MLB Trade Rumors: Latest Buzz Around Available Stars as Winter Meetings Wrap Up
MLB executives will look to place the finishing touches on any ongoing trade talks before leaving Orlando, Florida. Following days of frantic activity, the winter meetings end on Thursday.
Most trade news has revolved around the Miami Marlins, as new ownership has maintained the organization's status quo with another teardown. After sending speedster Dee Gordon to the Seattle Mariners and 2017 National League MVP Giancarlo Stanton to the New York Yankees, they sold another star position player Wednesday.
As Sirius XM's Craig Mish first reported, the Marlins swapped Marcell Ozuna to the St. Louis Cardinals. Between Stanton and Ozuna, they lost 96 of last season's 194 home runs.
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Will they keep going and exchange the third member of what was once MLB's fiercest outfield? That uncertainty headlines the burning-hot stove.
Is Christian Yelich Next To Go in Marlins Fire Sale?
And then there was one. After trading two star outfielders in the past week, the Marlins have another in Christian Yelich, a 26-year-old who batted .282/.369/.439 with 100 runs and 4.5 WAR in 2017.
In light of the Ozuna trade, reporters scrambled to discover Yelich's status. Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan said he's on the trade block, but ESPN.com's Jerry Crasnick shared an opposing account:
While Yelich is locked down to an affordable, long-term deal, Ozuna has two more years of arbitration before entering free agency. St. Louis' newest star will command a sizable raise after hitting .312/.376/.548 with 37 long balls and 124 RBI last season.
According to FanRag Sports' Jon Heyman, Yelich may get a say in his fate. The Marlins will reportedly meet with their best player remaining before making a decision:
Given his age, affordability and consistency, Yelich should draw a massive haul. After shedding Stanton's massive contract, however, the Marlins should not rush to deal a star who will earn $7 million in 2018, per Cot's Baseball Contracts.
They would probably have to spend more to sign a decent stopgap replacement.
Orioles Making 'Good Progress' on Moving Manny Machado
Another superstar could change teams before Opening Day. Trade talks have intensified around Manny Machado, who can bolt from the Baltimore Orioles next winter.
On Tuesday, The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal said Baltimore is shopping the 25-year-old infielder, who would prefer to move back to shortstop from third base. Per ESPN.com's Buster Olney, the Yankees and Chicago White Sox are interested.
What once seemed like a long shot suddenly looks like a possibility. According to MLB.com's Brittany Ghiroli, the Orioles are making headway on dealing their franchise cornerstone:
Heyman added that "several teams have made trade offers."
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette kept his options open Tuesday, when he told Dave Sheinin of the Washington Post he will pursue all avenues.
"We're going to continue to explore the market and see where it takes us," Duquette said when asked about trade discussions involving Machado.
Despite belting 33 home runs, Machado had a down year by his standards in 2017. He hit an unremarkable .259/.310/.471 with a 102 weighted runs created plus (wRC+), which pinpoints his offensive production at two percent above average.
After accruing 6.9 WAR in 2015 and 6.6 WAR in 2016, the rate plummeted to 2.8.
But there should be no chance of acquiring the three-time All-Star at a bargain price. He endured a career-low .265 batting average on balls in play (BABIP) despite brandishing a career-high 39.5 hard-hit percentage. According to Baseball Savant, he earned a .274 expected batting average based on his Statcast batted-ball data.
Even after each landing a star slugger from Miami, the Yankees and Cardinals still make the most sense. The Bronx Bombers could use a third baseman after trading Chase Headley to the San Diego Padres, and the Redbirds have plenty of more depth to leverage for another lineup jolt.
Per Rosenthal, the Orioles want two young, cost-controlled starting pitchers for Machado. St. Louis relinquished premier pitching prospect Sandy Alcantara to Miami, per Heyman, but it could still tempt Baltimore with Michael Wacha, Luke Weaver, Jack Flaherty and Alex Reyes.
Since they are unlikely to keep pace with the Yankees and Boston Red Sox, the Orioles are wise to explore offers now rather than selling him for a lesser return as a midseason rental.
Royals Considering Trading 'Extremely Popular' Danny Duffy
The Kansas City Royals remain in limbo, with Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain unsigned. In the likely event of losing two or three of those key players, they may need to change course and rebuild.
Unfortunately, they are in jeopardy of losing their nucleus for only compensatory draft picks if all three reject qualifying offers. If they want to sell, Danny Duffy could prove their best trade chip.
According to Heyman, the Royals will consider moving their ace, who has drawn wide interest during the winter meetings:
Joel Sherman of the New York Post said the Yankees and Chicago Cubs have inquired but that neither club made any progress as of Tuesday:
The southpaw posted a 3.81 ERA, 130 strikeouts and 41 walks in 146.1 innings last season. Although his ERA and strikeout rate worsened from a breakout 2016, his fielding independent pitching (FIP) improved from 3.83 to 3.46.
Duffy was set to join many of his Royals teammates in free agency this winter before signing a five-year, $65 million extension in January. He made his desire to stay in Kansas City clear on Twitter:
Since he would have matched or exceeded that salary on the open market, clubs have extra incentive to test his availability. Yet given his devotion to the franchise, losing him alongside Hosmer, Cain and/or Moustakas would sting.
All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.
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