5 Just Baseball Top 100 Prospects Who Could Be Traded This Offseason
These prospects all carry value; but roster context, positional congestion, and organizational timelines make each of them trade candidates.
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With contenders pushing into aggressive windows and several organizations needing to convert prospect capital into proven MLB talent, this offseason sets up to be one of the more active prospect trade cycles in recent years. The five Top 100 prospects below all carry significant value — but roster context, positional congestion, and organizational timelines make each a realistic trade candidate.
Bryce Rainer
Prospect TLDR
The former 11th overall pick impressed in a strong but abbreviated pro debut before a shoulder injury shut him down. In his age-19 season at Low-A, Rainer produced a 134 wRC+ with five home runs, four of which went to the opposite field — a window into the prolific raw power that made him such a coveted prep bat. He even opened eyes in spring training with a 114 mph base hit, reinforcing the ceiling on the power tool. The swing decisions and impact are already advanced, but he did run a 49% groundball rate, leaving untapped damage on the table. Even so, the 35-game look was enough to vault him to No. 24 on the Just Baseball Top 100.
Why He Might Be Moved
Rainer is a premium talent, but Detroit’s organizational landscape creates a unique situation. He’s currently blocked by Kevin McGonigle, arguably the best prospect in baseball, who looks increasingly likely to debut — and stick at shortstop — in early 2026. Rainer has the frame and power to move to third base, but the Tigers are already exploring upgrades there and have been tied to Alex Bregman.
More importantly, Detroit is in a legitimate contention window. They were inches away from the ALCS, and Tarik Skubal enters the final year of his contract, signaling urgency to maximize the current core. If the Tigers pursue a major league–ready impact player, Rainer is the type of headline prospect who can anchor a blockbuster return. His value, positional context, and the club’s win-now trajectory make him one of the most logical elite prospects to be shopped this offseason.
Payton Tolle
Prospect TLDR
The former TCU Horned Frog rocketed to the big leagues in his first full professional season, even cracking the Red Sox postseason roster despite limited experience. Tolle attacks hitters with an electric, high-carry fastball from the left side, complementing it with a tight cutter and a developing slider he used about 17% of the time in Triple-A. The three-pitch mix overwhelmed most minor league lineups, though in the majors he leaned heavily on the heater (64% usage across 16.1 MLB innings). The raw stuff is big-league caliber, but command inconsistency surfaced in his debut and remains the primary developmental hurdle.
Why He Might Be Moved
Boston has been vocal about its desire to add a proven No. 2 starter to slot behind Garrett Crochet, and that pursuit could make Tolle one of the organization’s most attractive trade chips. The key variable is that the Red Sox appear to have another ascending lefty they trust even more: Connelly Early, whose stuff popped louder than Tolle’s and who earned the Game 3 Wild Card start. Early’s emergence changes the calculus.
If Boston is shopping for established frontline pitching, Tolle is the kind of controllable, MLB-ready arm who could headline a major trade package. Whether it’s a Joe Ryan deal with Minnesota or a move for Washington’s MacKenzie Gore, Tolle is one of the most logical young arms the Red Sox could leverage to upgrade their rotation for 2026.
Jonny Farmelo
Prospect TLDR
Jonny Farmelo’s early career has been defined by injuries, but whenever he’s been on the field, he’s flashed the elite talent that made him one of the best prep prospects in his class. His production has been limited simply because he hasn’t logged many reps, yet the tools remain undeniable: plus power, top-end speed, and the athleticism to stick in center field. Even if he ultimately shifts to a corner, he profiles as an impact defender with middle-of-the-order upside.
Farmelo’s performance in the Arizona Fall League served as a reminder of why teams were so high on him, showcasing loud contact quality, improved swing decisions, and the type of twitchy explosiveness few prospects possess. As he noted on The Call Up podcast, he believes he’s “just scratching the surface” of his potential — and evaluators agree. If he can stay healthy, he has a legitimate chance to be one of the breakout stars of 2026. Farmelo is a true blue-chip talent in what is arguably the deepest farm system in baseball.
Why He Might Be Moved
Seattle’s system is so loaded that they managed to make a deep postseason push — finishing just one game shy of the World Series — without meaningfully dipping into it at the deadline. With Julio Rodríguez, Cal Raleigh, and new fan favorite Josh Naylor all locked up long term, the Mariners are operating in a clear win-now window. That puts pressure on the front office to convert prospect depth into major league upgrades.
While Farmelo isn’t the highest-ranked prospect in the org, he’s still extremely well-regarded leaguewide and carries notable trade value. With Rodríguez entrenched in center field for the next decade and Colt Emerson potentially arriving as soon as 2026, Seattle can afford to shop one of its athletic outfielders.
For a team in Seattle’s position, Farmelo could be exactly the type of headliner needed to land a frontline starter to pair with Bryan Woo and Logan Gilbert. As painful as it would be to part with a talent of his caliber, the cold reality is that Farmelo likely won’t be ready to help the big-league club until 2027 at the earliest — a timeline that doesn’t align with the Mariners’ current championship aspirations.
Harry Ford
Prospect TLDR
Harry Ford broke out in 2025, earning a late-season look in the big leagues and solidifying his status as one of the most well-rounded catching prospects in baseball. After a brief organizational experiment with him in the outfield, Ford showed enough improvement behind the plate to project as a long-term catcher — a development that significantly lowers the offensive bar he needs to clear to provide value.
Offensively, he more than delivered. Ford posted a 125 wRC+ in Triple-A, fueled by a near-elite 17% walk rate and impressive 85% zone-contact rate. His combination of plate discipline, bat-to-ball consistency, and athleticism gives him a high floor and a clear path to becoming a steady multi-win catcher early in his career. Given his age (22) and rapid developmental strides, Ford looks like a player who could contribute meaningfully at the MLB level as soon as 2026.
Why He Might Be Moved
There are blocked prospects — and then there’s being stuck behind Raleigh, the AL MVP runner-up and one of the most durable, productive catchers in the sport, who’s signed for the next eight years. Ford could help ease Raleigh’s workload a couple times a week, but a part-time role for a high-floor, bat-first catching prospect doesn’t maximize his value. For another organization, he could be a foundational everyday catcher with the runway to develop into an above-average regular.
Seattle’s roster construction adds another layer. The Mariners are firmly in win-now mode, and Ford represents the type of premium, near MLB-ready piece that rebuilding clubs covet in return for established big leaguers. He could certainly be paired with Jonny Farmelo in a megadeal, but it’s more likely he’s moved separately — a team seeking a long-term cornerstone behind the plate could be willing to part with a productive major leaguer to acquire Ford. His blocked path in Seattle, paired with his strong 2025 performance, makes him one of the most logical high-end prospects for the Mariners to leverage this offseason.
Jett Williams
Prospect TLDR
Jett Williams, a former first-round pick, put together an impressive age-21 season split between Double-A and Triple-A. His power-speed combination fully materialized, as he swiped 34 bases and launched 17 home runs across 130 games. Williams pairs strong plate discipline with above-average contact skills, giving him a naturally high offensive floor. His ability to elevate the baseball — with a 31.8% ground-ball rate across both levels — helps him get the most out of his game power despite a smaller frame.
Defensively, he’s logged the majority of his professional reps at shortstop while also mixing in some center field, showcasing his athleticism and versatility. Long term, he may ultimately slide over to second base, where his instincts, quickness, and arm accuracy would allow him to develop into a plus defender.
Why He Might Be Moved
The Mets enter the offseason with one of the deepest farm systems in baseball, sporting eight Just Baseball Top 100 prospects — but they also have one of the thinnest big-league pitching staffs among contenders. Williams is both talented and valuable, but he’s also uniquely expendable given the roster and system around him.
For one, the path to shortstop is essentially blocked off for the next decade. Francisco Lindor, still one of the premier shortstops in the game, is locked up long term, making the idea of Williams ever usurping him wildly unrealistic. Center field offers no clearer runway: Carson Benge (JB’s No. 15 prospect) has soared through the system and could break camp with the Mets in 2026, projecting as the long-term answer at the position.
Williams reached Triple-A at the end of the season, but struggled across a small 34-game sample (81 wRC+). With uncertain fit at the big-league level and other higher-priority prospects rising fast, Williams may hold more value to another organization willing to give him an uninterrupted shot at everyday shortstop.
Given his pedigree, tools, and proximity, Williams is the kind of prospect who could headline a major trade — the type of piece necessary to net a Freddy Peralta–caliber pitcher from Milwaukee or a similarly impactful arm. With the Mets desperate to reinforce the rotation and Williams’ road to playing time crowded at every turn, he stands out as one of the most logical Top 100 prospects to be dealt this offseason.
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