MLB Trade Deadline 2026 Landing Spots For Every Available Outfielder

If you're looking for a superstar outfielder, you likely won't find it before the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

However, if you're looking for an outfielder that could be part of the solution for your club, there's plenty of those still available as Monday's 6 p.m. ET trade deadline approaches.

Here's the best potential landing spot for all the remaining outfielders.

Jo Adell, Los Angeles Angels

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Best Fit: Tampa Bay Rays

Jo Adell will be one of the most interesting pieces moved in the coming days, assuming owner Arte Moreno allows interim general manager John Mozeliak to do so.

Adell's .690 OPS this season isn't impressive, although he's mashed left-handed pitchers to the tune of a .925 OPS. Even if teams just view him as a platoon player, there are so few impact right-handed hitters available right now that the current version of Adell will intrigue a slew of contenders.

The other thing with Adell is he's not a rental, as he has another year of arbitration eligibility in 2027 before free agency. He's also 27 years old, and has flashed superstar talent. He's a season removed from hitting 37 home runs. Could a team that's more competent than the Angels unlock that talent on a consistent basis? It would be great to find out.

At the very least, Adell would be an upgrade over Chandler Simpson in the lineup when the Rays are facing a tough lefty on the mound. The possibility of unlocking more and having him hit homers alongside Junior Caminero is a tantalizing one.

Heliot Ramos, San Francisco Giants

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Best Fit: Cleveland Guardians

San Francisco president of baseball operations Buster Posey doesn't have a ton of roster flexibility, so moving Heliot Ramos to a team that's willing to pay for his potential and three remaining years before free agency might be a way for the Giants to change the mix a bit.

Like Adell, Ramos is crushing left-handed pitching, as he's batting .307 with an .874 OPS against southpaws this season. His .691 OPS against righties leaves something to be desired, although he's not a guy that can never play against righties, he just likely needs to be protected vs. the best right-handers.

Ramos isn't going to compete for a Gold Glove Award, but after posting minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-nine outs above average in left field a year ago, he has zero DRS and minus-two OAA in 2026, which you can certainly live with.

Granted, we've projected him to land in Cleveland, where the left field wall can be difficult to navigate. But Ramos could also be an option in right field against left-handed pitching. They probably wouldn't want to entrench the 26-year-old at DH, but that could be an option sometimes as well.

President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and the Guardians are traditionally pretty conservative with their external additions, so they may prefer to add a rental outfield bat that will be much cheaper to land in terms of prospect capital. But Ramos has all three arbitration years remaining and some room for growth offensively still, so he might be worth a larger-than-typical expenditure.

Mickey Moniak, Colorado Rockies

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Best Fit: Staying put

First-year president of baseball operations Paul DePodesta has an interesting decision to make with outfielder Mickey Moniak.

On one hand, the former No. 1 overall pick has 17 homers and an .881 OPS, so there's an argument for a 43-67 club trying to maximize his trade value. Moniak has one remaining arbitration year in 2027, which theoretically could make him more interesting to some suitors than a rental.

On the other hand, Moniak might be a guy that's more valuable to the Rockies than what he would bring back is. He's not about to be a free agent, so Colorado doesn't have to do anything. They could still trade him in the offseason, or even next summer.

The thing with Moniak is that teams can look at his home/road splits. At Coors Field, he's got a 1.025 OPS. In away games, he has a .690 OPS. If you take Moniak out of Denver, there's a chance his production will decline precipitously.

So while the Rockies should certainly listen on the 28-year-old, they shouldn't feel like they have to move him.

JJ Bleday, Cincinnati Reds

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Best Fit: Staying put

JJ Bleday looked like an emerging star as a member of the then-Oakland Athletics in 2024 when he doubled 43 times. But the A's non-tendered Bleday last offseason after he hit just .212 with a .294 on-base percentage.

If you need an idea of how low Bleday's stock was coming into the season, he didn't even make the Opening Day roster in Cincinnati. However, since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville, Bleday has had a strong campaign. He isn't doubling at the pace that he did two years ago, but Bleday has 19 homers, 48 RBI and an .813 OPS for Terry Francona's club.

However, Bleday is another player who has benefitted greatly from playing his home games at a hitter friendly park. At Great American Ball Park this season, Bleday has 13 homers and a .971 OPS in 162 plate appearances. Away from one of the sport's most hitter-friendly parks, Bleday has six homers and a .679 OPS in 179 plate appearances.

Even though this has turned into a lost season for the Reds, the 28-year-old Bleday has two remaining arbitration years before free agency. Unless president of baseball operations Nick Krall gets overwhelmed—which he likely won't—the Reds should just keep Bleday.

Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

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Best Fit: Philadelphia Phillies

Whether teams are hoping to get the 2025 version of Ward or the 2026 one, there's going to be interest in his services because he's a right-handed bat.

In fact, Ken Rosenthal and Jayson Stark of The Athletic recently reported that the Phillies, Yankees, Guardians and Texas Rangers are interested in Ward "to varying degrees."

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski might have too many holes to fix to reasonably set this team up to win a World Series in 2026, but that doesn't mean he's not going to try.

The Phillies are currently dead-last in team on-base percentage at .303. Well, the 2026 version of Ward leads the American League with 86 walks and has a .384 on-base percentage.

Also, the Phillies are overly reliant on Kyle Schwarber and Bryce Harper to provide thump in their lineup. Ward only has seven home runs this season, but hit 36 and drove in 103 runs just a year ago. He would probably immediately become the cleanup hitter in interim manager Don Mattingly's lineup.

Ward is a rental, but the 32-year-old is going to be in demand.

George Springer, Toronto Blue Jays

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Best Fit: Houston Astros

Because George Springer has 10-and-5 rights, he can block any potential trades that the Blue Jays come to him with. And as he wraps up a six-year, $150 million contract, the former World Series MVP might just decide he doesn't want to go anywhere.

That means that if the Blue Jays hope to move off of some of his remaining money, they're going to have to work with Springer to facilitate a trade that he'll approve.

What about giving Springer—who will turn 37 in September—a chance to return to the team that selected him in the first round of the 2011 MLB Draft? Springer still has an .804 OPS against the left-handed pitching, so he could provide value to the team currently leading the AL West.

A return to Houston might mean that both Springer and AL MVP front-runner Yordan Alvarez need to spend a bit more time in the outfield than would be ideal, because both are best-suited to be at DH. But the story would be a great one.

Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants

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Best Fit: Staying put

Jung Hoo Lee's third MLB season has been his best, as he's hitting .300 with 24 doubles, four triples and a .768 OPS.

The problem in trying to move him would be while there would be interest in Lee, the Giants would probably have to pay down a portion of what's left of the six-year, $113 million contract he signed to come over to America prior to the 2024 season. If that's what it takes to move Lee, the Giants are probably better off just holding onto him and having him be an expensive table setter.

One interesting thing for possible suitors to consider is that Oracle Park in San Francisco is a particularly difficult outfield to navigate defensively. Lee has minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-three outs above average this year between right field and center field, though perhaps in an outfield with more traditional dimensions, his numbers would improve.

Ultimately, we think his contract will scare most suitors off, unless the Giants are willing to eat money and/or take a lesser prospect return.

Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals

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Best Fit: San Diego Padres

Having won seven of their last 10 games, the Padres aren't entirely out of contention. They may very well trade RHP Michael King, but president of baseball operations A.J. Preller is capable of buying and selling at the same time.

Lars Nootbaar would be a pickup that theoretically could strike the balance between still trying to put their best foot forward this year, while also not being a rental. Nootbaar has one remaining arbitration year before free agency, so he could be part of the 2027 Padres.

Nootbaar is pretty much unplayable against left-handed pitching, where he's batting .133 with a .433 OPS in just 30 at-bats this season. But he's hitting .261 with a .749 OPS against right-handed pitchers, so he very much has a place as a strong-side platoon player. Perhaps that place could be Petco Park.

Randy Arozarena, Seattle Mariners

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Best Fit: Staying put

Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto loves to make trades, so it's not surprising to hear from Adam Jude and Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times that club is willing to at least listen on Randy Arozarena, who is in his contract year.

The problem for the M's is that for as disappointing as this season has been, a 53-58 record still has them within three games of the final wild-card spot in the AL, and a matching three games back of the Astros for the AL West lead. This may just not be their year, but it's also not hard to imagine a scenario where Cal Raleigh, Julio Rodríguez, Bryan Woo and Andrés Muñoz turn their seasons around and the Mariners not only reach the postseason, but are a threat to win a wide-open junior circuit.

So unless the Mariners are overwhelmed for Arozarena—who was an All-Star for the third time this season—they should hold onto him and try to win down the stretch. They'll have the qualifying offer in their back pocket this offseason, which will assure they at least get draft-pick compensation if the 31-year-old departs in free agency.

Luis Robert Jr., New York Mets

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Best Fit: Texas Rangers

Luis Robert Jr. changed uniforms before the season, but the story has largely been the same in New York as it was in Chicago—he struggles to stay on the field.

A lumbar spine disc herniation cost Robert nearly two months, but he was activated on July 20. It will likely take very little for any team to acquire the oft-injured 28-year-old, with it long since having been a lost season in Flushing. So if you're a team like the Rangers that's looking for a center field platoon partner for Evan Carter, why not take a flier on Robert?

A smaller role might help Robert to hold up better. Carter has just a .128 batting average against left-handed pitching this season. Robert would play in center field against left-handed pitching, offering a potential upgrade over Cam Cauley.