Spring training and the 2026 MLB season are right around the corner, with pitchers and catchers due to report in a couple weeks. There is still a lot of offseason left, however. Several quality free agents remain unsigned and the trade market is buzzing. Multiple stars are eagerly (or not so eagerly) waiting on the other shoe to drop.
Let's dive into five realistic trade scenarios based on the latest MLB reporting and the current competitive landscape.
Nationals trade CJ Abrams to Royals
The Kansas City Royals are dead set on improving their outfield depth chart, which was a sore spot throughout a disappointing 2025 campaign. Newcomer Isaac Collins was a nice pickup, while second-year breakout candidate Jac Caglianone figures to unlock his monster swing at some point. That said, center fielder Kyle Isbel — for all his brilliance as a defender — is a real drag on offense.
Kansas City may simply prefer Isbel's defensive wizardry, but there is a high-risk, high-reward path to upgrading their offensive profile in center. CJ Abrams has three years left on his deal and was an All-Star before his 25th birthday. Abrams can hit for power from the left side and he's a menace on the bases, giving Kansas City another premium runner next to Bobby Witt Jr.
While Abrams has spent his entire career at shortstop to date, he's a dreadful infield glove. Following in the path of Oneil Cruz, Abrams' range and athleticism could play more effectively in center. It's not a guarantee, and he almost certainly won't match Isbel's metrics out there. But if he's even a net average on defense, his slugging and speed become a major offensive boon for the Royals.
Kansas City will need to cough up a lot to acquire Abrams on such favorable financial terms, starting with 2025 first-round pick Sean Gamble — a worthwhile long-term project for the rebuilding Washington Nationals. A trio of pitchers, with Ben Kudrna and Luinder Avila both on the verge of regular MLB roles, should seal the deal. Washington needs bullets on the mound after the MacKenzie Gore trade. Kudrna projects as a mid-rotation starter with a healthy three-pitch mix. Avila has starter potential, but he really popped out of the bullpen for Kansas City last season. The Nats need another back-end arm after the Jose Ferrer trade.
Cardinals trade Brendan Donovan to Mariners
Brendan Donovan is not the most exciting "star" on the market, but there's a reason so many teams have rumored interest — and why the St. Louis Cardinals should be able to get a nice haul with two years of arbitration left on his contract.
Donovan just checks boxes. He's a solid defender at multiple positions, infield and outfield. He doesn't hammer the baseball, but he puts up good swings constantly — with a squared-up rate in the 96th percentile, which basically measures the quality of contact Donovan is able to generate on a swing-to-swing basis. He doesn't strike out much. Donovan is, across the board, incredibly sound in his approach to the game.
The Seattle Mariners still need to fill some gaps in the infield after Jorge Polanco's departure, with Eugenio Suárez's return also far from guaranteed. Donovan won't provide the raw power those two did, but he can hit toward the middle of the lineup and toggle to left field as needed, helping the M's to fill multiple holes based on in-the-moment needs.
St. Louis has instigated its teardown with a focus on the longview. Lazardo Montes (21), Jurrangelo Cijntje (22) and Nick Becker (19) are all a ways away from contributing at the MLB level, but the range of tools and potential outcomes is tantalizing. Seattle has one of the strongest farm systems in baseball. Montes is a huge power bat. Becker is a 6-foot-4 shortstop with a solid athletic foundation. Cijntje is a switch pitcher, and while he could transition to a full-time righty in MLB, he encourages a broad scope of imagination.
Red Sox trade Jarren Duran to Reds
The Cincinnati Reds missed out on Kyle Schwarber and have otherwise done very little to build on last season's Wild Card team. A leap from Elly De La Cruz is to be expected, but if Cincy wants to level up in such a competitive division, Nick Krall and the front office need to be surveying the trade market with intent. One obvious target is Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran.
Boston has an outfield logjam to clear out, potentially making room for Kristian Campbell on the MLB roster. Duran has led the AL in triples in back-to-back seasons. He's an impressive line-drive hitter with some pop and major speed on the bases. But he feels like the odd man out given the surplus of talent around him. Cincinnati could use Duran's bat in the heart of the order.
The Reds would put Duran in left or right field, where his arm plays well and his lackluster instincts are more easily hidden. He has the range to play center, but the results are often extremely mixed, bordering on severely negative. In return, the Reds move off of Matt McLain after a turbulent two years and move Sal Stewart to second base full time, with flexibility to cycle Stewart, Duran and others through the DH spot as needed. Cincy also has shortstop phenom Edwin Arroyo on the precipice of the Majors, which could mean De La Cruz gets a few DH reps down the road.
Boston has a temporary hole at second base right now. McLain comes with an extra year of club control, locked up through 2029, and he's only two years removed from a sensational rookie season in which he posted an .864 OPS with 16 homers and 14 stolen bases. Cam Collier, 21, projects as a potential Willson Contreras successor, offering major pop from the left side of the plate.
Astros trade Isaac Paredes to Giants
After a rough end to the 2024 season in Chicago, Isaac Paredes rebounded with an All-Star campaign for the Houston Astros in 2025. Even so, it's not clear how he fits into the Astros' plans moving forward. Jeremy Peña is due back, bumping Carlos Correa to third base. Jose Altuve is cemented at second base; the outfield experiment did not stick. Yordan Álvarez has DH on lock. Unless Paredes learns the outfield ropes in a few months, he could begin 2026 on the bench.
Houston ought to trade him, and we know the San Francisco Giants are on the prowl for a second baseman. Paredes has expressed openness to that positional switch in the past, as it should help prolong his value as a defender. The Giants whiffed on Abrams. Nico Hoerner is a pipe dream. But realistically, Paredes is the cleanest, easiest fit.
Paredes' career OPS of .667 in San Francisco is cause for concern, but there's a good chance his numbers normalize over a full season. The glove is mixed at the hot corner, but should function just fine at second. He doesn't produce a ton of hard contact, but Paredes can elevate 20-plus home runs with relative ease and he's disciplined in his approach, with a whiff rate in the 89th percentile.
The Astros, with no shortage of MLB-level infield talent, can take the long-term gamble on an 18-year-old shortstop with elite speed and defensive tools in Jhonny Level. Carson Whisenhunt has faltered a bit in recent years, but he's close to regular MLB starts — with a changeup that grades out as one of the best pitches in the Minors. Parks Harber has a sick name, and while it's fair to question the outlook for a 24-year-old stuck at High-A, the dude mashed last season and he produces big-time exit velos. Houston could view him as a potential successor to Christian Walker, if all breaks right.
Tigers trade Tarik Skubal to Dodgers
Other teams "need" Tarik Skubal more, but the Yankees reportedly got shut down in recent trade conversations. The Mets just acquired Freddy Peralta. If Skubal does end up on the block, he will command a steep price. And here's the simple truth of the matter: No team can match the Los Angeles Dodgers' best offer. If Los Angeles wants to go there — and why wouldn't they? — Skubal to L.A. will be the outcome. Whether it "breaks baseball" or not is immaterial to the two sides negotiating.
This feels like a bridge too far with MLB on the verge of a lockout, but Detroit needs to operate with cold, calculated business interests at heart. L.A. can infuse the Detroit farm system with quality replacement arms and potential offensive cornerstones.
Emmet Sheehan posted a 2.82 ERA across 15 appearances (12 starts) in his second MLB campaign. River Ryan will be 27 in his (presumed) first full MLB season, and he's coming off of Tommy John surgery, but his stuff is electric and his first four big-league starts resulted in a 1.33 ERA. This move immediately gives the Tigers multiple avenues to compensate for Skubal's absence in the rotation.
Zhyir Hope is a potential five-tool star in the outfielder. He's advanced beyond his years at plate, with excellent pull-side power and a disciplined, low-strikeout approach. There's a good chance he's in the 20-20 club very early in his career, with the range to play center field and the instincts and arm talent to slide over to the corners, if needed. Alex Freeland didn't do much with his first MLB cameo in 2025, but he's a very Tigers-coded hitter: smart, savvy and quick out of the box.
There's a good chance Detroit can squeeze even more out of L.A. here, even with Skubal on an expiring contract. As a starting point for negotiations, the Dodgers' best offer so clearly blows past the competition.