DiamondCentric's 2026-2027 Top 35 Trade Candidates, Ranked

[Brock Beauchamp]

Free agency is only half of the offseason story. Some of the biggest moves every winter happen on the trade market, and this year DiamondCentric is tracking that side of the hot stove too.

Our new trade candidates list ranks the top 35 players who could be on the move this offseason. It runs from franchise cornerstones like Elly De La Cruz and Paul Skenes to established veterans like Jacob deGrom and Rafael Devers. Every player has a full profile: position, handedness, current team, age, free-agent year, and 2027 salary. Each one also gets a stat line and a scouting-style write-up - written by Matt Trueblood - covering his contract, his team control, and what makes him an appealing trade target.

Contract details matter, so we've put them up front. You can see how much a player is owed and how many years of control come with him, which tells you whether he's a short-term rental or a long-term piece worth paying a big prospect package for. Whether your team is aiming at a superstar or looking for an affordable arm to round out the rotation, there's a fit on this list.

You can filter the list to see exactly the players you care about. Show only hitters or only pitchers, narrow it by handedness (RHP, LHP, RHB, LHB, or switch hitters), or drill down by position to see every trade target at the spot your team needs to fill. As deals get done, you can also hide players who have already been moved.

 

1

Elly De La Cruz

SS - SHB Age: 25 Free Agent: Nov 2029 2027 Salary: Proj. $7.9m

Franchises never fully recover from trading players as good as De La Cruz. Then again, franchises never fully recover from wasting the primes of such players, either. As one of the game’s most talented players enters arbitration for the first time, he’ll immediately get pretty expensive, by Cincinnati standards. They’ve been unable to build a winner around him even while he’s made virtually the league minimum, and they’ve only looked about three-quarters interested in doing so, anyway. This would require the biggest trade package we’ve seen in something like 20 years, but it’s not entirely beyond the realm of possibility, and there’s no player anywhere near being available who can rival De La Cruz’s impact potential.

PA: 636 HR: 30 SB: 30 BB: 72 SO: 175 BA: .283 OBP: .365 SLG: .515 OPS: .880

The timing makes this offseason especially unpredictable. The collective bargaining agreement expires on December 1, and a lockout could freeze trades involving 40-man roster players. Teams have a lot to get done before then, including the November 20 non-tender deadline, so the trade market is more unpredictable now than most "normal" Novembers. We'll update the list as deals happen.

Click the button below to check out the top trade candidates, and be sure to bookmark the page so you can follow along as the trade market heats up this offseason!

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