ESPN’s Jeff Passan’s Top Trade Candidates & Most Surprising MLB Teams

Before signing off, Jeff Passan opened his notebook for Rich and previewed an ESPN.com list of 100 trade candidates that goes well beyond Tarik Skubal.

At the top of the intrigue is Byron Buxton, who has no trade protection and hasn't wanted to leave Minnesota, but at 32 might decide he wants to win now. Passan also floated whether the Astros would consider moving the consistent former World Series MVP Jeremy Peña.

His favorite stories, though, were the surprises. Passan expected the Washington Nationals to be bad this year, really bad, and instead they've scored among the most runs in baseball. And the Chicago White Sox, who lost 121 games two seasons ago, are in first place in the American League Central. He credited a tremendous job developing a young core and adding around it, calling the signing of Munetaka Murakami, currently on the injured list, the single best move of the winter and a reason the White Sox could be a real problem once he returns.

That led to a fun back-and-forth about the Yankees, with a White Sox-Yankees matchup of Davis Martin against Gerrit Cole on tap. Passan insisted the Yankees, being in the American League, are the measuring stick, while Rich confessed to bullpen envy watching the Brewers and other teams churn out unhittable 100 mph arms. Passan's answer was patience: Carlos Lagrange is coming, the way the Mariners are working in Kade Anderson, and the Yankees want to get him big-league reps before the playoffs rather than rush him. As for converting a talented starter to relief out of need, Passan noted plenty of people once thought the Brewers should have done that with Jacob Misiorowski. Look at him now.