The 10 Best MLB Trade Chips For 2024 Season

Opening Day was less than a week ago, so the July 30 trade deadline for the 2024 MLB season might as well be forever away.

But under the time-honored tradition of "It'll Be Here Before You Know It," let's take the position that it's not too early to get to know this year's best trade chips.

The 10 players on this list have already appeared in trade rumors, either in recent or not-so-recent history. How likely they are to reappear in rumors varies, but that's also neither here nor there as far as what went into actually making the rankings.

This was simply about sizing these guys up according to their sheer desirability. Not just based on what abilities they bring to the table, but also their salaries and how many years they have left under contract.

Before we get to counting down the top 10 and speculating on potential landing spots for each, let's first touch on honorable mentions.

Note: All 2024 projections are courtesy of the ZiPS DC system, with all playoff odds courtesy of FanGraphs.

Position Players

• SS Tim Anderson, Miami Marlins
• 1B Josh Bell, Miami Marlins
• LF Mark Canha, Detroit Tigers
• OF Dylan Carlson, St. Louis Cardinals
• C Elias Díaz, Colorado Rockies
• 2B Brandon Drury, Los Angeles Angels
• DH Eloy Jiménez, Chicago White Sox
• DH J.D. Martinez, New York Mets
• RF Tyler O'Neill, Boston Red Sox
• CF Michael A. Taylor, Pittsburgh Pirates

Except for Carlson, whose club control runs through 2026, everyone here is only signed through the end of this season and thus positioned to be a rental on the trade market.

If the Mets fall out of the race, Martinez stands to be a prize for contenders in need of a slugger. After a lull in 2022, his power came back in a big way as he blasted 33 home runs with a 98th-percentile hard-hit rate in 2023.

Starting Pitchers

• RHP Paul Blackburn, Oakland Athletics
• RHP Edward Cabrera, Miami Marlins
• LHP Martín Pérez, Pittsburgh Pirates
• RHP Nick Pivetta, Boston Red Sox
• LHP José Quintana, New York Mets
  
• LHP Trevor Rogers, Miami Marlins
• RHP Ross Stripling, Oakland Athletics
• LHP Alex Wood, Oakland Athletics

This is generally an unspectacular group, but the guy worth keeping an eye on is Pivetta.

He whiffed 183 batters in 142.2 innings last season and picked up right where he left off with 10 strikeouts in his 2024 debut. He now has a 2.23 ERA in six starts since moving into Boston's rotation last September.

Relief Pitchers

• LHP Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates
• RHP Carlos Estévez, Los Angeles Angels
• RHP Chris Martin, Boston Red Sox
• LHP Matt Moore, Los Angeles Angels
• LHP Tanner Scott, Miami Marlins

Martin arguably should have a spot in the top 10 after pitching to a 1.05 ERA last year, but some regression is almost certainly in store for 2024. Plus, he'll be 38 on June 2.

The real guy to watch is Scott, who did everything well as he was racking up a 2.31 ERA and 104 strikeouts over 78 innings in 2023. He'll be the top rental reliever on the market if the Marlins decide to shop him.

Age: 29

2024 Projections: 35 GS, 35.0 IP, 24 H (4 HR), 51 K, 16 BB, 3.00 ERA, 0.7 WAR

Contract Status: Year 1 of 1-year, $7.3 million contract, with 2025 club option

Suffice it to say that Devin Williams would rank higher on this list if he was healthy.

It's going to be a while before he is healthy again, as the expectation is that the stress fractures in his back will keep him off the mound until June. If so, he would only have so long to reestablish himself as an elite reliever before July 30.

Then there's the question of whether the Brewers will even be selling, much less whether they would do so with Williams. His salary for this year is plenty reasonable, as is the $10.5 million he'd make next year if his option is picked up.

But if we assume that the Brewers are a postseason long shot—and they are, per their 37.3 percent playoff odds—it's that much easier to imagine a Williams trade.

Barring any setbacks in his recovery, it's hardly inconceivable that he'll pick up where he left off in 2023. As in, pitching like a two-time All-Star and Rookie of the Year whose statistical credits include a 1.89 ERA and 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings.

And to give you an idea of how good Williams' "Airbender" is, Logan Webb is the closest guy to him on the changeup run value leaderboard since 2020 and he's thrown over 1,000 more changeups than Williams in that span.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Yankees, San Diego Padres

Age: 36

2024 Projections: 64 G, 64.0 IP, 58 H (10 HR), 73 K, 24 BB, 4.17 ERA, 0.6 WAR

Contract Status: Year 2 of 2-year, $32 million contract

Though he never stooped to Googling himself, Kenley Jansen wasn't deaf to all the trade speculation swirling around his name throughout the winter.

"I just have to have the mindset that I need to get ready regardless, right?" the veteran closer told Tara Sullivan of the Boston Globe. "So all the buzz that's going on around me, all that stuff, it's not time for me to focus on it."

Why a trade for Jansen never happened is something I can only guess about. But if I was running a team, looking at his page and seeing 36 years of age and a $16 million salary would give me pause.

However, Jansen has never had a truly bad year in 14 seasons as a major leaguer. There have been ups and downs, to be sure, but at no point has he posted a below-average ERA+.

It all traces back to a trademark cutter that's aging about as well as anyone could hope. Jansen even added some punch to it last season, wherein its average velocity was 2.1 mph above where it had sat in 2022.

The longer Jansen continues to age gracefully in 2024, the less likely it may be that the Red Sox would have to eat some of his salary to move him in a trade.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers

Age: 29

2024 Projections: 68 G, 68.0 IP, 55 H (8 HR), 82 K, 21 BB, 3.16 ERA, 1.7 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2026

With the way they're playing, it may not be long before the Pirates completely shut down speculation about any kind of summer sell-off.

They are, after all, off to a 5-0 start for only the sixth time in their history. Their playoff odds have already benefitted, with FanGraphs boosting them to 31.4 percent from 16.2 percent on Opening Day.

Otherwise, the chances of David Bednar signing an extension would seem to be above zero. The Bucs have locked up Ke'Bryan Hayes, Bryan Reynolds and Mitch Keller in the last two years, and there's support within the clubhouse for Bednar to be next.

And yet, a trade of the two-time All-Star remains far from unthinkable.

The Bucs are off to a hot start, sure, but even a 20-8 beginning to last season didn't keep them from finishing 76-86. And along the way, they were reportedly willing to listen on Bednar.

As a trade chip, Bednar isn't a hard sell. The last three seasons have seen him pitch to a 2.25 ERA with strikeout rates in the 94th, 94th and 85th percentiles. Add in that he's under club control for this season and the next two, and he's a mighty valuable chip for Pittsburgh to cash in if opportunity knocks.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Texas Rangers

Age: 27

2024 Projections: 134 G, 581 PA, 17 HR, 12 SB, .253 AVG, .350 OBP, .414 SLG, 1.3 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2026

Save for maybe Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease, Jonathan India's name might have appeared in more trade rumors than anyone else's during the winter.

But it was all "overblown." That's according to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, who wrote in February that what the Reds really want from India in 2024 is for him to "continue to set the tone in the lineup and in the clubhouse."

Success in this regard would be merely another reason to be high on the Reds. They went 82-80 in 2023 even as a deeply flawed team, and now they're better equipped on both the offensive and pitching sides.

Yet the Reds still only have a 28.4 percent chance of making the playoffs. And if that's how things play out, teams are bound to call about India again.

His stock is not what it was after he won the National League Rookie of the Year in 2021, but the trappings of a good hitter have never not been there. Notably, he finished 2023 with better-than-average marks for his strikeout and walk rates and exit velocity.

That India is under club control through 2026 only heightens his value in the abstract, and there's also the possibility that he has a big year in store. He hit .393 in spring training and is 5-for-15 so far in the regular season.

Potential Fits: San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox

Age: 28

2024 Projections: 31 GS, 189.0 IP, 175 H (22 HR), 192 K, 47 BB, 3.52 ERA, 3.9 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2024

Shane Bieber was mentioned in trade rumors during the winter, but it all led to Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting in January that the righty was "very unlikely" to go anywhere.

The Guardians' contention aspirations were part of that, but one can easily imagine that rival executives just weren't overly motivated to get Bieber. Two of his last three seasons have been cut short by injury, and he didn't even average 92 mph with his heater in 2022 or 2023.

But on this front, at least, Bieber looked a lot more like his Cy Young Award-winning self in his 2024 debut. Albeit against a weak Oakland Athletics lineup, he pitched six scoreless innings with 11 strikeouts against one walk.

Bieber's fastball velocity was up 0.9 mph over 2023, but a bigger revelation was a changeup that gained 2.1 mph. That pitch and his slider combined for 13 whiffs out of 18 swings.

This is plot-thickening stuff, and what it could mean to Bieber's trade value is considerable. If he continues to pitch like this, his $13.1 million salary will begin to look more than reasonable.

As for Cleveland's contention outlook, it's good but not that good. The Guardians have a 32.7 percent chance of making the playoffs, with only a 20.6 percent chance of winning the AL Central.

Potential Fits: New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros

Age: 28

2024 Projections: 149 G, 644 PA, 29 HR, 5 SB, .250 AVG, .328 OBP, .465 SLG, 4.2 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2024

There was a moment when it seemed like the Brewers were going to hold on to Corbin Burnes and Willy Adames, but that went "poof" as soon as Burnes went to Baltimore.

Though Adames is still with Milwaukee, one has to figure that will only remain the case if the team stays in the hunt for the playoffs. There aren't any projections or betting odds that characterize that outcome as likely.

If anything, the more difficult question is what kind of value Adames might have on the summer market.

The last thing the Brewers want is him being as inconsistent offensively as he was last season, wherein he batted only .217 with a .310 on-base percentage. There just wasn't enough contact, with his whiff rate ultimately landing in the 18th percentile.

But if Adames is nothing else, he's a slick defender with 25-to-30-homer power. And he might have been stung by bad luck in 2023. His strikeout and walk rates were actually better than they were in 2022, and he didn't get as much out of his barrels as he should have.

Even as a rental, he thus stands to be the top target for any team in need of an impact player on the middle of the infield.

Potential Fits: San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 28

2024 Projections: 141 G, 609 PA, 14 HR, 26 SB, .246 AVG, .327 OBP, .383 SLG, 3.9 WAR

Contract Status: Year 4 of 4-year, $28 million contract, with 2025 mutual option

It seemed for much of the winter like Ha-Seong Kim was destined to get traded, but then the Padres pulled a fast one with the Dylan Cease trade and now look like a legit contender.

Sort of, anyway.

The Padres only have a 36.9 percent chance of making the playoffs. Given how good the San Francisco Giants and Arizona Diamondbacks also are, they may be as likely to finish fourth in the NL West as they are to finish second, let alone first.

Of course, the Padres could extend Kim. But failing that, they can't rely on him picking up his end of his 2025 option and would thus have to field offers if their season goes awry.

Despite his proximity to free agency, Kim would stand to be one of the top targets on the trade market on multiple levels. He's a Gold Glove-winning defender and trending upward offensively after posting a .749 OPS, 17 homers and 38 steals in 2023.

Kim doesn't have Adames' power, but he has a more reliable all-around profile and is making $700,000 less this year. He also need not be a shortstop, as he can more than hold his own at second base and third base.

Potential Fits: San Francisco Giants, Arizona Diamondbacks, Atlanta, St. Louis Cardinals

Age: 29

2024 Projections: 156 G, 672 PA, 38 HR, 4 SB, .245 AVG, .337 OBP, .491 SLG, 3.0 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2024

An extension for Pete Alonso can't be ruled out, but you can take it from Mets owner Steve Cohen that it's not something to count on.

"We haven't had any discussion and I think at this point, for Pete, it's best for him to go and have a great year and not be distracted," Cohen said in March.

If so, a playoff run may be the only thing that could keep Alonso in Queens past July 30. The Mets are hopeful in this regard, but they're seen as only having a 22.3 percent chance of making it back to October after falling short last season.

As for Alonso himself, there's an argument that his $20.5 million salary for 2024 isn't that great of a bargain. He's not the most consistent hitter, nor is he an especially good defender. As such, he tied for 73rd among position players in rWAR last year.

But we all like dingers and rib eyes, right?

Those are Alonso's specialties, as he leads all hitters with 193 home runs and 499 runs batted in since 2019. He's a textbook definition of a middle-of-the-order hitter, and there's never been a team that couldn't have been improved by adding one of those.

Potential Fits: Chicago Cubs, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles

Age: 26

2024 Projections: 138 G, 595 PA, 7 HR, 3 SB, .316 AVG, .369 OBP, .418 SLG, 2.0 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2025

Wait, who's reporting that Luis Arraez is a candidate to get traded this summer?

Only one person, so far as I can tell, but that one person is one of the most prominent baseball insiders in the business. It's Jon Heyman, who in January quoted an executive who posited that the Marlins have "zero chance" to sign Arraez long-term.

Even if that's true, it doesn't necessarily mean that a summer trade is a foregone conclusion. Arraez is under the Marlins' control through 2025 and, though there are challenges facing the club right now, what's happening in Miami isn't exactly a rebuild.

The Marlins are nonetheless an October long shot with only a 13.9 percent chance of making it there, so it's at least possible to imagine other teams calling them about Arraez.

Reliable .300 hitters have never grown on trees, least of all in this day and age. And Arraez has never not been a .300 hitter. Not just figuratively, but literally. Across 2,211 plate appearances in the major leagues, his career average has only gone as low as .307.

That doesn't totally make up for the fact that Arraez has little to offer in the power, speed and defense departments, but it goes a long way toward making up for it.

Potential Fits: Seattle Mariners, St. Louis Cardinals, Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays

Age: 26

2024 Projections: 31 GS, 173.0 IP, 154 H (23 HR), 196 K, 60 BB, 3.88 ERA, 3.1 WAR

Contract Status: Under club control through 2026

With Corbin Burnes and Dylan Cease having already been traded, it could be slim pickings for teams in need of top-of-the-rotation help this summer. And especially so if Shane Bieber is needed in Cleveland after all.

The Marlins, though, figure to be a target-rich environment.

They got calls on Edward Cabrera and Trevor Rogers during the winter, and were even reportedly open to dealing the guy who now sits atop their starting rotation: Jesús Luzardo.

Injuries in Oakland have caused the lefty to take a twisty-turny route to stardom, but that's indeed the route he's on.

He struck out more batters in 2023 than the likes of Burnes, Kodai Senga and Aaron Nola, notably finishing strong with a 3.12 ERA over his last 18 outings.

Luzardo's stuff grades well relative to other left-handers, and he's at a point in his career where there's little reason to think that will change any time soon. And with free agency not due to call his name until after 2026, any team that trades for him would have a new ace for the foreseeable future.

Potential Fits: New York Yankees, Baltimore Orioles, Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds

Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.