 2B Ketel Marte
To ARI: RHP Logan Evans, 2B Michael Arroyo, SS Felnin Celesten
Why is Ketel Marte a popular name on the trade market this offseason?
The 32-year-old is set to gain 10-5 rights shortly after the 2026 season begins, which comes when a player has 10 years of service time and has spent at least five seasons with his current team, allowing him to veto any trade.
He was signed to a six-year, $105 million extension at the start of the 2025 campaign, but it's a back-loaded deal that will pay him $64 million over the final three years in 2028, 2029 and 2030 when he will be 36 years old.
The idea of being locked into that financial commitment when he is potentially declining could be reason enough to flip him now and focus on the future.
Adding his impact bat at second base would give the Mariners an upgrade over Jorge Polanco, who had a strong 2025 season in his own right, and Seattle has more prospect talent to offer up on the trade market than any team in baseball.
Even if they traded away Michael Arroyo and Felnin Celesten, who are both frequently mentioned as Top 100 prospects, they still have Cole Young, Colt Emerson and Tai Peete as high-end infield prospects.
Pairing those two with an MLB-ready arm in Logan Evans would give the D-backs a piece for their 2026 rotation and two high-ceiling prospects, while also getting them out from under the significant money still owed to Marte.
Cole Ragans to the New York Mets
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To NYM: LHP Cole Ragans
To KC: RHP Jonah Tong, OF Carson Benge, IF/OF Ronny Mauricio, 1B Ryan Clifford
The Royals are in serious need of offensive reinforcement after finishing 26th in the majors with 651 runs scored, and trading away one of their starting pitchers might be the best way to address that need.
Kris Bubic is a popular speculative name on the trade market, but his value might not be where the Royals need it to be after his breakout 2025 season was cut short by a rotator cuff strain.
Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha are both solid veterans, but their salaries limit their trade appeal, leaving controllable ace Cole Ragans as the arm capable of bringing back a lineup-altering return.
The Mets are in clear need of rotation help, but would they be willing to drain the farm system to acquire it?
Jonah Tong is a high-ceiling arm who could immediately replace Ragans in the MLB rotation, while Carson Benge is also a consensus top-50 prospect who offers a 60-hit, 50-power offensive profile. The 22-year-old was a two-way player in college, but has turned his full attention to hitting in pro ball, and he hit .281/.385/.472 with 47 extra-base hits and 22 steals in 116 games while reaching Triple-A in his first full pro season.
Adding a change-of-scenery candidate in Ronny Mauricio and an offensive-minded slugger in Ryan Clifford provides two more potential candidates to soak up at-bats in the outfield, and makes this the type of lineup-altering return it would take for the Royals to seriously consider moving Ragans.
