MLB trade deadline top targets: 8 most impactful players who could move

USA Today

3 days ago

The Major League Baseball trade deadline offers playoff contenders one last opportunity to improve their rosters for the stretch run and position themselves for a World Series push.
Talks are expected to go down to the wire on many of the top available players, but in the meantime here's a brief overview of who could make the biggest splash over the final two months of the regular season ... and into October.
Just for fun, we're ranking them on their potential impact for the rest of this year – and which teams could be/should be the most interested in them as the clock counts down to the 6 p.m. ET deadline on Thursday.
3B Eugenio Suárez, Arizona Diamondbacks
The Diamondbacks have the best collection of trade chips in the majors, with Suárez, 34, the top impact bat on the market. He already has 36 home runs this season and is a free agent this winter. Arizona will likely want a pair of top prospects and possibly another player as well, so his price will be high.
RP Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
Relief pitchers are the most plentiful commodity at the trade deadline, but top closers are few and far between. Helsley fits the bill after leading the majors in saves last season with 49. He's racked up 21 saves in 26 chances this season, pitching to an even 3.00 ERA. Since June 15, however, he's allowed only one run in his last 11 innings. He's also a free agent at the end of this season.
SP Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
If the Twins decide to sell, Ryan could be the top starting pitcher available. Despite a rocky last start vs. Washington, Ryan has been excellent all year with a 10-5 record, 2.82 ERA and 0.92 WHIP. He's lined up to start on Saturday so he could jump right into a contending team's rotation. Ryan is in his first year of arbitration.
SP Merrill Kelly, Arizona Diamondbacks
Kelly has seemingly overtaken teammate Zac Gallen as the top trade target in the Arizona rotation. Since the beginning of June, he's pitched to a 2.56 ERA, averaging just about six innings over 10 starts. He has generally been a ground-ball pitcher over the course of his career so he could fit in most anywhere. Kelly is a free agent at the end of the season.
SP Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins
Alcantara, the 2022 NL Cy Young award winner, missed all of last season recovering from Tommy John surgery. He's had a rocky start in his return to action (6.36 ERA), but has been much better lately -- not allowing an earned run in winning his last two starts. He has $17.3 million left on his contract for next season, with a club option for 2027, so acquring him will come with a sizable financial commitment.
SP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins
The arbitration-eligible Cabrera is a younger, less-expensive and perhaps more volatile version of Alcantara. With persistent injury issues, he's never pitched more than 100 innings in any major league season – and he's already at 94 innings this season. He experienced some elbow discomfort in his final start before the All-Star break, but has looked fine in two starts since then.
OF Luis Robert Jr., Chicago White Sox
Robert, 27, showed difference-making potential in 2023 when he hit 38 homers with an .857 OPS, stole 20 bases and won a Gold Glove in center field. However, he hasn't come close to that kind of production the past two seasons. The White Sox have club options for 2026 and 2027 so they don't have to deal him if the price isn't right. But it's also highly unlikely he'll stick around until the White Sox are ready to contend again.
RP David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Toiling away on a last-place team, Bednar seems like a lock to be dealt. He picked up his 17th save on Monday, although he did allow a run for the first time in 24 appearances. That's the kind of consistency any contender would love to have in its bullpen down the stretch. On the season, Bednar has a 2.37 ERA and is striking out 12.1 batters per nine innings. He has one more year of arbitration eligibility in 2026.