MLB Trade Scenarios: James Shields and 10 'Sell-High' Trade Candidates

It happens every July. In the circus that is the MLB trade deadline, teams always overpay for players they think could be the piece to push them over the top. Yes, 2012 will be no different, especially as the introduction of a second wild-card berth will mean more teams are still in the mix.

Here we take a look at 10 of the top "sell-high" trade candidates, players whose value will never be as high as it will be at the deadline in 2012.

James Shields

They say you can never have too much pitching. While that's true, the Tampa Bay Rays have more than they know what to do with. James Shields led the team with a 2.82 ERA in 2011 and finished third in MVP voting.

He was dazzling, but Tampa has so many pitchers with great potential that they might not miss him as much as you would think. The Rays will be in the playoff picture again, but they have holes to fill. Come July 31, Shields would net them pretty much any player they would need.

Josh Beckett

Josh Beckett had a brilliant 2011. He had a September to forget, though, as he gained weight, pitched woefully and went from Cy Young contender to the figurehead of the Beer and Chicken Brigade.

With his "apology" press conference in late February, in which he and Jon Lester addressed the issues that caused Boston's nine-game collapse at the end of the season, he proved that he doesn't care and is never going to change.

If a historic collapse, total ridicule from the fanbase and a new manager can't change you, nothing will. A huge fallout between incoming manager Bobby Valentine and Beckett would surprise no one, and while it's unlikely given his contract situation, Boston might take 70 cents on the dollar to offload him.

Francisco Liriano

The MLB trade deadline is a wonderful example of the free market in action. One team has something everyone wants, and they bargain the best deal they can out of the situation.

Francisco Liriano might not be worth a great package right now but at the deadline, when three contending teams are one starter short of a potential championship run, his value will skyrocket.

Also, there are trade rumours about him every year and it never seems like he is happy in Minnesota.

Johan Santana

Johan Santana's stock is probably lower than it has been at any point in his career. The only reason for this, though, is that he is recovering from injury. A torn anterior capsule cost him the entire 2011 season, and the track record for bouncing back from them is not good.

If he pitches well, though, his stock will rise again. He is still a great pitcher. In 2010, he posted an ERA below three, and if he can prove he won't tank post-injury like Chien-Ming Wang did a few years ago, the lowly New York Mets should consider moving him.

Kurt Suzuki

Athletics GM Billy Beane is not like other general managers. That's why you can never really hope to predict what he will do with any degree of accuracy. Kurt Suzuki is only a third of the way through his three-year deal. He was second on the team in home runs last season, but trading him does make sense.

Firstly, his trade value is reasonably high. His .237 batting average in 2011 was poor, but it still ranked sixth best in baseball among catchers. He's durable and reasonable at throwing out would-be base stealers.

Secondly, there will be teams interested. First among them, the Tampa Bay Rays. With the addition of a second wild-card team, Tampa will definitely be in the hunt for a playoff berth but have possibly the worst catching situation of any contender. They signed Jose Molina last month, but he is 37 and has played in more than 80 games only once in his career. His annual $5 million contract is also favourable to a low-budget team like Tampa.

Adam Jones

The Baltimore Orioles are awful. Even if they improve from 2011, they still play in one of the toughest divisions in baseball and will finish dead last unless the Toronto Blue Jays are hit with the injury bug.

The Orioles have Adam Jones under control for another two years. Talks of an extension have gone nowhere and it's almost certain Jones will leave for greener pastures after the 2013 season. Trading him now is the only move that makes sense.

Andre Ethier

The Los Angeles Dodgers are in a terrible mess, with the team due to be sold at the end of April. Andre Ethier, who will be a free agent after this season, is an obvious trade candidate, as finding the funds to re-sign him might be tough.

He also has the potential to be the best available outfielder at the deadline.

David Wright

The New York Mets are a bad team. But in July last year, they had a road to recovery. They had a brilliant chance to acquire some good young prospects and start their journey to becoming a contending team again. All they had to do was trade Jose Reyes.

They didn't. The Mets finished second to last in the NL East and Reyes signed with the divisional rival Marlins in the offseason. They shouldn't make the same mistake twice.

David Wright is already in decline, in large part because of injury, specifically a concussion. His value will probably never be higher than it is right now and if the Mets want to accomplish anything in the near future, they have to find the will to pull the trigger. He is far from the chip Reyes was last year, but he could still fetch a reasonably handsome price if he can stay healthy until July.

Felix Hernandez

OK, so Felix Hernandez is not exactly a "sell-high" candidate since his value will always be astronomical. He is one of the premier pitchers in the game but sadly, the Seattle Mariners are terrible.

They have decent pitching prospects coming up behind him and even though he is under contract for another three years, there will be plenty of teams willing to offer the Mariners the moon to make a trade happen.

The Boston Red Sox might need pitching more than any other American League contender. King Felix could push the Texas Rangers over the top in the AL West again and the New York Yankees, while wanting to cut payroll, are still the Yankees: They'll do anything to get the player they want.

Matt Garza

The Chicago Cubs are in rebuilding mode. Actually, since Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer joined the team, they have entered a mode of dismantling and starting again.

Matt Garza will be a free agent in two years and while the Cubs could hold onto him for another year and deal him as a rental, his value won't be higher than it will be in July 2012.