MLB Rumors: Hot Stove Trade Buzz Surrounding Baseball's Premier Talent

Are the cold winter months getting you down? Then come huddle near the MLB hot stove. With new rumors and proposed trades hitting the rumor mill daily, there's enough fire on the trade market to keep the stove burning throughout the remainder of the offseason.

Most of baseball's biggest offseason deals go down at the winter meetings. We saw plenty of blockbusters, and any future ones we see will probably stem from a conversation held at the meetings this year.

There are some potential franchise-altering players currently available. A powerful bullpen arm, reliable starter and powerful first baseman have been floated around the mill these past few days.

Where will they play in 2015? That's anybody's guess. For now, stay up to date on their current situations.

Brandon League

Al Behrman/Associated Press

When Farhan Zaidi took over as the general manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers in early November, he set to work analyzing the group of players he had at his disposal.

He apparently didn't like much of what he saw.

Zaidi has made moves up and down the roster, and he still isn't done. Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal reports that a prominent member of last year's bullpen is available:

The bullpen was a weak point of the Dodgers last season, ranking 26th in the league with a WAR of 0.7, per FanGraphs. Blowing most of the unit up and starting from scratch would be a good idea by Zaidi. SI.com's Jay Jaffe commented on the decision:

To be fair, League was solid last season in 63 innings. He posted a 2.57 ERA (3.40 FIP), finishing 12 games and allowing no home runs. His price tag is high, though, especially for an easily replaceable reliever.

Many teams build bullpens these days with young power arms who come cheaply. League has the velocity down pat, but he only struck out 38 batters last season. That means one of two things.

League is very predictable on the mound. Hitters know what pitches are coming, and they sit on the ones they know they can put in play.

Alternatively, his stuff simply may not be good enough to rack up a high number of strikeouts.

It'll be interesting to see if any teams want to take a shot at a reliever on the decline. The fact that the Dodgers appear willing to eat a good portion of his salary helps, but teams won't be willing to give anything of value in return.

Dan Haren

JACK DEMPSEY/Associated Press

Another Dodgers pitcher in 2014, Dan Haren has already been dealt this offseason. Haren was shipped along with Dee Gordon to the Miami Marlins, but he could be on the move yet again, via Rosenthal:

Haren told Mark Saxon of ESPNLosAngeles.com in November that he would not want to play anywhere but Southern California in 2015: "My signing with the Dodgers last year and my decision to exercise my player option were based on my desire to play in Southern California near my family. I had other opportunities, but at this point in my career, I have no interest in playing in a city away from my family."

So what will Haren do know that he has been dealt to Miami? Rosenthal tweeted a statement from Haren regarding his status:

The Marlins want Haren to pitch for them, which shouldn't come as much of a surprise. He was a solid member of L.A.'s rotation last season, making 32 starts and tossing 186 innings in the process. His 4.02 ERA was nothing special, but its indicative of the fact that he's a back-end starter at this point in his career.

Haren gives the Marlins a much-needed veteran in the starting rotation. Mat Latos has experience under his belt, but he doesn't have the track record of Haren. When Jose Hernandez returns in June or July to anchor the staff, Miami will boast one of the top rotations in the National League.

A starting five of Fernandez, Latos, Henderson Alvarez, Haren and Jarred Cosart would easily allow Miami to compete in the NL East. Its excess depth—Nathan Eovaldi, Brad Hand and Tom Koehler—could then be used to plug other holes in the roster.

Of course, a lot of their future moves hinge on the possibility that Haren demands a trade to somewhere he wants to pitch.

Ryan Howard

Matt Slocum/Associated Press

Ryan Howard is coming off his best season since 2011, but that doesn't mean the Philadelphia Phillies are prepared to keep him in the City of Brotherly Love for the long haul.

The Phils have several attractive trade pieces, and the trade of Jimmy Rollins could spark a major roster overhaul before the winter months come to an end. Marlon Byrd, another valuable player, has been talked about as a trade candidate for the past several weeks.

Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports that the Phils tried to include Howard in a deal with Byrd earlier this offseason.

"The Orioles talked to the Phillies about outfielder Marlon Byrd, and he was offered in a package that included first baseman Ryan Howard, according to multiple industry sources," Kubatko writes. "Don't hold your breath on that one, either."

Desperation is setting in for the Phillies. They don't want Howard's $25 million on the books for next season, but other teams don't want it either. Yeah, quite a shocker.

And the possible destinations are dwindling by the day, as ESPN.com's Eric Karabell tweeted:

An American League club is ideal for Howard, but the Phillies will trade him to any team in the league at this point. They certainly don't care where he plays next season—as long as it isn't in Philadelphia.

In an ideal world, Philadelphia would find a team with excess money to pay Howard part of his contract and take him off its hands. The team wouldn't receive anything of value in return, but ridding itself of Howard would be reason enough to celebrate.

Will the Phillies find a match before the 2015 season gets under way? We'll have to wait and see.

Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn