MLB Trade Rumors: 12 Hot Deals Still on the Table

As spring training begins, the baseball trade rumor cauldron is bubbling over. So many players appear to be on the market, and fans just seem to be waiting for the trigger to be pulled on them.

The hottest rumor over the past couple of days has involved New York Yankees pitcher A.J. Burnett, who may be headed to the Pittsburgh Pirates after struggling for the past two years in New York. As a Yankee, Burnett has gone 34-35 with a 4.79 ERA.

Thus, in the spirit of the season beginning, let's take a look at 12 deals involving certain players that are heating up and still on the table.

B.J. Upton

B.J. Upton is a player who always seems a move away from being traded, but then the Rays pull him back. This year, it seems as though the team will ultimately take that final step and deal him as he enters the final year of his contract.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Washington Nationals were interested in Upton at one point but have since cooled on him. Seeing how he has a great arm, good home run power and is a huge threat to steal a base, some team will surely make a big offer for him either now or at some point during the season.

Matt Garza

The Chicago Cubs are in full rebuilding mode, and that means GM Jed Hoyer isn't going to be shy about trading away one of his best players to get MLB-ready prospects in return. In this case, his best trade chip is pitcher Matt Garza.

According to ESPN Chicago, Hoyer would like to keep his strikeout pitcher long-term. Yet chances of that happening are slim.

The fact remains that Garza is one of the game's most underrated pitchers, and with the proper run support he is a hands-down Cy Young candidate. That being said, he will surely be traded if the right prospect package is put together.

Carlos Lee

Carlos Lee is about to enter the final year of a $100 million contract, and given the state of the Astros, he'll be traded. The only hitch in the giddy-up of a trade getting done are his 10-and-5 rights, which means he has to approve any trade proposal in which he is involved.

Astros owner Jim Crane appears willing, according to Nick Cafardo via boston.com, to eat much of his veteran first baseman's salary, so chances are a deal could potentially be made. Lee still has some pop left in his bat, so there's surely a team in need that will give up a prospect or two to earn his services.

At this point, all that has to happen is for Lee to approve a trade, less so Crane and his team putting a deal together with another franchise.

Wandy Rodriguez

Joining Lee in Houston's trade rumors is left-handed starter Wandy Rodriguez, who was on the trading block for much of last year's second half. All that prevented him being traded then was the Astros' unwillingness to pay any of his remaining salary.

Team GM Jeff Luhnow has stated that Rodriguez is "an important part" of the team's plans this season, so chances are he could stay with the Astros until his contract runs out at the end of the 2013 season. 

However, consider this: The Astros lost 106 games last year, and entering 2012, they're in position to lose that many and possibly more. Long story short, they won't be contending any time soon.

Thus, Rodriguez could easily be traded so that Crane and Luhnow can build up the team's farm system.

Gavin Floyd

This offseason, no White Sox player has appeared to be safe, as GM Kenny Williams has already dealt closer Sergio Santos to the Toronto Blue Jays and outfielder Carlos Quentin to the San Diego Padres. In terms of who's next, most have their money on right-hander Gavin Floyd.

Floyd went 12-13 with a 4.37 ERA last year but posted a very respectable 1.16 WHIP. Thus, teams in need of pitching depth would surely consider him. 

Regarding whether or not any deals are in the works, it's hard to be sure. Floyd told MLB Network that he has been "kept in the dark" all winter long about his future with the team, so there's no telling when he would be traded, if at all.

Given how Williams has been demanding top talent for his players all offseason long, I'd say it's going to be a while before the trigger is pulled on this deal.

Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano has the potential to be one of the best strikeout pitchers in the game, but his inconsistent production and balky elbow keep him from becoming that. Following a solid 2010 campaign, Liriano greatly regressed in 2011 and went just 9-10 with a 5.09 ERA.

Given how his Minnesota Twins already handed out a questionable contract extension to Joe Mauer last year and have his injury problems to worry about, I'm guessing that they won't make the same mistake with Liriano.

Some team in need of a lefty starter will make a play for him, and the Twins will trade him during the season and get some minor league talent in return rather than let him hit free agency and receive just a draft pick.

Kevin Gregg

Just yesterday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reported that the Orioles would eat part of Gregg's $5.8 million salary if it meant trading him.

The team is in full rebuilding mode, and given how Gregg posted just 22 saves with a 4.37 ERA and 1.64 WHIP last year, while also blowing seven saves, he is a complete and utter liability as the team looks to get better.

It's hard to say just which teams will bite on the veteran righty, but a closer is a closer. Gregg has been doing that job for a long time, and if I were a GM looking to acquire late-inning help, I'd sooner trust Gregg than someone untested.

Jair Jurrjens

A hot-button player for most of the offseason was Braves right-hander Jair Jurrjens, whose pitching-heavy team was dangling him to see if any top prospects could be gotten in return. The injury-prone hurler went 13-6 with a 2.96 ERA in just 23 starts last year, yet GM Frank Wren still demanded top hitting prospects in return even though Jurrjens has had issues staying healthy.

According to David O'Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, teams did indeed make offers for Jurrjens. Wren just wasn't satisfied with any of them.

Still, given the team having too many starters, look for Jurrjens to keep surfacing in trade rumors throughout spring training.

Martin Prado

Also featured in O'Brien's story was the multi-talented Martin Prado, who Wren also tried to trade this winter. In the end, no offer met Wren's standards.

Still, don't count out the idea of Prado being traded before the season. He's hit .291 over the past three seasons, and on top of that he can play multiple positions, both in the infield and outfield.

Like Jurrjens, the only red flag on him is his durability. Since becoming a full-time player in 2009, he has yet to appear in more than 140 games due to injury. A deal can be made for him, but probably not the one that Wren had in mind.

Koji Uehara

Koji Uehara was one of the most lights-out relief pitchers in baseball last year, as he posted a 1.72 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 47 innings over 43 appearances for the Baltimore Orioles before being dealt to the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline. He struggled down south, posting a 4.00 ERA in 22 appearances while throwing in a hitter-friendly park.

He appears to be back on the block this offseason, as teams like the Orioles and Oakland A's have been in on him. Just a few weeks ago, Uehara rejected a trade to the Toronto Blue Jays.

According to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, the A's seem to be the most interested in the right-hander's services, while Dan Connolly of the Baltimore Sun reports that Uehara wishes to return to the Orioles.

A deal is imminent here. It's just a matter of which team wins.

Alfonso Soriano

Cubs GM Jed Hoyer appeared on The Carmen, Jurko & Harry Show on ESPN 1000 last week and, in a transcript provided by ESPN Chicago, stated that he doesn't see the team trading outfielder Alfonso Soriano before the start of the season.

If the Jesus Montero trade has taught us anything, it's not to believe a word of anything GMs say. Soriano is nothing but dead weight for the Cubs at this point, as he is constantly injured and has not once played a full season in his five seasons on the North Side.

Over the past three years, he has hit just .248, and on top of that his defense in the outfield has been horrific. The only redeeming quality of Soriano is his power bat, which has not yet deserted him. At age 36, he has 340 career home runs, and if he stays healthy this season, he'll get his 1,000th RBI (he is only 73 away).

Thus, though Cubs fans may hate him, some team out there may want to use him in a DH role of some sort and take advantage of that power bat while he still has it.

A.J. Burnett

Finally, we come full circle as we now will discuss A.J. Burnett. Ken Rosenthal tweeted that four teams were in discussion with the Yankees about the unpredictable right-hander. All weekend long, the Pittsburgh Pirates emerged as the front-runner, as the Yankees were constantly in talks with them about getting a deal done.

Money is the biggest issue in the deal, as Burnett is owed $33 million over the next two years, and Rosenthal also reports that the Pirates are only willing to pay about $10 million. On top of that, the Yankees are looking to get a substantial return.

GM Brian Cashman wanted outfielder/first baseman Garrett Jones to come to New York in the deal, according to ESPN (via Mark J. Miller of Yahoo! Sports), but the Pirates front office quickly put the kibosh on that. This appears to be another snag in the deal, as the Yankees are looking to get the "right players" in the deal, according to Marc Carig of the Newark Star-Ledger.

The deal isn't done yet, but it is the one out of all the 12 I've mentioned that is likely to be completed the soonest. At that point, most Yankees fans may breathe a sigh of relief.