The annual list of MLB trade deadline candidates has taken a different shape since the playoff field ballooned to 12 teams a couple of seasons ago. Nowadays, more clubs have a fighting chance to reach October baseball.
As a result, there are fewer obvious sellers than in the past. But as long as the market has eager buyers, the sellers will show up, too.
With the July 30 deadline looming, here are some MLB trade deadline candidates (and destinations) to watch out for.
MLB trade deadline candidates
Before getting into some league-wide trade candidates, let's spend a moment on the Toronto Blue Jays.
ESPN's Buster Olney reported Monday that the Jays "intend to try to win in 2025 rather than to go through a full rebuild," but that they're "ready to move players who will be free agents at the end of this year."
For a team that enters Monday in the AL East baseman (and 9.5 games out of a wild card spot), moving off some expiring contracts seems like the least it can do.
Now let's dive in on some trade candidates (with two current Blue Jays entering the conversation later on) ...
Garrett Crochet
Age: 25 | Team: Chicago White Sox
Contract: Arbitration eligible through '26
First-half stats: 3.02 ERA, 2.35 FIP, 12.6 K/9
If Crochet is moved, he’d likely command the largest return of the deadline. But any team that wants his services must ask itself an important question first: Is this guy a starter or a reliever?
After throwing 73.0 innings from the bullpen in 2020-23, Crochet jumped to the rotation this year. That transition has gone exceptionally well for the AL’s leader in strikeouts and FIP. But his workload (107.1 innings) is already almost double anything he’d had in previous years.
Acquiring a young lefty with elite strikeout stuff and multiple years of team control is tantalizing. But his injury history (he underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022) and limited experience as a starter make for a delicate balance.
Possible landing spots: Yankees, Dodgers, Orioles
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Jack Flaherty
Age: 28 | Team: Detroit Tigers
Contract: Free agent after '24 season
First-half stats: 3.13 ERA, 3.16 FIP, 11.3 K/9
Flaherty’s post-trade production can’t be as bad as last year … right?
In 2023, Flaherty was shipped to Baltimore from St. Louis. He posted a 6.75 ERA over nine outings (seven starts) for the Orioles and had one unimpressive relief appearance in the playoffs.
But the former first-round pick looks like a new man this year, ranking in the 94th percentile in both K rate and walk rate, per Baseball Savant.
If he finds himself back in the bullpen after (very likely) being traded, something has gone horribly wrong.
Possible landing spots: Cardinals, Yankees, Red Sox
Brent Rooker
Age: 29 | Team: Oakland Athletics
Contract: Arbitration eligible through '27
First-half stats: .291/.369/.573 (.942 OPS), 21 HR, 62 RBI
If all-star snubs are your thing, Rooker is this year’s poster child.
Despite posting the seventh-highest wRC+ (166) in the majors in the first half, Rooker wasn't invited to the all-star festivities. But don’t hold that against a guy who can truly rake.
Though he’s primarily a designated hitter, Rooker has also spent time in both corner outfield spots. But the headliner isn’t his glove. It’s his raw power from the right side.
Rooker strikes out more than 30% of the time, but he also ranks in the 98th percentile in expected slugging percentage (.590). More than a few teams should be willing to make that trade-off.
Possible landing spots: Braves, Guardians, Mariners
Erick Fedde
Age: 31 | Team: Chicago White Sox
Contract: Free agent after 25 (owed $7.5M next year)
First-half stats: 2.99 ERA, 3.52 FIP, 8.0 K/9
Fedde has been a rare pleasant surprise for the White Sox, who brought him in on a two-year, $15 million deal after he earned KBO MVP honours last season.
That means any team looking to acquire him will enjoy his team-friendly price tag for 2025.
It’s fair to believe that Fedde is overperforming his current ERA (Baseball Savant lists his xERA at 3.58), but he’s undoubtedly a solid pitcher who can add value from the middle of a rotation.
For teams looking to stay out of the pure rental market, Fedde provides a nice middle-ground option.
Possible landing spots: Cardinals, Brewers, Guardians
MLB trade deadline candidates: Blue Jays
Yusei Kikuchi
Age: 33
Contract: Free agent after ’24 season
First-half stats: 4.42 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 9.9 K/9
Kikuchi was an all-star in the season before he came to Toronto, though he never quite lived up to that billing in the three seasons since. Even so, he makes a lot of sense as a back-of-rotation addition — or a solid bullpen piece for a rotation-rich contender.
Left-handers who throw hard, strike guys out and limit walks will always draw interest. Kikuchi is 15th in MLB in strikeouts per walk (4.46) and has been stung by having the ninth-highest BABIP (.264) among qualified pitchers.
A landing spot as a No. 4 or 5 starter appears most likely, and he could slide to the bullpen for the postseason. In a limited relief role for Toronto in 2022, Kikuchi tallied 33 strikeouts in just 18.1 innings.
Possible landing spots: Brewers, Astros, Cardinals
Danny Jansen
Age: 29
Contract: Free agent after '24 season
First-half stats: .223/.316/.391 (.707 OPS), 6 HR, 17 RBI
This would be a sell-low spot for Jansen, who posted an .805 OPS over the three previous seasons. Still, if he figures to have a case as the best catcher available this year (along with Rockies’ Elias Diaz).
Jansen is headed to free agency anyway, so why shouldn’t Toronto try to get something for him?
Teams looking to bolster their catching depth could do worse than a guy like Jansen, who is an elite blocker with above-average plate discipline.
Possible landing spots: Padres, Pirates, Rays
