MLB Trade Rumors: Latest on Jordan Zimmermann, Howie Kendrick and More

It's early in the offseason, but there are already a handful of MLB trade rumors which could drastically shape the landscape of the teams involved in the potential deals.

Not many blockbusters are anticipated prior to their occurrence, but the rumors indicate that a few of those type of deals could come to fruition in the coming weeks. Generally, these types of deals are made at the winter meetings each offseason, but general managers across the league appear to be working quickly.

This offseason is already shaping up to be one filled with player movement. The class of free agents is relatively thin, so teams will probably look more to the trade market to fill the holes on their rosters. That means a lot of names will be changing hands.

The following rumors in particular have been gaining some steam in just the past few days.

Jordan Zimmermann

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Chicago Cubs are expected to be very active this season in an effort to give new manager Joe Maddon some talented pieces to work with, and it looks like they're already getting started with a potential roster overhaul.

Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports that the Cubbies and Washington Nationals are working on a deal for right-hander Jordan Zimmermann.

"Multiple sources said Tuesday the Cubs are in talks with the Washington Nationals to acquire right-hander Jordan Zimmermann, a two-time All-Star who has averaged 200 innings over the past three seasons," he wrote. "One source said the teams have enough mutual interest that names have been discussed."

That point has been disputed by two other journalists, however. Both Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post and Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune have heard differently:

So will the Cubs and Nats strike a deal?

Both sides can benefit from it. The Nats would acquire a young, powerful middle infielder like Javier Baez to take over at second base, plus a few other young prospects with potential. The Cubs would receive a bona fide ace who is a cheaper option than others on the free-agent market.

A lot has to come together for players of Zimmermann's magnitude to be dealt, especially when considering the type of talent that will be changing hands.

If these rumors have been correctly shot down, then it's worth wondering how they got started. This is a logical move for both parties, so it's one to still monitor as the winter progresses—even if it has been squashed for now.

Howie Kendrick

Marcio Jose Sanchez/Associated Press

Howie Kendrick will be a free agent after the upcoming season, making him a trade candidate for the pitching-depleted Los Angeles Angels.

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal tweeted that the Angels are open to moving him, as expected:

The 31-year-old is a career .292 hitter who has been one of the most consistent second basemen in baseball since his rookie year in 2006. Finding interested teams shouldn't be too difficult for a player of his caliber.

Finding a team to meet the Angels' asking price won't be as easy, though.

Locating a young pitcher under control for the foreseeable future isn't hard, but finding one who is available is definitely difficult. They'll presumably look to prospects who are nearly ready for the bigs.

This is pure speculation, but pitchers like Noah Syndergaard or Rafael Montero could probably be enough for the Angels to make a move. The New York Mets don't necessarily need Kendrick because of Daniel Murphy, but those are the types of pieces which would presumably get talks rolling.

Kendrick is a name to watch this offseason, as it looks as if he'll likely be dealt.

Cole Hamels, Chase Utley and Antonio Bastardo

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com heard from a baseball executive that the Philadelphia Phillies are likely going to conduct a major fire sale this offseason. The team has pieces of interest, and one team has already made a call regarding three of its better players.

Bob Elliott of the Toronto Sun reports that the Toronto Blue Jays were the team to make the call. "The Jays called the Philadelphia Phillies inquiring about lefty Cole Hamels, second baseman Chase Utley and lefty reliever Antonio Bastardo," he wrote.

The Blue Jays and general manager Alex Anthopoulos are no strangers to making blockbuster trades. They acquired Jose Reyes, Mark Buehrle, Josh Johnson, John Buck and Emilio Bonifacio from the Miami Marlins for a package headlined by Yunel Escobar and Henderson Alvarez, though other pieces have contributed as well.

Nobody is saying that Hamels, Utley and Bastardo will come to the Jays in one shot, but we shouldn't put it past Anthopoulos to make the biggest splash of the offseason. He has done it before.

Toronto has a strong crop of prospects to trade. One would have to assume that Marcus Stroman is off limits, but Aaron Sanchez, Daniel Norris, Jeff Hoffman and others could be in play.

With a glaring hole at second base and some serious work to be done to both the starting staff and bullpen, the Blue Jays should be considered big-time contenders for the likes of Hamels, Utley and Bastardo.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter @kennydejohn.