Friday, July 11, 2008

Who is on the market?

  • A.J. Burnett, SP, Blue Jays- With the Blue Jays continuing their slide in the AL East, Burnett is probably the most valuable trade commodity on their roster. The Phillies are rumored to be interested, and I could see the Yankees jumping in so long as it doesn't take any of their young pitchers to acquire Burnett.
  • David Eckstein, SS, Blue Jays- Eckstein is the kind of scrappy player that contending teams love to have. Still, there aren't many squads that are in need of a shortstop. The Dodgers are the only team that I can think of because of the injury to Rafael Furcal.
  • Matt Stairs, DH, Blue Jays- Stairs would be a solid addition to a team that is lacking some pop in their lineup or off the bench. I could see the Tigers making a push for him, as Gary Sheffield just hasn't gotten the job done in the DH spot.
  • Rod Barajas, C, Blue Jays- Plenty of teams could use a backup catcher. The Red Sox come to mind.
  • Brian Roberts, 2B, Orioles- Now that Baltimore has all but completely fallen out of contention, it's possibly that they might start cleaning house. The Brewers could certainly use a second baseman, as Rickie Weeks has been a big disappointment.
  • Ramon Hernandez, C, Orioles- He is having a pretty poor year offensively, but there are still teams that Hernandez come upgrade. The Marlins have been rumored to be in the hunt for a catcher, but they may just test the young John Baker for now.
  • Aubrey Huff, DH, Orioles- Huff has been unbelievable at the plate this season, and there are plenty of squads who would love to add him before the deadline. Mark the Tigers and Rays down as potentially interested parties.
  • George Sherrill, RP, Orioles- Although the closer hasn't had as good of a year as everyone thinks (he has a 4.12 ERA and six blown saves), he could still be of some value to another team as a setup man.
  • Chad Bradford, RP, Orioles- Every contending team needs relievers.
  • Joe Blanton, SP, Athletics- It seems like Oakland has had Blanton on the block forever, and his value has certainly taken a steep dive. He could, still, however, be a serviceable fourth starter for another contender. He might draw interest from the Yankees, Phillies, Cardinals, Twins, and Tigers.
  • Gerald Laird, C, Rangers- Texas is chock-full of catchers right now with Laird, Jarrod Saltalamacchia, and Max Ramirez. It is almost certain that one of them will go, and that will most likely be the veteran Laird due to the potential of the two other youngsters. Look for the Marlins to make a run at him.
  • Hank Blalock, 3B, Rangers- With the way Ramon Vazquez has been producing and with the emergence of rookie Chris Davis, the Rangers will definitely shop Blalock when he comes off the DL. The Angels might make a play for him, as might the Twins.
  • Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Mariners- The time may have finally come for the Mariners and Ichiro to part ways. Seattle clearly isn't going anywhere this season, so trading him for some prospects might be the best thing to do.
  • Erik Bedard, SP, Mariners- Even though they just acquired him over the winter, the Mariners may very well put Bedard on the market. The Yankees would definitely be interested, as would the Phillies. A sleeper could be the Tigers.
  • Raul Ibanez, OF, Mariners- Plenty of teams could use his pop in their lineup. Count the Diamondbacks, Rays, and Tigers as possible destinations.
  • Adrian Beltre, 3B, Mariners- The Angels could certainly use some production from the third base spot, as Chone Figgins has been terrible this season. Still, the chances of Seattle trading with their division rival are unlikely. The Brewers might be interested.
  • Mark Teixeira, 1B, Braves- The only way Atlanta considers dealing Teixeira is if they fall completely out of contention in the NL East, which probably won't happen. Either way, you can't discount the possibility. The Yankees might make a move for the first baseman if he becomes available.
  • Jorge Campillo, SP, Braves- Again, this is only if the Braves are out of it come July 31st, but Campillo could be a nice, cheap option for a team searching for a third or fourth starter. The Yankees, Tigers, and Twins might take a look at him.
  • Aaron Harang, SP, Reds- Harang is having a poor year and is now injured, so the chances of Cincinnati trading him are very slim considering they would have to sell very low. The Bronx Bombers were rumored to be interested, though.
  • Adam Dunn, OF, Reds- Dunn would fit well in the AL as a DH, as he is a terrible outfielder. Tampa Bay and Detroit could make a run at him, however Arizona has examined the possibility of bringing the cumbersome power-hitter aboard.
  • Bronson Arroyo, SP, Reds- It's almost a guarantee that Arroyo gets dealt somewhere before the deadline. He is having an awful season, but there will be teams willing to take him on as a fifth starter for the stretch run.
  • David Weathers, RP, Reds- He should draw interest from many teams. The Marlins make a lot of sense. Milwaukee is also in need of some bullpen help.
  • Jeremy Affeldt, RP, Reds- Not only is he a decent relief pitcher, but he is a left-handed one at that. The Yankees went after him in the off-season. Maybe they try to snag him again before the deadline.
  • Jason Bay, OF, Pirates- Pittsburgh is asking for the world for Bay. It has been rumored that the Cardinals inquired about him, but the Pirates wanted top prospect Colby Rasmus back in the deal. The Mets and Rays are also interested.
  • Xavier Nady, OF, Pirates- Again, the Rays are looking for some offense in the outfield, so they could take a run at Nady. Same goes for the Mets and Diamondbacks. Nady is having an All-Star caliber season.
  • Jack Wilson, SS, Pirates- It looked like he was on his way to the Dodgers recently, but that fell through.
  • Adam LaRoche, 1B, Pirates- LaRoche is known for being a second-half player, and, as usual, he has been surging since the halfway point. That could certainly attract some teams.
  • Damaso Marte, RP, Pirates- He may very well be the best relief pitcher on the market, but due to the injury to Matt Capps, Marte was forced to take over the closer role in Pittsburgh, making his availability on the trade market limited.
  • Chris Gomez, IF, Pirates- Gomez would make a very solid utility man on a bunch of teams.
  • Roy Oswalt, SP, Astros- Given that he is having a down year, it's doubtful Houston will trade him considering they will get low-balled.
  • Ty Wiggington, 3B, Astros- Wiggington would be a nice addition to a team looking for a bat off the bench or a platoon at third. Maybe the Angels, who are lacking power at that position, take a stab at him.
  • Darin Erstad, 1B/OF, Astros- Think Chris Gomez with even more versatility in the field.
  • Mark Loretta, 2B, Astros- Loretta is not the player he once was, but he is still a solid second baseman and bring some good situational hitting to the table.
  • Geoff Geary, RP, Astros- He is having a solid year out of the pen and would fit in on just about every contender.
  • Bengie Molina, C, Giants- Even though everyone outside of San Francisco knows the Giants stand no chance of making the playoffs, the Giants remain firm on their stance of not selling unless they are completely out of the picture. If they do decide to move Molina, I could see the Marlins jumping on him.
  • Randy Winn, RF, Giants- His situation is very similar to Molina's. The Mets could make a play for him, as could the Diamondbacks.
  • Ray Durham, 2B, Giants- Durham is having a very solid season and will definitely have teams calling about his availability.
  • Rich Aurilia, IF, Giants- Aurilia will probably wind up on a contender somewhere as a backup infielder.
  • Jack Taschner, RP, Giants- Good left-hander out of the bullpen. He should draw interest from many.
  • Matt Holliday, LF, Rockies- Colorado could still make a second-half run in the weak NL West (just look at what they did last year). However, dealing Holliday is not out of the question. I still say the Yankees are a good fit, but it would almost definitely take Philip Hughes, who is just about untouchable to Brian Cashman, to get a deal done. The Angels have also been rumored to be interested.
  • Brian Fuentes, RP, Rockies- Fuentes is almost certain to get moved. The Marlins, Yankees, and Rays have all been vying for his services and appear to be the frontrunners. It was rumored that the Rockies want Ian Kennedy from the Yankees for him.
  • Willy Taveras, CF, Rockies- He might not have the best bat in the world, but the man has stolen 39 bases to lead the majors.
  • Clint Barmes, SS, Rockies- Barmes could either be a nice player to have off the bench or a nice starting shortstop for the stretch run.
  • Yorvit Torrealba, C, Rockies- He is having a terrible season but could serve as a viable backup somewhere else, as that is what he is essentially doing now in Colorado with the emergence of Chris Iannetta.
  • Todd Helton, 1B, Rockies- Has the time finally come for Helton and the Rockies to part ways? With young first basemen Jeff Baker and Joe Koshansky also in the mix now, that may very well be the case, even though there haven't been any rumors suggesting it.
  • Garrett Atkins, 3B, Rockies- He has been putting up All-Star caliber numbers the past few seasons, which is why the Rockies won't even consider dealing him unless they're completely out of the race, much like Holliday.
  • Tony Clark, 1B, Padres- I would be surprised if Clark doesn't get traded. In fact, it has been said that the Diamondbacks are working on a deal to get him.
  • Greg Maddux, SP, Padres- Is there a chance he winds up back with Atlanta?
  • Randy Wolf, SP, Padres- He is a left-hander, meaning he will stir up plenty of interest over the next two weeks. I could see the Yankees taking a chance on him, as well as the Phillies. Maybe even the Twins and Tigers think about acquiring him for the pennant race?
  • Trevor Hoffman, RP, Padres- Hoffman has just been downright awful this season, but there will be a team out there that is willing to take him on as a setup man.
  • Heath Bell, RP, Padres- Indications are that San Diego is not moving him, but if they do decide to make him available, Bell might become one of the deadline's hottest commodities.
  • Scott Hairston, CF, Padres- Hairston is one of those guys that every manager would love to have. He has even been hitting the long ball this season.
  • Brian Giles, RF, Padres- Like Bell, it doesn't look like the Padres are putting Giles on the block...yet. If they do, many teams will go hot-and-heavy after him looking to add an experienced veteran to their lineup.

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