It will still be another month and a half before the MLB trade market kicks into full gear, but it’s never too soon to start speculating as to who could be on the move this July.
What follows is my take on the 10 best players likely to find themselves on the trade market and perhaps on the move to new teams at some point in the season ahead.
This list will no doubt change in the weeks ahead, as teams become more clearly defined as buyers and sellers heading into the second half, but for now there is reason to think the following 10 guys could trade bait.
The players are ranked on the potential impact they could have on a contender’s playoff chances down the stretch, with what the player is likely to cost not taken into account as far as their ranking is concerned.
As for exclusions from the list, Giancarlo Stanton has been a popular subject of trade rumors the past few years, and will likely see his name come up once again. However, with the Marlins taking a big step forward this year and Stanton in the midst of a monster season, my guess is he’s not going anywhere. The same goes for his teammate, closer Steve Cishek.
Another name that will likely come up often and could have potentially been included here is San Diego Padres closer Huston Street. However, with a very reasonable $7 million option for next year I think the team holds onto him, at least until next year.
The Toronto Blue Jays are another team that could have some interesting trade chips if the fall out of it, including left-hander Mark Buehrle and left fielder Melky Cabrera, but as things stand now they look to have a chance to contend.
So with that out of the way, here is an early look at who could be on the move this coming season.
*All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference unless otherwise noted.