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Trade Market: Righty Relievers

By Tim Dierkes [November 23, 2009 at 10:18am CST]

Finishing up our Trade Market series, today we'll take a look at righty-relievers (those not covered in the closer post). We've already seen a few right-handed relievers dealt in Jesse Chavez and Aaron Heilman, with the latter deal more predictable.

Dan Wheeler, Rays. If the Rays prefer a change at the back end of their bullpen, they could deal Wheeler and free up $4.5MM. The 32-year-old displayed fine control this year but allowed 11 home runs in 57.6 innings.
Zach Miner, Tigers. Miner is arbitration-eligible for the first time, so the Tigers could trade or non-tender him to save money. On the other hand, Miner still won't be too expensive and the Tigers may lose Brandon Lyon and Fernando Rodney to free agency.
Manny Delcarmen, Red Sox. Delcarmen, 28 in February, is another first-time arbitration player. The Nationals offered Nick Johnson for him in May, and the Red Sox turned it down. Delcarmen struggled as the season wore on, posting career-worst strikeout, walk, and groundball rates. Ramon Ramirez and Daniel Bard appear capable of handling Boston's right-handed setup duties.
Kyle Farnsworth, Royals. With $5MM and one year remaining, Farnsworth will only be moved for another bad contract. He posted a strong strikeout rate in his Royals debut season, but he was hittable and missed time with a groin injury.
Juan Cruz, Royals. With $3.75MM and one year left, Cruz's contract can also be considered a burden. Strikeouts disappeared while his control issues continued; a shoulder strain may have been a factor.
Scott Linebrink, White Sox. Linebrink still has two years and $10.5MM left on his deal. This year his home run problems continued, while his control worsened and hits were plentiful. He lost his set-up role in August. The White Sox are losing Octavio Dotel from their 'pen, but now have Tony Pena for the entire year.
Seth McClung, Brewers. An October tweet from McClung indicated the reliever feels his time with the Brewers is up. This year he was homer-prone and posted 40 strikeouts against 39 walks in 62 innings while dealing with an elbow sprain. He's likely to be non-tendered if not traded first.
Manny Corpas, Rockies. Corpas is owed $6.5MM over the next two years. His peripherals were decent this year, but he had a 5.88 ERA and multiple elbow surgeries to end his season. He'd have to prove his health to make a trade possible.
Santiago Casilla, Athletics. Casilla is a non-tender candidate after posting a 5.96 ERA in 48.3 innings. He missed time with a knee injury and posted lousy peripherals.