The MLB trade deadline is less than two weeks out, and Jeff Passan just gave the sport a reason to refresh his rankings all over again. Six new names landed on his top 100 trade candidates list: Mason Miller, Shea Langeliers, Zach Neto, Hunter Goodman, Francisco Lindor and Kevin Gausman. That's not a random grab bag either — it's a mix of a shutdown closer, a starting catcher, a former top prospect shortstop, a breakout bat and a franchise face who's been the subject of trade buzz for weeks.
Jeff Passan announced the updated board, promising fresh reporting on the odds each star actually gets moved before Aug. 3.
A new top 100 trade candidates, with Mason Miller, Shea Langeliers, Zach Neto, Hunter Goodman, Francisco Lindor and Kevin Gausman joining. Fresh info on likelihood of the best players going, too. Keep following here as we'll keep updating thorough Aug. 3: https://t.co/4DX6hlcWkx
Miller's addition is the one that'll make GMs sprint to their phones. He's the reigning fireballer who averages triple digits on the fastball and reportedly sits around a 48% strikeout rate, and he's already been the centerpiece of one blockbuster this cycle after San Diego acquired him from Oakland by sending out a top prospect. Now, on a rock-bottom $4 million salary for what's reportedly his walk year of control, the Padres front office hasn't shot down chatter about flipping him again — the same market logic that led them to move on from Juan Soto after just a year and a half.
Kevin Gausman's presence on the list says more about the Blue Jays than it does about him. Toronto has given no public indication it wants to sell, but the team is reportedly sitting with one of the worst records in the American League, and an impending free agent on an expiring deal is exactly the kind of asset a fading contender eventually has to make available. If Toronto slides further out of the race over the next 10 days, Gausman becomes the domino that decides how aggressive their sell-off gets.
Then there's Francisco Lindor, a name that alone would headline any trade board. The Mets have reportedly said they'll at least listen on him, which is a wild sentence to type about a franchise shortstop making the money he makes — but that's where things stand two weeks out from the deadline.
The rest of the additions read like a scouting department's wish list for a rebuild. Hunter Goodman has been mashing for a Rockies team that's going nowhere, reportedly north of 30 home runs through fewer than 100 games, and Colorado holds the leverage since he's not a free agent until after 2029. Zach Neto still has multiple years of team control left with the Angels, which could keep him off the market even as the rest of that roster gets stripped for parts with the club sitting near the bottom of the league. Shea Langeliers rounds out the group as a everyday catcher whose bat plays anywhere.
None of these six are guaranteed to actually change addresses by Aug. 3 — plenty of names on trade boards this time of year end up staying put. But Passan flagging them means the phones are ringing, and the next 10 days are going to be a scramble for contenders trying to figure out which of these guys their front office can actually afford.