With injury and underperformance keeping many promising prospects from reaching their potential, the teams that choose to part with their prospects for more established players often end up as trade winners. Key word: often. This is a story about the…
Three of the six finalists for the 2026 American League and National League MVP Awards—Yordan Alvarez, Junior Caminero, and Pete Crow-Armstrong—were acquired in trades early in their careers. Alvarez was traded from the Dodgers to the Astros in 2016 for reliever Josh Fields, while Caminero moved from the Guardians to the Rays in 2021 for Tobias Myers. Crow-Armstrong was acquired by the Cubs from the Mets in 2021 for Javier Báez and Trevor Williams.
All three players achieved stellar campaigns in 2026 to earn MVP finalist selections. Alvarez led Major League Baseball in batting average, on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, while Caminero recorded 42 home runs for Tampa Bay. Crow-Armstrong posted 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases to join the exclusive 40-40 club with the Cubs.
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