From Johnny Cueto to Starlin Castro, there are all sorts of prominent big leaguers who could land on the MLB trade block in the next two months.
Not every team has an ace like Cueto or a promising shortstop like Castro to shop, but every club has at least one player who would be an extremely popular target if he ends up becoming available on the trade front this summer.
In the process of determining each team’s biggest trade chip, the first step was figuring out whether a given club figures to be a seller (a non-contender) or a buyer (a contender). The team’s overall record was the most important factor in that consideration, but whether a team has been trending up or down was also part of the equation.
For the sellers, pending free agents like Cueto dominate the list. Meanwhile, for the buyers, the most popular player to earn the nod is a high-upside prospect.
There are also teams like the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays that all hope to be buyers but could end up having to subtract off the big league roster.