The pros and cons of 7 top starting pitching trade candidates

The Winter Meetings came and went without a single trade involving a notable starting pitcher. But there is still a lot of offseason left, and the rumors about several trade candidates are continuing to swirl.

Here’s a look at seven intriguing rotation arms whose potential availability could shake up the market.

Tarik Skubal, Tigers

Contract situation: arbitration eligible (controllable through 2026)

Why Detroit could trade him: Skubal is heading into his final season before free agency, and with contract extension talks at a standstill, the Tigers are facing the possibility of watching the best pitcher in the sport depart for another team one year from now and getting maybe only a Draft pick in return, assuming they extend him the qualifying offer. So, it might be in Detroit's best long-term interests to see what it can get for the highly coveted ace. And Tigers president of baseball operations Scott Harris is listening to trade proposals.

Pros: He's the American League Cy Young Award winner two years running, is entering his age-29 season and has averaged 193 innings, 234 strikeouts, a 2.30 ERA and a 0.91 WHIP over the past two years. Is that good? Any team that acquires Skubal isn't just gaining a top-shelf starter; it is sending a clear signal to the rest of the league that it will do whatever it takes to win the 2026 World Series. Skubal was MLB's most valuable pitcher by Statcast's pitching run value metric last season, and his changeup was the game's most valuable pitch.

Cons: It's expected that any Skubal suitor will have to pony up a haul of players for his services and even then, there is no guarantee that his next team will have him for more than one year. The sensational southpaw is represented by Scott Boras, who typically likes for his clients to reach the open market. Thus, teams interested in Skubal have to ask themselves if it's worth possibly mortgaging their future for 30-35 starts from Skubal -- and one postseason run -- before he bolts in free agency.

MacKenzie Gore, Nationals

Contract situation: arbitration eligible (controllable through 2027)

Why Washington could trade him: Gore might be the most popular starting pitcher on the trade block, with reports that more than half of the league has checked in with the Nationals about him. The return for him figures to be enormous, and Washington still has enough starters to construct a rotation for next season as its roster currently stands. A move would ostensibly boost the Nationals' farm system, which ranked 23rd in MLB this past summer. Ultimately, multiple executives expect Gore to be traded, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand.

Pros: Gore has been considered a star in waiting since he was the third overall pick of the 2017 Draft by San Diego and the centerpiece of the Nationals' return for Juan Soto in 2022. In 2025, he really started to put it all together. He was named an All-Star for the first time and entered the break with a 3.02 ERA and a 2.96 FIP across 110 1/3 innings. He boasted a 30.5% strikeout rate and a K-to-BB ratio of nearly 4-to-1 at the time. Gore has shown during those stretches that he can be a bona fide ace, and there is probably some untapped potential remaining in the 26-year-old left-hander.

Cons: Although the first half of last season was evidence of Gore's ceiling, the second half showed his floor. He had a few disastrous starts out of the break and produced a 6.75 ERA and a 5.49 FIP over his final 11 turns. Gore made it through six innings only twice during that stretch, saw his K rate plummet to 20.7%, walked 29 batters in 49 1/3 innings and spent time on the injured list due to left shoulder inflammation and a right ankle impingement. He finished with a 4.17 ERA and a 4.37 expected ERA. Gore's xERA has been 4.20 or worse in each of the past three seasons.

Freddy Peralta, Brewers

Contract situation: signed through 2026 (owed $8 million)

Why Milwaukee could trade him: The Brewers have plenty of recent history of trading star pitchers ahead of their final year under club control. They traded ace Corbin Burnes before the 2024 season and reliever Devin Williams the next offseason, each prior to their last season before free agency. In 2022, they traded closer Josh Hader about 14 months before he was slated to reach the open market. Now, they could do the same with their Opening Day starter from the past two seasons.

• Yankees, Red Sox, Giants among teams interested in Peralta (report)

Pros: The 29-year-old Peralta is coming off a year in which he registered a career-best 2.70 ERA over 176 2/3 innings. He also topped the 200-strikeout mark and had a whiff rate better than 30% for the third consecutive season. "Fastball Freddy" gained a little bit of velocity on his four-seamer this year, averaging a personal-best 94.8 mph. Opposing hitters batted just .209 against his fastball while their slugging percentage was less than .300 versus his changeup, curveball and slider. Those results, combined with Peralta's very modest contract cost in 2026, make him an enticing option for any pitching-needy team.

Cons: Peralta's command can be erratic at times, and he can run into trouble when he isn't locating properly. His walk rate was north of 9% for the second straight year in 2025, and his barrel rate reached a six-year high of 9.3%, putting him in the 32nd percentile for that stat. Although he has thrown only 33 1/3 postseason innings, Peralta's October track record has been hit-or-miss. This past season, he allowed eight earned runs and five homers across 15 1/3 frames in the playoffs.

Mitch Keller, Pirates

Contract situation: signed through 2028 (owed $55.7 million)

Why Pittsburgh could trade him: The Pirates have an enviable stable of young, high-upside starting pitchers; you know about Paul Skenes, but when you add in top prospects Bubba Chandler and Hunter Barco, Jared Jones (who is recovering from right elbow surgery), Mike Burrows and Braxton Ashcraft, you have the makings of a strong group of starters who are all 26 or younger. However, what the Pirates have in arms, they lack in offense. Pittsburgh had the lowest OPS (.655) and the fewest runs scored this past season (583), so trading Keller, who turns 30 in April, could help them bring back a much-needed bat.

Pros: Keller will answer the bell every fifth day. He has recorded at least 30 starts and 175 innings in each of the past three seasons. His 548 2/3 innings since 2023 are the sixth most in the Majors. A 2023 All-Star, he can keep hitters guessing with a six-pitch mix that includes a low-80s sweeper that gets 17.5 inches of horizontal break. He's under contract for three more seasons at a relatively affordable $18.5 million average annual value.

Cons: Keller profiled as a potential ace when he was a high-ranking prospect, but he's much more of a mid-rotation innings eater than a frontline starter. His ERA+ ranged between 98 and 106 over the past three seasons (100 is league average). He finished with an ERA above 4.00 in each of those years, including a 4.18 ERA and a 4.46 expected ERA in 2025. His strikeout rate has fallen from 25.5% in '23 to just 20.0% this year, and he's lost a full tick off his four-seamer during that span.

Kris Bubic, Royals

Contract situation: arbitration eligible (controllable through 2026)

Why Kansas City could trade him: Much like the Pirates, the Royals are searching for a lineup boost and have the pitching depth to make something happen. They traded for Isaac Collins and signed Lane Thomas to a one-year deal, per sources, but Kansas City's outfield still needs an impact bat just about anywhere. Although Cole Ragans and 2025 rookie Noah Cameron have also been mentioned in trade rumors, Bubic seems likeliest of the bunch to be moved since he is under club control for just one more season, and his stock is up on the heels of an All-Star campaign.

Pros: Bubic ended this year with a 2.55 ERA and a 2.89 FIP over 116 1/3 innings. He left batters flailing with a 76th percentile whiff rate (28.8%) and an 89th percentile chase rate (32.4%). He also does a good job of limiting damaging contact; his barrel rate has been less than 7% in each of the past three seasons, and his 6.6% mark in 2025 ranked in the 78th percentile. If Bubic's next team decides to use him in relief instead of the rotation, he has shown that he can thrive in that role. He made 27 appearances out of the bullpen in 2024 and posted an impressive 32.2% K rate next to a skinny 4.1% walk rate over 30 1/3 innings.

Cons: The curtain fell on the lefty's season in July because of a rotator cuff strain. Injuries have been a theme in Bubic's career as he hasn't exceeded 130 frames in any of his six big league seasons. He has tossed a total of 162 2/3 innings since the start of 2023, a year in which he underwent Tommy John surgery in April. His results since returning to the mound in July 2024 have been stellar, but relying on Bubic to shoulder something close to a full starter's workload in '26 may be too optimistic.

Nick Pivetta, Padres

Contract situation: signed through 2028 (owed $52.5 million) with opt-outs available following the 2026 and '27 seasons

Why San Diego could trade him: Although the Padres have multiple glaring holes in their rotation, they might choose to sell high on their best starter from last season if he can net them multiple younger, MLB-ready players. San Diego could also be inclined to make a deal since Pivetta will likely opt out of his contract a year from now and become a free agent if he can repeat his 2025 success.

Pros: Pivetta's first year in San Diego was the best of his nine-year career. He produced a 2.87 ERA and a 149 ERA+ over a career-high 181 2/3 innings with 190 K's. He ranked fifth in MLB in pitching run value and finished sixth in the National League Cy Young voting -- his first time receiving votes. Pivetta's mid-90s four-seamer was among the best pitches in the sport, limiting hitters to a .183 average with a 30.3% strikeout rate.

Cons: Besides the risk of giving up a large trade package for potentially only one season of Pivetta -- who turns 33 on Valentine's Day -- interested clubs will be wary of how much his most recent season may have been an outlier compared to his 2021-24 campaigns with the Red Sox. Over those four seasons (623 innings), he had a 4.33 ERA, a 4.20 FIP and a 101 ERA+. Plus, while his 2.87 ERA looked great, Pivetta's expected ERA this year was 3.96 due in part to a 45.0% hard-hit rate (15th percentile) and 10.9% barrel rate (10th percentile).

Edward Cabrera, Marlins

Contract situation: arbitration eligible (controllable through 2028)

Why Miami could trade him: Miami has been receiving trade inquiries on Cabrera and fellow starter Sandy Alcantara for a long while now, but it seems Cabrera is more likely to be shipped out this offseason as the pitching-rich Marlins try to find ways to augment their lineup. The Orioles, who acquired starting pitcher Trevor Rogers in a deal with Miami in 2024, are reportedly among the clubs interested in trading for Cabrera.

Pros: The 27-year-old has always had a big, powerful repertoire; the challenge has been harnessing it. Cabrera did a much better job of that in 2025, logging a 3.53 ERA over 26 starts. Most importantly, his walk rate was a career-best 8.3%. The right-hander led with his mid-90s changeup and his mid-80s curveball this year. That latter pitch generated a .194 expected slugging percentage, the fifth lowest of any pitch in MLB (minimum 100 plate appearances ending on a specific pitch). Cabrera's improvement this year along with his power stuff and three more seasons of club control make it easy to see why teams want him on their staff.

Cons: Cabrera's walk rate was in the double digits during his first four MLB seasons, including an unsightly 15.2% mark in 2023. Inquiring clubs have to figure out whether what we saw from him this past season was a sign of things to come or just a one-year blip. Cabrera also hasn't been very durable through five seasons. His 137 2/3 innings in 2025 were a career high and the first time he reached 100 Major League innings in a year. He's made five trips to the injured list since June 2023, including two stints this year (right middle finger blister in March, right elbow sprain in September).