Position Players Who Are Early Trade Candidates Ahead Of The MLB Trade Deadline

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The San Francisco Giants, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, and Washington Nationals have all been tabbed as the clear sellers ahead of August’s MLB trade deadline.

San Francisco Giants Trade Candidates - Luis Arraez & Harrison Bader

Looking specifically at position players in this piece, the Giants have been noted as being willing to field offers for second baseman, Luis Arraez, and outfielder, Harrison Bader.

Arraez is currently on a one-year, $12,000,000 contract and will become a free agent after the season. After spending nine years with Minnesota, Arraez was traded to the Marlins in 2023, then to the Padres in 2024, and finally signed as a free agent with the Giants this past offseason.

The 29-year-old is a three-time All-Star and a three-time batting champion known for elite bat-to-ball skills, along with his ability to put the ball in play and come in clutch with runners in scoring position.

So far this season, he is hitting .319/.360/.421, with a .781 OPS. He has 10 doubles, three triples, and two home runs with 21 RBIs. He’s added 27 runs scored and five stolen bases. Along with his strong ability at the plate, he has speed on the base paths and is a threat to run.

Over the course of his eight years in the big leagues, he has hit .317/.363/.414, with a .777 OPS. He has 179 total doubles, 21 triples, and 38 home runs. He has driven in 329 RBIs and 463 runs scored.

The New York Yankees and Seattle Mariners are reportedly keeping an eye on the second baseman.

Platoon Splits
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
vs RHP	52		172	153	20	51	6	2	1	14	5	13	4	.333	.380	.418	.798	64	2	1	1	4	3	0	.329	103	125
vs LHP	40		76	68	9	20	4	1	1	9	0	2	5	.294	.329	.426	.755	29	2	2	3	1	0	2	.302	91	114
vs RHP as LHB	52		172	153	0	51	6	2	1	14	0	13	4	.333	.380	.418	.798	64	2	1	1	4	3	0	.329	103	117
vs LHP as LHB	40		76	68	0	20	4	1	1	9	0	2	5	.294	.329	.426	.755	29	2	2	3	1	0	2	.302	91	123
vs RH Starter	43	43	190	169	21	57	8	1	1	16	5	12	4	.337	.374	.414	.789	70	2	1	3	5	3	1	.331	101	124
vs LH Starter	14	13	58	52	8	14	2	2	1	7	0	3	5	.269	.333	.442	.776	23	2	2	1	0	0	1	.283	96	116

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/2/2026.

Bader is currently in the first year of a two-year contract with San Francisco. It is a two-year deal worth $20,500,000 with an average salary of $10,250,000 and a signing bonus of $6,000,000. He will be a free agent in 2028.

Not known as much for his bat, Bader is a player who brings defensive talent and speed to teams.

Bader spent his first seven years of his career in the St. Louis Cardinals organization before going from the Yankees to the Reds, the Mets, the Twins, and the Phillies over the next four years, then landing with San Francisco in January. He has spent time between the Giants and Triple-A Sacramento during a rehab stint coming back from a hamstring strain.

Over the course of this season, Bader is batting just .170/.198/.358, with a .556 OPS. He has hit just five doubles, five home runs, and driven in 14 RBIs. He has no stolen bases this year and just 10 runs scored. His struggle to put the ball in play is what has caused him to bounce around teams.

Through his 11 seasons in the big leagues, he has hit .244/.309/.400, with an OPS of .709. He has accumulated 135 doubles, 14 triples, and 93 home runs, with 336 RBIs, 401 runs scored, and 105 stolen bases.

Season Totals
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SF	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
2026 Totals	30	27	111	106	10	18	5	0	5	14	0	0	4	34	.170	.198	.358	.557	38	3	0	1	1	.191	100	54
Last 7 days	3	2	9	9	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	5	.111	.111	.111	.222	1	0	0	0	0	.250	-13	-40
Last 14 days	9	7	31	30	1	5	1	0	1	5	0	0	1	11	.167	.194	.300	.494	9	1	0	0	0	.222	82	37
Last 28 days	15	13	56	54	6	12	4	0	4	11	0	0	2	17	.222	.250	.519	.769	28	1	0	0	1	.242	171	113
Last 365 days	126	107	450	414	52	104	22	1	17	46	5	4	29	136	.251	.307	.432	.739	179	5	5	2	2	.331	176	104

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/2/2026.

Colorado Rockies Trade Candidates - Mickey Moniak, Brenton Doyle, & Willi Castro

The Rockies are primarily in the market as sellers of pitchers, which we’ll discuss in a future piece. However, offensively, Mickey Moniak is the key player who appears to be on the board and a free game to be traded for ahead of August.

Moniak, the 28-year-old veteran center fielder and former No. 1 draft pick of the Phillies, now with the Rockies, is with Colorado on just a one-year contract worth a guaranteed $4,000,000.

Moniak will be in his final year of arbitration in 2027 before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2028. He is a player with power at the plate, speed, and is a versatile outfielder able to rotate through the different spots in the outfield.

He started his career, as mentioned, with the Phillies in 20216. He made his Major League debut in 2020 with Philadelphia and has since spent time with the Phillies (through 2022), Angels (2023-2025), and Rockies (2025 to present).

So far this season, Moniak is hitting .280/.335/.607, with a .942 OPS. He has nine doubles, two triples, and 12 home runs, including 28 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He has just one stolen base this season so far, but had nine last season and eight in 2024.

Over the course of his career, Moniak has hit .247/.289/.458, with a .747 OPS. He has a total of 70 doubles, 15 triples, and 68 home runs, with 201 RBIs, and 185 runs scored. He has stolen 25 bases.

While Moniak is rumored to be the biggest name who could be on the move by August, outfielder Brenton Doyle and utility player Willi Castro could also be headed elsewhere. However, Doyle still has several years of team control remaining, and Castro is a low-cost, utility bench bat for teams. However, Moniak is the most likely player to potentially be on the move ahead of or at the trade deadline in August.

Season Totals
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SF	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
2026 Totals	43	37	164	150	21	42	9	2	12	28	1	0	10	40	.280	.335	.607	.942	91	3	3	1	.303	100	160
Last 14 days	3	2	9	8	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	.000	.111	.000	.111	0	0	1	0	.000	-67	-65
Last 28 days	15	12	53	48	2	8	2	1	1	7	0	0	3	13	.167	.245	.313	.558	15	1	2	0	.206	25	58
Last 365 days	124	108	461	431	66	126	25	6	31	81	9	1	23	110	.292	.332	.594	.926	256	7	4	3	.324	97	153

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/2/2026.

Washington Nationals Trade Candidates - CJ Abrams

The big name coming out of Washington as a potential trade candidate ahead of August 3rd is veteran shortstop CJ Abrams. Abrams is being attracted for his youth, speed, and offensive abilities at the plate. He is a power hitter with the ability to come in clutch with runners in scoring positions and create scoring plays as well.

Abrams is in the midst of a one-year contract with Washington worth $4,200,000. He has two years of arbitration remaining before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2029.

Since being drafted by the Padres with the first round, No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 MLB draft, Abrams has spent time with San Diego (2019-2022) and, most recently, with Washington for the last four seasons.

So far this season, Abrams is hitting .294/.391/.542, with a .933 OPS. He has 13 doubles, two triples, 12 home runs, and 47 RBIs. He also has 36 runs scored and has flashed some speed with nine stolen bases so far this year. His nine stolen bases rank 18th in the National League for this season so far.

Over the course of his five-season career, he has hit .253/.315/.424, with a .739 OPS. He has 117 total doubles, 21 triples, and 71 home runs. He has driven in 257 RBIs and 323 runs scored, with 125 stolen bases.

Abrams ranked 3rd in 2023 for stolen bases (47), 7th in 2024 (31), and 9th in 2025 (31).

He also ranked sixth in the league for Triples in 2024 (six) and seventh last season in doubles (35).

Season Totals
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SF	IBB	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
2026 Totals	60	59	257	218	37	64	13	2	12	47	9	4	27	50	.294	.389	.537	.926	117	3	9	3	2	1	.327	100	159
Last 7 days	6	6	25	20	3	7	2	0	0	1	2	0	3	4	.350	.480	.450	.930	9	0	2	0	0	0	.438	107	151
Last 14 days	13	13	54	44	8	12	2	1	3	8	2	1	7	9	.273	.407	.568	.976	25	0	3	0	0	0	.281	110	172
Last 28 days	26	26	114	100	18	29	9	2	4	20	3	2	10	25	.290	.368	.540	.908	54	1	3	1	0	0	.347	95	156
Last 365 days	158	155	686	615	95	163	37	5	23	88	30	5	51	136	.265	.334	.454	.787	279	6	15	5	3	3	.304	70	118

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/2/2026.

New York Mets Trade Candidates - Mark Vientos, Brett Baty, & Jorge Polanco

The Mets have been all over the trade conversation, and as we’ll get into in our next piece, it appears one of their most high-profile pitchers they just acquired this past offseason could be back on the move before the season even ends. It has not been the season the Mets had hoped for, and their offensive struggles could force them to make moves in order to jump-start the team in hopes of making an unlikely playoff run. Two position players that have been in the discussion of potential trade candidates are first baseman/designated hitter Mark Vientos, along with infielder Brett Baty. Both are strong players with the ability to hit with power and provide teams' versatility defensively, with both taking reps at third and first base, especially with the Mets’ most recent signing of Bo Bichette, who has shifted from shortstop to third base this season, with Francisco Lindor already serving as New York’s primary shortstop. However, due to the injury to Lindor, Bichette has also spent time at his original position of shortstop.

But then the Mets also add Jorge Polanco to the first base mix, and now Vientos and Baty are the limbo players who serve primarily off the bench and haven’t had that great of a season offensively either.

Vientos is currently on a one-year contract with the Mets worth a guaranteed $813,750.00. He has two years of arbitration salary remaining. Drafted back in 2017 in the second round of the MLB draft, Vientos has spent his entire career with New York, but since 2022, because of New York’s infield depth, he has split the majority of the last few seasons between Triple-A Syracuse and the big leagues.

Vientos has played in 51 games this season with New York. He is batting .225/.260/.390, with a .650 OPS. He has clubbed nine doubles, seven home runs, driving in 26 RBIs and 19 runs scored.

Over the course of his career, Vientos has played in a total of 364 big league games, accumulating a hit .237/.289/.431, with a .720 OPS. He has 58 doubles, three triples, and 61 home runs. He has 183 RBIs and 143 runs scored.

Season Totals
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SF	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
2026 Totals	52	47	193	183	19	41	9	0	7	26	0	7	41	.224	.259	.388	.647	71	7	2	1	0	.250	100	80
Last 7 days	6	4	19	19	3	3	1	0	1	3	0	0	5	.158	.158	.368	.526	7	1	0	0	0	.154	56	34
Last 14 days	13	11	46	45	4	9	3	0	1	4	0	0	11	.200	.217	.333	.551	15	2	1	0	0	.242	70	52
Last 28 days	25	23	98	95	9	19	5	0	3	12	0	1	19	.200	.224	.347	.572	33	5	2	0	0	.219	76	60
Last 365 days	121	109	450	422	41	97	22	1	18	66	1	20	107	.230	.271	.415	.686	175	13	5	3	1	.263	112	89

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 6/2/2026.

Baty is also on just a one-year contract with the Mets, worth $811,500.00. He also has two years of arbitration remaining.
Drafted in 2019 by the Mets in the first round (pick No. 12 overall) out of Lake Travis High School, Baty is another Met-born player, playing the entirety of his career so far (seven years) with the Mets.

Over the course of the last five years, he has played in 354 big league games after his 2022 MLB debut.

This season so far, he has played in 55 games, hitting .231/.304/.341, with a .645 OPS. Baty has eight doubles, one triple, and three home runs, with 23 RBIs and 22 runs scored so far this season, along with two stolen bases.

Over the course of his career, the 26-year-old has hit .232/.296/.367, with a .663 OPS. That includes 36 doubles, three triples, and 36 home runs, along with 128 RBIs and 135 runs scored. He has a total of 12 stolen bases.

Season Totals
Split	G	GS	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	TB	GDP	HBP	SF	ROE	BAbip	tOPS+	sOPS+
2026 Totals	56	49	198	176	22	41	8	1	3	23	2	1	18	56	.233	.305	.341	.645	60	2	1	2	2	.319	100	83
Last 7 days	5	5	16	15	2	3	0	0	0	2	0	0	1	6	.200	.250	.200	.450	3	0	0	0	0	.333	41	23
Last 14 days	12	12	40	36	3	8	1	0	0	3	0	0	4	12	.222	.300	.250	.550	9	0	0	0	0	.333	72	58
Last 28 days	24	22	86	77	10	21	4	0	2	11	0	0	9	25	.273	.349	.403	.751	31	0	0	0	0	.380	133	115
Last 365 days	145	122	502	449	61	112	17	1	15	53	8	1	45	128	.249	.317	.392	.709	176	6	2	5	5	.312	119	98