Top 5 Relievers on the Trade Block
Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres (MLB.com)
To be clear, we are speculating to an extent on buyers and sellers. Unless you live in a cave, you probably know Tarik Skubal is likely to be traded. You also probably know the market for right-handed power has plenty of demand with limited supply. In fact, the best hitter available is a left-handed hitter with almost no power and three batting titles on his shelf (Luis Arraez). An interesting and less circulated topic of late is the relief market. Though the moneyball disciples will give a plethora of reasons why trading for a reliever at the deadline is a negative value deal, let’s push back on that. As we’ve said on the pod a few times, the Rangers traded Cole Ragans for a few months of Aroldis Chapman. If you recall, Texas won the World Series that season (2023). There is demonstrative evidence that reliever trades matter, in my book anyhow. Here are the top five guys by my measure that should be available and likely traded by Monday.
1: Mason Miller
Miller throws a million miles an hour, and is a perfect 28-28 in save opportunities with a 0.79 ERA. It’s not a shocker that he’s the belle of the ball, the most popular of the debutantes. He’s 28 years old in a few weeks and still has three years of team control after this season. Due to this combination of his dominance (best reliever in baseball) and his years of club control, he will fetch a king’s ransom if AJ Preller pulls the trigger. I could see the San Diego FO pushing for big league talent in exchange for Mason.
Mason Miller Contract Situation (Spotrac)
Believe it or not, the top two relievers available will come from the same club. If the Padres think they have a real shot at a Wild Card, they may hold onto their superstar closer Miller and flip Morejón instead. Adrián is a free agent at the end of this season, sporting a 3.14 ERA in 2026, after averaging a 2.42 ERA over the previous two seasons. The All Star lefty could close for many teams, or he could be your top lefty for a postseason push. Given that teams are trading for two plus months of service, he won’t cost more than a 50 grade FV type prospect.
3: Luke Weaver
The veteran righty closed eight games last season on the Yankees, finishing his Yankee career with a 3.22 ERA in 129 appearances. Luke was a success story after his conversion from a career starter, and has found sustained success in a different NYC borough with the Mets. He’s been so reliable in fact, that he’s just about guaranteed to be traded in light of the Mets’ disastrous season. Starting on April 30th, Weaver threw 25 consecutive scoreless innings over 24 appearances and now sports a 1.88 ERA this season. He doesn't have the stuff of either Miller or his lefty counterpart, but his command is excellent and the former 1st rounder knows how to pitch. Worth noting, opponents are hitting .156 vs his change this season, and only hit .129 against it in 2025.
Luke Weaver Pitch Tracking (Baseball Savant)
4: Brooks Raley
Two guys from the Padres, now two from the Mets, I’m noticing a pattern here. Raley is also a lefty followed by his righty teammate. As is often the case with lefty veteran relievers, Brooks has experienced being both waiver fodder and a coveted reliever, arguably experiencing each multiple times. At this moment, the pendulum swings toward coveted for Raley, who has a sparkling 2.01 ERA in 2026, with a very impressive 2.33 ERA over his four year tenure in Queens. You’ll get two months of a lefty reliever, like Adrián Morejón, but Brooks doesn’t have the same brand recognition and will likely fetch a lower quality prospect.’
5: Jeff Hoffman
I am a bit reluctant to bestow my #5 slot upon the guy who gave up the game 7 HR to Miggy Rojas, but I digress. Hoff has had some great moments in his career, but he carries a pedestrian 4.26 ERA over his two seasons in Toronto. That said, he has elite swing and miss ability, 98th percentile in chase, whiff and K% (all three exactly coincidentally). You tell me, is 38-year-old Kenley better than Hoffman? Senzatela is worth keeping tabs on in Colorado as well, but I listed Hoff because of both his resume and his ability to strand runners in bad spots.
Jeff Hoffman 2026 Metrics (Baseball Savant)
