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Olney On Waiver Trade Candidates

ESPN's Buster Olney talks waivers in his latest blog post, and I can't help but join in.

• The Twins are currently seven games out in the AL Central.  If they slip further from contention, Olney wonders what will happen if they place outfielder/designated hitter Jason Kubel on waivers later this month.  He projects currently as a Type B free agent.  I wonder if the draft pick alone would compel a non-contending AL team to make a claim, with less than a million bucks remaining on his contract after August.
• Olney sees such a scenario as possible for Rays reliever Kyle Farnsworth, who profiles as a Type A.  He could see the Blue Jays jumping in for the draft picks, though I imagine the Rays would keep him for the same reason.
• Would Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez or Padres closer Heath Bell make it to an NL contender?  Or would Type A status again factor in?  Olney sees the A's pulling back Josh Willingham rather than dumping his contract, probably because he's a Type A currently.  I wonder if Willingham would accept an arbitration offer though. 
• Cubs first baseman Carlos Pena is a good candidate to be moved as a salary dump, with half of his $10MM due in January.
• Astros lefty Wandy Rodriguez is expected to clear waivers, with over $38MM left on his deal through 2014.  Just to play devil's advocate: Wandy is a bargain this year with just $2.27MM remaining, so it's possible one contender could decide they can stomach three years and $36MM from 2012-14, and make a claim.
• Guys like Carlos Quentin and Jeremy Guthrie would be claimed, but dealing them in the offseason probably makes more sense.

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