MLB Trade Speculation: 10 Surprise Names You Could See Available This Winter

As the 2011 MLB season winds down, teams who are out of contention and literally waiting for next year are already busying themselves evaluating their current rosters.

Many decisions will have to be made regarding next season’s 25- and 40-man rosters. Each team will make decisions on current players who have expiring contracts, prospects who may impact their particular teams, and assess needs at each position that may need to be filled either through free agency or trades.

Inevitably, there are any number of players each season who also become available as well. Some of those names may already have been known, usually because they were considered trade bait at the deadline. However, others may come as a surprise.

We will try to identify some players who might be made available this coming offseason, and relate the reasons as to exactly why they would suddenly be available.

Logan Morrison, Florida Marlins

On Thursday afternoon, many media outlets reported that Florida Marlins outfielder Logan Morrison filed a grievance against the Marlins, stating that it was his belief that he was demoted to Triple-A New Orleans on Aug. 13 without just cause.

At issue at the time was the fact that Morrison had skipped a meet-and-greet with season ticket holders hours before that night’s game, and the Marlins were upset at Morrison’s active tweets, with team president David Sampson intimating the lewdness of his tweets.

Also at issue was Morrison’s anger at the firing of Marlins hitting coach John Mallee in early June, falling just short of blaming Marlins owner Jeffrey Loria for the firing.

At the time, the Marlins stated that Morrison’s demotion was for baseball reasons, citing his “.240ish” average. However, Morrison was second on the team with 17 HR and third on the team with 60 RBI.

The relationship between Morrison and the Marlins would appear to beyond repair, and general manager Larry Beinfest may be instructed to do anything he can to get Morrison out of town.

Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers

The Detroit Tigers will be celebrating their first division title since 1987 and will eagerly be awaiting the postseason. However, much concern has centered around the Tigers’ starting pitching beyond Justin Verlander in a seven-game series.

Rick Porcello has won 14 games this season, however with the emergence of prospect Jacob Turner, general manager Dave Dombrowski will need to make some room next season to accommodate the rookie.

While it’s likely that Max Scherzer will have a lock on the No. 2 starting role, Porcello’s future seems less clear. Dombrowski could use Porcello to strengthen his bullpen and infield during the offseason.

Brett Myers, Houston Astros

The 2011 season has been miserable for the Houston Astros, who are approaching the 100-loss plateau with 12 games remaining. Incoming owner (possibly) Jim Crane apparently wants to cut payroll by a significant amount next season.

Starting pitcher Brett Myers could be the sacrificial lamb, so to speak. His $11 million salary in 2012 will represent about 18.3 percent of what the stated payroll goal for the Astros will be next season.

Myers has suffered through a miserable season himself, with a 5-13 record and 4.52 ERA. However, Myers is durable, and innings-eater, and his record this season is clearly a reflection of the team surrounding him, so Myers could certainly fetch a nice package in return.

Derek Lowe, Atlanta Braves

At 38 years of age, Atlanta Braves starting pitcher Derek Lowe still possesses his biting sinker. Lowe has been inconsistent this year, with a 9-14 record and 4.70 ERA.

In addition, the Braves have a great young cadre of pitching prospects who appear to be ready now. Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor have already shown their value this season, and Julio Teheran and Arodys Vizcaino appear ready to make the jump as well.

With Tim Hudson and Jair Jurrjens at the top of the rotation, there would appear to be no more room for Lowe. GM Frank Wren will no doubt be looking for an opportunity to trade Lowe this offseason, even if it means they have to eat a portion of his $15 million salary for 2012.

Maicer Izturis, Los Angeles Angels

All season long, the Los Angeles Angels have suffered from an inconsistent offense, and a maddeningly frustrating inability to plate runners in scoring position consistently. And yet they find themselves just three games behind the Texas Rangers for the AL West title.

With the top three starting pitchers all locked up until 2013 and a solid core of relievers, GM Tony Reagins will no doubt be looking for ways to upgrade the offense.

Maicer Izturis could be a chip that Reagins could use to obtain that offense. Izturis is hitting .282 on the season, and has bounced back from a miserable 2010 season that had Izturis suffering from a spate of injuries.

Izturis’ flexibility in the infield would be a great draw for many teams looking for that “super-sub” type of player who can easily transition to second, third or short in a pinch, and who can easily play at a high level should a regular infielder suffer an long-term injury.

The Angels need more offense, and Reagins will no doubt look for creative ways to find that offense.

Bobby Abreu, Los Angeles Angels

In the 2011 season, Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Bobby Abreu has clearly seen a sharp decline in production, as his slash line of .254/.359/.365 is much lower than his career line of .294/.398/.481.

With over 1,110 plate appearances in the last two seasons, Abreu’s vesting option kicked in on his contract, guaranteeing him a salary of $9 million in 2012.

Angels’ GM Tony Reagins should do everything he can to find a willing partner who will take on Abreu as a designated hitter. With an offense in need of upgrade, Abreu is not the answer, but certainly could be for another team, if Reagins is willing to throw some money into the pot.

Rafael Soriano, New York Yankees

After a season in which he suffered from injuries and inconsistency, New York Yankees reliever Rafael Soriano could very well opt out of his contract, which he has the option of doing after the 2011 or 2012 season for $1.5 million.

Soriano clearly wants to be a closer, and considering the year he had in 2010 with the Tampa Bay Rays, he should be.

There will no doubt be teams that are very eager to have Soriano at the back of their bullpen in 2012, and Soriano may not willing to wait until Mariano Rivera decides to retire.

And yes, I know the slide show said trade speculation, but I couldn't pass up on Soriano's potential availability either way.

David Wright, New York Mets

With the New York Mets supposedly working diligently to come up with an offer for Jose Reyes, and with the ongoing financial concerns of the Mets owners, Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz, it is not out of the realm of possibility that David Wright is available.

Quite a few general managers, including Tony Reagins of the Los Angeles Angels, would KILL to have Wright in their lineup.

Grant Balfour, Oakland Athletics

In spite of the fact of where he’s pitching, reliever Grant Balfour is still one of the best setup men in the majors. A 2.35 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 57.1 innings is pretty good stuff for a team going nowhere this season.

General manager Billy Beane has never had an issue moving relievers, always believing that he can plug in good relief at any time, so Balfour could be a great chip for Beane to use to start rebuilding the A’s offense once again.

Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays

This one is probably a bit of a stretch; however, Blue Jays GM Alex Anthopoulos has shown that he won’t shy away from big deals if it makes sense for his club.

There is no secret that prospect David Cooper is the likely heir apparent at first base for Toronto, so Lind could absolutely be used to bring in either a productive bat or help for the starting rotation.

Doug Mead is a featured columnist with Bleacher Report. His work has been featured on the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, SF Gate, CBS Sports, the Los Angeles Times and the Houston Chronicle. Follow Doug on Twitter, @Sports_A_Holic.