When it comes to conversations about the trade deadline, a term you often hear is “value.” What is the value of the player being traded? And what is the value of the return for the player or players in a trade? Both are important questions that have to be answered to make a deal happen.
As we look ahead to this year’s trade deadline (Aug. 3, 6 p.m. ET), there are a few players who are extremely valuable based on a few factors. Those factors include their production this season, their contract status and salary, and even their years of club control remaining. The players below might not all be traded this summer, but they are prized potential trade chips for their current teams.
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Here are the 10 most valuable trade assets ahead of this year’s deadline.
Arraez can roll out of bed and deliver a team two hits without striking out. In a season when teams are struggling to hit league-wide, Arraez provides plenty of value at this year’s trade deadline. The Giants’ second baseman, who’s hitting .326 with 84 hits and a 122 wRC+, is having a resurgent year offensively and playing on a one-year deal, meaning he would be a quality rental for any contender in need of offense. That’s not to mention the jump Arraez has made defensively in 2026, which only increases the value he can bring for two months.
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Right-handed power is a valuable commodity, and it’s one of the things that makes Contreras stand out at this year’s deadline. He has been one of the only successful Red Sox hitters, leading Boston in nearly every offensive category. The first baseman is currently hitting .288 with 13 homers and a .906 OPS in 63 games. And in what is looking like a season in which Boston has to sell, making the most of Contreras’ value and getting valuable pieces for the future in return might be in the Sox’s best interest.
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A year ago, Soroka was a trade-deadline acquisition by the Cubs. Thanks to an injury suffered in his first start in Chicago and a lengthy stay on the injured list, the second half of his season didn’t go as planned. But in 2026, Soroka has been one of the biggest surprises in baseball. The Arizona right-hander is 8-3 with a 3.28 ERA through 13 starts.
Once again, he has put himself in position to be on the move if Arizona decides to sell. Soroka, who signed a one-year, $7.5 million deal in the offseason, would be one of the rental arms on the market. For a team looking for a quality rotation addition for the stretch run, Soroka fills that need.
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If there’s one thing both Wacha and Lugo have brought to the Royals’ rotation over the past three seasons, it’s consistency. Wacha (4-4, 3.44 ERA) and Lugo (2-4, 3.91 ERA) have been two of the American League’s best starters in recent years, and with both having one more year of club control after this season, they could be intriguing targets for teams looking for rotation help for this season and next.
Kansas City‘s moves the past few seasons have not worked out the way the team had hoped. But starting pitching has been an area of strength for the Royals lately. Moving one or both of their better arms could be the key to injecting some much-needed life into both the farm system and the big-league roster, while knowing the rotation has quality arms such as Cole Ragans and Noah Cameron to build around in the future.
It seems hard to believe that just six months after the New York Mets acquired Peralta from the Milwaukee Brewers, trading the right-hander again is a possibility. But given the way the Mets have played in the season’s first half, president of baseball operations David Stearns might not have a choice. Peralta, who will be a free agent at season’s end, would be one of the bigger names moved this summer if New York sells. The Mets’ right-hander, who is 4-5 with a 4.04 ERA, has postseason experience and the stuff to be the best arm on a contender’s staff down the stretch.
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Ten years ago, Chapman was a premier trade-deadline acquisition for the 2016 Chicago Cubs, who went on to win the World Series. And 10 years later, still throwing harder than 100 mph in the ninth inning, the Red Sox’s closer is again a coveted trade-deadline target. Chapman, who at 38 years old has a 0.46 ERA and 13 saves, will be the best bullpen arm available this summer, and his 2027 option vests with 40 innings pitched, something he’s already almost halfway to achieving (19 2/3 IP through Tuesday).
Ryan’s name has been swirling in trade rumors for some time, and things will be no different this year. The 30-year-old righty has been one of the American League’s most consistent starters the past several seasons and is again proving he’s a frontline arm, with a 4-3 record and a 3.07 ERA through 14 starts this season. The extra appeal for any team looking to acquire a frontline starter is that the Twins’ ace has an additional year of club control after this season. That also gives Minnesota more leverage to get a strong return.
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Alvarez is the least likely player on this list to be traded, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t an extremely valuable trade asset. The Astros’ slugger is putting together an MVP-worthy first half and the best season of his career, hitting .317 with 22 homers and an MLB-leading 1.074 OPS through 68 games.
So why would Houston entertain trading him? For a decade, the Astros were perennial World Series contenders, and when you’re always in win-now mode, you use your prospect capital to address needs at the major-league level. Houston was extremely successful in doing that, but at this point, it has left the farm system depleted. Alvarez has two more years of club control after this season, and when you combine that with his otherworldly talent, the haul the Astros could get in return for him would be massive — even more than it would take to get the final superstar on this list.
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1. Tarik Skubal, SP, Detroit Tigers
This wasn’t a hard choice. Skubal is the most valuable trade asset in the sport at this year’s deadline. And you could make the case that he has been the most valuable trade asset the past three trade deadlines. The Tigers’ ace is the best pitcher in baseball, and despite his being on the IL for the past month after having a loose body removed from his left elbow, he’s close to completing a rehab assignment and returning to Detroit’s rotation.
Prior to going on the injured list, the back-to-back AL Cy Young Award winner, who is a free agent at season’s end, was doing what he usually does, with a 2.70 ERA and 45 strikeouts in his first seven starts. A player of this caliber is rarely available even as a two-month rental. Skubal would be an extremely valuable final piece for any contender trying to make a push to win the World Series.
