Headlines

  • Dodgers Sign Miguel Rojas To Contract Extension
  • Jake McGee Retires
  • Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke
  • Orioles To Decline Five-Year Lease Extension At Camden Yards, Seeking Longer-Term Agreement With Maryland Stadium Authority
  • Mariners, Dylan Moore Agree to Three-Year Extension
  • Blue Jays Sign Chad Green
  • Previous
  • Next
Register
Login
  • Hoops Rumors
  • Pro Football Rumors
  • Pro Hockey Rumors

MLB Trade Rumors

  • Home
  • Teams
    • AL East
      • Baltimore Orioles
      • Boston Red Sox
      • New York Yankees
      • Tampa Bay Rays
      • Toronto Blue Jays
    • AL Central
      • Chicago White Sox
      • Cleveland Guardians
      • Detroit Tigers
      • Kansas City Royals
      • Minnesota Twins
    • AL West
      • Houston Astros
      • Los Angeles Angels
      • Oakland Athletics
      • Seattle Mariners
      • Texas Rangers
    • NL East
      • Atlanta Braves
      • Miami Marlins
      • New York Mets
      • Philadelphia Phillies
      • Washington Nationals
    • NL Central
      • Chicago Cubs
      • Cincinnati Reds
      • Milwaukee Brewers
      • Pittsburgh Pirates
      • St. Louis Cardinals
    • NL West
      • Arizona Diamondbacks
      • Colorado Rockies
      • Los Angeles Dodgers
      • San Diego Padres
      • San Francisco Giants
  • About
    • MLB Trade Rumors
    • Tim Dierkes
    • Writing team
    • Advertise
    • Archives
  • Contact
  • Tools
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • Top 50 Free Agents
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Arbitration Tracker
    • Agency Database
  • NBA/NFL/NHL
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors
  • App
  • Chats
Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Potentially Available Power Bats

By Tim Dierkes | June 2, 2011 at 10:10pm CDT

The Giants, Phillies, Braves, Mariners, Athletics, and Angels are a few contenders short on power with the trade deadline less than two months away.  Let's take a look at some power bats that might be available in late July.

Star Power

We'll let Fred Wilpon decide whether these guys are superstars or just very good players.  But Matt Kemp, Andre Ethier, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, Jose Reyes, and Hunter Pence are the best potentially available power bats this summer.  I'm aware that Reyes only has one home run and is not considered a power hitter, but his .489 slugging percentage still ranks 18th in the league and ahead of Ethier.

I don't expect Kemp or Ethier to be traded this summer.  The Dodgers may be under new ownership next year, the last year of control for both outfielders.  They'll both get eight-figure salaries in arbitration, but the team can afford that even with a payroll reduction.  Pence also appears unlikely to be dealt, suggested ESPN's Jayson Stark on Monday.

I have a hard time seeing the Mets sell low on Wright, given his back injury.  Reyes should be available, but Beltran is the true star-level power bat on this market.  About $6MM of his $18.5MM salary will remain on July 31st, and the Mets could kick in a few million to sweeten the return.

Having Solid Years

Carlos Quentin, Jason Kubel, Laynce Nix, and Casey Blake are having solid years, though the sample sizes remain small and several of these guys were disappointing last year.  No one here is earning more than $5.25MM, so salary should not be a factor.  Kubel is on the DL and Blake recently came off it.  Nix has nine home runs in just 130 plate appearances, 118 of which came against right-handed pitching. 

Quentin is the best bet here, if you don't mind questionable defense and occasional injury concerns.  He's under team control through 2012.  With Juan Pierre and Alex Rios both struggling, and Pierre up for free agency at season's end, the Sox might feel compelled to keep Quentin.  If you're seeking a left-handed bat instead, renting Kubel is the more feasible alternative.  He could bring draft pick compensation after the season, which should increase the Twins' asking price.

Regulars With Power And Flaws

The Orioles have four regulars who have flashed power in recent memory: Mark Reynolds, Derrek Lee, Vladimir Guerrero, and Luke Scott.  Lee is on the disabled list and Scott is playing through a shoulder injury.  The four hitters have combined for a .238/.311/.383 line this year, so acquiring them would be buying low.

The Cubs can offer Carlos Pena, Aramis Ramirez, and Alfonso Soriano to the power market; the trio was discussed at length here.  Pena would be the most movable player; would a return to Oakland make sense?

Four more flawed hitters with pop: Jeff Francoeur, Delmon Young, Carlos Lee, and Ryan Ludwick.  Most of them won't draw walks, while Ludwick has been pretty bad outside of a solid May.

Going Young

A pair of corner infielders under the age of 27 who might be available: Ian Stewart and Chris Davis.  The Rangers don't have much of a spot for Davis, so he's a fine trade chip.  The Rockies may be reluctant to give up on Stewart, who has been raking at Triple-A prior to a hamstring injury after earning a surprising demotion.  Stewart returned to the lineup tonight by the way.

The Rest

A batch of part-time bats who have shown power here and there: Brad Hawpe, Edwin Encarnacion, Garrett Jones, Marcus Thames, Rod Barajas, Lyle Overbay, Bill Hall, and Jeff Baker.  Baker is the one having a nice year, though he's on the DL for a strained groin.  The 29-year-old infielder crushes lefties.

Jim Thome deserves special mention, as few players in the game match his power when he's healthy.  Right now he's on the DL for a strained left quad, and when he returns the Twins would probably like to see him get those seven remaining home runs for 600 in their uniform.  A late August deal makes more sense.

Check out our list of potentially available starting pitchers here.

Share 0 Retweet 15 Send via email0

Uncategorized

Twins Acquire Jeremy Reed
Main
Hideki Okajima Hopes For Trade
View Comments (0)

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Please login to leave a reply.
Log in Register

ad: 300x250_1_MLB

    Top Stories

    Dodgers Sign Miguel Rojas To Contract Extension

    Jake McGee Retires

    Royals Re-Sign Zack Greinke

    Orioles To Decline Five-Year Lease Extension At Camden Yards, Seeking Longer-Term Agreement With Maryland Stadium Authority

    Mariners, Dylan Moore Agree to Three-Year Extension

    Blue Jays Sign Chad Green

    Rays Extend Yandy Diaz

    Dexter Fowler Announces Retirement

    Mets Sign Jeff McNeil To Four-Year Extension

    Red Sox, Marlins Swap Matt Barnes For Richard Bleier

    Darren O’Day Announces Retirement

    Braves Extend Manager Brian Snitker Through 2025

    Rays Sign Pete Fairbanks To Extension

    Royals Sign Aroldis Chapman To One-Year Deal

    Athletics Sign Jesús Aguilar

    Orioles Acquire Cole Irvin From A’s

    Astros Name Dana Brown General Manager

    Rays Extend Jeffrey Springs

    Royals, Red Sox Swap Adalberto Mondesi For Josh Taylor

    Red Sox Designate Matt Barnes For Assignment

    Recent

    Giants, Logan Webb Have Talked About Long-Term Extension

    Reds Sign Nick Plummer, Nick Martini To Minors Contracts

    Royals Looking Into Extensions For Young Players

    Dodgers Sign Miguel Rojas To Contract Extension

    Red Sox Sign Jake Faria To Minor League Contract

    Giants Sign Roberto Perez

    Nationals Sign Chad Kuhl To Minor League Deal

    Mets Prospect Matt Allan Undergoes UCL Revision Surgery

    Quick Hits: Narvaez, Gallo, Monfort, Tatis Jr., Mets

    Max Fried Loses Arbitration Hearing Against Atlanta

    MLBTR Newsletter - Hot stove highlights in your inbox, five days a week

    Latest Rumors & News

    Latest Rumors & News

    • Offseason Outlook Series
    Trade Rumors App for iOS and Android

    MLBTR Features

    MLBTR Features

    • Go Ad-Free
    • Projected Arbitration Salaries For 2023
    • 2022-23 MLB Free Agent List
    • MLB Player Chats
    • Transaction Tracker
    • Extension Tracker
    • Agency Database
    • MLBTR On Twitter
    • MLBTR On Facebook
    • Team Facebook Pages
    • How To Set Up Notifications For Breaking News
    • Hoops Rumors
    • Pro Football Rumors
    • Pro Hockey Rumors

    Rumors By Team

    • Angels Rumors
    • Astros Rumors
    • Athletics Rumors
    • Blue Jays Rumors
    • Braves Rumors
    • Brewers Rumors
    • Cardinals Rumors
    • Cubs Rumors
    • Diamondbacks Rumors
    • Dodgers Rumors
    • Giants Rumors
    • Guardians Rumors
    • Mariners Rumors
    • Marlins Rumors
    • Mets Rumors
    • Nationals Rumors
    • Orioles Rumors
    • Padres Rumors
    • Phillies Rumors
    • Pirates Rumors
    • Rangers Rumors
    • Rays Rumors
    • Red Sox Rumors
    • Reds Rumors
    • Rockies Rumors
    • Royals Rumors
    • Tigers Rumors
    • Twins Rumors
    • White Sox Rumors
    • Yankees Rumors

    ad: 160x600_MLB

    Navigation

    • Sitemap
    • Archives
    • Feeds by Team

    MLBTR INFO

    • Advertise
    • About
    • Commenting Policy
    • Privacy Policy

    Connect

    • Contact Us
    • Twitter
    • Facebook
    • RSS Feed

    MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

    hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top
    Close

    Desktop Version | Switch To Mobile Version