MLB Power Rankings: Best trade chip on every below .500 team’s roster
By Tim Boyle
12) MLB Power Rankings: Washington Nationals, Carl Edwards Jr.
There’s a pattern going. The Washington Nationals made the biggest trade of all last season when Juan Soto went to the San Diego Padres. There isn’t much left of significance on their roster. Relief pitcher Carl Edwards Jr. is one of the few teams are likely to call about. He fits the mold of a rental reliever. The trade deadline was built for them to change uniforms and contact their realtors.
Edwards Jr. has been a journeyman for several seasons now. In year two with the Nationals, it’s the first time in a while where he has settled in with one ball club. He was solid last year for the club and looks to, yet again, become a name for contenders to kick the tires on the closer we get to the trade deadline.
11) MLB Power Rankings: Kansas City Royals, Aroldis Chapman
The Kansas City Royals probably signed Aroldis Chapman for the sole purpose of trading him this summer. Having looked absolutely cooked as a member of the New York Yankees last year, Chapman has rebounded nicely on a losing ball club in a non-closer role. Despite his history off the field, teams are unlikely to shy away from adding him as a midseason mercenary.
Chapman would be a fit for a variety of ball clubs. Imagine him on the Atlanta Braves coming into the game for the eighth. He’s not the missing piece for Atlanta, but something about trading for him and a bunch of other mid-level guys seems reminiscent of how the Braves handled the 2021 trade deadline. Remember how that turned out?