(Audacy) While it's too early to know whether teams like the Miami Marlins, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks will be buyers or sellers ahead of the Aug. 2 trade deadline, there are a few teams currently trending toward being open for business this summer.
Here's an early look at the top 10 non-pitching trade candidates that teams already fading from pennant races could look to move this summer.
1. Xander Bogaerts -- SS, Boston Red Sox
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A friend of Bogaerts recently told Jon Heyman of The New York Post that "he's going to leave" when talking about the three-time All-Star. Bogaerts didn't entirely close the door on discussing a new contract with the Red Sox during the season in a conversation with Peter Abraham of the Boston Globe, but by all accounts, the bridge to gap between the two sides might be too much to figure out during the season. With the 29-year-old Bogaerts seemingly likely to opt out of the final three years of his contract this offseason, lead Red Sox executive Chaim Bloom and company might be wise to trade Bogaerts this summer if they don't see a path to re-signing him.
2. J.D. Martinez -- DH/OF, Boston Red Sox
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Martinez is in the final year of a five-year, $110-million deal with the Red Sox, and he continues to rake. Set to turn 35 in August, Martinez is slashing .314/.365/.533 in 2022. While Martinez can play in the outfield, he'd make the most sense for a contender that plans to give him the bulk of their designated hitter at-bats.
3. Willson Contreras -- C, Chicago Cubs
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At the time of publication, Contreras leads all qualified catchers in fWAR (1.0) and on-base percentage (.397). While there's something to be said for the Cubs retaining a fan favorite a summer after trading Kris Bryant, Javier Báez and Anthony Rizzo, he's a 30-year-old catcher on a team that's not in a window of contention. In a contract year, Contreras figures to draw quite a bit of interest from World Series contenders.
4. Josh Bell -- 1B, Washington Nationals
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Bell revived his career in D.C. a season ago and is off to his best start since he was an All-Star with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2019. The switch-hitter is currently slashing .336/.428/.488 with a .916 OPS. The 29-year-old can become a free agent this offseason, so it feels likely that he's among a slew of veterans the Nationals field offers on this summer. His fellow infielder César Hernández could also be someone that general manager Mike Rizzo flips.
5. Ramón Laureano -- CF, Oakland Athletics
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Laureano is off to a slow start in his first 10 games since returning from a PED suspension but has been worth 6.8 fWAR since the start of the 2019 season. The A's aren't even pretending to try to field a contender, and unless Cedric Mullins or Bryan Reynolds becomes available, Laureano could be the best trade candidate at a position without many needle movers.
6. Andrew Benintendi -- LF, Kansas City Royals
Will the Royals trade Andrew Benintendi this summer?
(Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
For as long as it feels like Benintendi has been around, he won't even turn 28 until July. Nonetheless, 2022 is a contract year for Benintendi, who debuted at the big league level for the Boston Red Sox at the age of 21. He hasn't developed into the superstar he once seemed destined to be, but Benintendi is slashing .316/.375/.421 and could play either corner outfield position for a contending team.
7. Mitch Haniger -- RF, Seattle Mariners
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The oft-injured Haniger likely won't return from a high ankle sprain until around the All-Star Break, but he could make an impact for a contending team if the Mariners aren't able to recover from what's been a disappointing month of May so far. As recently as 2021, Haniger homered 39 times and drove in 100 runs while posting an .804 OPS. The 31-year-old Haniger has never played in the postseason and is in a contract year, so a trade might make sense for all parties involved if he can get healthy.
8. Tommy Pham -- LF, Cincinnati Reds
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While some of the players mentioned on this list play for teams that theoretically could turn their seasons around and contend, that's not a concern in Cincinnati. At 9-26, the Reds are the worst team in baseball. Pham still gets on base at a high clip (21 walks, .355 on-base percentage in 2022) and would bring an edge to a younger team in the thick of a postseason race.
9. Daniel Vogelbach -- DH/1B, Pittsburgh Pirates
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After being non-tendered by the Milwaukee Brewers last offseason, Vogelbach caught on with the Pirates and has been really productive thus far. The 29-year-old Vogelbach is slashing .260/.348/.490 with six home runs in 2022. For a team that needs a DH or first baseman, he could be a relatively cheap addition this summer.
10. Nelson Cruz -- DH, Washington Nationals
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Given that Cruz has just a .577 OPS in 2022, it's possible that teams looking for a veteran bat would be wiser to pursue Ryan Mountcastle, Brad Miller or even Brandon Drury this summer. But even at age 41, we're not entirely ready to say that there's nothing left in Cruz's "boomstick." If he heats up as the summer goes on, Cruz and his 453 career home runs will draw interest from contenders.
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