MLB Trade Rumors: 5 Journeymen Who Aren't Worth Short-Term Rentals

Like temperatures across the country, the MLB midsummer market is heating up with the July 31st non-waiver trade deadline just days away.

All those big names that have dominated talks thus far, from Carlos Beltran to Heath Bell to BJ Upton, may finally be on the move now that time is so clearly of the essence.

Some of those bound to move, like Upton, Hunter Pence and the recently-traded Colby Rasmus, will be under their new teams' control into next season and possibly beyond.

However, most of the guys who will be changing addresses by August 1st are on the verge of free agency, thereby rendering them little more than high-priced, two-month rentals.

Some will certainly be worth the squeeze while others may prove to be too pricey for what they'll realistically provide as short-term additions.

Here, then, are five guys on the block for whom teams will pay more dearly than they realistically should.

Mike Adams

Strange as it may seem, the San Diego Padres are much more willing and eager to move Heath Bell than Mike Adams.

Strange indeed, considering Bell is a two-time All-Star closer on pace for his third straight 40-save season while Adams, who's been terrific in his own right since he arrived in San Diego in 2008, still projects as a middle reliever.

Both will be free agents after the season, yet the Padres have allegedly told at least a dozen teams that Adams is not for sale.

Like any name that's spent as much time on the trading block as Adams', the soon-to-be-33-year-old setup man can probably still be had for the right price, though such a cost would likely amount to a top-flight prospect.

Which, for two months of a relief pitcher, regardless of who it might be, would be absurdly high.

Carlos Beltran

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the Giants and the New York Mets have agreed on a deal to send All-Star outfielder Carlos Beltran to the West Coast for pitching prospect Zack Wheeler and cash.

Don't get me wrong: Carlos Beltran will make the Giants a better team and might even pull them neck-and-neck with the Philadelphia Phillies as the favorites to win the National League pennant.

But at what cost?

The Giants turned out to be the only team from among the Braves, Phillies, Red Sox and Rangers willing to give up a top-flight prospect (Wheeler) to make a deal.

Wheeler, the San Fran's top prospect and the 31st best in all of baseball according to ESPN's Keith Law, has the stuff to be a top-of-the-rotation starter and figures to get there with another year or two of seasoning.

For him, the Giants get two months of a 34-year-old outfielder with two bad knees who missed 179 games over the previous two seasons. Granted, Beltran has had a fine season thus far, sporting a .289 batting average with 15 homers and 66 RBI.

But if Giants GM Brian Sabean thinks the Beltran of today will be anything close to the Beltran of 2004, or even the Buster Posey of 2010, he'd better think again. 

Kosuke Fukudome

The Chicago Cubs wouldn't likely ask as much for Kosuke Fukudome as the Mets did for Carlos Beltran, but that does little to diminish the fact that the veteran outfielder from Japan really isn't worth much of any fuss.

Fukudome is a serviceable outfielder, to say the least, with a .273 average, though his three home runs and 13 RBI represent only marginal productivity. Still, Bruce Levine of ESPN claims a few times are interested in the outfielder.

Where the trepidation should creep in for interested teams is in his salary, as he is in the last year of a four-year, $48 million deal he signed with the Cubs back in December of 2007.

Fukudome could probably be had for little more than a B or C-level prospect or two. However, don't expect any small market, cash-strapped postseason contenders to pay up for a guy with such a puny bat.

Carlos Pena

Meanwhile, some other unfortunate team desperately seeking a power bat more than likely will win up at Cubs GM Jim Hendry's doorstep begging for Carlos Pena.

Yes, Carlos Pena. He of the .219 batting average and 105 strikeouts. That Carlos Pena.

Of course, such a blunt valuation clearly overlooks Pena's power bat, which has belted 20 homers and driven in 51 runs so far this season. And SI's Jon Heyman states he will almost certainly be traded.

Then again, those are just the numbers team will fixate on while overlooking the fact that doesn't make contact very often.

And as far as money is concerned, Pena, who will be a free agent after the season, will be owed $5 million in January of 2012 in addition to the remainder of the $5 million he's on the books for this season.

Anyone still want in? Anyone?

Bueller?

Rafael Furcal

Infielders are surprisingly difficult to come by at the trade deadline, though there are a few who might be worth making a move for.

Rafael Furcal is not one of them.

Once upon a time, Furcal was one of the best shortstops in the game, a two-time All-Star with a cannon for an arm and some serious wheels on the base paths.

Nowadays, though, Furcal is at best a shadow of his former self. Since 2008, Furcal has struggled with injuries that have taken a serious toll on his body and, therefore, his performance on the field.

Case in point: Furcal is hitting a lowly .185 with one home run and 11 RBI in a mere 35 games this season while shuffling in and out of the Dodgers' lineup with more nicks and bruises.

LA wouldn't likely mind getting rid of Furcal, who is the the last year of a three-year, $30-million deal, and he Furcal is said to be drawing interest. Should the Dodgers (and MLB) decide it's time for a fire sale, look for GM Ned Colletti to do whatever he can to dump Furcal, among other veterans on his roster.

Whether he finds any takers is an entirely different story.