MLB Trade Rumors: The Top 5 Pitchers Available on the Trade Market

The 2011 MLB trade deadline is rapidly approaching. MLB trade rumors will continue to swirl around for the next few days until the deadline on Sunday.

Teams are looking to make improvements anyway that they can, but they are also paying attention to the prices that they will have to pay.

After taking a look at the best hitters on the trade market after the recent deals, it is now time to look at the best pitchers on the market.

5. Jeremy Guthrie

2011 Stats: 4-14, 4.33 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, 85 K

Jeremy Guthrie is an example of a player whose true ability is not represented by his win-loss record. He is pitching much better than both his record and ERA suggest.

Teams that are rumored to have interest in Guthrie include the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Detroit Tigers. If he moves out of the AL East, Guthrie’s numbers should definitely improve.

4. Wandy Rodriguez

2011 Stats: 6-7, 3.60 ERA, 1.32 WHIP, 100 K

As of late, it appears that the Houston Astros have been making a bigger and bigger push to deal Wandy Rodriguez. Many teams are monitoring this situation to see if his price will drop.

Jayson Stark of ESPN has mentioned that the Astros could look to move Rodriguez in a salary dump.  He mentions the New York Yankees as a possible destination.

3. Hiroki Kuroda

2011 Stats: 6-12, 3.19 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 97 K

Hiroki Kuroda has a large contract and this could impact his status with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The team will probably look to shed payroll following the McCourt divorce saga.

At the moment, it appears that the Detroit Tigers may be the favorites for Kuroda. He has been a very popular name on the trade market and other teams such as the Cleveland Indians are known to be targeting him.

2. Erik Bedard

2011 Stats: 4-6, 3.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP 85 K

Jon Heyman has reported that Erik Bedard loves Seattle and that the Mariners are big fans of him. They might look to re-sign him after the season, which could cause his price to be a bit higher than some teams are willing to pay.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees scouts will watch Erik Bedard's start tonight. If he pitches well, expect the trade talk surrounding Bedard to intensify.

1. Ubaldo Jimenez

2011 Stats: 6-9, 4.20 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 116 K

Jimenez is, without a doubt, the best starting pitcher rumored to be available on the trade market this season. According to Buster Olney, the price for Jimenez has been very high, and it looks like a team will need to trade multiple top prospects to acquire him.

According to Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, the Rockies are talking about Jimenez with the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Indians.