Early MLB 2024 trade deadline preview for all 30 teams.
We’re only about three weeks into the season, but let’s pull out the old crystal ball and look ahead three months into the future to July 30 — MLB trade deadline day.
What might happen? Who might be traded? This is a little exercise we’ll call the Way-Early Trade Deadline Extravaganza Preview. We’re going to list the one player (or sometimes, two) for each team who is most likely to be traded, focusing for the most part on major leaguers but we’ll also include some prospects. This is an exercise of looking through rosters, surveying the players in free
agent years who are more likely to be traded if a team is faltering and considering which teams will be adding — or subtracting. (That is especially difficult this year since we only have a few obvious teams that won’t be playoff contenders.)
In last year’s edition, we correctly hit on seven players who were traded during the season: Lucas Giolito, C.J. Cron, Michael Lorenzen, Aroldis Chapman, Luis Urias, Luis Patino and JJ Bleday (who was traded before the season but after we completed this exercise). Another three — Jarred Kelenic, Ryan Pepiot and Dominic Fletcher — were traded this past offseason. Shohei Ohtani, you might recall, was not traded.
As a new season heats up, everyone is chasing two superteams. Whether your team is one of the favorites or hoping to become 2024’s biggest surprise, it’s time to get up to speed.
Rankings, tiers and keys for all 30 teams »
If the Rangers make any additions, it will certainly be on the pitching side of things — although keep in mind they’re hoping to get Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle back at various points, with Scherzer perhaps beating his initial timetable and returning before the All-Star break. If all three do make it back, Heaney is an odd man out in the rotation. The Rangers could move him
to the bullpen like they did at times last season, but he’s also trade bait since he’ll be heading into free agency (he’s making $13 million, so the Rangers might have to eat some salary to get something back). Another interesting name to watch: Jack Leiter, the former second overall pick who struggled in the minors last year but is off to a good start in Triple-A. He could turn into a viable option as a starter, in relief or in a trade.
