The 10 Best MLB Trade Chips For 2026 Season
The 2026 MLB trade deadline isn't until August 3, and there's a lot of baseball to be played between now and then. As such, the trade market is far from taking shape.
So, in ranking the 10 best trade chips of the 2026 season, the best we could do was make educated guesses.
If you're hoping to find Tarik Skubal here, you're going to be disappointed. His name launched a thousand trade rumors over the winter, but he stayed put with the Detroit Tigers and is certainly a big reason why they're favored to win the AL Central.
Rather, this was mostly about picking out the best trade pieces on sure non-contenders. In other cases, it was about identifying players on contenders who could be moved for roster- or payroll-related reasons.
Note: Players' surplus values are according to Baseball Trade Values.
Honorable Mentions
1 of 11
Hitters
Starting Pitchers
Relief Pitchers
10. RHP Luis Severino, Athletics
2 of 11
Age: 32
Contract Status: $25M for 2026, $22M player option for 2027
Surplus Value: -$7.2M
The A's have been busy locking up their best young players ahead of their move to Las Vegas in 2028, but Luis Severino doesn't fit into those plans.
He might only stick around for the rest of this season. The odds of it being a playoff year for the A's are slim. That offense is dangerous, but Severino is part of a badly undermanned pitching staff. Hence, why FanGraphs only gives the team a 9.4 percent chance of playing in October.
Severino's surplus value suggests he isn't worth what he's being paid, and there is some truth to that. He only had a 4.54 ERA last year. His strikeout rate deteriorated to only 6.9 per nine innings.
His stuff is still good, though, and two splits from 2025 make him look salvageable: a 3.02 ERA away from Sacramento, and a 3.10 ERA in the second half.
Potential Landing Spots: Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets
9. 1B/DH Yandy Díaz, Tampa Bay Rays
3 of 11
Age: 34
Contract Status: $12M for 2026
Surplus Value: $7M
Discounting the Rays as a playoff contender can historically be a bad idea, but it seems relatively safe these days. They haven't been to the postseason since 2023. They're currently the fourth-best team in the AL East on paper.
If anything, it's a surprise that Yandy Díaz is still fair game for discussion as a Rays trade candidate. His name has appeared in a bunch of rumors in recent years. That is sure to continue if the Rays don't make a surprise playoff run.
Despite his age, he's a .293 hitter with 100 home runs in eight seasons with the Rays. He set a career high with 25 long ones last year. We know he's certainly not lacking in the raw power to do better.
Díaz is perfectly playable as an everyday first baseman or DH, though the ultimate cheat code would be a contender landing him and using him as a platoon hitter. He has a career .901 OPS against lefties.
Potential Landing Spots: San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates
8. RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
4 of 11
Age: 30
Contract Status: $17.3M for 2026, $21M team option for 2027
Surplus Value: $11.6M
This is another "surprising he's still there" situation, and maybe even the ultimate one, at that. Sandy Alcantara was a walking trade rumor last year… until he wasn't.
All the same, the Marlins still don't seem especially likely to give Alcantara a shot to pitch in October. And whereas he couldn't do it right away last year, he is rounding back into his Cy Young-winning form of 2022.
The righty finished last year with a 3.13 ERA over his last 12 starts. He started this year with seven scoreless innings on Opening Day. He sat in the 97 mph range with both his four-seamer and sinker, peaking at 99 mph.
If Alcantara can keep this up, his $17.3 million salary and $21 million option might not scare even more thrifty spenders away.
Potential Landing Spots: Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, New York Yankees
7. RHP Nick Pivetta, San Diego Padres
5 of 11
Age: 33
Contract Status: $19.8M for 2026, $14.8M for 2027, $18.8M for 2028
Surplus Value: $15.5M
Yes, Nick Pivetta is on here. And no, you don't have to agree with it. After all, the Padres are still trying to dethrone the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
FanGraphs gives them only a 1.5 percent chance to do so, plus a modest 22 percent chance to make the playoffs in any capacity. And besides, the franchise could look to shed payroll before or after their upcoming sale.
Pivetta would be a hot item on the trade market if he were made available. He had the best season of his career in 2025, posting a 2.87 ERA over 181.2 innings. Even before that, his stuff always rated well, suggesting such a breakout was inevitable.
Due to its backloaded salaries and complex structure, Pivetta's contract wouldn't make a trade easy to figure out. But for any team motivated to get a top-of-the-rotation starter, none of that would be a deal-breaker.
Potential Landing Spots: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Houston Astros
6. 3B Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros
6 of 11
Age: 27
Contract Status: $9.4M for 2026, $13.4M team option for 2027
Surplus Value: $18.1M
To be clear, Isaac Paredes can't become a free agent this winter, no matter what happens with his 2027 option. His arbitration eligibility runs through next season.
Either way, he appeared in a bunch of trade rumors over the winter precisely because he doesn't have a clear role in Houston. An injury to Carlos Correa or Christian Walker would clear that up, but he's stuck behind both for now.
Beyond that, the Astros could trade him to fulfill their need for pitching. Their rotation already lacks depth, as Cristian Javier and Lance McCullers Jr. are not the pitchers they once were.
The appeal of Paredes is simple. He isn't a good defender, but he works good at-bats and generates plenty of pull power. Since 2022, he's averaged 25 home runs per 162 games.
Potential Landing Spots: Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds
5. CF Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
7 of 11
Age: 32
Contract Status: $15.1M for 2026, 2027, 2028
Surplus Value: $35.5M
Byron Buxton proclaimed himself a "Twin for life" a couple of weeks before last year's trade deadline, but he couldn't have known then that the franchise was headed for a downward spiral.
On it goes, with the Twins off to a 1-3 start after crashing out at the end of 2025. And since Buxton was reportedly willing (per ESPN's Jeff Passan) to waive his no-trade clause over the winter, he should be considered a top trade name for the summer market.
Buxton's injury history shouldn't require elaboration at this point. That might be what keeps his market from taking off. When he is healthy, though, he's a superstar-caliber player on both sides of the ball.
To wit, here are Buxton's numbers on a per-162 basis since 2021: 6.3 rWAR, 35 home runs and 19 stolen bases, with a 134 OPS+.
Potential Landing Spots: Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers
4. CF Oneil Cruz, Pittsburgh Pirates
8 of 11
Age: 27
Contract Status: $3.3M for 2026, arbitration-eligible through 2028
Surplus Value: $32.4M
The Pirates listened to offers for Oneil Cruz last summer, when he was on his way to a second straight 20-20 season. And now, he looks like a change-of-scenery candidate.
Yes, the Bucs are a playoff contender. And yes, he's ostensibly their starting center fielder. But that position just isn't right for him, and vice versa. He'd be better off in a corner spot, and Pittsburgh can't really make that happen.
Given his defensive issues and his only slightly above-average 102 OPS+, Cruz isn't exactly a star asset. He nonetheless has star upside and then some, as his power, speed and arm strength are about as good as they come.
A change of scenery would ideally bring not just a different locale, but different voices in his ear and less pressure to carry a lineup. For prospective buyers, the potential reward would be well worth the risk.
Potential Landing Spots: Detroit Tigers, Cincinnati Reds, Kansas City Royals
3. LF James Wood, Washington Nationals
9 of 11
Age: 23
Contract Status: Pre-arbitration through 2027, arbitration-eligible through 2030
Surplus Value: $48.7M
There hasn't been anything solid about the Nationals potentially shopping James Wood, but speculation began to trickle out during spring training.
The Nationals are rebooting their rebuild under Paul Toboni, and Wood is worth a haul on paper. Paradoxically, he's also not such a sure thing as a franchise cornerstone because of the volatility that comes with his swing-and-miss issues.
Even so, the appeal for would-be buyers is obvious. The 6'6", 234-pound Wood is one of the most purely powerful sluggers in MLB, as seen in how his exit velocity and hard-hit rate both landed in the 98th percentile last season.
There's also patience to go with the power. Wood is young enough for teams to believe his whiffing problem might be mitigated with the right program.
Potential Landing Spots: San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants
2. RHP Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
10 of 11
Age: 29
Contract Status: $6.1M for 2026, $13M mutual option for 2027
Surplus Value: $49.6M
Like Isaac Paredes, Joe Ryan is not a free agent until after 2027, no matter what happens with that option. He, therefore, would not be a rental for prospective buyers.
That's one of his main appeals, with the other being that he's a really, really good pitcher. Even if he "only" has a 111 ERA+ to show for the last four seasons, that came with a 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
You also get the sense that there's more to unlock with Ryan. His command is obviously excellent. His stuff is so good that Stuff+ rated it on par with that of Dylan Cease last season.
This is how you get that much surplus value. If you're the Twins, that's your ticket to a huge haul that could help fast-forward the rebuild.
Potential Landing Spots: Atlanta Braves, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays
1. SS CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals
11 of 11
Age: 25
Contract Status: $4.2M for 2026, arbitration-eligible through 2028
Surplus Value: $51.8M
Whereas there were no serious rumors about James Wood, the Nationals reportedly did discuss trading CJ Abrams over the winter. And probably not for the last time.
He's both more of an established star and more of a sure thing than Wood, as his rWAR has landed right in the 3.5 range in each of the last three seasons. He has a floor as a 30-steal threat. His power is good for roughly 20 homers per year.
Defense is Abrams' biggest flaw, to the point that he should be moved off shortstop to second or third base. But that's eminently doable, and a move could potentially make him even more valuable if he were to take well to a new position.
Basically, he's an All-Star-caliber talent right now. His ability comes with more than enough club control to experiment with pushing his ceiling even higher.
Potential Landing Spots: San Francisco Giants, Kansas City Royals, Atlanta Braves
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
