MLB Trade Scenarios: Every MLB Team's Pitcher on the Chopping Block

Every pitcher has a period where they enter a slump, and time is given to work out of it. Right around now is the time where a slump should be over, else a pitcher will end up on the chopping block.

There are pitchers who, over a month into the season, have ridiculous ERAs and are clearly hurting their team more than helping. Some can't be moved due to a large contract, but others are more than expendable.

Here is every team's pitcher on the chopping block.

Baltimore Orioles: Kevin Gregg

A year ago, Kevin Gregg was the team's closer, and while he wasn't good, he wasn't awful. One year later, he is the glaring weak link in the team's shockingly good bullpen.

His contract expires after this year, and while a team could trade for him with all the struggling closers this year, it may just be better for the Orioles to cut their losses.

Boston Red Sox: Aaron Cook

The choice for the Red Sox is a lot tougher than it seems. John Lackey and Daisuke Matsuzaka are out with injuries, Clay Buchholz and Alfredo Aceves have had good years previously and Darnell McDonald isn't a pitcher anyway.

Mark Melancon would be the obvious choice with a 49.50 ERA, but he was chopped weeks ago. That leaves Aaron Cook. Yes, he's only pitched one game, but he pitched poorly in it, and he's never really been good in his career. The Sox must be desperate if they decided to start him.

I'm aware that he's on the disabled list currently, but once he's off of it, there's no reason to put him back on the major league roster, so I'm looking past that and noting him anyway.

New York Yankees: Freddy Garcia

Even with the injury to Mariano Rivera, the Yankees' bullpen has really stepped up and helped carry the team. The starting pitching, well, that's another story.

Looking to be the worst pitcher is Freddy Garcia, who has an ERA of 9.68 in six games. Andy Pettitte should be ready to go soon, and when he is, Garcia seems to be the obvious player to cut out completely, even though he was recently thrown in the bullpen.

Tampa Bay Rays: Burke Badenhop

No one is playing all that terribly for the Rays so far; the only struggling starter is Matt Moore, but he should bounce back soon enough.

Both Joel Peralta and Burke Badenhop are candidates, with neither doing much in the bullpen. Peralta is at least striking out players and has had very good years in the past, unlike Badenhop, so he seems the odd man out. Still, when the worst guy has a 5.52 ERA, that's really not that bad.

A week earlier, Brandon Gomes would have been the option here, but he has already been chopped.

Toronto Blue Jays: Francisco Cordero

The guy gave up five runs to the Oakland Athletics in less than an inning. Need I say more? Perhaps I should.

Francisco Cordero has normally been a sure thing, but this year he's struggled for the Blue Jays. His ERA was well over five even before the calamity against Oakland, which pushed his ERA over nine. It's a good thing the Blue Jays got him for a bargain, since he ended up not even being worth that.

Chicago White Sox: Hector Santiago

The Chicago White Sox have a few clear weak links so far, but they can't really fix that. Philip Humber threw a perfect game but has struggled otherwise, and John Danks' contract extension means they aren't going to demote him.

That leaves the bullpen, namely Hector Santiago. His ERA of 5.73 has been gradually going down in May, but his walk totals have shot up, so he really isn't getting any better. A WHIP of two is very concerning, and some time back in the minors might help.

Cleveland Indians: Tony Sipp

The starting pitchers are doing well enough for the most part, as is a good amount of the bullpen. The two players in particular who are struggling are Jairo Asencio and Tony Sipp.

It's tough to pick between them, but Sipp seems to finally be turning the corner despite having a higher ERA. Asencio hasn't been able to put a good streak together quite as well. Still, his ERA is much lower than Sipp's, and I can't leave a guy with an 8.00 ERA off the list.

Sipp is usually a solid reliever, so ideally he should bounce back soon, at least that's what the Indians hope.

Detroit Tigers: Max Scherzer

Here's a really controversial one, since there's almost no chance that they do anything. However, Daniel Schlereth is on the disabled list, Adam Wilk was already chopped and the only other ones struggling played one or two games.

That leaves starter Max Scherzer. His 15 wins last year was the product of great luck, and so far he has a 6.32 ERA in six games. If the pitchers behind Verlander don't cut it, then there's actually a chance they lose the division. It's best to get Scherzer back on track sooner rather than later.

Kansas City Royals: Luke Hochevar

The Royals continue to give chance after chance to Luke Hochevar. He'll never be an ace pitcher. In fact, given how he's played in his career, I can't see him being any more than a No. 4 or 5 guy.

This year, he has an ERA of 9.00 in six starts and is pitching poorly yet again. In fact, he's making the rest of the starters look good in comparison, even Jonathan Sanchez. It's time to end the experiment.

Minnesota Twins: Francisco Liriano

While not the worst pitcher right now, my first intention was to put Nick Blackburn here, since he's really never been effective. However, he's under contract through 2013 for whatever reason, so another is on the chopping block.

That pitcher is Francisco Liriano. When he's on, he can be great, but he hasn't been for a long time now, and when he's bad, he's really bad. You can't look the other way on a 0-5 record and a 9.45 ERA no matter what the name is.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Hisanori Takahashi

I'm sure everyone was expecting Ervin Santana here, who's 0-6 so far. His ERA of 5.59 isn't horrible, though (compared to many on the list), and it's not his fault that the Angels scored zero runs in his last five starts, the only time in MLB history that's happened. Plus, his last two appearances were actually solid.

Hisanori Takahashi, meanwhile, does not have that excuse. He has an 8.22 ERA in 10 appearances and is struggling big time; he can't even strike anyone out. He was very good last year, so maybe he needs a breather elsewhere.

Oakland Athletics: Tyson Ross

The Oakland Athletics don't really have a bad pitcher for the most part, so I have to go with the one who just had a couple awful outings, Tyson Ross.

In four starts, Ross has an 8.55 ERA, though, it's inflated from two horrible performances after two good ones. If he has a couple more bad starts, he could face demotion, but there's no need to panic with him just yet.

Seattle Mariners: Kevin Millwood

Seattle has two big weaknesses in their starting rotation right now. The first, Hector Noesi, is shrugging off a couple bad starts and is turning the corner, so he should be fine. The other, Kevin Millwood, seems to just be done.

After a 3.98 ERA with Colorado, you would think that he would be effective in Seattle. That hasn't been the case. A 5.88 ERA and a WHIP of nearly 1.75 are both career worsts, and even in his good outings he's far from dominant. Perhaps it's time for him to call it a career.

Texas Rangers: Matt Harrison

The Rangers have morphed into an elite pitching team this year to go along with their elite hitting. As the only pitcher with an ERA over five, Harrison is picked here really by default. He's had four solid starts but two bad starts, so his ERA should balance out soon enough.

Atlanta Braves: Chad Durbin

Jair Jurrjens has already been chopped this season, so the stage really is set in Atlanta; if you perform poorly, you're demoted. Next in line for that is Chad Durbin.

In 14 games, Durbin has an ERA of 8.25, and after a mediocre 2011, it seems like he's on the downswing. A veteran presence in the bullpen is always nice, but in this case the Braves would be better off if he were gone.

Miami Marlins: Heath Bell

Sorry, Marlins fans, but this is one where I told you so. I knew Heath Bell would struggle in Miami despite a nice contract. That being said, I don't think anyone expected him to be this bad.

An 11.42 ERA in 11 games with an 0-3 record is flat-out unacceptable, especially for a closer who was supposed to be one of the game's elite. Despite the contract, this is a situation where drastic measures need to be implemented beyond just him losing the closer job.

New York Mets: Manny Acosta

The Mets are a tough team to choose a pitcher from since as a unit, their staff isn't that good. Chris Schwinden's been awful, but he's only pitched two games. Frank Francisco started bad but is turning it around and hasn't allowed a run in May.

That leaves Manny Acosta. Acosta is usually solid, but this year he can't seem to get it together. He has an 8.59 ERA through 12 appearances, and while a terrible outing against Colorado inflated the numbers, even without that he's not doing very well.

Philadelphia Phillies: Jose Contreras

The Philadelphia Phillies always have a great starting rotation, but their bullpen has been struggling this year. Perhaps the most at risk of being cut out of the bunch is 40-year-old Jose Contreras.

Contreras has pitched in eight games, and while he's looked good in a couple, he's looked bad in others. His ERA of over eight is actually an improvement over the end of April, but if he doesn't get it down to a more reasonable number, then he could be done.

Washington Nationals: Tom Gorzelanny

The Washington Nationals have an amazing pitching staff this year. There are no weaknesses in the starting rotation, and the bullpen is doing a solid job as well. The only weak links are the ends of the bullpen that don't get much work anyway—Brad Lidge and Tom Gorzelanny.

Since Gorzelanny has seen more time, he gets the nod here. He has a 5.54 ERA in nine games, which isn't all that terrible, but 18 hits in 13 innings is concerning. If he can't get his WHIP or ERA down, then he could be cut.

Chicago Cubs: Kerry Wood

Kerry Wood's entire career has been a roller coaster ride, and it now comes to a terrible start to the 2012 season. It's become painful for anyone, especially Cubs fans, to watch Wood right now.

In six games, Wood is 0-2 with a 14.54 ERA, and he's allowed runs in three of those six; one of the three he did not was chock-full of walks. It's quickly looking like he'll need some time in the minors to get everything back under control; he's pitching so bad, it's making Carlos Marmol look serviceable.

Cincinnati Reds: Mike Leake

I could easily go after Mat Latos here and bash that trade yet again, but what's done is done. Besides, the Reds have a different starter struggling much more in Mike Leake.

Leake is 0-4 with a 5.97 ERA in five starts. He hasn't had any truly horrendous performances, but he hasn't had a single good one, either. He has to have one fast if he wants to keep his job.

Houston Astros: Fernando Abad

The Houston Astros, surprisingly, don't have much in the way of terrible pitchers this year. Kyle Weiland struggled, but he's on the disabled list, and while J.A. Happ's not doing too well, it's no worse then how he did last year.

As for Fernando Abad, he stunk last year, and he's playing horrible again. He had a 7.71 ERA through seven games, and all of them have come from home runs. That's a situation where you need the guy to go to the minors to get everything straightened out.

Milwaukee Brewers: Randy Wolf

I'm not sure what's going on with the Milwaukee Brewers, but in terms of who's on the chopping block, you can really take your pick of nearly anyone, aside from a couple players, like Zack Greinke.

It would be easy to go after the bullpen, but instead, Randy Wolf's the pitcher to worry about. The veteran of the rotation is normally consistently solid, but he has an ERA of 6.68 and only one start that can really be considered any good, and even that's up for debate.

Whatever is wrong needs to get fixed, especially if the bullpen continues to struggle.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Tony Watson

What makes the Pittsburgh Pirates option difficult is that those with high ERAs simply had one bad outing that skewed everything. A.J. Burnett has had three great starts to go with the horrendous start, for example.

So while Tony Watson's ERA of 6.00 is bad, and he would be on the chopping block, most of his earned runs came in one game against Atlanta, so the Pirates know not to press the panic button on him just yet.

St. Louis Cardinals: Fernando Salas

After taking over the closer role for most of the 2011 season, it felt like Fernando Salas was the go-to guy for the Cardinals late in games. Now he seems closer to going the route of Ryan Franklin.

In 14 games, Salas has a 6.35 ERA, and while J.C. Romero has a worse one, he was great until the last two outings; Salas has struggled all year long and hasn't really shown signs of improvement.

Arizona Diamondbacks: Josh Collmenter

With Joe Paterson mercifully cut some time ago, the next in line on the chopping block remains easy, as either everyone has figured out Josh Collmenter, or he is having one of the worst sophomore slumps I've seen.

Collmenter has an 0-2 record and an ERA of 8.44 in five games, and after four terrible starts, the Diamondbacks moved him to the bullpen. His one relief stint was good, so perhaps he won't be moved to the minors, but he's still in danger.

Colorado Rockies: Esmil Rogers

Maybe the Colorado Rockies know something I don't, but how does Esmil Rogers manage to stay in the majors? He puts together bad seasons, and this one is the worst yet.

In 12 games, Rogers has an 8.59 ERA, and he shows no signs of getting any better. Forget sending him to the minors to try and get him going, the Rockies would be better served getting rid of him.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Mike MacDougal

The Dodgers have two relievers who are normally very good, yet they're doing bad this year. The first, Todd Coffey, had two terrible outings, but his last two have been good, so his ERA is slowly going down.

Mike MacDougal, on the other hand, can't seem to get it going. He's allowed runs in four of seven appearances, and a 7.94 ERA is not going to help him stay on the team, especially if it starts feeling like a repeat of a terrible 2010 season where he had a 7.23 ERA in 17 games.

San Diego Padres: Clayton Richard

When it comes to the San Diego Padres, everyone seems to always have good pitching numbers thanks to playing in PetCo Park. As a result, no one is really on the chopping block.

If I had to pick one, it would be Clayton Richard. He's 1-3 with a 4.89 ERA, but perhaps more importantly, his ERA is nearly eight away from PetCo. That number has to go down, or else the Padres will remain in the NL West cellar.

San Francisco Giants: Travis Blackley

It's too early to really tell what's going on with Tim Lincecum (plus, the Giants will let him work out any issues), Don Otero was cut rather quickly and Guillermo Mota is now suspended. Who does that leave on the chopping block?

I don't like using a player with such few appearances, but by process of elimination, it's Travis Blackley. In three games, he's pitched poorly, and he has yet to pitch effectively at the major league level through the course of his career. He'll get another chance or two to show he can play, but he needs to make it count like Ryan Vogelsong did last year.