MLB Trade Rumors: 1 Player from Each Team Who'll Be Gone by Trade Deadline
Major League Baseball's 2011 season hasn't gotten underway quite yet—only three more weeks!—but that doesn't mean we can't take a look at some early trade rumors.
Every year around the trade deadline there is at least one big name moved, so who will it be this year?
We are going to take an early look at the prime trade candidates from all 30 MLB teams. Some of these players could be on the major league roster, some of them could be top prospects in their respective organization. Either way, there is no shortage of star power on the trading block.
Here are the most likely trade candidates from every major league team entering the 2011 season.
Arizona Diamondbacks: J.J. Putz, Closer
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J.J. Putz has looked good in spring training so far for the Diamondbacks. His velocity is back, and his splitter is dropping better than it ever has.
Assuming Putz can carry that performance into the regular season, teams will come calling about him because contenders are always looking for relief pitchers. The only detriment to a Putz deal is that his contract is for two years, but given the ridiculous contracts given to relievers this offseason, that's not as bad as some of these other deals.
Atlanta Braves: Nate McLouth, CF
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Nate McLouth has really fallen off the face of the baseball earth in a short time. He overachieved in 2008 with the Pirates when he hit .276/.356/.497, and Pirates fans were up in arms when he was traded in 2009.
I doubt they really mind that deal now.
McLouth will start the season in the majors, but the Braves will hope that he starts off hot so they can find some team to take him off their hands.
Baltimore Orioles: Vladimir Guerrero, DH
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The Orioles have had an interesting offseason, though I wouldn't call it productive since they seem to be going for cheap wins over development.
Vladimir Guerrero looks like the perfect trade bait, assuming he can be the player he was in the first half of last season. The Orioles won't be in contention this season, and Guerrero could net a decent return if he is productive this season.
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Boston Red Sox: Jacoby Ellsbury, CF
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The Red Sox did a lot of wheeling and dealing this offseason and are, at least on paper, the best team in the American League.
Jacoby Ellsbury hasn't lived up to the expectations after the 2007 postseason. He is still young enough so he has some value, but he has to prove he is healthy before anyone will touch him.
The Red Sox have Ryan Kalish, who doesn't have Ellsbury's speed but can hit for more power and provide solid defense in center.
Chicago Cubs: Aramis Ramirez, 3B
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Unfortunately for Cubs fans, they are stuck with Alfonso Soriano for the next four seasons—good work, Jim Hendry—but they could move their star third baseman, Aramis Ramirez, if he stays healthy this season.
Ramirez is entering the final year of his contract.
Ramirez is 32, making a ton of money for a team that won't contend this year and can net a decent return if he is producing. The problem is that Ramirez is making a ton of money and no one will take on that kind of money and give up a prime prospect.
Chicago White Sox: Gavin Floyd, SP
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Gavin Floyd has always been a little overrated in my opinion. On the surface, his overall numbers look pretty good. However, if you dig a little deeper you see he isn't as good as his numbers would indicate.
His control isn't very good, he gives up a lot of home runs, and his numbers have gotten worse in each of the last two years. The White Sox aren't afraid to make a move, so don't be surprised if Floyd gets the boot.
Cincinnati Reds: Yonder Alonso, 1B/OF
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Yonder Alonso is one of the top Reds prospects. The problem is his original position of first base is occupied by the reigning National League MVP, Joey Votto. The team is trying him in the outfield, but he isn't comfortable there and will likely be a first baseman in the majors.
Fortunately, the Reds can use him as trade bait to address a weakness on the team as the season goes on.
Cleveland Indians: Orlando Cabrera, 2B/SS
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There are a couple of other trade candidates on the Indians—Grady Sizemore and Fausto Carmona—but there are real reasons the team won't or can't trade those two.
In the case of Sizemore, he has no trade value at all and has to prove he can play again.
Carmona is the best pitcher the Indians have, he is signed to a team friendly contract through 2014, and the Indians need all the starters they can get right now.
Cabrera is playing a new position but is a valuable utility guy for a contending team, and the Indians have two prospects at second base who will make their way to Cleveland some time this summer.
Colorado Rockies: Eric Young, Jr, 2B
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Eric Young, Jr. is still young enough that some team will give him a shot, but the Rockies probably know enough about him to know he won't hit enough to last in the majors.
The trade value is low, but the Rockies could just decide to move on regardless.
Detroit Tigers: Brennan Boesch, RF
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The Tigers would have been best served to move Boesch last June or July when he was overachieving, when he actually had some value. Instead, he completely regressed in the second half, as most analysts predicted and has little value at all.
Since Boesch is young (25) and had a good half-season at the major league level, someone might give something decent for him.
Florida Marlins: Javier Vasquez, SP
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Javier Vasquez is the definition of a perfect trade candidate. He was a great pitcher not too long ago, but something was wrong with him last year.
Vasquez signed a cheap one-year contract with the Marlins. If the team is in contention and Vasquez is throwing well for them, this deal is a steal. If the team isn't in contention, which they aren't expected to be, but Vasquez is throwing well, they can flip him for a nice return.
This is the kind of player the Marlins love to sign because one way or another, he is likely going to help the franchise.
Houston Astros: Carlos Lee, OF/1B
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I don't know how they do it, but somehow, someway, the Astros have to get rid of Carlos Lee. His contract, which runs through 2012, is a disaster. He can't hit or field. He is killing the rebuilding process of this team.
The Astros have to get a look at their young guys this season to get some kind of foundation built for the future. They aren't going to do that with Lee on this team.
Kansas City Royals: Alex Gordon, OF
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I thought about going a number of different directions with the Royals but ultimately decided on Alex Gordon because he is cheap, and not long ago, he was one of the top prospects in all of baseball.
Sure, Gordon hasn't shown the ability to hit a breaking ball, but some guys figure things out later in their career. He is only 27, so it's entirely possible something can click.
Plus, given how stacked with talent this Royals farm system is, they will likely take anything they can get for Gordon.
Los Angeles Angels: Peter Bourjos, CF
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I wasn't entirely sure where to go with the Angels, simply because I don't think they are sure what they are going to do in 2011.
Peter Bourjos plays great defense in center and can be adequate with the bat.
The problem he faces is the Angels have the top prospect in all of baseball, Mike Trout, and he plays centerfield. It's not implausible to think Trout could get a call up to the big team this season, which would put someone in the Angels already crowded outfield out of a job.
The acquisition of Vernon Wells was one of the two dumbest moves of the offseason. (The Nationals contract with Jayson Werth is the other one.)
Los Angeles Dodgers: Jon Garland, SP
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Jon Garland had good numbers last year, but that's more a product of playing in Petco Park than some magical change in Garland's stuff or approach.
If he has another good first half and the Dodgers are far enough behind the Giants and Rockies, the team will flip him.
It's entirely possible GM Ned Colletti will trade the Dodgers best prospect for some mediocre major league talent that can put them in second place in the division this year. He's done it before, many times.
Milwaukee Brewers: Prince Fielder, 1B
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This one is too easy. If the Brewers are in the NL Central race, Fielder stays. If they fall out of the race because of poor performance, Fielder will be moved.
Minnesota Twins: Denard Span, CF
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Denard Span endured a rough 2010 season after having a very good 2009. If he struggles again, the Twins have a guy in Ben Revere who is a similar type of player to Span, without as much power.
Despite the wants and desires of Yankees fans, Francisco Liriano isn't going anywhere.
New York Mets: Jose Reyes, SS
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The Mets are dealing with a massive financial crisis thanks to Fred Wilpon's dealings with Bernie Madoff. They have a lot of contracts people won't touch.
They aren't going to be good this year, which means their shortstop, Jose Reyes, who is in the final year of his contract, is likely to be moved at some point later this summer.
New York Yankees: Jesus Montero, C/DH
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The Yankees are desperate for starting pitching help this year, Hank Steinbrenner isn't a man who believes in prospects or logic, Jesus Montero is the Yankees best prospect.
If the Yankees wanted, they could get almost anyone they wanted if they build a package around Montero. He's not going to be a defensive wizard, in fact he could end up being strictly a DH, but his bat is going to be special.
Oakland Athletics: Mark Ellis, 2B
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Mark Ellis is a fan-favorite in Oakland, but his time with the franchise is running out. This is the last year of his contract, and the A's have a pretty good second base prospect in waiting in Jemile Weeks.
The A's have aspirations of contending this year, but if they don't, Ellis is a prime trade candidate.
Philadelphia Phillies: Joe Blanton, SP
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The Phillies rotation could be the best that we have ever seen, though I think we are overrating Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt a little bit, but their offense is another story.
They have a lot of trade chips in the lower minors, but they don't have any impact prospects in the higher levels of the minors. Plus, it doesn't help that Domonic Brown will miss four-to-six weeks after having surgery on his wrist.
Blanton, while not the best pitcher in the world, does hold some value to other teams. Given the depth of the Phillies starting rotation, Blanton could net the team a decent bat for the stretch run.
Pittsburgh Pirates: Lyle Overbay, 1B
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The Pirates signed Overbay to take pressure off of Garrett Jones, who has good power but doesn't do much else.
Overbay is an older player but has shown that he is a pretty good hitter in the past. If the Pirates are lucky, he will have a good first half and get moved in June or July.
St. Louis Cardinals: Ryan Theriot, SS
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The Cardinals had a weird offseason. They made their defense substantially worse by adding Ryan Theriot at short and Lance Berkman to the outfield.
While Berkman won't get moved because he is making more money than he is worth, Theriot will wear out his welcome when the team realizes he can't play shortstop. Plus, he doesn't hit enough to make up for his lack of defense.
San Diego Padres: Heath Bell, CP
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There have been rumors about Bell for a couple of years now. The Padres aren't going to contend this year.
They should flip him for something good. He will have the most value of any reliever on the market given his track record the last three years.
San Francisco Giants: Mark DeRosa, LF
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This one is a complete guess because the Giants have a number of offensive issues and about 10 different guys playing the outfield.
DeRosa wasn't a part of the Giants World Series because of wrist problems early in the season. He is 36, which is just the prime age to become a member of the Giants, but he will probably end the season in a different uniform.
Seattle Mariners: Milton Bradley, OF/DH
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I really don't think any explanation is needed for this one, is there?
Tampa Bay Rays: James Shields, SP
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All offseason long, the rumors were Shields or Matt Garza were going to be traded. It ended up being Garza, who was dealt to the Cubs, but given the depth of pitching the Rays have in their system, another poor performance from Shields in 2011 and he will be gone.
Off topic, how smart were the Rays this offseason? They lost their entire bullpen, but they have a bunch of picks in the top 100 and this draft is loaded. They may be "rebuilding" this year, but that rebuild won't take too long.
Texas Rangers: Michael Young, 3B/DH
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Michael Young has been crying because the Rangers tried to trade him. The Rangers want to trade him. It makes too much sense for Young not to be moved at some point in the season.
The big problem is the $48 million that Young is owed over the next three years, but if both parties really want to make a deal happen badly enough, they will find some way to make it work.
Toronto Blue Jays: Octavio Dotel, RP
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If you look up trade in the dictionary, Octavio Dotel's face appears next to the definition. He has pitched for 10 teams in 12 years. Part of that is because of the volatility of relievers, and part of that is because he is a valuable asset because he strikes a lot of guys out.
Toronto is rebuilding this year and anyone over the age of 30 could be on the move.
Washington Nationals: Ivan Rodriguez, C
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The Nationals would be best served to let Wilson Ramos and Jesus Flores battle it out for the starting catcher position.
That would leave Rodriguez left out in the cold. Pudge can be a valuable backup for some team, but it should not be for this team.
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