David SchoenfieldApr 20, 2026, 07:00 AM ETCloseCovers MLB for ESPN.com Former deputy editor of Page 2 Been with ESPN.com since 1995Multiple Authors
It has been a chaotic start to the MLB season. The Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox, all playoff teams in 2025, have struggled and are each below .500. The Blue Jays and Phillies entered Sunday with two of the three worst run differentials in the majors. The New York Mets, widely predicted to be a playoff team in 2026, lost their 11th straight game Sunday, their longest losing streak since dropping 11 in a row in 2004.
All of this is further proof that we have no idea what the standings will look like at the trade deadline Aug. 3.
Let’s take a timeout from some of the chaos and get into an early trade deadline preview. Who are some of the players who could be moved this summer? We’ll list one potential trade candidate from each team, focusing on major leaguers, players heading into free agency (designated with an FA next to their name) and a few prospects, as well. For a select few teams that were considered playoff contenders, we’ll also include an if-all-goes-wrong trade candidate.
If-all-goes-wrong candidate No. 1: Trevor Rogers (FA). Rogers isn’t dominating quite as he did during his resurgence last year, but he’s proving it wasn’t a complete fluke, either. He would be a valuable addition to any playoff rotation.
If-all-goes-wrong candidate No. 2: Sonny Gray. The veteran right-hander has a $30 million mutual option or a $10 million buyout for 2027, making him a potential free agent and possible trade candidate if Boston’s slow start is a sign of things to come. Of concern, both for Boston’s success and Gray’s trade value: Gray’s swing-and-miss rate is way down, with a strikeout rate that has dropped from 26.7% in 2025 to 12.5% this season.
Trade candidate: Ryan Ward Likely need: A high-grade trophy cleanser and a waffle-weave microfiber towel
Ryan was a popular trade candidate this past offseason, but the Twins kept him and are off to a strong start, even after Pablo Lopez’s season-ending elbow injury. Of course, if they continue to play well, Ryan is more likely to stay put — although we also know the Twins weren’t that far out of the playoff race last trade deadline when they traded 11 players to cut payroll and add prospects. Ryan is under team control through 2027, so that gives him a little added trade value.
If-all-goes-wrong candidate No. 3: Freddy Peralta (FA). Clay Holmes has a $12 million player option for 2027 that he’ll likely reject, so a Mets collapse could lead to two strong starting pitchers entering the trade market.
The Giants should not be written off; this season is too jumbled to do that, and there is still plenty of talent here. However, they’re a mess now, with an overpaid, underproducing roster and a rookie manager still trying to figure out the major leagues. Ray and fellow pending free agent Luis Arraez are the obvious trade candidates if things don’t turn around. Ray has more trade value, especially if the Giants pay down some of his $25 million salary to get a better prospect.
The Mariners have a big problem: They struggle mightily against left-handers, hitting .180/.268/.278 against southpaws. If a right-hander starts, opponents will empty their bullpen with their lefty relievers. To add to the issue, when Colt Emerson is recalled, which could happen in June or July, he’s another left-handed hitter. That pushes Brendan Donovan to the outfield, DH or utility role.
Bottom line: There isn’t room for Donovan, Emerson, Cole Young, Luke Raley and Canzone all to play, even against right-handers. And given that Victor Robles or Connor Joe is not the answer as a right-handed hitter for the outfield, one of the lefty hitters needs to be dealt for a right-handed hitter of similar value, with Canzone the most likely candidate.
If-all-goes-wrong candidate No. 4: Logan Gilbert. He won’t reach free agency until after the 2027 season, but there’s a potential scenario where Gilbert is available even if it’s not an “everything has gone wrong” scenario. Emerson Hancock has remade his repertoire and lowered his arm slot, and he now looks like an above-average starter. If Bryce Miller gets healthy and Kade Anderson continues to dominate in the minors, the Mariners might have enough rotation depth to make a splashy deal here.
If-all-goes-wrong candidate No. 6: Kevin Gausman (FA). It seems unlikely, but factor in all the injuries and some of the surprising performances in 2025, and it’s not out of the question that the Jays just have one of those down years — similar to 2024. If that’s the case, Gausman could be the biggest target at the deadline.
Thanks to several injuries, the Orioles’ roster resembles an episode of “The Pitt” right now. Last week, they ran out a lineup with Johnathan Rodriguez, Weston Wilson, Jeremiah Jackson, Coby Mayo, Sam Huff and Blaze Alexander batting in the 4-5-6-7-8-9 spots, not exactly what Orioles fans were dreaming of a couple of years ago. If the Orioles’ injury problems continue, they have a group of upper-level starting pitching prospects to deal from, including Gibson, Nestor German and Levi Wells at Triple-A and Luis De Leon at Double-A.
There are a lot of factors here. The Red Sox haven’t played well. Having four outfielders for three positions is an awkward situation, especially with manager Alex Cora intent on giving Masataka Yoshida regular at-bats in the DH slot. Then, you have Caleb Durbin, Trevor Story and Marcelo Mayer all struggling at the plate. Duran is also scuffling, and the episode last week, when he flipped off a heckler, points to his frustration. Duran is a good player with a lot of trade value because he’s under team control through 2028, but if the infielders don’t start hitting, the Red Sox will have to consider a roster realignment.
Despite playing in the AL Central, the White Sox already seem like one of the few teams we can confidently identify as looking to trade away major leaguers at the deadline. That leads us to the pending free agents, including Fedde, lefty reliever Sean Newcomb, backup catcher Reese McGuire and outfielder Austin Hays ($8 million mutual option for 2027). None projects to have particularly high trade value, although Fedde received a lot of trade interest in 2024, when the White Sox sent him to the Cardinals in a three-way deal with the Dodgers that netted Miguel Vargas.
Aside from Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz, the Cincinnati offense has struggled, especially third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, who is testing the limits of how bad you can hit and remain in the lineup. The Reds can move Eugenio Suarez to third base, but they’re not getting much production from any of their outfielders, either. Marte began the season as the starting right fielder but went 3-for-29 and got a quick demotion back to Triple-A. This could be a change-of-scenery situation, as the Reds might not have the patience or willingness to see if the talented Marte can put it together.
Just because the Guardians might be in a playoff race doesn’t mean they’ll make a big move. In fact, they traded Shane Bieber last year and made the postseason anyway. In 2024, they made a couple of minor additions, acquiring outfielder Lane Thomas and pitcher Alex Cobb, so they won’t necessarily do nothing. But the Cleveland philosophy is to venture very carefully when trading away prospects for short-term acquisitions, so a couple of lower-rated guys would likely get traded. Chourio — yes, the younger brother of Jackson — has plenty of tools and good plate discipline, but he didn’t have any power last season in High-A after suffering a season-ending wrist injury in August 2024. The 21-year-old is back in High-A ball again and looking better at the plate.
Lorenzen is the definition of a journeyman pitcher. Since 2022, he has played for the Angels, Tigers, Phillies, Rangers, Royals and Rockies, getting traded at the deadline in 2023 and 2024. He can start or pitch in relief, and though his early numbers with the Rockies are ugly, a nine-run outing in his first start at Coors Field is responsible for that. Lorenzen has a $9 million club option for 2027. Jose Quintana is another trade possibility, but he hasn’t missed many bats so far and might be nearing the end of the road of his excellent career.
Alcantara’s strong start to 2026 has increased his trade value — the Marlins were wise not to deal him in the offseason. He also has a reasonable $21 million club option for 2027, making him more attractive to other teams. Alcantara’s availability might be tied to the performance of the Triple-A rotation at Jacksonville, where Braxton Garrett is rehabbing after missing the 2025 season (and looks good) and highly touted youngsters Robby Snelling and Thomas White are on the verge of reaching the majors. The Marlins are getting closer to real competitiveness, so they should be asking for major-league-ready prospects to provide immediate help.
The Brewers are in position to do pretty much what they want at the trade deadline, thanks to a deep farm system full of both position players and pitchers. Fischer was the Brewers’ first-round pick last June out of Tennessee. They’re playing him at third base in the minors, although he mostly played first for the Vols. Though his bat has potential, he has other infield prospects ahead of him, including Cooper Pratt (who just signed an eight-year, $50 million contract), Jesus Made (the preseason No. 3 overall prospect), Jett Williams and Luis Pena. First baseman Blake Burke is also off to a big start at Double-A. The Brewers are getting little offense at either third or shortstop, although Made is hitting well in Double-A and could be rushed to the majors in the second half.
When your superstars are either injured (Juan Soto) or off to a concerning start (Francisco Lindor), the entire enterprise will look like it’s on life support. The Mets probably aren’t this bad. Still, most of David Stearns’ offseason moves look bad so far: Jorge Polanco won’t replace Pete Alonso; Marcus Semien looks old; Carson Benge was rushed to the majors; Bo Bichette hasn’t hit; and Devin Williams got hammered last week by the Dodgers. Of all those issues, only Bichette is a sure bet to play better.