Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Four under-the-radar trade candidates could reshape playoff rosters before the August 3 deadline.
- Each player brings unique value to contending teams, from late-inning relief to versatile offensive contributions.
- The market for these players will test team willingness to meet steep asking prices before the deadline.
The number of potential buyers right now greatly outweighs the potential sellers, which means it’s shaping up to be a sellers' market ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.
There are plenty of high-wattage names that will be tossed around the rumor mill, from the Detroit Tigers’ Tarik Skubal to the New York Mets’ Freddy Peralta and perhaps the Marlins’ Sandy Alcantara if Miami falls out of contention. But we know that there will be many, many more moves made between now and early August, and it's not always the stars who wind up winning the deadline. What under-the-radar names should you keep an eye on for your favorite team? Let’s investigate a few options.
RHP Antonio Senzetela, Colorado Rockies
Senzetela, 31, fell off the radar nationally after posting ERAs of 5.07, 4.70, 6.57 and 6.65 in each of the last four seasons while dealing with numerous injuries. But he’s reinvented himself out of the bullpen this season, and in a contract year he's an obvious trade candidate for the rebuilding Colorado Rockies.
In 17 games this season, Senzetela has posted a 1.30 ERA and 26 strikeouts. He’s drastically decreased his home runs allowed per nine innings (0.5 this season; 1.5 last year) while improving his control and his strikeout rate. Almost every contending team looks for bullpen help at the deadline, and there should be an extensive market for Senzetela. He will be playing elsewhere down the stretch.
OF Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals
I’m not sure that Nootbaar will even be available, but what I do expect is that he’ll receive plenty of trade interest. And Chaim Bloom has shown that he’ll always listen — and that if a team meets or even exceeds his price, he isn’t afraid to pull the trigger on a trade.
What makes Nootbaar’s trade candidacy hard to determine is that he’s recovering from double heel surgery and has still yet to play this season. When healthy, he’s flashed in the outfield and at the plate, and emerged as one of the most popular players inside the Cardinals’ clubhouse. He’s not a free agent until 2028, so the asking price will once again be high. But if he shows he’s healthy, it’s entirely possible that someone meets it, especially with Jordan Walker's emergence as the right fielder of the future.
OF Trevor Larnach, Minnesota Twins
It seems like Larnach’s name has been mentioned in trade rumors for years now, but for all the times I’ve received texts saying there have been discussions about a potential deal, nothing ends up happening.
Larnach, 29, figures to once again draw trade interest. A left-handed hitter, he’s slugged 15 and 17 home runs in each of the last two seasons. He’s hitting .261/.373/.389 with a .762 OPS, three home runs and 17 RBI in 52 games so far in 2026. Like Nootbaar, he’s not a free agent until 2028, so he is controllable for multiple seasons. The Twins will have a high asking price, but if there's a limited number of bats available, perhaps the interest this year might finally result in a trade.
DH Joc Pederson, Texas Rangers
Last year, Pederson became an afterthought in Texas. He played in only 96 games, posted a -0.3 bWAR and hit only .181/.285/.328 with nine home runs and 26 RBI, the worst season in his 12 years in the Majors.
Pederson, 34, has been much better this year, hitting .252/.364/.465 with an .828 OPS, eight home runs and 23 RBI. He’s in the final year of a two-year, $37 million contract, so to facilitate a trade or even maximize a return, the Rangers may have to eat some of his contract. But he’s playoff tested, a former All-Star, and can contribute as a designated hitter or even in the outfield and at first base. If the Rangers sell, he’s a candidate to go.
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