Major League Baseball's trade deadline is less than one week away, leaving teams with a dwindling amount of time to take stock of their situations and make their decisions to buy, sell, or stand pat. CBS Sports has decided to bring in the official arrival of trade season by highlighting the top 20 players who could be dealt.
Below you'll find analysis on each individual and their situation, as well as three potential landing spots. We are legally obligated to include a few caveats, beginning with the note that there more than 20 realistic candidates, and more than three plausible suitors for everyone listed -- do not be the person who complains that their team isn't listed often enough; it's unbecoming and misses the larger point of the piece.
Not every player included here will be traded, of course, but we suspect that they'll come up in conversations. The players are ranked in order of their perceived value and desirability based on the usual factors -- expected production, positional scarcity, remaining team control, and so on. Keep in mind this exercise is more of an art than a science.
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Now, let's get to it. (Note that we've updated the original list to remove Shohei Ohtani and Lucas Giolito, who will be Angels teammates for the remainder of the season before hitting free agency.)
1. Shohei Ohtani, two-way player, Angels
Ohtani was the hottest name in trade speculation until Wednesday night. A report surfaced saying the Angels were not only keeping Ohtani, but planning to buy at the deadline. The team confirmed that hours later by landing Lucas Giolito from the White Sox. Ohtani could very well change teams this winter as he approaches what is certain to be a record date with free agency, but for the next two months he'll have another chance to try to reach the playoffs with the Angels.
2. Lucas Giolito, RHP, White Sox
Giolito was one of the top names on the market until Wednesday night. The Angels grabbed the White Sox righty (and reliever Reynaldo Lòpez) in exchange for two prospects.
Stroman has the ability to opt out of his contract this winter if he thinks he can do better than the one year and $21 million remaining on his deal. It stands to reason that he's going to take advantage of that opportunity, if only to gain a longer term. Stroman is in the midst of a high-quality season. His extreme ground-ball tendencies have proven to be a good match with the Cubs' infield defense, and that combination has obscured the fact he's walking a career-high percentage of batters. If the Cubs do trade Stroman, we think that he would make the most sense for a team with a sound defense in place. Potential landing spots: Diamondbacks, Astros, Rays
Montgomery, like Giolito, is an impending free agent who earns additional credit for his recent durability. He's leaned on his low-to-mid-90s sinker more this season than in any prior, and it's hard to knock that strategy given his results. Despite that shift, he's generated a lower percentage of ground balls than he did in 2022. Go figure. Montgomery doesn't miss a ton of bats, so we still think he's a better fit for a team with a few smooth operators on the infield. Potential landing spots: Rays, Diamondbacks, Astros
Rodriguez has fully recovered after an unusual first season in Detroit. His time with the Tigers could be drawing to an end one way or another, be it through trade or clause in his contract that allows him to opt out this winter. Rodriguez would need to feel confident that he can clear the three years, $49 million left on his current deal. That seems like a safe bet given his performance this season. Potential landing spots: Diamondbacks, Reds, Rays.
It's to be seen whether or not A.J. Preller will move veterans at the deadline. If the Padres do sell, then Snell is one of the most obvious candidates to go. He has an upcoming date with free agency that limits his long-term value, and his volatile profile has recently trended in the right direction. There are only so many above-average starting pitchers available at the deadline, and few of them can match Snell in terms of bat-missing ability. He has his share of warts -- see the aforementioned bit about his volatile profile -- but teams will take their heaping of salt so long as it comes with an equal share of sugar. Potential landing spots: Dodgers, Rays, Reds
Will the Padres actually trade Hader, an impending free agent? Who knows. We feel obligated to include him anyway. Hader suppresses quality of contact; he misses bats; and he walks just enough batters to keep things interesting. The last reliever to receive a qualifying offer was Raisel Iglesias. Hader will change that if he hangs around San Diego for the rest of the season. Potential landing spots: Diamondbacks, Reds, Phillies
Candelario is on the cusp of recording his third well-above-average offensive season in four tries, as well as setting a new career-high home-run total. That's an effective use of the one-year, make-good contract he signed with the Nationals over the offseason. Candelario's defense has also graded better than usual this season, making him a quality two-way contributor. The third-base market is otherwise barren, so expect him to be a popular target. Potential landing spots: Phillies, Brewers, Twins
Low-probability events happen all the time. How else do you explain DeJong, who had not flirted with league-average offense since 2019, emerging as the market's best available shortstop? And how do you explain that happening while he experiences declines in average exit velocity and walk rate, as well as increases in pop-up percentage and chase rate? It's a resurgence that doesn't make sense on paper. It's also a resurgence that may have peaked with seven good games in April. If you're seeking a new shortstop this summer, there aren't many alternatives to closing your eyes and wishing a little wish. Potential landing spots: Dodgers, Giants, Brewers
Hicks seemed close to punching his ticket to DFAtown as recently as May 5. He had a 7.62 ERA at that point. He's since gone on such a tear that he might be the best reliever moved in the final two weeks. Hicks still throws that 100 mph cannonball sinker. He's introduced a wrinkle to his game this season by refiguring his slider: his current model features less horizontal break in favor of more vertical depth. Clearly that trade-off has paid dividends, seeing as how he's flirted with a 60% whiff rate throughout the season. Hicks' history, recent and otherwise, does give him a riskier feel than some of his peers. For half a season, though, some contender will find it worth taking the plunge. Potential landing spots: Rays, Dodgers, Phillies
Lorenzen began his career in the rotation before spending the next six seasons in the bullpen. He returned to starting games last year, and he recently made his first All-Star Game (albeit in part because the Tigers were strapped for good candidates). Lorenzen doesn't have the flashiest profile, but it's clear he's put in the work to maximize his game. In addition to prioritizing his four-seamer and his slider, he's tinkered their shapes: the heater now features more rise, and the slider has reduced sweep but added depth. Whatever you think of Lorenzen's season to date and his chances of being more than a back-end starter moving forward, you have to respect any player willing to reinvent themselves in their ninth big-league season. Potential landing spots: Reds, Diamondbacks, Phillies
Bellinger is having a weird season. A glance at his slash line would suggest he's back to his MVP form. Look a little closer and it's clear that hasn't been the case, even with a recent tear. Overall, he hasn't been tagging the ball left and right; his average exit velocity is actually a couple ticks below what he posted last year. He is making more contact, to his credit, but his average launch angle is within two degrees of last year, indicating that he hasn't made a wholesale change to his batted-ball distribution. Teams will have to ask themselves how much they trust this version of Bellinger to maintain a high level of production. Their faith will then be tested again this winter, when they have to make a call on his $25 million mutual option. Potential landing spots: Mariners, Brewers, Rangers
The Nationals originally snatched up Finnegan as a minor-league free agent. He's since given them around 200 relief appearances en route to the ninth-inning role. Finnegan does most of his work with an upper-90s fastball that plays up because of a deep release point. We suspect his next employer will ask him to throw his splitter more to generate more whiffs. Potential landing spots: Dodgers, Rays, Phillies
There are plenty of reasons for the Cubs to move Gomes ahead of the deadline. One, he's in the midst of a surprisingly productive year at the plate, a 180 from how he had performed since midseason 2021. Two, the Cubs employ two other competent backstops, in rookie sensation Miguel Amaya and former Gold Glove recipient Tucker Barnhart. Three, there's always a paucity of decent catching options available on the marketplace. The Cubs probably won't strike it rich by landing a great prospect in return for Gomes, but they might get a better return than they would've expected -- especially if the team in question has designs on exercising his $6 million club option for next year. Potential landing spots: Marlins, Yankees, Rays
13. Elias Díaz, C, Rockies
If business is about being in the right place at the right time, then put Díaz on the August cover of Fortune. He made the All-Star Game earlier this month on account of the Rockies needing someone; he won the All-Star Game MVP Award with a timely homer; and now he's on this list because, hey, the world always needs catchers. Díaz's recent sense of timing obscures a generic skill set. He'll pull a home run now and then, and he'll throw out his share of runners and block his share of pitches. Beyond that? He's a below-average hitter and framer nearing his 33rd birthday. There'll be interest on account of the aforementioned catcher shortage, but don't mistake him for more than adequate. Potential landing spots: Rays, Yankees, Padres
Lynn is in the midst of a career-worst season. He's been horrific against left-handed batters. He's owed what remains on his $18.5 million salary, as well as a $1 million buyout on his club option for next year. Why is he here? Because we suspect some team will look at Lynn and say -- to paraphrase Kenneth Patchen -- that there are so many little dyings that it doesn't matter which of them is death … provided the cost is low enough. There's nothing stopping Lynn from becoming a useful starter again if he can rediscover his groove versus lefties. Additionally, there's nothing stopping him from floating into space other than gravity. These things are all relative. Potential landing spots: Rays, Reds, Diamondbacks
Shane Bieber's injury would seem to reduce the likelihood of him getting dealt this summer. The Guardians still have other arms they can move, including Civale, who won't qualify for free agency until after the 2025 season. He's sporting a shiny ERA despite striking out fewer batters, walking more batters, and allowing harder average contact than he did last season. He's also cracked the 100-inning threshold just once so far in his first four seasons. Hm. The pitching market is such that some team might roll the dice. Potential landing spots: Astros, Diamondbacks, Giants
Flaherty, another impending free agent, isn't the pitcher he was earlier in his career, when he received both Cy Young and Most Valuable Player Award consideration. These days, he doesn't throw hard; he doesn't miss bats; and he doesn't throw an extreme amount of strikes. He relies, almost entirely, on suppressing quality of contact. To his credit, that's worked out to roughly a league-average ERA+ the last two seasons. Flaherty's next employer might tinker with his pitch mix, perhaps asking him to throw more curveballs, but there's a non-zero chance he ends up on the outside of a playoff rotation. Potential landing spots: Reds, Diamondbacks, Dodgers.
Give the Nationals credit for nabbing Thomas from the Cardinals a few seasons ago in exchange for twilight-stage Jon Lester. That's since proven to be a nifty deal, with Thomas developing into a quality short-side platoon bat. In our estimation, it's time to add another branch to the trade tree. Thomas is nearing his 28th birthday, and his skill set is more valuable to a contender than a rebuilder. Plus, he's in the midst of a banner year, suggesting his value will not get any higher. More than 200 points separate Thomas' career OPS against lefties and righties, so his next employer should prepare to micromanage his plate appearances if they want to maximize his output. Potential landing spots: Mariners, Brewers, Yankees
Grichuk, an impending free agent, is a perfectly fine short-side platoon outfielder who has wholly recovered from the case of groundballitis he suffered through last season. Sometimes, as the Braves proved in 2021, these types end up mattering more in pivotal moments than you'd ever expect. Potential landing spots: Yankees, Brewers, Mariners
The Royals have already traded away Aroldis Chapman in recent weeks, but they still have another interesting late-inning arm to move. Barlow is a season away from free agency, and he certainly offers less value to the Royals than he would to a contender. The rub is that he's having a down year, owed in large part to a bloated walk rate. The Royals may feel like they're selling low if they move him this summer. To that we say: you should've dealt him last summer. Potential landing spots: Phillies, Rangers, Dodgers
Bummer, in the thick of a career-worst season and due another $5.5 million next year, could be one of several White Sox veterans on the go. There are several reasons to think better days await. He's striking out a higher frequency of batters than he did last season (walking more, too) and his average launch angle surrendered remains in the negatives. Furthermore, while his .321 batting average against on grounders would represent a career-worst, his exit velocity on those batted balls is in line with last year's mark -- when he notched a 170 ERA+. Put him in front of a better defense and we suspect his work will resemble anything but his surname. Potential landing spots: Rays, Brewers, Twins
