One dark horse trade candidate for the Braves, Phillies, Cubs and every NL playoff team

With the MLB trade deadline mere days away on Aug. 3, trade rumors are bubbling up at a furious pace. It's a strange market this year, with far more buyers than sellers at first glance. That could lead front offices on both sides of that spectrum to get creative.

For the six teams currently in the National League postseason hunt, now is a chance to maneuver aggressively to challenge the Dodgers — or, in L.A.'s case, stave off those who would like to catch them.

Los Angeles Dodgers: RHP Ryan Zeferjahn

The Dodgers are equipped with a wealth of prospect capital and MLB's most talented, complete roster. So what does a team like that do at the trade deadline? We've heard L.A. connected to the glitzy stars, like Tarik Skubal and Mason Miller. The Dodgers could also use some rotation depth with Blake Snell, Tyler Glasnow and Shohei Ohtani all unavailable to pitch at the moment, while bullpen arms are always en vogue.

That said, L.A. has the ability to "overspend" without really feeling it. With new CBA negotiations about to take place next offseason, which could bring about new salary restrictions in the future, it wouldn't be totally shocking to see the Dodgers pay up for impact talent on controllable deals. Hunter Greene, Zach Neto and other big-ticket names will naturally capture the imagination, but what about Angels reliever Ryan Zeferjahn?

Anaheim needs to backfill its farm system and should listen on just about everyone. Zeferjahn is under club control through 2030 and would offer major juice to a bullpen that already features high-profile names like Edwin Díaz and Tanner Scott. Perhaps a crosstown move is what's best for Zeferjahn; the 26-year-old has a 3.78 ERA and 1.20 WHIP this season, which is nothing special, but his best stuff is unhittable. Where he struggles is command. The Dodgers can pick his spots wisely and won't ask him to close games right away. In a year or two, though, he could rank among the best relievers in baseball.

Milwaukee Brewers: C Hunter Goodman

Hunter Goodman's name continues to percolate in trade rumors, despite three additional years of cheap control. The 26-year-old is now a two-time All-Star for the Rockies, with 31 home runs on the season and an .872 OPS. It would require a massive haul to rip him out of Colorado.

The Brewers happen to wield a loaded farm system, with a clear path to the World Series laid out before them. Only the Dodgers are on their level right now, and perhaps Goodman's bat can tilt the odds in their favor. The Brewers already have a talented catcher in William Contreras, but Goodman is amply experienced at first base. If Milwaukee bumps Jake Bauers to the outfield full time, it won't be hard to accommodate Goodman's immense offensive talent.

Goodman does not have the profile of your typical Brewers star; he strikes out a bunch and tends to be a little overaggressive at the plate. Still, the raw power is undeniable, and Milwaukee can always use more thump in the middle of the order. If Goodman can refine his approach under the Brewers' coaching staff, even better. He's still young, still growing and already north of 30 home runs for the second straight season.

Atlanta Braves: OF Tyler Soderstrom

Common sense tells us the A's need to trade a bat for an arm eventually. This season is a lost cause, but the A's are a potential breakout team in 2027 if the front office maneuvers smartly in the coming days and months. Trading Shea Langeliers for a couple cost-controlled arms seemed possible before the All-Star catcher tore his meniscus. But that does not preclude the A's from trading a different upstart position player, such as 24-year-old Tyler Soderstrom.

We've seen Soderstrom move from catcher to first base to outfield, all successfully. He's a real athlete, with an .810 OPS and 122 wRC+ on the campaign. The Braves are flush with quality young arms. AJ Smith-Shawver just made his return from Tommy John surgery; J.R. Ritchie, Hurston Waldrep and Owen Murphy could all appeal to the A's, too.

With Jurickson Profar suspended (again) and Mike Yastrzemski in a season-long slump, there's plenty of room to upgrade the outfield. Mauricio Dubón can slide back to the infield once Ronald Acuña Jr. is ready to take over in right, while Soderstrom can establish a permanent home in left — with his window of club control not expiring until 2030. There's a lot of sense to this trade, if the A's decide to be proactive.

Chicago Cubs: RHP Emerson Hancock

Tarik Skubal, Hunter Greene, Joe Ryan, Freddy Peralta. Cubs fans are understandably enamored with the possibility of adding a proven ace at the deadline, but there's a good chance Chicago's front office is unwilling to pay the necessary price — neither in terms of prospect capital now nor money later. That brings us to less-heralded Mariners 27-year-old Emerson Hancock, who's under club control through 2030. He has a 3.26 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 102 strikeouts in 110.1 innings this season.

The Mariners' six-man rotation is a luxury. For a team hoping to dethrone Texas in the AL West, it could behoove them to reallocate assets toward a lineup that has underperformed in every metric this season. Seattle needs a bopper to help fill the void left by Cal Raleigh's titanic collapse. Chicago, meanwhile, has a surplus in the outfield, with Seiya Suzuki (.839 OPS, 131 wRC+) on an expiring contract.

The Cubs can clear a pathway for James Triantos or Kevin Alcántara in the outfield while addressing a dire rotation. Beset by injuries on the mound, Chicago has struggled to field five dependable starters all season. Hancock can help in the short and long term, giving the Cubs an excellent No. 3 starter behind Justin Steele and Cade Horton next season when the rotation is, hopefully, back to full strength.

Arizona Diamondbacks: 1B Rafael Devers

The Giants' stunning blockbuster acquisition of Rafael Devers last summer has already gone belly up. San Francisco is stuck in the National League basement (again) and desperate to clear payroll in order to pivot toward the future.

Trading Devers' contract, worth $199.5 million over the next seven years, will be difficult. Then again, the MLB free agent market has exploded in recent years, and Devers is no stiff at 29 years old. It's not a completely untenable situation. He's on a months-long upswing, still hitting the ball incredibly hard. He's up to 22 homers and 60 RBI on the season, with a .790 OPS and 115 wRC+.

The Diamondbacks never really replaced Josh Naylor or Christian Walker at first base. If the Giants are open to paying down some of Devers' contract, he'd be a massive talent infusion for a team that's trending in a positive direction. Arizona could throw a top five of Corbin Carroll, Geraldo Perdomo, Gabriel Moreno, Ketel Marte and Devers at opponents in October. That's nothing to scoff at.

Philadelphia Phillies: OF Mike Trout

This is well-worn territory and no, the Angels aren't going to trade Mike Trout. Unless ...

John Mozeliak appears ready to tear the Angels' roster down to its studs. Trout clearly loves Anaheim, but after a decade-plus of futility, what better time than now to waive his no-trade clause and join a contender? Trout is finally healthy, able to cover all three outfield positions respectably while producing strong numbers at the plate. He's up to 18 homers on the season, with an .852 OPS and 138 wRC+.

This is an extreme longshot. The longest of shots in this article. But the Phillies need an outfielder and could take on some of Trout's exorbitant contract, which runs through 2030, in order to avoid liquidating their paper-thin farm system. If Trout does budge on his prior no-trade stance, it'd probably be to head home. With LeBron James in Philly, you can't fault a guy for dreaming big.

The Angels are going nowhere fast, and any rebuild will likely end up being as years-long process. If the window for a trade has not cracked open ever so slightly now, it probably never will.

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