8 Buy-Low MLB Trade Candidates of the 2026 Trade Season

Most of the percolating MLB tradeline buzz has been centered on stars like Tarik Skubal, C.J. Abrams, Mason Miller and Hunter Goodman, but there are dozens of under-the-radar, buy-low trade candidates who just might end up swinging some playoff races.

While we still cannot say for sure in which direction some of the buyer/seller dominoes will fall, there are eight teams whose fate appears to be sealed as a seller, entering play on Saturday at least six games out of the playoff picture: A's, Angels, Giants, Mets, Reds, Rockies, Royals and, arguably, Blue Jays.

From each of those teams, we've identified one buy-low trade candidate who—whether due to injury, poor play or a combination of both—simply has not delivered the goods through the first four months of this season.

Maybe that changes for them in August and September?

Players are presented in alphabetical order by last name.

Jo Adell, OF, Los Angeles Angels

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Contract: $5.2M in 2026, arbitration-eligible in 2027

2026 Stats: .241/.288/.397, 15 HR, 57 RBI

Jo Adell swings the bat about as hard as anyone on the planet, ranking in the 97th percentile (or higher) in bat speed in each season from 2024-26.

However, after barreling an impressive 17.3 percent of batted balls en route to 37 home runs last season, he simply has not been finding that sweet spot thus far in 2026, down to an 8.6 percent barrel rate.

To put those numbers in context, Shohei Ohtani has a 17.0 percent barrel rate this season, while even Brett Baty (8.8 percent) is slightly ahead of Adell in his current state.

We know by now with Adell not to expect a good on-base percentage. He rarely draws walks, so among players with at least 2,000 plate appearances since the beginning of 2020, only Javier Báez (.275) has a lower OBP than Adell's career mark of .279.

But could a new home and a new hitting coach help Adell turn a corner and get back to homering like he did yesteryear?

In a summer where the demand for outfielders drastically outweighs the supply of them, there ought to be quite a few teams motivated to find out.

At the very least, the Phillies are a strong candidate to trade for Adell. If the Tigers are buying, they need a right fielder. Both the Guardians and White Sox could desperately use some power in the outfield, too. And that's hardly a comprehensive list for this buy-low candidate who might not actually come all that cheap.

Kris Bubic, LHP, Kansas City Royals

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Contract: $6.15M in 2026

2026 Stats: 50.1 IP, 4.11 ERA, 3.72 FIP, 1.23 WHIP, 9.1 K/9

Kris Bubic has been on the IL with shoulder soreness for more than two months at this point, and has twice been shut down in his attempt to rehab from it, last appearing in the minors on June 27.

So, if you're looking for someone who can slot immediately into the rotation in the first week of August, look elsewhere.

Taking a gamble on an injured rental pitcher isn't a foreign concept at the deadline, though.

Toronto added Shane Bieber last July, and he panned out wonderfully for them. San Diego's acquisition of Nestor Cortes didn't work out nearly as well. But Alex Cobb was a relatively key pickup by the Guardians the previous summer.

And with Bubic, we're talking about a guy who had a 2.58 ERA over the previous two seasons, serving in a relief role in 2024 before becoming an All-Star as a starter in 2025.

If he makes it back to the mound this season, maybe it will be in a relief role again. However, of the 22 teams within five games of the playoff picture, at least a dozen could use some help both in the rotation and in the bullpen.

Unless the Royals are planning on extending him a qualifying offer—which seems a bit unlikely at this point—he's definitely available. In fact, he's probably Kansas City's best trade chip aside from Michael Wacha, who they probably plan on keeping, barring a huge offer for the two years left on his contract.

Brenton Doyle, CF, Colorado Rockies

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Contract: $3.1M in 2026, arbitration-eligible through 2029

2026 Stats: 43 G, .207/.279/.270, 1 HR, 9 SB

Speaking of guys who have been on the IL since mid-May, remember Brenton Doyle?

All trade deadline eyes fixated on Colorado have been on All-Star catcher Hunter Goodman, but Doyle was pretty great two years ago, amassing 23 home runs and 30 stolen bases while securing his second consecutive Gold Glove in center.

Granted, he had a .900 OPS at Coors Field compared to a .636 mark everywhere else, but he looked like a star in the making.

Unfortunately, he took a big step backward (with even worse home/road splits) in 2025 and has missed most of this season to oblique and groin injuries.

He just started a rehab assignment on Thursday, though, so he could be back in the majors just in time for the trade deadline.

And for all of the Rockies' woes in recent years, they actually have a respectable outfield right now in Jake McCarthy, Cole Carrigg and Mickey Moniak, all of whom are controllable through at least next season. Moreover, three of their top 10 prospects (per MLB.com pipeline) are outfielders who have an OPS north of .900 at Triple-A Albuquerque this season (Charlie Condon, Zac Veen and Sterlin Thompson).

That isn't to say they're eager to give Doyle away for nothing, but he is already one of their 10 highest paid players, in a position group where they arguably have a surplus of viable options.

If either the Cardinals or the Orioles are buying, Doyle could be a great fit there. We've also already mentioned the Phillies' outfield issues in regard to Jo Adell, but this is another spot where they would surely have some interest.

Tyler Mahle, RHP, San Francisco Giants

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Contract: $10M in 2026

2026 Stats: 83.0 IP, 5.31 ERA, 4.51 FIP, 1.45 WHIP, 8.3 K/9

Unlike some of the others on this list, we know darn well that Tyler Mahle is going to be available to the highest bidder.

The Giants are hopelessly out of the playoff conversation, Mahle is an impending free agent and there's no reason to think they plan on extending him a qualifying offer if he does remain in San Francisco beyond the deadline.

It's really just a question of which October hopefuls want to take this ~$3M flyer.

Mahle's full-season numbers are a bit bleak. But since returning from about a month on the shelf with a hamstring strain, he has made five starts with a 3.76 ERA and 3.71 FIP.

For what it's worth, five of the 11 earned runs charged against him during that stretch came after Sam Hentges replaced him in the middle of an inning. More often than not as of late, Mahle has been thriving through the first four innings of his outings.

Also for what it's worth, it appears he has decided to just stop throwing what had been his least valuable pitch.

Opponents are batting .361 and slugging .556 against Mahle's slider this season, but he has only thrown it once across his last two starts, compared to 131 times in his first 14 appearances. Something to keep an eye on for his projected two remaining starts before the deadline.

Jorge Polanco, DH, New York Mets

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Contract: $20M in 2026, $20M in 2027

2026 Stats: 23 G, .161/.215/.241, 1 HR, 4 RBI

Jorge Polanco entered the season dealing with an Achilles issue, landed on the IL in mid-April with a wrist injury and missed nearly three months before returning to the Mets a week before the All-Star Break.

He was hitting .179 at the time of the wrist injury and is hitting .129 since returning.

Needless to say, they haven't got what they were hoping for out of this two-year, $40M contract.

But if some contender wants to take a flyer on the switch-hitting DH who had 26 home runs and an .821 OPS last season with the Mariners, the Mets might be willing to retain a significant chunk of Polanco's salary if the prospect return tickles their fancy.

It could even be the Mariners bringing him back.

Goodness knows Seattle has struggled to hit left-handed pitching in 2026, but Polanco had a .305 batting average and .888 OPS against southpaws last year.

Maybe he could lock back in after getting far away from Queens?

Max Scherzer, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

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Contract: 1 year, $3M (with IP incentives noted below)

2026 Stats: 22.0 IP, 10.23 ERA, 8.79 FIP, 1.73 WHIP, 5.7 K/9

Sadly, Father Time has caught up with MLB's still rostered 40-somethings who will be first-ballot Hall of Famers in a few years. Justin Verlander has made just one appearance this season for the Tigers while Max Scherzer has made just one appearance in the past three months.

Mad Max is almost back, though.

On Wednesday, he went five no-hit innings with seven strikeouts in a rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo. And while there has been no official announcement yet, there's a chance he takes the mound for the Blue Jays on Monday—on his 42nd birthday—back in his old stomping grounds at Nationals Park.

Does he have one more run left in him?

Let's not forget that his 41st birthday was the beginning of a streak of five consecutive quality starts, and that he played a considerable role for Toronto in the 2025 postseason, pitching at least into the fifth inning in each of his three starts.

It should be noted that Scherzer has a full no-trade clause, as well as contract incentives for innings pitched. He's at 22.0 IP now, but if he reaches 65 IP, he gets an additional $1M. Same goes for the 75, 85, 95, 105, 115, 125, 135, 145 and 155 IP plateaus.

But a full NTC didn't stop him from going from the Mets to the Rangers in pursuit of a ring three years ago, and it presumably wouldn't be a hiccup now. And if he does pitch at least 43 innings the rest of the way, that probably means he is making an impact (not to mention staying healthy) and is worth the pay bump.

Jeffrey Springs, LHP, Athletics

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Contract: $10.5M in 2026, $15M club option (or $750k buyout) for 2027

2026 Stats: 102.2 IP, 5.96 ERA, 6.02 FIP, 1.42 WHIP, 7.5 K/9

Throughout his two seasons with the A's, Jeffrey Springs has had a simply miserable time pitching at home.

Between his 24 appearances at Sutter Health Park and the two at Vegas Ballpark, he has allowed 33 home runs with a 5.60 ERA.

But up until about seven weeks ago, he pitched perfectly fine everywhere else. He posted a 3.45 ERA on the road in 2025 and had a 3.60 mark through his first five road starts this season.

While not quite as impressive as the 2.63 ERA that he had over his final four seasons with Tampa Bay, it was good enough to likely convince a contender that he could be a solid No. 3 or No. 4 starter once no longer making home starts at Triple-A launching pads.

Since the beginning of June, though, even the road starts have been problematic for Springs, saddled with a 9.41 ERA and 15 home runs allowed over his last eight starts (four home, four away).

He may have crossed the bridge from "buy-low candidate" to "not even worth a flyer."

However, for a team like the White Sox, Cardinals or Nationals—who would like to add some pitching, but probably can't justify parting with any legitimate prospect capital at this point in time—Springs could be just the ticket.

That club option for next season is a nice perk, too. If he finishes strong in a new home, Springs is probably worth the $15M for 2027. If not, that $750,000 buyout might as well be a few pennies to an MLB franchise.

Eugenio Suárez, DH/3B, Cincinnati Reds

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Contract: $15M in 2026, $16M mutual option (or $0 buyout) for 2027

2026 Stats: .213/.285/.414, 14 HR, 39 RBI

What a difference a year makes, eh?

Eugenio Suárez was the belle of the ball heading into the 2025 trade deadline. Through July 21, he had a .933 OPS and was on pace for nearly 60 home runs and 140 RBI. Seattle ended up parting with a slight haul of prospects to bring him back for a two-month rental.

Unfortunately, his reunion with Cincinnati has been a struggle, hovering around the Mendoza Line, striking out more than ever before in his career and homering just eight times in his first 61 games.

Could it be that he has turned the corner, though?

Geno is still whiffing a ton, but he has six home runs in his last 47 trips to the plate, including an upper decker off Matthew Boyd in Cincinnati's final game of the first half and a 435-foot blast against the Cardinals on Friday night.

And let's face it: If you're looking for rental sluggers this summer, it is extremely slim pickins.

Our Joel Reuter recently put together a ranking of the 20 best rentals plausibly available, and the only hitters in his top 12 were Ryan Jeffers and singles king Luis Arraez. Suarez frankly might be the likeliest rental to hit at least 10 home runs after the deadline.

It's also noteworthy that he can play third base. He hasn't exactly been good at the hot corner over the past two seasons, but the fact that he isn't exclusively a DH would appeal to teams like Seattle, Miami and Milwaukee, who have gotten precious little offense from third this season.