MLB trade deadline: The official early rankings of baseball’s top trade candidates

Yes, it's still early; no one is sewing up a playoff spot by the middle of May. But as surprise contenders prove they're legit and slow starts turn into full-on existential crises, we're beginning to get a sense of what the pennant race landscape is going to look like come the dog days of summer. So what better time for our first official ranking of the top trade candidates ahead of this year's deadline?

First, some disclaimers. This is a ranking of realistic trade candidates, which means we exercised our best judgment in leaving off players who are too good for their teams to move on just yet (Yordan Alvarez, CJ Abrams) or players with no-trade clauses who have shown no interest in moving on (Mike Trout, Byron Buxton, Corey Seager, Jacob deGrom, and on and on). We also exercised our best judgment in terms of which teams we think will be buyers and sellers come July; we're not willing to pull the plug on, say, the Toronto Blue Jays just yet, which is why Kevin Gausman doesn't appear on the list below.

With that out of the way, here are the top 20 players who could find themselves on the move at the 2026 trade deadline.

1. LHP Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers

It brings me no joy to say it, but it's time to start taking this possibility seriously. The Tigers are in free-fall mode right now, and if they can't get back into the AL Central race — or at least back towards .500 — can Scott Harris really afford not to cash in on Skubal before the lefty presumably leaves for nothing in free agency? Detroit is still good enough to make a run, but it could get late early with Skubal on the shelf and Framber Valdez struggling mightily.

2. RHP Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins

As was the case last year, Minnesota doesn't have to trade Ryan, who won't be a free agent until after the 2027 season. But he's in the midst of another great season, and he just dodged an elbow scare earlier this month; do the Twins really want to roll the dice again rather than simply pulling the trigger at the deadline? The bet here is that some contender or another will pay a hefty price, one that will make it hard for the team to say no as he nears his final year of team control.

3. RHP Freddy Peralta, New York Mets

I don't want to bury the Mets prematurely. New York is playing better of late, and there's enough talent here to make a run — especially if Francisco Lindor can get back into the lineup and start hitting the way we know he's capable. Then again, they're still in last place in the NL East, and there are still concerns with the pitching staff and this lineup. And if they are well back by the deadline, you know David Stearns is pragmatic enough to flip his best asset before he hits free agency (when the Mets can always just sign him to a long-term contract).

4. C Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles

Hear me out here. The Orioles show little sign of getting hot any time soon, and if this all-in season goes pear-shaped, why wouldn't they consider moving on from Rutschman? He has just one year of team control remaining, and the team already has his heir apparent on the roster in Samuel Basallo. The fact that the two sides haven't come particularly close to an extension suggests they don't exactly see eye-to-eye. Baltimore can talk itself into running it back one more time in 2027 ... or they could opt to sell high while Rutschman is healthy and hitting well for the first time in years.

5. RHP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

This feels like the summer the seemingly endless Alcantara trade saga finally reaches its inevitable conclusion. The righty is pitching much better than he did in 2025, and he only has a team option for 2027 remaining on his current contract. Two postseason runs of a former Cy Young winner will fetch a much higher price than one, as would be the case if Miami waits until his walk year – a scenario that also risks more injury or ineffectiveness.

6. RHP Seth Lugo, Kansas City Royals

Much like the Tigers, Kansas City finds itself mired in the AL Central cellar almost two months into a season that began with legitimate postseason aspirations. The Royals don't have a Skubal to dangle to prospective suitors, but they do have plenty of starting pitching — headlined by Lugo, who's posted a 3.68 ERA and a 2.89 FIP so far this season. He's under team control in 2027 with a team option for 2028, but he'll also be 37 in November; would a Royals team starved for offense look to flip him for a bat while his stock is high?

7. 1B Christian Walker, Houston Astros

Walker rebuilding his trade value is one of the few silver linings amid a lost season for the Astros. Teams still won't be thrilled to pay a 35-year-old righty first baseman $20 million in 2027, but he's rediscovered his power stroke this season with an .855 OPS, and that sort of pop is in short supply this deadline season. And Houston might even pay down some of that money if they can get a legitimate prospect in return for a player they'd love to move on from for payroll purposes.

8. RHP Michael Wacha, Kansas City Royals

Wacha's under-the-hood numbers aren't as strong as Lugo, but he's a veteran with tons of big-game experience and a sub-3.00 ERA — those don't exactly grow on trees. His contract situation, and thus his place in Kansas City's future plans, is the same as Lugo's; I don't think the Royals will trade both given that they'd like to contend in 2027, but I'd bet they move whichever fetches the best return.

9. OF Taylor Ward, Baltimore Orioles

A 32-year-old who will hit free agency this winter, Ward isn't a part of the O's long-term plans. But he's still a very solid hitter with some untapped power potential, and there will be no shortage of contenders who are looking for an offensive upgrade at one of their corner outfield spots. If Baltimore decides to sell, Ward will be first on the block.

10. OF Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox

I don't think the Red Sox will be full sellers unless this season really goes off the rails, but Duran could be on the move regardless. Something needs to be done about Boston's outfield logjam, and while Duran hasn't exactly helped his trade value with a miserable start at the plate, he's still a toolsy player on the right side of 30 who isn't too far removed from a 21/34 season. If he can perk up at all over the next few weeks, this could be a way for Craig Breslow to keep an eye on the future without pulling the plug on 202

11. LHP Robbie Ray, San Francisco Giants

There are bigger questions for the Giants to answer if they're still out of playoff contention by the trade deadline, but while they'd no doubt love to offload some of their huge contracts (Rafael Devers, Matt Chapman, Willy Adames). I'm skeptical there will be a market for them to do so. Ray, on the other hand, is an open and shut case: He's in the final year of his five-year contract, and while he's no longer the power pitcher he was in his prime, he's still got gas left in the tank as a No. 4 starter who could even pivot to a valuable bullpen role in the postseason.

12. C Ryan Jeffers, Minnesota Twins

If you're looking for catching help at the deadline, there's pretty much just one name to know, as Jeffers has gotten off to a scorching start at the plate this season (.949 OPS). He did just fracture the hamate bone on his left wrist, so his health is a huge question mark — as is what he'll look like even if he does manage to return to the lineup in a month or so. If he picks up where he left off as a hitter, there'll be a huge market for a legit two-way catcher in his final year before free agency.

13. RHP Kenley Jansen, Detroit Tigers

As he nears his 39th birthday, Jansen isn't the All-Star he used to be — but he just keeps on finding ways to get outs anyway, with a 3.65 ERA and whopping 36.7 percent K rate so far this season. Combine that with nearly two decades of high-leverage experience, and you've got a valuable back-end piece for any bullpen. I wouldn't love having him as the closer on a contender, but you could do a lot worse in the seventh or eighth inning.

14. INF Matt Shaw, Chicago Cubs

The Cubs of course will be buyers rather than sellers at this year's trade deadline, as they look to finally chase down the Brewers in the NL Central. But in their search for more pitching, Shaw could become awfully appealing bait, a former top-100 prospect with lots of athleticism and defensive versatility. Chicago has been dabbling with him in the outfield because all of their infield spots are spoken for, but he's a third baseman by trade, and the fact that he hasn't even hit arbitration yet would no doubt appeal to rebuilding teams. Even if he's little more than a league-average bat, his other skills will certainly play.

15. RHP Bryan Abreu, Houston Astros

Just how lucky do you feel? For years, Abreu was one of the very best relievers in baseball, a flamethrower with closer stuff capable of working multiple innings when needed. The Josh Hader injury finally opened up a spot for him in the ninth inning ... only for his game to completely fall apart, with a 7.63 ERA and a concerning decline in fastball velocity. The whiff and K rates are still strong, but he's giving up tons of loud contact. Still, some contender is going to talk themselves into him as a reclamation project this summer if the Astros pull the plug on this current core.

16. RHP Pete Fairbanks, Miami Marlins

We wrap up our little run of relievers with Fairbanks, who's back with the Marlins after yet another trip to the IL in a career full of them. That injury risk is real, but when he's on the mound the righty remains awfully effective, with one of the more devastating sliders in the game. There will be occasional blowups — particularly via the home-run ball — but he's got high-leverage stuff for those in need of it. You know, until he gets hurt again.

17. INF Luis Arraez, San Francisco Giants

Arraez won't be a fit for every contender, although his transformation at second base does help on that front. He's also eased up on the aggression just a little bit and is pulling the ball in the air more than we've seen in a while. If you have need for a contact-heavy infielder you can stick at the bottom of your lineup to make some things happen, you could do a lot worse.

18. LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, Arizona Diamondbacks

The D-backs continue to stubbornly hang around, but given the state of the NL West and how crowded the Wild Card race could be, I'm betting that they'll engage in a soft sell by the time the deadline comes around. They could once again shop Merrill Kelly and Zac Gallen, but Rodriguez has been better than both so far, and his contract is only guaranteed through 2027. This might be Arizona's last chance to get something of value in return for what was a pretty misguided contract, and lefty starters are worth their weight in gold come the stretch run.

19. INF Isaac Paredes, Houston Astros

Paredes is who he always has been: a middling defender whose infield versatility is more theoretical than practical but whose pull-happy approach and on-base skills could make him a valuable member of any offense with friendly left-field dimensions. (There's a reason he's been linked to the Red Sox approximately a zillion times.) The Cubs learned the hard way what can happen if you put him in the wrong ballpark, but infielders with 25-homer pop are in short supply.

20. LHP Kris Bubic, Kansas City Royals

Why not one last Royals starter for the road? Unlike Lugo and Wacha, Bubic is set to become a free agent at season's end, meaning Kansas City will really have no reason to hang on to him past the deadline if they're well and truly out of it. The lefty has taken a step back from his sensational 2025 campaign, but he's still got a devastating changeup that makes him a weapon against both righties and lefties.

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