MLB Trade Ideas Based on Latest Trade Deadline Rumors and Speculation

Just when you thought it was safe to go to sleep, the Colorado Rockies finally traded Troy Tulowitzki. It was a move that hardly anyone saw coming, one that sent the baseball world into a late-night frenzy and this writer into taking a short nap in the early morning hours instead of a full night of rest.

But that's what happens in the days leading up to baseball's July 31 trade deadline—you never know what's going to happen, much less when the news is going to break.

Will Cole Hamels be woken in the middle of the night by a call from Philadelphia general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to tell him that the Phillies are finally trading him away? Do the Houston Astros and Kansas City Royals, teams that have already added front-line starters, have enough left on the farm to add another impact player?

We'll tackle all of that and more on the pages that follow.

It's important to remember that the teams we'd classify as buyers won't be the only clubs in the running to acquire a given player's services, so the packages proposed are not only geared toward being fair to both sides, but also to ensure that the seller takes a buyer's offer over the competition's.

Additionally, keep in mind that these proposed deals are only ideas and pure speculation. Unless otherwise noted, there's no indication that any of them have actually been discussed.

Nationals Trade for Craig Kimbrel

Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Houston Gets: CL Craig Kimbrel

Washington Gets: 2B/SS Wilmer Difo, RHP Erick Fedde and RHP Austin Voth

Washington doesn't need Craig Kimbrel to anchor its bullpen—Drew Storen has done a fine job as the team's closer—but the Nationals would like to add him to the mix anyway, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.

They won't send former Padres farmhand Trea Turner back to San Diego, as Heyman says the Padres requested, but landing the four-time All-Star closer still costs the Nationals a trio of quality prospects in middle infielder Wilmer Difo and a pair of right-handed pitchers, Erick Fedde and Austin Voth.

Difo, 23, struggled in his first taste of the big leagues earlier this year, mustering only one hit in eight at-bats, but he's an athletic, smooth-fielding infielder who has shown a knack for making consistent contact and could fill a hole at either second base or shortstop for the Padres.

Fedde, 22, Washington's first-round pick in last year's draft, has been solid in his first professional season after undergoing Tommy John surgery but is still a few years away from the big leagues. While he's being stretched out as a starter by the Nationals, he could wind up as a late-inning power reliever.

Voth, 23, isn't going to develop into an ace, but he fits the profile as your prototypical innings-eating starter, armed with three quality pitches and above-average control, and is close to being ready to contribute to a major league rotation.

As for Kimbrel, he makes what has been a solid-but-unspectacular Nationals bullpen significantly better, pushing Storen into a setup role.

Royals Trade for Ben Zobrist

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Kansas City Gets: IF/OF Ben Zobrist

Oakland Gets: RHP Scott Blewett, OF Dominique Taylor and C Chase Vallot

As Oakland general manager Billy Beane explained to MLB.com's Jane Lee, continuing to stockpile young talent with upside is his goal as the trade deadline approaches.

"

The Houston Astros have done a really good job of spending the last three or four years really creating a dynamic farm system, and they're now starting to reap the rewards of that.

If we're ever going to compete, we're probably going to have to take a somewhat similar approach and at least make sure we've got young players that are coming through the system that will be here for a few years.

"

In trading Ben Zobrist to the Kansas City Royals, a team that not only has interest in the versatile veteran but, as the Kansas City Star's Andy McCullough says, will also stay in pursuit of him "until the end," Beane adds three more intriguing youngsters to the mix.

Both Scott Blewett (19) and Chase Vallot (18) are still teens who are just beginning their professional careers and have plenty of maturing to do, both mentally and physically, but the pair has all the tools to become above-average regulars in time.

At 6'6" and 210 pounds, Blewett already looks the part of a big league player, and his low-90s fastball, which ticks up to 96 at times, is only going to get nastier as he gets stronger. He has all the makings of your prototypical power arm at the front of a team's rotation.

Vallot is athletic enough to stick behind the plate or move to a corner outfield spot, with the requisite power to be a significant run producer no matter where he fits defensively.

While 22-year-old Dominique Taylor is the oldest of the bunch, he's also incredibly raw. Able to play all three outfield positions, he lacks discipline and patience at the plate, though he's flashed the combination of power and speed that scouts love when he does make contact and get on base.

As for Zobrist, he can take over for the disappointing Omar Infante at second base in Kansas City while giving skipper Ned Yost plenty of options when it comes to filling out his daily lineup card. His knack for getting on base makes an already-dangerous lineup that much more troublesome for the opposition to face.

Blue Jays Trade for Jeff Samardzija

Tony Dejak/Associated Press

Chicago Gets: LHP Matt Boyd, IF Andy Burns, 3B Mitch Nay and C Max Pentecost

Toronto Gets: RHP Jeff Samardzija

If you thought Toronto's late-night acquisition of Troy Tulowitzki from the Colorado Rockies—reported by CBS Sports' Jon Heyman—would prevent the Blue Jays from landing the starting pitcher they need, think again.

CSN Chicago's Dan Hayes says that Toronto is making the biggest push to acquire Chicago's Jeff Samardzija, and Toronto has enough down on the farm to satisfy a White Sox club that is retooling, not rebuilding.

While he may be more of a No. 2 starter than a true ace, he has once again shown the ability to put up ace-like numbers. Over his last eight starts, Samardzija has pitched to a 2.55 ERA and 0.97 WHIP, averaging more than seven innings per outing while holding the opposition to a .220/.270/.308 slash line.

In return, the White Sox get the four-player package that Heyman said they were looking for. That's not some random number, either—Chicago sent Oakland four players in the deal that made Samardzija a member of the club over the winter.

The key to it all is Max Pentecost, the 11th overall selection in the 2014 draft. While shoulder surgery has kept him off the field so far in 2015, the 22-year-old is an elite athlete with, at worst, average tools across the board who will hit for average and some power (12 to 15 home runs) when he reaches the majors.

Matt Boyd, 24, struggled in his first taste of the majors earlier this year, but the southpaw has a four-pitch mix that he knows how to throw for strikes consistently and a deceptive delivery that keeps batters off balance. His ceiling is that of a solid No. 3 starter. 

Andy Burns, 24, isn't going to develop into a superstar, but he has all the tools needed to start at third base for the White Sox in 2016, holding down the hot corner until Mitch Nay is ready later in the year. When he does finally get bumped, Burns is versatile and athletic enough to play all over the infield and in the outfield corners. He's sort of a "Ben Zobrist Lite" kind of player, if you will.

Nay, 21, has all the makings of a prototypical third baseman and both the arm strength and lateral quickness to stick at the position.

Rangers Trade for Cole Hamels

Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia Gets: C Jorge Alfaro, OF Jairo Beras, OF Lewis Brinson, and RHP Luis Ortiz

Texas Gets: LHP Cole Hamels and $30 million

Texas has been considered one of the favorites to land Philadelphia ace Cole Hamels for the past few weeks, as reported by ESPN.com's Jayson Stark, and that's exactly where he's going to wind up.

While the Rangers won't part with two players the Phillies covet—outfielder Nomar Mazara and right-handed starter Chi Chi Gonzalez, per Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal—the Rangers have enough intriguing, high-upside pieces the Phillies like to make a deal happen.

The centerpiece of the deal is 22-year-old Jorge Alfaro, who has all the makings of an All-Star catcher but has been out of action since early June with an ankle injury. He needs a bit more refinement, especially when it comes to harnessing his cannon of an arm to negate the opposition's running game, but he's not far off from reaching the big leagues.

Lewis Brinson, 21, will always have a lot of swing-and-miss in his game, but he has the potential of a future 30-30 player who plays Gold Glove-caliber defense in center field with a strong, accurate throwing arm.

Luis Ortiz, 19, is a consistent strike-thrower with all the makings of a front-line starter in the big leagues, though his secondary offerings still need some work for him to get there.

Jairo Beras, 20, is incredibly raw but has all the tools that a team looks for in a right fielder: a strong, accurate throwing arm, big-time power potential and enough speed to get to balls in the gap or down the line.

In Hamels, the Rangers get the established, reliable front-line starter they've wanted, one whom they can pair with Yu Darvish atop the rotation for the foreseeable future.

Cardinals Trade for Adam Lind

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Milwaukee Gets: RHP Luke Weaver and 3B Patrick Wisdom

St. Louis Gets: 1B Adam Lind

Adam Lind's ability to crush right-handed pitching while providing adequate defense at first base is just what the doctor ordered for a St. Louis offense that, as Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch recently wrote, is "unable to average four runs a game."

He'll split time at first base with Mark Reynolds, who has been exposed with overuse, providing the Cardinals with a powerful bat off the bench on days that he's not in the field. 

With a reasonable $500,000 buyout of an $8 million team option for 2016, the club could part ways with him after the season, making room for the return of Matt Adams, who is on the 60-day disabled list due to quad surgery.

In return, Milwaukee picks up two more young pieces who aren't far off from contributing in The Show.

Luke Weaver, 21, does a good job of keeping the ball on the ground, per Minor League Central, which is always a good thing in the hitter-friendly confines of Miller Park. He projects to be a solid, reliable mid-rotation starter. A team can never have too many of those types of arms hanging around.

Patrick Wisdom, 23, could be Milwaukee's long-term answer at third base, as he has both the requisite power and strong throwing arm needed for success at the hot corner. While he has his flaws—he's error-prone and struggles against breaking balls—both are things that can be ironed out by instruction and repetition.

Unless otherwise linked or noted, all statistics courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs and are current through games of July 27. All contract information courtesy of Baseball Prospectus.

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