MLB Trade Deadline 2024: Predicting the Big Names Up for Grabs

Brandon ScottMay 29, 2024MLB Trade Deadline 2024: Predicting the Big Names Up for Grabs0 of 8

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There is no better trade deadline in American sports than MLB’s.

For the others, the trade deadlines are opportunities to shore up rosters, add depth and dump salaries. It’s that and more for baseball, where you’re far more likely to see big names up for grabs each year.

Between the expiring contracts of so many productive players and constant need to plug holes on MLB rosters, there’s always intrigue around the trade deadline.

We’re now two months into the season, and two months away from the July 30 deadline.

Let’s identify some of the big names who might be up for grabs, given where their teams sit in the standings and their individual circumstances.

OF Randy Arozarena, Tampa Bay Rays1 of 8

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Randy Arozarena has been a trade candidate going back to the offseason, long before the Rays found themselves next to last in the AL East standings.

Now they are looking up at the New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Boston Red Sox and 4.5 games out of the final AL wild-card spot.

Eight AL teams have better records than Tampa Bay. With a minus-50 run differential, there is nothing about the club to give confidence that a turnaround is coming.

A setback could have been anticipated when you consider all the Rays lost. Tyler Glasnow was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs and Drew Rasmussen are all recovering from injuries.

But those are all pitchers who can’t do anything about the Rays’ bottom-three OPS. Only the Chicago White Sox have hit fewer home runs than Tampa Bay.

Arozarena has been a disappointment this season, but he remains one of the Rays’ best trade chips. His postseason reputation should also be appealing to contenders.

There is just no avoiding the .159/.255/.313 slash line through 195 at-bats. Whichever team deals for the 29-year-old is betting against what we’ve seen for a third of an MLB season.

The Rays would be selling low, but perhaps it’s a risk worth taking in case the bottom falls out completely.

LHP Jesús Luzardo, Miami Marlins2 of 8

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The Marlins were early to the big-name trades when they dealt Luis Arraez to the San Diego Padres earlier this month.

Jesús Luzardo is another logical candidate to find his services elsewhere, as the Marlins are a bottom-three team in baseball. They have the worst record in the NL, and only the Chicago White Sox have a worse winning percentage across the game.

A team like that has no use for the 26-year-old, who could help a contending team despite his struggles. The struggles are worth nothing, though, since it could impact interest.

In his last seven starts, Luzardo has a 4.20 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He’s giving up a lot of hard contact, which has always been in his profile. But he’s not getting the swings and misses he used to, which diminishes some of the appeal.

Perhaps a change of scenery would do him well, but nothing good is happening in Miami. Despite a shaky start, he is showing signs of life and should command a hefty haul considering he isn’t a free agent until 2027.

1B Paul Goldschmidt, St. Louis Cardinals3 of 8

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The Cardinals tried to retool this season by loading up with veteran pitching.

That strategy has proved to be a good one. It’s the hitting that hasn’t really come through for St. Louis.

Now for a second straight season, the Cardinals look like a non-competitive entity in the NL Central. Two seasons removed from an MVP season, Paul Goldschmidt is better served in a place where he can play meaningful games.

The 36-year-old is also set to become a free agent this offseason, making an ideal rental for a potential buyer.

Here’s the awkward part: Goldschmidt’s decline has been steep since the 2022 MVP season.

He went from a .317/.404/.578 slash line and 35 home runs in 2022, to .268/.363/.447 and 25 home runs last season (with 32 extra at-bats).

This season, Goldschmidt is slashing .224/.300/.358 with seven home runs through 201 at-bats.

It won’t surprise anyone to see Goldschmidt go and it likely won’t take a ton to land him. Keep an eye on whether Nolan Arenado waives his no-trade clause to also join a contender.

RHP Kenley Jansen, Boston Red Sox4 of 8

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Kenley Jansen is as obvious a trade candidate as you will find. He has an expiring contract on a team likely on the outside looking in at the AL wild-card picture.

The Boston Red Sox are behind the New York Yankees and Baltimore Orioles in the AL East race. They trail the Orioles, Kansas City Royals and Minnesota Twins in the wild card.

Regardless of whether the Red Sox compete for a spot in the postseason, they can do it with or without Jansen, who is making $16 million this season before becoming a free agent.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Boston plans to trade the 36-year-old by the deadline and The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal has the old stomping grounds in mind.

As talented as the Los Angeles Dodgers are, they could use some bullpen help. Jansen was Boston’s lone All-Star last season. This year, he’s made 18 appearances with a 3.06 ERA and 1.25 WHIP.

Toronto Blue Jays Stars 5 of 8

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Despite the talent of Toronto, this does not look like a postseason team.

The Blue Jays have been knocking on the door for years, but it does not look like they are getting anywhere with this group.

To that end, everyone of consequence should be on the trading block. Nightengale reported the Blue Jays as a team buyers are watching “knowing they could move first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr., shortstop Bo Bichette, DH Justin Turner, outfielders George Springer and Kevin Kiermaier, closer Jordan Romano and starters Yusei Kikuchi and Chris Bassitt.”

That covers just about everyone.

Turner, Kikuchi and Kiermaier are the expiring contracts, making them the most obvious trade candidates.

But what makes this intriguing is the bigger names with club control beyond this season—such as Guerrero, Bichette and Springer—are up for grabs.

1B Pete Alonso, New York Mets6 of 8

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Pete Alonso is headed for free agency and it will be the next exciting baseball thing he does if he isn’t traded. The Mets are far out of the playoff picture.

When the 29-year-old is asked by reporters about his future in Queens, he plays down the trade deadline. There’s still a lot of baseball left to be played.

Alonso just should not be playing for the Mets after the July 30 deadline. His .231/.305/.453 slash line is nothing to write home about. But his power and bat speed remain special.

Only three players have more home runs than the three-time All-Star in the NL. With his expiring contract, no player on the Mets is more intriguing as a trade prospect. They have others such as J.D. Martinez, Jose Quintana and Luis Severino, who will also likely be dealt.

Alonso is the main one to watch, though. It would be the second straight season the Mets became sellers at the deadline and potentially bolster a farm system that can help the franchise see brighter days in the years ahead.

RHP Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics7 of 8

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There is no urgency to move Mason Miller, since he is still pre-arbitration eligible next year. The intrigue is how much Oakland could get back for the 25-year-old.

A’s general manager David Forst has been fielding calls on the closer, which indicates clear interest.

Forst said he’s not shopping Miller, but he is listening to the offers. The A’s aren’t as terrible this year as they were in 2023, but they do hold a minus-60 run differential and are 10 games under .500.

They are the worst team in baseball’s worst division by run differential, so it’s a clear buyer’s destination.

A contender would relish the opportunity to add Miller, who leads all relievers in fWAR and FIP. He was named AL Reliever of the Month in April after earning eight saves in as many opportunities with 28 strikeouts.

Miller’s peripheral numbers are also elite, to the point where the A’s could be enticed to sell high. The haul, in return, would be a massive boost to an A’s farm system that ranked No. 26 in B/R’s Joel Reuter’s rankings to start the season.

3B Alex Bregman, Houston Astros8 of 8

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Not long ago, it would have been difficult to imagine Alex Bregman playing in another uniform.

The 30-year-old has played in seven consecutive ALCS for the Astros, which includes four World Series appearances and a pair of World Series titles.

In that time, Bregman has been one of the game’s best third basemen. That’s changed in 2024.

Today, he is a marginal player who briefly lost his spot in the heart of Houston’s lineup earlier this season.

Bregman had a big game Tuesday night visiting the AL West-leading Seattle Mariners. For the most part, though, he’s barely barreling the baseball, rarely hitting it hard or at all.

All of this is happening in a contract year for the two-time All-Star. It’s difficult to say how much money the slow start to this season will cost him in free agency, but he makes sense as a temporary boost to a team looking for more quality at-bats and reliable infield defense.

If the Astros are unable to overcome their own rough start to the season, there won’t be a reason to hold onto him.

Much like Arozarena, Bregman’s playoff pedigree makes rough 2024 stats easier to stomach for a contending team looking for a bat.