MLB Trade Rumors: 8 Teams Who Should Aggressively Pursue Adam Jones

It may only be the last week of April, but it's never too early to start thinking about players that could end up being dealt at the trade deadline.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Adam Jones is definitely one of the players that comes to mind. This season, Jones is hitting .306 with five home runs and nine RBI.

According to Steve Melewski of MASN, if Jones isn't given an extension by the trade deadline, Baltimore should seriously start looking into how many prospects they could acquire in exchange for him. Melewski writes that the Orioles need to make a decision sooner rather than later because the time for action is coming.

If Baltimore decides to put Adam Jones on the trading block, here are eight teams that should aggressively pursue him.

Boston Red Sox

If you haven't seen who's been playing outfield for the Boston Red Sox over the last week, you're lucky. The four players manning the outfield have been Cody Ross, Ryan Sweeney, Darnell McDonald and Jason Repko after Jacoby Ellsbury went down with a shoulder injury.

With hopes of "improving" the outfield, Boston sent reliever Michael Bowden and cash to the Chicago Cubs in exchange for Marlon Byrd. Byrd is currently hitting well under .200 on the season and has yet to put one over the fence.

Now there's the issue with Carl Crawford and his elbow, and according to ESPN Boston, he'll seek an opinion from Dr. James Andrews. If there's one thing we know, there's usually nothing good about seeing Dr. Andrews.

If it turns out both Ellsbury and Crawford will be out for at least the first half of the season, Boston should unload some prospects and grab Adam Jones from Baltimore.  

New York Mets

Even though the New York Mets had a somewhat solid start, we're starting to see the Mets that we've come to know over the last few seasons

Jason Bay is once against injured.

Shocked?

Replacing Bay will be Fred Lewis, who signed Wednesday with New York according to MLB Trade Rumors. This signing will most likely demote prospect Jordany Valdespin, who had limited time in the outfield since being called up.

The rest of the outfielders on the roster include Lucas Duda, Scott Hairston, Mike Baxter and Kirk Nieuwenhuis. Regular center fielder Andres Torres is currently on the 15-day disabled list with a strained calf.

I'm sure Mets fans would kill to have Adam Jones on the roster.

He would provide relief in center field instead of the talent-lacking platoon that they have working now, and would also better protect David Wright in the heart of the lineup.

Washington Nationals

The Washington Nationals have really proved they intend on being major contenders in the National League this season. It would be a smart move to unload some of the talented prospects they have and acquire Adam Jones to further solidify their outfield and lineup.

The current outfield of Xavier Nady, Rick Ankiel and Jayson Werth—provided by MLB Depth Charts—isn't bad per-say, but definitely could be better. 

Another thing for Washington to consider is they really don't want to rush Bryce Harper to the major leagues. The addition of Adam Jones would prolong Harper's arrival and really take some pressure off of him.

The Nationals could then wait to see if they need the young superstar in September. But until then, Washington should just let Harper do his thing in the minor leagues.

Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks' outfield is a little banged up at the moment with Chris Young out with a shoulder injury and Justin Upton battling thumb issues.

Arizona does have Jason Kubel, who they just signed in the offseason, and Gerardo Parra as the other outfielders, but adding Adam Jones would still be a big upgrade.

The Diamondbacks could really use Jones to bolster their already-impressive middle of the lineup. He could also play a role in catching the red hot Los Angeles Dodgers and competing with the San Francisco Giants in the NL West.

Now, this isn't a necessary move, but in the midst of a playoff push, Arizona would absolutely benefit from acquiring Adam Jones.

St. Louis Cardinals

The St. Louis Cardinals don't have any major injuries to worry about in the outfield at the moment, but could arise throughout the season.

St. Louis has two outfield locks in Matt Holliday and Carlos Beltran, but Jon Jay in center field is far from being a lock. With Adam Jones in center, assuming that he replaces Jay instead of Holliday or Beltran, would really improve the Cardinals lineup.

With the possibility of Jones hitting in the No. 2 hole and shifting the current lineup down, the reigning World Series champs would have a very impressive lineup with Beltran, Holliday and Freese hitting behind him.

This might be a bold prediction, but if the Cardinals can get their hands on Jones, another trip to the World Series isn't out of the question.

Cleveland Indians

Has there ever been a bigger nightmare in Cleveland than Grady Sizemore?

I mean really, when was the last time he played a full season?

It was 2008 in case you were really wondering.

Sizemore is out for a while recovering from back surgery and, besides the Shin-Soo Choo, the Cleveland Indians don't really have anyone that can't be shipped around. Michael Brantley is a nice piece that should be kept, but there's no way that anyone would take Shelley Duncan over Adam Jones.

It will be tough for the Indians to win the AL Central with the Detroit Tigers and the Kansas City Royals, but the acquisition of Jones would increase their chances. 

If you think about it, Brantley, Cabrera, Jones, Choo and Santana wouldn't be a bad one through five in your lineup.

Kansas City Royals

Again with the AL Central.

The Kansas City Royals haven't gotten off to the start that they would've liked. The team is young and has some injuries issues, but will definitely rebound sooner rather than later.

The Royals have a handful of prospects that they could use to acquire Adam Jones. With Mitch Maier and Jason Bourgeios platooning in center field, Jones would take that spot in an instant and also help the team's young lineup.

A case for Jones hitting third in the Kansas City lineup could be made and would make the most sense if a deal were to happen.

If the Royals can come back from the pit of the AL Central and compete with the Detroit Tigers, they're going to need someone to boost the team.

Adam Jones could be their guy.

Los Angeles Angels

I bet the Los Angeles Angels weren't a team you thought of when thinking about possible fits for Adam Jones.

Once I started to really think about it, it started to make more sense.

The Angels have the aging Vernon Wells and Torii Hunter in the outfield along with the speedy Peter Bourjos. Also, don't forget about Bobby Abreu, who usually DH's for Los Angeles.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Mike Trout could be ready soon for a major league call-up.

If L.A. could find a suitor to dump some of their older players and acquire Adam Jones to play center, it could be a enormous move. It would leave Trout in the minors until he's fully developed and add Jones to the middle of the dangerous Angels lineup. 

They already have Albert Pujols to lead the offense—at least that's the plan—but the addition of Jones could push Pujols to the cleanup role.

Other possible lineup spots for Jones would be second and move Howie Kendrick around, or leadoff and move Erick Aybar to the bottom of the lineup. 

With Adam Jones on the team, could the Angels overthrow the Texas Rangers?