The biggest names dealt at the MLB trade deadline don’t always have the most impact. Here are four players who could be huge additions to contenders.
There are usually a lot of fireworks in the week leading up to the MLB trade deadline, but this year, the sparks might not fly as much.
Trades will certainly happen, and fans will be interested to see the supplementary pieces their teams get. But it doesn’t appear a lot of superstar talent will be on the move with 12 teams in the American League and 10 in the National League within 5.5 games of a playoff spot entering Thursday’s action.
Yet, that doesn’t mean talented players won’t be on new teams come August. Several players who are traded to little fanfare in-season end up being important players in the playoffs. Just ask the Atlanta Braves, who acquired Eddie Rosario and Jorge Soler in 2021 and got tepid reviews for it. Rosario won NLCS MVP and Soler was the World Series MVP for a Braves team that tore through the second half and postseason to become world champions.
There are hidden gems that get moved every July, from players who are mentioned often as trade candidates but not given the credit they deserve to players truly off the radar.
These players may not capture headlines in the local paper on the day they move, but they could end up being significant characters in the 2025 MLB season.
Here are four players who are under the radar heading toward the MLB trade deadline on July 31, but could flourish with the right opportunity:
Edward Cabrera, Starting Pitcher, Miami Marlins
Ideally, teams are on the hunt for players with an established floor, untapped potential and multiple years of team control. Edward Cabrera might check all three boxes.
“Floor” might be a bit of a reach for Cabrera finally taking the step to becoming an above-average member of the rotation for the first time, but he’s established a baseline for production that seems real. The 6-foot-5 right-hander has long been one of the best “if he ever figures it out” guys in the league, and he’s starting to figure it out.
This year, Cabrera is using a sinker as his primary fastball for the first time and has dropped his arm slot to finally get consistently solid results, generating a 3.48 ERA and 3.56 FIP.
Those are the numbers of a solid pitcher, but both the eye test and advanced numbers suggest there is still untapped potential.
Cabrera is eighth in strike+ (minimum 75 innings) this season, which measures how good a pitcher is at generating whiffs or getting called strikes based on his pitch types. But the majority of his value comes from his ability to get called strikes. His looking strike percentage is sixth among all pitchers (minimum 75 innings), per Baseball Reference.
Whiff+ (which is solely based on getting batters to swing and miss) has Cabrera 70th among the same group of pitchers, meaning he hasn’t been as prolific at generating swings and misses as one might think with his stuff.
Cabrera’s increased sinker usage has improved the effectiveness of his fastball, but it still gets hit hard considering he has above-average velocity coming from a big frame. If there are teams out there that believe they could tweak his grip or mechanics to make the fastball more effective, one might pay a hefty sum to acquire the Marlins starter, whose contract status includes three additional years left of team control after this one.
There are some red flags with Cabrera, as he’s already 27 years old and has yet to throw 100 innings in a season due to injury problems. He’s thrown 88.0 innings this year, so his workload will need to be monitored. Plus, he’s not young and has only half a season of consistent above-average performance in addition to his injury history.
But if teams are confident in his medical evaluation, they could see a player who is finally healthy enough to harness his upside. If the Marlins choose to deal Cabrera, the price will be exorbitant, and the winning bid will be from a team that believes his best is yet to come.
Brock Stewart, Relief Pitcher, Minnesota Twins
Even some well-informed MLB fans may not have heard Brock Stewart’s name. If the Twins were to trade him, most would assume he was a depth reliever on the move. But Stewart is so much more than that.
Stewart has been a journeyman whose time in baseball has included a stint with the Chicago Deep Dish, an independent league team not exactly known for its pipeline to MLB. His second stint in the big leagues started with a bang, as he compiled a 0.65 ERA and 2.20 FIP in 27.2 innings in 2023. He struggled last year, though, while only pitching 15.2 innings due to injury.
But Stewart has righted the ship this year. He features a moving fastball and sweeper from an odd angle that completely flummoxes right-handed hitters. There are dramatic splits and then there’s what Stewart has done this season.
His OPS allowed against right-handed hitters is second-best in all of baseball among pitchers who have faced at least 50 of them, trailing only Milwaukee Brewers starter Jacob Misiorowski.
Obviously, it’s more difficult to deploy a pitcher with dramatic splits in the three-batter minimum era, but there’s a ton of value in having the best reliever in baseball against right-handed hitters. There aren’t many other pitchers a team would want on the mound in a big spot in the playoffs against Aaron Judge or Fernando Tatis Jr. Overall, he’s managed a sparkling 2.51 ERA and 3.12 FIP.
With two years left after this one on his deal, the Twins may opt to hold onto him. But they have financial constraints that may cause them to want prospects who could turn into cheap everyday players. If they make him available, a smart team will pounce.
Austin Slater, Chicago White Sox, Outfielder
Without star bats available before the MLB trade deadline, teams could turn to platoon players like Austin Slater.
Slater’s been a lefty masher for most of his career, but a down season in 2024 led him to take a one-year deal with the White Sox in hopes of rebuilding his value. With the AL Central franchise in rebuilding mode, it seems likely to cash in on his strong start and send him to a team needing the short side of a platoon.
For his career, Slater has a .797 OPS against lefties. That number is even higher in 2025 at .852.
His overall production this season has been good in a small amount of time. He missed some time with a torn meniscus but has the 15th-best RV+ among MLB hitters with at least 100 plate appearances. He’s hitting the ball better than ever and, with lefties dominating now more than ever, will be coveted at the deadline.
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1 week ago Taylor BechtoldRamon Laureano, Baltimore Orioles, Outfielder
It’s surprising there hasn’t been more buzz about Ramon Laureano before the MLB trade deadline. He’s turned into a really good hitter.
Laureano makes contact at a below-average rate (94.8 contact+) and has above average discipline (107.7 discipline+). But what sets him apart is his ability to do damage when he makes contact. His 157.8 BIP+ is 33rd in MLB among qualified hitters.
There might be some concern that Laureano is a flash in the pan, as he’s slowed down in July after a hot stretch that included May and June. He also hasn’t had a full season with an OPS+ of 110 or greater since 2021.
But Laureano was quietly very good after getting traded to Atlanta last year, giving him almost a full season of an OPS over .800 between the second half of 2024 and the first half of 2025.
Without a ton of difference-making hitters available, Laureano’s ability to do damage will be coveted. The Orioles have an affordable team option on him for next season at $6.5 million, but would likely deal him for the right price.
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