The trade deadline always turns prospect boards into shopping lists, and this year should be no different. With the 2026 MLB trade deadline set for 6 p.m.
ET on Monday, Aug. 3, plenty of young talent is expected to move over the next week. A true blue-chip name like Leo De Vries is a different tier entirely - the kind of prospect who usually stays put - but there are plenty of good players who fit the deadline mold just fine.
Some are blocked. Some are surplus pieces.
Some are the sort of prospects contenders are willing to part with when they need help in the majors right now. Here are 10 names who could be on the move.
Kevin Alcántara has been stuck behind Pete Crow-Armstrong, Ian Happ, and Seiya Suzuki in Chicago, and that’s been the story for a while. The Cubs originally got him from the Yankees in the Anthony Rizzo trade, and while Happ and Suzuki are set to hit free agency after this season, that doesn’t automatically make Alcántara untouchable.
The 24-year-old has held his own in Triple-A, but the swing-and-miss is real, and a win-now club may not want to wait through the adjustment period. The appeal is obvious: he bats right-handed, can handle center field, and right-handed-hitting outfielders are in short supply.
The Cardinals have their own logjam, only at catcher. Iván Herrera could be treated as a full-time DH, and even then St.
Louis still has Jimmy Crooks and Pedro Pagés in the big leagues, plus Rainiel Rodriguez, who is viewed as arguably the best catching prospect in the minors. That leaves Leo Bernal, 22, as the odd man out.
He’s been raking in Triple-A and brings strong defense, and in a different organization he’d probably already be in the majors. Instead, he looks like one of the clearest trade candidates on the board.
Caden Bodine is in a similar spot with Tampa Bay. The Rays have never really had a franchise catcher, but Bodine, acquired from the Orioles in the Shane Baz trade, may still be the one they’re most willing to move.
Nathan Flewelling is considered Tampa’s best catching prospect, and if the Rays really are pushing for a big swing like Tarik Skubal or Hunter Goodman, they’ll need to include real talent. Bodine, 22, with an on-base percentage north of .400 in Double-A, fits that kind of package.
Milwaukee’s corner-infield depth makes Andrew Fischer another name to watch. The Brewers have Luke Adams and Blake Burke in the mix, along with the versatile Luis Peña and Jett Williams, both of whom have spent time at third base this season.
Fischer, 22, stands out because his defense at the hot corner is not especially nimble, and Milwaukee has tended to favor shortstop-caliber gloves there. In a system this crowded, that can make a player the one who gets moved.
Pitching is still the Yankees’ best trade currency, and Ben Hess looks like the kind of arm that could get pulled into a deal. New York is deep in the minors, especially at Triple-A and Double-A, and that’s exactly the sort of inventory teams use to fill big-league needs.
Hess, 23, missed time earlier this season with arm “fatigue,” but he’s healthy now and has the kind of stuff that gets attention from the analytical crowd. He isn’t MLB-ready yet, though it shouldn’t take long.
The Dodgers, meanwhile, have so many outfield prospects that moving one feels inevitable. Baseball America has Josue De Paula, Mike Sirota, and Eduardo Quintero ranked No.
4, No. 14, and No. 18 in baseball, and all three play the outfield. Add Zyhir Hope, a top 100 prospect at 21, and James Tibbs III, 23, who is among the minor-league home run leaders in Triple-A, and the logjam gets hard to ignore.
Los Angeles can keep them all if it wants, but that doesn’t really make sense. Hope and Tibbs look like the most obvious chips.
Cooper Ingle brings a different kind of appeal. The Guardians’ 24-year-old catcher and outfielder already has some big-league time, going 2 for 21 with 12 strikeouts in seven games in late June and early July.
That line won’t scare teams off because his calling card is the bat, and he’s shown he can get on base at a .400 clip. He can catch, and he can play both outfield corners.
Last weekend in Triple-A, he caught for the first time in over a month after playing the outfield exclusively, which had the feel of a trade showcase. Either way, clubs that call on him are doing it for the offense first.
Boston’s pitching depth has become one of the organization’s real strengths, and Marcus Phillips could be the next arm used to improve the major-league roster. The Red Sox have climbed back into the wild-card race, and Phillips, last year’s No. 33 overall pick, is a 21-year-old who has touched 100 mph.
He might not even rank among Boston’s top five pitching prospects, which tells you how much depth they have built on that side. Other teams will want him, and Boston has shown it can use that kind of arm to get something it needs.
Bryan Rincon is not the loudest name on this list, but he checks a lot of deadline boxes. The Phillies’ 22-year-old shortstop was a 14th-round pick in 2022, has put together a breakout year in Double-A, and brings a terrific glove with a rocket arm.
He’s also on the 40-man roster bubble and will be Rule 5 Draft eligible this offseason. That combination usually leads to movement at this time of year, especially when a team may not have the room to protect him.
Rincon probably won’t headline a deal, but he could easily be the second or third piece that helps one get done.
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