Major League Baseball’s trade deadline will be on July 30. It goes without saying that in mid-April, no team is altogether out of a playoff race, particularly with three wild-card spots up for grabs in each league.
However, you can start to draw some conclusions on potential buyers and sellers based on how teams have performed early in the season, especially if a team that was expected to struggle has gotten out of the gate slowly. There are some other clubs who have historically either not sold when they are struggling, or are willing to buy and sell at the same time.
With all that acknowledged, here are nine stars who look like early trade candidates, along with some potential landing spots.
Astros, Yankees, Orioles, Guardians, Braves, Padres
Miami Marlins left-hander Jesús Luzardo is essentially the last man standing in a starting rotation that’s been devastated by injuries. Assuming he’s still healthy in August, he may very well be on another team.
Luzardo has had an ugly start to the 2024 season, but the 26-year-old posted a 3.48 ERA and 3.40 FIP across 279 innings between the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. He may not be the right target for a team that’s hoping to acquire someone to pitch in the first game of a playoff series. But for a team that expects to play deep enough into October, he would be an excellent third or fourth option in a playoff rotation.
