MLB contenders with the most prospect capital to trade at deadline

From Freddy Peralta to Jarren Duran to even Tarik Skubal, several prominent MLB stars are expected to be floated around at this year's trade deadline. Every contender would be interested in acquiring these players, but odds are, the ones with the best prospect packages will be able to seal the deal. Not every MLB contender has the same amount of prospect capital to trade from.

With that in mind, these contending teams have the most prospect capital to dangle at the deadline based on FanSided's top 100 list, if they choose to go star hunting.

5. Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pittsburgh Pirates are not a team many assume will go all-in, but why not do so if you're Ben Cherington? Pittsburgh has been starved for a winner for quite some time, and with knowing that Paul Skenes will only be under cheap club control for so long, now feels like the time to make a major splash. A star addition to this 31-28 team would only make them more formidable, and they have the talent to deal from.

FanSided's top prospect at the time of publication, Konnor Griffin, obviously isn't going anywhere, and Bubba Chandler isn't a prospect anymore, but even beyond that, the Pirates have two of the best prospects in the sport. Seth Hernandez might be the best pitching prospect in the league and Skenes' heir apparent atop the rotation. Edward Florentino shot up prospect lists last season and is off to another fantastic start this season. He's one of the best outfield prospects in the league.

It's incredibly hard to envision an organization like the Pirates trading a prospect of Hernandez's or Florentino's caliber, but doing so would give them their best chance to maximize the Skenes era. Even beyond those guys, prospects like Hunter Barco, Jhostynxon Garcia and Termarr Johnson, all of whom are in Triple-A or the majors, should have value.

4. New York Yankees

The New York Yankees don't have a comparable prospect to Hernandez or Florentino, but they do have four of FanSided's top 70 prospects, not to mention guys like Spencer Jones and Ben Hess who might not be top 100, but should have value.

The crown jewels of the system are Dax Kilby and George Lombard Jr., two shortstops who can play just about anywhere in the infield. Kilby has missed most of the season with a hamstring injury but he just played his first game of the season and is coming off a wildly impressive beginning to his professional career after being selected in the first round of last year's draft. Lombard is much further along than Kilby, and while he's gotten off to a slow start in Triple-A, he was crushing Double-A and is as good a defender as any top infield prospect in the league. He could be MLB-ready as soon as the second half of this season if his bat can come along.

On the pitching side, the Yankees have a lot to offer, too. Elmer Rodriguez has already made his MLB debut this season and he has a sub-3.00 ERA in Triple-A. Carlos Lagrange flashed dominant stuff in spring training, and while command can be an issue, he has the makings of a frontline starter or a dominant closer if he improves his command. The Yankees are in contention as they always seem to be, and could be one mega-deal away from winning their first World Series title in 15 years.

3. Seattle Mariners

The Seattle Mariners could easily be No. 1 on this list, but I have them at No. 3 because of the sheer unlikelihood that they'd actually be willing to trade Colt Emerson or Kade Anderson, two of the best prospects in baseball. Emerson has already debuted and has been given a $95 million extension, and Anderson's stock seems to only be increasing by the start. Even without those blue chip prospects, Seattle has tons to deal from.

Ryan Sloan has been hit hard in Double-A, but he's struck out 38 batters in 31.1 innings while issuing only 10 walks. Prospects with strikeout stuff who throw strikes are hard to find, making Sloan one of the premier pitching prospects in the league. Lazaro Montes has light tower power, and while strikeouts are a concern, his power alone will generate interest. Michael Arroyo is having a down year, but he's been better lately and remains a quality prospect up the middle.

Seattle is atop the AL West, but likely needs a big move to compete with some of the AL's elite based on how this season has gone so far. Even if Emerson and Anderson are off the board, from Sloan to Montes to Arroyo, the Mariners have the pieces in place to go and get a star hitter to lengthen their lineup even further.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers

The Los Angeles Dodgers are already the presumed favorites to three-peat, yet they have a clear path to get even better, with six top 100 prospects per FanSided, five of whom are outfielders, most of whom are in the upper minors.

Josue De Paula is the headliner of the group, as he's been tearing the cover off the ball in Double-A and has as much power as any prospect, but he's far from the only blue-chipper. Eduardo Quintero, an on-base machine with blazing speed is on his level, and while guys like Zyhir Hope and Mike Sirota aren't quite as highly touted, they're both high-end prospects who can fetch a star.

Even towards the back end of the top 100, the Dodgers have a pair of prospects, Emil Morales and James Tibbs III, to dangle. Morales is already in High-A at just 19 years of age, and the only reason Tibbs isn't in the majors right now is that the Dodgers are so absurdly loaded.

This list does not even include River Ryan, a prospect that The Athletic's Keith Law ranked within his top 20. If the Dodgers want a star, as much as it pains the fan bases of the other 29 teams, they're almost certainly going to get said star.

1. Milwaukee Brewers

To be fully honest, it's highly unlikely that the Milwaukee Brewers will actually be willing to trade Jesus Made, the best non-debuted prospect on FanSided's list. Still, the fact that Milwaukee has Made and six other top 100 prospects makes it hard to rank another team No. 1 on this list.

What makes the Brewers particularly interesting is that they have three middle infield prospects not named Made to dangle at the deadline, all of whom are extremely intriguing. Luis Pena has an OPS over 1.000 this season, Cooper Pratt is as good a defender as anybody in the minors and was given an extension, and Jett Williams has an elite eye and is already in Triple-A.

Beyond those infielders, Brandon Sproat is in the Brewers' rotation, Andrew Fischer's impressive WBC has carried into the regular season, and Logan Henderson has a sparkling 2.23 ERA in 10 big-league starts in his career.

It's rare for a team to have high-end prospects and a ton of depth. Now, the Brewers have rarely been willing to trade their best prospects, but with the team in first place once again, perhaps this is the year where we'll see them go all-in.

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