Keep An Eye On These High-Profile Trade Candidates During The MLB Winter Meetings

The main course of baseball’s offseason meal will be served next week as the Winter Meetings take place in Orlando. MLB executives, team officials, free agents, and their representation will all take their seats at the table, ready to feast on some much-needed offseason content with juicy storylines. The meatiest bites of this meal will surely be the activity on the trade market, with multiple competitive teams carrying a big appetite. 

There are bound to be a few surprises on this year’s market, but there are also a handful of high-end players that already see their names on the menu. Here is a quick rundown of some of the more frequently mentioned names that could be prime candidates to be shipped to a new home. 

Joe Ryan/Pablo López
After a fire sale at the trade deadline that decimated their bullpen contingent and sent lineup cornerstone Carlos Correa back to the Houston Astros for salary relief, many are speculating that the Twins could be looking to continue selling off over the winter. If they decide to go that route, their two best starting pitchers would surely stir up plenty of interest around the league. 

López (2.74 ERA, 23.4% strikeout rate in 14 starts) battled a shoulder injury last year. Still, when healthy, he showcased a talented arm that can reasonably lead a competitive rotation, or be relied upon to start a playoff game if given the opportunity. He’s recovered from the injury now and will be owed just under $44 million over the next two seasons. 

Ryan (3.42 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate in 31 starts) made his first All-Star Game in 2025 after a stellar first half, pitching to a sterling 2.72 ERA. He stayed healthy through the end of the season (also a first for him), but his performance fell off in the final six starts of the season. Ryan is a strikeout machine who rarely walks anyone (career 4.86 K/BB), and he could fetch the Twins a haul in any trade thanks to his two remaining years of arbitration eligibility. 

It remains to be seen what direction the Twins will take heading into next year, but it's likely they could trade one of their front-of-the-rotation starters, if not both, given their rotation depth, which is filled with players making the minimum salary. 

Possible fits: Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, San Francisco Giants

Tarik Skubal
The two-time reigning Cy Young winner in the American League could be pricing himself out of a long-term future with the Detroit Tigers. That’s the only reasonable explanation for why he finds himself in so many trade predictions this offseason.

Skubal (2.21 ERA, 32.2% strikeout rate over 31 starts) is arguably the best starter in the league thanks to his explosive fastball and a back-breaking changeup, both paired with pinpoint control. Assuming he’s healthy again in 2026, he’ll command one of the largest free agent deals in MLB history next winter. Look for some of the premier contending teams to offer the Tigers a king’s ransom for him on the trade market. 

Possible fits: New York Mets, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs

Freddy Peralta
Despite having the league's best record last season, recent reports suggest the Brewers could be looking to offload salary heading into 2026. If that’s the case, there’s only a handful of players who make enough to make that juice worth the squeeze.

Among those names, Peralta (2.70 ERA, 28.2% strikeout rate in 33 starts) stands out as a player who could fetch a significant return. The Brewers exercised his $8 million option for 2026, making him one of the more affordable front-end starting pitchers in the game. Over the last three years, he’s been one of the most consistent and durable performers in the league, making at least 30 starts with an ERA of 3.86 or below in each campaign. His affordability makes him enticing for nearly any contending team. 

Possible fits: Baltimore Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Houston Astros

Jarren Duran
The Sox are rumored to be interested in multiple premier bats on the free agent market, including Pete Alonso, Kyle Schwarber, and Alex Bregman. That would create quite a roster crunch in their lineup, and it could push them to explore trading their former All-Star outfielder.

Duran (.256 AVG, .774 OPS, 16 HR) is a strong outfielder with a plus bat with ample speed to boot (82 stolen bases over the last three years). He has three more years of team control and is set to make around $7.7 million via arbitration next year. Duran is an elite defender in left field, but he can also play a passable center field, which could be intriguing for some notable contending clubs. 

Possible fits: New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles Dodgers, Kansas City Royals

Sandy Alcantara
The former Cy Young winner may not be the same guy he was four years ago, but the veteran righty will still warrant plenty of interest next week. Alcántara (5.36 ERA, 19.1% strikeout rate across 31 starts) simply couldn’t put it together last year. While his surface-level numbers were pretty abysmal, some of his numbers under the hood suggested he was closer to mediocre. He still has good zip on his fastball, which is important for somebody who is just a couple of years removed from Tommy John surgery, and he still gets plenty of ground balls. To Alcántara's credit, he finished the 2025 campaign with eight strong starts, posting a 2.68 ERA and better strikeout and walk rates. Maybe interested teams will see this as a return to form for the former ace, and if so, he’d be a welcome addition to almost any rotation. He’s under control for one more year, with a club option for 2027. 

Possible fits: Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres

Nick Castellanos
Even though the Phillies may end up watching their primary designated hitter depart via free agency, they may not want to fill that role with their defensively challenged right fielder. Castellanos (.250 AVG, .694 OPS, 17 HR) is no longer the cleanup hitter he once was, but he could still hold value as a right-handed bat that is not long removed from being an above-average hitter with pop. He's going into the final year of his extension that will pay him $20 million, but it's realistic to think the big-market Phillies could be willing to eat some of that salary if they move him. The club could look to fill his shoes by making a push for another big bat on the free agent market, whether that means resigning Schwarber or going after someone like Kyle Tucker. But either way, it feels like the Castellanos era of Phillies baseball is reaching its end. 

Possible fits: Chicago Cubs, Kansas City Royals, Seattle Mariners