MLB Trade Ideas Based on Spring Training Week 6, Rumors and Speculation
Despite Opening Day being less than a week away, the landscape of MLB could look significantly different before the first pitch of the 2015 season. Based off the latest speculation and rumors, we will try to diagnose potential landing spots for those names being churned through the rumor mill.
Players like Alex Guerrero of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Welington Castillo of the Chicago Cubs have become excess to requirements with their current teams, but both remain capable of contributing to a major league winner. Which organizations could be in on their services?
Elsewhere, left-hander Brian Matusz has pitched himself onto the radar of a handful of pitching-needy teams. Where might the southpaw end up before the start of the new season?
And with the addition of Yasmany Tomas, Mark Trumbo might be able to be had at the right price. Could a team in need of a power surge take the bait and deal for the slugger?
Let's play matchmaker and see if we can come up with a few sensible deals.
Alex Guerrero to the Milwaukee Brewers
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Guerrero is not going back to the minor leagues. That's what he's been telling reporters like MLB.com's Jesse Sanchez this spring.
Guerrero signed a four-year, $28 million deal in 2013 and has a provision in his contract that prohibits the Los Angeles Dodgers from sending him back to the minor leagues. The Dodgers have three options with Guerrero: play him, cut him or trade him.
Where would he play? He's not going to start over Jimmy Rollins and Howie Kendrick in the middle or Juan Uribe at third. $28 million for a utility man? Even for the Dodgers, that's a ludicrous sum.
But are you really going to cut a player who hit .348 with 15 homers at Triple-A last season? That doesn't seem like good business for a team that invested nearly $30 million into said player.
So that leaves only one logical solution: trade him. He's expendable this year, and Hector Olivera has essentially jumped ahead of him in terms of the 2016 roster. Trading from a position of depth makes sense for both the Dodgers and Guerrero.
But which team is the best fit for the 28-year-old Cuban?
The latest speculation comes from ESPNLosAngeles.com's Mark Saxon, who mentions the Milwaukee Brewers as a potential landing spot for Guerrero. While Saxon admits that the $21.5 million still owed to Guerrero has deterred more than one team, a move to Milwaukee makes sense for both parties.
Not one of Milwaukee's incumbent infield trio exceeded a WAR greater than 2.0 last season, as Scooter Gennett, Aramis Ramirez and Jean Segura all underwhelmed in 2014. Guerrero would also represent a significant upgrade over either of the Brewers' backup options in Hector Gomez and Luis Jimenez.
There's no guarantee that Guerrero would win a spot in Milwaukee's starting nine, but his chances are significantly better than if he were to stay with the Dodgers. He could stay and potentially win a job in 2016, but Olivera's arrival greatly decreases Guerrero's chances.
The Brewers could send back a package centered around right-hander Jonathan Broxton, who fanned over 10 per nine innings last season. He's in the last year of his three-year deal, and the $9 million he's slated to make in 2015 would help offset some of Guerrero's remaining contract.
Brian Matusz to the Texas Rangers
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What's that saying? Left-handed and a heartbeat and you can pitch in the major leagues? While it's obviously more difficult than that quip indicates, available left-handers are always coveted on the open market.
Matusz is evidence of that, as the starter-turned-reliever has become one of the most asked-about players in baseball. Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported that the Baltimore Orioles are "open to trading" Matusz in the right deal.
The $3.2 million tab a prospective team would have to pick up may be cause for concern, but Matusz's production over the last two seasons won't be.
After losing his spot in the rotation after a near-5.00 ERA in 2012, Matusz has finished two straight seasons with a sub-4.00 ERA. He struck out 23.5 percent of the batters he faced last season and held opposing lefties to just a .221 batting average.
But there's no place for Matusz in the Baltimore rotation, as the southpaw will likely serve as the club's long relief if he stays with the O's. Pitching depth is nice, but the Orioles will likely flip Matusz after he's enhanced his value by allowing just two earned runs in his 12 innings of spring work.
The Texas Rangers have been linked with Matusz, according to Rosenthal, and his ability to pitch as a starter and out of the pen makes the two a sensible pair.
Losing Yu Darvish was a huge blow for a Rangers team hoping to bounce back from a 95-loss season in 2014. Derek Holland's health is a concern, as is Colby Lewis' 5.18 ERA from last season and the starting inexperience of Nick Martinez and Ross Detwiler.
While Matusz is far from a sure thing, he'd likely be an upgrade at the back end of the Texas rotation. The Rangers could send back one of their potential left field candidates, Ryan Rua, Carlos Peguero or Jake Smolinski, all three of whom are unlikely to make the squad.
Welington Castillo to the Boston Red Sox
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Despite being loaded with offensive firepower, the Boston Red Sox have a catching conundrum to solve before Opening Day.
Christian Vazquez, a prospect that figured to see plenty of playing time behind the dish for the Red Sox, will be sidelined for the beginning of the season with an elbow injury. Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has reported that Vasquez is set to visit Dr. James Andrews, which indicates that the 24-year-old backstop could be headed for Tommy John surgery.
Heyman goes on to say that Boston will give highly touted prospect Blake Swihart an "extended look" in the remaining spring games. While Swihart's talent is unquestioned, he's only played 18 games at the Triple-A level. With the hesitancy to rush top prospects in today's MLB, Boston could be in the market for a veteran catcher over the next week.
The Chicago Cubs have a logjam of three viable catchers in Miguel Montero, David Ross and Castillo. Despite Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com reporting that the club could keep all three on the roster, the Cubs would be better served flipping one of them before the season begins.
Castillo would be the logical candidate in a potential deal, as Montero and Ross were both acquired earlier this winter. The 27-year-old is coming off a subpar season that saw his average dip to a .237 mark. But he touts a career wRC+ of 99, which indicates he's right around the league average as far as catching options go.
Is Castillo the perfect answer? Far from it. But he and Ryan Hanigan can provide quality innings for the Red Sox in a transitional year. Boston could send a reliever like Brandon Workman back to the Cubs, who could possibly help Chicago's bullpen.
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Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles
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Let's go a little outside the box with this last one.
While Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has reported that Arizona Diamondbacks general manager Dave Stewart denied the Snakes are shopping Trumbo, Tomas' arrival in the desert might push Arizona's front office to consider moving the 29-year-old slugger.
The Diamondbacks have a logjam in the outfield, with Trumbo, Tomas, A.J. Pollock, David Peralta, Ender Inciarte and Cody Ross all expected to get playing time. Both Tomas and Trumbo are poor defenders, so it makes sense to move Trumbo if a situation arises.
Trumbo is not without value, as he mashed 29 or more homers in three straight seasons from 2011 to 2013. Despite missing extended time due to injury last season, Trumbo still went deep 14 times in 88 games.
The Orioles lost plenty of production when Nelson Cruz and Nick Markakis decided to play elsewhere in 2015 and did very little to replace that departed power. With Matt Wieters' health now in question, Trumbo could provide the O's with some much-needed punch in the heart of the order.
Arizona's rotation lacks the necessary proven arms to be a competent unit this season, but the O's have plenty of hurlers they could throw in a deal. Bud Norris, Miguel Gonzalez, Matusz and Ubaldo Jimenez could all be included in a trade, as could one of Baltimore's minor league pitching prospects.
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