How Many Top 100 Prospects Will Be Traded At The Deadline?

Image credit: CJ Abrams (Photo by Eddie Kelly / ProLook Photos)

Over the next nine days, we can expect to see multiple Top 100 Prospects traded. Since 2018, there have been an average of 3.5 such prospects traded before the in-season deadline.

However, if the past decade is any indication, it’s much more likely those prospects will be from the bottom half of the Top 100.

Over the last 10 years, only two prospects ranked in the Top 10 have been traded before the deadline: Cubs outfielder Eloy Jimenez in 2016 and A’s shortstop Addison Russell in 2014. Only two other times since then has a Top 20 prospect been traded: CJ Abrams in 2022 and Keibert Ruiz in 2021.

In general, there’s been a reduction in the number of Top 100 Prospects traded each year, even if the overall number of prospects traded hasn’t diminished. Just one blockbuster trade can dramatically change those numbers, however. In 2022, the trades of Luis Castillo (for two Top 50 prospects) and Juan Soto (for two Top 25 prospects and one Top 100 prospect) more than doubled the recent average for traded Top 100 Prospects.

With that in mind, here’s a look at how many Top 100 Prospects have been traded in each year of the past decade. All rankings are from our midseason rankings for each year. For 2014, we had yet to expand our midseason rankings to 100, so only Top 50 prospects traded are included.

2023: 3 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded: None
25-50 Prospects Traded: None
51-100 Prospects Traded (3): Rays 1B Kyle Manzardo (No. 72), Angels C Edgar Quero (No. 87), Rangers SS/OF Luisangel Acuna (No. 90)

2022: 8 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded (2): Padres SS CJ Abrams (No. 11), Padres OF Robert Hassell (No. 25)
26-50 Prospects Traded (2): Mariners 3B Noelvi Marte (No. 47), Mariners SS Edwin Arroyo (No. 48)
51-100 Prospects Traded (4): Padres OF James Wood (No. 62), Phillies C Logan O’Hoppe (No. 89), Twins 2B/3B Spencer Steer (No. 97)

2021: 3 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded (2): Dodgers C Keibert Ruiz (No. 16), Blue Jays SS/OF Austin Martin (No. 21)
26-100 Prospects Traded: None
51-100 Prospects Traded (1): Dodgers RHP Josiah Gray (No. 68)

2020: 1 Top 100 Prospect Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded: None
25-50 Prospects Traded: None
51-100 Prospects Traded (1): Padres OF Taylor Trammell (No. 73)

2019: 4 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded: None
25-50 Prospects Traded (2): Reds OF Taylor Trammell (No. 42), Rays OF Jesus Sanchez (No. 48)
51-100 Prospects Traded (2): Marlins RHP Zac Gallen (No. 72), Padres LHP Logan Allen (No. 88)

2018: 2 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded (1): Guardians C Francisco Mejia (No. 24)
26-50 Prospects Traded (1): Dodgers OF Yusniel Diaz (No. 46)
51-100 Prospects Traded: None

2017: 5 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded (1): Cubs OF Eloy Jimenez (No. 5)
11-25 Prospects Traded: None
26-50 Prospects Traded (1): Yankees OF Blake Rutherford (No. 36)
51-100 Prospects Traded (3): Dodgers OF Willie Calhoun (No. 74), Cubs RHP Dylan Cease (No. 83), Yankees OF Dustin Fowler (No. 89)

2016: 11 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded (2): Red Sox RHP Anderson Espinoza (No. 15), Indians OF Clint Frazier (No. 21)
26-50 Prospects Traded (3): Cubs SS Gleyber Torres (No. 27), Rangers OF Lewis Brinson (No. 30), Giants RHP Phil Bickford (No. 50)
51-100 Prospects Traded (6): Dodgers RHP Grant Holmes (No. 60), Indians LHP Justus Sheffield (No. 69), Rangers RHP Luis Ortiz (No. 74), Dodgers RHP Frankie Montas (No. 82), Giants LHP Adalberto Mejia (No. 91), Marlins 1B Josh Naylor (No. 100)

2015: 9 Top 100 Prospects Traded

Top 10 Prospects Traded: None
11-25 Prospects Traded (3): Braves 2B Hector Olivera (No. 17), Tigers LHP Daniel Norris (No. 19), Brewers OF Brett Phillips (No. 22)
26-50 Prospects Traded (3): Dodgers SS/2B Jose Peraza (No. 27), Rockies RHP Jeff Hoffman (No. 34), Rangers RHP Jake Thompson (No. 50)
51-100 Prospects Traded (3): Reds LHP Brandon Finnegan, Rangers C Jorge Alfaro, Rangers OF Nick Williams