Thursday Rumor Roundup: Trio of Aces Currently Unavailable in Trades

Updated Post: November 13 @ 12:55 pm

Per Andy Martino of SNY, the consensus at the GM Meetings is that Paul Skenes, Tarik Skubal and Freddy Peralta are currently unavailable in trades. However, that can change as the offseason progresses. All three have been the talk of the hot stove and would bolster any contender’s rotation instantly.

Skenes and Skubal both won the Cy Young Award in their respective leagues in 2025, while Peralta ranked third in baseball in BAA (.193), seventh in ERA (2.70) and ninth in strikeouts (204).

Other starters that have been touted as potential trade targets for teams have been Minnesota’s Joe Ryan, Miami’s Sandy Alcantara and St. Louis’ Sonny Gray.

Original Post: November 13 @ 11:32 am 

Another day, another rumor roundup! The first major news update of the day comes from Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo of The Athletic regarding the St. Louis Cardinals. With the team led by the new president of baseball operations, Chaim Bloom, the team is entering a soft rebuild. According to Rosenthal and Woo, the Cardinals will shift their team philosophy to focus on player development and homegrown talent. The club will entertain offers for several of its star veteran players.

3B Nolan Arenado, SP Sonny Gray and UTIL Brendan Donovan are among the names in that mix, with Donovan the surprise, and maybe the biggest get in the pot. Arenado had a career-worst year in 2025 (0.9 fWAR, .237/.289/.377/.666), while Gray posted a 4.28 ERA in 180.2 IP with 201 strikeouts (his xERA was better at 3.88, and he still posted a 3.6 fWAR). Arenado is owed $16 million in 2026 and $15 million in 2027, while Gray is owed $35 million in 2026 with a $30 million club option for 2027.

Donovan, 28, won’t be a free agent until 2028 and was a first-time All-Star in 2025. He posted .297/.367/.430 line before the All-Star break, and landed in the 95th percentile in whiff percentage (13.4%) and 92nd percentile in strikeout percentage (13%) in 2025. He struggled in the second half, hitting just .258/.308/.392. A contact hitter, he holds a lifetime .282/.361/.411 line with 40 home runs and 97 doubles. Donovan missed the last month of the 2025 season with a groin injury and underwent surgery, but will be fully ready by spring training.

The post Thursday Rumor Roundup: Trio of Aces Currently Unavailable in Trades appeared first on Metsmerized Online.