Fresh Blockbuster MLB Trade Ideas to Shake Up Spring Training

Major League Baseball spring training has reached that point where excitement over its arrival has given way to exasperation over just how long it is.

There is no better distraction than coming up with wacky trade proposals.

We've imagined seven blockbusters that almost certainly won't happen but aren't entirely implausible, either. Basically, we went looking for potentially available players who would fill needs—some of which have arisen during spring training—on other teams.

We'll begin with the most likely yet least interesting possibility and make our way to the least likely yet most interesting one.

Jeff Samardzija to the Los Angeles Angels

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

The Los Angeles Angels can count on Mike Trout, Anthony Rendon and Shohei Ohtani to deliver plenty of runs this season, but whether they have the arms to contend is debatable.

Per Baseball Reference, the Angels got an MLB-low 0.8 wins above replacement out of their starting pitchers in 2019. Ohtani's expected May return to the mound from Tommy John surgery is a positive development in this regard, yet Griffin Canning's elbow injury is not.

There isn't much on the trade market right now, yet Jeff Samardzija is a potential low-risk solution. The 35-year-old is coming off a 3.52 ERA over 181.1 innings in 2019, and he's heading into his final season under contract with the San Francisco Giants, who are on a road to nowhere for 2020.

If it meant getting an interesting prospect in return, the Giants would likely eat the bulk of Samardzija's $19.8 million salary. To wit, a reclamation project such as infielder Kevin Maitan might do the trick.

Wil Myers to the Texas Rangers

Orlando Ramirez/Associated Press

The San Diego Padres haven't traded Wil Myers yet, but it's no secret they want to.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres were shopping Myers as recently as February. The 29-year-old had little trade value at the time. But since he's warmed up with a 1.097 OPS in Cactus League action, the odds that a team will take a chance on him might have increased.

The Texas Rangers, meanwhile, are coming off a year in which they got little production from the right side of the plate. They also now have a hole in left field by way of Willie Calhoun's scary injury. Myers would fill both of these needs.

Of course, there's the matter that Myers is owed $68.5 million through 2022. The Rangers would need the Padres to eat most of that, or they could accept a bigger burden and insist on one of the top prospects from San Diego's second-ranked farm system.

Joc Pederson to the Toronto Blue Jays

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Between their star-studded infield and their revamped pitching staff, the Toronto Blue Jays might have a shot at a wild-card berth in 2020.

If they really want to maximize their chances, they should add a left-handed hitter to their right-handed-hitting outfield of Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Teoscar Hernandez and Randal Grichuk. Joc Pederson, who can play all three outfield spots and who has slammed 61 home runs since 2018, would be ideal.

Granted, the 27-year-old's pending free agency after 2020 would make him an odd fit for a kinda-sorta contender such as the Jays. To boot, he's slated to get the bulk of the action in left field for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2020.

Yet it wasn't long ago that Pederson was on his way out anyway, ostensibly so L.A. could reduce its luxury-tax bill for 2020. If the Dodgers still want to cut his $7.8 million salary, the Blue Jays might get a good deal on Pederson now, and they could flip him later if their plans for 2020 don't pan out.

Jon Gray to the New York Yankees

Charlie Riedel/Associated Press

Remember when the New York Yankees had a full rotation? Well, that was before James Paxton needed spinal surgery and Luis Severino underwent Tommy John surgery.

Per Mike Puma and Ken Davidoff of the New York Post, the Yankees recently talked to the New York Mets about Steven Matz. But since the Mets are a contender and Matz is an important part of their rotation, it's no wonder that this effort didn't pan out.

The Yankees might have more luck if they called the Colorado Rockies about Jon Gray. Though team owner Dick Monfort is optimistic about the team's chances, pretty much everyone else sees a 91-game loser from 2019 that's in line for even greater ruin in 2020.

Gray, who's 28 and controlled through 2021, has a high-octane arm that would fit nicely in New York. For their part, the Rockies might try to leverage the Yankees' desperation into a promising pitching prospect such as Clarke Schmidt, Deivi Garcia, Michael King or Albert Abreu.

Nathan Eovaldi to the Houston Astros

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Speaking of American League contenders who now have major rotation questions, there's also the Houston Astros.

Since reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander is on the shelf with a lat strain, fellow Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke is the only sure thing in the rotation. That might call for something drastic.

For instance, dialing up the Red Sox about Nathan Eovaldi. The 30-year-old was on Houston's radar as a free agent in 2018, which made only too much sense on account of the club's preference for pitchers with electric arms.

In the wake of Mookie Betts' and David Price's departures and Chris Sale's latest injury, the Red Sox might just be willing to lean in to a rebuild. In this case, they could eat some of the $51 million Eovaldi is owed through 2022 in hopes of getting back Bryan Abreu, Cristian Javier or another of Houston's young arms.

Francisco Lindor to the Atlanta Braves

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Do the Atlanta Braves, who've won back-to-back National League East titles, need to make a blockbuster deal? Based on their depth, no.

But when they lost Josh Donaldson via free agency, the middle of their lineup and the left side of their infield were stripped of a superstar. Kris Bryant or Nolan Arenado would fit nicely into his shoes, but the former is likely unavailable, and the latter's $260 million contract is surely too big for Atlanta.

So what if the Braves went after Francisco Lindor instead? The 26-year-old isn't a third baseman, yet he would replace Donaldson offensively and would be a nice upgrade over Dansby Swanson at shortstop.

The Cleveland Indians might see the writing on the wall after Lindor, who's controlled through 2021, broke off extension talks with them. In a deal with the Braves, they could set their sights on Cristian Pache or Drew Waters, who each rank among MLB.com's top 10 outfield prospects.

Nolan Arenado to the New York Mets

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An NL East power who could pull off a trade for one of baseball's brightest stars? Maybe two can play at that game.

Case in point, the Mets might want to shore up their offense since Michael Conforto (oblique strain) could be out for Opening Day while Yoenis Cespedes and Jed Lowrie are basically out of the picture.

A trade for Nolan Arenado is an unlikely yet compelling nuclear option. Such a deal would allow the Mets to slot a five-time All-Star and seven-time Gold Glover at the hot corner, which would only boost their already favorable projections for 2020.

Arenado's huge contract, which also includes a no-trade clause and an opt-out after 2021, would be an obvious hurdle. But the 28-year-old seems to want out, and the Mets and Rockies might hammer out a deal with bad contracts (i.e., Cespedes' and Lowrie's) and a major leaguer (i.e., Dominic Smith) going to Denver.

Spring stats courtesy of MLB.com. Other stats courtesy of Baseball Reference and FanGraphs.