10 MLB Stars Most Likely to Be Traded This Offseason
The speculation just never ends for the likes of Carlos Gonzalez and James Shields.
Both standouts survived the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline and have so far survived the August waiver period, but the next big question is if those guys could be headed out of town when the offseason arrives. In the process of ranking the 10 MLB stars who are most likely to be traded this winter, an assortment of factors were taken into consideration:
- How extensively a given player has been linked to recent rumors
- His contract status
- How each player fits into the plans of his respective club
Nearly all the big leaguers who cracked this list are owed big-time money in 2016 and beyond. As it turns out, Gonzalez isn't the only high-priced Colorado Rockies star who ends up landing right at the top of the rankings.
10. Yasiel Puig, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers
1 of 10
Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $7.2 million
- 2017: Owed $8.2 million
- 2018: Owed $9.2 million
The Trade Candidate
The Los Angeles Dodgers put Yasiel Puig in the shop window last month. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the National League West front-runners were willing to make the Cuban "available in the right deal."
Such a deal never materialized, and Puig has remained at Chavez Ravine, where he's been slogging through his worst season yet. The 24-year-old has posted career worsts in average (.254), OBP (.322), slugging percentage (.432) and OPS (.754).
Considering Puig was on the block this summer, teams should check in with the Dodgers in the offseason to see if there's a chance to buy low on the highly talented, but enigmatic outfielder.
For the Dodgers part, there's no urgency to ship out Puig, as he remains under club control through the end of 2018 at a reasonable price tag. As a result, Puig is anchored in the No. 10 spot in these rankings.
9. Hanley Ramirez, LF, Boston Red Sox
2 of 10
Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $22.7 million
- 2017: Owed $22.7 million
- 2018: Owed $22.7 million
- 2019: Has a $22 million vesting option
The Trade Candidate
According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the odds are slim that Hanley Ramirez is going anywhere. Cafardo explained that the Dominican "appears to be untradeable." One look at the salary figures above makes it easy to understand why that would be the case.
Money problems aside, there's also the consideration that Ramirez just hasn't been that good in his first season at Fenway Park.
The right-handed hitter checks in with a .731 OPS, which is his lowest figure since 2011 (.712). Meanwhile, his glove work has been atrocious. Ramirez has already cost the Boston Red Sox 19 runs in left, which is the third-worst mark for a player at that position since the stat was invented in 2003, per ESPN Stats & Info.
Add that all together, and new president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski is facing one monster challenge if he wants to get rid of Ramirez.
But as Cafardo noted, Dombrowski has pulled off an even bigger salary dump in the past. Back in 2013 when he was with the Detroit Tigers, the exec managed to trade away Prince Fielder, who was just two years into a nine-season, $214 million deal.
Another option for the Red Sox would be to shift Ramirez to first base. Already, the veteran is in danger of losing playing time in left thanks to the strong second-half showing of Rusney Castillo.
"There's a chance we could do that. We've had some discussions about that," interim manager Torey Lovullo said, via Jen McCaffrey of MassLive.com, about the possibility of giving Castillo a look at Ramirez's expense.
One final possibility would be to shift Ramirez to third base. Of course, the Red Sox would have to trade away the next player on this list to make that possible.
8. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Boston Red Sox
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $17.6 million
- 2017: Owed $17.6 million
- 2018: Owed $18.6 million
- 2019: Owed $18.6 million
- 2020: Has a $17 million team option with a $5 million buyout
The Trade Candidate
Like his teammate Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval has been a major dud in his first season with the Boston Red Sox. And also like Ramirez, Sandoval is weighed down by an exorbitant contract that will serve as a roadblock to any potential offseason swap.
ESPN's Jim Bowden recently suggested that the Red Sox should deal the Kung Fu Panda to the San Diego Padres in exchange for James Shields. Whether it's Shields or another arm, targeting a starter would be the logical course of action if the Boston brass decides to explore the market for Sandoval.
In 2015, the rotation has been a serious disappointment for the Red Sox, as the team's starting pitchers have racked up a 4.74 ERA. That's the worst mark in the AL and is third-to-last in the bigs.
7. Shin-Soo Choo, RF, Texas Rangers
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $20 million
- 2017: Owed $20 million
- 2018: Owed $20 million
- 2019: Owed $21 million
- 2020: Owed $21 million
The Trade Candidate
As Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News explained, the Texas Rangers will at least have to look into the idea of shipping out Shin-Soo Choo once the season ends: "I think they'd be less than diligent if they didn't consider the possibility this offseason."
With Choo set to rake in $102 million from 2016 to 2020, finding a way to actually move the outfielder will be a tricky task for general manager Jon Daniels. Since arriving at Globe Life Park at the start of the 2014 season, Choo has posted just a .242 average for the Rangers. The 33-year-old has been especially poor against lefties, as he's swinging at a clip of .188 against southpaws in 2015.
One positive for Texas is that Choo has actually been playing his best baseball of late. Dating back to the All-Star break, the left-handed hitter has posted a .980 OPS. Even with that strong run, the Rangers will have to be prepared to eat a lot of cash in any potential trade, thanks to Choo's drastic platoon splits and his hefty salary.
6. Jay Bruce, RF, Cincinnati Reds
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $12.5 million
- 2017: Has a $13 million team option with a $1 million buyout
The Trade Candidate
The Cincinnati Reds nearly parted ways with Jay Bruce on the eve of last month's non-waiver trade deadline. As ESPN's Buster Olney reported, the NL Central club was "willing" to send the outfielder to the New York Mets in exchange for Zack Wheeler.
Ultimately, the Mets opted to trade for Yoenis Cespedes instead, and Jay Bruce ended up staying put at Great American Ball Park. Not much has gone right for Bruce since the trade that never was, as the lefty masher has posted a .143 average and connected on just a single home run in August.
Even with his recent downturn, Bruce has still provided the Reds with plenty of pop, totaling 18 home runs in 2015. If Cincinnati decides to shop the 28-year-old in the offseason, the club should look into trading him for a much-needed arm or two. So far, Cincinnati's pitching staff ranks No. 21 in the bigs in ERA.
5. James Shields, SP, San Diego Padres
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $21 million (can opt out of the contract after the season)
- 2017: Owed $21 million
- 2018: Owed $21 million
- 2019: Has a $16 million team option with a $2 million buyout
The Trade Candidate
There's a chance that James Shields will be traded before the offseason even arrives. As ESPN's Buster Olney reported earlier in the month, the righty has already cleared waivers, which means the San Diego Padres are free to send him to any other team.
After a wobbly start to his tenure with the Pads, Shields is beginning to trend in the right direction in his first season in San Diego. In his last seven outings, Shields has posted a 3.00 ERA and piled up 43 punchouts in 42 frames.
While the vet has been rebuilding his value, there are still some complications to deal with if the Padres want to trade him away in the winter. The first issue is that Shields is still owed a considerable amount of money, as he makes $21 million in each of the next three seasons and has a $16 million team option for 2019.
The second factor that could scare off potential suitors is the fact that Shields has endured all sorts of problems on the road in 2015. At home, the 33-year-old has posted a 2.78 ERA, but his ERA sits at 4.75 when he's been away from Petco Park.
4. Aroldis Chapman, RP, Cincinnati Reds
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Arbitration-Eligible
The Trade Candidate
With Aroldis Chapman set to become a free agent at the end of the 2016 season, this winter represents the perfect moment for the Cincinnati Reds to sell high on the electric lefty.
Chapman is arbitration-eligible in the offseason, and he has put himself on track to earn a much-deserved raise from his current $8 million salary. In 2015, the 27-year-old has been flat-out filthy, posting a 1.78 ERA and reeling off 90 K's in 50.2 innings of work.
Per Jayson Stark of ESPN.com, the New York Yankees, Arizona Diamondbacks, Houston Astros and San Francisco Giants were all in the mix for the ninth-inning ace before the July 31 deadline. Once the season ends, GM Walt Jocketty should start a bidding war for Chapman and sell the closer for a ransom before he has the chance to walk away for free at the conclusion of 2016.
3. Starlin Castro, SS, Chicago Cubs
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $7.9 million
- 2017: Owed $9.9 million
- 2018: Owed $10.9 million
- 2019: Owed $11.9 million
- 2020: Has a $16 million team option with a $1 million buyout
The Trade Candidate
The future is looking murky for Starlin Castro at Wrigley Field.
Thanks to his .240 average and his .579 OPS, Castro has already lost his gig as the starting shortstop for the Chicago Cubs. Now, the question is just how much longer Castro will even be on the team. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Cubs recently put the Dominican on waivers. Heyman noted that Castro would "very likely clear." One look at his contract situation explains why that would be the case.
Even though Castro remains under contract for at least the next four seasons, it's not out of the question to think that another club would gamble on him. After all, Castro has shown that he's capable of being a standout at a premier position. Still just 25 years old, Castro has already been an All-Star on three occasions.
2. Jose Reyes, SS, Colorado Rockies
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Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $22 million
- 2017: Owed $22 million
- 2018: Has a $22 million team option with a $4 million buyout
The Trade Candidate
Jose Reyes is none too happy to have landed with the Colorado Rockies.
The shortstop has been at Coors Field for less than a month, but he's already growing impatient with his new team, which owns the worst record in baseball (49-74).
"I'm at the point in my career that I want to win," Reyes said, via Nick Groke of the Denver Post. "I say it over and over. I want to win. I don't want to spend the rest of my career on a last-place team. That's not the kind of player I feel like I am."
With the Rockies in total rebuilding mode, having a high-priced vet on the roster isn't exactly an ideal situation from the club's perspective, either.
If Colorado wants to get rid of Reyes, the best way to go about doing so would be to eat a significant chunk of the money remaining on his deal. Between now and the end of his contract, the switch-hitter is set to earn at least $48 million. Considering Reyes has hit .282 or higher in each of the past six seasons, there should be a market for him in the winter if the team is willing to pay down his contract.
1. Carlos Gonzalez, RF, Colorado Rockies
10 of 10
Contract Situation
- 2016: Owed $17 million
- 2017: Owed $20 million
The Trade Candidate
Carlos Gonzalez is doing everything he can to boost his trade value.
The Colorado Rockies right fielder has been on an absolute tear since the All-Star break. In 34 second-half games, CarGo has clubbed 17 home runs and posted a 1.123 OPS. Meanwhile, in 82 first-half contests, Gonzalez totaled 13 home runs and put up a .766 OPS.
While that impressive run led to trade rumblings early this summer, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com noted that a winter deal always appeared to be the Rockies' preference. If Gonzalez continues his monster second half over the final 39 games of Colorado's schedule, the 29-year-old's value will be at an all-time high when the end of the season arrives.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and MLB.com. All salary information courtesy of Cot's Baseball Contracts on BaseballProspectus.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
