Top 10 Bullpen Arms Who Could Be Dealt at the Trade Deadline
If there is one thing that gets traded at the deadline every year, it is relief pitching. Here are the top 10 arms who could be on the move.
No team ever has enough quality relievers, especially come October which increases the importance of beefing up your bullpen when you can: the trading deadline.
When the Chicago Cubs made the trade that sent Gleyber Torres to the Yankees at the deadline in 2016, they brought in Aroldis Chapman, arguably the best closer in baseball at the time who would go on to help them break their 108-year World Series drought.
It starts to beg the question: who are the best relievers in this year’s bullpen market and how likely is it that we will see them moved before the beginning of August?
Let’s dive into our top 10 relievers who could be on the market at this year’s deadline.
Honorable Mention: Yimi Garcia, Toronto Blue Jays
In his 10th MLB season, Garcia has put together arguably his best year of his career. Across 28 innings this season, the Dominican right-hander has pitched to a 2.57 ERA and a 159 ERA+. He has been extremely stingy on opposing hitters, posting a career-low 0.786 WHIP.
Despite a recent injury, Garcia is expected to be activated after the All-Star break and is bound to have value to teams in need of help in the back-end of the bullpen. The 33-year-old is in the last year of a three-year deal, which will help to ease the return package for a potential suitor.
10. Michael Kopech, Chicago White Sox
To see Kopech’s value, you must look beyond the stats. While his 5.18 ERA and 1.425 WHIP won’t impress anyone, his 55 strikeouts in 40 innings begin to show the potential of the 28-year-old former top prospect.
Kopech’s biggest issue is free passes as he hands out 5.2 walks per nine innings. On the flip side, his stuff is nothing short of devastating. According to Baseball Savant, his 98.7 average fastball velocity sits in the 98th percentile and his 30.9 whiff rate is in the 88th. With his 6.9 foot extension (87th), Kopech’s fastball appears even quicker.
If a team can harness Kopech’s elite stuff and get consistent strikes from the righty, there is no doubt that he will have immense value. He has one more year of arbitration beyond this season, giving whoever acquires the Texas native an extra year of team control.
9. Dylan Floro, Washington Nationals
After a rough year with the Twins in 2023, Floro’s 33-year-old season has been kind to him in Washington. While he only strikes out 7.3 per nine innings, he walks hardly anyone, helping Floro to a 2.11 ERA.
Floro is on an extremely team-friendly one-year, $2.5 million contract which will make it easy for the Nationals to trade him. In the grand scheme of relief options, Floro is one of the most likely to be on the move because of his reliability and figures to be one of the cheapest options on the market.
8. Kirby Yates, Texas Rangers
Yates burst onto the scene in 2019, posting a league-leading 41 saves with the Padres. Since then, he has dealt with injuries and consistency struggles when on the field until this season. In a resurgent year with Texas, Yates has thrown 33.1 innings to the tune of a minuscule 0.81 ERA. He has been acting as the Rangers’ closer, notching 15 saves and has struck out 46 batters.
The 37-year-old — like Floro — is on an extremely team-friendly contract as he is making just $4.5 million and is set to hit the open market at the end of the year. Since the Rangers are 46-50 right now, it is conceivable that they could sell at the deadline, we just don’t know if they will have the stomach to, as defending champs.
7. Jason Foley, Detroit Tigers
While playing for the lowly Tigers, Foley is quietly working on his fourth consecutive strong season. Acting as the closer, Foley has saved 15 games and pitched to a 3.62 ERA. The 28-year-old Long Island native relies on a hard sinker to get outs as his 52.9 ground ball percentage is in the 90th percentile league-wide.
Foley is under team control through the 2028 season meaning his price tag may be a bit higher than others. Because of his relatively low walk numbers and high ground ball rate, teams in need of a steady closer are sure to have interest in Foley over the next few weeks.
6. Carlos Estevez, Los Angeles Angels
After being named to the All-Star team in 2023, Estevez has built on a strong season with an even better year in 2024. He has recorded 17 saves for the Halos while holding a 2.61 ERA. The 31-year-old has been extremely hard to reach base against, only walking 1.2 batters per nine innings and owning a 0.774 WHIP.
Estevez will be a free agent after this season, so his value will be limited to that of a rental, but a good one at that. The Angels should be a seller at the deadline, and Estevez is arguably the most likely piece to be dealt.
5. Aroldis Chapman, Pittsburgh Pirates
A year ago, Chapman found himself on the move from the Royals to the Rangers, where he eventually picked up his second career World Series ring. While he has taken a considerable step back this year, he is still a huge asset that the Pirates will definitely look to move.
The Cuban Missile has struck out 56 batters in 34.2 innings (14.5 K/9), thanks to his always elite fastball which ranks in the 98th percentile with an average velocity of 98.2 mph.
Chapman’s struggles have been similar to Kopech’s in that suspect command has hurt him, however, his track record is certainly impressive. His paycheck is a bit higher than others on this list as Chapman is set to earn $10.5 million this season, albeit he will once again hit the open market this winter.
For teams looking for a left-handed fireballer, few will be a higher commodity than Chapman at the deadline.
4. Chad Green, Toronto Blue Jays
Once one of the better relievers in the American League, Green spent much of the last two seasons on the sidelines after needing Tommy John surgery in the middle of the 2022 season.
Now fully recovered, Green has revitalized his career by posting a 2.08 ERA in 26 innings. Green is not striking out batters at quite the same clip as he once was but is still very effective at getting outs and keeping runs off the board.
With the Blue Jays sitting at the bottom of the American League East, Green could certainly be on the move, and will likely have plenty of suitors. If the Blue Jays wanted to prioritize their prospect return on this deal, they may have to eat some of his salary, as Green is making $10.5 million this season and next, which is not cheap for a reliever.
Still, a lot of teams will sign up for that contract, they just might not be as thrilled to give up a blue-chip prospect if they are footing the bill.
3. Tanner Scott, Miami Marlins
The best lefty on the list is Marlins closer Tanner Scott. In 39 innings already, Scott has pitched to a minuscule 1.38 ERA and owns a 1.054 WHIP, an area that plagued him earlier in his career.
The Ohio native is 13-for-15 in saves, which will be of intrigue to teams seeking a reliable ninth-inning man. He also has experience in other roles out of the bullpen, making him a versatile weapon for most contenders.
While teams needing a lefty may opt for Chapman due to the smaller return that he commands, Scott is the gold standard of left-handed bullpen options on the current market. The only issue with Scott is that he is a rental, but a bidding war between contenders could still drive up the price pretty high for the Marlins.
2. Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals
After a 28-save campaign in 2023, Finnegan has established himself as one of the premier closers in the senior circuit this year. The Nats right-hander has closed out 25 saves while owning a 2.45 ERA. Using a high-90s fastball in tandem with a devastating splitter, Finnegan has increased his strikeouts per nine by over one, going from 8.2 to 9.4 over the past year.
Finnegan — like Green — will hold a high price tag because he still has two years of team control. Making $5.1 million in his second year of arbitration, Finnegan will be due for a bump in salary next year, but one that will still be well worth the price. For teams in need of a closer or a high-leverage piece in the bullpen, Finnegan is about as good as it gets.
1. Mason Miller, Oakland Athletics
Mason Miller took the baseball world by storm in April by routinely hitting triple digits with his fastball, dominating opposing hitters. Three and a half months into the season, Miller’s A’s are 37-61 and are headed for another 100-loss season, while the rookie right-hander is on his way to his first career All-Star game.
On the season, Miller has a 2.27 ERA and has struck out an absurd 70 batters in just 39.2 innings. By basically any metric, Miller has been a top-5 closer in the sport this year, and, at just 25 years old, he will surely draw a ton of demand at the end of the month.
Miller won’t hit arbitration until 2026, meaning he will make the minimum for the rest of this year and all of next year, while still carrying five years of control beyond this season.
Rightfully, Oakland will ask a lot for Miller, which may make him unaffordable for many suitors. Nonetheless, if a team does fork up the prospects to get a deal done, Miller is the prize of the bullpen market right now and slots in at the top of our list.
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