10 MLB Teams With Prospects to Make Big Winter Trades

The 2025 MLB Winter Meetings are shaping up to be a high-stakes marketplace. The leverage point is clear: prospect capital.

Several organizations arrive armed with deep farm systems. They bring very different levels of urgency, creating a landscape where contenders, retoolers, and financial heavyweights are all poised to reshape their rosters through trades built around premium minor league talent.

Seattle Mariners: Prospect Wealth and Middle Infield Surplus

The Seattle Mariners come into the Winter Meetings with a farm system graded at 65, one of the best in the game. With eight top-100 prospects, they have the kind of depth that can anchor blockbuster deals without gutting the pipeline entirely.

Mariners’ Pitching and Infield Pieces as Trade Currency

Seattle’s arsenal features arms like Kade Anderson and the uniquely talented switch-pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. Both offer frontline upside and immediate intrigue for pitching-needy clubs.

The organization’s middle infield depth could be the true pressure point in trade talks. With multiple infield prospects pushing for playing time, Seattle can reasonably move from this surplus to target established bats or veteran pitching to reinforce a roster that’s flirted with contention for a while now.

New York Mets: Aggressive Front Office, Premium Talent

The New York Mets, also sporting a 65 grade system, have made it clear that patience is not the primary strategy. A motivated front office, coupled with available prospect ammunition, makes the Mets one of the most intriguing players in the trade market.

Mets Ready to Convert Prospects into Wins

Names like Jonah Tong and Jett Williams give the Mets both upside and flexibility. Williams, in particular, profiles as the kind of centerpiece who can headline a major deal for an impact starter or middle-of-the-order presence.

Expect New York to explore moves that:

With ownership willing to spend and the front office eager to accelerate contention, the Mets will be at the center of many of the week’s biggest rumors.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Top Farm System Meets Big-Market Muscle

The Los Angeles Dodgers carry a 60 grade system. In practical terms, they might have the most potent combo in the sport: elite prospects, deep pockets, and a perennial mandate to win now.

Outfield Depth as a Trade Catalyst

The Dodgers’ system is headlined by a wave of outfield talent, notably Josue De Paula and Zyhir Hope. With multiple high-ranking outfielders stacked at similar levels, Los Angeles can:

That combination of prospect capital and financial margin often lets the Dodgers outbid or outmaneuver competitors in both trade talks and follow-up extensions.

Cincinnati Reds: Flexibility Between Trades and Free Agency

The Cincinnati Reds, another 60 grade system, have six top-100 prospects and a young big-league core already in place. Their front office can afford to be selective in how it deploys its prospect depth.

Balancing Youth Movement with Immediate Upgrades

Cincinnati’s approach may hinge on how the free-agent market unfolds. If the right deals materialize in free agency, the Reds can hold their prospects and let internal growth carry them.

If not, they have enough top-end talent to swing for a rotation anchor or veteran lineup stabilizer without derailing their long-term arc.

Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays: Targeted, Not Desperate

In the 55 grade tier, the Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays arrive with strong systems and very different organizational pressures.

Brewers Guarding Their Elite Infielders

Milwaukee features premium middle infield prospects such as Jesús Made and Luis Peña. The club seems pretty cautious about moving its very best assets, instead focusing on trades that:

The Brewers’ challenge is improving the roster without sacrificing the core of their next competitive window.

Blue Jays Pushing After Near-World Series Run

The Toronto Blue Jays are far more motivated in the near term. Coming off a near-World Series run, they’re expected to explore moving multiple prospects—while keeping their top two off the table—to fortify a roster already close to championship caliber.

That stance suggests an intent to add impact pieces while maintaining at least one future cornerstone in the pipeline.

Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox: Depth as Trade Leverage

The Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox, both graded at 50, bring solid, if not spectacular, systems that can still influence the market.

Tigers’ Deep System, Limited Willingness on Stars

Detroit’s system includes notable names like Kevin McGonigle and Max Clark. However, key major league pieces such as Tarik Skubal are seen as unlikely to be moved.

Expect the Tigers to entertain offers around their depth rather than their centerpiece talents, seeking incremental improvements and long-term roster balance.

Red Sox Infield Logjam Creates Trade Paths

Boston faces a different issue: an infield logjam. Prospects like Franklin Arias and Jhostynxon Garcia could be used to address needs elsewhere on the diamond.

By redistributing surplus infield talent, the Red Sox can:

Phillies and Guardians: Conservative, Mid-Tier Deal Makers

Rounding out the field, the Philadelphia Phillies and Cleveland Guardians, graded in the 45–50 range, have enough depth to participate in the trade market. They’re unlikely to headline it, but don’t count them out for a creative move or two.

Mid-Tier Prospects as Trade Chips

Both organizations look set to protect their top prospects and instead focus deals on mid-tier talent. For the Phillies, that probably means shoring up the bullpen and bench—but they won’t touch the highest-rated kids in the system.

The Guardians have long stuck to a conservative approach. They try to stay competitive, hold onto affordable stars, and swap out the roster’s middle class instead of their best young players.

As the 2025 Winter Meetings roll along, teams face a familiar question: How do you turn prospect hype into real, on-field results? Some clubs will gamble; others might hang back. With so many strong farm systems in play, it’s hard not to expect at least a few big trades.

 
Here is the source article for this story: These 10 teams have the prospects to swing a big trade at the Winter Meetings