Teams willing to trade everyday outfielders this summer won’t have a shortage of interest. The Reds, Pirates, Indians, Dodgers, Tigers and Yankees are among the contenders with possible openings in the outfield. Here’s a look at some potentially available outfielders:
Center Fielders
- Shane Victorino, Phillies – It’s unclear if the Phillies are serious about moving Victorino, but he’s definitely on the radar as a potential trade candidate in the final year of his contract. The 31-year-old is hitting .245/.311/.369 with eight home runs and 19 stolen bases this year. He earns a $9.5MM salary.
- Peter Bourjos, Angels – Teams continue to call the Angels about Bourjos and the Angels would move him in the right deal, Jayson Stark reported recently. The speedy 25-year-old is a fourth outfielder in Anaheim but could start elsewhere.
- Denard Span, Twins – Span has a respectable .334 on-base percentage and a team-friendly five-year, $16.5MM contract. The Nationals have had interest in Span before and the Twins seem willing to listen again this summer.
- Coco Crisp, Athletics – Crisp, now in the first season of his two-year, $14MM contract with the A's, is off to a slow start at the plate.
- David DeJesus, Cubs – DeJesus can play all three outfield positions and has a .271/.359/.387 batting line through 311 plate appearances. He earns just $4.25MM per season through 2013. So far there's no indication the Cubs have made him available.
- B.J. Upton, Rays – There's been some speculation that Upton could be traded, but nothing concrete. The 27-year-old is hitting .248/.303/.376 and earning $7MM as he approaches free agency.
Right Fielders
- Justin Upton, Diamondbacks – The Diamondbacks will listen to offers for Upton, who’s still just 24 years old. While his offensive numbers are down (.273/.353/.401 slash line), this represents a buy-low opportunity for contenders and non-contenders alike.
- Jeff Francoeur, Royals – Francoeur's on-base percentage is below .300, his slugging percentage sits at .378 and he'll earn $6MM in 2012 and $7.5MM in 2013. In other words he'd have very little trade value. The Royals might be able to get Francoeur's contract through waivers in August.
- Bryan LaHair, Cubs – There's no urgency for the Cubs to move LaHair, who posted an impressive .286/.364/.519 batting line en route to an All-Star berth.
Left Fielders
- Alfonso Soriano, Cubs – Soriano could draw trade interest despite his over-sized contract. I discussed him in detail earlier this year. Soriano's contract will clear waivers, so the Cubs could trade him in August without restrictions.
- Carlos Quentin, Padres – Quentin figures to draw considerable interest given his production and contract status. I also discussed him in detail earlier this year.
- Juan Pierre, Phillies – The Reds have some interest in Pierre, who's reaching base and stealing bases as usual.
- Josh Willingham, Twins – The Twins don't seem eager to part with Willingham, though he'd draw considerable interest if Minnesota made him available. He has 19 home runs and an OPS of .913.
- Chone Figgins, Mariners – It’s doubtful Figgins would draw much interest even if the Mariners were willing to absorb all of his salary. Figgins would clear waivers, so he'll be an August trade candidate.
- Vernon Wells, Angels – Wells has a .704 OPS and a contract that pays him $21MM annually through 2014. The Angels would be covering most of Wells' salary in any deal. Like Figgins and Soriano, Wells would clear waivers.
Other Options
- Mark Kotsay, corner outfielder, Padres - Kotsay, 36, has a .745 OPS and a salary of just $1.25MM.
- The Red Sox could trade Ryan Kalish, Ryan Sweeney or Daniel Nava once Carl Crawford and Jacoby Ellsbury are activated from the disabled list. The Reds match up well with Boston on paper.
MLBTR started previewing the trade market with a look at potentially available catchers, first basemen, second basemen, third basemen and shortstops.
Despite his doen year do far, Justin Upton will be anything but a ‘buy low” sort of package to acquire.
“buy low” doesn’t imply “buy cheap”
…..what does it imply, then?
If someone offered you their million dollar house for 750k would you think “wow, that’s cheap” or would you think “holy expletive that’s expensive… but it’s better than a million”
do you also think “less expensive” implies “inexpensive”?
It’s simple economics. The saying “Buy low” means you acquire assets when the value is lower than it’s maximum potential, which in the case of Justin Upton here, is.
For AA and Roger’s (Jays) it does!
Between his lack of production and the comments made by the owner they are pretty much certain to get less for him now than they otherwise would have – that’s “buy low.” That doesn’t mean it wont take a lot to get him, but it wont be as much as it would have been.
The Dodgers have Juan Rivera, Bobby Abreu, Jerry Sands, Scott Van Slyke, Jerry Hairston Jr, and Tony Gwynn Jr to play LF.
How about you go after a replacement for Uribe or Loney.
Yeah, but none of those guys are good.
they are all better than Uribe & Loney. You can find a decent platoon situation between all of those guys.
Just use your imagination…. Let´s get Willingham at 7MM per year with that production I would take him any day…. That way you can take Rivera to Platoon James at 1B against LHP… Besides Sands and Van Slyke are certainly interesting bur far from ready to play major league baseball every day… That leaves us with Abreu as a 4th OF and Gwynn as a 5th OF Pinch Hitter or Pinch Runner… Get it…. Now about Uribe well I would trade him for any BAT BOY in the league… How about giving Josh Fields an opportunity at 3B ??? Let me tell you I´ve a feeling about Fields… I think he´s the kind of player that blossoms once in “The Show” on the other hand there´re possibilities like Headley (he absolutely rips Dodger Stadium…. Anyway that´s just me getting carried away…. Nice set of articles by the way…. GO DODGERS !!!!!!!!
I hope they acquire Mayberry to complete the “all junior” outfield.
I would add Rajai Davis onto this list.
Please don’t do the “click to read more” on MLBTR… Everyone on hoopsrumors hates it and it won’t go over well here either. Why mess with a great website?
They’ve done a lot of things to mess with this site, hopefully they listen though.
I completely agree. I skip over countless articles everyday on other sites that I would otherwise read.
Yeah, it takes a lot of effort to click a mouse.
I’ve been a fan of this site since the background was black and the text was all white. A few changes here and there finally convinced me to make an account and share my opinion. I surely hope they do not implement the click to read more function, but if they do… well we’ll have to live with it I guess.
I don’t really see the problem; all of the shorter posts are there in their entirety, it’s just this one which would have taken up half the page if they posted the whole thing there, pushing a bunch of posts onto page two where the page views likely drop considerably.
Exactly, they dont want the front page to be 1 or 2 huge stories
Concur. Makes perfect sense. More info and people are not that lazy.. yet are they?
+1 I like scrolling down the page and reading the content and clicking when I want to see the comments.
Jose Tabata anybody…lol
Hoping the M’s acquire Bourjos. He’s essentially a healthy/cheaper Franklin Gutierrez.
Bourjos for Hultzen
Was listening to WEEI the other and they speculated ways that the Red Sox would be better off letting Carl Crawford just remain on the Disabled List for the entire season. One of their arguments said with Nava hitting the way that he is and a logjam of outfielders already, on what is a .500, there is no reason to jeopardize Crawford’s health even more by making him play this season. A groin strain just recently ended Carl Crawford’s rehab assignment and he could really benefit from just resting this season and being 100 % healthy and fresh for the remaining 5 years of his contract. “It is not a question of whether Carl Crawford will have Tommy John reconstructive surgery on his left elbow. It is a
question of when, although the Red Sox still dispute that notion.” This quote taken from an ESPN article clearly proves their point. Position players can play with UCL injuries but why risk it when he is there for the long term in a season that already appears to be lost. I wouldn’t bring Crawford back. Think long term here Boston. Proceed with caution.
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” So how urgently is Crawford needed? If he was the “game-changer” that he was advertised to be when he first signed, then obviously his impact could be decisive in Boston’s quest for a postseason spot. But given his struggles last season, and the fact that he would be less than 100 percent physically for the balance of the summer, it is a questionable proposition how much the Sox would gain from Crawford’s return. His desire is admirable, but as painful as it would be to chalk up 2012 as a lost year, it might be the wisest course. For Crawford, and for the team. Then hope that 2013 hasn’t been jeopardized by waiting this long. ”
– Gordon Edes
Position players can come back from TJ surgery in a matter of months, rather than the year plus that it takes for pitchers, so it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that Crawford could have surgery in October and be ready to play by the time spring training rolls around next year.
I think Crawford, when healthy, represents a major threat in that line-up and could play a huge part in getting them deep into the post season. That being said, having Crawford sit out the season is indicative of two things: 1) that the Sox are out of the playoff race this season and 2) that they are not planning on trading Ross, who could bring a decent prospect or two in a trade. No way on telling if they are going to trade Ross but I think the Sox have a legitimate chance of making it into the post season if Lester and Beckett start pitching well. Aside from their two aces, that rotation has surprised me and the bullpen will only get better with Bailey coming off the DL. So Crawford, in my opinion, should come back and test the water for a couple weeks before the Sox decide to shut him down or not. Interesting proposition, though…
Wouldn’t mind Kalish or Nava on the Reds. It sure would be a lot cheaper than others.
lokztar for nava?
I’d hate to see Span and Willingham go, but if the Braves offer us Jurrjens, Minor, and another pitcher (hopefully, but not probably Teheran), i don’t see how Terry Ryan would refuse. I would throw Liriano into that deal also. Maybe that’s asking too much, but we desperately need pitching.
After the loses of Beachy & Vizcaino for the year, I’m not sure they could part with the MLB ready depth in such a deal. A Jurrjens/Span trade makes some sense to me, after the season.
Seeing as though Ben Revere has stepped it up and become the guy that the Twins wanted him to be, parting with Span is/will be much easier to handle. I don’t know if Jurrjens is for real or not (the past couple starts), but it seems to me that he’d be Francisco Liriano 2.0.
Josh willingham makes perfect sense for my buccos.
The issue for the Pirates is whether or not they are willing to send James McDonald back to the Twins as a major piece in the deal. No doubt the Twins will ask for Gerrit Cole but assuming he isn’t going anywhere, the Twins will certainly want McDonald and more. Young, MLB established or high ceiling, MLB ready starting pitching will be the price for Willilngham.
Willlingham is very productive with excellent power, a reasonable contract ($8 million per year throug 2014) so the Twins have no incentive to move him unless they receive a top shelf offer.
Guys like Correia, Bedard, and Burnett won’t be of interest nor will A ball pitchers. The Twins have plenty of #4-5 caliber starters and a decent number of long term pitching prospects in A ball. They are looking for two cost controlled guys who can anchor the rotation in 2013 and beyond.
The twins don’t have a prayer of getting Mcdonald in any deal….they would get Wilson, Owens, or Locke. Cole, Tallion, and Heredia aren’t going anywhere
And that is why Willingham will not be going to the Pirates. Twins neither want nor need castoffs and marginal prospects for Willingham. They don’t need to trade him and won’t unless the offer is substantial.
If Gardner is out for longer than expected, I could see Cashman trading for Kotsay. It fits the mid-season acquisitions that the Yankees have been doing the past couple of years and Kotsay could spell time off for Tex and Swisher at first.
I still see Span as a viable option for the Yanks if they want to keep the payroll below the luxury tax in 2014. He could be a relatively low-cost outfield combination with Gardner and Granderson (if re-signed), and by the time he’s a free agent Mason Williams should be ready to play.
does Kotsay play CF? I ask because the roster as is covers the Gardner injury well enough except they need someone to spell Granderson and provide some speed. The name that jumped out was Pierre but that didn’t work so well his first time with the team.
They have McDonald and Wise to spell Granderson and provide some speed on the bases, but at the rate they are playing Ibanez and Jones an injury lurks around the corner. Wise isn’t a full-time player anymore and McDonald is at best a fourth outfielder. Kotsay could play left full-time and allow Jones/Ibanez more time at DH/ provide insurance. Plus his swing would fit well. I agree, Pierre would be perfect. Honestly though, if they want speed they should promote Nunez and play him in left. But they see him as a shortstop.
Doubt the sox trade Kalish after the Reddick deal.
Also, the Red Sox list left out Scott Podsednik as someone who might be available after he returns from DL. I could see some contender wanting to pick up Pods to be a speedy veteran backup OF-er.
Nyjer Morgan is also missing from that list. Brewers would most certainly listen to offers for T-Plush whether they consider themselves buyers or sellers.
But will anyone want to trade for that headcase
I assume you’re a Brewers fan: what is his problem this year? He doesn’t have the same flair that he usually does and his stats are just abysmal.
One, he’s not really a headcase. He’s a little different, but he plays hard, and he’s easy to root for. I think he just got off to a slow start and put a little pressure on himself. It’s not like he’s been horrible. From a Brewer perspective, it’s more that they have Logan Schafer at AAA. Schafer isn’t a super prospect, but he figures to be similar to Morgan with a little more pop.
Once he serves his suspension, Marlon Byrd is available. Of course, if he played like THAT while ON steroids…
If the Reds need a LF, the Royals’ Alex Gordon would be an improvement. I’ld trade him for about eight or ten A and AA ball prospects starting with Billy Hamilton.
Don’t think they’d sell him with them being envisioned to compete before his current contract is up.
KC GM: “Hey Walt! I’ll give you Alex Gordon for Billy Hamilton + 7 A or AA guys.”
Walt Jocketty: “Billy Hamilton you say?”
KC GM: “Yep, the SB guy.”
Walt Jocketty: *Hangs up*
HAHAHA Nice!!! I like the way you think
Why isn’t Will Venable on this list? He’s good defensively with some pop. The Braves were interested in him prior to the season.
It’d be nice to see the Giants pick up someone with pop. Maybe Quentin or Willingham. Blanco and Pagan have been struggling lately. Move Melky to right, and the which ever one has the hot bat between Blanco and Pagan in center and lead off. I think the Giants need a starter and another reliever too though. They don’t have many minor league pieces to trade for all three though. I can Schierholtz being traded this month too. This would look a lot better for a lineup:
1. Pagan/Blanco CF
2. Theriot/Arias 2B
3. Cabrera RF
4. Posey C
5. Sandoval 3B
6. Quentin/Willingham LF
7. Belt 1B
8. Crawford/Arias SS
I think the line up would be more like this if they get carlos 1-Pagan/BlancoCF 2-MelkyRF-3PoseyC-4QuentinLF-5-Sandoval3rd-6Belt1-7Theroit2nd-8crawfordSS
maybe 3-4-5 melky buster carlos but melky2nd carlos4th with buster in between gives great batting protection for all 3 of them and would be a very good 2-3-4
I just said it the way it was because it alternates right lefty the whole way until 7 and 8. But, knowing Bochy, the lineup would change every day anyways.
2 things…1 I love how this slash line .273/.353/.401is considered a down year, those are all star numbers in my opinion…2 why are the 3rd place tigers considered contenders? the indians and the whitesox have not played to their full potential yet..
All star numbers?! It’s not a terrible slash line, but geez.
Of the holes on the Reds I think the lead off spot would be a higher priority than a #4 hole hitter where Phillips is adequate. As much as I love Stubb’s defense and speed, he has just been awful in the #1 or 2 hole. Pierre would add about 50 points of OBA over Stubbs and cost less in compensation than someone like Quentin
As a HUGE Pirates fan, I agree 100%. Stubbs is a great player, but he IS NOT a leadoff guy. Pierre is a typical leadoff guy, which will at least put the Reds close to Pittsburgh in the standings.
In any year but this one saying that it would put a team close to Pittsburgh in the standings would be an insult.
I’m glad to see the Pirates doing well, its good to see the Reds and Pirates battling it out, small market teams putting up big strides is good for baseball. I respect the Pirates, the Steelers however…well lets just leave it at I respect the Pirates 🙂
I kinda like the Pirates’ options. Willingham is a perfect fit, but honestly, isn’t worth the asking price. Victorino, Justin Upton, and even Soriano are reasonable.
To get Victorino, I think maybe Wilson, McPherson, and Grossman could get it done. For Upton, we could give ARZ either Locke or Owens, Grossman, McPherson, Tabata, and maybe even Brad Lincoln, if they threw in a minor leaguer. To get Soriano, maybe just Tabata OR Grossman and Wilson, Locke, or Owens, although, it might not be worth getting Soriano and cash for part of our future. Honestly, I think Upton is the best option. 24 years old and an outfield of Upton (RF), McCutchen (CF), and Marte (LF) is great, and maybe thy could move Josh Bell to 1B if this deal happens. LET’S GO BUCS!
How about the Reds get Justin Upton for stubbs, soto, brackman, and scott rolen?
How about the Reds trade Rolen, Soto, Brackman, and stubbs for Justin Upton?
Shane Victorino and Daniel Nava to the Reds in a 3-team deal. Phillies would get Ryan Kalish and Andrew Brackman. Red Sox would get Cole Hamels and Drew Stubbs. This is my dream deal.
I think that you san count on the Red Sox also in that deal, besides Hamels and Stubbs, receiving Arodys Chapman with the reds kicking up half of the the money still owed him.
I love these kids who come on here and say basically “My Pirates will give the Twins Nobody, Nobody, and Nobody for Josh Willingham”… or Nobody, Nobody, Nobody, and maybe even throw in Nobody for Justin Upton”…They must have just started following baseball this year the way they lay out their potential trades, or else they are 10 years old.
I’m a Pirates fan too but come on boys, smarten up.
Upton does this every other year. In his short career he has had up year followed by a down year. This is NOT the time to trade him.