Kiley McDanielCloseKiley McDanielESPN MLB InsiderESPN MLB Insider Kiley McDaniel covers MLB prospects, the MLB Draft and more, including trades and free agency. Has worked for three MLB teams. Co-author of Author of ‘Future Value’ Follow on XJeff PassanDec 2, 2025, 07:00 AM ET
With baseball’s annual winter meetings set to begin next week in Orlando, Florida, and some intriguing moves already stoking the fire of this hot stove season, it’s time to rank the top players who could be included — or at least rumored to move — in trades the rest of the winter.
Baseball’s trade market is constantly evolving, and to keep you updated, we have ranked the top 25 potential trade candidates based on players’ performance — and identified the teams that could be involved in potential deals.
Though some of the players on this list are unlikely to be dealt, they’re at least being discussed in potential deals, and other names could emerge in updates to this list as the offseason plays out.
The buzz: Despite several executives believing Skubal will move, the Tigers have shown no sign of deviating from their position that the back-to-back American League Cy Young winner will stay in Detroit. Though he’s a free agent after 2026 and contract extension discussions have gone nowhere, Skubal is the Tigers’ centerpiece player, and Detroit intends to contend again next season.
The scouting report: After back-to-back AL Cy Young awards, Skubal is the best pitcher in the game, with Paul Skenes on his heels. Like most aces, Skubal tinkered to find an extra gear. Skubal’s changeup was the best in baseball this past season by a significant margin. His usage of the pitch over the past five years went from 12% in 2021 to 15% in 2022 to 24% in 2023 to 27% in 2024 and 31% in 2025, his most-used pitch.
The velocity of his fastball (+1.8 mph) and changeup (+3.7 mph) has gone up over the past two years with the same, if not better, pitch movement. Skubal throws his slider at a cutter velocity, giving him a third plus pitch to go with durability (190-plus innings in both Cy Young years) and standout control and command. How long can Skubal, who turns 30 after the 2026 season, keep this up?
The buzz: Though many expected a Peralta trade soon after Brandon Woodruff accepted the qualifying offer, the Brewers aren’t approaching the winter focused on dealing their top starter. If they get blown away by an offer, they won’t hesitate, but for now, the plan is to enter the year with Woodruff, Peralta, Jacob Misiorowski and Quinn Priester anchoring their rotation.
The buzz: Cincinnati’s cadre of excellent arms — Greene, Andrew Abbott, Nick Lodolo, Chase Burns, Brady Singer, Rhett Lowder — has opened the door for the best of the bunch to move. Don’t bet on it, though. The Reds have Greene for four more years at $60 million, and in a world where Dylan Cease is getting $210 million over seven years, frontline pitchers on inexpensive contracts are extremely valuable.
The scouting report: Greene’s heater averages 99.4 mph, which was by far the best in baseball among starters. The pitch was effective, too: the second-best fastball among starters on a per-pitch basis.
Greene has just two other pitches — a slider and splitter — that both sit in the upper-80s. He somehow started throwing his slider 2.9 mph harder in 2025 but with almost exactly the same amount of movement, so it’s now a plus pitch, too. He can work on fine-tuning his splitter locations and/or adding a fourth pitch, along with trying to exceed his career high of 150⅓ innings in a season.
The scouting report: Buxton’s tools have been considered top of the charts since he was drafted No. 2 out of high school in 2012. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner, an above-average defender and he has a solid arm.
The buzz: The Red Sox are valuing Duran more like the seven-win player of 2024 than his 4-win version in 2025. Either way, his addition can instantaneously make a team better, and Boston can hold out for a big return because the Red Sox don’t have to deal him. At some point, though, the Red Sox will have to move Duran or Wilyer Abreu. Keeping full-time-quality players for less than full-time roles rarely works out well.
The buzz: With No. 2 starter potential, Lopez would slot into every big league rotation. He is signed for two more years at a reasonable $43 million. Similar to Ryan, he’s eligible for free agency after the 2027 season, and with the coming expiration of the collective bargaining agreement, teams are pricing in the potential of lost games in ’27 to any trade offer, making deals for players with two years of control particularly tricky.
The scouting report: Lopez’s fastball has long been his standout pitch, with his sweeper emerging as another weapon in the past few seasons. Forearm and shoulder issues limited Lopez to 75⅔ innings in 2025 after three seasons averaging 180-plus innings per year. Lopez has gone between a No. 2 and No. 3 starter the past five seasons, but he turns 30 in March, so it’s still a bit of a gamble to expect that to continue.
The scouting report: Gore was the No. 3 pick in the 2017 draft but didn’t find big league success until 2024. He has been solid the past two years, ranking 23rd in pitcher WAR in that span, but hasn’t quite made the jump to a frontline starter that some envisioned years ago.
Gore throws at least 80% fastball/slider to lefties and at least 80% fastball/curveball to righties, so developing a fourth viable pitch shape could be the key; the best pitching development clubs excel at this.
The buzz: Though it looked like Kwan would be moved before the July 31 deadline, he remained in Cleveland, and the belief among other executives is that will remain this winter. The Guardians aren’t expected to spend significant money this offseason, and their offense is paltry enough that moving Kwan — when a playoff spot in the AL Central is well within reach — doesn’t make sense.
The buzz: The Cardinals are not eager to trade Donovan, but the market for him is percolating, and a number of teams see the 28-year-old as an option at second base, third base or left field. Because of his excellent bat-to-ball skills and gap power, Donovan can bat leadoff or occupy a middle-of-the-order role on a team with boppers. Almost nobody is off-limits as new president of baseball operations Chaim Bloom retools the Cardinals, and Donovan is the best of the available bunch.
The scouting report: Donovan has two years of control left at very affordable arbitration rates before free agency. He has plus ability to get on base, though the rest of his game is around average. He primarily plays second base, with some versatility, and hits left-handed. Donovan is a steady 3-win player with more value than most fans realize.
The buzz: Abrams made his first All-Star team in 2024 and followed with a nearly identical 2025. And at just 25, he’s in his prime. So why isn’t he higher on this list? His defense at shortstop is not good, and the Nationals — with a dearth of quality big league players — will not trade one to teams unwilling to pay a premium for his age, position and control.
The scouting report: Abrams has been the worst defensive shortstop over the past three seasons (-31 runs), with the next-closest player at -15 runs. But he is a solid hitter, with close to average power and on-base figures, and is also an elite baserunner, ranking sixth in baseball over the past three seasons (+18 runs) due in large part to his 109 stolen bases in that span.
If he were to excel defensively in center field while leveling up at the plate, he could still grow into a star, but those are two pretty big ifs.
The buzz: It has long been expected that either Duran or Abreu would be dealt once Roman Anthony arrived, and with Boston seeking big bats on the free agent market, either outfielder could bring back some necessary pitching. Abreu is three years younger than Duran, has won back-to-back Gold Gloves in right field and comes with four years of club control, which makes the high asking price understandable.
The buzz: The former first-round pick finally broke out last year, earning an All-Star bid with a sub-3.00 ERA and the peripherals to match. Then, he suffered a shoulder injury and didn’t pitch in August or September. Any deal for Bubic is a bet on his health, and though Kansas City might have to tap into its rotation to get an outfield bat, he is perhaps the best combination of performance and affordability, questions notwithstanding.
The buzz: On a $12 million deal (with a $10 million club option that vests at $13 million with 500 plate appearances next year), Díaz’s contract is very affordable. Whether the Rays are willing to trade him is another question. They’ve got Jonathan Aranda at first base. They’ve got enough DH at-bats to go around. And yet, there’s skepticism that they’ll move Díaz, who has spent the past seven years with the team.
The buzz: Contreras always hits, and even with $41.5 million owed over the next two years (with a club option for a third), teams could use his on-base skills. He has expressed his desire to stay in St. Louis, though, and with a full no-trade clause through the end of 2026, threading the needle on the right deal could be a time suck for a team that needs to spread its bandwidth wisely.
The scouting report: Contreras moved to first base full time in 2025 and was a standout defensively, ranking third in baseball in runs saved. His plate discipline is just OK, but he always does damage at the plate, in large part due to his bat speed, which ranks eighth in baseball. He has posted 2.7 to 3.5 WAR five years in a row, and is a solid bet, especially considering he is a 33-year-old right-handed-hitting first baseman.
The buzz: A perpetual trade candidate, Lowe is in the final of two option years after a six-year extension. At $11.5 million, his contract is affordable enough that teams with holes at second base could try to wheedle the Rays into moving him. Tampa Bay loathes taking a step back, though, and considering the activity of the Rays’ AL East compatriots, only a strong offer would do the trick.