MLB Trade Rumors: 3 Players Who Will Have New Homes After Trade Deadline

The MLB trade deadline has taken a backseat to the NFL free-agent frenzy, but it has been an extremely exciting week.

The rich have gotten much richer as St. Louis landed Edwin Jackson for Colby Rasmus. San Francisco finally brought in Carlos Beltran, while its main threat, Philadelphia, acquired All-Star Hunter Pence. Atlanta is right on their coattails as it brought in Michael Bourn from Houston. Cleveland of all teams landed the main pitching gem on the trade market in Ubaldo Jimenez.

The excitement is sure to pick up with more big names and prospects on the move. With the trade deadline just a few short hours away at 4:00pm ET, we’re going to see several teams buckle down in the face of pressure and make questionable moves.

We have three men who will have new homes after the trade deadline. All three need out of their current situations and would be far-from-questionable moves for their respective organizations.

Brandon Galvin is a Bleacher Report Featured Columnist and Syndicated Writer. Follow Him on Twitter.

3. Ryan Ludwick, RF, San Diego Padres

2010 Stats: .238 BA, .301 OBP, 11 HR, 64 RBI

Ryan Ludwick is one of the more underrated sluggers in the game. He has fine speed and defensive abilities in the left field, but he can break the bank in a quality lineup.

Forget about his poor batting average, that’s simply trying to do too much in a poor lineup. This man is an RBI machine with fantastic power as evident by his 2008 campaign in which he belted 37 homers and 113 RBI.

Any team in need of an offensive boost must take advantage of his availability. The Indians and Pirates are hoping to capitalize as they deal with injuries plaguing their outfield, according to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal on Twitter.

Ludwick has a big arm and a bigger bat. Forget Kosuke Fukudome, the Tribe must land a powerhouse of his caliber to keep pace in the AL Central.

2. Heath Bell, RP, San Diego Padres

2010 Stats: 2.34 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 31 K’s, 30 Saves

Everybody wants a piece of the best closer in the game not named Mariano Rivera. The Cardinals and Rangers both want Bell, but the Bronx Bombers may be front-runners to land the supreme slip-n-slider.

“The Yankees have entered the chase for Heath Bell," tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.

Given the scarcity of quality starting pitchers available, the Yankees could be switching their attention to the bullpen, feeling that would have a greater impact,” according to ESPN’s Jason A. Churchill.

Bell is a powerhouse of a reliever and will be a power move for whichever team is able to acquire his services. He is easily the top pitching rental on the trade market and will solidify any one of these three teams’ bullpens.

The Cards desperately need a veteran closer, while Texas and New York are looking to form an unstoppable one-two punch to anchor their bullpen.

You want a psychological edge on a hitter? Have the nightmarish combination of either Bell and Neftali Feliz or Bell and Rivera warming up in the bullpen together.

Ouch!

1. B.J. Upton, CF, Tampa Bay Rays

2010 Stats: .226 BA, .308 OBP, 16 HR, 54 RBI

It may seem like the Upton trade rumors have been put to rest, but I refuse to count on a deal at the deadline. It is imperative the Rays get rid of B.J. before his cancerous attitude spreads. Seriously, he may very well be the grumpiest player in the game, which is why he needs to move on.

Rookie Desmond Jennings has been remarkable over the past week. He is the real deal and every bit the reason Tampa Bay can afford to ship off the disgruntled Upton.

B.J. needs to get out of Tampa Bay to live up to his potential and now is the time for Tampa Bay to capitalize with a host of big names off the market. Upton is the biggest possible name to add and several teams will be in the hunt for his services.

Few teams need a center fielder more than the Washington Nationals. They are in negotiations with the Twins for Denard Span, but that could just be a smoke screen to get Tampa Bay to lower its demands. Roger Bernadina was optioned to Triple-A this past week, which suggests a deal is likely.

“@Kurkjian_ESPN reporting that chances of Storen/Span deal less than 50-50; Upton continues to be in mix for Nationals,” according to ESPN’s Buster Olney on Twitter.

Upton would give the Nats the star power they are looking for. More importantly, an outfield of Upton, Jayson Werth and Bryce Harper is downright scary in 2012.