MLB Rumors: 5 Players Who Will Be Dealt/Signed by Deadline

Here we are in April and we’re already talking about the players on the trading block for the 2012 trade deadline, which is July 31^st later this year. 

With the addition of another wild card team in each league, that puts even more pressure on teams to acquire the best players in the market.

Pitching, of course, is always the greatest commodity around the league, and this season will prove to be no different.  There are some hot pitchers around the league, who either do not belong with their new team, or don’t have a team to call their own.

I’ve compiled a list of five of the hottest players on the market.

All of these players are pitchers you might notice, and that was not done on purpose.  These are just the players around MLB who have garnered up the most discussion thus far into the season. 

Check it out and let me know what you think!

1. John Lannan, Washington Nationals LHP

It seems the hottest name on the trading block at this early stage of the game is Washington Nationals LHP Jon Lannan, who currently is not even on the Nationals’ major league roster.  He’s at AAA right now because the Nationals have even depth in their rotation without him.

“The Orioles, Cubs, Tigers, Red Sox, Astros and Tigers have expressed interest in John Lannan," according to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.  However, the Nationals are inclined to hold onto the left-hander. 

"We feel he's a solid major-league starting pitcher," GM Mike Rizzo said.  "But we feel we have five guys who are better than him." 

"The Tigers also haven't ruled Lannan out," Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports tweets.  

Lannan sports a 38-51 record with an even 4.00 ERA over his five seasons with the Nationals.  He’s never finished a season with an above .500 record.  Last year he went 10-13 with a 3.70 ERA, but pitched in some tough luck games.

Even though they say now that they want to keep Lannan because he’s been with the team for a couple of seasons and has grown with them, if an offer comes around and the Nationals get a big bat in exchange for him, then you better believe Rizzo will make that deal. 

It’s quite obvious the Nationals need one more major bat to complement Ryan Zimmermans’ and they've been lacking that since losing Adam Dunn.

Trading Lannan for a power hitter is something I’m sure Rizzo has in the back of his mind.

2. Shaun Marcum Milwaukee Brewers RHP

Another hot commodity at the moment seems to be former Blue Jays, and current Brewers RHP Shaun Marcum. 

Over his seven year career with the Blue Jays and the Brewers, he’s compiled a 51-32 record with a 3.78 ERA. 

“Many teams would be interested in Marcum's services for 2012 and the foreseeable future.  The Cubs, Rays, Orioles and yes, even the Yankees could all be vying for his services in the near future, seeing as how he's set to become an unrestricted free agent after next season.”

Each of the last two seasons, Marcum’s notched 13 wins and two very strong ERAs.  In 2010, he finished at a 3.64 clip and last season, he ended just a hair better at 3.54 ERA.  Not to mention, he’s won at least 12 games in three of his last four seasons. 

Although, Marcum has some experience pitching in the postseason, he really struggled last October.  He went 0-3 with an incredibly high 14.90 ERA, as he allowed 16 earned runs over just 9.2 innings of work. 

Maybe it was just his jitters since it was the first time he pitched in the playoffs, but I’m sure he’ll be better in years to come.

I think Marcum would be a great candidate for any team looking to build on to the end of their rotation.  He can definitely fill a third rotation spot very well, and he does have experience so he can help and teach the upcoming talent.

3. Roy Oswalt, Free Agent RHP

Of course Oswalt would be first on the list, but he currently is not on an MLB team so it’s a bit more tedious for him to find a new home than an MLB player with a home already.  Well, anyways, Oswalt is definitely going to find a home at some point this spring, the question is who will land this stud.

The Red Sox had been in the running this entire offseason as club president Larry Lucchino expressed much interest early in Oswalt, but as of late they seem to be losing interest, as Peter Gammons reports.

According to Peter Gammons of MLB.com, "Lucchino spoke with a National League general manager regarding Oswalt while looking into acquiring the veteran starter.  However, the unnamed GM apparently dissuaded Lucchino from pursuing Oswalt.”

The 34-year-old RHP Oswalt is 159-93 in his career with a 3.21 ERA, and we all know him as one of the most dominant pitchers in the National League over the last 10 years or so.  He debuted for the Astros in 2001 and won 14 games his first season.

We all know he can pitch with the best of the MLB. 

He’s won 20 games twice in his career, 19 games one time and 17 games once as well.  Although he hasn’t been himself over the last three seasons, he still posts strong numbers.

I think Oswalt still has a couple of seasons left in him, and he would be great for just the end of the year.  That would give him time to work on his stuff the rest of the spring.  If the Red Sox really are out of the running, I’m sure other teams are glad to hear that.

4. Mike Gonzalez, Free Agent LHP

The first three top MLB players to be dealt by the deadline all have been starting pitchers.  Well, these next two are of the other persuasion, relief pitching. 

Left-handed pitcher Mike Gonzalez struggled after being traded from the Orioles to the Rangers towards the end of last season.

However, Gonzalez can be a valuable piece to the bullpen as he is a veteran left-handed specialist.  He knows how to pitch in tough situations and has pitched through many stressful situations.

Gonzalez, a Scott Boras client, remains unsigned so far into the season.  According to MLB analyst, Tim Dierkes who spoke to Boras reports that Gonzalez is "in play with a lot of teams right now. Sometimes late doesn't mean demand, it just means choice."  

Last week, he turned down a minor league offer to return to the Rangers. 

Currently, the Chicago White Sox seem to be keeping an eye out for him though.  The White Sox currently have 37 players on their 40-man roster, so they could add Gonzalez without losing anyone.

Overall in his career, Gonzalez is 17-21 with a 2.94 ERA in 387 appearances over his nine seasons.  Although not usually a closer, he has picked up 56 saves throughout his career, which adds another weapon to his arsenal.

Early in his career, he put together some stellar seasons with both the Pirates and Braves.  His season ERA has finished below 2.00 two times in his career (1.25 in ’04 and 1.59 in ’07). 

His ERA has fluctuated up and down since 2009, so the 37-year-old might be wearing down a bit, but I think it’s still worth a shot to go after him. 

What does a team have to lose?  He’s not going to be too expensive and probably can help most team’s bullpens.

5. Arthur Rhodes, Free Agent LHP

To round out the list, the 42-year-old left-handed specialist Rhodes, who has been bounced around the league ever since he debuted with the Baltimore Orioles in 1991, thinks he has one more season left in him.

According to Jon Heyman, “The White Sox have shown interest in lefty relievers Mike Gonzalez and Rhodes," tweets Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. 

Rhodes (42), is more likely to settle for a minor league deal, in my opinion.  According to ESPN analyst Buster Olney, Rhodes aims to pitch one more season before retiring.  Check out the rest of the article here.

Yes, Rhodes has eclipsed the elusive 40-year-old mark, but I think he can still help out a team in need of a veteran left-handed specialist.  Now, I did just finish mentioning Gonzalez and what he has to give to his teams.  Rhodes has even more experience than Gonzalez still throws fast and has great downward cut on his slider.

Overall, in his career, he’s 87-70 with a 4.08 ERA as he’s appeared in 900 games and has pitched almost 1,200 innings.  He shined back in 2001 with the Mariners when he went 8-0 and posted an astounding 1.72 ERA over his 71 appearances.

He’s spent most of his time in the American League, but he’s made his way around the country and is familiar with both leagues. 

I’m not saying that Rhodes is every team’s answer to relief pitching needs.  However, teams who are looking for an experienced, left-handed specialist will get their money’s worth with Rhodes.