MLB players who could still be traded this winter

I want to preface this by pointing out that just the other day, Angels GM Perry Minasian emphatically told reporters that Shohei Ohtani will not be traded this winter. Respectfully though, in my opinion, that is downright negligence. Los Angeles has had five years to build a competitive team around their two-way superstar--and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout. When the season ended, Ohtani was uncharacteristically vocal about his frustration with losing. He's set to be a free agent at the end of 2023 and, at least to this point, has not expressed much interest in signing an extension with the Halos. Not to mention how prohibitive it would be trying to build a team with two enormous contracts on your books. Ohtani is the biggest unicorn this game has ever seen. He's an MVP-caliber offensive force and an ace starting pitcher all in one. The one seemingly fair trade comparison in recent memory is what the Nationals got from the Dodgers for BOTH Max Scherzer and Trea Turner at the 2021 deadline. If they're willing to trade him later this summer at the deadline, the Angels would be crazy not to make the move now while even more suitors would be in the sweepstakes. 

Miami enters this winter in a bit of a unique situation. They have what would seem to be an abundance of talented young pitching, but this team was shut out 14 times in 2022. To put it simply, the Marlins have to find some bats and using history as a reference point, they don't typically spend big in free agency. The idea of them trading from a strength to try to address a glaring weakness feels like an inevitability. This leads us to righty Pablo Lopez. The veteran has been a durable and dependable middle-of-the-rotation starter for this team for three years running and comes with two years of team-friendly control. Miami could justifiably ask for a lot for Lopez, and it would surprise me quite a bit if he weren't traded. 

For a three-year stretch from '19-'21 White Sox' righty Lucas Giolito was as steady as any starting pitcher in the American League. In 72 starts in those three years (including the abbreviated 2020 campaign), Giolito pitched to a combined 3.47 ERA with 526 strikeouts in 427.2 innings. He tossed five complete games--including three shutouts, and made the all-star team in 2019. So how do you explain what happened last season when he all of the sudden became one of the least effective pitchers in the game? In 30 starts, the veteran finished with a 4.90 ERA with an alarming 1.44 WHIP. His walk rate went up, his strikeout rate went down, and opponents crushed 24 homers against him in 161.2 frames. All in all his performance was indicative of the White Sox as a whole, as they were one of the most disappointing teams in the league. So what happens now? Giolito is a free agent following the 2023 season and after a sustained sample size of success teams will undoubtedly call Chicago to attempt to buy low after his rough 2022. The White Sox have three choices here--try to extend him based on his '19-'21 performance and gamble on last season being an aberration, trade him now for potentially a lackluster return, or hold him and hope he rebounds so they can trade him for more in July. 

The Rockies were hoping adding Kris Bryant to their line-up last winter would help offset the Nolan Arenado debacle and help them outscore what their lackluster pitching staff surrendered. Needless to say, that didn't happen as Bryant's first season in Denver was a disaster, but another right-handed power hitter did his best to pace this offense. First baseman C. J. Cron has now mashed 57 homers and driven in 194 runs for the Rockies over the last two seasons, and he's entering his walk year earning just over $7 million. Colorado should try to extend him, but if they decide they don't want to hand him a lucrative long-term deal, rival teams would line up trying to add his power. 

Pirates' outfielder Bryan Reynolds has had trade rumors swirling around him for years now and maybe this offseason is the one the Bucs finally pull the trigger. The switch-hitting center fielder owns a lifetime slash line of .281/.361/.481 and has crushed 51 homers since the start of 2021. He's been an all-star and the best player on Pittsburgh's roster for quite some time. With three years of team control remaining, the Pirates don't have to trade Reynolds, but they have every right to ask for a fortune for him at the moment, and the longer they wait the price could go down. 

Veteran catcher Salvador Perez has spent all 11 of his big league seasons in a Kansas City Royals uniform and is the last remaining core player from their 2015 championship. And even at 32 years old, he remains one of the most productive players in the game at his position. A year ago, Perez hit .254 with 23 homers, 76 RBI, and 23 doubles. He still has three years and $62 million remaining on his contract, so why would the Royals trade him? Well, for starters, the emergence of young MJ Melendez, who just crushed 18 homers and gunned down better than 25% of potential base stealers as a rookie. The Royals were able to make it work with both catchers in the starting line-up most days in '22, thanks to the DH but having your other catcher at DH presents logistical issues in the event of an injury. And for a Royals team in need of an influx of young talent, dealing Perez represents perhaps their best chance to bring back multiple impact minor league prospects. 

This might be the biggest longshot to be traded of any player on this list, but it can't be totally discounted. Alexis Diaz--the younger brother of all-star Mets closer Edwin Diaz--debuted for Cincinnati last April and was nothing short of electric for the entirety of the season. In 59 outings, he worked to a 1.84 ERA with a 0.96 WHIP. Opponents managed to hit just .131 against him and he punched out 83 batters in 63.2 innings. On the surface trading, Diaz would seem crazy but he's also a luxury a Reds team doesn't need right now. This is a club in a full rebuild, and in Diaz, they possess a dominant late-inning reliever--one of the most valuable assets in baseball. And as an added bonus, he has six years of team control. The Reds could use a potential Diaz trade to reboot their minor league talent pool and we already know from an earlier report that his brother's team has checked in about it. How cool would a Diaz-Diaz 8th and 9th inning combo be in Queens?

Arizona's Christian Walker is not a perfect player by any means, but in today's game, he does something that is always in high demand. Hit the ball out of the ballpark. Last season the Diamondbacks' first baseman slashed .242/.327/.477 but mashed 36 homers and drove in 94 runs. He's entering his second season of arbitration right now--meaning he's under team control through '24. Arizona certainly does not have to move him right now, but they do have Seth Beer who could potentially take over at first base. If a team wanted to blow them away with an offer to add Walker's power as their first baseman or DH, the Diamondbacks would be silly not to consider it. 

Prior to last season, the St. Louis Cardinals gave lefty Steven Matz four years and $44 million in free agency and the early returns on that deal are not promising. In 2022 Matz made only 10 ineffective starts before getting hurt in July, and then came back in September as a reliever. All told he finished with a 5.25 ERA in 48 innings and looked like a shell of the pitcher the Cardinals thought they were getting after his excellent '21 campaign in Toronto. It's not like St. Louis to pull the plug on a move so quickly, but Matz could be someone they look to trade in a bad contract for a bad contract swap. His old team in New York actually makes some sense in that regard, as the Cardinals could conceivably use catcher James McCann to help offset the loss of Yadier Molina. 

The Yankees acquired shortstop Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Rangers last winter with the expectation that he would be a short-term stopgap while they wait for their top prospect, Anthony Volpe, to be ready. So I certainly wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being one-and-done for the veteran in the Bronx. Kiner-Falefa actually had an okay season for the Yankees, hitting .261 with 24 extra-base hits and a career-high 22 stolen bases, but don't tell Bronx Bombers fans that. Late in the season IKF became quite the punching bag for restless New York fans, and he personally could prefer a change of scenery. The counterargument here is that Volpe has only played 22 games in Triple-A and Kiner-Falefa is entering the last season of his contract. He definitely won't be in the Bronx in 2024, but if the Yankees aren't comfortable with any other option playing short until Volpe arrives, they could choose to keep him for now and try to trade him midseason. 

Veteran slugger Luke Voit had to be more than a little disappointed when he was included in the blockbuster trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. Particularly since he wasn't in the original framework of the trade and was only added when Eric Hosmer wouldn't waive his no-trade clause. Voit finished the season with the Nationals, but with Washington in the midst of a complete rebuild, they may decide he's worth more to them in a trade than on their roster. Voit has blasted 20 or more homers in three of the last four years, and could add a serviceable bat to a lot of contending teams line-ups.

For seven years now, German Marquez has been a solid starter for the Rockies and has been the pillar of durability--missing only one career start due to injury. The 27-year-old prides himself in taking the ball every 5th day and while his lifetime 4.40 ERA isn't exactly elite, don't forget where he pitches his home games. Marquez is the type of starter that every team would love to add to their rotation, and perhaps they'll have a chance to this winter. Colorado holds a club option on the veteran for 2024, but the likelihood of any starting pitcher signing long-term in Denver is slim to none. The Rockies could decide now is the right time to capitalize on their longest-tenured hurler. 

Not all that long ago, Keston Hiura was not only the best prospect in the Brewers minor league system, but one of the most highly touted prospects in the game. The UC Irvine product burst on the scene midway through the 2019 season and excelled, slashing .303/.368/.570 with 19 homers and 49 RBI in 84 games. Milwaukee firmly believed they had a star on their hands, but for three straight seasons now, Hiura has struggled mightily. A true second baseman, Hiura has had to morph into a utility player in recent seasons to maintain a big-league roster spot. He's currently entering his first arbitration year, so he has three seasons left of club control, and while the Brewers would love to see him rediscover himself in their uniform, they'll assuredly listen if other teams want to trade for him and gamble on his rebound.

Coming up through the Nationals' system center fielder Victor Robles was the young outfielder most talked about in this organization--ahead of Juan Soto. After brief cups of coffee in both '17 and '18, as a rookie in 2019 Robles was tremendous, hitting .255 with 17 homers and 28 steals. Unfortunately, he has not come anywhere close to duplicating that success in the years that have followed. The 25-year-olds' offensive production has mostly evaporated of late, and in 2022 he finished with a career-worst .273 OBP. He's still an elite defender at a premium position, but the Nationals have seemingly run out of patience, and both parties would probably benefit from a fresh start.