When assessing potential trade candidates, there are a number of factors for Major League executives to consider.
What is that player’s contract situation? How would that player fit in their ballpark? Does that player address the specific needs for the roster?
Of equal importance, of course: How is that player performing lately? A track record can certainly be a plus, but watching a player actually crush it in the weeks leading up to the Trade Deadline can be a strong influence.
With that in mind, here are 14 players (listed in order of their midseason fWAR) whose trade stock has been rising based on the way they finished the first half of the season. (Note: All stats are through Sunday's games.)
Eugenio Suárez, 3B, Diamondbacks
Midseason fWAR: 2.8
No list of trade candidates is complete without Suárez, who might be one of the biggest prizes of this Trade Deadline. Arizona remains on the fringe of the Wild Card race, but with Suárez set to hit free agency, he could be traded regardless of what happens over the next week or two. Suárez is having a stellar season (35 home runs, 85 RBIs, .929 OPS in 98 games), but was particularly hot in the final month before the break, hitting 13 home runs with 30 RBIs and a 1.109 OPS in 28 games. With multiple contenders in need of a third baseman, Suárez will have plenty of interest.
Mitch Keller, RHP, Pirates
Midseason fWAR: 2.6
Keller has been considered a prime trade candidate given his club control -- he’s signed for $54.5 million from 2026 through '28 -- but for contenders seeking rotation help, the right-hander’s recent performance has surely caught their eye. Keller posted a 1.96 ERA in his final six starts before the break, allowing 24 hits and seven walks over 36 2/3 innings. In 20 first-half starts, Keller posted a 3.48 ERA overall, ranking fourth in the NL with 119 innings pitched.
Merrill Kelly, RHP, Diamondbacks
Midseason fWAR: 2.1
Kelly has delivered 12 quality starts in his 21 outings this season, and while his ERA is a solid 3.32, that number drops to 2.72 in 19 starts if you remove a nine-run outing at the hands of the Yankees in his second start of the season. Since the start of June, the right-hander has a 2.72 ERA over nine starts (53 innings), making the impending free agent a strong candidate to help the middle of a contender’s rotation.
Ramón Laureano, OF, Orioles
Midseason fWAR: 1.9
Laureano’s season started slowly; he hit .197 with five home runs, eight RBIs and a .722 OPS in his first 31 games. A four-hit game on May 16 sparked Laureano, who hit .333 with six home runs, 27 RBIs and a .947 OPS over his final 37 games before the break, showing that the eight-year veteran can still produce at a high level. Laureano is playing on a one-year, $4 million deal and is slated to become a free agent again after the season, and with the Orioles headed down a selling path, he figures to be one of the expiring contracts Baltimore will move by July 31.
Adrian Houser, RHP, White Sox
Midseason fWAR: 1.6
The Rangers released Houser in mid-May, but the right-hander signed with the White Sox on May 20, then threw six scoreless innings that night. In 10 starts with Chicago, the 32-year-old is 5-2 with a 1.89 ERA, giving the Sox a prime trade chip at a time when starting pitching is in demand by a number of clubs. Houser doesn’t strike out many batters – he ranks in the 16th percentile in strikeout percentage – but he’s good at getting ground balls (47.3% rate) and inducing weak contract (92nd percentile in barrel percentage). He’s also making only $1.35 million this season, making him a bargain for any team looking for rotation help.
Jhoan Duran, RHP, Twins
Midseason fWAR: 1.3
The Twins’ hard-throwing closer has been outstanding all season, posting a 1.66 ERA in 44 appearances (43 1/3 innings) without allowing a home run. Duran allowed only three runs in his first 29 outings, then gave up a run in three of his five appearances between June 7-15. Since then, he’s been lights-out once again, pitching to a 1.74 ERA over his final 10 outings before the break. The Twins aren’t in a must-trade situation with Duran, who is under club control through 2027, but given the price contenders are typically willing to pay for controllable relievers of his caliber, Minnesota might look to move Duran and/or Griffin Jax to address other areas of need.
Edward Cabrera, RHP, Marlins
Midseason fWAR: 1.2
The Marlins had a bit of a scare when Cabrera underwent an MRI on his sore right elbow last week, but the right-hander escaped any serious injury and got some rest during the break, putting him on track to make his next start. Prior to experiencing that soreness in his final start of the first half, Cabrera had pitched to a sparkling 1.64 ERA over eight starts between May 25 and July 6, finally realizing the potential many have waited for. Cabrera is arbitration-eligible for three more years, but if he pitches well out of the break, the Marlins could look to sell high on the 27-year-old.
Germán Márquez, RHP, Rockies
Midseason fWAR: 1.2
Márquez’s overall numbers this season aren’t pretty: He’s 3-10 with a 5.57 ERA in 19 starts (95 1/3 innings). But in his final six outings before the break, the right-hander posted a 2.78 ERA in 32 1/3 innings – and that included a six-inning, six-run performance against the White Sox on July 5. In the other five starts, Márquez allowed four earned runs over 26 1/3 innings, good for a 1.36 ERA. The 30-year-old is earning $10 million this season, his last before becoming a free agent.
Trevor Rogers, LHP, Orioles
Midseason fWAR: 1.2
Charlie Morton’s rebound from a brutal April has garnered plenty of attention, but Rogers has been a pleasant surprise for Baltimore. The lefty struggled in four starts (7.11 ERA) and was sent to Triple-A after being acquired by the Orioles last summer, then missed the first part of 2025 with a knee injury. Since returning to the Orioles on May 24, Rogers is 3-1 with a 1.74 ERA in seven starts, looking like the arm Baltimore had hoped it was adding last summer. Rogers is earning $2.6 million this season and is arbitration-eligible for one more year.
David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
Midseason fWAR: 1.1
Following an early-season demotion to Triple-A, Bednar returned to the Majors to some mixed results, including a 5.87 ERA in his first nine outings in May. Since then, Bednar has been flawless, converting nine straight save chances without allowing an earned run in his final 18 appearances before the break. Bednar struck out 23 batters while walking only four during that stretch, and given that he’s under control for one more year, an acquiring team would be getting his services for two postseason runs.
Adolis García, RF, Rangers
Midseason fWAR: 0.9
It remains to be seen whether Texas becomes a seller, as the Rangers entered Sunday just 2 1/2 games out of the final AL Wild Card spot. But if the Rangers do sell, they’ll likely have some teams calling about García, who is earning $10.5 million this season and is arbitration-eligible for one more year. García has 13 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .675 OPS in 95 games, but he’s performed well over the past six weeks, hitting six homers with 29 RBIs and a .737 OPS in 38 games since the start of June. García ranks in the top 20 percent of the league in average exit velocity (92nd percentile), barrel percentage (84th) and hard-hit percentage (82nd), while his arm strength in the outfield ranks in the 93rd percentile.
Jeffrey Springs, LHP, Athletics
Midseason fWAR: 0.7
Springs’ first two months with the Athletics saw some good performances (five quality starts) and some bad ones (three outings of three-or-fewer innings), but the left-hander has been pretty consistent since the start of June. In nine starts, the 32-year-old has a 3.57 ERA over 53 innings, averaging a little less than six innings per outing. Springs is in the third year of his four-year, $31 million deal, earning $10.5 million this year and next with a $15 million club option in 2027.
Félix Bautista, RHP, Orioles
Midseason fWAR: 0.6
Bautista had some ups and downs during the first two months of the season as he returned from Tommy John surgery, but the closer had a 0.56 ERA and 27 strikeouts over his final 16 appearances before the break (16 innings), successfully converting all nine of his save opportunities. Bautista is earning $1 million this season and is arbitration-eligible for two more years, making him an appealing, controllable trade chip if the Orioles decide to sell more than their expiring contracts.
Seth Halvorsen, RHP, Rockies
Midseason fWAR: -0.3
On May 19, Halvorsen’s ERA sat at 5.30 through 19 appearances -- the same figure he had when the first half ended. So how is his stock rising? A five-run implosion against the Red Sox in his final appearance of the first-half bloated his ERA from 4.04 to 5.30, as he had pitched to a 2.65 ERA in 17 outings prior to the blowup in Boston. Halvorsen’s fastball averaged 100.1 mph in the first half, while his 50.5% ground-ball rate ranked in the 83rd percentile of the league. He still walks too many batters, but with five more years of club control, Halvorsen could be one of the Rockies’ few strong trade chips.