The best available hitters at the 2023 MLB trade deadline

The 2023 trade deadline is now less than a week away, and with seemingly every team in the league still at least on the fringes of the Wild Card race, this could be among the wildest deadline seasons in recent memory. Which players will be on the move in the next few days? Who should your team look to acquire? We’re running down the best hitters (well, and one two-way unicorn) who figure to be on the block.

2023 MLB Trade Deadline: Best available hitters

Shohei Ohtani, DH, Los Angeles Angels

Stats: .302/.398/.674, 36 HR, 77 RBI, 11 SB

And that’s just at the plate. Sure, “available” might be a bit strong right now considering the Angels have won six of their last seven games, but those seven games have come against the Aaron Judge-less New York Yankees, Pittsburgh Pirates and Detroit Tigers — not exactly indicative of a real, sustainable surge. This remains a largely mediocre (and injury-riddled) roster, and they could absolutely drop back below .500 before the deadline. Either way, Ohtani is likely gone this winter, and the thought of losing him for nothing might be enough to convince L.A. to pull the trigger on a deal. If they do, well, you know what some lucky team is getting: a unicorn the likes of which baseball has never seen before.

Cody Bellinger, OF, Chicago Cubs

Stats: .319/.369/.549, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 12 SB

Bellinger might not be an MVP (and Cy Young) candidate, but he’s still a very talented player in the midst of a very solid season on the North Side — and he’s been red-hot of late (1.207 OPS over his last 23 games). His batted-ball metrics don’t necessarily back up that performance, but — he doesn’t hit the ball particularly hard, for starters — but he’s made huge strides in bringing his strikeout rate down and has a swing designed to do maximum damage. Especially for a team with a ballpark that favors pull-side fly balls, he could be a difference-maker, in addition to playing very good defense at all three outfield spots.

Jeimer Candelario, 3B, Washington Nationals

Stats: .256/.333/.483, 16 HR, 28 2B, 50 RBI, 5 SB

Candelario has bounced back from his dismal 2022 season in a big way. And lest you think this is merely a three-month mirage destined to regress down the stretch, consider that the 29-year-old — who was a top-100 prospect once upon a time — put up an .814 over 201 games across 2020 and 2021. He’s got a pretty extensive track record as a significantly above-average hitter, one who can spray line drives to all fields and hold his own against both lefties and righties. And while defensive metrics are split on his defense at the hot corner, he certainly won’t hurt you there.

Brendan Donovan, UTIL, St. Louis Cardinals

Stats: .287/.371/.430, 11 HR, 4 SB

GM John Mozeliak hasn’t explicitly made Donovan for sale, but he has repeatedly expressed a desire to acquire pitching for 2024. To do that, he’s going to have to part with something of real value at the deadline — and Donovan fits the bill as a solid player enjoying a strong season but who isn’t an integral part of the Cardinals’ core moving forward. The 26-year-old can play everywhere and do a little bit of everything at the plate — hit for power, steal a bag, find ways to get on base — and he’s just generally the sort of glue that helps hold rosters together during a pennant race.

Tim Anderson, 2B/SS, Chicago White Sox

Stats: .241/.281/.283, 1 HR, 10 SB

The two-time All-Star has struggled through by far the worst season of his career at the plate, but he’s shown signs of life recently:

Anderson’s hitting .378/.439/.432 over his last nine games, and with the 30-year-old set to become a free agent this winter, the rebuilding White Sox would be crazy not to flip him to a contender at the deadline. Anderson comes with a good amount of risk — his ground ball rate has ballooned all the way up to 64.5%, and he swings at everything — but he can play either second or third and put up a combined 122 OPS+ from 2019 to 2022.