Pitching 5 Unpopular MLB Offseason Trade Ideas

Like it or not, unpopular trades go down every MLB offseason.

Whether it's a player who wants to get to a contending team or a club who doesn't plan to make a competitive offer to retain a player getting close to free agency, there are trades made against the wishes of fanbases at this time of year.

Let's take a look at a few unpopular trade ideas for the offseason, with the disapproval in each situation varying to different degrees.

Brewers trade Trevor Megill to Yankees

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Perhaps the Brewers will get nostalgic this offseason after winning their first World Series title. But it appears that if Milwaukee is going to hold onto a player entering his contract season that they'd probably trade in another year, it will be World Series MVP William Contreras.

Closer Trevor Megill is also entering his contract year, with Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors projecting that the former All-Star will make $8 million in his final year of arbitration. Megill could join former Brewers stars Corbin Burnes and Devin Williams as players to get traded before their contract seasons.

Megill reuniting with Williams on the New York Mets would be interesting on a number of levels. Embattled president of baseball operations David Stearns was still with the Brewers in an advisory role when they acquired Megill from the Minnesota Twins in April of 2023. Also, Megill's younger brother Tylor will be returning from Tommy John surgery after missing the entirety of the 2026 season. The chance to be teammates for a season would be really cool.

Nonetheless, we're projecting New York's other team, the Yankees, to acquire Megill from the Brewers. B/R has projected that it will take a three-year, $55.5 million deal with a $15 million club option for a fourth season for the Yankees to re-sign David Bednar in free agency. Alternatively, Brian Cashman could trade for Megill, who will pitch next season at 33, only a year older than Bednar. Megill would only be a one-year commitment, and the Yankees would get draft-pick compensation back for Bednar assuming he declines the qualifying offer and signs elsewhere.

Obviously, the Yankees would be hoping this would go better than when they acquired the aforementioned Williams from the Brewers two offseason ago, only for him to post a 4.79 ERA in his long campaign in pinstripes.

With a bullpen that includes Abner Uribe, Aaron Ashby and DL Hall, the Brewers could withstand the loss of Megill. Former AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil would be an interesting player to target in return for Megill, even if he carries significant injury risk. Gil still has two years remaining before free agency, and could be a weapon as a starter or a reliever.

Guardians trade Steven Kwan to Giants

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Cleveland president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti left himself some wiggle room when asked about Steven Kwan's future after the Guardians lost in the ALCS.

"I think our past history would say it could play out in a variety of different ways," Antonetti said of Kwan's future in October. "There are certainly guys that have finished their term of control and gone to free agency. There are other guys that have been traded prior to the season, other guys midseason. A lot of that just depends upon circumstances.

"But as we sit here today, we're expecting Steven Kwan to be a big part of a contending team next year."

What we know is that the Guardians seriously considered trading Steven Kwan prior to the 2025 trade deadline before ultimately holding onto him. They didn't seem to seriously consider dealing him last offseason, but perhaps that was because his production cratered down the stretch in 2025, when he posted just a .655 OPS after the All-Star Break.

Kwan again struggled to open the 2026 season, hitting .225 with a .614 OPS in the first half. However, he was one of baseball's best players in the second half, hitting .353 with an .875 OPS. Kwan is projected to make $11.3 in his final year of arbitration, which might make this the right time for Antonetti and Cleveland to maximize the return for a player who could be looking for north of $100 million at this time next year.

Buster Posey and the Giants could use Kwan's presence in their lineup as they try to rebound from consecutive disappointing seasons. Oracle Park is one of the hardest outfields in baseball to navigate, but Kwan is a four-time Gold Glover in left field and was a finalist in center field in 2026. He could no doubt play right field if asked. And Kwan would likely take advantage of Triples Alley.

Even with just one year until free agency, the Guardians aren't going to just give Kwan away. After all, this is a team that's been to the ALCS twice in the last three years. Casey Schmitt is coming off of a second half where he posted just a .582 OPS, but he still has three arbitration years before free agency and crushes lefties. Schmitt could get at-bats at a variety of positions, including first base, left field and DH for the Guardians.

Dodgers trade Teoscar Hernández to Royals

Even though Teoscar Hernández helped the Dodgers to win back-to-back World Series titles, Dodgers fans would probably be fine with the club moving him considering their outfield mix would still include Kyle Tucker, Josue De Paula and Andy Pages.

Where this might be unpopular with Dodgers fans is that to move Hernández's contract—which includes one more guaranteed season at $17.34 million and a $15 million club option for 2028 with a $6.5 million buyout—Los Angeles is going to have to include some money.

In a perfect world, Hernández—who posted minus-six defensive runs saved and minus-six outs above average in left field this past season—would go somewhere that he could primarily be a DH. Guess what? It's not a perfect world.

While franchise icon Salvador Perez will still get some starts at catcher and first base, his primary position in what may be his final season will likely be DH. That might mean that Hernández has to play one of the two corner outfield spots more than anyone would like. In that sense, this deal might also be unpopular with Royals fans.

However, the Royals have struggled for years to get competent offensive production from their outfielders. Hernández, 34, still posted a .907 OPS against lefties this past season. Having him play left field against all lefties and protecting him against tougher righties would improve Kansas City's offense, which finished dead-last in runs scored by outfielders (189) in 2026.

All of this is contingent on the Dodgers eating close to half of Hernández's 2026 salary, while also sending money to cover a portion of his 2028 option or buyout. But if the Royals could trade a lower level minor league arm and get Hernández at, let's say, $9 million next year, it would make sense for J.J. Picollo and company.

Astros trade Jeremy Peña to Blue Jays

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It's hard to argue with how the Astros operate given the amount of success they've had over the last decade-plus, but they aren't necessarily a model organization. There often seem to be too many cooks in the kitchen, which has led to pretty frequent turnover both in the dugout and front office.

Additionally, while owner Jim Crane spends money—Spotrac says the Astros were eighth in total payroll this past year—he rarely seems to compete at the top of the financial market. Among the stars Crane has let walk as free agents during his reign are Gerrit Cole, Carlos Correa, Justin Verlander and Alex Bregman.

In other instances, the Astros have traded stars they don't intend to spend on prior to their contract year, as they did when sending Kyle Tucker to the Chicago Cubs two winters ago before his final year of arbitration. Could something similar happen with Jeremy Peña this offseason?

The 29-year-old Peña will be a free agent after the 2027 season. Since the start of the 2025 season, Peña is fourth among all shortstops in WAR at 8.9, which FanGraphs says is higher than Francisco Lindor and Gunnar Henderson, among others. The former World Series MVP will almost certainly be seeking a $100 million-plus contract next winter.

As the Blue Jays look to rebound from a disappointing 2026 season, acquiring Peña to play shortstop would definitely improve John Schneider's lineup. Andrés Giménez could pretty easily slide back to second base, where he's previously won a Platinum Glove. A year from now, the Blue Jays can figure out if they want to retain Giménez or not.

Toronto also has a piece that could be very interesting to the Astros in Ernie Clement. After hitting .411 in the 2025 postseason, Clement started in the All-Star Game this past year. Unfortunately, his production fell off a cliff after the Midsummer Classic, as he batted just .203 with a .493 OPS. In his year-end press conference, general manager Ross Atkins didn't guarantee Clement would be a starter in 2027, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.

Even though Clement is 30, he's got an additional year of control than Peña, as he can't become a free agent until after 2028. At his best, he's a hits machine and would be a nice way to soften the blow of trading away a former World Series hero.

Clement wouldn't push Jose Altuve off of second base, but he could spell him there on occasion. He could play every day at third base, if the Astros trade Isaac Parades, who is also entering his contract year. Clement also has experience at shortstop and left field, so whoever new general manager Randy Flores tabs as his manager could get creative in how he's utilized.

A's trade Shea Langeliers to Mets

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The A's would surely love to bring Shea Langeliers with them when the move to Las Vegas in 2028, which is why Jon Heyman of The New York Post reported back in March that the team was interested in signing him to a long-term extension.

However, if Langeliers is intent on trying to maximize his value in free agency after the 2028 season, it might be easier to move him before their final season in Sacramento, as opposed to next offseason when they're preparing for their inaugural campaign in Las Vegas.

Since the start of the 2025 season, only Cal Raleigh (70) and Hunter Goodman (60) have hit more home runs among catchers than the 45 of Langeliers. With the Minnesota Twins saddling Ryan Jeffers with a qualifying offer, Langeliers' bat would be in demand, even if he's never graded out particularly well behind the plate.

The aforementioned Contreras just showed how valuable having a tremendous hitter at the catching position can be. With Stearns trying to save his job in 2027, acquiring Langeliers' with two guaranteed seasons would be a very nice move this offseason.

It would make sense for the A's to target Francisco Alvarez in return for Langeliers. Alvarez, like Langeliers, doesn't get great marks behind the plate. But he has immense offensive upside, with 63 home runs since the start of the 2023 season. He's also only 24 years old and can't become a free agent until after the 2029 season, a year later than Langeliers.