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 times that HASN’T happened -- when a young player traded away early ends up causing considerable regret for their original club. Three of the six finalists for the 2026 American League and National League Most Valuable Player Awards, as announced Monday by the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, were acquired in trades long before reaching the Majors, deals all three franchises are certainly grateful for. That’s half of the MVP field -- including the favorite in each league.

Here’s the story behind each deal and how each player has risen from trade chip to MVP finalist.

, DH, Astros (AL MVP Award finalist)
Original club: Dodgers
Traded: Aug. 1, 2016

Trade details
Astros acquire: Alvarez
Dodgers acquire: RHP Josh Fields

Why was he traded?
Coming off a painful loss to the Mets in five games in the 2015 NLDS, the Dodgers sought to bolster their bullpen midway through 2016. Fields, who had a 3.55 ERA in 2015 for Houston and a 4.63 mark for the Astros in ’16 prior to the trade, seemed like a logical fit. As far as why Alvarez was the return, it’s because the Astros identified a potential diamond in the rough -- one the Dodgers didn’t even seem aware of.

When Astros general manager Jeff Luhnow texted Dodgers GM Farhan Zaidi asking for “Y. Alvarez” in return for Fields, Zaidi thought he was referring to high-priced international signee Yadier Alvarez and scoffed. Yordan Alvarez, meanwhile? Sure, Los Angeles could afford to part with a 19-year-old it had signed out of Cuba just two months prior. Or so it seemed.

From trade chip to MVP candidate
An imposing presence in the batter’s box at 6-foot-4, Alvarez quickly showed he had the talent to be an impact hitter. He rapidly climbed the Minor League ladder and forced his way to the big leagues after posting a .343 batting average, a 1.184 OPS and 23 home runs in just 56 games for Triple-A Round Rock in 2019. He proceeded to homer in four of his first five Major League games, finishing the season with a .313/.412/.655 slash line at the MLB level and becoming the unanimous AL Rookie of the Year.

It’s hard to keep up that level of success, but Alvarez has. He made the All-Star team each year from 2022-24 and again in '26, finishing third in AL MVP voting after a stellar ’22 campaign. That postseason, he hit massive homers in the ALDS and in the World Series to lead the Astros to a championship. His 2026 season was his best yet: Alvarez hit 42 home runs, racked up 106 RBIs and led MLB in batting average (.316), on-base percentage (.432), slugging percentage (.601) and walks (109).

, 3B, Rays (AL MVP Award finalist)
Original club: Guardians
Traded: Nov. 19, 2021

Trade details
Rays acquire: Caminero
Guardians acquire: RHP Tobias Myers

Why was he traded?
Caminero, certainly, didn’t know why he was shipped out of the Cleveland organization in November 2021. “‘Am I a bad guy? Why would they trade me?’” he asked himself after finding out about the deal that sent him to the Rays. Just 18 at the time, Caminero was a raw, unheralded prospect, but Tampa Bay soon saw that the baseball just came off his bat differently.

“The immediate reaction upon acquiring him was wondering how in the world we were able to make that acquisition,” said Jeff McLerran, then the Rays’ director of Minor League operations. “Really from the get-go, the guys felt like we had something special with Junior.”

In exchange for Caminero, the Guardians received Myers, who, in fairness, did pan out: He debuted in 2024 with an impressive 3.00 ERA in 138 innings and owns a 3.68 ERA across three big league seasons. None of that production was for the Guardians, though: Myers was designated for assignment, traded to the Giants for cash considerations, claimed off waivers by the White Sox, released by Chicago and picked up by the Brewers in the span of a few months in 2022.

“That’s a bad trade,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti admitted to MLB.com in October 2023.

From trade chip to MVP candidate
Caminero progressed quickly through the Minor Leagues, batting .314 with an .882 OPS in his first season in the Rays organization in 2022 while being two to three years younger on average than his competition. By the time he debuted in September 2023, he was MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect, and the Rays carried him on their AL Wild Card Series roster.

The third baseman took a major leap with 45 homers and 110 RBIs in 2025 and only got better in ’26, posting a .276/.360/.524 slash line to finish as an AL MVP finalist for the first time. Caminero owned the fastest bat speed in MLB in 2026 (79.4 mph) and improved his plate discipline significantly, nearly doubling his walk rate from ’25. He topped 40 homers and 100 RBIs once again and finished with 42 and 101, respectively, as the Rays led the AL with 98 wins and reached the World Series.

, CF, Cubs (NL MVP Award finalist)
Original club: Mets
Traded: July 30, 2021

Trade details
Cubs acquire: Crow-Armstrong
Mets acquire: INF Javier Báez, RHP Trevor Williams and cash

Why was he traded?
The Mets, who entered the day of the deal at 55-47 and four games up in the NL East, were hoping to make a deep postseason run. They sought a double-play partner for star shortstop Francisco Lindor -- and who better than Báez, Lindor’s childhood friend from Puerto Rico? Adding an effective swingman in Williams (as well as cash considerations) sweetened the deal, and the Mets were willing to part with Crow-Armstrong, who was then the club’s No. 5 prospect. Looking back, the move was for naught: The Mets folded down the stretch, finishing third in the NL East at 77-85 and missing the playoffs, and Báez signed with the Tigers in the offseason.

From trade chip to MVP candidate
Limited to just six Minor League games in 2021 due to shoulder labrum surgery, Crow-Armstrong batted .297 with an .886 OPS across his next two Minor League seasons, lifting his offensive ceiling. Entering 2024, MLB Pipeline called him the game’s best defensive prospect with a maximum 80 fielding grade, but his poor plate discipline and high strikeout rate hurt his overall game. Even after an impressive 2025 first half in which he hit 25 home runs and stole 27 bases with an .844 OPS, Crow-Armstrong’s numbers came back to earth in the second half.

Those struggles continued into the 2026 season before Crow-Armstrong absolutely took off, hitting .302 with a 1.065 OPS from June 1 on. Compared to 2025, pretty much everything trended up: He walked considerably more, impacted the ball much harder and chased and whiffed less. Crow-Armstrong finished the season with 45 home runs and 41 stolen bases, becoming the seventh member of the 40-40 club -- all while living up to the billing in center field as MLB’s best defender. With elite hitting, baserunning and defense, Crow-Armstrong’s MVP-caliber 2026 was one of the best seasons in franchise history.