Verlander, Snell and the 25 Starting Pitchers Who May Be Dealt at MLB Trade Deadline

Cy Young winners don’t often get traded in Major League Baseball—let alone multiple-time Cy Young winners—but two-time winner Blake Snell and three-time winner Justin Verlander are both on expiring contracts for sub-.500 teams and thus could be among the biggest names on the move at this year’s July 30 trade deadline.

They are far from alone, though. Without much difficulty, we were able to come up with 25 starting pitchers who might get traded this summer.

Rather than ranking the pitchers in order from most coveted to least desirable, they were placed into four tiers and just so happened to shake out in such a way that there’s (at least) one pitcher from each division in each tier.

So, that’s how they are presented: A top trade target, a second-best option, an intriguing third and a fourth worth mentioning within each division.

Not necessarily all of these pitchers will be on the move. Maybe not even half of them get dealt. But they’ll all be discussed extensively in these remaining seven weeks until the trade deadline.

Top Trade Target: Yusei Kikuchi, LHP, Toronto Blue Jays ($12M in 2024, free agent this winter)

After a couple of recent duds against the Tigers and Pirates, Kikuchi is looking like less of a must-have pitcher than he was two weeks ago when he had a 2.64 ERA. But we’re still talking about a durable pitcher on an affordable, expiring contract who has been every bit as valuable as Logan Gilbert, Freddy Peralta and Jesús Luzardo since the beginning of last season. Unless either he further implodes over these next seven weeks—or the Blue Jays become viable contenders—Kikuchi is going to be a hot commodity in late July.

Second-Best Option: Chris Bassitt, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays ($22M in 2024, $22M in 2025)

Toronto probably isn’t going to trade away Vladimir Guerrero Jr. or Bo Bichette with 1.5 years remaining before free agency, as the franchise is still hoping it can sign those younger stars to long-term deals. But at 35 years old with another not-cheap season left on his contract, the Blue Jays will likely answer calls from teams looking to trade for Bassitt. After a rough April, he has made seven consecutive starts in which he went at least five innings and allowed three or fewer runs.

Also Intriguing: Nick Pivetta, RHP, Boston Red Sox ($7.5M in 2024, free agent this winter)

With what will be a pro-rated salary of around $2.5M on deadline day, the price is certainly right to make Pivetta a trade target for the litany of teams that can’t afford a Blake Snell or a Justin Verlander. And he’s enjoying a better season than usual, currently sitting on a 3.40 ERA after going seven shutout innings against Atlanta in his last appearance. Throw in the minimal cost in dollars and he would be one of the top rentals on the block—if the Red Sox fall far enough out of contention.

Worth Mentioning: Zack Littell, RHP, Tampa Bay Rays ($1.85M in 2024, arbitration-eligible in 2025)

In theory, the Rays will be littered with healthy options for their 2025 starting rotation. Shane McClanahan, Jeffrey Springs, Drew Rasmussen and Shane Baz should all be back from their injuries, with Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Ryan Pepiot, Taj Bradley and Zack Littell also among the list of candidates. So, with Littell out to a solid start to the season (3.56 ERA, 3.15 FIP), maybe they explore how much they could get in exchange for the ridiculously-inexpensive-but-more-than-serviceable starter who they probably wouldn’t have room for next season anyway.

Top Trade Target: Garrett Crochet, LHP, Chicago White Sox ($800k in 2024, arbitration-eligible in 2025 and 2026)

There’s been a lot of scuttlebutt in recent days about Crochet possibly getting traded. The 24-year-old southpaw with two years of team control remaining has recorded a quality start in six of his last seven appearances and has surprisingly emerged as a viable Cy Young candidate. On any other team with any hope of contending again before 2026, there’s no chance he would be on the trade block. But the White Sox might actually send the young ace packing if they can get enough prospect capital back, possibly from the Padres or the Orioles.

Second-Best Option: Jack Flaherty, RHP, Detroit Tigers ($14M in 2024, free agent this winter)

Between 2022-23, Flaherty averaged 4.4 BB/9 and 9.0 K/9, looking like a shell of the young star who led the NL in WHIP in 2019 and averaged nearly 11 K/9 from 2018-20. But that ace version of Flaherty has re-surfaced in Detroit with 94 strikeouts against just 10 walks in his first 12 starts. St. Louis was able to get a decent haul of mid-tier prospects from Baltimore for Flaherty at last year’s deadline, but the Tigers should be able to oversee quite the bidding war if he keeps this up.

Also Intriguing: Erick Fedde, RHP, Chicago White Sox ($7.5M in 2024, $7.5M in 2025)

Right up there with Houston’s Ronel Blanco, Fedde has been one of the biggest “out of nowhere” surprise successes of the season. He was out of MLB altogether last year, reviving his career in Korea before returning with a new-found sweeper and a much-improved changeup. The combination of his 3.27 ERA and his $7.5M price tag for next season will make Fedde one of the most coveted arms on the block.

Worth Mentioning: Mike Clevinger, RHP, Chicago White Sox ($4M in 2024, free agent this winter)

Clevinger didn’t sign with the White Sox until early April, didn’t make his season debut until early May, didn’t pitch well in his first four starts (6.75 ERA) and is currently on the IL with elbow inflammation. But he entered 2024 with a career ERA of 3.45 and his salary is negligible, even to a small-market team. If he’s able to return in a few weeks looking no worse for wear, there should be some interest.

Top Trade Target: Justin Verlander, RHP, Houston Astros ($22.5M in 2024, $17.5M vesting player option for 2025) [excludes portions of the contract already retained by the New York Mets]

It’s still hard to believe the Astros will embrace selling, even as they continue to flounder at six games below .500. But it’s at least plausible that this three-time Cy Young winner will be on the move for a second consecutive summer. The 41-year-old would certainly generate a ton of interest if Houston does make him available. He is allowing home runs at well above his usual rate, though. (11 HR in 52 IP). Something to monitor.

Second-Best Option: Tyler Anderson, LHP, Los Angeles Angels ($13M in 2024, $13M in 2025)

Can Anderson continue his tightrope walk? The 2.37 ERA looks great, as long as you can ignore the 4.66 FIP that goes along with it. But given the 2.57 ERA that he had as an All-Star in 2022, there might be several teams willing to ignore that FIP. At 15 games below .500, the Halos might as well trade him now before that regression hits.

Also Intriguing: Paul Blackburn, RHP, Oakland A’s ($3.45M in 2024, arbitration-eligible in 2025)

The A’s aren’t going to trade away Mason Miller, but Blackburn should be available. He’s currently on the IL with a fractured foot, but he has a 4.31 ERA dating back to the start of 2022. It’s not a great mark, but for a prorated salary in late July of $1.2M with one year of team control still to come, it’s certainly not a bad mark.

Worth Mentioning: The Texas Rangers

If the Rangers drop out of contention, Max Scherzer ($22.5M in 2024, excluding what NYM retained) and Nathan Eovaldi ($17M in 2024 with a $20M vesting player option for 2025) might hit the trade block.

Conversely, if they get Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle back from injury and opt to make a push for back-to-back World Series rings, they might look to trade away impending free agents Andrew Heaney ($12.5M) and Michael Lorenzen ($4.5M) to combat their surplus of starting pitchers.

Or they might do nothing, pending the rehab timelines for those injured pitchers.

Just a great big question mark in Arlington that will eventually come into focus over the next seven weeks.

(With so much up in the air here, Rangers pitchers were not counted as part of the 25 promised in the headline. But it does feel almost inevitable that at least one Rangers starting pitcher will be traded.)

Top Trade Target: Jesús Luzardo, LHP, Miami Marlins ($5.5M in 2024, arbitration-eligible in 2025 and 2026)

Probably the top trade target of them all, Luzardo has been easily one of the top 50 pitchers in the big leagues since the start of 2022. He had a couple of rough outings earlier this season against the Yankees and Braves, but had a 1.99 ERA and a K/BB ratio of nearly 5.0 over his next five starts. Even without factoring in the team control for 2025 and 2026, he’d be a major trade chip. But that pushes him over the top into a player via whom the Marlins could really restock their farm system.

Second-Best Option: Luis Severino, RHP, New York Mets ($13M in 2024, free agent this winter)

After a 2023 campaign in which he was just about the least valuable pitcher in all of baseball, Severino has added a potent sweeper to what is now a six-pitch arsenal, keeping hitters off-balance and generating ground balls at a considerably higher rate than he did from 2018-23. He’s nowhere near the strikeout artist that he used to be before the injuries, but this rebound year feels legitimate and should make Severino a big name on the trade block.

Also Intriguing: Sean Manaea, LHP, New York Mets ($14M in 2024, $14M player option for 2025)

The player option could be a tough wrinkle in trade negotiations, but Manaea is having one of the best seasons of his career. Walks were a considerable issue in April, but he has reeled in his control while pretty consistently making it through five full innings. All in all, a solid return to the rotation after spending most of last season in a long-relief role with the Giants.

Worth Mentioning: Trevor Williams, RHP, Washington Nationals ($6.5M in 2024, free agent this winter)

With a 2.22 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, Williams would’ve been the NL East’s “second-best option”—if he hadn’t landed on the IL Tuesday with a flexor strain. No word yet on an expected timeline. When he gets back and how he looks in his return will dictate how much interest there is.

Top Trade Target: Sonny Gray, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals ($10M in 2024, $25M in 2025, $35M in 2026, $30M club option or $5M buyout for 2027)

Gray turns 35 this winter and is on a back-loaded contract that St. Louis might try to unload if it falls out of contention. Maybe not, though, as he finished second in the AL Cy Young vote last season and has been even more potent this season with a 3.21 ERA and a career-best strikeout rate of 12.0 K/9. Quite the fine wine here who would have a ton of suitors if the Cardinals do dangle him ahead of the deadline.

Second-Best Option: Lance Lynn, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals ($10M in 2024, $11M club option or $1M buyout in 2025)

Lynn turned 37 last month, but he evidently still has some stuff left in the tank after a rough run through 2023 in which he allowed 44 home runs—the most in a single season since Bronson Arroyo’s 46 in 2011. Lynn has only given up seven dingers through 13 starts, putting together a 3.58 ERA. At this point, that club option for next season is a little enticing.

Also Intriguing: Kyle Gibson, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals ($12M in 2024, $12M club option or $1M buyout for 2025)

So, yeah, if St. Louis ends up being a buyer, there’s not a ton worth getting excited about as far as NL Central pitchers on the trade block goes. But like Lynn, Gibson has been a respectable elder statesman after posting a 4.88 ERA over the previous two seasons combined. He has pitched at least into the sixth inning in all but one of his starts, resulting in six quality starts.

Worth Mentioning: Cincinnati’s Frankie Montas ($14M in 2024, $20M mutual option for 2025) and Nick Martinez ($14M in 2024, $12M player option for 2025)

Pittsburgh has nothing much to offer, and none of Chicago’s current starting pitchers is hitting free agency before the end of 2026. But Cincinnati could make some waves by trading away the two pitchers it signed this past offseason.

Martinez (3.14 FIP in 52.1 IP) has been more productive than Montas (4.60 FIP in 54.0 IP), though the Reds have mostly used him as a multiple-inning reliever as opposed to a starter. He could fill either role in a new home, though, as he did over the previous two seasons in San Diego.

Top Trade Target: Blake Snell, LHP, San Francisco Giants ($32M in 2024, $30M player option for 2025)

2024 has been an abject disaster for the 2023 NL Cy Young winner. After not getting the contract in free agency Snell felt he deserved, he has posted a 9.51 ERA in the six starts made between two trips to the IL.

But is anyone actually throwing in the towel on second-half Snell? He has a career ERA of 4.35 prior to July 1 compared to 2.50 after it. Don’t be surprised if he comes back from his groin injury and mows down the competition for a few weeks en route to becoming one of the handful of players we discuss ad nauseum leading up to the deadline.

Second-Best Option: Jordan Montgomery, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks ($25M in 2024, $25M vesting player option for 2025)

Like Snell, Montgomery waited a long time before signing a one-year deal with a player option for a second, and the return on that investment has not been great for the NL West team that was hoping to remain without shouting distance of the Dodgers with this acquisition. At least Monty hasn’t been as disappointing as Snell and isn’t currently injured, but he has posted a 6.80 ERA in his nine starts. If he can turn things around this summer but the Diamondbacks continue to struggle, he might get traded ahead of the deadline for a third consecutive year.

Also Intriguing: Colorado’s Austin Gomber ($3.15M in 2024, arbitration-eligible for 2025) and Cal Quantrill ($6.55M in 2024, arbitration-eligible for 2025)

Colorado having not one, but two legitimate trade candidates in its starting rotation just might be history in the making. Neither Gomber (6.3 K/9) nor Quantrill (6.3 K/9) gets many strikeouts, but they’ve been done a great job of keeping damage to a minimum, with Quantrill recently reeling off eight quality starts in the span of nine outings. And at least with Quantrill, we know from his previous work in Cleveland that he can be a middle-of-the-rotation starter. We’ll see if Gomber can keep it up until the deadline, though it’s nice to see one of the pieces of the Nolan Arenado trade finally amounting to something.

Worth Mentioning: Robbie Ray, LHP, San Francisco Giants ($23M in 2024; 2-year, $50M player option this offseason)

Remember this guy? The 2021 AL Cy Young winner and strikeout artist should be coming back from Tommy John surgery right around the trade deadline. The Giants gave up Mitch Haniger, Anthony DeSclafani and some cash to acquire Ray in January, but perhaps a different, deep-pocketed contender would like to take a flyer on him and the risk/reward of that player option looming this winter.