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Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and the Top 10 Hitters on the Block at 2026 MLB Trade Deadline
With MLB's 2026 trade deadline 50 days away on August 3, the buyers are starting to get a sense of what they'll be able to pilfer from the sellers.
Last week, we put together a list of the top starting pitchers likely to be available at this year's grand ol' swap meet.
Today, we pivot to the top hitters.
For each of our top 10 hitters on the trade block, we've assigned an availability rating and a desirability rating, each on a scale from 0-10. The former is an estimate of how likely it is that the player's current team would be open to a trade, while the latter is an estimate of how coveted the player would be if he, in fact, lands on the trade block.
Players are ranked in ascending order of their combined score on those two meters.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics are current through the start of play on Saturday.
The "If Team Goes Belly Up" Tier
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In early June of last season, the Minnesota Twins were 34-27, the St. Louis Cardinals were 33-27 and the San Francisco Giants were 34-28. All three had at least a 40 percent chance of making the postseason, per Baseball-Reference's playoff odds. Yet, all three were sellers by the time the trade deadline arrived.
With that in mind, here are a handful of hitters who presumably wouldn't be on the trade block today, but who quickly could become staples of trade speculations if things unravel for their team.
Ian Happ, Chicago Cubs
Contract: $20.3M
2026 Stats: .228/.344/.480, 15 HR, 36 RBI
Seiya Suzuki, Chicago Cubs
Contract: $17M
2026 Stats: .252/.335/.432, 10 HR, 27 RBI
Brandon Lowe, Pittsburgh Pirates
Contract: $11.5M
2026 Stats: .249/.333/.531, 17 HR, 46 RBI
Daulton Varsho, Toronto Blue Jays
Contract: $10.75M
2026 Stats: .256/.331/.408, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 5 SB
Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals
Contract: $5.25M, arbitration-eligible for 2027
2026 Stats: Missed first 60 games on IL
Both Happ and Suzuki have full no-trade clauses and would be eligible to (and perhaps will both) receive a qualifying offer if they stick with the Cubs. Though, with how poorly things have gone since their 27-12 start to the year, who knows?
Lowe and Varsho are also qualifying offer candidates, each out to a solid and healthy start to this campaign. Toronto probably won't admit defeat regardless of how the next 40 games play out, but Pittsburgh might look to turn Lowe into prospects and a few million bucks if things unravel.
Nootbaar likely isn't going anywhere, as left field was an uninspiring revolving door for the Cardinals while he missed the first two-plus months of the regular season. They're probably going to want him back in 2027. But if they do fade and sell, he's near the top of their list of offerings.
The "Impending Free Agent Who Used to Be Good" Tier
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Every summer, you can just about take it to the bank that there will be several deadline deals that elicit a "Well, if he can get back to hitting like he did two or three years ago..." response from baseball fans.
Each of these impending free agents should be available.
Will anyone take the flyer, though?
Ha-seong Kim, Atlanta Braves ($20M)
Eugenio Suárez, Cincinnati Reds ($15M)
Jorge Soler, Los Angeles Angels ($13M)
Marcell Ozuna, Pittsburgh Pirates ($12M)
Josh Bell, Minnesota Twins ($7M)
Ryan Mountcastle, Baltimore Orioles ($6.787M)
A few of these guys play for teams who figure to be buyers. But with the way that Kim and Ozuna have been (not) hitting this season, those NL contenders would be thrilled if presented with the opportunity to unload a chunk of those salaries.
Suárez was the Belle of the deadline ball one year ago, but he simply hasn't been able to rekindle that slugging flame this year. But maybe he heats up in time to drum up some interest?
Soler started out kind of hot with eight home runs in his first 33 games, but he had just one dinger in his final 25 games before landing on the IL with an oblique strain. Going to be tough for the Angels to get anything for him.
Likewise, Mountcastle has been out since mid-April with a broken foot, this after a 2025 campaign in which he was a considerably below-average hitter. (Had the O's known they'd be able to land Pete Alonso in December, they probably would have non-tendered Mountcastle in November.)
The "If They REALLY Burn It Down" Tier
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Five of these six hitters are signed through at least 2029 and pretty unlikely to get traded because of that. We're also putting Yordan Alvarez in this tier, as it's hard to imagine the Astros would throw him to the wolves with another two years left on his deal.
But each of the six plays for a team going nowhere fast who might be willing to embrace a serious fire sale.
Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels (owed another $160M through 2030)
Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros (owed $26M annually through 2028)
Rafael Devers, San Francisco Giants (owed another $170M through 2033)
Willy Adames, San Francisco Giants (owed another $146M through 2031)
Matt Chapman, San Francisco Giants (owed another $114M through 2030)
Hunter Goodman, Colorado Rockies (arbitration-eligible for 2027, 2028 and 2029)
The Trout speculations were a lot more fun when he had a 1.000 OPS 36 games into the season. Since then, he has a .668 OPS in 32 games played, but he has at least stayed healthy. The problem is he has a full no-trade clause and Arte Moreno has expressed no interest in moving him anyway, so he is most likely staying put.
Alvarez doesn't have any no-trade protection, but it doesn't make sense for the Astros to move him, even if this season spirals out of control. We'll have other Houston hitters in our top 10, but even those guys with one year remaining on their contracts feel unlikely to get moved.
It's much more likely that some portion of San Francisco's pricy trio will get dealt, although both Adames and Chapman also have full no-trade clauses. Given the way Bryce Eldridge has been thriving at the dish in recent weeks, Devers' contract would figure to be the one they'd be most eager to unload. We'll see if they can find a taker, though.
And while there has been no indication whatsoever that the Rockies are looking to sell high on what has been their best player both this season and last, let's at least mention Goodman here in case they're thinking about making a legitimate needle-moving trade to help restock their farm system for the long haul.
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10. Gleyber Torres, Detroit Tigers
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Contract: $22.025M, Free Agent this winter
2026 Stats: .276/.391/.388, 4 HR, 18 RBI
Availability Meter: 7.0 out of 10
Detroit isn't going down without a fight. Tarik Skubal returned on Saturday to a team that was already surging to the tune of seven wins in its last 10 games...
To get back to 29-41 and still 5.5 games out of the playoff picture.
The Tigers' playoff odds are more than double what they were two weeks ago, but missing the postseason remains more likely than not.
And if that's still the case at the deadline, there's no particular reason for them to hang onto Gleyber Torres, unless they are dead set on trying to re-sign him this offseason and fear that trading him away would sully those negotiations.
Desirability Meter: 3.7 out of 10
Torres is nowhere near the slugger that he was a few years ago, averaging nearly 50 plate appearances per home run in 2026 and ranking near the bottom of the majors in hard-hit percentage and exit velocity.
He is, however, reaching base at both the highest clip of his career and one of the highest rates in the majors, as well as playing better defense at second base than usual.
Is that worth a prorated $6.5M if acquired at the trade deadline, not to mention any prospects?
When Luis Arraez figures to be available for half the dollar cost, or Isiah Kiner-Falefa for about one-fourth of Torres' salary?
He may well get dealt, but Torres is probably more of a backup plan for teams who miss out on other options higher on this list.
9. Willson Contreras, Boston Red Sox
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Contract: $14M in 2026, $13M in 2027, $20M club option (or $7.5M buyout) in 2028
2026 Stats: .293/.389/.537, 14 HR, 41 RBI
Availability Meter: 2.5 out of 10
Willson Contreras waived his no-trade clause to go from the Cardinals to the Red Sox, but could he waive it once again to get out of Boston? (Maybe even to go back to St. Louis?)
If he's open to it, Boston certainly should be.
At 28-39, the Red Sox are practically already drawing dead in the AL East. They're only within shouting distance of a wild card spot because there isn't a sixth team in the league with a winning record. But it has been a disastrous first 40 percent of the season that could result in Contreras, Aroldis Chapman, Sonny Gray and more exiting stage left via fire sale.
Desirability Meter: 8.5 out of 10
Contreras has been, without a close runner-up, Boston's best hitter this season.
But what else is new? If you take out the horrific first two weeks of the 2025 campaign, he's working on a fifth consecutive season with an OPS of at least .815. He has also been one of the better defensive first basemen in the majors since making that transition from catcher prior to last season.
What's left on the contract shouldn't be a problem, either, even for some smaller market clubs. Contreras is already 34, but with St. Louis retaining $8M to facilitate the prior trade, it's either $25.5M for 1.3 seasons or $38M for 2.3 seasons if that 2028 option is exercised. He's a cheaper and arguably better option than Christian Walker.
8. Mickey Moniak, Colorado Rockies
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Contract: $4M in 2026, arbitration-eligible in 2027
2026 Stats: .280/.335/.607, 12 HR, 28 RBI
Availability Meter: 7.5 out of 10
'Twas a fun first few weeks of competency when the Rockies started out 14-17. They had 57 losses by the time they got to 14 wins last year. But they have since settled back into MLB's basement, allowing nearly seven runs per game while going 12-27.
However, they don't have any impending free agent hitters. And it's highly unlikely they'll part with Hunter Goodman with another three years of team control on the All-Star catcher.
With one year left before free agency, though, Mickey Moniak is quite the trade candidate, provided he makes it back from the IL relatively soon and re-establishes some of that power from the first seven weeks.
Desirability Meter: 3.8 out of 10
Before he got hurt, Moniak was operating at a torrid pace with 12 home runs and a 1.051 OPS through his first 35 games played. And though he was much more productive at Coors Field (.718 SLG) than he was on the road, a .462 slugging percentage is nothing to sneeze at, better than what Bobby Witt Jr. or Mike Trout have managed to do thus far in 2026.
Was that 55 HR pace sustainable, though?
From the former No. 1 overall pick who entered the season with a career bWAR of 0.3?
And how will he look once he returns from the ankle tendinitis (that he tried to play through for about a week, but just wasn't the same)?
If the Rockies are practically giving him away, the line of suitors will be plenty long. But if they're expecting anything close to a king's ransom for a guy who was previously such a bust that he couldn't even make the Angels roster out of spring training last year, that probably isn't happening.
7. Choose Your Own Astros Infielder
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Christian Walker's Contract: $20M, $20M in 2027
Walker's 2026 Stats: .248/.317/.500, 17 HR, 49 RBI
Isaac Paredes' Contract: $9.35M, $13.35M club option for 2027
Paredes' 2026 Stats: .233/.333/.401, 9 HR, 33 RBI
Jeremy Peña's Contract: $9.475M, arbitration-eligible in 2027
Peña's 2026 Stats: .282/.357/.411, 3 HR, 12 RBI, 5 SB
Availability Meter: 3.0 out of 10
After starting out 19-30 and flirting with dead last in the MLB standings, Houston has at least temporarily stopped the bleeding. The Astros are still a few games back in both the AL West and AL wild card races, but with Josh Hader back from the IL and the trio of Hunter Brown, Cristian Javier and Yainer Diaz close behind him, postseason hope is percolating.
Still, Houston's playoff odds aren't great. And while it is highly unlikely they'll trade away Yordan Alvarez with two-plus years left on his contract, there's a good chance they would be willing to part with one of these three infielders slated for free agency after next season.
Probably just one of them, though, as this isn't a "burn it all down in hopes of rebuilding by 2030" sort of situation. Houston surely intends to contend again in 2027, but could benefit from turning some of its infield excess into an outfielder or pitcher with more years of team control.
Desirability Meter: 8.5 out of 10
Aside from Alvarez, these have been Houston's three best hitters this season.
Walker is well on his way to a fifth consecutive year with at least 26 home runs, bouncing back in a big way from a disappointing first few months in 2025. He's the biggest financial commitment of the bunch, but because of that, the three-time Gold Glove recipient might cost the least in terms of prospect capital.
Peña missed five weeks with a hamstring strain, but he had a .917 OPS in his first 18 games back. He has been worth at least 3.9 bWAR in each of his first four seasons in the big leagues, and he might push that run to five years.
Paredes got out to a brutal start through Houston's first 23 games, but he has been rock solid dating back to April 20. And in a year where there otherwise might not be a single third baseman worth trading for, he has a bit of extra trade value.
6. Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles
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Contract: $12.175M, Free Agent this winter
2026 Stats: .263/.410/.361, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 2 SB
Availability Meter: 4.4 out of 10
It's hard to say what the Orioles are going to do this summer. Their season definitely has not gone according to plan, but they're only one game back in an extremely wide open race for the last AL wild card spot.
Adley Rutschman (arbitration-eligible in 2027) and Gunnar Henderson (arbitration-eligible in 2027 and 2028) almost certainly aren't going anywhere, but if the situation doesn't improve, they may well entertain unloading their impending free agents.
Atop that list would be Taylor Ward, who has quietly been Baltimore's most valuable player, at least as far as bWAR is concerned.
Desirability Meter: 8.0 out of 10
Slugging was the big draw that led the Orioles to trade for Ward this past winter. But after amassing 36 home runs and 103 RBI with the Angels in 2025, he is on pace for just seven and 47, respectively, in 2026.
Ward is reaching base at one of the highest clips in the majors, though, and goodness knows there are a bunch of contenders who could use a corner outfielder with even a .300 OBP, let alone .400.
And who knows? Maybe the right batting coach can unlock that power swing for a dozen or more home runs down the stretch.
5. Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
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Contract: $7.7M, arbitration-eligible in 2027 and 2028
2026 Stats: .209/.268/.379, 10 HR, 34 RBI, 11 SB
Availability Meter: 5.0 out of 10
The one-year anniversary of Roman Anthony's MLB debut was this past Tuesday, which also means Jarren Duran has been consistently popping up in trade rumors/speculations for a little over a year now.
Whether the Red Sox are buying or selling at the trade deadline, they have four outfielders who ought to be everyday players when they're healthy. And once Anthony returns from the wrist injury that has had him on the shelf for over a month at this point, Duran will once again have a big trade target on his back.
Desirability Meter: 7.5 out of 10
Duran is a Jekyll and Hyde type of player.
He's a great baserunner. He's usually a solid outfielder. And there's going to be a stretch of a month or so in every season where he hits the cover off the ball. (See: June 2024, July 2025, May 2026.)
There are also prolonged stretches where he seemingly can't hit the broad side of a barn. (See: Sept. 2024, April 2026, his 10 most recent games.) And he has been whiffing worse than ever this season.
If you trade for him, you hope you're getting two-plus years of the 2024 version of Duran who maybe should have finished top five in the AL MVP vote. But you're also crossing your fingers that the good times outweigh the bad ones.
4. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
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Contract: $15M in each of 2026, 2027 and 2028
2026 Stats: .266/.328/.585, 21 HR, 33 RBI, 6 SB
Availability Meter: 3.0 out of 10
Byron Buxton has a full no-trade clause, and despite last summer's fire sale, he reiterated in February: "I ain't going nowhere."
As long as he remains perfectly happy in Minnesota, we're just wasting our time with these trade speculations.
But with the Twins sputtering at seven games below .500, likely to trade Ryan Jeffers and possibly looking to move Joe Ryan, Buxton might become willing to jump off a sinking ship for a chance at one more postseason appearance while he's still in his prime.
Desirability Meter: 10 out of 10
With Buxton, the narrative long has begun with the perpetual injury concern. Last season was the best of his career, racking up 35 home runs and 24 stolen bases, but he missed 36 games. He has also already missed a dozen games in the current campaign.
Yet, he's third in the majors with 21 home runs, operating at a 162-game pace of 58 amid his third consecutive season with an OPS north of .850.
Buxton is also an excellent baserunner and an above-average center fielder—which is a position that is almost always in high demand at the deadline.
For $15M per year, that's a ridiculous bargain, even if you do kind of have to assume he'll miss around 25 percent of possible games.
3. CJ Abrams, Washington Nationals
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Contract: $4.2M, arbitration-eligible in 2027 and 2028
2026 Stats: .284/.375/.520, 14 HR, 51 RBI, 10 SB
Availability Meter: 3.2 out of 10
During the offseason, it felt like CJ Abrams was pretty available, even with three years remaining until free agency. The Nationals had lost at least 91 games in five consecutive seasons, and it seemed like even they weren't planning on ending that streak in 2026, considering they traded away top pitcher MacKenzie Gore for a bunch of prospects in January.
Lo and behold, Washington has the highest-scoring offense in the majors and a perceptible postseason pulse and surely wouldn't be trading away Abrams if they had to make that decision today.
However, if we're to believe Washington's "To Make the Playoffs" betting odds of +880 on FanDuel and the bleak playoff odds available via Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and PECOTA, Washington should be a seller at the deadline. And if that's the case, Abrams should be available, albeit expensive.
Desirability Meter: 10 out of 10
Abrams' defense at shortstop is abysmal. Both in terms of Fielding Run Value and Outs Above Average, he has had the least valuable glove in all of baseball since the beginning of 2023. A prospective buyer will need to take that into consideration.
Even with that poor defense baked into WAR calculations, though, Abrams has been so valuable as a hitter that he ranks top 25 in the majors in WAR.
After three straight years with a sub-.750 OPS, Abrams is sitting at .895, on pace for roughly 32 home runs, 124 RBI and 23 stolen bases. And if he gets to 30, 120 and 20, respectively, he would join 2024 Shohei Ohtani as the only player in the past 15 years to do so.
Throw in the fact that he's still only 25 and under team control for another two years and there could be one heck of a bidding war if Abrams gets to the trade block.
2. Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins
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Contract: $6.7M, Free Agent this winter
2026 Stats: .295/.408/.541, 7 HR, 26 RBI
Availability Meter: 7.5 out of 10
One big question here is whether the 32-39 Twins would consider extending impending free agent Ryan Jeffers a qualifying offer in November if they don't trade him away this summer.
If not (probably not), if they continue on their current trajectory of being a seller at the trade deadline (probably so) and if Jeffers is healthy six weeks from now (we shall see), it is extremely likely he will be on the move.
Desirability Meter: 7.0 out of 10
Jeffers has been out for almost a month with a broken left hamate and probably won't be back until almost the All-Star Break. How he looks in those last couple of weeks prior to the trade deadline will go a long way toward determining his market.
Prior to the injury, though, Jeffers was enjoying an All-Star caliber campaign. His .949 OPS ranks sixth-best in the majors among players with at least 140 plate appearances, with career-best walk and strikeout rates playing a big part in that hot start.
If he comes back and picks up right where he left off, go ahead and retroactively push this rating from a 7.0 up to a 10. Goodness knows that at least the Yankees would be extremely interested in acquiring a catcher who can get on base with any degree of regularity.
1. Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants
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Contract: $12M, Free Agent this winter
2026 Stats: .326/.360/.438, 2 HR, 25 RBI, 5 SB
Availability Meter: 8.5 out of 10
After four consecutive years of painful mediocrity, the Giants have become simply painful to watch this season. There have been a few offensive explosions in recent weeks, including that wild comeback from an eight-run, eighth inning deficit against the Nationals on Wednesday. But at 14 games below .500, they are all but certain to be selling at the deadline.
Foremost among what they can put on the trade block is three-time batting champ, three-time All-Star and impending free agent Luis Arraez.
However, they do have the option of extending Arraez a qualifying offer, as San Diego chose not to offer him one last November.
Is his elite ability to put the ball in play worth an estimated $23M for next season? Or will they just take a prospect or two for him this summer?
Desirability Meter: 8.5 out of 10
Though we keep hearing that batting average in 2026 is worse than in any season since the Year of the Pitcher (1968), Arraez is on pace for what would be his third 200-hit season in four years.
Arraez has also, out of nowhere, become a real asset with his glove at second base, making him more valuable than ever before.
The tricky part, though, is finding a contender looking to make an upgrade at second.
The Dodgers would be near the top of the list, except those NL West rivals have made just one trade in the past 40 years. Washington could desperately use some help at 2B, but we'll see if the Nationals hang around long enough to be a buyer. If not, it might be Tampa Bay or Bust, but good luck ever winning a trade with the Rays.
If Arraez continues to bat well north of .300, though, there are bound to be several teams willing and able to find a way to make him their everyday second baseman.
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