MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz on Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward and More

Teams looking for an outfielder this winter might be in luck because there are a number of high-profile players who could be on the trading block.

The stars of the free-agent field this offseason will mostly be pitchers such as Jon Lester, James Shields and others. However, there are more players available for those willing to give up prospects and other pieces. 

Even when you don't count Giancarlo Stanton, who remains unlikely to be traded despite every fan in the league wanting him on their team, there are other options who can provide immediate offense to most squads around the league.

Here is a look at some outfielders who could be on the move over the next few months.

Yoenis Cespedes, Boston Red Sox

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

One of the biggest trades of the 2014 season featured Yoenis Cespedes being sent to the Boston Red Sox for ace pitcher Jon Lester. At the time, it seemed the Oakland Athletics had sealed their World Series title, but the squad collapsed immediately after the deal and lost in the AL Wild Card Game.

Interestingly, the Red Sox do not seem to be enjoying their side of the deal either and could be ready to trade the outfielder this offseason. Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe provided the latest buzz about a potential trade:

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Word is spreading that the Red Sox could make Cespedes available. He will earn $10.2 million in the final year of his deal. Cespedes said late in the season that he wasn’t sure whether he’d engage in long-term talks with the Red Sox. Couple that with his desire not to play right field or work on his defense, and that could make him a trade candidate as the Red Sox try to pare their outfield depth and possibly make room for Mookie Betts or add a lefthanded hitter.

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Cespedes hit .269 with five home runs in 51 games for Boston, helping him total 22 home runs and 100 RBI overall in 2014.

That being said, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports told 98.5 The Sports Hub Gresh & Zolak he understands the recent buzz:

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[The trade rumors] doesn’t surprise me. He’s a guy that doesn’t walk a lot, which is surprising because the two teams he’s been on — Oakland and Boston — are two teams that really value the on base percentage. He’s got his old hitting coach Chili Davis coming here, maybe Chili will have something to say about that. I know [Davis] likes Cespedes, but it wouldn’t surprise me if his name is out on the market.

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The 29-year-old outfielder finished with a .301 on-base percentage, which ranked 126th in the majors out of 146 qualified hitters. In this age of sabremetrics, that simply is not going to cut it.

On the plus side, there are a lot of teams who care more about his power and are willing to pay to bring that to their lineup. Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com speculated that Cespedes could be a fit with the Texas Rangers to provide some much-needed offense.

One other factor to consider is the perception in Boston if Lester does not re-sign with the team this offseason. The organization probably does not want to say it let its elite pitcher go for nothing, so that could put more pressure on any Cespedes deal.

Jason Heyward, Atlanta Braves

Alex Brandon/Associated Press

In 2010, Jason Heyward was a 20-year-old rookie who was selected to the All-Star game and even earned MVP votes. In 2012, the 22-year-old outfielder hit 27 home runs and won his first Gold Glove.

Unfortunately, the Atlanta Braves star has slowed down a bit over the past two years and no longer looks like the perennial MVP candidate he seemed like he was going to become. All of a sudden, he might even be on the trading block this offseason.

The reason for a potential trade is the fact that both he and Justin Upton are heading into the final years of their contracts, while B.J. Upton will remain under payroll for another few years (and no one has any interest in taking on that contract).

David O'Brien of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provided the latest:

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The Braves could try to re-sign at least one a to multi-year extension before spring training. However, given their payroll constraints, it seems most likely the Braves would not sign more than one, Heyward or Justin Upton, and could trade the other this winter to add needed position depth to their minor league system or to fill another need on the major league roster, such as a frontline starting pitcher.

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In a chat, Cafardo noted that Heyward is "definitely a name that’s come up" among targets for the Red Sox in a trade.

If the Braves do wish to explore a trade, there will certainly be a number of interesting teams. While his power disappeared this season, he still just turned 25 years old and has plenty of time to improve as a hitter.

Just as importantly, he has become one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball in recent years. According to Baseball-Reference.com, Heyward's play in the outfield helped save 32 runs compared to an average fielder, a mark that was more than double the next best right fielder (Kevin Kiermaier ranked second with 14).

Atlanta would love to keep the talented young player, but he might be out of the team's price range if it prefers Upton instead. This should keep the rest of the league near the phone throughout the winter.

Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford, Los Angeles Dodgers

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Dodgers have a lot of talent on their roster, especially in the outfield, but there comes a point where this ends up being a problem.

Jim Bowden of ESPN.com provided a look at the next step for the offseason:

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Their best long-term outfield situation would be Yasiel Puig in left field, Joc Pederson in center field and Matt Kemp in right field, and the sooner they commit to that alignment, the better it is for the franchise. That would mean a trade of both Carl Crawford and Andre Ethier, and the willingness to eat a significant amount of both contracts to move them. That sounds daunting, but there are several teams that could use them, including the Mariners, Rangers, White Sox, Mets, Padres and Reds.

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Joc Pederson only played in 18 games in the majors this season, hitting .143 in 28 at-bats. While he has been incredibly productive in the minors, the Dodgers might want to wait to see what the 22-year-old player can do before dealing away the other options.

Still, even without Pederson, there are still four players to fill three spots, three of them set to make at least $18 million this season. It is clear one of Carl Crawford, Andre Ethier or Matt Kemp have to be dealt to avoid paying too much for a bench player.

Despite this issue, new general manager Andrew Friedman seemed unconcerned when asked about it in his introductory press conference:

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I’ve been asked that question as if it’s a problem. If it’s a problem, it’s a tremendous problem to have. We have a lot of really talented players in the outfield. We’ll have to work through it and figure out what puts us in the best position to have the most success next year and in creating a roster that complements one another. That will obviously be a focus of ours in the coming months.

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He obviously was not going to come out and say one of the players will be dealt, but Friedman clearly has a job to do in the next few months to clear some payroll.

Interestingly, ESPN's Molly Knight discussed this scenario over the summer, believing Kemp could be the odd man out:

The Dodgers have a team that can contend for a World Series title, but they can make a few moves to make the squad even stronger in 2015. By dealing one of these outfielders, they can bring in another key piece that can help win a championship.

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