Under-the-Radar MLB Trade Targets with Big Impact for Bargain Prices
Whether you're clipping coupons or clicking Groupon, everyone loves a bargain. That includes MLB clubs looking to upgrade their rosters midseason without mortgaging the farm.
It's a tricky exercise, filling needs at the trade deadline. Sometimes reeling in a big fish proves futile—and sometimes it demands too much bait.
Here, then, are five under-the-radar trade candidates who could come at a relative bargain but who may also provide a playoff-chase spark.
They're names you've probably heard—and none can be had for nothing—but all should be cheaper than the top-shelf targets and possibly just as impactful.
Eduardo Nunez, INF/OF, San Francisco Giants
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After losing two of three to the lowly Philadelphia Phillies but bouncing back with a 7-2 win over the Milwaukee Brewers Monday, the San Francisco Giants sit at 24-35, 12 games out of the NL West lead.
San Francisco isn't likely to move anyone from a core group that includes catcher Buster Posey, shortstop Brandon Crawford and injured left-hander Madison Bumgarner.
The club could sell its ancillary pieces, however.
Keep an eye on speedy Eduardo Nunez, whom the Giants acquired from the Minnesota Twins last July. The 29-year-old was an All-Star in 2016, hitting .288 with 16 home runs and 40 stolen bases between Minnesota and San Francisco.
He's got just four homers so far this year, but has swiped 13 bags and is 9-for-27 with a 1.046 OPS over the past week.
He's not a defensive whiz, but Nunez has logged innings at third base, shortstop and both corner outfield spots for San Francisco.
He's set to hit free agency after the season and would thus be a lower-cost rental, but he could be a versatile weapon for any number of contenders.
Yonder Alonso, 1B, Oakland Athletics
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In parts of eight big league seasons, Yonder Alonso owns a .745 OPS.
That makes the 16 home runs and 1.075 OPS he's posted thus far for the Oakland Athletics officially eye-opening, if anomalous.
It also makes the 30-year-old a prime sell-high candidate for Oakland executive vice president Billy Beane, whose club is 16.5 games back in the American League West at 25-32.
Potent as Alonso's bat has been, he's an impending free agent and, again, lacks the track record to command a huge prospect haul.
Still, multiple buyers would benefit from his pop, particularly in the Junior Circuit, where he can toggle between first base and designated hitter.
Yours truly tapped the New York Yankees as a logical suitor, but the rival Boston Red Sox, among others, might also get in the mix.
Jed Lowrie, INF, Oakland Athletics
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Speaking of the A's, Jed Lowrie is another intriguing chip in Beane's stockpile.
If you go by FanGraphs' WAR calculation, Lowrie has been the fifth-best second baseman in baseball with a mark of 1.6, and is slashing .287/.353/.827.
He played just 87 games with a .637 OPS last season, underwent foot surgery in August 2016, turned 33 in April and has a $6 million option with a $1 million buyout for 2018.
Lowrie won't require the return package of Oakland right-hander Sonny Gray or even possibly Alonso, and there aren't many clubs with a glaring need at second base.
As John Hickey of the Mercury News opined, he "may be hitting himself right off the A's roster."
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Zack Cozart, SS, Cincinnati Reds
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Is a guy who's hitting .348 with a 1.053 OPS while rating as the second-best defensive shortstop in baseball truly "under the radar"? Maybe not.
Zack Cozart could be a trade-deadline bargain, however.
The 31-year-old is vastly outperforming his career numbers and is ticketed for free agency this winter. Most essentially, as CBSSports.com' Matt Snyder noted, the list of contenders with a hole at shortstop isn't long.
The Cincinnati Reds have been an early surprise and sit just three games out in the muddled NL Central at 26-30. Realistically, though, they'll be in sell mode by the July 31 deadline, and Cozart will be arguably their most obvious trade piece.
He may not bring back a glistening return, but someone will want a slick-fielding middle infielder who has swung it like an All-Star for two-plus months.
Jason Vargas, LHP, Kansas City Royals
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After winning the pennant in 2014 and the World Series in 2015, the Kansas City Royals are perilously close to tearing it down.
They own the worst record in the AL at 24-32. They're in last place in the AL Central. And a significant chunk of their championship backbone—including first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas and outfielder Lorenzo Cain—is due for free agency this winter.
Keep your peepers on lefty Jason Vargas, who twirled nine shutout innings against the Cleveland Indians June 2 and lowered his ERA to 2.08.
He's done it despite a fastball that's averaged 86.6 mph and a ho-hum journeyman career with the then-Florida Marlins, New York Mets, Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels.
His numbers would slot nicely into any rotation. His stuff, on the other hand, doesn't inspire top-prospect packages. Plus, he's 34 years old and a free-agent-to-be.
As an unnamed AL scout told Bleacher Report's Danny Knobler: "Everyone would take him. But nobody wants to give up a lot for him."
If they keep sinking in the standings, the Royals will surely test the waters and find out what they can get.
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