MLB Trade Deadline 2020: Latest from Experts on J.D. Martinez, Kris Bryant, More

Bats are cracking, balls are leaving the yard, and pitchers are bringing the heat.

Major League Baseball is back, and so is its always entertaining trade rumor mill.

Given this campaign's abbreviated schedule, all roster-construction decisions must be accelerated. The season isn't even a week old, and the trade deadline is essentially one month away.

Since time as already at a premium, let's not waste any more of it and get to the latest murmurings.

J.D. Martinez a Trade Candidate?

With 124 homers and 339 RBI in the last three seasons, J.D. Martinez has clearly established himself as one of the game's premier power hitters. While that could give him centerpiece status in some organizations, one expert wonders whether the Boston Red Sox may view him differently.

ESPN polled a group of general managers, assistant general managers and scouts about various topics, one of which is whether an All-Star will be traded this season. Eight respondents said yes, and one identified Martinez as the star who will swap jerseys.

The slugger is signed through 2022, but it's possible to envision Boston's dynamics putting the 32-year-old on the trade block. The Red Sox missed the playoffs last season, traded away Mookie Betts in February and lost Chris Sale to Tommy John surgery in the spring. They subsequently opened this campaign by losing a home series to the lowly Baltimore Orioles.

If the Sox feel bearish about their short-term future, this could be the time to move Martinez for long-term building blocks.

Kris Bryant the Odd Man Out in Chicago?

Hopefully, Chicago Cubs fans are still getting some level of appreciation from their 2016 World Series win, because the nucleus of that banner-raising group might soon become too expensive to keep.

Barring any extensions between now and then, the Cubs will see Kris Bryant, Javier Baez, Anthony Rizzo and Kyle Schwarber all reach free agency in 2021. That's a lot in terms of quantity, and it's even more in quality. Last season, the quartet combined for 125 homers and 348 RBI.

Chicago might not be able to afford all four going forward, and despite Bryant's recent comments on hoping to stick around, one expert isn't sure that can happen.

"For reasons too long and complex to get into here, Bryant remains less likely than the others to stick around," ESPN's Jesse Rogers wrote. "The Cubs simply can't pay everyone."

Bryant soared to stardom, earning Rookie of the Year honors and an All-Star selection in 2015, then following that up with an MVP effort in 2016. But his last two seasons have been his least productive, both in games played (249 of a possible 324) and wins above replacement (5.6, or as many as he had in 2017, when he didn't make the All-Star team).

Saying that, he's a 28-year-old who delivered 138 homers, 403 RBI and 486 runs over his first five seasons. If the Cubs don't want to (or can't) pay him, someone else gladly will.

Francisco Lindor Leaving Cleveland in the Offseason?

Francisco Lindor is no stranger to the trade rumor mill, which feels strange to say about a 26-year-old with four All-Star trips under his belt.

But he's only under contract for this season and next, and his earnings potential could price him out of the Cleveland Indians' plans. The two sides discussed a contract extension in the spring, but they didn't get particularly close before tabling those talks, per the Athletic's Jason Lloyd.

If the Indians don't think they can afford their star shortstop, they might want to move him for what should be a big return. It could be a matter of when not if, and one expert opined the when could be this offseason.

"I don't think we'll see a lot of big trades during the season," ESPN's Dan Mullen wrote. "But if spending in free agency is down after all of the lost revenue of the shortened season as expected ... that could make teams even more inclined to trade for someone like Lindor this winter."

If the Indians reach the point of dealing Lindor, they can (and should) ask for a small army of assets. He has two Gold Gloves, two Silver Slugger awards and five-plus-year totals of 93 stolen bases, 130 homers, 385 RBI and 478 runs. He's a legitimate superstar, and given his age, it's possible he hasn't even played his best baseball yet.