Predictions are a lot like trades. Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don’t.
But that doesn’t stop teams from swinging deals or pundits and statisticians from predicting the future, so you can be sure it’s not going to stop us, either. And what better prediction to make than which players will be traded between Memorial Day weekend and baseball’s Aug. 1 trade deadline.
That’s will be traded, not might be traded.
To be sure, this list would look significantly different two weeks from now. You won’t find injured players like Oakland’s Sonny Gray or Josh Reddick on the pages that follow, two players that, were they healthy, would have had a great chance to make the cut.
How did we narrow the field down to 10? While a player’s performance plays a large role, personal opinion played a part as well. Case in point: Los Angeles Angels reliever Joe Smith isn’t having a great season, but we still view him as one of the 10 best players that will finish the season in a different uniform.
At least for the time being.
A team’s performance also plays a part in narrowing—or widening—the pool of players we have to choose from. Should a team we see as a contender fall apart, we’d have another slew of players to consider for inclusion, just as a noncontender going on a run would take some players out of the pool.
Aside from Smith (and the familiar bearded face you see above), which players shouldn’t be making long-term plans? Let’s take a look.