Bleacherreport
Every MLB Team's Player Most Likely to Be Traded in 2024-25 Offseason
C.Garcia42 min ago
- Eakin Howard/New York Yankees: Nestor Cortes's Bob Nightengale reported that the Yankees nearly dealt Cortes "perhaps to St. Louis for infielder Tommy Edman" prior to the trade deadline, but elected to hold onto him when concerns about a back injury halted a deal that would have brought Jack Flaherty to New York. Instead, Flaherty and Edman both wound up with the Los Angeles Dodgers, who defeated Cortes and the Yankees in the World Series. Cortes returned from a left elbow flexor strain in time to...give up a walk-off home run to Freddie Freeman in Game 1 of the World Series. With Gerrit Cole still in the fold, Cortes may be the odd man out in a rotation that also includes Luis Gil, Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman and Clarke Schmidt. Cortes has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility before free agency, and given that he posted a 3.77 ERA across 174.1 innings pitched, there should be quite a few suitors.Baltimore Orioles: Ryan Mountcastle Though they ultimately held onto both, ESPN's Jeff Passan reported in July that the Orioles were willing to consider offers for both Ryan Mountcastle and Cedric Mullins this offseason. That leads you to believe general manager Mike Elias will at least pick up the phone on both this winter. With Anthony Santander potentially departing in free agency , we're going to guess that the O's will hold onto Mullins, not wanting to replace two of their three starting outfielders from a season ago. Baltimore doesn't have to move Mountcastle, who has become a strong defender as evidenced by the eight defensive runs saved he posted this past year. But he's never come close to matching the 33 home runs and 89 RBI he posted in 2021. The adjustments that the Orioles are making to the dimensions at Camden Yards could help him improve in 2025, but a change of scenery might not hurt either.Boston Red Sox: Rob Refsnyder Relative to expectations, Masataka Yoshida has disappointed in his first two MLB seasons. He's essentially a platoon player who has been more of a DH than an outfielder. But he's got three seasons remaining on a five-year, $90 million deal, so he probably doesn't have a ton of trade value. Even if Yoshida is used mostly as a DH, Alex Cora's club could end up with a surplus of outfielders in 2024. As is, they have Rob Refsnyder, Jarren Durran, Wilyer Abreu and super-utility man Ceddanne Rafaela, who graded out much better defensively in center field than at shortstop. MLB Network's Jon Morosi has also reported that the Red Sox have interest in corner outfielder Teoscar Hernández. Refsnyder could ultimately be someone who is moved to fill another area of need. The 33-year-old posted a .941 OPS against left-handed pitching last season and can offer some positional flexibility. The Red Sox picked up his 2025 club option , but that would hardly prevent him from being moved considering it's only for $2.1 million.Tampa Bay Rays: Brandon Lowe Speaking of players who had their options picked up, the low-budget Rays exercised the $10.5 million option they had on Lowe for 2025. They have a rather non-descript lineup right now, so they may want to keep the veteran presence of Lowe. With that said, since looking like an emerging superstar with 39 home runs and an .863 OPS in 2021, Lowe has played in just 281 of a possible 486 games over the past three seasons. Is that someone a team like the Rays—a franchise that doesn't love spending—plans to pay $10.5 million in 2025? Color us skeptical. Lowe has still had some productive stretches over the last three seasons, so there will likely be interest in him if the Rays are willing to consider offers. Any acquiring team would not only be getting him for 2025, but they would also be inheriting an $11.5 million club option for 2026.Toronto Blue Jays: Tommy Nance Even if it doesn't make a ton of sense for the Blue Jays—coming off of a 74-win season—to carry Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette and Chris Bassitt into their contract years, it seems like that's what they'll do. If the Blue Jays intend to try to compete in 2025, general manager Ross Atkins should probably add rather than subtract. Any bullpen additions might mean Nance—who had a 4.09 ERA over 20 appearances this past season and is out of options—could be moved to clear space.
- Jason Miller/Cleveland Guardians: Josh Naylor The Guardians should be trying to build on what was an excellent 2024 season that saw them reach the ALCS. But despite being from one of the wealthiest families in America, owner Larry Dolan runs the Guardians like a mom-and-pop shop, typically moving on from players as they get more expensive. The latest of those could be Josh Naylor, who was an All-Star this past year, clubbing 31 home runs and driving in 108 runs. Naylor, though, is entering his final year of arbitration eligibility, with Matt Swartz of MLB Trade Rumors projecting he'll earn $12 million in 2025. For teams turned off by the asking prices of Pete Alonso and/or Christian Walker in free agency, Naylor could be a shorter-term commitment via trade.Kansas City Royals: Nick Pratto Considering he posted just a .689 OPS last year, the Royals would probably like to move Hunter Renfroe, who picked up his $7.57 million player option for 2025. Doing so without having to pay down some of his salary seems unlikely, though. There's not a ton of other players general manager J.J. Picollo would probably be interested in moving, though with the emergence of Vinnie Pasquantino, Pratto could be a change-of-scenery candidate. The former first-round pick only appeared in one Major League game this past season and has a -0.9 WAR over 145 career games for the Royals. The Royals wouldn't get much of anything for the 26-year-old, but it's not like they have with him in Kansas City, either.Detroit Tigers: Zach McKinstry If the Tigers hope to build off of their magical finish in 2024, they're going to have to add more established talent to their lineup. That may mean that some of the fringe pieces on their roster end up elsewhere in 2025. McKinstry has just a .643 OPS in parts of five MLB seasons but possesses the ability to play all over the diamond defensively. For a team looking to fill out their bench, the 29-year-old could make sense.Minnesota Twins: Christian Vázquez There are always teams looking for veteran catching depth, and with the emergence of Ryan Jeffers over the past two seasons, the Twins may be willing to accommodate one of those clubs if they are willing to assume part of his $10 million salary for 2025. President of baseball operations Derek Falvey seemed to indicate the Twins aren't as likely to move Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton or Pablo López, but whenever the top baseball executive has to come out and say something won't happen, it's probably not baseless.Chicago White Sox: Garrett Crochet Crochet may very well be the best player traded this offseason . In his first full season both back from Tommy John surgery and as an MLB starter, Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA and 2.69 FIP across 146 innings. General manager Chris Getz—who is trying to overhaul the organization after a staggering 121 losses in 2024—said he is "focusing on position player return" in a deal for Crochet. Given that Crochet is 25, has two remaining years before free agency and won't have to worry about a strict innings limit in 2025, a ton of teams will make a push for his services.
- Jack Gorman/Houston Astros: Ryan Pressly Chandler Rome of The Athletic reported during the GM meetings that the Astros "have had internal discussions" about potentially trading Pressly. Pressly will make $14 million in 2025, which is a lot considering he's not even the closer in Houston anymore with Josh Hader taking that role. With that said, he recorded 90 saves between 2021 and 2023 and closed out the 2022 World Series. If there's a team that views him as their closer, they'll likely be willing to take on the majority of all of his money in 2025. It should be noted that Pressly has a full no-trade clause and is going to turn 36 next month. So a trade is hardly a certainty. But unless general manager Dana Brown trades Framber Valdez or Kyle Tucker ahead of their contract years, which seems unlikely, Pressly might be the most realistic trade candidate.Seattle Mariners: Bryan Woo This one is a bit of a shot in the dark. We know the Mariners have arguably the deepest pitching staff in baseball, and Jerry DiPoto may need to dip into that to acquire impact hitting given the poor reputation T-Mobile Park has among hitters. Logan Gilbert and George Kirby seem to be the arms Seattle is building around. Luis Castillo is still a strong option, but he's about to turn 32 and is owed $24.15 million in each of the next three seasons. Bryan Woo is still only 24 and can't become a free agent until after the 2029 season. He might be their most valuable trade chip after going 9-3 with a 2.89 ERA across 121.1 innings pitched last year. There are some durability questions with Woo, and even if the Mariners trade him they still have Bryce Miller and Emerson Hancock to fill out the rotation.Texas Rangers: Jon Gray It would be interesting to know whether the Rangers would be willing to listen on 3B/OF Josh Smith given that Texas is deep at both of those spots. He won't even become arbitration-eligible until 2027, so there would be interest. But the Rangers may like to hold onto him as a super-utility guy. They do have a few too many talented but inconsistent options in their starting rotation currently, and that's before they've even made any moves in free agency. According to ERA+, Gray has been a slightly above league average pitcher over his decade in the league. He's due $13 million in 2025, so if someone is willing to take that on in search of 140-ish innings next year, he could move.Athletics: Miguel Andujar Andujar was probably overexposed to right-handed pitching this past season, hitting .256 with a .628 OPS in 258 plate appearances against righties. However, he hit .411 with a .995 OPS in 61 plate appearances against left-handed pitching. Yes, that's a small sample size, but it's still noteworthy. The A's could keep Andujar for his final season of arbitration, with MLB Trade Rumors projecting he'll only make $2.8 million in 2025. But for a franchise that pinches pennies, that might be more than they are willing to play for a platoon player.Los Angeles Angels: Jo Adell There was some thought to putting former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak here, but he could wind up being the primary center fielder if Mike Trout finally moves to a corner outfield spot. Even if Trout is the Opening Day center fielder, the Halos need an insurance policy given the future Hall of Famer's recent injury history. So Adell could become a change-of-scenery guy here, particularly if Trout moves to either left or right field. Even if it doesn't make much sense, the Angels have already made a few veteran additions this winter, so it seems like they will try to compete in 2025. That makes a trade of Taylor Ward unlikely. Adell homered 20 times and drove in 62 runs this past year, but hit just .207 with a .682 OPS. It would be interesting to see if another team could get him to develop into a Jorge Soler-type player. He's still only 25.
- Sarah Stier/Philadelphia Phillies: Alec Bohm, 3B Bohm was the starting third baseman for the NL All-Star team this past year, but he posted just a .681 OPS after the Midsummer Classic. He wasn't in the starting lineup for Game 2 of the NLDS and still struggles to control his emotions at times. The former No. 3 overall pick has driven in 97 runs in consecutive years, but ESPN's Jeff Passan reported last week that Bohm "finds himself on the trade block." Passan's colleague at the four-letter network, Buster Olney, added that opposing teams believe Bohm will be traded . Bohm could potentially benefit from being in the spotlight a bit less than he's been over five seasons with the Phillies, perhaps in a smaller market. But he's grown as a defender and puts the ball in play, so the 28-year-old should have plenty of suitors.Atlanta Braves: Orlando Arcia, SS Arcia was an All-Star for the Braves in 2023, hitting 17 home runs with 65 RBI and stepping up after Dansby Swanson departed in free agency. He homered 17 times again in 2024, but he did so with just a .625 OPS. The Braves may need more consistent offensive production from the position. If Alex Anthopoulos finds an upgrade at shortstop via free agency or trade, Arcia—who is due just $2 million in 2025 and has a $2 million club option for 2026—could become a trade target. He would fit with some lesser teams looking for a shortstop, or a contender that believes he could be a jack-of-all-trades fifth infielder.New York Mets: Brett Baty, 3B Mark Vientos has cemented himself as the starting third baseman for the Mets. The only way that will change is if Pete Alonso departs in free agency and Vientos shifts to first base, a move that would likely mean an established third baseman is joining the Mets. It's hard to imagine Baty getting runway to be a starter for the Mets next year. Baty only just turned 25, and 's Mike Puma reported that the Marlins, among other teams, tried to pry him away from the Mets in the summer. New York likely would prefer not to trade Baty within the division, but they should be able to find a taker this winter.Washington Nationals: Tanner Rainey The Nationals are a team with quite a bit of young talent that appears poised to return to the postseason picture in 2025 if they can add veteran talent this winter. That's why in our B/R free agent predictions we have president of baseball operations Mike Rizzo signing both Nathan Eovaldi and Christian Walker. This isn't really an offseason where the Nationals will be doing a ton of subtracting from their MLB roster, though Rainey—who has one year remaining of arbitration eligibility—could be someone who winds up elsewhere. In his first season back from Tommy John surgery, Rainey posted a 4.76 ERA and 5.42 FIP over 50 appearances.Miami Marlins: Jake Burger There's not a ton left to trade. President of baseball operations Peter Bendix gutted the roster in his first year on the job, and the Fish have reportedly informed former NL Cy Young Award winner Sandy Alcántara that he won't be dealt this winter. Both he and Jesús Luzardo will likely have more trade value next summer when they aren't coming off of injuries. Jake Burger had 19 home runs, 41 RBI and a .901 OPS after the All-Star break, so he's one of the few remaining pieces that could be of interest to other clubs. Burger won't become arbitration-eligible until 2026, but the Marlins might look to sell high on the 28-year-old.
- Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Milwaukee Brewers: Devin Williams Brewers general manager Matt Arnold said the club needed to be "open-minded" about potentially trading Williams before his contract year in his year-end press conference. He had a slightly different tone at the GM meetings a few weeks later. "I would say right now that we're focused on him being a Brewer because he's really good and really talented," Arnold said, per MLB.com's Mark Feinsand . "We consider him to be the best closer in baseball; he certainly makes our big league team better and that's where we're focused right now." Consider us skeptical. The Brewers declined a $10.5 million option on Williams to try to squeeze him for a few million in his final year of arbitration. That's not something you do to someone you expect to be a core piece for years to come. It's something you do when you believe he's headed on a similar path as Corbin Burnes, who was traded before his contract year.St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Helsley The Cardinals are looking to trim Major League payroll, but might have their hands tied if the likes of Sonny Gray, Willson Contreras and Nolan Arenado choose not to waive their no-trade clauses. One player they should have no problem trading is Ryan Helsley, who recently won the Trevor Hoffman National League Reliever of the Year. Helsley led all MLB relievers this past season with 49 saves and 62 games finished this past year. There might be some temptation to try to work out a long-term deal with Helsley, but if you aren't planning to contend in 2025, selling high on your 30-year-old closer—particularly one who puts a lot of stress on his elbow with how hard he throws—probably makes sense.Chicago Cubs: Nico Hoerner ESPN's Jeff Passan listed both Hoerner and Cody Bellinger as trade candidates. Such wild variances in performance would make Bellinger a difficult player to trade, especially given that he's due $52.5 million over the next two seasons unless he opts out after 2025. Hoerner is a contact-oriented hitter who won a Gold Glove Award at second base in 2023. The 27-year-old is owed $23.5 million over the next two seasons, and Passan noted that with top prospect Matt Shaw likely to debut in 2025, Hoerner could be used to acquire an MLB-ready pitcher.Cincinnati Reds: Jonathan India The former NL Rookie of the Year has been mentioned as a trade candidate for quite a while now, most recently with C. Trent Rosecrans and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic suggesting he could be swapped for Kansas City Royals righty Brady Singer. India walked 80 times this past season while also driving in 58 runs. The problem is he has minus-31 defensive runs saved in his career at second base, and with Matt McLain set to return in 2025, India would probably get most of his at-bats at DH.Pittsburgh Pirates: Bryan De La Cruz For as much as he struggled in 2024, De La Cruz still homered 21 times and drove in 68 runs, so there might still be something to work with if you acquire the 27-year-old.
- Norm Hall/Los Angeles Dodgers: Gavin Lux With Mookie Betts coming back to the infield and the possibility of signing Ha-Seong Kim or Willy Adames, it seems like it might be time for a change of scenery with Lux. It wouldn't be that difficult to talk yourself into buying low on Lux—if the price is indeed low. The former top prospect is still only 26 years old and should continue to regain some explosiveness as he moves further away from the right ACL tear that he sustained in February 2023.San Diego Padres: Wandy Peralta There's not really a good answer here. Dylan Cease and Luis Arráez are both entering contract years, but the Padres would be worse if they traded either one of them. Yu Darvish and Xander Bogaerts each probably have untradeable contracts. So we'll take a shot in the dark on Peralta, who posted a 3.99 ERA over 46 games in his first season of a four-year, $16.5 million deal. Two seasons ago, he posted a 2.83 ERA in 63 games for the Yankees. Teams are always looking for left-handed relievers, and Peralta's contract isn't outrageous. The reason he was the pick over Yuki Matsui is that there's a no-trade clause in Matsui's deal.Arizona Diamondbacks: Jordan Montgomery Owner Ken Kendrick may have been trying to get Montgomery to decline his $22.5 million player option when he blasted him publicly back in October: Smartly, the Scott Boras client picked up his option anyway, because he wouldn't have sniffed $22.5 million after posting a 6.23 ERA across 117 innings this past season. Kendrick's comments still happened, though, which makes you wonder if the situation in Arizona will be untenable for Montgomery. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported last week that the Diamondbacks "want to move him and will eat some of his $22.5 million salary to do so." That will likely lead to quite a few suitors for Montgomery. A return to the Rangers could make sense.San Francisco Giants: Lamonte Wade Jr. Passan also reported that Buster Posey, now the president of baseball operations for the Giants, is willing to move Wade and/or outfielder Mike Yastrzemski. There will likely be interest in both, but Yastrzemski is 34 and entering his contract year, which will probably limit the return San Francisco could get for him. Wade, 30, is probably best suited to play first base, though he has corner outfield experience. He has some pop and has averaged 69 walks over the past two seasons. With a pair of years before free agency, Wade could be one of the more under-the-radar big pickups this offseason.Colorado Rockies: Cal Quantrill Quantrill had an impressive first half for the Rockies in 2024, posting a 4.13 ERA over 19 starts—strong production when you are making your home starts at Coors Field. However, things went south for Quantrill after the All-Star break, as he posted a 6.85 ERA in 10 second-half starts. He's projected to make $9 million in his final year of arbitration eligibility, and it's hard to imagine owner Dick Monfort paying that given how he finished the season. There's no indication that the Rockies are open to moving third baseman Ryan McMahon, though there are plenty of teams that would love to have him.
Read the full article:https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10143520-every-mlb-teams-player-most-likely-to-be-traded-in-2024-25-offseason
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