MLB Trade Rumors: The 20 Sexiest Names on the Trade Block

About six weeks into the 2011 season, Major League Baseball teams are developing a pretty good feel for what they have and what they need and, for some teams, whether they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline.

While it may be a bit early to look around the league and see who may be coming and who may be going, we take that look around nonetheless.  Here is a look at who we can expect to see playing for new teams by year's end.

Some of the names may surprise you.

20. Corey Patterson, RF, Toronto Blue Jays

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 14: Jose Bautista #19 and Corey Patterson #16 of the Toronto Blue Jays celebrate a two-run home run by Bautista against the Minnesota Twins during the eleventh inning on May 14, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Blue Ja

Seriously, how long can Corey Patterson and Dusty Baker be separated?

19. Hunter Pence, RF, Houston Astros

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HOUSTON - MAY 11: Hunter Pence #9 of the Houston Astros celebrates with Bill Hall, left and Brett Wallace #29 after knocking in the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Minute Maid Park on May 11, 2011 in Houston,

One of the few bright spots on Houston's roster could net a handful of prospects from deeper teams, particularly in the American League where Pence's power/speed combination would play well.

18. Jason Kubel, DH, Minnesota Twins

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 11: Jason Kubel #16 of the Minnesota Twins hits a three-run home run against the Detroit Tigers during in the seventh inning of their game on May 11, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Tigers defeated the Twins 9-7. (Pho

Jason Kubel has been one of the truly unknown talents in the AL over the last couple of seasons.  With the Twins languishing in a "What the hell is going on here?" AL Central, they could very quickly become sellers.

17. Dustin Moseley, SP, San Diego Padres

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CHICAGO, IL - APRIL 20: Starting pitcher Dustin Moseley #26 of the San Diego Padres delivers the ball against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field on April 20, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Cubs defeated the Padres 2-1 in 11 innings. (Photo by Jonathan Dani

The Padres signed Dustin Moseley this offseason to fill a roster spot, and Moseley came to San Diego to have a place to play.  Suddenly, the Padres are out of the hunt in the NL West and Moseley is playing well.  

The Pads have no incentive to hold this guy, and lots of teams need quality starters.

16. Ian Stewart, 3B, Colorado Rockies

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DENVER, CO - MAY 09: Cacther Chris Iannetta #20 of the Colorado Rockies is welomed home by Ian Stewart #9 of the Colorado Rockies after his solo homerun off of starting pitcher Chris Capuano #38 of the New York Mets in the seventh inning at Coors Field o

Ian Stewart's run in Colorado appears to be over, which means he now enters the period of his career where other teams naively assume that his offensive production was not purely a product of Coors Field (see Atkins, Garrett).

15. Joe Blanton, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

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WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 12: Pitcher Joe Blanton #56 of the Philadelphia Phillies delivers to a Washington Nationals batter at Nationals Park on April 12, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)

It was incredibly nice of the Philadelphia Phillies to make sure Joe Blanton was included in all the preseason pitching staff hoopla, but with Vance Worley killing it and the Phillies struggling to fill the gaps on offense, Blanton may be on his way out.

14. Rajai Davis, CF, Toronto Blue Jays

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TORONTO, CANADA - APRIL 7: Rajai Davis #11 of the Toronto Blue Jays reacts to a strikeout during MLB action between the Toronto Blue Jays and the Oakland Athletics at the Rogers Centre April 7, 2011 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Abelimages/Getty

Speed?  Check.  Defense?  Check.  Offense?

Well, two out of three ain't bad, and Rajai Davis will be a coveted player for somebody come trade time.

13. Matt Kemp, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers

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PITTSBURGH - MAY 09: Matt Kempt #27 of the Los Angeles Dodgers makes a catch in the outfield during the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates on May 9, 2011 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

After a miserable 2010 season on both sides of the ball, Matt Kemp has been a man on a mission in 2011 and is in prime position to be dealt by a Los Angeles Dodgers team for which all options are on the table.

12. Andre Ethier, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 14: Andre Ethier #16 of the Los Angeles Dodgers lays at second base after a double play to end the game and lose 1-0 to the Arizona Diamondbacks during the ninth inning at Dodger Stadium on May 14, 2011 in Los Angeles, California.

This is appearing to be the year that Andre Ethier proves he can hit without Manny Ramirez in the lineup, and teams around baseball must be taking notice.  All bets are off in Los Angeles these days, so Ethier may be part of a large auctioning off of assets by the trade deadline.

11. Alfonso Soriano, LF, Chicago Cubs

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CHICAGO, IL - MAY 08: Alfonso Soriano #12 of the Chicago Cubs hits the ball against the Cincinnati Reds at Wrigley Field on May 8, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Reds defeated the Cubs 2-0. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

The current National League leader in home runs, there are several teams that could use a bat and the Cubs must be licking their lips at the chance to move on from this contract.

10. Wilson Betemit, 3B, Kansas City Royals

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DETROIT, MI - APRIL 10: Wilson Betemit #24 of the Kansas City Royals hits a seventh inning RBI double while playing the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park on April 10, 2011 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

The Kansas City Royals have third base uber-prospect Mike Moustakas waiting in the wings, so Wilson Betemit's consecutive seasons of productive hitting are pure bonus.  Dayton Moore has established his preference of using any talented player as a trade piece, so look for Betemit to be on the trading block.

9. Joe Nathan, Closer, Minnesota Twins

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NEW YORK, NY - APRIL 05: Joe Nathan #36 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates the win with Tsuyoshi Nishioka #1 against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium on April 5, 2011 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

Teams regularly go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs when it comes to relief pitchers at the trade deadline, and with Nathan still working his way back from injury and the Twins playing for 2012, they would almost be silly to not sell on Nathan.

8. Kosuke Fukudome, RF, Chicago Cubs

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 04: Kosuke Fukudome #1 of the Chicago Cubs looks on from the dugout prior to the start of the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 4, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. The Cubs defeated the Dodgers 5-1. (Pho

He makes lots of money, and he rarely hits well after May 1.  Now that he finally is hitting past April, look for the Cubs to jettison Kosuke Fukudome.

7. Javier Vazquez, SP, Florida Marlins

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PHILADELPHIA, PA - APRIL 15: Starting pitcher Javier Vazquez #23 of the Florida Marlins delivers a pitch during the game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 15, 2011 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Drew Hallowell/Gett

We predicted that Vazquez would be part of the Marlins resurgence in 2011, but to this point he has been one of the few poor points on the roster.  There are several teams that would take a flyer on this guy, and might give up something in exchange that would help the Marlins' playoff chances.

6. Kevin Gregg, RP, Baltimore Orioles

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CHICAGO, IL - MAY 01: Kevin Gregg #63 of the Baltimore Orioles pitches in the 9th inning against the Chicago White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field on May 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Orioles defeated the White Sox 6-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Imag

Kevin Gregg is having a very good year for the Baltimore Orioles, and is uniquely positioned as one of the few assets the Orioles are not counting on for the future who is still being productive today.  Look for Gregg to be playing for his sixth team in six years come August.

5. Carlos Zambrano, SP, Chicago Cubs

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LOS ANGELES, CA - MAY 04: Carlos Zambrano #38 of the Chicago Cubs pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on May 4, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Now 30 years old and still one of the sturdier arms in the game, Zambrano long ago earned his parole from Wrigley Field, and the Cubs would be more than happy to no longer pay Zambrano's $18 million salary.

4. Lance Berkman, RF, St. Louis Cardinals

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ST. LOUIS, MO - MAY 5: Lance Berkman #12 of the St. Louis Cardinals rounds the bases after hitting the game-winning three-run home run against the Florida Marlins at Busch Stadium on May 5, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Ima

When the St. Louis Cardinals signed Lance Berkman to a one-year deal for $8 million this offseason, no one—not Lance Berkman and certainly not the Cardinals—expected him to be the best hitter in the National League six weeks into the season.

Despite their hot start, the Cardinals cannot expect to make a serious run in 2011, and Berkman cannot possibly be counted on to repeat this performance next year, or even in the second half of this year.

3. Carlos Beltran, RF, New York Mets

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DENVER, CO - MAY 12: Carlos Beltran #15 of the New York Mets rounds the bases on his third home run of the game off of Matt Lindstrom of the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning at Coors Field on May 12, 2011 in Denver, Colorado. Beltran had three homeru

Carlos Beltran is healthy and productive at the same time for the first time since 2008, and he is in the final year of his disappointing contract with the Mets.  If New York can trade him at or near the deadline and get quality in return, they may have salvaged the whole Beltran debacle.

2. Jim Thome, DH, Minnesota Twins

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - APRIL 24: Jim Thome #25 of the Minnesota Twins hits a double against the Cleveland Indians during the seventh inning of their game on April 24, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Twins defeated the Indians 4-3. (Photo by Han

There is no sentimentality here. After a miserable start, the Twins are not playing for 2011, and Jim Thome is not playing for tomorrow.  Look for Thome to be swinging for a contender by the trade deadline.

1. Albert Pujols, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

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CINCINNATI, OH - MAY 14: Albert Pujols #5 of the St. Louis Cardinals looks on late in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park on May 14, 2011 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The Reds defeated the Cardinals 7-3. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Im

You want to demand to be the highest-paid player in baseball by a wide margin?

You want to talk about how it is not about the money, but rather the respect?

You want to go around hugging opposing teams' general managers in full view of the press?

How about the Cardinals pocket the $300 million you are demanding and send you packing a couple of months early?