Ranking the top 20 MLB trade deadline candidates entering decision weekend

After months of speculation, there's just one weekend left. With the MLB trade deadline set for 6 p.m. ET on Aug. 3, all 30 teams have pretty much gotten all the evidence they're going to get in order to decide which path forward to chart. Which means it's time to put together one final ranking of the 20 best trade candidates on the market, as very little is likely to change in either the standings or the confidence levels of front offices around the league between now and Monday evening.

A whole lot has changed in the weeks since we last conducted this exercise. The Detroit Tigers more or less ran Tarik Skubal out of town with a week's worth of uninspired play. The Washington Nationals shot down any thought of trading star shortstop CJ Abrams, while the San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins have played themselves into be buyers — which would seem to take big names like Mason Miller and Joe Ryan off the market for good.

Where does that leave the deadline landscape? Here's our list of the best players likely to be moved.

1. Tarik Skubal, LHP, Detroit Tigers

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Dodgers, Brewers, Cubs, Rays, Yankees, Braves, Phillies

In the end, Detroit removed all suspense. Coughing up a seven-run lead in what will almost certainly be his final home start at Comerica Park removed all doubt: This is not a team worth investing in, and it's time to think about the future — a future that begins with getting as much in return for your two-time Cy Young winner as you possibly can. After an elbow scare earlier in the season, Skubal is back pitching like his old self, and that means the Tigers should command a haul even for just a couple months of his services. Pitchers like this simply don't become avaliable very often.

2. Hunter Greene, RHP, Cincinnati Reds

Likelihood of trade: Low to moderate
Potential suitors: Dodgers, Brewers, Cubs, Rays, Yankees, Braves, Phillies, White Sox, Nationals

Speaking of which: Buzz continues to build that, while Cincy is certainly not looking to trade its star right-hander (who's under control through at least 2028 on a team-friendly extension), they also wouldn't say no if the right offer presented itself. Greene hasn't found a rhythm yet this season after being waylaid by injury issues, but his numbers over the last two years show just what kind of ace he can be when he's right. It's going to take a heck of a lot to pry him from the Reds, but never say never.

3. Zach Neto, SS, Los Angeles Angels

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Red Sox, Rays, Braves, Phillies

Just who's the most enticing position player of this deadline is a fascinating question, but I'll go with Neto. His plate approach needs some work, and defensive metrics haven't been kind to his work at short. But his raw athleticism suggests he should be better with the glove than he is, and it's worth noting that he got rushed through the Minors and thrust into the spotlight by the most dysfunctional orgnaization in the sport. He's managed to establish himself as a solid player regardless, and there's plenty of upside left to be uncovered here with a 25-year-old whose arbitration clock doesn't even start until next season.

4. Hunter Goodman, C, Colorado Rockies

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, Pirates

Of course, Goodman wouldn't be a bad choice either; rarely do you find a viable catcher with 40-homer pop. Then again, "viable" is being kind to his defense behind the plate, and there are serious swing-and-miss concerns here. It might make sense for the rebuilding Rockies to sell as high as they'll ever be able to, while several catcher-needy contenders will take the power and hope the rest doesn't hurt too badly. He is better away from Coors, after all.

5. Reid Detmers, LHP, Los Angeles Angels

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: White Sox, Braves, Nationals, Cubs

Like Neto, Detmers is a former top prospect who's flashed tantalizing upside amid a miserable situation in Anaheim. The lefty's top-line numbers might not support this ranking, but his stuff and his underlying metrics (3.39 expected ERA, 28.9 percent K rate) very much do. Add to that he's a lefty who won't be a free agent until after the 2028 season, and you've got yourself a very enticing package for a team looking for rotation help this year and beyond. Put him in the right developmental situation, and he could blossom into an ace.

6. Adley Rutschman, C, Baltimore Orioles

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Red Sox, Rays, Yankees, Rangers

The O's find themselves in limbo entering the last weekend before the deadline, playing pretty uninspiring baseball but still just two games back in the loss column of the final Wild Card spot. A 53-56 team is hard to believe in, though, and if Baltimore does sell, Rutschman — who'll be a free agent after next season, and who already has Samuel Basallo ready to take his job — could well be on the move. He's slogged through injuries and inconsistency over the past three years, but even if he never reaches his old heights, it's still an extra year of control over a very good two-way player at a premium position.

7. Otto Lopez, SS, Miami Marlins

Likelihood of trade: Low
Potential suitors: Braves, Rays, Brewers, Red Sox

The Marlins' tailspin in the month of July has the team radically reconsidering its options at this trade deadline, from tentative buyers to ... maybe selling everything that isn't nailed down? Reports that Miami is considering trading Lopez and second baseman Xavier Edwards feel like due diligence more than anything; Lopez hasn't even hit arbitration yet, and he's in the midst of an All-Star season at shortstop at the age of 27. But this front office is always willing to kick the financial can down the road if you make it worth their while, and Lopez is a heck of a player.

8. Jose Soriano, RHP, Los Angeles Angels

MLB: JUL 20 Cardinals at Angels | Icon Sportswire/GettyImages

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Cubs, White Sox, Braves

Soriano was always going to regress from his historically hot start to this season, but even if he's not a Cy Young candidate, he's still a 27-year-old arm with a very intriguing mix of ground balls and strikeouts. If you keep the ball out of the air as often as he does, good things tend to happen, especially if you can get yourself to a better defensive situation than what he had behind him in Anaheim. And if the Angels are really tearing this thing down, he should be available as he hits arbitration next year.

9. Xavier Edwards, 2B, Miami Marlins

Likelihood of trade: Low to moderate
Potential suitors: Rangers, Brewers, Dodgers, Braves

The other half of Miami's middle-infield duo, Edwards is much more slash-and-burn speedster than Lopez, but he gets on base and plays solid defense at second base and will swipe you 20-30 bases a year. That's a very valuable player, cost controlled through 2029. If the Marlins want to deal one of their two young infielders, the bet would be on Edwards, who could help a ton of contenders.

10. Seiya Suzuki, OF, Chicago Cubs

Likelihood of trade: Low to moderate
Potential suitors: Mariners, Phillies, Rays

The buzz on a Suzuki deal has died down a bit of late, but I still think it's very much on the table for a Cubs team that needs pitching and doesn't have the prospect riches to get it that it did a year or two ago. Suzuki will be a free agent at season's end, and Chicago could flip him for a playoff-caliber starter while still having a plenty deep and dangerous lineup. And plenty of other contenders would kill for an .840 OPSing on-base machine.

11. Sandy Alcantara, RHP, Miami Marlins

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Cubs, Astros, Padres, Braves

Our little mini-run of Marlins concludes with the likeliest to actually be traded, as Alcantara has rebuilt a good deal of his trade value with a solid 2026 season and only has a team option for 2027 remaining on his contract. Miami seems likely to take what it can get on the market here and go into next season building around the next wave of young starting pitching (at least when Thomas White and Robby Snelling get healthy again, any way). He's not the Cy Young winner of old, but he gobbles up innings and still gets plenty of ground balls. If you're looking for a guy to take the ball in Game 3 of a playoff series, you could do a lot worse.

12. Emerson Hancock, RHP, Seattle Mariners

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Brewers, White Sox, Cubs, Nationals, Cardinals

Something has to give for Seattle, which is reportedly set on buying still despite a deeply disappointing stretch of play. They need another bat badly, and there's starting pitching to spare between Logan Gilbert, George Kirby, Bryan Woo and Bryce Miller plus top prospects Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan. All of that could leave Hancock as the odd man out as the Mariners look to capitalize on a breakout season by flipping him for a righty hitter. (Something involving Suzuki and the Cubs, maybe?) His 3.26 ERA overstates his quality, but he could be a future mid-rotation starter with plenty of control remaining.

13. Isaac Paredes, INF, Houston Astros

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Yankees, Red Sox, Brewers, Pirates, Guardians

The Astros are red hot, which means they'll almost certainly be buying. But how to bolster your pitching staff — and maybe add an outfielder — when you've got arguably the worst farm system in the sport? You trade from your big-league lineup, most likely, with Paredes standing out as the most expendable of the bunch. He's not the sexiest player, but he can play second or third base while taking a bunch of walks and popping a few over the fence. That's a player most contenders could use, and he's got an extra year of team control to boot.

14. Casey Mize, RHP, Detroit Tigers

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Braves, Cubs, Brewers, Padres

Pitching at spacious Comerica Park has a lot to do with Mize's 2.70 ERA, but he's still in the midst of an excellent contract year, one that should have several contenders lining up for his services. Don't pay him like an ace, but he'll be awfully handy if you need someone to help stabilize your rotation until October. How much he can give you once you get to the postseason is a trickier question, given a track record that's more No. 4 starter than No. 2.

15. Freddy Peralta, RHP, New York Mets

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Brewers, Rays, Braves, Padres, Cubs

It's hard to know what to make of Peralta, who was excellent as recently as last season but has seen his stuff — and most importantly, his fastball velocity — fall off a cliff in 2026. Some team will doubtless convince themselves that they can be the ones to fix him, but that's by no means a sure thing, and the Mets will have a hard time getting back what they paid to get him last winter. That said, pitching is never in abundance at this time of year, and we've seen what can happen when he locks in. He just turned 30 in June, after all.

16. Kevin Gausman, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Brewers, Rays, Braves, Padres, Cubs

Gausman is no longer an ace, as his declining fastball velocity and strikeout rate has finally caught up to him this year. But he's also got more in the tank then his 4.51 ERA would suggest. The splitter is still diabolical, and he has a whole bunch of big-game experience to fall back on. That's worth something on the trade market, especially one in which proven postseason pitching is a relatively rare commodity.

17. Ryan Jeffers, C, Minnesota Twins

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Yankees, Red Sox, Rays, Pirates, Rangers

Yes, the Twins are right in the thick of both the AL Wild Card and AL Central races, and they'll almost certainly look to add talent at the deadline. But given that Jeffers (unlike Joe Ryan) will be a free agent this winter, and given the catching depth Minnesota has behind him, the team could look to flip him for future value while buying elsewhere. He doesn't have quite the power upside as a guy like Goodman or the two-way value of Rutschman, but he's a very good hitter who won't kill you behind the plate — and in this market, that's worth its weight in gold.

18. Luis Arraez, 2B, San Francisco Giants

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: D-backs, Rays, Yankees, Rangers

Arraez has been one of the pleasant surprises of this season, not only revitalizing himself at the plate but also turning back the clock defensively. Was that just Ron Washington magic? It's possible, but right now it just looks like an above-average hitter and versatile glove who could fit in many a contending lineup.

19. Clay Holmes, RHP, New York Mets

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Brewers, Rays, Braves, Padres, Cubs

There's a reason that seemingly half the league was scouting Holmes' most recent rehab start, as he works his way back from a leg fracture. He doesn't have the highest upside, and command and durability are question marks, but he's got legit mid-rotation stuff and can help either as a starter or reliever down the stretch. He'll almost certainly decline his player option for 2027, which means he's a rental, but he's an enticing option for teams looking to flesh out pitching depth without (or in addition to) a big swing.

20. Daulton Varsho, OF, Toronto Blue Jays

Likelihood of trade: High
Potential suitors: Phillies, Guardians, Rays

If you need someone who can play center field, there's pretty much one option on the market: Varsho, who despite a down year at the plate and some time missed due to injury remains a very sturdy glove at one of the most important positions on the diamond. And while the bat has failed to show up as of yet, he showed down the stretch last year just what a difference-maker he can be when he's locked in. He's a rental, and the Blue Jays will almost certainly look to move him to a team that doesn't have anywhere else to go.

21. Adrian Morejon, LHP, San Diego Padres

Likelihood of trade: Moderate
Potential suitors: Cubs, Yankees, Phillies, Brewers, White Sox

Okay, so this is technically more than a top 20, but no trade deadline list would be complete without at least one reliever. The Padres' recent winning streak will give AJ Preller the cover he needs to buy one more time, and Mason Miller trade talk was probably more a media fixation than anything, but given their bullpen depth and needs elsewhere flipping the free agent-to-be Morejon for a bat or a starter could make sense. The big closers aren't available, and the lefty has some of the most electric high-leverage stuff around, good against both lefties and righties and capable of working multiple innings.

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