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Best Outfielders Available Before the MLB Trade Deadline
Only nine MLB teams are definite sellers as the trade deadline nears. Several others could join them before July 31, with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, and Tampa Bay Rays at risk of pivoting to sales as they sit on the brink of contention.
Plenty of contending teams could benefit from adding another outfielder. It might be a case of reinforcing the defense or looking to get another useful bat into the lineup.
Luis Robert Jr.
Robert has a $20 million team option in each of the next two years. An All-Star and 12th in MVP voting in 2023, the White Sox star has an 82 OPS+ and 1.9 bWAR since the start of the 2024 season.
The raw skills are still there. He’s an elite defender in center, has 90th percentile sprint speed, and ranks in the 93rd percentile in bat speed. His walk rate has skyrocketed to over 10%, but he’s still in the eighth percentile in whiff rate, and his barrel rate has plummeted from the 15.4% high-water mark in 2023.
Chicago can’t demand much for Robert with the money owed and his recent production. He’s still only 27, though, and has the tools to return to his All-Star performance from less than two years ago.
Mike Tauchman
With a great eye and the ability to play solid corner outfield defense, Tauchman is a good, cheap option for teams looking to improve their outfield production.
Hitting from the left side, Tauchman has an .824 OPS in 198 plate appearances in 2025. He has a 111 OPS+ since returning from Korea at the start of the 2023 season and has another year remaining of arbitration.
Cedric Mullins
Still an above-average defender in center field and reliably around league-average as a hitter, Mullins is one of a few Baltimore Orioles who should be dealt before the trade deadline, with Baltimore facing a lost season.
Since giving up on switch-hitting before the 2021 campaign, Mullins has an OPS+ of 112. He’s hit 18.4 home runs per season and stolen an average of 25.8 bases. His speed has bounced back in 2025 to reach the level it was at in 2022.
Jesús Sánchez
Under team control through the 2026 and 2027 seasons and with only a $4.5 million salary in 2025, the Marlins will be in no rush to deal Sánchez. He is, however, exactly the kind of player Miami should be looking to trade as a toolsy, controllable outfielder.
Kyle Stowers has claimed one corner outfield spot. Kemp Alderman is on course to get reps in the outfield before the end of next season. Sánchez, as talented as he is, hasn’t developed as hoped, with an OPS+ between 101 and 104 in 2023, 2024, and 2025.
That level of production is useful for Miami, but it’s not a foundational piece worth extending. Another team could give up pieces to take a chance on a player with elite bat speed and impressive batted-ball metrics.
Willi Castro
If the Twins decide to sell, the versatility of Castro will be in demand on the trade market. Castro is having a career year with a 115 OPS+ and should be easy to acquire as a pending free agent.
A switch-hitter with vast experience playing shortstop, second base, and left field, the former Tiger is the ideal utility man on a contending team. He’s also played a fair bit of center and right field.
The walk rate is at a career high, and he’s got above-average speed.
Harrison Bader
Bader is primarily a left fielder with the Twins. He’s still an elite defender in the outfield and would be an upgrade in center for most contending teams. His sprint speed has declined slightly (he’s still in the 82nd percentile).
In the midst of his best offensive season since 2021, Bader is posting the highest barrel rate of his career and has already matched his 2023 home run total in 55 fewer games.
The $10 million mutual option for 2026 isn’t going to be picked up. This is very much a rental, but it could be an impactful one.
Taylor Ward
The Angels perennially cling to hope of a playoff berth. If pragmatism reigns supreme for once in Anaheim, they will deal Ward with over a year remaining until he hits free agency. His value would be high at this deadline, giving the acquiring team two postseason runs.
Ward would likely be the best outfielder on the market. Since the start of 2021, he has a 116 OPS+ and already has 23 homers to his name in 2025. He’s 20th among all outfielders in wRC+ since the beginning of the 2022 campaign, and only 10 outfielders have more big flies over that period.
He rarely chases, plays more than passable corner outfield defense, and sits in the 86th percentile in barrel rate.
Austin Hays
The Reds shouldn’t be in a rush to sell. They could look to do a bit of buying and a bit of selling. Hays might be one player deemed expendable, given his upcoming free agency and mediocre offensive production last season.
The 132 OPS+ is by far the highest of Hays’ career when he’s played more than 50 games in a season. It’s unlikely to be sustainable, though the 14.2% barrel rate gives something for teams to get interested in.
Hays has been a much better first-half player for most of his career. Front offices should be wary, but he’s also worth a gamble as a lefty masher with a 1.155 OPS against southpaws in 2025.
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