Baseball’s winter meetings start on Monday, and while there’s plenty of buzz surrounding this year’s free-agent class, led by Juan Soto, the trade market could prove to be just as exciting.

There are a handful of players available this winter — for the right return, of course — that could really help boost teams’ rosters or even vault them into playoff contention, from top pitchers like Garrett Crochet to power bats like Brandon Lowe.

With that in mind, ESPN MLB experts David Schoenfield and Kiley McDaniel ran through some of the All-Star-caliber players who could rock Dallas next week if they’re traded. For each, they break down the teams that would make the most sense — and would be the most fun — as destinations, and what each of them might offer up in return.

The Chicago White Sox should trade Garrett Crochet to the …

Schoenfield:Baltimore Orioles

White Sox general manager Chris Getz is reportedly prioritizing position players over pitching prospects in a potential Crochet trade, and perhaps only the Red Sox can match Baltimore’s depth in that category. Coby Mayo, Samuel Basallo and Heston Kjerstad remain top prospects. Jackson Holliday is probably untouchable, but after disappointing rookie numbers, you never know. Jordan Westburg and Colton Cowser are young, proven regulars. Outfielders Vance Honeycutt and Enrique Bradfield Jr. are interesting, higher-risk prospects. While the Orioles could spend on a big-ticket starting pitcher in free agency, but that hasn’t been GM Mike Elias’ preferred method of building a rotation and while new owner David Rubenstein may be willing to increase payroll, the Orioles need to be thinking about long-term deals with Gunnar Henderson and Adley Rutschman.

McDaniel:Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox need to add another frontline arm to continue their climb back into playoff contention and Crochet fits their current payroll structure better than a free agent option. The cost will be steep in prospects, though, as Crochet has two years of control at under $10 million total despite being one of the better pitchers in baseball after a breakout 2024 campaign. He’ll be a nine-figure free agent after those two years, so expect extension talks soon after a trade. The complication is that the trade price is going to be a clear top-100 prospect and likely another in that realm, say something like C Kyle Teel (34th in my most recent rankings) and OF Braden Montgomery (Boston’s most recent first-round pick, who lands just outside of my top 100) as the main pieces. The Sox would hang onto top position player prospects Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony and Kristian Campbell.

The Milwaukee Brewers should trade Devin Williams to the …

Schoenfield: New York Yankees

It’s an interesting market for relievers this offseason, with Williams and Ryan Helsley — both entering their final season before free agency — potentially available, but also with potential closers like Tanner Scott, Kirby Yates, Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez in free agency. The Yankees have both Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle as free agents and need some late-game depth. And they should probably hedge their bets against Luke Weaver repeating his dominant 2024. If he does, great — Weaver and Williams would make for a dynamic 1-2 duo. The Brewers would probably be wise to trade Williams to the American League, and the Yankees have some starting pitching depth in the minors that could fill a need for Milwaukee.

McDaniel: Texas Rangers

After a tough 2024 season, the Rangers are still all-in, paying a combined $128 million to five players next season. They have a playoff caliber roster but need some pitching depth, particularly multiple late-inning types for their bullpen. Williams only has one year of control left, so unlike the Crochet deal, he would cost one of the Rangers’ top young arms, like Alejandro Rosario (93rd on my latest rankings), Emiliano Teodo or Jack Leiter — or possibly a position player like Justin Foscue.

The Philadelphia Phillies should trade Alec Bohm to the …

Schoenfield: Seattle Mariners

Seattle’s third basemen — primarily Josh Rojas — hit .213 with 12 home runs and 49 RBIs, and Rojas was then non-tendered, leaving a hole for the Mariners to fill. They reportedly have about $16 million in payroll room to fill third base, second base (they didn’t pick up Jorge Polanco’s option), maybe DH and perhaps a reliever or two. Bohm will make about $8 million in arbitration, and his contact ability would be a nice addition for a team that led the majors in strikeouts. Of course, outside of 2024 (which was propped up by a huge April) when he posted 3.0 bWAR, Bohm has otherwise never been above 1.0 bWAR, so the Mariners certainly shouldn’t trade any of their young starters for him. But maybe dealing Luis Castillo — making $24.15 million in each of the next three seasons — works as a way to clear some payroll.

McDaniel: Kansas City Royals

Maikel Garcia is a good player but Bohm would upgrade the lineup for a smallish salary and prospect cost, moving Garcia into a utility/platoon role for the two left-handed hitters on the right side of the infield in Vinnie Pasquantino and Michael Massey. The price for two years of control on Bohm would be a prospect in the 101-250 overall range, like C Carter Jensen, who is now expendable with Blake Mitchell rocketing toward the majors as the catcher of the future. Philly would get a multi-positional power-and-patience player who could debut in the big leagues in 2025.

The Seattle Mariners should trade Luis Castillo to the …

Schoenfield:New York Mets

I mentioned the Phillies above in a possible Castillo-Alec Bohm swap. I had also previously thrown out a three-way deal with the Mariners, Phillies and Cubs that sent Castillo and a prospect to the Cubs, with Bohm and Nico Hoerner (another good contact hitter) going to the Mariners. However, the Cubs just filled a rotation slot with free-agent Matthew Boyd. The Mets, meanwhile, agreed to a deal with Frankie Montas, but still have one or maybe two holes to fill in the rotation. They could go to the high-rent district and sign Corbin Burnes or Max Fried, but maybe a trade makes more sense, as Castillo, with three years of team control, is a safer bet than signing a player to a huge long-term deal. The Mariners could roll the dice on Brett Baty — who doesn’t have a spot on the Mets — to fill third base, with another prospect or two included as well.

McDaniel:Detroit Tigers

Detroit surprised a lot of people by getting into the playoffs in 2024, at least a year ahead of schedule. The Tigers have their ace in Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal and some promising young starters with shorter track records, but could add a dependable, above-average starting pitcher to the mix. Castillo’s remaining deal (three years, just over $72 million) is now around market value after a two-year gentle regression for the soon-to-be 32-year-old. The returning prospect value wouldn’t be heavy — I’d guess outside of Detroit’s top-10 prospects — unless Seattle pitches in some money, but the Mariners need all the salary breathing room they can get. The Tigers are at a juncture where increasing payroll makes sense, so Castillo is an easy way to take their variance down a good bit with 150 to 200 innings of third starter-quality pitching.

The St. Louis Cardinals should trade Nolan Arenado to the …

Schoenfield:Washington Nationals

This fits on many levels. Nationals third basemen ranked second-worst in the majors in OPS. They have nobody on the roster ready to step in. They have plenty of payroll space to absorb the $74 million owed Arenado for the next three seasons — and, frankly, could probably get the Cardinals to pay some of that down in a trade. They need a good glove in the infield, where CJ Abrams’ range at shortstop is questionable. And they could certainly use Arenado’s professionalism to lead an extremely young group of position players. I don’t see this as blocking Brady House; he had a .297 OBP across Double-A and Triple-A so is hardly pounding down the door for a job in the majors.

McDaniel:Toronto Blue Jays

If the Cardinals pay down Arenado’s deal to three years, $60 million (a $14 million discount), that would be roughly market rate for the veteran third baseman. Like in the above Bohm scenario, that means the Jays can move Ernie Clement into a platoon/utility position. The prospect return would be minimal given that Arenado’s contract would then match his ability, but the issue is Toronto would be close to last year’s payroll and may not have room for much in the way of further upgrades. St. Louis could opt to pay the deal down another $10-15 million over three years and get a real prospect in return.

The Tampa Bay Rays should trade Brandon Lowe to the …

Schoenfield: Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have plenty of options to fill second base — although none of them are great options. They also need a shortstop with Oneil Cruz moving to the outfield and a first baseman. Lowe isn’t a shortstop, but he would be an option for either first or second, bringing a power bat — he’s averaged 33 home runs per 162 games played in his career — to a lineup that needs some power. His $10.5 million salary for 2025 (with an $11.5 option for 2026) isn’t prohibitive, even for a club like Pittsburgh. If Lowe plays second, Nick Yorke would be an option for the outfield. If Lowe plays first, Yorke could be the starter at second.

McDaniel: Seattle Mariners

Seattle is in the market for infield upgrades and could conserve its payroll room with Lowe. The deal would be similar to Jorge Polanco’s from last winter, but hopefully it would play out better for the Mariners. While they’re tight on payroll and want to hold onto their top prospects, the M’s could deal from prospect depth for marginal and affordable infield upgrades once again. Twenty-year-old outfielder Lazaro Montes makes some sense as a trade fit, though first baseman Tyler Locklear or recent first-round pitcher Jurrangle Cijntje could also interest Tampa Bay as a headliner for this deal.

The Oakland Athletics should trade Brent Rooker to the …

Schoenfield:Cincinnati Reds

The A’s have been pretty adamant about saying they won’t trade Rooker, who’s coming off a monster 39-homer, 5.6-WAR season as the Athletics’ regular DH. But given his age (entering his age-30 season), high strikeout rate and lack of defensive value, the A’s should absolutely consider trading Rooker. They need rotation help, and while they’ve also said they intend to increase payroll, good luck getting any pitchers to sign to play in Sacramento. So how about a couple small-market teams helping each other? The Reds, especially after acquiring Brady Singer from the Royals, are deep in young starters and starting pitching prospects. The Reds weren’t a good offensive team in 2024 and just traded their top OBP guy in Jonathan India to get Singer, so dealing from their prospect depth to acquire a still-inexpensive cleanup hitter makes sense.

McDaniel:San Francisco Giants

It might be awkward to trade Rooker within the same media market, but it’s a nice fit to consolidate the roster for the newly-aggressive Giants helmed by Buster Posey. The price should be steep — at least one prospect firmly in the top 100 — but the risk of a 30-year-old designated hitter coming off of an outlier career year should tamp down the demand from what the spreadsheets might say. Stitching together a collection of intriguing young players near the majors or that have already made their debut — something like Marco Luciano, Hayden Birdsong, Carson Whisenhunt and Landen Roupp — would give the A’s a nice collection of young talent, but I doubt the Giants would include the headliner the A’s want in first baseman Bryce Eldridge.

The Chicago Cubs should trade Cody Bellinger to the …

Schoenfield: New York Mets or New York Yankees

Basically, whoever loses the Juan Soto sweepstakes. If the Mets don’t sign Soto, they’ll have tons of room to use on their payroll. Some of that will be needed to reload the rotation, but adding Bellinger as a full-time center fielder fills a need while allowing them to keep Brandon Nimmo in left and Tyrone Taylor as a fourth outfielder (or, if the Mets don’t sign Pete Alonso, Bellinger could play first base). If Soto does leave the Yankees, Bellinger is a nice fit for center (with Aaron Judge moving to right field) or even first base. In other words, both teams could benefit from Bellinger’s defensive versatility and both could use an additional left-handed hitter if Soto isn’t there.

McDaniel: Houston Astros

The Astros are in a tough spot. Alex Bregman is currently a free agent, and Kyle Tucker, Framber Valdez, and Ryan Pressly are all set to hit free agency next winter. Does GM Dana Brown try to keep the band together and sign/extend most of these players, or does he try to pivot, diversify, and get a bit younger in the process? The farm system isn’t offering a ton of help, the core is getting older and Houston doesn’t have unlimited payroll space. Taking Bellinger with his positional versatility and 1+1 contract allows for some creativity in solving these problems — and he wouldn’t cost much in terms of prospects. Bellinger is set to make $27.5 million this year and has a $5 million buyout of a $25 million player option for 2026. If the Cubs pitch in $10 million, they could get a second-tier prospect or two in return. Then, the Astros can make decisions on Bregman, Tucker and Valdez with a real option to let Bregman walk or trade the other two.