MLB Trade Rumors: The Latest on Zack Greinke, Prince Fielder and Hottest Buzz
MLB trade rumors are in full swing with the winter meetings complete and teams ready to reload and unload.
Two of the biggest names out on the market are Zach Greinke and Prince Fielder. However, the free agent market is likely to dictate their ultimate destinations.
So, what teams are willing to part with valuable prospects and assets in order to bolster their roster?
Zack Greinke
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Zack Greinke is essentially Plan B once Cliff Lee officially comes off the market.
Greinke is drawing interest from the New York Yankees and Texas Rangers—both frontrunners to acquire Lee—as well as the Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers and Toronto Blue Jays.
The Texas Rangers have the most enticing prospects of the group, so losing out on Lee would certainly hurt, but it wouldn't be the end of the line for the team.
If the Yankees don't get Lee, they would likely have to give up top prospect Jesus Montero. While not the ideal trade scenario, the Yankees are built to win now.
Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly reported that the Phillies have Greinke in their sights. But that would require the team emptying most of their prospects in order to do so.
Buster Olney of ESPN reported that the Blue Jays are not close to a Greinke deal after refusing to deal Travis Snider and Kyle Drabek. However, that deal could still be modified to include Snider but replace Drabek with someone else.
Prince Fielder
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Prince Fielder is in limbo right now because he is represented by the dreaded Scott Boras.
The prevailing perception is that Boras is determined to take Fielder into free agency in order to maximize his options and get him the biggest possible deal.
Fielder is a free agent in 2011, but if he's not willing to sign an extension with a team prior to being traded, the market for him in effect dies.
Michael Hunt of the Journal Sentinel threw out the notion of the Milwaukee Brewers simply sitting on his contract until he hits free agency. That way the team can settle for two draft picks at the end of the year instead of trading him now for below market value.
Jason Bartlett
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Jason Bartlett is in the midst of being traded to the San Diego Padres according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. He's a free agent in 2011 and will be up for an arbitration raise.
The deal would bring back Adam Russell and Cesar Ramos to the Tampa Bay Rays.
The only thing holding the deal from officially being announced are physicals from all the players involved.
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Jonathan Papelbon
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Rob Bradford of WEEI.com reported that the team was prepared to non-tender closer Jonathan Papelbon after they made an offer to Mariano Rivera.
Even if Papelbon manages to have a bounce-back season, it's looking likely that the two sides are ready to part. The team swung and missed on an opportunity to lure away Mariano Rivera, which seemed to be the writing on the wall for Papelbon.
Daniel Bard is lurking in the bullpen right now, waiting to take over the closer position. It appears that Bard is a lock to grab the role in the near future.
Boston is probably hoping that Papelbon will sign elsewhere in free agency—even after arbitration—in hopes of getting draft picks in return.
Ricky Nolasco
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Ricky Nolasco and the Florida Marlins are at odds over discussions for an extension, which could pave the way for the right-handed pitcher to being traded.
Juan Rodriguez of the Sun Sentinel recently tweeted that a multi-team deal that had Nolasco landing with the Colorado Rockies fell through. The trade talks could heat up again should Nolasco and the Marlins ultimately fail to progress.
Nolasco still has two years left on his deal, so he could stay another year in Florida or they could trade him now while he still holds more value.
Mark Buehrle
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Mark Buehrle hasn't officially made it onto the trading block, but according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the team is purportedly listening to offers for the pitcher.
Buehrle is in the final year of his contract and it might be best for the organization to move him now and get some prospects to build for the future.
Two roadblocks in any trade is the $14 million he's making this upcoming season and the full no-trade clause he has in his contract.
The loser between the Rangers and Yankees in the Cliff Lee sweepstakes is likely to pursue Buehrle in order to shore up their pitching.
Carlos Beltran
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The New York Mets would love nothing more than to rid themselves of Carlos Beltran and his massive contract.
The Red Sox supposedly had talks with the Mets over Beltran, but that ended when the Red Sox signed Carl Crawford.
John Harper of the New York Daily News recently threw out the idea of the New York Mets placing a call to the Oakland A's, which would make sense for the team if they were willing to roll the dice on Beltran.
However, the trade market for Beltran is looking slim right now.
Matt Garza
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Matt Garza has become a name of interest in the trade market according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports. He's Plan B for teams that lose out on Zach Greinke, and Plan C for those that lost out on the Cliff Lee sweepstakes.
Garza is likely to get roughly $25 million over the next three years in arbitration, making him a more enticing pitcher due to his affordable price tag.
Ed Price of AOL Fanhouse reports that the Chicago Cubs are in the lead to gain Garza's services. However, they're not alone.
The Texas Rangers and Milwaukee Brewers are also in the mix.
Ryan Ludwick
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FoxSports.com is reporting that Ryan Ludwick is drawing interest around the league.
Ludwick would fill the need for several ball clubs that are looking for another outfield bat. He's a free agent in 2011 and the San Diego Padres may be better off moving him now while the market still dictates a need for his skill set.
Among the teams interested are the Baltimore Orioles, Detroit Tigers and even the Philadelphia Phillies.
The Phillies are likely to be looking to replace Jayson Werth, with Ludwick being an affordable replacement.
Heath Bell
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It appears that Heath Bell's days in San Diego are coming to a close. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports tweeted that the Padres will absolutely deal Bell away.
Bell is up for a significant raise at year's end and the Padres are not likely to be willing to pay for that when they're in a transitional period.
Once Rafael Soriano and Bobby Jenks are taken up, Bell becomes a target of interest for a team looking for a closer.
However, as it stands now, Bell's name has not come up in trade talks.
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