Jair Jurrjens Trade Talk: 8 Teams Desperate for Him After CJ Wilson Signing

With the signing of C.J. Wilson by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, many teams are still in the market for a pitcher.

However, unless you have the money to pay for the posting of Yu Darvish, many teams are going to have to look elsewhere for pitching help.

If you think free-agent players like Hiroki Kuroda, Roy Oswalt or Edwin Jackson are the perfect fit, then there's no need to trade for other players.

However, owners and general managers that are looking for possible trade pieces can look no further than the Atlanta Braves' starting pitcher Jair Jurrjens.

Here's a look at what makes Jurrjens valuable and what teams should consider making a trade for him.

Why Jurrjens Is Valuable

Jurrjens has never been a dominant pitcher while in the bigs. He has a 50-33 record with a 3.40 ERA and 480 strikeouts.

But if you look deeper inside the numbers, you'll see Jurrjens has the potential to be great.

Last year, he was one of the best pitchers in baseball during the first half, going 12-3 with an MLB-best ERA of 1.87. It was after the All-Star break where he experienced trouble, making two separate trips to the disabled list.

In 2009, Jurrjens went 14-10 with a 2.68 ERA. However, the issue that year was the lack of run production he received.

Either way, Jurrjens is eligible for arbitration in 2012 and 2013. After that, he'll be a free agent that will likely command big bucks on the free-agent market. So now might be the time to get him.

However, one thing that may hold up any trade for Jurrjens is Tommy Hanson's shoulder trouble. With that, it may be hard for the Braves to convince themselves to trade Jurrjens.

Colorado Rockies

The Rockies have obvious interest in Jurrjens; it will be interesting to see if this trade can be worked out.

With an already stacked farm system, the Braves aren't looking for minor-league players in return. They're looking for players that can help them now.

Multiple prognosticators have said that Seth Smith would be a likely target of the Braves, but I'm not so sure.

Smith's numbers are not great. Over the last three years, Smith has 47 home runs and 166 RBI—not exactly power numbers for a player that plays his home games at Coors Field, and not exactly the power-hitting outfielder the Braves are seeking this offseason.

Players that should be considered by the Braves will likely be Dexter Fowler, Ryan Spilborghs and right-handed reliever Matt Belisle. Maybe the Braves could pry Rafael Betancourt from the fingers of the Rockies.

Boston Red Sox

According to Michael Vega of the Boston Globe, the Red Sox are going to go into Spring Training with Daniel Bard as a possible starting option. While this may work, if it doesn't, the Red Sox could look elsewhere for a starting pitcher since John Lackey is expected to be out after Tommy John surgery.

With an influx of talent, the Red Sox could seek the Braves out, dangling outfielders Josh Reddick or Darnell McDonald.

This would be very unlikely to happen, since it would probably take more than one of those guys for Jurrjens to head to Boston.

New York Yankees

There's one guarantee every offseason: the Yankees are going to look for pitching. For some reason, the Philadelphia Phillies are successfully acquiring the best pitchers, while the Yankees continually throw money at guys and still come up empty.

Jurrjens might be a good fit in New York for the Yankees, and he would come relatively cheap.

John Harper of the New York Daily News reported the Braves' interest in acquiring shortstop Eduardo Nunez from the Yankees.

Although a one-for-one swap would not be good in this instance, it would definitely be a nice starting point for the talks.

One player I would love to see the Braves go after is Brett Gardner. Not only would it fill a hole in the outfield, but it would also be a great insurance policy should Michael Bourn walk after this year in free agency.

Cincinnati Reds

Mark Sheldon of mlb.com says the Reds aren't actively pursuing Jurrjens. One has to wonder, why? And how long will it last?

The Reds don't exactly have a dominant pitching staff. Edison Volquez is a shade of his one-hit-wonder season of 2008, while Bronson Arroyo will be 35 on Opening Day.

So when your two best pitchers are Mike Leake and Johnny Cueto, you definitely need some help in the starting pitching department.

Although the Reds likely wouldn't part with Drew Stubbs, it wouldn't hurt to ask. If not Stubbs, then I'd look at Yonder Alonso, Chris Heisy or Zack Cozart.

Washington Nationals

Let me preface this by saying that I think it's a bad idea to trade with someone in the same division. But as long as it's not the Phillies, I'm a little more accepting of the fact if it does happen.

With Bryce Harper getting the opportunity to earn an everyday role with the Nats, there is now a surplus of outfielders. Plus, having Stephen Strasburg and Jordan Zimmerman at the top of the rotation would take pressure off Jurrjens in the need to be a No. 1 starter.

Michael Morse would be a good fit in the trade, as he is exactly the type of power-hitting outfielder the Braves are seeking.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

If any team has a surplus of talent, it's the Angels, especially after signing C.J. Wilson and Albert Pujols.

If the Angels were to acquire for Jurrjens, they would easily surpass the Phillies for the best rotation in baseball—if they haven't already done so. How would you like to be an opponent and know that you're going to have to face one of Jered Weaver, Wilson, Dan Haren, Ervin Santana and Jurrjens? There really is no off-night with that kind of rotation.

The Braves could ask for a return of Vernon Wells, Torii Hunter or Mike Trout.

No matter what, the Angels are going to have to make some kind of deal this offseason, as they will have multimillion-dollar contracts sitting on the bench.

Detroit Tigers

If there's one thing the Tigers have, it's outfielders.

With a spot open in their rotation, the Tigers could definitely use Jurrjens, which would be ironic since they traded him to get Edgar Renteria from the Braves a few years ago.

Possible players the Braves could look at are Ryan Rayburn, Austin Jackson, Brennan Boesch or Andy Dirks. Jackson is the least likely of this group to move because of his speed and defense.

Baltimore Orioles

The only thing that's bright about Baltimore's pitching future is Zach Britton. Other than that, Baltimore seems to be in a perpetual funk when it comes to the mound.

Although the Orioles likely don't want to part with one of their outfielders, something has to change within their organization to get better. What's the point of holding onto players when they can be used to make the team better?

With the Braves needing a power-hitting outfielder, guys like Nick Markakis and Adam Jones could be enticing enough for the Braves to part with Jurrjens and maybe one of their many pitching prospects.