MLB Trade Ideas Based on Latest News, Rumors and Speculation

Despite a rash of injuries around the game, baseball's rumor mill has been relatively quiet as we creep closer to Opening Day.

Part of that can be attributed to the exorbitant, ridiculous asking prices by some teams for their established pieces (I'm looking in your direction, Philadelphia), but by and large, more teams than ever before seem to be embracing the idea of "next man up."

Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that teams are more focused on filling these newly formed holes internally, especially considering that it's cheaper, easier and, in some cases, less of a risk than bringing in help from outside the organization.

But not all internal options are created equal, and some teams simply don't have the pieces they need available to them, forcing their hand when it comes to making a move. Fortunately, there are a handful of players believed to be available who could fill those holes.

Keep in mind that the proposed deals that follow are pure speculation—there's no indication that any of them have actually been discussed.

Baltimore Trades Brian Matusz to New York (NL)

Carlos Osorio/Associated Press

Mets Get: LHP Brian Matusz

Orioles Get: RHP Michael Fulmer

Losing Josh Edgin for the year due to Tommy John surgery didn't create a new need in New York's bullpen—it only pushed the team's lack of another quality left-handed reliever to the forefront. According to Newsday's Marc Carig, Baltimore's Brian Matusz is among the pitchers the Mets have their eye on.

Matusz, 28, has been available in the right deal for months, per MASN Sports' Roch Kubatko. Due $3.2 million in 2015 and with a year of arbitration left, he's become an expense that the Orioles don't necessarily need to carry, with Chris Jones, T.J. McFarland and Wesley Wright all left-handed options out of the bullpen.

In exchange for Matusz, the Mets would send the Orioles 22-year-old Michael Fulmer, named the organization's 12th-best prospect by Baseball America in their 2015 Prospect Handbook (and even ranked as high as No. 7, which followed the 2012 season).

Buried on the team's organizational depth chart, Fulmer knows how to miss bats and keep the ball in the park (15 HR over 258 career innings pitched), which would serve him well at Camden Yards, though he's at least another year away from contributing in the majors.

He'd give the Orioles another high-upside, low-cost and controllable starter to potentially plug into their rotation for years to come. That is not a bad return for a failed starter who's ineffective against all but left-handed batters.

Boston Trades Jackie Bradley Jr. to Atlanta

Kathy Willens/Associated Press

Braves Get: CF Jackie Bradley Jr.

Red Sox Get: RHP Cody Martin

Atlanta heads into the regular season with a combination of Zoilo Almonte and Eury Perez (and possibly Eric Young Jr.) holding down center field in Melvin Upton's absence, which is anything but an ideal situation. While Perez is a center fielder, Almonte is not, and both are no better than fourth outfielders.

The jury's still out on whether Jackie Bradley Jr. can hit enough in the majors, but he's a whiz with the glove and is drawing interest from other teams this spring, sources tell The Boston Globe's Nick Cafardo. 

Whether Atlanta is one of those teams remains to be seen, but the Braves have previously expressed interest in Bradley Jr., per earlier reports from both Peter Gammons and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's David O'Brien.

Bradley could be Atlanta's long-term answer in center field, something that the team has been searching for ever since Michael Bourn departed as a free agent following the 2012 season.

For whatever the reason, Cody Martin doesn't seem to fit into Atlanta's plans, either in the short term or long term, having never been added to the team's 40-man roster and left exposed to the most recent Rule 5 draft.

As MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo notes, Martin has nothing left to prove in the minors:

"

It's not that Martin is going to wow you with pure stuff. He's not one of those flame-throwers a team takes a chance on in the Rule 5 Draft in the hopes he develops into a back-of-the-bullpen power reliever. But what Martin can do is pitch. He finished sixth in the Triple-A International League in ERA and innings pitched. He's durable and he can throw all of his pitches for strikes.

For a guy who isn't overpowering, he still misses a fair amount of bats, with an 8.2 K/9 rate in 2014. He also improved his walk rate from 2013 to this past season. To me, he's ready to compete for a rotation spot, regardless of if he's selected on Dec. 11.

"

While the Red Sox seem content to roll with the rotation that they currently have, it certainly can't hurt to add another young arm to the mix, even if he starts the year at Triple-A.

Martin would give the Red Sox options when a need in the rotation arises, and they may be more inclined to have him ride the minor league shuttle than one of their top pitching prospects, like Henry Owens or Eduardo Rodriguez.

Houston Trades Chris Carter to Tampa Bay

DG/Associated Press

Astros Get: LHP Grayson Garvin and a PTBNL

Rays Get: 1B/LF/DH Chris Carter

The arrival of Evan Gattis and continued development of Jon Singelton have made Chris Carter somewhat expendable in Houston, and ESPN's Jayson Stark reports that the slugger could be available.

A defensive liability that isn't going to hit for average or get on base consistently, Carter's value as a trade chip is somewhat limited. But his calling card, his massive power, plays in any ballpark, including Tropicana Field in Tampa Bay, home to a Rays team that could certainly use another productive bat.

Due $4.1 million in 2015 and controllable through 2018, Carter fits into Tampa Bay's limited payroll without much of an issue.

Houston's not going to get a top prospect in exchange for Carter—he's far too much of an all-or-nothing player to command such a hefty price—but they land a solid one from the Rays in the form of left-handed starter Grayson Garvin.

Standing 6'6", Garvin's downward trajectory and smooth mechanics allow all of his pitches to quickly get on top of batters, and he's shown both excellent command of his arsenal and the ability to keep batters off balance by consistently mixing up his offerings.

His upside may not be more than that of a solid back-end starter, but Garvin could be a factor in Houston this season. At the very least, the 25-year-old is a better option than reclamation projects like Samuel Deduno and Alex White, who appear to be next in line should the Astros need to call upon another starter.

Unless otherwise noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.

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