The latest rumblings on a slew of established players who could change uniforms in the coming months:
- The White Sox have $13MM to spend as a result of Adam LaRoche’s March retirement and are in need of another left-handed bat, which means they’re a potential fit for outfielders Jay Bruce, Brett Gardner, Carlos Gonzalez, Seth Smith and Nick Markakis, according to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe. The Angels could also be in on those players, per Cafardo. It’s difficult to imagine a pitching-devoid team with a barren farm system dealing assets for an outfielder, however, especially considering the respective price tags those five players carry. The least expensive player of the group is Smith, who is making $6.75MM this season and has a $7MM club option for 2017, but he’s a solid part of a first-place Seattle team that’s trying to break a 14-year playoff drought and fend off the Angels, among others, in the AL West.
- Like their crosstown rivals, the Cubs could also pursue Bruce, Gonzalez and Markakis, in addition to Ryan Braun and Josh Reddick, reports ESPN’s Jim Bowden. The 23-6 Cubs don’t look like a team in need of a major acquisition, though they did lose a highly useful outfield cog early in the season when Kyle Schwarber suffered a catastrophic knee injury. In Schwarber’s absence, the depth-laden Cubs have divvied up left field playing time among star third baseman Kris Bryant, Jorge Soler and Matt Szczur.
- Orioles general manager Dan Duquette told Bowden on MLB Network Radio that the team is monitoring the Tim Lincecum market, but he expects the two-time Cy Young Award winner to sign somewhere west of the Mississippi (Twitter links).
The angels are stuck right now, no depth in the farm system to make trades for a left fielder or for pitching. they are better off waiting till 2017.
Prospects are not the only trade assets that exist. If there’s any truth to this, it would likely be a situation where the Angels are selling to buy for next season. Which means trading Street, Smith, Wilson (if healthy), etc. if they choose to sell.
Why would rebuilding teams (who are the ones trading these outfielders) want those players?
You wouldn’t trade them for those outfielders. It would be for prospects.
Then what does the post i commented on have to do with this story? Please follow the conversation
I am following along with the conversation. I was replying to a comment about the story. I never said anything about trading those players for Ryan Braun. I was talking about acquiring Braun for the future while at the same time unloading the players I listed for prospects. But in response to your reply, the Braves did take Erick Aybar in the Simmons trade. Not only that, given the baggage that comes with Braun, teams may be more reluctant to give up top prospects and the Brewers may take what they can get so they’re not stuck with his contract if they can’t contend. So they may either take a lesser prospect package or have to take some of another team’s dead weight as a price for unloading a player with a history of PED’s. Or, it’s water under the bridge and the Brewers get a big haul. Who knows? And next time, read more carefully.
The Angels need to worry about getting healthy. LF can be solved in the off-season, no need for an overpay for any of those listed above.
Totally agree. The Angels are stuck in a gigantic mess right now. They have a lot coming off the books this offseason, but even then they are in a mess. Their minor league system is so weak it’s going to impact them for years. They need to go in rebuilding mode.
Angles are screwed. Trout won’t ever win a WS as long as he stays in LAA.
You are absolutely right Chris! What a shame for that talented young man to waist his prime years where he is now.
FREE TROUT!
I can’t imagine either Chicago team has interest in Ryan Braun.
And it’s doubtful the Brewers would send him to the Cubs.
Say what you will about Braun, but he’s delivered some of the most emotional late game heroics in memory, in ’08 and ’11. If he went to the Cubs, it’s not quite Favre to the Vikings, but it’d be close.
FREE TROUT
Why not, especially the White Sox? He might be a better fit in the A.L. at this point of his career where he could DH as well as play LF with Chicago’s South Side ball club.
Braun is a professional hitter both with power and average. He would be a better option for the White Sox than any of those left-handed hitters mentioned in the article aside from Carlos Gonzales who may not be available by the trade deadline if the Rockies manage to hang close in an unexpectedly weak N..L. West.
Btw-Why was Josh Reddick mentioned as a potential option for the Cubs and not the White Sox? He also bats left-handed and would be the next best hitter from that side after “Cargo”. The White Sox also have a recent history of trades with the A’s, most notably the Jeff Samardzija deal which netted Oakland a pretty good haul with Marcus Semien, Josh Phegley, Chris Bassitt, along with 1B prospect Rangel Ravelo.
Why the Cubs and not the Sox? I’ll give you a couple reasons. When it’s being reported that the Sox want another left handed bat, they are talking about big boppers like Cargo, or Bruce. Reddick doesn’t have nearly as much power as they do. Reason number two, yes the sox and A’s have made some trades. So have Oakland and the Cubs. The Cubs have the prospect depth to deal from for a Reddick. The Sox do not. They aren’t trading Anderson or Fulmer for him. Outside of those two guys, the sox have a depleted system. Mainly because of the Shark and Frazier trades the last two off seasons.
No doubt Carlos Gonzales would be the White Sox top choice among the potentially available left-handed hitters this summer. Imo, Josh Reddick would be their next best option, not Jay Bruce.
Reddick and Bruce are both 29 years old. Each have comparable career triple slash lines, with Reddick posting generally better offensive numbers in recent seasons than Bruce. Reddick is a much better defensive RF. It should also be noted that Reddick plays half his games in an extremely pitcher friendly home ball park in Oakland which is detrimental to his HR production while Bruce is in the opposite situation in Cincinnati. Reddick has also spent his entire career in the A.L., the complete opposite of Bruce. There would be concerns for the White Sox with a potential adjustment period that might occur with Bruce coming to a new league.
I’m not a Bruce hater like many White Sox fans, who fear another Adam Dunn or Adam LaRoche situation if he were acquired. That being said, I still prefer the White Sox go after Reddick before Bruce but only after they exhaust every opportunity to acquire “Cargo” or Ryan Braun first.
Btw-The White Sox do have some depth in their minor league system aside from their top two prospects, pitcher Carson Fulmer and SS Tim Anderson. Their strength would be in pitching, something the Rockies, Brewers and A’s ought to be interested in. They also have a couple of young CF prospects who profile as potential lead-off hitters with plus speed in Adam Engel and Jacob May. Finally, each one of those prospective trade partners might also have an interest in acquiring 24-year old Avisail Garcia as part of return package. He could immediately fill the hole left in their OF with a trade. Garcia is still young enough to realize the promise he had as a 4-5 tool player just a couple of years ago. A change of scenery might be just the tonic to jump start his MLB career, especially with a non-contending teams that could afford to be patient with his development.
Doesn’t make a whole of sense unless the Angels are looking to shore up LF for next season. That would likely take dealing players on their current roster that may not be there after this season.
With outfield options including: J-hey, Fowler, Soler , Baez, and Zobrist. Also they have a plethora of 4th and 5th outfielder depth with szczur, victorino, Almora, Kalish. Baez and Soler need everyday reps and they are not getting them now. I would not want to see the Cubs trading for any outfield bats.
It really doesn’t make a lot of sense to think they’re in the market for an ofer.
I think if the dodgers were to trade for an outfielder, could look at josh reddick. Then they could go after Andrew Miller.
Cubs have two starting OF. I’ve been a HUGE Soler supporter but unfortunately I just don’t think he will live up to the hype. Watch him play…he has the physical appearance and potential tools, but he can’t put them together to save his life. Time to move on and get consistency out of LF. Whether be fielding, hitting, or preferably both.
Zobrist is 2B and Baez is quickly becoming a younger version of Zobrist. The Cubs have plenty of depth in the OF, but need a starting LF.
Give up on Soler? Not a chance, not this early. Zobrist has been starting in the outfield and second base. Keep in mind la Stella has been one of the Cubs hottest hitters. He needs to play too. There is no need for a starting left fielder. As the Cubs can mix and match. Maddon has no set lineup, ever. It would be foolish to trade prospects for an outfielder.
Yeah, no. Bryant(TLS @ 3rd), Baez, Soler, Sczcur is plenty of people to play LF.
Amen.
What has Soler done that is fundamentally correct this year? Last year?
Everyone falls in love with prospects. That’s fine – I do too. But this team is actually a World Series contender. And you would rather go into the playoffs with either Soler or Tommy LaStella as your LF? Over a proven commodity like Carlos Gonzalez?
I’m sorry but that’s crazy. It’s time to go all in. Cubs have the talent and money. No sense in falling in love with a 24ish year old prospect with the resources this team has at their disposal. Go get some consistency.
Do you understand how rarely going “all in” works in baseball? You don’t mortgage your future for and ofer when it’s not really a problem
Cubs are 24-6, but ya you are right give up the farm for a luxury item in cargo. Sounds like a great idea. Those kind of trades never go awry.
Who knows what the package would be?
Again…it’s not a luxury. They need a starting LF in sep/oct. 24-6 is phenomenal and exciting. But it’s May.
Shoot…I think Reddick would be PERFECT on this team. Cargo may be a luxury and Reddick a less pricey option. If you don’t think he would at the very least improve the club and their prospects at a WS, then we’re just going to have to disagree.
Dude shut up. The Cubs have more than enough depth for Left. Go away. You are a moron
Shut up and go away? Nothing makes someone sound smarter than talking like a 4 year old.
Oakland offers Reddick for Pierce, Vogelbach, and Happ. I pull the trigger on that immediately. You don’t? Because those guys are all sure things that will help in 2019?
The current starting LF has 25 more innings at the position than the everyday 3B has at LF.
But nah…no need to get someone who can start everyday. Good points.
Sounds great Jim Hendry.
Every team should always be trying to improve.
Every comment above calling me out points to the DEPTH that the Cubs have. I don’t disagree.
But not one had pointed out who the starting LF will be in October.
Soler, Baez, and LaStella are fantastic depth pieces. A one year rental like Reddick will cost very very little in terms of prospects that will never crack the Cubs rotation.
The same people calling me a moron will be praising Epstein when he traded for his boy Josh in July.
Soler needs to learn how to shorten up that swing of his. He strikes out or pops up so much because he’s not catching up to pitches low and inside.
The Cubs main reason for not acquiring outfield help because of Schwarber injury and Soler’s ineffectiveness….Javier Baez! He’s hitting(and not just today’s walk-offHR) he can play 3b,SS,2b ,and Bryant and Zobrist can play left. No need. I’d like to see Javy get more playing time. Solerdownto AAA for more ABs and all up eitherAlcantara or Victorino
And TLStella
Mike Trout for Nick Markakis it’s a win- win
Haha that is awesome.
You always come in here with these way out trades for the Braves. Brave S”UCK no one going tot he Braves so just sit back, rebuild and enjoy the worst record in MLB. Trout not going to the Braves. Just like Soler not going there with you 15 player trade and the Braves getting 10 players you posted in ST. lol Child.
I can’t believe Cafardo wrote a column without throwing in a rumor about Sandoval being traded to the Padres.
And it would have been perfect timing with Shields coming off an outing where he gave up a tater to Bartolo Colón.
The mariners are in first place why would we trade Seth Smith……
For the same reason that last year, people were saying the Padres should trade Justin Upton even if they were in the race and now people are saying the same thing about the Astros and Carlos Gomez.
What is that reason??? There is no reason to trade him when they’re on first place…
The A’s traded Cespedes when they were in first place. It happens.
For Lester, not prospects. And that didn’t really work out.BB is prob the only GM to make that trade
Completely different reasons. The Mariners are in first place and Smith is one of the few guys who have been consistently hitting well. The Padres last year were bad and shopping Upton when he was going to walk at the end of the year just made sense. The Astros are bad this season too and with Gomez set to be a free agent, it makes sense to shop him. A team in first place isn’t going to be looking to trade their guys unless they have quality depth behind them (prospects, guys coming back from the DL, other guys tearing it up in the minors) or the team gets an offer it can’t refuse. Smith isn’t getting anything more than a B level prospect back (assuming he continues playing at this level) which would only make sense for the Mariners if they are out of contention.
No, some people were saying last year that the Padres should trade Justin Upton while still trying to contend and now people are saying the same thing about the Astros and Gomez.
Difference is both teams were and are out of contention. The Astros have little chance of recoveryi going from this bad start, especially with such bad pitching. The Mariners are in a completely different position.
No there were several articles last year saying that the Padres should both buy and sell, including trading Justin Upton but still trying to make a push for the playoffs.
Billy needs to start the inevitable and begin the rebuild for the Angels
Tough spot to be in. They want to put a team around Mike Trout but the rest of that team minus Calhoun isn’t good and they have no prospects to trade for upgrades.
I think you gusy are doing your opionions on the past as I guess people live in the past heard all year so far. I think Hammel has improved from last year, and adjusted. DO NOT be surprised if Hammel wins 20 games this year.
The White Sox don’t actually have that extra $13 million– it’s being used to pay the recently-released John Danks’ salary. FYI.
No, it isn’t. The Danks money was already budgeted into their 2016 salary. Unless they replace danks with a pitcher who makes the same amount of $, they are not using it to pay him.
Glad you’re not an accountant…
I’m sure the White Sox are open to adding an established outfielder, but I doubt they feel like they “need” to at the moment. With the way the team has been playing, I’d be hesitant to make any major changes (outside of adding a 5th pitcher).
Avi got off to an AWFUL start, but his numbers actually look pretty good right now; his OPS is quickly moving up towards .800 for the year. Through the first 15 games, he hit .135/.224/.269 for an OPS of .493. Since then, he’s hit .444/.515/.778 for an OPS of 1.293. Obviously he’s not going to stay up in that stratosphere, but it’s a promising run. I feel more than comfortable riding the hot hand and not making any big moves until it’s necessary.
Please not Jay Bruce. I am so done with the Adam Dunn/Adam LaRoche type home run or strikeout lefty hitters. I love CarGo but I thought I heard the Rockies were asking a ton. So I would focus on Markakis. Good contact hitter and pretty good defensively. Could move Melky to DH. Markakis makes around what LaRoche did
And wouldn’t require much return.
The White Sox wouldn’t have to trade any assets if they elected to sign left-handed hitting free agent 1B/DH Justin Morneau once he is able to play later this summer. He could replace Adam LaRoche in the exact same role and not upset the current White Sox outfield rotation.which is playing excellent defensive ball.
I wouldn’t mind the White Sox going after a premium power hitting corner OF/DH like Carlos Gonzales or Ryan Braun, but Morneau would be a much more cost effective solution in terms of dollars and return assets. The White Sox may have more of a need to solidify their starting rotation by the trade deadline rather than use resources to acquire a hitter.
I agree 1,000,000%. I’m sick and tired of the all or nothing lefty power bats, especially when they are nothing 80% of the time (ala Dunn and LaRoche). I’d much rather watch Avi hit than another guy like that. If they want to add a professional hitter, I’m fine with that, but not another strike out machine that’ll run into a couple mistake pitches every once in a while.
There’s a reason Markakis is always talked about in trades. He’s not an everyday OFer. Mediocre comes to mind. If you’re going to spend money, spend it on the player you think will help you the most. Cargo is that guy for the White Sox.
The only thing it would make sense for the Cubs to look at is a stud starting pitcher. Schwarber will be back next year, Soler has time, and they have depth out there in LF. The only thing that could screw up this season is if the pitching doesn’t hold up.
THANK YOU! Hammel is a great first half pitcher. But that’s about it. I like Hendricks, but you don’t want to look back at a record breaking reg season and you lost a tough series to the Mets or Nats because your game 4 starter was 3.2 4or5 runs withHammel or Hendricks and u bought CarGo insteD using your depth and acquiring a number 2/3 pitcher to help you out.
That’s where Teheran would fit. Something along the lines of Soler or Happ to get things started. Would love to see maybe a Happ and Contreras for Teheran.
I think you guys are doing your opinions on the past. I guess people live in the past all I’ve heard all year so far. I think Hammel has improved from last year, and adjusted. DO NOT be surprised if Hammel wins 20 games this year.Your going to be surprised by his out come. I said he was the X factor and so far so good.
I don’t the Cubs really have a SP on radar right now. If so it would have to be in Miami who not playing that bad. Maybe Clev. The A’s are doing good enough that Gray not in the picture. Other than that the picking are slim, unless it like a 3 way trade or 4 way trade.
Seems having to many weapons is a good problem to have?
I personally think the Cubs should acquire Chapman and/or Miller from the Yankees. Get rid of RichArd and have 3 lefties. That’s going for it. Try and group 5 prospects that don’t include Soler, Torres, orContreras.
I’ve been hoping they’d make some sort of deal for Miller that includes Travis Wood, but that seems like a stretch.
I agree Miller. Yanks won’t trade Chap and probably will extend him. The Cubs need to Dump Cahill, Richard, Probably Wood – Both Wood and Cahill are FA and Maybe KH. I know I know but it take a SP to get a SP if that what they are after. Then Add Soler. For
KH, Soler, Cahill, Richards, Maybe even Wood whos a FA and Add maybe one or to prospects you could get anyone.
It seems strange that Ryan Braun would be mentioned as a potential bat for the Cubs but not the White Sox? He might be a better fit in the A.L. at this point of his career where he could DH as well as play LF with Chicago’s South Side ball club. The Brewers preference would also seem to to favor sending Braun to Chicago’s A.L. entry and not to a division rival.
Braun is a professional hitter both with power and average. He would be a better option for the White Sox than any of those left-handed hitters mentioned in the article aside from Carlos Gonzales who may not be available by the trade deadline if the Rockies manage to hang close in an unexpectedly weak N.L. West.
Btw-Why was Josh Reddick mentioned as a potential option for the Cubs and not the White Sox? He also bats left-handed and would be the next best hitter from that side after “Cargo”. The White Sox also have a recent history of trades with the A’s, most notably the Jeff Samardzija deal which netted Oakland a pretty good haul with Marcus Semien, Josh Phegley, Chris Bassitt, along with 1B prospect Rangel Ravelo.
The Angels could be a team that picks up scrap contracts that other teams don’t want for low players and if these players build any value trade them away and build the farm again.
I love 1-Arrieta 2- Lester and. 4- Lackey I think the Cubs need a #3 starter and 1 or 2 lefties for the pen. We can survive with Lackey 3 and Hammel or Hendricks the #4 starter in the postseason. But Wood and Richards cannot be our only lefty bullpen options. Id go for Chapman and Miller. Then u have Rondon- Chapman- Miller- Strop- Grimm- Warren-Wood and Cahill or Ramirez. WOW
The Yanks would never put Miller and Chap in one package – Maybe one or the other.
I don’t see the Cubs adding another outfielder for the short or long term. They have plenty of options for this season even with the Kyle Schwarber injury. In the longer term, Kris Bryant will likely be an OF fixture with Javier Baez taking over 3B where he could provide potential Gold Glove defense in addition to the power that profiles at the hot corner.
Bryant has the athleticism to play any of the outfield spots including CF which he prefers. Dexter Fowler will likely be gone as a premium free agent next off-season, with either Albert Almora, Bryant or Jason Heyward becoming the regular in CF. Heyward himself might opt-out of his deal in a couple of years, creating another potential opening for Bryant in RF. Schwarber will return in 2017 and also become a candidate to be the regular LF, along with Bryant. If the Cubs are lucky, the DH might become an option for N.L. teams as soon as 2017 in the upcoming CBA negotiations, creating the most logical spot for Schwarber or Jorge Soler. If not, look for the Cubs to deal one or the other for an upgrade to their pitching staff.
I have a feeling that the Cubs will be involved in a 3 team/ maybe 4 team deal when it all said and done.. Anyone wanting to put a 3 team deal together? Ideas
Trade Bait
Soler
Cahill
KH
Wood
Richards
Prospects
I think the Orioles should give lincecum a chance knowing they gave Gallardo a chance I think Tim is better than yovanni I think