MLB Trade Ideas Based on Latest Week 2 News, Rumors and Speculation
As injuries mount and teams begin to sour on ineffective players currently on their rosters, the rumor mill has begun to pick up speed. It's not churning out rumors at breakneck speed, mind you, like it will as we get into the dog days of summer, but it's moving fast enough to not be cited as a pace-of-play violator.
While names like the Los Angeles Dodgers' Andre Ethier and Philadelphia Phillies' Ryan Howard continue their seemingly never-ending residence at the mill, there's nothing new to report on either player other than it's going to take a near-miracle (or their current team eating all of their remaining salary) to facilitate a trade.
But another longtime mill visitor could soon find himself throwing strikes in a different uniform, while one of baseball's newest superstars is looking to make news yet again. We'll cover all that and more as we play general manager in the regular season's second week.
Keep in mind that these deals are pure speculation. Unless otherwise noted, there's no indication that any of them have actually been discussed.
Dioner Navarro Gets Traded To...
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Toronto remains open to trading Dioner Navarro if it would result in the veteran becoming another team's starting catcher, general manager Alex Anthopoulos told Sportsnet's Shi Davidi. He might get that shot in Ohio, where both Cleveland and Cincinnati are dealing with injuries behind the plate.
Aside from his experience, what makes Navarro an enticing addition is that he's due only $5 million in the final year of his deal and could be flipped at the trade deadline if the incumbent in either location returned to action beforehand.
While the Blue Jays might be able to land a bigger return if they waited until closer to the July 31 trade deadline to move Navarro, that's far from a sure thing. Rather than flip a coin to see which club the Blue Jays would deal with, let's take a look at a potential deal with each team.
Navarro Gets Traded to Cincinnati
Blue Jays Get: LHP David Holmberg and RHP Sam LeCure
Reds Get: C Dioner Navarro
This deal only gets made if Devin Mesoraco's hip injury knocks him out of action for a substantial period of time. With Mesoraco out, Brayan Pena, Kyle Skipworth and perhaps Tucker Barnhart would handle the catching duties.
That's not an ideal scenario for a Cincinnati club that has gotten off to a surprisingly strong start.
Navarro might not be a premier defensive catcher, but he's experienced enough to know how to work a pitching staff through rough spots and, perhaps more importantly, would give the Reds their best chance of replacing Mesoraco's production in the lineup.
In exchange, Toronto bolsters a bullpen that has been mediocre at best thus far and could use some reinforcements. Sam LeCure, 30, didn't break camp with the Reds but has been an effective reliever in the majors over parts of five seasons, pitching to a 3.53 ERA and 1.27 WHIP.
David Holmberg, 23, has yet to live up to the hype that surrounded him as a top-10 prospect, first with the Chicago White Sox (2009) and then the Arizona Diamondbacks (2011-2013), per Baseball America, but he's still young enough to have substantial upside and could contribute at some point this year.
Navarro Gets Traded to Cleveland
Blue Jays Get: RHP Shawn Armstrong and LHP Nick Maronde
Indians Get: C Dioner Navarro
The Indians are perfectly content to roll with 26-year-old Roberto Perez in place of Yan Gomes, who could miss up to two months with a sprained MCL in his right knee.
"Losing Gomes that can be a season killer but Perez can handle this. He's strong enough to catch every day," Indians manager Terry Francona told Fox Sports Ohio's Joe Reedy. "The game won't get altered by the way guys pitch and that's a big compliment to Roberto."
Perez is familiar with much of the pitching staff, having caught more than a few in the minors, but he's got less than 40 major league games under his belt. While he's been productive in limited playing time (.272 BA, .697 OPS), nobody knows if he'll be able to do so for an extended period of time.
That said—and despite the team's claim that it might look to add another backup catcher to the mix, via Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal—we're going ahead with this proposed swap.
In Navarro, the Indians get a seasoned veteran to fill in for Gomes, allowing Perez to not only continue serving as the team's primary backup but to continue to learn from a veteran behind the dish. That he's a switch-hitter with pop from both sides of the plate isn't a bad thing either.
Toronto lands a pair of young, controllable, hard-throwing arms in Shawn Armstrong and Nick Maronde, who both have swing-and-miss stuff and some major league experience but need a bit more work on their command before rejoining the fray.
Armstrong, 24, was ranked as Cleveland's No. 30 prospect by MLB.com heading into the season, while Maronde, 25, was named the fourth-best prospect in the Los Angeles Angels' farm system back in 2012.
Dillon Gee Gets Traded to Minnesota
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Mets Get: IF/OF Eduardo Escobar
Twins Get: RHP Dillon Gee
Sometimes deals are discussed months in advance of them ever taking place, and that's the case here. Back in December, ESPNNewYork.com's Adam Rubin reported that Minnesota had offered Eduardo Escobar to New York in exchange for Dillon Gee but was turned down.
Given the current state of affairs with both teams, it'd be worth Twins general manager Terry Ryan's time to pick up the phone and give one of his New York-based counterparts, Sandy Alderson, another call.
Having lost Ervin Santana to a PED-related suspension and Ricky Nolasco to the disabled list with a sore elbow (which may be a blessing in disguise, considering how ineffective he continues to be), the Twins need pitching. More to the point, they need a starter who can eat some innings.
Enter Gee, who is controllable, cheap (relatively speaking), yet to celebrate his 30th birthday and available, per Rubin. With prospects like Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz waiting in the wings, it's understandable why that's the case.
While he's not a big strikeout pitcher and is prone to the long ball, the latter becomes far less of an issue in the spacious confines of Target Field. Just ask Phil Hughes, another pitcher who had been giving up far too many dingers in New York, how a move to the Twin Cities worked out for him.
Heading back to New York is Eduardo Escobar, who hit .275 with six home runs and 37 RBIs in 433 at-bats for Minnesota last season while providing solid defense at shortstop, a position that remains a gaping hole for the Mets.
Not only is incumbent Wilmer Flores a liability at the plate, sitting with a .174/.208/.217 slash line, but he's an even bigger problem in the field, where he's committed three errors in seven games. The club has been there, done that with reserve Ruben Tejada as well. A new face at the position is needed.
Jean Segura Gets Traded to San Diego
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Brewers Get: IF/OF Alexi Amarista, RHP Cory Mazzoni and IF/OF Cory Spangenberg
Padres Get: SS Jean Segura
In what comes as no surprise to anyone who has followed San Diego's rapid transformation from pretender to contender, GM A.J. Preller is looking to make yet another move. This time, he's got his eye on a shortstop, according to USA Today's Bob Nightengale.
Milwaukee happens to have a pair of young shortstops who could potentially be available in Jean Segura and Luis Sardinas, a former Texas prospect (when Preller was with the Rangers) who the Padres were linked to at the end of January, per a report from Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
But for the cost-conscious Brewers, who will see Segura's salary skyrocket as he enters his first year of arbitration eligibility after the season, moving their incumbent is more appealing than unloading a prospect who won't be eligible for arbitration for another few years.
Segura would solidify the position for San Diego and replace the tandem of Alexi Amarista and Clint Barmes. While he doesn't get on base consistently enough to become the team's leadoff hitter, Segura's got plenty of speed and could be slotted ahead of the team's big bats into the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
Landing the 25-year-old isn't an inexpensive proposition for the Padres, but if Preller has shown us anything since taking the reins in San Diego, it's that he's not afraid to use the team's young talent to acquire the pieces he needs.
Amarista, 26, is a light-hitting, defense-first kind of player, but he can hold down shortstop until the Brewers deem Sardinas ready to take over on a full-time basis and is versatile enough to serve as a super utility player after he's been moved into a reserve role.
Named San Diego's seventh-best prospect heading into the season by MLB.com, 24-year-old Cory Spangenberg is another versatile player, one who can play second base, third base or a corner outfield spot. With three-time All-Star Aramis Ramirez expected to retire at season's end, Spangenberg could be his replacement—something the Brewers don't currently have in their system.
While he's not a front-line starter, 25-year-old Cory Mazzoni would add much-needed depth to an incredibly thin Milwaukee pitching staff. He'd likely remain in Triple-A to begin his tenure with the Brewers but isn't far off from being able to contribute in the majors.
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Aaron Hill Gets Traded to Los Angeles (AL)
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Angels Get: 2B Aaron Hill and $20 million
Diamondbacks Get: RHP Danny Reynolds
Due $24 million through the 2016 season and coming off the worst season of his career, Aaron Hill probably belongs in the "nearly immovable group" along with the aforementioned Ethier and Howard.
Is he an upgrade over incumbent Johnny Giavotella at the keystone in Los Angeles? Maybe. But at a total out-of-pocket cost of $4 million split across two years, taking a flier on Hill—who is readily available, according to a report from Fox Sports' Jon Paul Morosi—isn't the worst idea in the world.
While he's a below-average defender, the 33-year-old has a fairly lengthy track record of success in both leagues, posting a career .270/.324/.426 slash line across parts of 11 seasons in the majors.
By picking up the bulk of the money left on his deal, Arizona ensures that it gets a decent piece in return, and Danny Reynolds fits that bill.
A hard-throwing 25-year-old who seems to be the sort of pitcher that Diamondbacks GM Dave Stewart covets, Reynolds has bounced between the rotation and bullpen. Over parts of six minor league seasons, he's pitched to a 4.44 ERA and 1.35 WHIP, averaging more than seven strikeouts per nine innings of work.
Unless otherwise linked/noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs. All contract information courtesy of Cot's Contracts.
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