The Starting Pitching Market Revisited

We’ve been updating our Trade Market series position by position, but today’s let’s jump ahead to the starting pitchers.  After all, pitching is always in high demand. By the way – not all of the pitchers below are available.  I just wanted to discuss them.

• Justin Duchscherer, Athletics.  Duke is leading all of baseball with a 1.78 ERA in 101 innings.  He is under team control for ’09, and Billy Beane wants to wait until after the season to talk extension.  He’d be a very interesting trade chip.
• Zack Greinke, Royals.  Despite interest, the Royals "remain decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," according to Ken Rosenthal.
• Derek Lowe, Dodgers.  The Phillies are interested, but the Dodgers are tied for first place right now.  Trading Lowe makes no sense.
• Edwin Jackson, Rays.  Jackson is starting to put it together, with a 3.93 ERA in 110 innings.  Trading Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to make room for rookie David Price seems unlikely.
• Daniel Cabrera, Orioles.  Cabrera is having his best year, averaging over 6.5 innings per start by sacrificing his strikeout rate.  The O’s control him through 2010, so they’ll probably opt to hold onto him.
• Odalis Perez, Nationals.  Perez has a surprising 3.66 ERA in 83.6 innings, making him a quality trade piece for Jim Bowden.  He did have shoulder tendinitis earlier this year though.
• Tim Redding, Nationals.  Redding has also been solid, posting a 4.06 ERA in 108.6 innings.  The 30 year-old is under team control through 2010.
• Randy Wolf, Padres.  Wolf may prefer to stay in San Diego.  Home ERA: 2.54.  Road ERA: 6.66.
• Greg Maddux, Padres.  The Professor shows a similar home/road split, and he has a complete no-trade clause.
• Erik Bedard, Mariners.  He’s currently on the DL with a stiff shoulder, but the Phillies could still pursue him.  He’s under team control through ’09, but the Mariners won’t get anything close to the package they gave up for him.
• Gil Meche, Royals.  Meche and the Royals have been very clear – he’s staying in Kansas City.
• Jason Marquis, Cubs.  Marquis is signed at almost $10MM for ’09, so the Cubs might have to eat salary to move him.
• Roy Oswalt, Astros.  The Astros’ ace has a full no-trade clause and is expected to stay.  He’s signed through 2011.  Oswalt has, however, been scouted by several clubs.
• Dave Bush, Brewers.  Bush or Seth McClung could be the odd man out when Jeff Suppan comes off the DL, unless Ned Yost opts for a pitching platoon.  Most likely, the Brewers will just enjoy the depth.
• Oliver Perez, Mets.  The Mets are only two games out, quieting the rumors for now.
• Claudio Vargas, Mets.  He quietly passed through waivers unclaimed after the Mets designated him for assignment.
• Joe Blanton, Athletics.  Trading Blanton as his ERA approaches 5.00 doesn’t seem wise.
• Jarrod Washburn, Mariners.  He’s been decent since June. That’s a nice development for Lee Pelekoudas, who might be able to unload the $10.35MM owed to Washburn in ’09.
• Kevin Millwood, Rangers.  His groin is bothering him again, plus the Rangers might not be willing to sell.
• Vicente Padilla, Rangers.  Padilla is on the DL with a neck strain, driving his value down further after a couple of rough starts.
• Anthony Reyes, Cardinals.  Reyes has a 3.02 ERA in nine starts at Triple A.  He needs a fresh start.  He just came off the DL after a right elbow strain, however.
• A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays.  You know the story with Burnett – enigmatic pitcher with a dangerous opt-out after the season.  Some team seems likely to gamble on him for two months.
• Jeff Niemann, Rays.  The 25 year-old has a 3.82 ERA in 14 Triple A starts.  He’s an interesting trade chip that the Rays won’t miss this year.
• Kei Igawa, Yankees.  New York’s favorite lefty has a 3.80 ERA in 16 Triple A starts.  He’s signed through 2011 at $4MM a year.  Seems that he’d prefer to be back in Japan.
• Brett Myers, Phillies.  Myers does not want to be traded, nor is a deal likely.
• Paul Byrd, Indians.  He’s been awful since the beginning of June, bringing his ERA to 5.47.  Can’t be much of a market for him.
• Homer Bailey, Reds.  His value is down, though the Reds will give him a spot start Sunday.  Wasn’t long ago that he was Baseball America’s #9 prospect in the game.
• Bronson Arroyo, Reds.  His ERA is near 6.00 after 19 starts.  It’d be closer to 4.50 if you take out a pair of one-inning thrashings, but is it fair to do that?  He’s signed through 2010, and the Phillies might be interested.
• Livan Hernandez, Twins.  Would an NL team take him on? Livan had a run of four solid starts until the recent Boston beating.  Could be a DFA candidate.
• Josh Fogg, Reds.  The Reds aren’t too keen on Fogg, keeping him in the minors even after he was healthy.  He could be had for a song.
• Mark Hendrickson, Marlins.  He wouldn’t be of much help to a contender.
• Miguel Batista, Mariners.  He’s dealing with a groin injury.  Beyond that, he has a 6.22 ERA and a $9MM salary next year.