MLB rumors: An early preview of 10 potential 2023 MLB trade deadline targets

8. Brent Rooker

Who is Brent Rooker? You probably remember him as a solid rookie for the Twins, who quickly fell off after his rookie season. Now on his fourth team, the 28-year-old is finally breaking out in Oakland of all places. Rooker lead the MLB in OPS and homers at the beginning of the season, but has cooled off recently. Currently, Rooker is sitting with a 148 wRC+ in his 235 plate appearances with Oakland this year.

With the A’s clearly still rebuilding, Rooker will be an intriguing piece at this year’s trade deadline, a piece that comes with a few questions being such a unique case. First, what would a package look like for Rooker, who still has several years of team control left on his contract? Though Rooker has had an awesome breakout season, there are rightful questions if he can sustain these awesome numbers. Hitting .217 in his last 30 games, these concerns are fair, but Rooker’s Statcast numbers are really impressive. His 90th percentile ranking in barrel percentage and 84th percentile ranking in hard hit rate prove he’s still hitting the ball very well, making for a tough out with pitchers. Based on his current trajectory, it seems almost imminent that Rooker will be a marquee name at this year’s trade deadline.

7. Aroldis Chapman

After failing to make the ALCS roster for the Yankees this past postseason, it was clear Aroldis Chapman needed a change of scenery. A surprise to many, finding a new home wasn’t all that easy for Chapman. Merely an afterthought over this past offseason, Chapman signed late with Kansas City on a cheap one-year deal. The 35-year-old flamethrower has turned back the clock this season, posting a 2.70 ERA over 23.1 innings of work with 41 strikeouts. While the numbers are impressive, it’s the stuff we’ve seen from Chapman that makes him look like his old self. The electric fastball is back; in fact, his average fastball velocity is the highest it’s been since 2017. Chapman’s fastball is sitting at an average of 99.6 MPH, up 2.1 mph from last season.

With Kansas City looking to sell at the deadline, Chapman is an awesome piece for any team searching for bullpen help. The asking price might be pretty high, as Chapman very well may be the best reliever on the market this offseason. Chapman has voiced his own opinions on a trade, hoping for a reunion with his first big league team, the Cincinnati Reds.

6. Jack Flaherty

He’s finally back, or at least sort of? After years of injuries and setbacks, Jack Flaherty is finally consistently pitching in the Cardinals starting rotation again. St. Louis will have multiple tough decisions to make in the upcoming future, with Adam Wainwright, Flaherty and Jordan Montgomery all becoming UFAs after this season. This season hasn’t made any of these decisions easier, with the team struggling under .500 all season. While Flaherty’s has posted a non-glamorous 4.64 ERA over 73.2 innings, we have seen some flashes of the old ace we knew from 2019. In fact, six of Flaherty’s 14 starts have resulted in an appearance of five or more innings with one run or less allowed.

We also have to remember Flaherty hasn’t made 18 plus starts in a season since 2019. Clearly he’s getting back to form. The stuff is there, it’s just about establishing consistency moving forward for the 27-year-old righty. In a rather thin starting pitcher market, Flaherty would be an awesome arm to add to a team looking for a right-handed starter with playoff experience.

5. C.J. Cron

While it’s been a rather cool season filled with injuries, C.J. Cron remains one of the best power-hitting first basemen in baseball. Posting 57 homers over his last two seasons with the Rockies, Cron would make for a strong addition to any team that is looking to add a power bat to their lineup. Currently, Cron is sitting with a .228 average with six homers over his first 136 plate appearances this season, making him an awesome buy-low candidate at the deadline.

Cron is a pending UFA this offseason and will likely be a part of the impending fire sale set to take place with this last-place Rockies team. We put Cron so high on our board because of his past two seasons in Colorado. The offensive numbers are truly special, and it’s clear something is off with Cron’s health this year. He’s frequently been on and off the IL nursing a persistent back issue, with Colorado hoping the first baseman can return to full health soon. If he Cron can get back to 100%, he’d be an awesome addition of offensive production to any playoff contender.

4. Lucas Giolito

You don’t have to remind White Sox fans of the disaster that has taken place so far this season. Currently, nine games under .500, most baseball fans would agree the White Sox and Cardinals are currently the most disappointing teams in the MLB this season. While most teams would keep one of their coveted starting pitchers, we have to remember that the White Sox are a franchise that is very bullish in spending money. In fact, the five year, $75 million deal Chicago gave to Andrew Benintendi this offseason was the largest deal the team made in franchise history. It’s crazy to think about considering we routinely see big young stars like Fernando Tatis Jr. and Wander Franco earn $200-plus million deals.

By all means Giolito has had a positive performance on a deeply disappointing and struggling White Sox team this season. The 28-year-old has a 3.74 in 13 starts this season, coming off a stellar six no-hit inning performance at Yankee Stadium. An interesting deadline awaits Chicago, who has several UFAs who will likely be traded if they remain under .500. It’s a very strong possibility we could see Lucas Giolito, Lance Lynn, and Tim Anderson all no longer wearing a White Sox uniform by the end of this season.

3. Cody Bellinger

Has Bellinger returned to MVP form? I think it’d be a heavy stretch to make this claim, but Bellinger has significantly improved his production at the plate in his first year with the Cubs. Finally posting quality major league numbers after two horrid seasons in Los Angeles, Bellinger currently sits with a 122 wRC+ in his 163 PAs with Chicago. The offensive improvement, along with Bellinger’s elite defense in center field gives a strong case for the Cubs to offer Bellinger a long-term extension. It’s hard to believe the former MVP is just 27 years old, making him a potential building block for the future of this rebuilding Cubs team.

On the flip side, Bellinger’s expiring deal also makes him an awesome trade candidate for any team looking to add a dynamic bat to their lineup. So what will Chicago do? Right now they’re sitting on two expiring contracts of Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman that could net them a massive return at the deadline.

2. Marcus Stroman

All eyes are on Mr. Stroman, who will likely decline his $21 million player option next season and become a free agent. From what I can remember, Stroman is the first MLB player to voice contract negotiation frustrations with his team via Twitter. From what we can gather, Stroman clearly wants to stay in Chicago but right now the team is not interested in discussing an extension. It’s a real bummer for Cubs fans, as the team has been searching for elite starting pitching for a very long time.

Stroman has looked like a true ace this season, making him the most desirable starter on the market aside from Shohei Ohtani. Personally, I think it’d be a huge mistake for Chicago not to extend Stroman, a team which is in desperate need of an ace right now. While Stroman might not be that ace, he’s still a strong leader and talented arm on a pitching staff that any team could use. For any playoff team that’s looking for quality pitching and leadership, Stroman would be an awesome addition to the rotation.

1. Shohei Ohtani

If there’s anything to take away from last year’s deadline, anything can happen. Several MLB writers (including myself) believed there was absolutely no chance the Nationals would trade Juan Soto at the deadline last year. The Nationals General Manager, Mike Rizzo, even went on a local DC radio claiming Soto would not be traded. Yet Soto was still traded, causing madness across the baseball world. From what we’ve heard, it seems that Ohtani’s availability will depend on the Angels’ contending status. A few weeks ago, ESPN writer Jeff Passan reported that Ohtani “will leave” if the Angels fall out of contention and “could be traded”.

Rightfully so, the Angels are doing just about everything in their power to make this team a playoff ballclub. They’ve brought up rookies Zach Neto (former top 100 prospect), infamous flamethrowing Tennessee pitcher Ben Joyce, and 2022 first round pick Sam Bachman. Currently they are sitting at 38-32, 1.5 games out of the last Wild Card spot. Ohtani’s availability will really depend on the Angels’ contending status. If things go south, don’t be surprised if the former MVP is moved for a legendary haul of prospects.