Remember how the offseason free-agent market was pretty boring? That hasn’t been the case with the weeks leading up to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Deals have been done — since we first published this list on Friday, several players have been traded, including Asdrubal Cabrera, Mike Moustakas, Ryan Pressley and Brad Brach, to name a few — and more are on the way. This is the time of the year when we constantly refresh Twitter looking for news of who’s next to be traded. So we thought we’d help answer that question by ranking the players who could be dealt next.
MORE: Cubs acquire Cole Hamels from Rangers
And because it’s impossible to lump everyone into one list, we broke them down into different rankings. Think of them as hybrids of the “best player available” lists you’ll see during draft coverage. The guys near the top of the list aren’t necessarily the absolute best talents who could possibly be moved, but they’re guys who have great talent and are more likely to get moved.
Check back often. We’ll keep this updated as trades happen and rumors change.
Free agents-to-be …
1. Brad Ziegler, RP, Marlins
Thoughts: The veteran right-hander’s first couple months of 2018 were rough, no doubt; he owned a 7.88 ERA after his outing on June 1. Since then, though? He’s been outstanding. In his past 28 appearances, he’s allowed only two runs — both on solo homers — and owns a minuscule 0.64 ERA in 28 innings, with only 14 hits allowed.
2. Brian Dozier, 2B, Twins
Thoughts: This hasn’t been his finest season, but Dozier has averaged 35 home runs in the past three seasons, and he’s been a bit better lately, with an .776 OPS with 21 RBIs in 25 games in July. And remember, Dozier was much, much better in the second half last year, posting a .985 OPS and popping 21 homers after the All-Star break. He makes a lot of sense for the Brewers.
3. Matt Harvey, SP, Reds
Thoughts: Harvey has made five starts in July. On one hand, he’s allowed two or fewer earned runs in four of those five starts. On the other hand, he allowed eight earned — and four homers — in that other start, and he hasn’t made it six full innings this month. He will be traded, but he’s not going to bring back a big return.
4. Sergio Romo, RP, Rays
5. Adam Jones, OF, Orioles (Yes, he reportedly won’t waive his no-trade rights. But he makes too much sense for a contender, so we’ll leave him here for now.)
6. Jose Iglesias, SS, Tigers
7. Lance Lynn, SP, Twins
8. Jose Bautista, 3B/OF, Mets
9. Adrian Beltre, 3B, Rangers
10. Zack Duke, RP, Twins
MORE: MLB trade tracker heading toward July 31
Contract/control/option remaining …
1. Koene Kela, RP, Rangers
Thoughts: In his first year as the Rangers’ closer, Kela has saved 24 of 25 opportunities and has a better FIP (2.97) than ERA (3.44). Contenders probably won’t trade for him to be the ninth-inning guy this year, but he would be a big upgrade to just about any playoff bullpen. He’s under club control through the end of 2021, which means two things: 1. The prospect price to land him won’t be cheap. 2. Teams are more willing to pay higher prices for years of control. As with all the relievers on this list, there are plenty of potential landing spots.
2. Kyle Barraclough, RP, Marlins
Thoughts: Opposing hitters have almost twice as many strikeouts (51) as hits (26) off Barraclough in 46 innings this season. He hits arbitration for the first time this offseason and isn’t eligible to become a free agent until after the 2021 season.
3. Kyle Gibson, SP, Twins
Thoughts: To get Gibson, a team would have to willingly overpay at this point. In his most recent outing, Gibson went eight innings, striking out seven and allowing just four hits and one run IN FENWAY PARK. Yeah, that was impressive. He’s under club control for one more year, then is eligible to become a free agent after the 2019 season.
4. Kirby Yates, RP, Padres
5. Zack Wheeler, SP, Mets
6. Ervin Santana, SP, Twins
7. Kevin Gausman, SP, Orioles
8. Shane Green, RP, Tigers
9. Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Orioles
10. Adam Conley, RP, Marlins
11. Drew Steckenrider, RP, Marlins
12. Dylan Bundy, SP, Orioles
13. Jake Odorizzi, SP, Twins
14. Starlin Castro, 2B, Marlins
Requires an offer they can’t refuse …
1. Chris Archer, SP, Rays
Thoughts: Feels like Archer’s been mentioned in trade talks from the moment he arrived in the majors. His ERA is a touch high (4.31), but his FIP (3.62) is right in line with his career number (3.48) and he struck out 13 batters in a recent start. His contract includes team options for 2020 and 2021.
2. J.T. Relmuto, C, Marlins
Thoughts: Realmuto just might be the best catcher in baseball, and he’s under club control through 2020. Any trade offer would have to start with an elite prospect and include at least a couple of more above-average youngsters, too. If the Nationals consider themselves contenders, Realmuto is a perfect fit for this club in 2018 (and the next two years, too).
3. Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets
Thoughts: We’ve talked about the idea of trading deGrom. Yes, it would be expensive. But if you’re already a legit playoff contender and you KNOW how difficult it is to win games in the postseason, wouldn’t you do whatever you could to trade for a true ace like deGrom, knowing you would have him for at least the next three Octobers?
4. Matt Carpenter, INF, Cardinals
5. Noah Syndergaard, SP, Mets
6. Marcus Stroman, SP, Blue Jays
7. Nicholas Castellanos, OF, Tigers
Injured now, so maybe August …
1. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays
2. Wilson Ramos, C, Rays
3. Michael Wacha, SP, Cardinals
Sellers or no?
1. Bryce Harper, OF, Nationals
2. Kelvin Herrera, RP, Nationals
3. Jose Martinez, 1B/OF, Cardinals
4. Matt Adams, 1B/OF, Nationals
5. Bud Norris, RP, Cardinals
6. Daniel Murphy, 2B, Nationals
7. Shawn Kelley, RP, Nationals
8. Ryan Madson, RP, Nationals
9. Jedd Gyorko, INF, Cardinals
10. Gio Gonzalez, SP, Nationals
