6 trade targets to watch after the break

SEATTLE -- Last July in Los Angeles, Josh Hader sat inside Dodger Stadium for his fourth All-Star media day, answering questions about his future with regard to the upcoming Trade Deadline.

Two weeks later, he was traded from the Brewers to the Padres.

On Monday, Hader was back at the All-Star Game for a fifth time, and while the logo on his hat was different from the one he sported at last year’s Midsummer Classic, the questions remained the same.

That’s the reality of being a star player on a team falling short of expectations, particularly one with an expiring contract. If things don’t get better for San Diego between now and the Aug. 1 Trade Deadline, Hader could be looking at another midseason move.

“It’s nothing I can control,” Hader said. “You can’t get your head wrapped up in what-ifs or whatever may happen. For me, it's just going out there every day and making sure that I'm ready to pitch. If it happens, it happens; just like last year, there have been rumors pretty much every year since I've been in arbitration that it’s a possibility. I can't change the result or the outcome of where I will be if it's going to happen, so I feel like it's wasted energy if you're even thinking about that.”

Craig Kimbrel, who closed out the NL's 3-2 victory in the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday, has been in Hader’s shoes, representing the Cubs in the 2021 All-Star Game before being dealt to the crosstown White Sox just 17 days later. The Cubs hit the break that summer facing a 7 1/2-game deficit in the NL Wild Card race and an eight-game spread in the NL Central, but when those numbers swelled to double digits during the first two weeks of the second half, Kimbrel and a number of his star teammates were traded to contenders around the league.

“It is a tough scenario to be put in sometimes,” Kimbrel said. “As a team, you finish the first half and everyone pretty much still has a shot, especially with the playoffs and how they're formatted. There are situations where guys know they're going to be traded. Contract-wise, control-wise, where the team is in the standings -- all those things make a lot of sense, so there are times where you kind of see it coming. I think the tougher moments are when as an organization and as a team, you kind of feel like you're all still in a push to get it done and then it falls apart at the same time. That can be a little tougher.”

This year’s All-Star teams had a number of players who might find themselves in a similar scenario in the coming weeks, and here’s a look at a half-dozen All-Stars who could be on the move by Aug. 1:

Josh Hader, LHP, Padres
Hader has been one of the best relievers in the game since he debuted in 2017, yet 2023 might be his finest season yet. The lefty finished the first half with a 1.08 ERA and 21 saves in 35 appearances, holding hitters to a .133 average and a .426 OPS.

The 43-47 Padres have been among the league’s biggest underachievers this season, and if San Diego -- which sits six games out of a Wild Card spot and 8 1/2 games back in the NL West -- finds itself further out by the end of the month, Hader could find himself wearing another uniform as he approaches free agency this offseason.

Brent Rooker, OF/DH, Athletics
The Athletics finished the first half with a 25-67 record, leaving them 25 1/2 games out of the Wild Card race. Rooker is Oakland’s lone All-Star representative, and while the front office has stocked the farm system with a wealth of young talent, it’s difficult to imagine Rooker (who turns 29 in November) fitting in as part of Oakland’s long-term plan despite having four-plus years of club control.

Rooker was dealt twice in 2022, but a trade this month would be different for him.

“I would be going to a buyer, where in the past, I would have been going to a seller as a part of one of those deals,” he said. “If a team contending for a division or contending for a playoff spot and looking to make a push deep in the postseason comes to get you, anyone would look at that as a compliment.”

Michael Lorenzen, RHP, Tigers
The Tigers’ disappointing first half (39-50) hasn’t erased them from the postseason picture thanks to a middling AL Central, as Detroit entered the break only 5 1/2 games out of first place.

“We have guys coming back and the AL Central is still kind of up for grabs,” Lorenzen said. “We'll see what happens, but I'm thinking we're going to go for it and get that division. I mean, that's what you have to think.”

Lorenzen is playing on a one-year, $8.5 million contract, so if the Tigers can bring back a prospect in return for the 31-year-old, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the right-hander -- who has a career-low 5.7 walk percentage (20 walks in 87 innings) -- dealt to a contender for the stretch run.

Elias Díaz, C, Rockies
Díaz is the first Rockies catcher in franchise history to earn an All-Star nod, but the 32-year-old could find himself in a new uniform before the end of the month. Playing in the second year of a three-year, $14.5 million contract, Díaz is an affordable option for clubs looking to upgrade behind the plate.

Díaz has already tallied 45 RBIs this season, posting a solid .763 OPS in 80 games. Colorado’s No. 4 prospect is 21-year-old Drew Romo, considered by many to be the club’s future behind the plate. That could make Díaz expendable if a contender comes calling for catching help.

Marcus Stroman, RHP, Cubs
The Cubs remain on the outskirts of the postseason picture despite a 42-47 record at the break, sitting seven games behind the Reds in the NL Central and 6 1/2 games out of the final NL Wild Card spot. But Stroman’s contractual situation -- he can opt out of the final year and $21 million of his contract at the end of the season -- could be a bigger factor in Chicago’s decision.

Stroman is ineligible to receive a qualifying offer if he becomes a free agent, having accepted a QO from the Mets in 2020, so the Cubs risk losing him for nothing if he opts out and signs elsewhere this offseason. If Chicago is unable to agree to an extension with Stroman prior to Aug. 1, he could become the most prominent starting pitcher on the trade market.

David Bednar, RHP, Pirates
An All-Star for the second consecutive season, Bednar would be one of the top closers available at this year’s Trade Deadline if the Pirates chose to make him available.

“I don't think about that stuff at all,” Bednar said. “Whenever it does come up, some of my friends will make jokes about that, but it doesn't faze me whatsoever.”

The 28-year-old ranks in the top seven percentile in a number of Statcast categories, including whiff percentage, walk percentage, expected batting average and chase rate, helping him to a minuscule 1.27 ERA, a 0.96 WHIP and 17 saves in 34 appearances. The Pirates enter the second half eight games out of the final NL Wild Card spot and 8 1/2 games behind the Reds in the NL Central, and with three years of club control remaining, Bednar represents one of Pittsburgh’s best trade chips.