The Top 100 prospects most likely to be dealt by the Trade Deadline are ...
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As teams prepare to make a splash in the playoff race at the Trade Deadline, which players could make up the prospect capital on the move?
On the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo -- along with host Jason Ratliff -- examined which Top 100 prospects appear most likely to be dealt before Monday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline. They looked at factors like team need, opportunity and fit to determine the best candidates, then picked them in a four-round draft based on the perceived likelihood of each player being dealt.
Last season, the top two picks from this draft did indeed get traded, though those came in the offseason when Harry Ford went from the Mariners to the Nationals while the Cubs flipped Owen Caissie to the Marlins.
Let's see who Jim and Jonathan have on their lists in 2026.
Zyhir Hope, OF, Dodgers (LAD No. 5/MLB No. 25)
Callis: I went with Zyhir Hope. I think he winds up on a corner long term, but I think he's got the power to make that work. I think he could be a 20-20 guy, if not more, on a corner, and I think he'd be a plus defender on a corner. He's got a strong arm, so he could play right. He could play center if he wanted. He's just a very good player. … I just think Zyhir Hope is the best combination of talented players. Like he's maybe fourth in the pecking order if you're really lining up all the outfielders, so they'd be more willing to trade him. He's in Double-A, so he's not light years away. If the Dodgers make a significant move, I expect Zyhir Hope to be part of that trade. I feel very good about that pick. I think the rest of it is random speculation. But I feel like Zyhir Hope makes a lot of sense.
Elmer Rodríguez, RHP, Yankees (NYY No. 3/MLB No. 73)
Mayo: I'm going with Elmer Rodríguez. And I think he checks off a lot of boxes that teams who are looking to acquire prospects would be looking for. He's pitched in the big leagues. He's had success at Triple-A. He's only 22. He doesn't turn 23 until next month. You could trade for him and if you're rebuilding, you could put him into your rotation for the rest of the year to see what you get. It's not the hugest ceiling in the world, but I think it's rare to be able to find a ready-made big league starter, even if it's a mid-rotation, No. 4 kind of guy, right away. You bring him in, you plug him into a rebuilding rotation and you're kind of good to go. So to me, he's exactly the kind of Top-100 guy who gets dealt in a Deadline deal.
Josh Adamczewski, OF, Brewers (MIL No. 6/MLB No. 88)
Callis: I think Josh Adamczewski kind of fits all the boxes as he's a talented player, but we have him ranked sixth on the Brewers list, so he's not one of their super elite guys. He's hit .315 this year, hit .315 for his career, starting to show more power. Controls the strike zone very well. Not like a blazer, but could steal an occasional base. We talk about the Brewers and they do great work in the late rounds. He was a 15th round pick they signed back in 2023 (as an) outfielder. So they value him, but also I think with the emergence of guys like Braylon Payne has had a tremendous year. There's another outfielder. Alexander Frias is hitting .350 in Single-A ball. They have more outfielders coming. Josiah Ragsdale's another one that they could afford to trade an outfielder. So I could see Josh Adamczewski being on the move if the Brewers look to make a significant upgrade.
James Tibbs III, OF, Dodgers (LAD No. 9/MLB No. 90)
Mayo: I think all along... he knew deep down he was gonna get traded a third time. He’s already been traded twice. First-rounder of the Giants in 2024. The Giants sent him to the Red Sox in the Rafael Devers trade. Very shortly after that, the Red Sox turned him around and sent him to the Dodgers. And he just hits. I think if in another organization he'd be in the big leagues just because he's put up good numbers in Triple-A. Really good left-handed hitter. He's got 20-plus homers for two years in a row. He draws a ton of walks. Like I said about Rodríguez, this is a guy that if you trade for him, you call him up and you give him a chance to show what he can do. Maybe you wanna keep an eye on his rookie status for PPI pick potential, but I think you call him up at some point post-trade to see what he can do at the highest level. It's a really advanced approach. He's played first and a bunch of corner outfield, I think he'd probably be fine at either. He's not your typical first baseman because he's under six feet, but he's a left-left guy who can really hit and with power.
Jefferson Rojas, INF, Cubs (CHC No. 2/MLB No. 64)
Callis: Super advanced bat. He's only 21 years old. He struggled when he got to Double-A last year, but he's made some adjustments. He's driving the ball in the air again. He can just really, really hit.
And he's a third baseman, maybe a shortstop, but he's not gonna displace Dansby Swanson. He's not gonna displace Alex Bregman. He's not gonna move to second base and displace Nico Hoerner. And there's really no place for him to play. So I think when the Cubs go out and make moves, I don't think it's gonna be a (Tarik) Skubal, but maybe they go get a Joe Ryan, maybe they'll go get a Reid Detmers. I could see Jefferson Rojas being part of that package.
Michael Arroyo, 2B/OF, Mariners (SEA No. 5/MLB No. 40)
Mayo: I singled out Michael Arroyo just because there isn't really a place for him to play. It's unclear where he fits best. He's been playing a lot of left field, and maybe that's his best position. That limits him a little bit. He's not gonna play second base on this team. They have so many good young infielders. But the guy can hit. You know, he's up in Triple-A now. He's been raking since he got to Tacoma with a .935 OPS over his 15 games there. Overall, he's got an OPS over .840, double digits homers and steals. He's only 21. So it's a super young right-handed bat with some position questions about him. But again, upper levels, maybe he moves back and forth between the corner outfield spot and second base and see what works best. This is an area where I think the Mariners could trade someone like him. Sort of like they could have traded Harry Ford and eventually did because he wasn't going to catch in Seattle. There isn't a spot for Arroyo and there isn't a clear place for him that he fits defensively, so he could be a guy that would be of interest to teams who are selling at the deadline.
Charles Davalan, OF, Dodgers (LAD No. 8/MLB No. 82)
Callis: I'm gonna go with Charles Davilon who I think is a very talented player, but he's kind of buried on that long-term outfield depth chart. He was a supplemental first round pick last year, out of Arkansas, and he's played very well this year. He's been in High-A ball all year, he's hitting .284, he's got an OPS over .900, he's showing some surprising power with 16 homers. He's more of an average power guy, but he's shown better than that. He's stolen 15 bases, he's a solid runner. I think he's capable of playing center field, maybe more of an average defender there. A little bit better than that on the corners, but you're getting a very advanced left-handed hitter who's already showing more power than people expected. Instead of being a 12-to-15 homer guy, he might be 15-to-20. And it's just hard to project, ‘Where's this guy gonna get on the field for the Dodgers anytime in the near future?’ Because not only do we talk about how they have six outfielders on our Top 100 right now, like Davalan, four of them are left-handed hitters.
Cooper Ingle, C/OF, Guardians (CLE No. 3/MLB No. 59)
Mayo: Cooper Ingle's a guy who, like we've talked about a lot of guys, there isn't a clear place for him to play. He has caught. They've moved him to the outfield to improve his versatility and maybe get that bat into the lineup. He did make his big-league debut. It was very, very brief and unsuccessful, but it was only 21 at-bats over seven games. But he's having a huge breakout year offensively with an OPS of .990. A bunch of extra-base hits, really good plate discipline, as he's always had. So I could see them striking while the iron is hot and there'd be more interest in him as a guy in Triple-A. He's 24. He's undersized, but he can really hit. I could see them deciding, you know what, now is the time to deal with him because there isn't a place for him to play. He's not gonna help us in this playoff run, nor is there necessarily a place for him to break into the lineup next year. So maybe this is the time where the Guardians part with one of their Top 100 guys.