MLB Trade Rumors: Young Pitchers Who Could Be on the Move This Offseason

Considering how much it costs to sign a starting pitcher in free agency, a smarter move might be to acquire one in a trade instead.

Jon Lester set the market standard with a $155 million deal with the Chicago Cubs, a contract that will certainly lead to more big deals throughout the offseason. This is only going to make it tougher for a team in need to get even an average pitcher on the market.

The good news is there seems to be some quality starters available through trades, each of whom is still under team control.

Here is a look at the latest rumors surrounding pitchers who could be on the move in the coming weeks.

Wade Miley, Arizona Diamondbacks

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After being named an All-Star in his first full season, Wade Miley has struggled a bit in the past two seasons. The pitcher has seen his ERA rise from 3.33 to 3.55 to 4.34 over the past three seasons, giving the Diamondbacks hesitation about paying him more money as he goes through arbitration.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today first reported the pitcher would be available in a trade:

Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal then noted the action started to heat up on the 28-year-old pitcher:

He added the Boston Red Sox were a legitimate option:

On the plus side, Miley has topped 200 innings in each of the past two seasons and has shown he can be a consistent performer at this level. He also increased his strikeout rate in 2014, punching out 8.2 batters per nine innings.

Boston is a team that desperately needs help in the rotation, especially after missing out on Lester. Adding Miley would be a great way to upgrade the staff in a hurry.

Dillon Gee, New York Mets

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The Mets will have a surplus of starting pitching when Matt Harvey returns from Tommy John surgery, so it makes sense that the team would be willing to trade one of its expendable starters.

Bartolo Colon, Jon Niese and Dillon Gee are all possibilities, although general manager Sandy Alderson eliminated Colon as an option by saying, "We like Bartolo. We like him for the money he's signed this season. Frankly, we're not looking to trade him," via Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com.

Rubin later added that Gee is not only the most likely option to be dealt but that the organization has been aggressive in looking for a deal.

Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com agreed with this assessment and provided some potential landing spots:

At the very least, the Mets would like to bring back some infield depth to either play shortstop or a right-handed first baseman to platoon with Lucas Duda. In a buyer's market, it's hard to imagine getting too much in return for a back-of-the-rotation starter.

Jesse Hahn, San Diego Padres

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The San Diego Padres are trying to add some offense, and it seems like they are willing to pay a price to get it.

Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports believes Jesse Hahn could be available in a trade:

Hahn had an outstanding rookie season, posting a 3.07 ERA with 70 strikeout in 73.1 innings. At 25 years old, he has a chance to keep getting better while remaining under team control for a few more years.

While it would be necessary to question why a team would get rid of a player of Hahn's ability, the reasoning is that the offense was so poor last season. The Padres finished dead last in the majors with 535 runs scored, 38 runs fewer than the next worst squad.

After four losing seasons in a row, San Diego has to try something drastic in order to turn things around, and that could include dealing one of its best young players. If it leads to a quality hitter, the deal might be worth it.

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