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Trade Candidates Who Are Currently Playing Well

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Players who have performed well this month are more likely to intrigue buyers for at least two reasons. First of all, strong performance is an indication of health. Secondly, MLB teams have diverted some scouting efforts from amateurs to the pros since this year’s draft concluded about a month ago.

As a result, it’s fair to say that players who have been performing well this past month are more likely to draw interest at the trade deadline than players with similar overall numbers who had hot starts then cooled off later in the season. Here’s a look at some players who have been performing particularly well over the course of the past 30 days:

  • Michael Cuddyer – The Twins aren’t prepared to sell yet, but Cuddyer would be a candidate to go if they do decide 2011 isn’t their year. He has a .378/.458/.633 line this month.
  • Melky Cabrera – Cabrera is under team control through 2012 as an arbitration eligible player, so Kansas City’s front office may decide to keep him around for another year. His .342/.374/.470 line this month would appeal to contenders, though.
  • Mark Reynolds – The slugger has ten homers in the past 30 days after starting the season slowly. He earns $7.5MM in 2012 and has an $11MM option for 2013 ($500K buyout).
  • J.J. Hardy – Like Reynolds, Hardy had a power surge this month. He hit seven homers and added a .269/.306/.600 line. The Orioles are negotiating an extension with the shortstop, so there’s a good chance he stays in Baltimore.
  • Coco Crisp – Crisp has a respectable .298/.364/.426 line this month.
  • Carlos Pena – Like Reynolds, Pena strikes out a ton and has a low batting average. But his hot streaks can carry teams and he hit ten homers with a .240/.306/.600 line this month. Tim Dierkes examined Pena as a trade candidate earlier today.
  • Livan Hernandez – GM Mike Rizzo says the Nationals will be buyers and sellers this month. Presumably some rival clubs are hoping the dependable Hernandez is available this summer, since he has a 3.62 ERA with 7.2 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.
  • Edwin Jackson – It’s not surprising that clubs are inquiring on Jackson given that he has posted a 4.05 ERA with 9.1 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month. And his 2.52 xFIP suggests he has pitched better than his ERA indicates.
  • Ryan Dempster – Across town, Dempster could draw interest as well. The right-hander has a 2.59 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 this month.
  • Carlos Villanueva – Though he may not be a trade candidate in the traditional sense, Villanueva’s success in the rotation has presumably drawn the attention of front offices around baseball. He has a 2.84 ERA with 5.4 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 this month.
  • Hiroki Kuroda – Kuroda will require compensation to waive his no-trade clause, but he is already drawing interest. The right-hander has a 2.30 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 this month.
  • Aramis Ramirez, Jose Reyes and Hunter Pence have been playing well, but it seems unlikely that they'll be dealt this month. I’m ignoring relievers, since many relievers have worked ten innings or less this month and that’s a minute sample size.

Red Sox Notes: Papelbon, Ellsbury, Beltran, Ortiz

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No American League team has more wins than the Red Sox, who boast a 55-35 record at the All-Star break despite a surprisingly slow start. Here's the latest on the Red Sox…

  • The Red Sox haven't engaged Jonathan Papelbon in extension talks this season, according to Rob Bradford of WEEI.com. Papelbon hits free agency after the season and it's a situation that fellow free agent closer Heath Bell will be monitoring in case a job opens up at the back of Boston's bullpen.
  • Scott Boras pointed out that Jacoby Ellsbury's combination of power, speed and defense is hard to find. “Your skill set to play centerfield and steal bases obviously generates itself around speed," the agent told Alex Speier of WEEI.com. "So, to go beyond and add an offensive power to that is hard to do. It’s a rare skill set.”
  • Carlos Beltran told Speier that he would accept the trade to Boston if the Mets decide to move him. “They’re in first place,” Beltran said. “That’s a no-brainer.” Beltran is an unlikely target for the Red Sox, who don't have much money available and would prefer to find an internal solution, according to Speier. Beltran earns $18.5MM this year and has said that he would waive his no-trade clause under the right circumstances.
  • David Ortiz, who will hit free agency after the season, told Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe that he hasn't heard anything about his future and isn't worried about it. Ortiz says he hopes to play for more than one season after 2011.
  • Andre Ethier told Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe that he likes the idea of playing for the Diamondbacks with Dustin Pedroia late in their respective careers (Twitter link).

Regular MLBTR Features

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If you're a regular MLBTR reader, you'll be familiar with our chats, our Week In Review posts and Mike Axisa's Baseball Blogs Weigh In feature. Here's some more detail on when you'll see our weekly features and exactly what to expect from them:

  • MLBTR Chats – Come by every Wednesday at 2pm CDT to chat about the latest trades, signings and rumblings around the major leagues.
  • Baseball Blogs Weigh In – Every Friday morning, Mike Axisa directs you to some of the best writing on baseball blogs around the web. Whether it's opinion, stats or something else entirely, you can connect to the best of the blogosphere once a week on MLBTR. If you want to send Mike a post of yours, reach him at: mike@riveraveblues.com.
  • Week In Review – It's amazing how much happens in seven days. Every Sunday night, we summarize the week's biggest stories in our Week In Review posts.
  • MLBTR Originals – We gather all our original analysis and reporting in one place every Sunday night.

NL West Notes: Colletti, Ethier, Beltran, Young

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Dodgers outfielder Matt Kemp, former Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday and former Padres first baseman Adrian Gonzalez will all take part in tonight's Home Run Derby. Here’s the latest from the NL West as we await tonight’s power display…

A’s Release Bobby Cramer

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The A's announced that they have released left-hander Bobby Cramer. Oakland had designated Cramer for assignment on July 1st.

The 31-year-old appeared in five games this year, pitching 8 1/3 innings with six hits allowed and a 6K/1BB ratio. He also had a 4.03 with 10.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in six starts at Triple-A before going on the minor league disabled list on June 14th with a sciatic nerve irritation in his back. Cramer, a 38th round selection by the Mariners ten years ago, posted a 2.71 ERA with 8.4 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 last year, when he pitched at Triple-A and in the Mexican League.

Outrighted To Triple-A: Jose Yepez

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Here's where we'll keep track of every player who gets outrighted to Triple-A…

  • The Mariners outrighted catcher Jose Yepez to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, according to Greg Johns of MLB.com (on Twitter). The 30-year-old has a .276/.324/.347 line in 105 plate appearances at Triple-A Tacoma this year and a .268/.351/.381 line in 2,352 professional plate appearances, which have all come in the minor leagues.

Heyman On Jackson, Marlins, Brewers

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Some teams are hoping that a top-of-the-rotation starter or two will appear on the trade market at some point this month, but those pitchers aren’t available now, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com. Here’s the latest on the starting pitching market and more of Heyman’s notes from around the league: 

  • The White Sox are fielding calls on Edwin Jackson, who is set to hit free agency after the season. I identified 2011 as a 'make or break' year for the right-hander before the season and he has a 4.30 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 106 2/3 innings so far.
  • The Marlins want to be a contender when their new stadium opens next year, so they aren’t expected to seriously consider trading Ricky Nolasco or Anibal Sanchez.
  • Brewers owner Mark Attanasio is happy in Milwaukee, according to Heyman’s sources. Attanasio has family connections in Milwaukee, but he lives in Los Angeles so he has been mentioned as a speculative owner for the Dodgers.
  • Former agent Dennis Gilbert is a "logical candidate" to own the Dodgers at some point, Heyman writes.

If The Pirates Become Buyers

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The Pirates have never been considered buyers for any of the five trade deadlines MLBTR has covered, and in fact less than two percent of the United States population had Internet access the last time they made the playoffs.  So, I'm excited to have a new contender to discuss this year.

The Pirates are currently in third place in the NL Central, just one game back of the Brewers and Cardinals with 44% of their season remaining.  They rank tenth out of 16 NL teams with 3.93 runs scored per game.  The Bucs are tenth in OBP and 14th in SLG.  They've got position players Jose Tabata, Ryan Doumit, Ronny Cedeno, and Chris Snyder on the DL, with Snyder's return a ways off.  How can GM Neal Huntington improve this offense?

The Pirates rank fifth in the NL with a 3.62 rotation ERA, getting it done with Paul Maholm, Kevin Correia, James McDonald, Charlie Morton, and Jeff Karstens.  Four of them carry ERAs of 4.01 or below, though SIERA shows that most of the starters belong in the mid-4.00s.  While it's easy to suggest the Pirates need better starting pitching, it'd be tough for Huntington to replace guys who have gotten good results so far.  The Pirates' bullpen has been strong, so I wouldn't expect a major change there either.

Prince Fielder Open To DH Role Next Year

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July 11th: At today's All-Star Game media session, Fielder was asked about the DH possibility again and offered additional comments to WEEI's Alex Speier.  Speier says Fielder "suggested that he will listen to offers from clubs that see him as a designated hitter," though the slugger noted the difficulty of the adjustment.

June 29th: First baseman Prince Fielder wouldn't rule out signing as a DH, talking to John Harper of the New York Daily News:

"I'm not ruling anything out, but as for right now, I like playing first base."

Admittedly, that's a tiny scrap of information, but Fielder has been understandably reluctant to talk in-depth about his upcoming free agency.  It is notable that Fielder didn't openly rule out the possibility of signing as a designated hitter.  Of course, the best offer often trumps the player's preference, as we saw with Adam Dunn and the White Sox last offseason.

Harper's article discusses the possibility of the Yankees signing Fielder to DH, since first base will be occupied by Mark Teixeira through 2016.  The Red Sox could technically consider Fielder as a DH as well, but both scenarios seem highly unlikely for plenty of reasons.  Surely Scott Boras would prefer those teams in the mix for his client.  But we're talking about what Boras hopes to be the third-largest contract in baseball history, so Fielder will probably not ditch his glove in the first year.

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