Spring training is underway but that doesn’t mean the trade and free-agent markets get put on hold. A handful of our top 50 free agents remain unsigned, and there are trades every spring. Dylan Cease got traded last March 13. Jon Berti, Manuel Margot, and Ben Rortvedt were also traded last spring, among others. Trades don’t stop until the trade deadline each summer.
With that in mind, here are five notable players with a chance to get traded this spring. They might not want to get too comfortable in their spring training condos, if you catch my drift.
Stroman took his spring physical Tuesday because it was mandatory and he has been absent from camp since. He has been on the trade block just about all offseason, and, at one point, the Yankees reportedly floated a Stroman for Arenado trade. Could the Yankees and Cardinals get desperate enough to revisit that? I would not close the door on it until Arenado or Stroman are playing elsewhere. Point is, Stroman is very available.
The obstacle in the way of a Stroman trade is the free-agent market. Similar back-end veterans like Kyle Gibson, Andrew Heaney, and Jose Quintana remain unsigned. The Yankees have reportedly expressed a willingness to eat some of the $18 million they owe Stroman in 2025, though he gains an $18 million player option for 2026 with 140 innings pitched this year. That’s an issue. Stroman turns 34 in May and his game has declined enough that the possibility of owing him $18 million in 2026 will steer teams away. The Yankees may have to eat so much money to get a trade done that it’s not worth it.
Possible landing spots: There aren’t many. The best chance for a Stroman trade involves another team losing a starter or two to injury in spring training, and having to scramble to add innings. Even then, guys like Gibson and Quintana are available for just cash. To list a team, I’ll say the Angels.
On Thursday, Cardinals POBO John Mozeliak said Arenado is “likely going to be a part of our club,” though these things can change with one phone call, and there’s a long way to go between now and Opening Day. St. Louis wants to unload as much of his contract as possible and Arenado wants out, and presumably wants to play for a contender and not a team entering a “reset,” as Mozeliak put it earlier this offseason. I’m not saying a trade will be easy or will happen soon. Just that I won’t close the door on one.
Furthermore, Alex Bregman is off the board now, which unclogs the market a bit. Teams interested in Arenado no longer have Bregman as a fallback plan. Arenado is signed through 2027 and his game has steadily declined the last few years. It’s normal age-related stuff for the soon-to-be 34-year-old. His glove is merely great rather than all-world, the bat is closer to league average, etc. How desirable a trade target is he, really? Ultimately, there are few alternatives available, and it only takes one team to blink for Arenado to get moved.
Possible landing spots: The Tigers and Yankees seem most likely, though a) it’s unclear whether Arenado would waive his no-trade clause to join either team, and b) neither team’s home ballpark is well-suited for his pull-heavy profile as a righty. The Yankees have the greater need at third base and are more likely to take on Arenado’s contract.
It’s been a fairly quiet offseason for the Padres, who made Nick Pivetta their big addition. Otherwise they’ve added veterans Elias Díaz, Kyle Hart, Jason Heyward, and Connor Joe on low-cost one-year contracts totaling only a few million. All indications are the Padres cannot add to payroll significantly as the infighting at the ownership level rages on. FanGraphs estimates the team’s competitive balance tax payroll at $259 million, above the $241 million penalty threshold and well above last year’s $227 million CBT payroll.
GM A.J. Preller may have to shed money before he can further reinforce his roster, or even to balance the books before Opening Day. Suarez is San Diego’s most expendable expensive player. The All-Star closer is owed $10 million in 2025 and $8 million in both 2026 and 2027, though he can opt out of his contract after 2025. That will be a tough contract to move — if Suarez is good, he’ll opt out, but if not, you’re stuck with him — but it could be less painful that moving Cease ($13.75 million in 2025), Luis Arraez ($14 million), or Michael King ($7.75 million). As good as Suarez is, those three are much more vital to San Diego’s success this season.
Possible landing spots: The Cubs have been loosely connected to Suarez in recent weeks and they make sense, even after bringing in Ryan Pressly. I’d also call the Mets, because why not?
POBO Peter Bendix has stripped the roster down to the studs since taking over last offseason. There are still a few (but only a few) desirable pieces here, most notably 2022 NL Cy Young winner Sandy Alcantara. The Marlins are more likely to let Alcantara show he’s healthy following Tommy John surgery before trading him though. He could move closer to the trade deadline rather than in spring training. I won’t rule out an Alcantara trade before Opening Day. I just think it’s unlikely.
The last thing a bad team needs is a good bullpen and the Marlins have several quality relievers. Bender will make a whopping $1.42 million this season and is the most expensive of the bunch. Declan Cronin, Calvin Faucher, and Andrew Nardi are still in their cheap pre-arbitration years and should be available too. When you’re rebuilding, you should trade your good relievers as soon as possible, because you don’t know how much longer they will be attractive trade chips. Injuries happen and reliever performances are volatile. Bendix traded Berti and Steven Okert last spring. No reason to think he won’t be active this spring.
Possible landing spots: We’re talking about cheap relievers, so they could land anywhere. For the sake of variety, I’ll list the Brewers, Mariners, and Royals as possible fits.
The Twins went on a mini-spending spree recently (Harrison Bader, Danny Coulombe, Ty France) and POBO Derek Falvey praised ownership for upping payroll. “I think that’s a credit to them and certainly a tick up for us that allows us to add a little bit more to this roster,” he told the Star Tribune. I know Falvey is going to thank his boss, but come on, Bader, Coulombe, and France are role players who will make a combined $10.25 million in 2025. I’ll say it since Falvey can’t: “Thank you ownership for doing the bare minimum.”
ANYWAY, Vázquez has been on the trade block all offseason. He hasn’t hit the last two years and he lost the starting catcher job to Ryan Jeffers, with Jair Camargo ready to step in as the backup. Vázquez is owed a hefty $10 million in 2025, though shedding even $4 million of that would help offset the Bader and Coulombe signings that are apparently so extravagant the head baseball operations executive had to publicly thank ownership for opening the checkbook. Vázquez is 100% available this spring.
Possible landing spots: I wonder if the Athletics would have interest. Even after a busy winter, their payroll is only $73 million, putting them at risk of the MLBPA filing a grievance over their revenue sharing spending. The Twins would probably give Vázquez away and the A’s don’t have a clear-cut backup catcher.
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