Early Trade Deadline Relief Candidates: Aroldis Chapman, Luke Weaver, & More

With the MLB trade deadline around the corner, there are several relief pitchers who are gaining speculation as potential trade candidates with their teams out of wild card contention as the All-Star break approaches.

Enyel De Los Santos - Astros

The Houston Astros, sitting five games out of a Wild Card spot, could potentially part ways with right-handed pitcher Enyel De Los Santos as they look to add pitchers who can be durable and add depth to their bullpen. De Los Santos was signed by the Astros as a free agent in August 2025 after the Braves designated him for assignment, and he elected free agency. He is currently on a small, one-year, $1.6 million contract.

So far this season, the 30-year-old from the Dominican Republic has appeared in 31 big league games, throwing 32 innings. He has an FIP of 2.73, with a 23.7 strikeout percentage, a 6.1 percent walk percentage, and a wOBA of .321 on the season.

Kenley Jansen - Tigers

The Tigers follow behind the Astros at six games out of the wild card and are another team that could part ways with one of their relievers, in closer Kenley Jansen. The 38-year-old is on a one-year, $11 million contract with a club option for 2027. The Tigers acquired him as a free agent in December after he elected free agency from the Angels.

This season, the right-hander, Jansen, has 5.22 FIP through 18 innings, with a 30.1 strikeout percentage and a 13.1 walk percentage. His wOBA is .249. 

Aroldis Chapman & Garrett Whitlock - Red Sox

The Red Sox are a team that is highly expected to make some moves at the trade deadline. They are 31-43 to date and have suffered numerous injuries, including to their pitching staff. As the August deadline approaches, it is the hard-throwing left-handed pitcher Aroldis Chapman who the Red Sox could be willing to sell, along with the right-hander, Garrett Whitlock. With the trade value of both players as high as it is, along with the Red Sox needing to free up salary and build out their farm system, these players become valuable trade options for the Red Sox.

Chapman, acquired as a free agent from the Pittsburgh Pirates in December of 2024, is on a one-year, $13 million contract with an AAV extension of $13.30 million and a 2027 vesting option that vests with 40 innings pitched and a passed physical.

So far this season, Chapman has thrown 21 2/3 innings. He sits with an FIP of 1.81, a strikeout percentage of 33.7, and a walk percentage of 10.5 percent. He also has a wOBA of .255. 

Whitlock, signed by the Yankees in 2017, has been with the Red Sox since he was claimed off waivers from the Yankees in 2020. After being with the team from 2020 to 2023, he signed a four-year, $18.75 million extension through 2026. He has an AAV extension of $4.69 million and club options for 2027-2028.

Whitlock has thrown 22 2/3 innings this year, being limited by time on the injured list with left knee inflammation.
So far this season, he has a 30.8 strikeout percentage and a miniscule 6.6 percent walk percentage. He has an FIP of 2.57 and a wOBA of .287. He’s one of the strong relievers in the league, but has had an elevated 2.78 ERA so far. But when he’s healthy, he’s a strong reliever and a pitcher who can make a difference on many rosters.

Lucas Erceg & John Schreiber - Royals

After a very rough 32-45 start, the Kansas City Royals find themselves in second-to-last in the American League standings ahead of the All-Star break. Two relievers they could look to sell are right-handed pitcher Lucas Erceg and right-handed pitcher John Schreiber.

Erceg has seen his season decline a bit as he was previously used as a closer, but as of recently, however, the Royals have moved him into a lesser role with a decline in his number of strikeouts and his command issues, which have led him to many blown leads and saves this year.

The data shows the same as Erceg has an FIP of 4.57 this season, with an 18.1 strikeout percentage and a 15.0 walk percentage, putting his strikeout percentage not that far ahead of his walk percentage. He has a wOBA of .380, which is in the bottom six percent of all of baseball.

Erceg is on a one-year contract with the Royals, worth $803.500. He also has a pre-arbitration AAV of $804,000.
The righty, Schreiber, however, has had a stronger season than Erceg, but as a pending free agent, he becomes a player who could add value to sell as well, and a small $3.715 million, one-year contract is attached to him.

So far this season, Schreiber is sitting with a 4.96 FIP, with an 18.0 strikeout percentage, and a 9.0 walk percentage. He has a wOBA of .300.

Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, & Luke Raley - Mets

Shifting to the National League, the Mets have not had the season they had hoped for at all; with a 32-42 record, they sit seven spots out of a wild card in the National League standings. Looking to make some moves and turn their season around, it is likely that we see relievers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Luke Raley depart the orange and blue before or at the deadline.

Williams has struggled transitioning from Milwaukee to New York in the last couple of years. After going from the Brewers to the Yankees in 2025, he struggled with arm-angle and command. There was hope that reuniting with former teammate Freddy Peralta would give the closer a spark, but Williams continued to struggle early in 2026, still with command issues. But a tweak to his mechanics has helped him begin to show signs of the dominant reliever he was; however, if a team is willing to pick up the last two years of his contract, he could still be headed elsewhere. He is currently on a three-year, $51 million contract with an AAV of $15 million. Deferrals lower his AAV.

Williams this season has an FIP of 2.90, with a strikeout percentage of 34.9, and a walk percentage of 13.8. His wOBA is .278.

Weaver, the right-handed pitcher from Deland, FL. Is also another former Yankee. The Mets signed him as a free agent in 2025 to a two-year, $22 million contract through 2027. He has an AAV of $11.00 million. Weaver has been adjusting to the Queens very well, having a dominant 2026 season. But as a player with peak trade value as a high-leverage reliever, the Mets could sell him to bolster their farm system in the future. 

Weaver has a strong 26.4 strikeout percentage, a 6.4 walk percentage, and a 2.70 FIP. He also has a .222 wOBA, which is in the top two percent of pitchers in the league, and a 2.93 xERA, which is in the top 10 percent of pitchers.

Finally, the left-handed pitcher, Brooks Raley, has been with the Mets since 2022. As another very dominant reliever, the Mets could potentially part ways with Raley because of his pending free agency at the end of the season. Raley is in the final year of his two-year, $6.25 million contract.

This year, the lefty has an FIP of 3.33, with a strikeout percentage of 26.5 and a walk percentage of 10.3. He holds a wOBA of .268.

These are just some of the many relievers who could be on the trade block, and more names could be tossed around ahead of August 3rd.