3 Shocking Pitchers Listed by Insider As Trade Candidates This Season

Names like Sandy Alcantara and Dylan Cease have been making the rounds for months as big-time pitching trade candidates this season. But insider Jon Heyman, speaking on Bleacher Report's Insider Notebook, has some more shocking names that he can see potentially going on the trade block later in the 2025 campaign.

Framber Valdez, Houston Astros

The Astros' ace has been as solid and consistent as they come over the past 5+ seasons, and he's started out the same this year, with a 2.50 ERA and 0.94 WHIP through three excellent starts with a career-high 10.5 K/9.

But Valdez will be a free agent after the season, and according to Heyman, the price tag he'll command will likely be out of the Astros' comfort zone.

"Valdez, they haven't been able to sign him. His comp is Max Fried (who signed a massive $210 million contract with the NY Yankees as a free agent this past winter).

"And (the Astros) aren't going there, we know that."

Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers

Another surprising name Heyman mentions that no one's been talking about as a potential trade candidate is the Brewers' ace Peralta. Milwaukee has an $8 million team option on him for next season, so his value will be much higher than if he was just a two-month rental. He's off to a sizzling start with a 2.00 ERA and 0.72 WHIP through two starts. The soon-to-be 29-year-old has a 3.75 career ERA with an 11.3 K/9. His ERA hasn't been north of 3.99 in the last five seasons.

But once again, the Brewers expect to be battling for the division crown in the NL Central, so it's unlikely they'd trade him if they're in good playoff stead come late July.

Chris Bassitt, Toronto Blue Jays

Not as shocking as the previous two, Bassitt is a pending free agent, and is also a model of consistency, though at a lower pay grade than Valdez. Bassitt can be a solid No. 3 starter for a contending team in need. The 36-year-old has a 0.71 ERA through two stunning starts this season and last year's 4.16 ERA was his first time out of the 3.00s since 2016.

At age 36, Toronto will likely not be looking to re-sign him after the season, but, as Heyman notes, the team also expects to be in the playoff hunt this year, which would make Bassitt untradeable from a Blue Jays perspective.