Skip to content

Ranking the 10 most valuable assets left on the trade block

Charles LeClaire / USA TODAY Sports

With only one week left until Major League Baseball's non-waiver trade deadline, the trade market remains at a simmer, with the Cubs' deal for Jose Quintana and the Yankees' acquisition of Todd Frazier, David Robertson, and Tommy Kahnle constituting the only major swaps thus far. Shouts to the White Sox.

A lot can happen in a week, though, and there are still lots of transformative players popping up in rumors as the deadline nears. Big names get tossed around at this time every year, of course, but considering how the playoff picture is shaping up, we've identified 10 major stars who actually have a chance of getting dealt before 4:00 p.m. ET next Monday. These aren't your Pat Nesheks or Jaime Garcias, folks.

10. Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Marlins

With their future in flux amid Jeffrey Loria's continued efforts to sell his debt-ridden franchise, the Marlins are reportedly unlikely to move Stanton by next Monday, but it's not hard to see how a trade would be best for everybody. Loria is said to be keen to unload future liabilities - i.e. Stanton's mammoth contract - to help expedite the sale of the club, after all, while Stanton's frustration with the Marlins is no secret, and would likely compel him to waive the no-trade clause included in the 13-year, $325-million extension he received in 2014.

As such, Stanton's name continues to pop up in rumors, and for good reason. An All-Star four times before his 28th birthday, Stanton boasts a career .900 OPS (142 OPS+) with 238 homers in eight seasons, and has compiled more WAR (29.5) since his 2010 debut than all but 15 players. He's the kind of player teams would give up assets to acquire despite the roughly $285 million left on his contract.

9. Justin Verlander, RHP, Tigers

To get something back for their longtime ace, the Tigers - in dire need of a rebuild - would have to eat some of the roughly $70 million left on Verlander's contract, which extends through 2019, but there is prospect capital to be gained if Detroit can swallow the financial hit (and if Verlander is willing to waive his no-trade rights).

Verlander, after all, finished second in American League Cy Young voting last year, putting up a 3.04 ERA over 227 2/3 innings, and though his 2017 season has been disappointing thus far, his velocity is up more than one full tick from 2016 and his home-run rate has actually gone down. He isn't the top-of-the-rotation monster he once was, but Verlander - a six-time All-Star and former MVP - can still provide value as a mid-rotation workhorse who happens to have lots of postseason experience.

8. Yonder Alonso, 1B, Athletics

When the Oakland Athletics say they're willing to listen to offers for a player on an expiring contract, there's no better time for said player to start packing their bags - so goes the story of 2017 All-Star Yonder Alonso. More than half way through a one-year deal worth $4 million, the 30-year-old first baseman has already hit a career-high 21 home runs.

Over his last three full combined seasons Alonso hit just 19 dingers. The slugger is also setting career highs in on-base percentage (.367) and - unsurprisingly - slugging percentage (.540). Contenders looking for a rental left-handed bat should form a line in orderly fashion.

7. Josh Harrison, IF/OF, Pirates

Josh Harrison is arguably the most underrated star in baseball and might be the best - or at least most entertaining - base runner of a generation. Add in the fact that he's under control for the next three seasons for just over $32 million including a pair of team options and you've got maybe the trade deadline's most premium asset.

The problem, though, is that the Pittsburgh Pirates have quickly turned their season around and the 30-year-old utility man is almost definitely worth more in the lineup than as a trade asset. Thanks to a 7-3 record since the All-Star break, the team sits just one game under .500 and three games back of the division lead.

6. Yu Darvish, RHP, Rangers

Technically, the Rangers are in it, because every team in the AL is technically in it, but if they do decide to abandon their quest for a wild-card spot, they'd get a Texas-sized haul for Darvish, who's a free agent this winter but also happens to be the best pitcher available on the trade market.

Darvish - an All-Star four times in five (healthy) seasons - hasn't missed a beat since having his UCL replaced in 2014, posting a 3.43 ERA (132 ERA+) with a 3.72 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 38 starts since rejoining the Rangers last May. This year, despite a drop-off in strikeout rate (26.4 percent), Darvish still ranks ninth in the AL in WAR (2.5), and has managed a quality start in all but six of his 21 outings.

5. Andrew McCutchen, OF, Pirates

However remote the chances are that Harrison gets dealt, the likelihood of an Andrew McCutchen deal getting done is just ever so slightly higher. The 30-year-old has retaken his spot in center field and has salvaged trade value that seemed to scare teams away over the offseason by slashing .378/.479/.635 from June until now.

Of course, as discussed with Harrison, the Pirates appear within striking distance of a postseason spot this year. Finding a way to pry McCutchen from the Pirates for would-be buyers may be too difficult now, despite the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers both being ahead in the division race.

4. Sonny Gray, RHP, Athletics

It feels like Gray's name gets bandied about in trade rumors every July, but with Oakland now "absolutely" committed to rebuilding, according to Billy Beane, and the undersized right-hander once again healthy and effective, a deal seems more likely than ever - and the Athletics will likely get a bundle for him.

After an injury-fueled down year in 2016, Gray has rebounded with aplomb this season, putting up a 3.66 ERA (113 ERA+) and 1.18 WHIP with his best strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.04) since his 2013 rookie campaign. The 27-year-old finished third in AL Cy Young voting just two seasons ago, too, and remains one of the game's top ground-ball pitchers, inducing grounders more frequently (54.3 percent) over the past five seasons than every starter except Dallas Keuchel. Gray, an All-Star in 2014, isn't hitting the market anytime soon, either, as he remains under team control - and cost-controlled - through the 2019 campaign.

3. Josh Donaldson, 3B, Blue Jays

The Bringer of Rain could soon become the Bringer of Assets for an underwhelming Blue Jays club that has fallen flat in 2017 after making two straight trips to the AL Championship Series with more or less the same roster.

An early-season calf injury and a recent slump have hurt his numbers this year, but Donaldson has been the best player not named Mike Trout over the past half-decade, averaging nearly 6.5 WAR per season with a 144 wRC+ since 2013, and the 31-year-old remains under team control for another season, too. Of course, the Blue Jays could always hang on to Donaldson and try to re-tool their roster for his final year under contract, but if they do decide to hit the reset button, they have a trade chip that can transform a good farm system into an elite one.

2. Marcell Ozuna, OF, Marlins

For all the reasons Stanton is having his name bandied about the rumor mill, the case for Marcell Ozuna is made, but boasts one key difference: the absence of a prohibitively-large contract.

The 26-year-old Ozuna has two more seasons of arbitration remaining after this year and the two-time All-Star is having a Stanton-like season at the dish. Less than two-thirds into the season and Ozuna has already tied his career high in home runs with 23. His .550 slugging percentage is eclipsed by just 30 points by his teammate in right field, and his .369 on-base percentage is the best mark on his team.

1. Christian Yelich, OF, Marlins

And what trumps the arbitration eligibility that Ozuna boasts? A sweetheart deal like the one Christian Yelich signed prior to the 2015 season.

The 25-year-old Yelich is on a deal that would cost a maximum of $58.25 million over the next five seasons. That's five of what will very likely be Yelich's prime-age seasons, expiring immediately prior to his age-31 year. The 2016 silver slugger is having a bit of a down year this season, but the sure-handed outfielder is more than capable of managing center-field duties. Yelich, who has never posted an OBP below .350, would surely bring back a premium haul if the Marlins choose to indulge dealing him away.

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox