MLB Trade Ideas Based on Latest Winter Meetings News, Rumors and Speculation
It was a quiet first day at the annual MLB winter meetings in terms of deals getting done, but there was no shortage of intriguing rumors.
Teams appear ready to make a push to acquire veteran talent from a Kansas City Royals club looking to trim salary, and a crowded outfield could keep the New York Mets busy.
With such a limited free-agent market that has already seen a number of top-tier names signed, the trade scene figures to be as busy as ever this week.
So with that in mind, what follows is a look at five potential trade ideas, based on the latest rumors from around the league.
Jorge Soler to the Texas Rangers
1 of 4
Rangers Get: OF Jorge Soler
Cubs Get: RP Jake Diekman, IF Josh Morgan
The Rumor
The Texas Rangers are showing interest in Chicago Cubs outfielder Jorge Soler, according to TR Sullivan of MLB.com.
Why It Makes Sense for the Rangers
While center field may be the biggest hole on the roster, the Rangers are also looking for a right-handed bat, per Yahoo's Jeff Passan, in an effort to add some balance to a lineup that features Shin-Soo Choo, Rougned Odor and Nomar Mazara from the left side.
Acquiring someone like Soler would allow the team to rely less on the young duo of Joey Gallo and Jurickson Profar, perhaps deploying them as a platoon at first base or returning Profar to a super-utility role.
The 24-year-old Soler has yet to live up to expectations. However, his offensive potential is undeniable, and a move to the American League where he can be used as a designated hitter would suit him as a well-below-average defender in the outfield.
Soler has a .762 OPS with 27 home runs and 98 RBI in 765 career plate appearances, and he's under team control through the 2020 season.
A move to a warmer home park may also help keep the Cuban-born slugger healthy, as he's dealt with persistent hamstring issues.
Why It Makes Sense for the Cubs
Chicago has a logjam in the outfield, and Soler looks like the odd man out.
Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward, Jon Jay, Albert Almora Jr. and Ben Zobrist—assuming Javier Baez takes over as the everyday second baseman—will all vie for playing time.
Meanwhile, finding more bullpen help remains atop the Cubs' offseason to-do list.
With Travis Wood departing in free agency and Mike Montgomery possibly moving to the rotation, the top lefty options in the pen are rookie Rob Zastryzny and recent free-agent signing Brian Duensing, who has posted a 4.21 ERA over 69 appearances the past two seasons.
That makes hard-throwing southpaw Jake Diekman an attractive target.
The 29-year-old has a 3.59 ERA and has averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings over 283 career appearances. Last season, he excelled in a setup role with 26 holds and four saves.
Diekman is under team control through 2018, so the Rangers would likely need to sweeten the pot.
Infielder Josh Morgan ranks as the team's No. 12 prospect, according to MLB.com, and his versatility makes him an appealing target for a team like the Cubs.
He saw time at second, third and shortstop last season, and the club has also been giving him reps behind the plate in the instructional league. He doesn't offer much in the way of power but hit .300 with a .367 on-base percentage in a full season in High-A last year.
Yangervis Solarte to the Los Angeles Dodgers
2 of 4
Dodgers Get: 3B Yangervis Solarte, RP Brad Hand
Padres Get: SP Scott Kazmir, SP Brock Stewart, SP Ross Stripling
The Rumor
The Los Angeles Dodgers are among the teams showing interest in Yangervis Solarte, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. The San Diego Padres are said to be "aggressively" shopping the veteran infielder, per another report from Rosenthal.
Why It Makes Sense for the Dodgers
With Chase Utley and Justin Turner both reaching free agency and Howie Kendrick traded to the Philadelphia Phillies, the Dodgers have holes to fill at second and third base.
Simply bringing back Utley and Turner remains a possibility, but with MLB Trade Rumors predicting a five-year, $85 million deal for Turner, the team could look for a cheaper alternative at the hot corner.
Solarte has quietly been a steady producer for the Padres since coming over in a trade with the Yankees, posting an .808 OPS with 26 doubles, 15 home runs and 71 RBI last season.
The 29-year-old switch-hitter is under team control through the 2019 season and is arbitration-eligible for the first time this winter with a $2.7 million projected salary, per MLBTR's Tim Dierkes.
We're turning this into a bigger deal, though, by including lefty reliever Brad Hand.
A starter during his time with the Miami Marlins, Hand made the full-time move to the bullpen last season and enjoyed a breakout year. The 26-year-old led the NL with 82 appearances, posting a 2.92 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 111 strikeouts in 89.1 innings.
With an ability to throw multiple innings and team control through 2019, he may be a more valuable trade chip than Solarte, and he'd be a welcome addition to a Dodgers bullpen in need of a proven lefty.
The Dodgers get a chance to shed Scott Kazmir's salary ($16 million in base money next year) while giving up a pair of arms in Brock Stewart and Ross Stripling who profile more as organizational depth than long-term rotation pieces.
Why It Makes Sense for the Padres
The Padres badly need more starting pitching.
Here's how their projected Opening Day rotation lines up, per Roster Resource:
- RHP Luis Perdomo
- LHP Christian Friedrich
- RHP Paul Clemens
- RHP Jarred Cosart
- RHP Cesar Vargas
That is not pretty.
This return would give the team a veteran capable of stepping into the staff ace role in Kazmir, as well as a pair of young arms in Stewart and Stripling who are both under team control through 2022.
Neither pitcher has front-line upside, but both are capable of holding down rotation spots. The 25-year-old Stewart offers some intrigue after a breakout season in 2016.
The move buys the Padres innings and gives them an intriguing trade chip in Kazmir, assuming he stays healthy and returns to his 2014-2015 form.
Curtis Granderson to the Baltimore Orioles, Brad Brach to the New York Mets
3 of 4
Orioles Get: OF Curtis Granderson, SP Gabriel Ynoa, SP/RP Rafael Montero
Mets Get: RP Brad Brach
The Rumor
The Baltimore Orioles prefer Curtis Granderson to Jay Bruce in their talks with the New York Mets about a corner outfielder, while the Mets are showing interest in All-Star reliever Brad Brach, per Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.
Why It Makes Sense for the Orioles
The Orioles have been active in their search for a left-handed hitter to join Adam Jones and Hyun Soo Kim in the starting outfield.
Granderson could be the answer.
He has one year and $15 million remaining on his contract, and he's coming off another strong season as he posted a .799 OPS with 30 home runs and 88 runs scored.
The 35-year-old has plenty of experience playing in the AL East, including a pair of 40-homer seasons with the New York Yankees. He also carries a career .981 OPS with 18 home runs in 229 plate appearances at Camden Yards.
The Mets don't want to eat any of that $15 million to move Granderson, according to Joel Sherman of the New York Post.
However, Brach features more team control (through 2018) and is a more valuable asset in the current market, so the Mets would need to add other pieces to the deal.
Gabriel Ynoa and Rafael Montero would give the O's a pair of MLB-ready arms capable of competing for rotation spots, pitching out of the bullpen or providing organizational depth.
Ynoa doesn't have electric stuff, but he's continued to get hitters out every step of the way in the minors. Montero has struggled to stay healthy but has considerable upside if all the pieces fall into place.
If the Mets are willing to toss a couple million dollars into the deal, they may only have to part with one of those pitchers, but neither has a place on the roster anyway.
Why It Makes Sense for the Mets
One way or another, New York figures to dump Granderson or Bruce before the offseason is over, as the move to re-sign Yoenis Cespedes has left it with a crowded outfield.
Juan Lagares, Michael Conforto and Brandon Nimmo will push for playing time in the outfield, so it makes sense for the Mets to flip one of those veterans for bullpen help.
Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia formed a potent combo at the end of games last season, and adding an All-Star setup man in Brach would give them a "super bullpen" of sorts.
Brach, 30, has posted a 2.39 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 10.3 K/9 over the past two years, racking up 39 holds and emerging as one of the best setup men in baseball.
MLB Trade Rumors projects he'll earn $2.9 million in his second year of arbitration—well below his open-market value—and he's under team control for two more seasons.
The emergence of Robert Gsellman—and to a lesser degree Seth Lugo—gives the Mets enough starting pitching depth that they can afford to part with Ynoa and Montero.
.png?w=256)
Lorenzo Cain, Wade Davis to the St. Louis Cardinals
4 of 4
Cardinals Get: CF Lorenzo Cain, RP Wade Davis
Royals Get: 2B Kolten Wong, SP Sandy Alcantara, 3B Paul DeJong, RP Sam Tuivailala
The Rumor
The Kansas City Royals have discussed a deal that would send center fielder Lorenzo Cain and reliever Wade Davis to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for second baseman Kolten Wong and prospects, according to John Perrotto of Today's Knuckleball.
Why It Makes Sense for the Cardinals
St. Louis needs an everyday center fielder to improve its outfield defense, and Lorenzo Cain would certainly do that.
The 30-year-old struggled through a down season offensively, due in large part to a nagging wrist injury, posting a .747 OPS with 19 doubles and nine home runs in 434 plate appearances.
He was a legitimate MVP candidate in 2015, though, with a slash line of .307/.361/.477 and 34 doubles, 16 home runs and 72 RBI for a 7.2 WAR and a third-place finish in AL MVP voting.
Cain has also posted double-digit defensive runs saved in the outfield each of the past four seasons, racking up 74 during that span, so he would rank as a defensive upgrade.
As for Wade Davis, he'd likely supplant Seung Hwan Oh in the closer's role, joining him and lefties Kevin Siegrist and Brett Cecil at the back of a bullpen that also features Trevor Rosenthal as an intriguing bounce-back candidate.
The relief corps is lacking a reliable right-handed setup option, so adding Davis to the back end and sliding Oh into the eighth-inning role improves the bullpen as a whole.
Why It Makes Sense for the Royals
Cain and Davis are both headed for free agency at the end of the upcoming season, and with the Royals working hard to trim payroll, per the Kansas City Star's Rustin Dodd, there's a good chance neither will return.
Davis carries a $10 million salary after the team exercised his option earlier this offseason, while Cain is set to earn $11 million in the final campaign of a two-year pact, which the club used to buy out his final arbitration seasons.
It makes sense that the Royals would be targeting second baseman Kolten Wong, as the keystone has been a revolving door in Kansas City since Frank White retired in 1990 after 18 seasons.
Wong signed a five-year, $25.5 million extension last spring, but he struggled through a trying campaign that included a trip to the minors and a position change to center field. He finished with a .240/.327/.355 line over 361 plate appearances.
That said, the 26-year-old still offers a ton of upside at a clear position of need for the Royals.
Wong posted a .707 OPS with 28 doubles, 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases on his way to a 2.2 WAR in 2015, and his mix of power, speed and defensive ability is hard to find at second base.
As for the prospects included in the deal, we're going with right-hander Sandy Alcantara and third baseman Paul DeJong, as well as hard-throwing reliever Sam Tuivailala.
Alcantara, 21, posted a 3.96 ERA and 1.32 WHIP with 153 strikeouts in 122.2 innings last season while reaching High-A. He can touch 101 mph with his fastball and backs it with a solid changeup-curveball combination as well as a slider. His command is still a work-in-progress, but his upside is obvious.
DeJong, 23, would be the heir to Mike Moustakas at third base. In a full season with Double-A Springfield, the 2015 fourth-round pick posted a .784 OPS with 29 doubles, 22 home runs and 73 RBI as he continues to develop quickly.
Tuivailala is another hard-thrower who can touch triple digits with his fastball, and he'd push for a spot in the MLB bullpen immediately.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. Projected salaries courtesy of MLBTradeRumors. Contract information via Spotrac unless otherwise noted.
.png?w=480)
