The Best Landing Spot for Each MLB Player Rumored to Be on Trade Block

With Juan Soto in New York and Tyler Glasnow in Los Angeles, it's already been a good winter for big-ticket deals on Major League Baseball's trade market.

Who's up for more?

It's not as if there aren't more trades that could happen this winter, after all. Scans of B/R's MLB rumors page and other sources turned up 15 notable players whose teams are reportedly either actively shopping them or at least willing to listen to offers.

The idea here is to identify the best landing spot for each of those players. Not so much in the sense of how the two teams in question line up as trading partners, mind you, but rather how the player fits in the acquiring team's roster and with its contention timeline.

Starting with the least and ending with the most, the 15 trade candidates are ranked according to their general desirability according to their skills and contract status.

Source: Mark Feinsand of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: Toronto Blue Jays

The Padres tried out Jake Cronenworth as their regular first baseman this year, but to say it didn't work would be an understatement. Out of 18 players who logged at least 100 games at the cold corner, his .689 OPS ranked 17th ahead of only José Abreu.

This is nonetheless a two-time All-Star we're talking about, and one who could be easily worth the $80 million he's owed over the next seven seasons if he goes back to second base.

It came as no surprise when Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported that Cronenworth has been on the Blue Jays' radar. Even after agreeing to bring Kevin Kiermaier back, they still have money to burn and needs for infielders and left-handed hitters.

Cronenworth, 29, checks both boxes, and his arrival would give Toronto the option of shifting breakout rookie Davis Schneider to third base. Even if he can't hope to replace his defense, he could hopefully account for Matt Chapman's offense there.

Other Fits: Detroit Tigers, New York Mets

Source: Jon Morosi of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: San Francisco Giants

One feels for Jorge Polanco's lower half. It's often been banged up over the last two seasons, resulting in him playing in just 184 of the Twins' 324 games.

But when the 30-year-old Polanco plays, he hits. His .789 OPS this year was par for the course, as was the 115 OPS+ that denoted him as 15 percent better than the average hitter.

If the Giants aren't already in on Polanco, they should be. As good as Thairo Estrada was for them defensively at second base, it's also largely on him that only three teams did worse than the .625 OPS the Giants got from the keystone.

Though Polanco's contract is running short, neither his $10.5 million salary for 2024 nor his $12 million option for 2025 is unreasonable. And since they're only fringe contenders presently, it's to the Giants' advantage that this means not one, but two chances to try to involve Polanco in a contending season.

Other Fits: Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners

Source: Jon Morosi of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: Seattle Mariners

After he immediately celebrated signing a five-year, $35 million extension with a career-high 36 home runs in 2019, down years followed for Max Kepler in 2020, 2021 and 2022.

But in case anyone wasn't looking, the 30-year-old is back now. Kepler had an .816 OPS and 24 home runs overall this year, and he came out of the season especially hot by way of a .306/.377/.549 slash line and 12 long balls in the second half.

As for the idea to put Kepler, who'll earn $10 million in the final year of his contract in 2024, on the Mariners, I must confess that I'm borrowing it from Morosi:

Trading away Jarred Kelenic and then trading for Max Kepler has a bit of a "robbing Peter to pay Paul" feel to it, but it matters that Kepler is a right fielder and not a left fielder. The Mariners badly need an offensive upgrade in right after the guys they used there ranked 27th with a .680 OPS this year.

Other Fits: Toronto Blue Jays, Philadelphia Phillies

Sources: Jesse Rogers of ESPN and Bob Nightengale of USA Today

Best Landing Spot: Cleveland Guardians

The Cubs arguably shouldn't want to trade Christopher Morel. He's a power supply in a lineup that doesn't have a ton of it, as well as a versatile defender whose club control runs through 2028.

Yet when it comes to what Morel is actually good at, the list basically begins and ends with power. He's too whiff-prone to be a well-rounded offensive threat, and the catch with his defensive versatility is that he has yet to stand out at any one position.

But if there's one team that should be trying to get at Morel's power anyway, it's the Guardians. The 124 home runs they hit this year were by far the fewest in the league, with the Washington Nationals safely ahead by 27 homers in the No. 29 spot.

Morel, 24, hit 37 home runs in 136 games between the minors and majors this year. Even just with the 26 he hit in across 107 major league games, he would have topped José Ramírez (24) for Cleveland's team lead.

Other Fits: Boston Red Sox, Miami Marlins

Source: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic

Best Landing Spot: Texas Rangers

As to how Morel could end up on the Guardians, by way of a Shane Bieber trade would seem to be a real possibility. According to Morosi, the Guardians and Cubs have at least talked about the 2020 American League Cy Young Award winner.

There's nonetheless a caveat with Bieber. Well, two. He's only under club control through 2024 and his value isn't exactly high in the wake of a 2023 season that saw him continue to struggle with his velocity and also post his lowest strikeout rate.

The ideal team for the 28-year-old Bieber is one that's firmly in win-now mode yet wouldn't need him to be a No. 1 starter. Which brings us to the World Series champion Rangers.

They didn't need a starter as recently as two weeks ago, but now they do after Max Scherzer had surgery to repair a herniated disk. Bieber would hold his place in the rotation until the middle of 2024, at which point the Rangers could begin trotting out a rotation featuring not just Bieber and Scherzer, but also Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Tyler Mahle.

Other Fits: Chicago Cubs, New York Yankees

Source: Jeff Passan of ESPN

Best Landing Spot: Texas Rangers

Speaking of the Rangers, what would be even better than getting Bieber from the Guardians is if they also got Emmanuel Clase in the same deal.

It would be a full-circle journey for the 25-year-old Clase, who began his career in Texas' system before he was shipped to Cleveland in an ill-fated deal for Corey Kluber four winters ago. He's obviously blossomed since then, including as an All-Star and the MLB leader for saves in each of the last two seasons.

This year was more of a struggle for Clase, as his strikeout rate dipped and he became only the second reliever this century to blow as many as 12 saves. All the same, his accomplishments are his accomplishments and his contract locks him up through as far as 2028.

For their part, the Rangers shouldn't be prepared to leave their bullpen as is even after it stabilized in October. It had previously accounted for 0 rWAR in the regular season, after all, and it still doesn't project well for 2024.

Other Fits: Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers

Source: Bob Nightengale of USA Today (h/t Borna Nazari)

Best Landing Spot: Boston Red Sox

After a solid showing in 2022, Ha-Seong Kim took his offense to even higher heights this year. His .749 OPS set a new personal best, as did his 17 home runs and 38 stolen bases.

What Kim does best, however, is field the ball. He's fresh off winning his first Gold Glove after tallying seven Outs Above Average at second base, prior to which he had racked up eight OAA at shortstop in 2022.

Any number of teams would be better with the 28-year-old Kim in the middle of their defense, but OAA reveals just how badly the Red Sox needed him this year:

• Second Base: Minus-13 OAA
• Shortstop: Minus-3 OAA

One of these positions will be better off with Trevor Story there in 2024, but that's only one. A trade for Kim would take care of the other spot, and the ending of his contract after 2024 would coincide nicely with top prospect Marcelo Mayer being ready for his big break.

Other Fits: San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Guardians

Source: Jon Morosi of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: Seattle Mariners

Since the .607 OPS that they got out of second base this year placed even lower than that of the Giants, the Mariners are another team that should be in on Polanco.

The lineup fit would be less than ideal, however. Though Polanco is a switch-hitter, he's typically a weaker hitter from the right side and thus not quite the right-handed presence Seattle still needs even after signing Mitch Garver.

Jonathan India is a better target for the Mariners, and not even just because he's strictly a right-handed-hitting second baseman. He also has a solid bat-to-ball skill, something that Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto is known to want for his lineup.

Otherwise, the high ceiling set by India's National League Rookie of the Year-winning effort in 2021, in which he homered 21 times in tandem with an .835 OPS, can't be ignored. As he's still only 27 and under club control through 2026, he may yet live up to it again.

Other Fits: Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants

Source: Jon Morosi of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: Los Angeles Dodgers

There's at least one team in the NL West that's known to be looking for a shortstop on the trade market. And that team, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle, is the Giants.

Yet whether they're the right place for Willy Adames is debatable. As much as they could use his pop and his defense, that he's only under club control through 2024 doesn't jive with the Giants' contention window. It's unlikely to be all the way open next season.

Thus I propose: It should be the Dodgers who trade for Adames.

They're the win-now team in the NL West, after all. And bringing the 28-year-old aboard would be a way around having to rely on Gavin Lux or Miguel Rojas at shortstop in 2024, not to mention a means of further supercharging a lineup that's perhaps too top-heavy with Mookie Betts, Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman in the first three slots.

Other Fits: San Francisco Giants, Miami Marlins

Source: Jon Heyman of the New York Post

Best Landing Spot: Toronto Blue Jays

As Heyman merely said the Blue Jays have been "kicking around" the idea of trading Christian Yelich, anyone who takes issue with him even being on this list has a fair gripe.

But compared to, say, the New York Mets and Pete Alonso, it's far easier to imagine the Brewers being willing to listen if the Blue Jays or anyone else called about Yelich. Because if ever there was a time to get out of the five years he has left on his nine-year, $215 million contract, it's now.

After three straight down seasons, the 32-year-old looked more like his 2018 NL MVP-winning self in posting an .818 OPS with 19 homers and 28 steals this year. And even if they still weren't what they once were, his underlying metrics were legit.

To be sure, the fit for Yelich in Toronto isn't as natural as it was before the club re-upped with Kiermaier. But one can still see an opening, specifically involving semi-everyday duty at designated hitter with occasional starts in left and right field.

Other Fits: Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners

Sources: Jeff Passan of ESPN and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times

Best Landing Spot: Seattle Mariners

Sometimes a guy just has to stick to his guns. In this case, I'm sticking with the Mariners as the best landing spot for Randy Arozarena.

The Mariners did well enough in left field this year, drawing a .778 OPS and 1.8 rWAR from the position. But that was mostly thanks to Kelenic, and he's now with Atlanta. FanGraphs doesn't have much faith in Cade Marlowe to hold down the fort, projecting the Mariners for an MLB-low-tying 0.6 WAR in left field.

That Arozarena would be an upgrade is a point that doesn't require much in the way of elaboration. With three straight 20-20 seasons in his rearview, the 28-year-old is simply one of the most dynamic offensive players in the business.

What's more, he's under club control through 2026. The Mariners would thus have three chances to make the most of his presence in the Pacific Northwest.

Other Fits: San Diego Padres, Miami Marlins

Source: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic

Best Landing Spot: San Francisco Giants

In case anyone needs a recap of what Jesús Luzardo was up to in 2021 and 2022, he flamed out of Oakland before he had even really established himself with the Athletics and then spent much of his first full season in Miami injured.

This year, on the other hand, saw the 26-year-old sneak into the conversation of MLB's best lefties. Luzardo made 32 starts and paired a 3.58 ERA with 10.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Between this and his club control through 2026, he'd be quite the catch in a trade.

Especially for the Giants. They may already have a legit No. 1 starter in Logan Webb, but they need a No. 2 and Luzardo is somewhat of a facsimile of what they missed out on when Yoshinobu Yamamoto signed with the Dodgers.

Namely, a guy who can miss bats. Giants starters didn't do much of that in 2023, as they finished 24th in strikeouts per nine and 26th in swinging-strike percentage.

Other Fits: Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds

Source: Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic

Best Landing Spot: Baltimore Orioles

The word from Rosenthal is that the White Sox are going to trade Dylan Cease "at some point." And to hear it from Nightengale, there may even be two finalists for him.

One is Atlanta, for whom Cease would likely be a No. 3 starter after Spencer Strider and Max Fried and ahead of Charlie Morton. The other is the Orioles, for whom the right-hander would be a candidate to beat out Kyle Bradish and Grayson Rodriguez for the No. 1 spot.

Yes, the 27-year-old Cease is coming off a down year that included a 4.58 ERA, 79 walks and a league-leading 14 wild pitches. But relative to his sensational 2022 season, at least his strikeout rate only barely dropped from 11.1 to 10.9 per nine innings.

Unlike some of the other top arms on the market, Cease has club control that goes beyond 2024 and runs to the end of 2025. The O's would thus have him for at least two seasons, which is ideal given that they only just opened their contention window this year.

Other Fits: Atlanta, San Francisco Giants

Source: Bob Nightengale of USA Today

Best Landing Spot: Chicago Cubs

Like with Arozarena, this is another moment when yours truly must stick to his guns and say that the Cubs remain the best landing spot for Framber Valdez.

The 30-year-old lefty is like Cease in that he's under club control through 2025. He's thus more ideal for the Cubs than a post-2024 free agent such as Bieber, as they only just nudged their contention window open amid an 83-win season.

Otherwise, this fit has a lot to do with how Valdez's pitching style jives with what the Cubs do well. He's primarily a ground ball pitcher, and their infield's bona fides from this season include 27 Outs Above Average and a .223 average allowed on grounders.

That Valdez also has a solid feel for missing bats is a nice bonus. Cubs starters were right there with Giants starters for swinging-strike rate this year, and actually even worse off for strikeouts per nine.

Other Fits: San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds

Source: Jon Morosi of MLB.com

Best Landing Spot: New York Yankees

For any team that's able to trade for Corbin Burnes, the next logical step would be to try to sign the 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner to an extension.

But as Burnes indicated on the Foul Territory podcast last week, it would take something that would "absolutely blow [him] away" to convince him not to test the open market after 2024:

This is probably going to scare some teams off, but the Yankees shouldn't be one of them. If they were willing to make one trade for a superstar knowing that he's only guaranteed to stick around through next season, well, what's one more?

Otherwise, a trade for Burnes is arguably the best option still available to the Yankees after they fell $25 million short in their bid for Yamamoto. The 29-year-old may not have Yamamoto's youth, but what he does have is the lowest ERA of any qualified starter since shifting into Milwaukee's rotation on Aug. 23, 2020.

Other Fits: San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.