May has only just begun, but as the cream starts to rise to the top of the MLB standings, we're getting a better idea of which teams will be buyers come the trade deadline — and, conversely, which players could be available as early disappointments look to sell. Befitting one of the strangest starts in recent baseball history, this year's deadline is awfully tough to predict; it's hard enough to know which teams will be in the hunt come July, let alone which players will be healthy enough to be included in deals.
Luckily, MLB.com's Mark Feinsand is here to help us try to sort through the chaos. Feinsand polled 20 big-league executives over the weekend, asking them who they thought would be the biggest name moved during deadline season. A total of 12 players received at least one vote, including some absolute whoppers:
- Sandy Alcantara, Marlins (4 votes)
- CJ Abrams, Nationals (3 votes)
- Joe Ryan, Twins (3 votes)
- Yordan Alvarez, Astros (2 votes)
- Luis Arraez, Giants (1 vote)
- Jarren Duran, Red Sox (1 vote)
- Seth Lugo, Royals (1 vote)
- Freddy Peralta, Mets (1 vote)
- Tarik Skubal, Tigers (1 vote)
- Mike Trout, Angels (1 vote)
- Michael Wacha, Royals (1 vote)
- Zack Wheeler, Phillies (1 vote)
Of course, not all of those names will find themselves on the move later this summer. But it feels like a safe bet that at least a couple will — so let's try to figure out where.
DH Yordan Alvarez: Boston Red Sox
No, the Red Sox will most likely not be buyers at this summer's trade deadline; as if the uninspired play on the field didn't tip you off, the dysfunction off of it surely did. But that by no means precludes them from making a run at Alvarez, if Houston does indeed decide to sell high on its star slugger amid what appears to be a lost season.
On the contrary: If Alvarez is available, Boston would pretty much have to make a serious run at him. He's exactly the sort of big bopper this lineup desperately needs, and he's under team control through 2028 on a pretty affordable deal. Plus, the Red Sox farm system has as much pitching depth as anybody this side of the Dodgers, which is exactly what the Astros would be looking for in an Alvarez deal. Throw in a lefty-swinging outfielder like Jarren Duran in addition to a couple bright young arms, and maybe you've got something.
LHP Tarik Skubal: Los Angeles Dodgers
Please don't quote me on this. I still think the odds are against Skubal going anywhere, and that's even more true now that he'll be on the shelf for an indeterminate period of time due to elbow surgery. He's simply too unique a case, too valuable to the fabric of Detroit yet too risky for everyone else.
But if the Tigers do decide to finally pull the trigger here ... I mean, who else could it be but the Dodgers? What other team would be willing to take that leap, paying top dollar — because Detroit isn't settling for anything else — for two months of a pitcher who may or may not be 100 percent? This would be as much a recruiting tool for next winter as anything for L.A., which certainly has the farm system to meet the Tigers' asking price. And you know money is no object when it comes to adding pieces that might help win a third straight title.
RHP Sandy Alcantara: Athletics
The A's haven't come up in any of the myriad Alcantara rumors over the last year or two, but maybe it's time for that to change. They currently set atop the eminently winnable AL West, and you can maek the argument that this team is one legit arm away from being a real contender in a league in which there's no slam-dunk favorite right now. Alcantara would be a great fit in terms of his ability to soak up innings and his ability to generate grounders in a hitter-friendly park in Sacramento, and he's in the final year of a team-friendly deal with a team option for 2027 that even this front office should be able to afford.
SS CJ Abrams: Cleveland Guardians
Washington could well keep Abrams, given that he won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season. Then again, his value will likely never be higher than it is right now, with tons of team control remaining amid a career year. If the Nationals do decide to strike while the iron is hot, why not Cleveland? The farm system is among the league's best, and they very much need another top of the order bat. The infield is a bit crowded at the moment between Jose Ramirez at third, Brayan Rocchio at short and the newly promoted Travis Bazzana at second, but this is the sort of player you shuffle things around for — and the sort of cost-controlled player with multiple years of arbitration remaining that the always cash-strapped Guards can afford.
RHP Joe Ryan: Chicago Cubs
Feinsand's poll was conducted before Ryan left his start on Sunday early with elbow discomfort, and obviously any trade value he has is contingent upon staying healthy (unlike his Twins teammate, Pablo Lopez). If he does dodge a bullet here, though, he checks a lot of boxes for a Cubs team that should be looking to add arms as they get set for a run at the Dodgers in the National League playoffs. He has one more year of team control remaining after 2026, and while his fly ball-heavy approach might not seem like a great fit for Wrigley Field in the warm winds of summer, it could come back around to being a real asset once the temperature drops in October and the ball stops carrying.
RHP Freddy Peralta: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays never really sniffed around the Freddy Peralta sweepstakes this past winter, but that was mostly because they'd already added two major pieces to their rotation in Dylan Cease and Cody Ponce. Ponce is now lost for the year due to knee surgery, and seemingly every other Toronto pitcher around Cease and Kevin Gausman has struggled to stay healthy as well. I still think this team will be there come September, but they're going to need some rotation reinforcements, and Peralta fits the bill beautifully if the Mets decide to sell. Yes, he'd be a rental, but we know the Jays have money to burn, and he has frontline stuff when it's clicking.
OF Mike Trout: Detroit Tigers
I'll be honest: It's nearly impossible to find a Trout trade that actually makes sense, no matter how badly everyone wants it to now that he's playing like his old self again. Even if he were willing to waive his full no-trade clause — and he's given no indication that that's the case — he's about to turn 35 and he has four more years on his massive contract. It's not clear just what value the Angels would get in return, and is that really worth the PR hit?
If Los Angeles does move on from the face of their franchise ... I guess I could maybe see it for Detroit? The Tigers definitely need a center fielder given Parker Meadows' continued struggles to stay healthy and effective, and if they're not retaining Skubal, there should be some payroll flexibility to burn. I wouldn't necessarily advise burning it in this way, but with the way Trout's hitting right now, there are worse ideas.
RHP Zack Wheeler: St. Louis Cardinals
Let's get weird. The longer this hot start goes on, the likelier it gets that the Cardinals just ... actually viable Wild Card contenders this season, against all odds. The lineup is genuinely competitive, and while the rotation doesn't appear to be on paper, they've kept their heads above water so far — and adding Wheeler could make this team mighty interesting down the stretch.
Things would have to get really bad in Philly for Dave Dombrowski to consider it, but the righty only has one more year on his contract and could well consider retiring after the 2027 season. If St. Louis is ahead of schedule, they could use some of their newfound prospect depth to find a bridge to their rotation of the future, all while giving their offense a puncher's chance this year.
INF Luis Arraez: Tampa Bay Rays
Seemingly nothing has gone right for the Giants so far this year, but Arraez has quietly been a pleasant surprise — not for his offense but for his ability to hold his own defensively at second base. That broadens his appeal around the league, and the Rays could use some infield help as they hope to capitalize on the topsy-turvy nature of the AL East to date. Tampa is drastically outperforming its underlying indicators right now, but they're leaning on small ball to get it done, and this version of Arraez fits that description to a T.
OF Jarren Duran: Houston Astros
We touched on Duran in the section above, but if Boston is going to take on Alvarez, they're going to need to clear out their outfield/DH logjam. Duran has always made the most sense among all the possible trade candidates from that group; the fact that he's a lefty with top-of-the-order skills when he's right just makes him an even cleaner fit in Houston. His value has diminished since his 2024 breakout, but if you pair him with some of the Red Sox' top young pitchers, you can put together quite a package.
RHP Seth Lugo/RHP Michael Wacha: San Diego Padres
This is an either/or situation here, not a both. But if San Diego wants to build on its surprisingly strong start to this season, it's going to need to bolster a rotation that so far has been making it work with guys like Griffin Canning, Walker Buehler and Matt Waldron behind Michael King. Hopefully Nick Pivetta and Joe Musgrove make it back at some point, but that's a big if, and either Lugo or Wacha would profile nicely as a back-end innings-eater that will make full use of the pitcher-friendly confines of Petco Park.
Add us as a preferred source on Google