Each week, we update the values on our site. As we inch closer to the trade deadline, we’ll monitor the changes in value, both for obvious trade candidates and others that could be. This will be an ongoing series.

Notable movers this week (all values below are in $Ms) with trendline arrows indicating whether their value is improving or declining:

 

Trade candidates

Luis Robert Jr.

• Field value: 14.4
• Salary owed: 12.8
• Surplus: 1.6 (⬇️)

Despite some improvement, Robert is still hitting only .186 for the season, with a 74 WRC+, and only 0.1 fWAR. Since the season is 25% over, this weak performance is carrying more and more weight, with the result being that the two team option years on his contract ($20M each for 2026 and 2027) figure to be declined, and his team would pay the $2M buyout as a lesser of evils. This means Robert is a rental for this year only, and would only cost a team a very minor prospect.

 

Sandy Alcantara

• Field value: 68.6
• Salary owed: 50.3
• Surplus: 18.3 (⬇️)

Like Robert, Alcantara’s contract has two team options. Unlike Robert, there’s still enough surplus value on those option years for them to be relevant, but if Alcantara continues to underperform, they may not be. At this point, the Marlins may want to wait until the deadline, or even until the offseason, to give him the runway to come fully back to what he used to be. Problem is, there’s a growing chance he may not return to that form.

 

Ryan Mountcastle

• Field value: 6.3
• Salary owed: 4.9
• Surplus: 1.4 (⬇️)

Another underperformer, Mountcastle technically has two years of control (including this one), but at the rate he’s going, he projects to be non-tendered after this season, which means he’s a rental. His marginal surplus value suggests he’d only bring back a minor prospect at this point, but the Orioles might be okay with that just to unblock 1B for Coby Mayo or Samuel Basallo.

 

Pablo Lopez

• Field value: 105
• Salary owed: 58.5
• Surplus: 46.5 (⬇️)

As hot as the Twins have been, they probably want to keep Lopez in the fold for a possible playoff run. But if they cool off, they might entertain offers on him, given the dearth of quality starting pitching on the market. At the moment, he looks like the top choice among starters, but with that comes a hefty price tag. His value has declined a little, mostly due to the passage of time, but he’d still bring a haul.

 

Andrew Benintendi

• Field value: 5
• Salary owed: 44.5
• Surplus: -39.5 (⬇️)

The one thing Benintendi has going for him? He’s a lefty, and some teams (like the Astros) could use a lefty platoon bat. Despite yet another weak performance, Benintendi’s splits this year against right-handed pitching are somewhat attractive. He has a 105 WRC+ against RHPs (vs. only a 55 WRC+ against lefties). Chicago would likely have to eat the entire contract, but it’s a sunk cost anyway, so why not do that and get back a middling prospect? It beats hanging onto him for no reason.

 

Yandy Diaz

• Field value: 24.1
• Salary owed: 19.2
• Surplus: 4.9 (⬆️)

On the other side of the coin, Diaz is a righty. Weirdly, he’s not the most obvious platoon bat, as he’s been hitting RHPs better this year (107 WRC+) than lefties (79 WRC+). For his career, though, he does have a platoon advantage (140 WRC+ vs. 120 WRC+), so he’d figure to have some interest from teams looking for a righty bat. If Tampa Bay falls out of contention, he’s a likely mover, although it looks like he’d bring back only a middling prospect. Boston would be a perfect fit, but the Rays and Red Sox rarely make intra-division trades.

 

Other notables:

Angels

Taylor Ward’s value has improved a little (up to 3.3)... other Angels players’ values have not, though: Luis Rengifo (0.8) would bring back only a marginal prospect; ditto for Kyle Hendricks (1.9), and the team would have to kick in cash to move Tyler Anderson (-2.5). And no, Mike Trout is not going anywhere, as it’s clear he can’t stay healthy and his contract is deeply underwater (-146.5).

 

Non-trade candidates

Jordan Walker’s value has declined to 0 (yes, zero) in our model, as he continues to show he can’t hit major-league pitching and his clock is about to run out, with only one option left. Yes, we know he’s still only 23 and may have a teensy bit of upside, but there’s also a big reality check there… Similar story for Emerson Hancock (0.5), as he continues to show he’s very hittable at the MLB level… Bryan Reynolds is having a terrible year (55 WRC+, -1 fWAR), and given that he’s on a long-term fixed contract, his value is now underwater (-64.9), as he’s still owed $84.7M over the next 5 ¾ years.