MLB Trade Scenarios: Zack Greinke, 7 Hot Names Already Being Speculated On

The 2012 MLB season isn't even a month old, and trade speculation is already afoot thanks to Fox Sports' bow-tied baseball nerd, Ken Rosenthal. In a column he wrote this past week, Rosenthal stated how the Milwaukee Brewers may consider trading ace pitcher Zack Greinke and others should they be out of contention by midseason.

It is a move that would certainly make sense, given how the team needs to replenish its farm system, but still one that would make observers scratch their heads.

Greinke's contract is up after this season, and he and Milwaukee have not discussed an extension as of late. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Reds, one of the Brewers' main rivals for the NL Central Division crown, have just given lengthy extensions to cornerstone players Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto.

Seeing as how the Brewers are now 4-6 and have lost four in a row, Rosenthal's predictions could come true should a turnaround not occur.

Let's have a look at some other players who are also the subject of trade speculation and discuss their possible futures.

John Lannan

After four inconsistent seasons in the Washington Nationals' rotation, Lannan failed to make the cut this year and is currently pitching at Triple-A Syracuse. There, he has gone 0-2 with a 13.50 ERA.

Ken Rosenthal reported on Saturday that Washington GM Mike Rizzo was shopping his expendable lefty but was having a problem finding a buyer because of his $5 million salary. On top of that, Lannan is arbitration-eligible at the end of the year, so his inconsistency further hurts his value.

Will Lannan be traded anytime soon? I'm going to say yes, but chances are that he will not be a starter and will be one of the desperation options out of the bullpen.

Freddy Garcia

It's no secret that the Yankees have too many starting pitchers at this point, and the only reason Garcia is even in the rotation is because Michael Pineda is on the disabled list. Once Andy Pettitte returns in May, the situation is going to be even more complicated.

Yet according to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Yankees have already labeled the veteran righty as the odd man out. During spring training, Danny Knobler of CBSsports.com tweeted that GM Brian Cashman had offered Garcia to the Miami Marlins, but that they weren't interested.

That said, Garcia will definitely be traded in the near future. It's just unclear to whom.

Bobby Abreu

The Angels' outfield is quite crowded with Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter and Peter Bourjos. Fairly soon, the situation could become more complicated if Mike Trout gets called up from the minors. That leaves the aging Bobby Abreu and his declining skills on the outside looking in.

Abreu has already voiced his displeasure with his new role and would like to be traded. He still has a little bit of pop left in his bat, but he's also 38 years old and is due $9 million next year. If I know Angels GM Jerry Dipoto, he won't trade Abreu unless he can get some decent talent in return.

Unfortunately, no team will bite at that request, and one of two things will happen: The Angels will be stuck with Abreu for the whole year, or they'll trade him for absolutely nothing.

Francisco Rodriguez

In the Ken Rosenthal report I mentioned in the introduction, one of the players he mentioned the Brewers possibly trading was their setup man, Francisco Rodriguez (aka K-Rod). The hard-throwing righty is off to a slow start this season, posting a 4.50 ERA and a 2.00 WHIP in four innings.

Still, this is K-Rod we're talking about. He's one of the best power pitchers in the game, and he'll recover. Throw that in with the fact that he has tons of experience closing games, and the Brewers will be able to trade him for some good prospects should they fall out of contention.

Shaun Marcum

Rosenthal also mentioned Shaun Marcum, easily the Brewers' best starting pitcher who isn't named Zack Greinke. Despite his team's struggles, he has looked great thus far with a 1-1 record, 3.46 ERA and 0.77 WHIP in 13 innings.

Simply put, while Marcum's win total is sure to scare some suitors off, his consistency is what ultimately makes him a great trade target in his final season before free agency. Should Milwaukee be out of contention by July 31st, he'll fetch it quite a few top prospects and possibly more.

Marlon Byrd

Once again, overpaid outfielder Marlon Byrd appears to be on the market. Most recently, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reported that the Boston Red Sox could look to acquire Byrd should Jacoby Ellsbury's shoulder injury be more serious than originally diagnosed.

Throw in the fact that Byrd has gotten off to a slow start this year, going 2-for-28 with just two RBI, and Cubs GM Jed Hoyer has every reason to want to unload him and his $6.5 million salary.

While I don't believe that Boston will trade for Byrd, some other team is bound to make an offer. The man is a decent hitter, and while he isn't exactly patient, he still brings a lot to the table in terms of personality and defense.

Zack Greinke

Finally, we come to the man who inspired this piece. Greinke is a free agent after this season, and given the state of Milwaukee's minor league system, GM Doug Melvin would prefer to retain his righty ace. This year, Greinke is 1-1 with a 6.75 ERA in just 10.2 innings.

Simply put, despite Rosenthal's report, Greinke will not be traded if Milwaukee drops out of contention. When push comes to shove, he is still the ace of the staff and took home the AL Cy Young award in 2009. Milwaukee won't deal him unless it gets at least two or three MLB-ready prospects in return.

Yet even if the Brewers get an offer like that, I can imagine they would be hesitant to take it because not all prospects work out in the end. Will they be able to afford Greinke once he hits free agency? Well, the answer to that is unclear.

I can tell you, however, that they simply cannot afford to lose him, and thus he will stay with the team all year long.