Five MLB All-Stars Most Likely to Be Traded This Season

These players are set to represent their respective teams in next week’s All-Star Game. But they may be wearing a different uniform after the trade deadline.

Red Sox All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman figures to be among the best relievers available at the trade deadline. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The American League and National League rosters for the 96th All-Star Game are out, with the Midsummer Classic set to take place at 8 p.m. ET on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pa. Among the talented players are 26 first-time All-Stars, multiple future Hall of Famers and even some potential trade deadline candidates.

Among the latter group, there are several All-Stars who are more likely than others to get dealt ahead of the Aug. 3 trade deadline.

Here are five All-Stars who are most likely to be wearing different uniforms in a month’s time.

Joe Ryan, SP, Twins

Twins ace Joe Ryan blanked the Yankees over seven innings in his latest start. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Ryan has been a trade candidate for a couple of years now, which speaks to both how good of a pitcher he’s been and the relative mediocrity the Twins have suffered through. Mediocre Minnesota is again, as the Twins sit at just 44–47, though the club is four games back of the division lead and just a game-and-a-half back of a wild card spot in a weak AL. Should they ultimately falter, Ryan, an All-Star for the second straight year, is their best trade chip. His latest start against the Yankees on Sunday—seven shutout innings, three hits allowed, nine strikeouts and 17 whiffs—is just the latest example of why.

Best fits: Cubs, Braves, Phillies

Michael Wacha, SP, Royals

Royals pitcher Michael Wacha was named an All-Star for the first time since 2015. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Another starting pitcher from the AL Central, Wacha was named an All-Star for the first time since 2015 and is one of just two Royals representatives. Even in a remarkably weak AL, the Royals, at 36–54, likely aren’t going to be within striking distance of a playoff spot come the deadline, barring a Marlins-like surge. It would behoove Kansas City’s brass, then, to explore a trade of a player like Wacha, who just turned 35 and isn’t a free agent until the end of the 2028 season. Starters who can pitch deep into games and give you quality frames like Wacha, the AL’s innings pitched leader, are proven commodities, particularly in pennant races.

Best fits: Cardinals, Athletics, Blue Jays

Aroldis Chapman, RP, Red Sox

Aroldis Chapman (right) has racked up 17 saves for the Red Sox this season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Red Sox’ flamethrowing lefthander is 38 years old, but he sure isn’t pitching like it. Chapman ranks in the 91st percentile in average fastball velocity, owns a 2.10 ERA, 30% strikeout rate and the seventh-most saves in baseball. The Cuba native is an All-Star for the second straight year in Boston, though this year’s Red Sox team, with just a 17.7% chance to make the postseason, doesn’t seem ticketed for October baseball. This year’s relief pitching market doesn’t look especially strong, so Chapman could fetch the Red Sox a nice return should they choose to move him. Just don’t expect it to be to the Yankees.

Best fits: Brewers, Mariners, Rays

Luis Arráez, 2B, Giants

Giants second baseman Luis Arráez has struck out in just 4.1% of his plate appearances this season, the lowest rate in MLB. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Go figure. Arráez was a late signee this winter, as he inked a one-year, $12 million deal with the Giants in February. Not only has Arráez been the Giants’ most consistent hitter, he’s played the best defense of his life at second base (11 outs above average) and was named one of two Giants All-Stars. San Francisco is playing more like the Rockies than a playoff team, and all signals indicate the team’s veterans are on the trade block. However, the Giants almost certainly won’t be able to offload some of their heftier contracts on the books, so a rental bat like Arráez, a slick fielder who gets on base roughly 36% of the time and boasts the lowest strikeout rate in the majors (4.1%) is a far more palatable trade candidate for rival clubs.

Best fits: Rangers, Padres, Twins

Eduardo Rodriguez, SP, Diamondbacks

Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez has been one of the best lefthanded starters in the game this year. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Relying on his fastball less and his changeup more than ever, Rodriguez, a first-time All-Star, has quietly been one of the best starters in a pitcher-loaded NL, as he has racked up the fifth-most bWAR among pitchers in MLB. The decreased use of his fastball has actually made the heater more effective, and Rodriguez one of the toughest pitchers to hit, as he’s held opponents to a .219 batting average while pitching to a 2.25 ERA, the third-lowest in the NL. The Diamondbacks, 44–45, are in second place in the NL West but a distant 14 1/2 games back of the first-place Dodgers and four games back of a wild card spot. They seem destined to straddle the line between buying and selling once again this year, but if they choose to sell, Rodriguez has a case as the best left-handed starting pitcher not named Tarik Skubal available at the deadline.

Best fits: Astros, White Sox, Cubs

Others to keep an eye on

Byron Buxton, OF, Twins; Hunter Goodman, C, Rockies; Mason Miller, RP, Padres

These fellow All-Stars are unlikely to be traded, but given their standings on middling or below-.500 teams, cannot be completely ruled out as potential trade candidates.

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