Philly Front Office

The MLB Winter Meetings begin this weekend in Orlando and with all the sports’ big wigs together in the same spot, it’s the best time of the year for deals to get done. We have already seen the Mets and Rangers swap Brandon Nimmo for Marcus Simien and the Orioles and Angels trade Taylor Ward for Grayson Rodriguez. There are still plenty of moves to be made.

Anyone on any team can be traded, but we know certain things. Some teams are more likely to trade than others. Some teams are cheap, some teams have budgets (real and fabricated), and some teams have surpluses. Let’s go through some groups of names on the block.

St. Louis Cardinals

The Cardinals have indicated that they are open for business and have already traded Sonny Gray to the Red Sox. They are not looking to contend this year.

• Nolan Arenado – IF – The future Hall of Famer is a poor man’s Edmundo Sosa¹ right now and he makes $16m cash plus $6m deferred then $15m next year. He becomes a possible option for teams if the Cards pay down probably 75% of his salary.
• Willson Contreras – 1B/DH – The soon to be 34-year-old is no longer a catcher and was solid but not great at the plate last year. He makes $18m this year and $18.5m next year. St. Louis would need to pay down some salary to get a decent return for him.
• Lars Nootbar – LF – In his final year of arbitration, Nootbar should earn around $5m. Since he isn’t on their timeline, he isn’t getting a new contract. He’s a lefty who used to be known for his plate discipline, but his walks were down and strikeouts up last year.
• Brendan Donovan – ANY – Donovan has real value considering his versatility and consistent solid hitting. He’s good for lots of doubles and low strikeouts. Plus, he is only making around $5m in his last year of control.
• JoJo Romero – RP – The former Phillie turned into one of the better relievers in baseball last year and should fetch a nice return considering he’s a lefty that should only make around $5m and gave up just 2 HRs in 65 appearances last year.
• Jordan Walker – OF – Walker went from one of the top prospects in the minors to one of the worst players in the majors. This would be selling incredibly low, but he is an ideal candidate for a post hype prospect/change of scenery swap. If this was a few years ago he would be traded for Jarred Kelenic (or Justin Smoak if you really want to go back).

Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox are a business that is interested in making a profit first and winning games second. They have indicated that they do not want to pay the luxury tax this season which is at $244m. This means they only have about $25m to spend unless they start trading.²

• Trevor Story – SS – Funny thing happened with Trevor Story last year, he played. His 157 games in 2025 damn near matched his previous 3 years in Beantown. He was also solid with good defense and a .741 OPS. His problem as always is he strikes out way too much and barely walks. Add that to his injury history and $25m salary this year and next and you have a tough sell. The thing is that the Red Sox have youth all over the place and could replace him in an instant. If they paid down half the contract, they could make a trade happen to cut costs.
• Masataka Yoshida – OF – Yoshida has been a disappointment since coming from Japan and barely played last season. He hits his share of doubles and doesn’t strikeout much but he doesn’t walk either. He has $18.6m due this year and next. He is probably more likely than anyone to be dealt unless he comes with some unknown relationship with any of the available Japanese players this season.
• Jarren Duran – OF – He strikes out too much, but otherwise Duran has been one of the top players in baseball the last 2 seasons and will be a bargain at $7.7m. Wait, so why would they trade him? The Red Sox have a surplus of outfielders, Duran is the oldest and under the least control, and he is the only guy the Red Sox would trade that has value. If they want to restock with even more young, cheap, players, trading Duran is how they do that. He still has 3 years of control and would fetch a haul. The price for any team starts at your best pitching prospect (considering how much infield and outfield depth Boston has) AND includes taking on the bad contract of Yoshida.
• Jordan Hicks – RP – Hicks was bad in SF and much worse in Boston. He also makes $12.5m this year AND next year. YIKES. He still throws gas though, even if it isn’t the 103 mph it used to be. This is another pay down guy for the cost-conscious Red Sox.

Cheapos

The rumor this offseason has been that the Pirates and Marlins are going to spend. This just means that they are on the verge of a grievance by the Player’s Union. While they might go and pull an Oakland A’s last year by signing one mid-level free agent to a deal that’s probably too big (Luis Severino), do not expect them to go big or not to try to move some of their larger contracts. Also, the A’s probably aren’t going to be the ones making trades this season. They just don’t have anyone who fits the bill at the moment with almost the whole team either pre-arb or recently signed to a team friendly extension (with 1 exception).

• Not-Oakland A’s
  • Shea Langeliers – C – Langeliers broke out big time last year with his usual solid glovework but also 32 doubles and 31 HRs. That will play. Considering there is virtually ZERO catching market out there, the A’s could hold him for a ransom, which they usually do. For a young and fun team, I hope they resist the temptation to cash in while he still has 3 years of control.
• Tampa Bay Rays
  • Yandy Diaz – 1B/DH – Diaz was a steal last year. At 34 he hit .300 with some great SO/BB numbers for his position which is rife with free swingers. Even better, he’s a righty who still hits for average against righties (even if most of his damage is done against lefties). He makes $12m this year with a vesting team option for next season. It would be very like Tampa to cash in on him. I would love him for the Phillies if Schwarber leaves.
  • Brandon Lowe – 2B – Lowe had another solid season at the plate last year, flirting with an .800 OPS as always. He is not a great fielder but would be a great stop gap somewhere at his reasonable $11.5m salary
• Miami Marlins
  • Edward Cabrera – SP – Cabrera had his best season with a 3.53 ERA in 26 starts. Considering he has 3 years of control left, he will be traded sometime in the next 1.5 years. That’s just how it works in Miami. He’s projected to make around $4m this season.
  • Sandy Alcantara – SP – Sandy was supposed to be traded last year, but he didn’t return to form post TJ surgery. If they are blown away now by someone banking on his return to form then they will move him. If not, expect him to go at the deadline. He makes $17m this season with a club option of $21m next season.
• Pittsburgh Pirates
  • Bryan Reynolds – OF – Since signing his 8/$107m deal, Reynolds has fallen off a cliff. If you reeaaaallly squint you see his 38 doubles and think he could be something, but he has lost his range in the outfield and strikes out relentlessly. Plus, he has 5/$75m left on his contract. They are probably stuck with him, but if they paid down about half his contract and didn’t want anything, someone could bite on the switch hitter.
  • Mitch Keller – SP – Keller is in year 3 of a 5/$77m contract that still has $56m left. Keller had a down year last year but that doesn’t mean it was bad. He will get you 175 solid innings which is great at that price. However, that’s not something the Pirates are fond of. A team like the Cubs who needs rotation depth should come calling. It should be noted that the Pirates have a lot of good pitching coming up through their farm system.
  • Dennis Santana – RP – Santana had great numbers last year and will be cheap this year at around $4.5m. Considering relief volatility, they would be very un-Pirates not to cash in.

Budget Problems

For one reason or another, these teams could be looking to shed payroll. Some found themselves in trouble when Qualifying Offers were unexpectedly picked up. Others had TV deals go belly up and need to get their finances in order. The Twins just sold everyone so they are here too.

• Texas Rangers
  • Corey Seager – SS – When the Rangers traded Simien for Nimmo, they only pushed their financial problems into the future. By trading Seager they completely reset the timeline by getting rid of his remaining 6/$189m which is a steal for his talents even if he can’t stay healthy. He would also bring in multiple top prospects in a trade.
  • Jacob deGrom AND Nathan Eovaldi – SP – Of course if you are trading away Seager, then you are getting rid of the pitchers too. Both were their usual solid selves last year and have 2 years of control left, albeit at hefty price tags. IF the Rangers were serious about a full reset, they would pay down these salaries a bit in order to really cash in prospect-wise.
• Milwaukee Brewers
  • Christian Yelich – DH – Yelich isn’t an MVP anymore, but he’s still good. His salary is $24m each of the next 3 years. For the Brewers, that’s a salary to move even if he is their longest tenured player. That’s all too much and not good enough for a DH. With Woodruff taking his QO, having 2 $20m guys is not very Milwaukee.
  • Freddy Peralta – SP – Peralta is damn good but in his last year making $8m. They will clean up trading him, which is what they do in this situation because they will not be resigning him. A deal for Peralta and Yelich makes a lot of sense.
• Chicago Cubs
  • Seiya Suzuki – OF/DH – Even though Kyle Tucker won’t be coming back, the Cubs could look to move Suzuki because he is in the last year of his deal and they did not expect Shota Imanaga to take his qualifying offer. If they are serious about adding pitching, they might have to move Suzuki and his $19m to do it.
  • Ian Happ – OF – This is similar to Suzuki in that he also has 1 year left on his deal. The difference is that Happ is still very good in the field and that might not be something they want to give up. They also have rookies Owen Cassie and Kevin Alcantara ready to go in the outfield.
• Minnesota Twins
  • Pablo Lopez – SP – Since being traded by the Marlins for Luis Arraez, Lopez just keeps firing solid ball and would be a great #3 on a contender. Last year he missed his first time to injury in years, but was still solid when he pitched. He has 2/$42m left on his deal. Considering the Twins traded damn near their whole roster last year, you can’t count out more purge.
  • Byron Buxton – OF – The idea of Buxton is always better than the reality. He is incredibly fast and incredibly strong but is almost always hurt. Last year was only the 3rd time in 11 years he topped 100 games and he still missed 36. To me, there is no trade that makes sense for him because no one would want to bet the high price coveted by the Twins on the possibility that he barely plays. His contract is still a steal though at 3/$45m. He does have a full no-trade clause and has preemptively blocked deals in the past.
  • Ryan Jeffers – C – A $6m catcher in the last year of his deal with the Twins? Throw in his solid bat and he should have his bags by the door.

Traders

These 3 teams are always dealing. Their GMs are programmed like the most annoying guy in your fantasy football league.

• San Diego Padres
  • Fernando Tatis – RF – I do not think they would realistically trade Tatis, but he would restock a finally depleted farm system and relieve their payroll of 1/3 of its long term glut. Bogaerts isn’t going anywhere and no one is trading for Machado’s deal, so it’s Tatis or run it back with less pitching. They are looking to sell the team too, so who knows.
  • Nick Pivetta – SP – Pivetta was a shocker last year with his best season. Why would they trade him if they are trying to compete? Because he can opt out next season, is 33, and they probably aren’t looking to add more long-term money. This is when AJ Preller usually strikes.
  • Ramon Laureano – OF – He was basically single handedly keeping the team afloat after the trade deadline but is also in the last year of his contract at $6.5m. They need him, but can probably get more for him now than what they spent at the deadline in a different market, especially if someone wants to consider him in CF.
• Seattle Mariners
  • JP Crawford – SS – I keep seeing his 1/$12m salary and prospect Colt Emerson ready to go and see smoke even if there’s no fire yet. Maybe they look to give the 31-year-old an extension? Or maybe they flip him for bigger needs.
  • Randy Arozarena – OF – Randy is the kind of player that just makes your team better. He also is going to get around $16m in his final year of arbitration. The Mariners could both net a good prospect back for him and shed payroll. Who would play left? I don’t know.
  • Logan Gilbert – SP – The rumor is always that the Mariners will deal from their depth at starting pitcher, but it never happens. Gilbert has the least control left, so you would expect him and his likely $11m salary to be the one to go if they finally move him. He wasn’t his near Cy Young level from the previous year, but he is a known commodity that would get a huge return.
• Atlanta Braves
  • Ozzie Albies – 2B – Albies has had the worst/best contract in baseball for years. He is down to his final two option years at $7m each. While he’s still a bargain, he has also been slumping for 2 years now. He played at an MVP level as recently as 2023, but he’s been below average the last 2 seasons and Alex Anthopoulos is always looking to upgrade. They did just trade for Mauricio Dubon too.
  • Sean Murphy – C – Murphy is signed for 3/$45m plus a 4th year option at $15m. However, the Braves have Drake Baldwin ready to take over their long term catcher role. In a weak catcher free agent market, the Braves could cash in and shed payroll.

Others

I covered a lot, but there are still some stragglers to look out for:

• MacKenzie Gore – SP – Nationals – He has 2 more years of control on the cheap and could get a pretty big haul for Washington. Because he is repped by Scott Boras, he could be on the move even if it makes sense to keep him.
• Alec Bohm – 3B – Phillies – He is in the last year of control and will make north of $10m. Some see his high average and low strikeout rate as a positive asset while I see his lack of power and petulance as a negative. If I’m the Phillies I am trading him for whatever I can get. Bryson Stott and Brandon Marsh could be on the move too, but they would only move in a corresponding move rather than proactively like a possible Bohm trade.
• Steven Kwan – OF – Guardians – He keeps getting mentioned in trade talks, because he doesn’t make much and has 2 years left on his deal. It is Cleveland’s MO to trade guys about now. Once Kyle Tucker lands somewhere expect his name to get very hot in the rumor mill. They have top prospect Chase DeLauter ready to take his spot too.
• Ketel Marte – 2B – Diamondbacks – Why would the Diamondbacks trade maybe their best player? Because his contract is cheap but long and he is 32. This would be the perfect time to cash in before he starts the eventual downhill fade of all 30 year olds. Prospect Tommy Troy might also be a contender for the spot with a hot spring.
• Tarik Skubal – THE SP – Tigers – If they can’t sign him, they must trade him. I think they will get a deal done though. Even for 1 year, Skubal is a league shaker if he gets moved considering he is probably 1 of 1 best pitcher in baseball.

All salary numbers courtesy of Spotrac

1. Still plays great D, but can only hit lefties albeit with little power ↩︎
2. The Red Sox claim they lose money which is hilarious ↩︎