MLB Rumors: Top Pitchers Available as Trade Deadline Nears

The MLB trade deadline is just days way and teams looking to add an arm have several options.

This is the point in the season where the bottom-dwellers look to sell off highly paid veterans, and contenders offer up picks and prospects to add the final piece that just might win them a championship.

But all this dealing must be done by July 31. With so little time remaining, general managers across the league are racking up phone bills and getting their hands on as many caffeinated beverages as possible.

Here are the pitchers who may move around in the coming days.

Zach Greinke

Zach Greinke is the best pitcher available and also the one of the arms most likely to be traded. 

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that Milwaukee Brewers’ general manager Doug Melvin has resigned himself to the fact that Greinke will not finish out the year in Wisconsin.

Melvin said, “There are so many good things about him, it's going to be difficult when we trade him,” via Nightengale’s report.

With a 9-3 record and a 3.44 ERA, plenty of teams will be interested, and the Brewers will have no problem finding a team to do business with.

Ryan Dempster

Reports surfaced on July 23 that Ryan Dempster had been sent from the Chicago Cubs to the Atlanta Braves, but these turned out to be false.

Still, the Cubs are certainly shopping the right-hander and Fox Sports reports that he prefers the Los Angeles Dodgers to Atlanta. 

Dempster has a ridiculously low 2.25 ERA through 16 starts this season and would be an excellent addition to any team looking to make a playoff push.

He has pitched too well this season for a contender not strike a deal in the coming days.

Josh Johnson

The Miami Marlins are in the unexpected position of having to be sellers, and not buyers, at the trade deadline.

The team has already traded Hanley Ramirez to the Los Angeles Dodgers, and may not be done dealing. Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald quoted Larry Beinfest the Marlin’s president of baseball operations saying, “These are tough trades. But when you underachieve at the level this team has underachieved, we talked about a restructuring and this was part of it.”

Beinfest also states that the team would need “an overwhelming offer” to send Johnson away. However, the team is clearly looking to move around its veterans, and the 6’7” right-hander will be a coveted player.

A team in need of a starter just may be desperate enough to pay a king’s ransom for Johnson.

Matt Garza

Ryan Dempster is not the only big arm the Chicago Cubs are shopping, and Matt Garza could also be wearing a different uniform by the time July is over.

ESPN Chicago’s Bruce Levine reports that six teams including the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers have shown interest in acquiring the 28-year-old.

Garza has a 3.91 ERA with 96 strikeouts in 90 innings pitched this season, and the Cubs will certainly not have a problem finding him a new home if they choose to continue trading away starters.

The team is headed toward another disappointing season, and it is no surprise they are putting the core of their pitching staff up for sale.

Francisco Liriano

Francisco Liriano has not been that impressive for the Minnesota Twins this season, but a change of scenery and a chance to contend may lead to improved performances. 

That is what the several teams interested in the six-year veteran will be hoping. CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman listed the Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees among the teams that could purse a deal with the Twins. 

Liriano has provided his suitors with wildly contrasting performances recently. He struck out 15 batters in a July 13 start against the Oakland Athletics, but also gave up three home runs in a July 23 outings against the Chicago White Sox. 

Still, Liriano is clearly capable of contributing productive innings and he will almost certainly be leaving Minnesota soon.