Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

MLBTR Mailbag: Profar, Papelbon, Moreland, Red Sox, Phillies

By | at

It’s time for another MLBTR mailbag. Thanks, as always, for your questions. If we couldn’t get to yours, you can try again in our weekly chats which run on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons of in next week’s mailbag.

With apologies for the delay in getting this edition published, here are this week’s questions and answers:

Jurickson Profar seems like a guy the Cards should target.  Any ideas on what it would take to pry him from the Rangers? — Aaron B.

I don’t see Profar as a realistic trade piece right now for any team. There’s just too much uncertainty as to whether he’ll ever really be able to play in the field again. He’s yet to put his questionable shoulder to the test in game action. And from the Rangers’ point of view, he’s still just 22 and has that top prospect pedigree. Selling this low on a former No. 1 overall prospect doesn’t seem like a realistic course of action for the team. I think Texas will and should continue to try to get Profar back to full speed, then weigh its options once that’s (hopefully) come to pass.

If the Nationals don’t work out a trade for Papelbon by end of the winter meetings, how fast after the meetings will it take them to release him? — Chris M. 

The dugout brawl was stunning, needless to say. But it always struck me as odd to say that the team would suddenly be looking to dump Papelbon for whatever it could get (or cut him loose otherwise). His actions were obviously unacceptable, but probably aren’t entirely unforgivable, and the Nats have a good bit invested in him. I’d still expect the club to explore its options, but there are indications that there could be room for reconciliation.

What value does Mitch Moreland have this offseason as a potential trade chip? With a seemingly endless supply of young pitching, are the Rays a good match to be trade partners with the Rangers this offseason? — Geoffrey S.

We’ve got Moreland projected at $5.6MM, which isn’t exactly cheap, and this is his final year of arbitration control. So I’d be surprised to see the Rays dropping any kind of well-regarded, controllable arm for the rights to roster him for a single season.

That’s not to say Moreland doesn’t have value after slashing .278/.330/.482 and hitting 23 bombs in 515 plate appearances last year. Given the volume of left-handed power available to Texas, a trade seems plausible. But it’s more likely that he’d bring back something like a higher-priced, short-term reliever than any kind of exciting future piece.

Do you believe it is more realistic to see the Red Sox sign a top free agent like David Price, or Zack Greinke, or trading for a pitcher like Chris Sale or Sonny Gray? — Matthew W.

I fully expect Dave Dombrowski to search the trade market high and low for a deal he likes, but Sale and Gray are two of the most valuable pitching trade assets in the game. Getting those kinds of arms would require a massive haul, probably including one or more names that Boston fans don’t want to hear (e.g. Betts, Bogaerts, Moncada). So, while I’m not personally predicting that they’ll add either Price or Greinke, I find that more plausible than a trade for controllable aces like Sale and Gray (or, if you prefer, Chris Archer and Gerrit Cole).

How do you see the Phillies front office approaching the rebuild? With a fan base that expects a winner on the field do you see them being big players in next years free agent market? Do they take their time and build from within or do they spend big money next year with an eye on contention for 2017? — Thomas C.

Well, that’s a good question, and it’s one that will be covered in my upcoming Offseason Outlook post on the Phils, which will be on the site before long. I feel like the organization has already committed itself to the pain of rebuilding and set the fans up for it. (Hence the very public comments before the season, from the outgoing front office regime.) Now that they are this far along, it wouldn’t make a ton of sense to risk a premature build-up. Taking a bit more time to turn things over is sort of the price they have to pay for trying to hold on and compete for an additional season or two.

All that being said, Philadelphia is very well suited to a high-powered turnaround. There’s talent in the organization, and some of it is at or near the big leagues. And the money will be there, especially with very little owed after this year. I expect Andy MacPhail and Matt Klentak will continue to look for ways to put the organization’s draft/international bonus position and deep pockets to work to stash talent this year. That could include signing short-term free agents who will keep things palatable on the field while turning into trade chips, “buying” prospects by taking on bad contracts in trade, and generally staying creative and flexible.

There’s a best-case scenario where it could make sense sooner rather than later to add younger free agents on more than just short-term contracts, but I think it’d be somewhat risky to do that this winter. But if a great opportunity strikes, then it’s still worth considering so long as the commitment is contained.

Nolan Arenado Switches To Wasserman Media Group

By | at

Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado has changed representation, leaving agent Scott Boras and signing on with agents Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock of the Wasserman Media Group, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (links to Twitter).

Arenado, one of the game’s brightest young stars, is coming off an All-Star and MVP-caliber season in which he batted a whopping .287/.337/.575 with an NL-leading 42 homers and an MLB-best 130 runs batted in, to say nothing of the characteristically standout defense he played at the hot corner. The 24-year-old Arenado (25 next April) will be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter as a Super Two player, and MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz projects him to earn a significant $6.6MM salary. Arenado, who will be arb-eligible four times instead of three due to that Super Two status, figures to see his arbitration price skyrocket over the coming years if he does indeed start his arb earnings with such a high base.

For Rockies fans, the switch in representation is somewhat notable. Boras has a reputation for encouraging his players to go year-to-year throughout the arbitration process as opposed to signing long-term extensions — particularly ones that buy out free-agent years. While the switch to WMG certainly doesn’t mean that Arenado is likely to sign an extension, it would seem to increase the possibility, at the very least.

Wolfe is, after all, the agent for Marlins slugger Giancarlo Stanton, who signed a record-setting 13-year, $325MM extension last winter. Other WMG clients to sign long-term deals that buy out free-agent years over the past several years include Hanley Ramirez and Carlos Santana (as can be seen in the MLBTR Extension Tracker). Arenado, though, will already be extremely well-compensated, as was the case with Stanton, so if he’s to sign a long-term deal it would need to be enormous. He could already be facing $50MM+ worth of arbitration earnings if he remains healthy, and he’s slated to hit free agency heading into his age-29 season, creating the potential for a historic payday.

Arenado’s switch in representation will be reflected in the MLBTR Agency Database, which contains information on more than 2,000 Major League and Minor League players. If you see any errors or omissions, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.

Indians Decline Ryan Raburn’s Option

By | at

The Indians announced that they’ve declined their $3MM club option on Ryan Raburn for the 2016 season. The outfielder will instead be paid a $100K buyout and hit the open market.

Raburn, 35 next April, will be cut loose despite an outstanding season in which he batted .301/.393/.543 with eight home runs in 201 plate appearances. Raburn’s gaudy numbers are the result of extreme platooning; he saw just 25 plate appearances against right-handed pitching this season but picked up 176 PAs against lefties, raking to the tune of a .325/.415/.589 batting line when holding the platoon advantage. In fact, Raburn was so potent against lefties in 2015 that only Nelson Cruz, Mike Trout and Joey Votto ranked above him in weighted runs created plus (wRC+), per Fangraphs (minimum 150 plate appearances).

Though he’s no longer an option at second base as he was earlier in his career — just 17 innings there since Opening Day 2013 — Raburn will draw plenty of interest as a platoon corner outfield option on the open market this winter. He’s hit lefties well throughout his entire career, batting .264/.339/.487 over the life of a 10-year Major League career.

Via MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian (Twitter link), president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti offered the following statement on the Raburn decision: “I think there were a lot of factors that went into play with the decision. I don’t think any one carried the day. It doesn’t take away from what Ryan accomplished and the success he’s had with us. We just felt, given the timing of where we are right now, we just wanted to try to have a little more flexibility as we head into the offseason.”

Joaquin Benoit, Adam Lind Available In Trade Talks

By | at

Though each player just had his option exercised yesterday, Padres right-hander Joaquin Benoit and Brewers first baseman Adam Lind are both available in trade talks right now, tweets ESPN’s Buster Olney.

While the news isn’t necessarily unexpected, especially in Lind’s case, it could certainly have an impact on the offseason direction of multiple clubs. A team that acquires Lind in the near future — and it’s worth keeping in mind that he was traded from Toronto to Milwaukee on Nov. 1 last year, making a near-future deal plenty possible — would likely be plugging a hole at first base or designated hitter, thereby removing them from the free agent market at said positions. Clubs in possible need of first base/DH help could include the Pirates, Orioles, Rockies, Mariners, White Sox, Astros and A’s, depending on roster decisions made by each club early in the offseason.

Olney further tweets that catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Francisco Rodriguez “are available for trade talks” as well, as new Milwaukee GM David Stearns aims to make his team younger and build for the future. Any of the three Brewers players mentioned by Olney would have value to another team, with Lind controlled for one year at $8MM, Rodriguez owed $7.5MM this coming season (plus a $2MM buyout or $6MM club option for 2017) and Lucroy owed $4MM in 2016 (plus a $5.25MM club option for 2017).

As for Benoit, the Padres exercised a $7.5MM club option over him yesterday rather than paying a $1MM buyout. The 38-year-old is coming off three exceptionally strong seasons split between the Tigers and Padres, having worked to a 1.98 ERA with 9.6 K/9, 2.8 BB/9 and a 41.7 percent ground-ball rate. Although metrics such as FIP, xFIP and SIERA feel that Benoit has overperformed, he’s been able to sustain abnormally low BABIP levels and high strand rates, suggesting that there’s some degree of skill involved in those atypical marks. While there’s been a good deal of talk about the Padres potentially trading Craig Kimbrel this winter, and Benoit then closing for the team next season, it appears that Benoit will be marketed prior to any theoretical Kimbrel talks. A trade of Benoit wouldn’t rule out the possibility of dealing Kimbrel, of course, but moving both would create quite a bit of work for the Padres in the bullpen, as right-hander Shawn Kelley is also up for free agency this winter.

Reds Promote Dick Williams To GM; Jocketty To Serve As President Of Baseball Ops

By | at

4:00pm: Williams signed a three-year deal to serve as GM, MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon tweets. C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer adds that Jocketty will remain with the Reds for two years beyond the 2016 season in an advisory capacity (Twitter link).

1:55pm: The Reds have announced that Dick Williams has been promoted to the general managerial role. Prior GM Walt Jocketty will remain with the club as its president of baseball operations.

Williams, not to be confused with the long-time big league ballplayer of the same name, had served previously as the organization’s assistant GM. In other words, it appears that this move largely tracks other recent promotional trends around the game.

It’s not always easy to determine whether and when title changes come with shifts in job responsibilities, of course, and it remains to be seen what the case will be in Cincinnati. Per the team’s announcement, though, it does appear that the 44-year-old Williams will take on more day-to-day duties even as Jocketty “continue[s] to oversee the department.”

Jocketty indicated in his comments that there would be a tangible change in the organization’s structure. “As is the case with any business,” he said, “it’s critical to have a succession plan in place. Dick has been here for 10 years, he’s learned the business, and we are confident he is ready to take on the GM responsibilities.“

But that handoff won’t be dramatic, at least at first, as C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports in a series of tweets (links: 1; 2; 3; 4). Jocketty said that he organization has been “grooming” Williams for the role for some time, so much so that it was part of the discussion when he reached an extension with the team a few seasons back. Jocketty said he’ll only be taking and making phone calls for another year and will shift to an advisory role next year.

Notably, Williams is not the only person by that surname on the upper reaches of the Cincinnati front office chart. As this article from the passing of former club owner William J. Williams Sr. indicates, the new GM is intimately related with the organization’s key family.

He’ll be tasked with continuing to help guide the organization through a tough stretch on the ballfield. The Reds have already begun cashing in veteran assets, though the focus has been on moving pending free agents. This winter will pose a difficult test, with opportunities and risks that are magnified by the club’s major commitments (e.g., Joey Votto, Homer Bailey) and lower-middle-class spending capacity.

Judge Rules In Orioles’ Favor In MASN Dispute

By | at

New York Supreme Court Judge Lawrence Marks has ruled in favor of the Orioles and against the Nationals in a long-running dispute relating to the rights fees owed to the latter team by the jointly-owned Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). (Hat tip to James Wagner of the Washington Post, on Twitter.) MASN, which is controlled and majority-owned by the Orioles, brought the lawsuit to challenge an arbitration award that purported to settle the annual television broadcast fees owed by the network to the Nationals (who own a minority share of MASN).

Today’s ruling vacates that award. If the decision is upheld on appeal, it would require the parties to renegotiate and/or re-arbitrate the rights fees. Importantly, the decision does not address the underlying substantive dispute, let alone decide that in favor of the Orioles/MASN.

The root of the dispute dates back to the dealmaking that paved the way for the Expos-turned-Nationals organization to move to D.C. The Orioles opposed the intrusion on their market, of course, and the compromise ultimately included a deal in which the O’s would maintain a significant ownership percentage of MASN.

Annual fees for the Nationals’ broadcast rights were also covered in the resulting set of contracts, with the first several seasons’ fees pre-established at fairly low rates. Pursuant to the agreement, the annual rights value was to be re-negotiated after 2011 (and every five years thereafter) to arrive at a fair market value of those rights.

When that negotiation failed, the arbitration was initiated, with the Orioles proposing a $34MM payout for 2012 and the Nationals requesting $109MM. The panel hearing the case was a league committee known as the Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee (RSDC). Its members, at the time, were Rays owner Stuart Sternberg, Pirates president Frank Coonelly, and Mets COO Jeff Wilpon. MLB itself, including now-commissioner Rob Manfred, also played a major role in the arbitration.

The panel ultimately decided upon a $53MM rights fee value for the 2012 season, which would rise steadily to $66MM in 2016 (thus covering the five-year period in question). But it held off on formally issuing its decision for about two years, allowing then-commissioner Bud Selig to attempt to work out a compromise, which (per the ruling) would have involved a $1B+ sale of MASN to Comcast (which obviously never occurred). In the meantime, MLB fronted the Nationals the difference between the fees they were receiving from MASN and the value that the panel had determined.

A formal decision was issued on June 30 of last year, and the Orioles instituted the present litigation shortly thereafter. Baltimore challenged a number of aspects of the arbitration, including the involvement of the league at the time and its decision to advance money to the Nationals.

Though overturning an arbitration award is an exceedingly difficult task, the court sided with MASN and the Orioles. Interestingly, though, none of the above factors played into the decision, which focused on the highly deferential standard of review and noted that the agreement had contemplated an “inside baseball” arbitration panel.

The ultimate basis cited by the court in vacating the award — and the issue that will presumably be tested on appeal — is the involvement of the law firm Proskauer Rose LLP. Not only was Proskauer representing the Nationals in the arbitration, the court explained, it was currently representing Major League Baseball in numerous other matters — with four particular attorneys sharing responsibility for both clients. Though MASN and the Orioles repeatedly raised this issue, the panel didn’t take “any step at all” to deal with the potential bias that resulted.

Applying the relevant standard of “evident partiality,” the court determined there was sufficient cause to overturn the decision of the panel. Judge Marks explained (quoting a prior case): “[T]his complete inaction objectively demonstrates an utter lack of concern for fairness of the proceeding that is ’so inconsistent with basic principles of justice’ that the award must be vacated.” 

The actual basis for the ruling is important in several regards. For one, it narrows the issues to be addressed on appeal, though the Orioles could attempt to challenge the judge’s refusal to offer relief on the other grounds argued. (Notably, the court noted in its ruling that the factual setting it considered was without precedent, making this case ripe for consideration in an appellate proceeding.) And it also leaves open the possibility that the parties could return to the same panel that decided the dispute in the first place in a second arbitration.

All said, the ruling represents a significant victory for the Orioles’ side of things — in large part because of the leverage it gives the organization in negotiations. Continued litigation and re-arbitration will, obviously, be quite expensive. And the Nationals now have no argument to demand immediate payment of a vacated award, keeping the cash in Baltimore’s pocket. It’s notable, also, that the original five-year rights fee period is now almost up, meaning the parties will soon need to sort out fees for the 2017-2021 time frame as well.

White Sox Decline Option On Alexei Ramirez

By | at

The White Sox have declined their $10MM club option on shortstop Alexei Ramirez, the team announced. Instead, Chicago will pay him a $1MM buyout.

Ramirez represented one of the most difficult option decisions in this year’s market. The 34-year-old veteran has been a solid contributor for years in Chicago, and the organization has needs all over its infield. Now, Chicago figures to be in the market for a shortstop to help bridge the gap to top prospect Tim Anderson.

As MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes explained in his offseason outlook piece on the club, Ramirez may not be worth the $9MM spread between his value and the option price, but he could earn something close to it as a free agent. He’s coming off of a disappointing, .249/.285/.357 season, with declining defensive metrics. But he had been a consistent two-to-four WAR performer for many seasons before (even while generally carrying slightly below-average batting lines).

Teams looking for additions at short can now consider Ramirez alongside the rest of a market that isn’t exactly bursting with sure things. Ian Desmond will no doubt draw the most interest, with Asdrubal Cabrera also a reasonably young option. Ramirez and Jimmy Rollins figure to be the most appealing options among the older players available.

Angels Decline Option On David Murphy

By | at

The Angels have declined their $7MM club option on outfielder David Murphy, Buster Olney of ESPN.com reports on Twitter. Instead, he’ll receive a $500K buyout.

It’s not terribly surprising to see the move. Murphy, 34, remains a useful player, and the Angels have deep pockets, but that price tag always seemed a bit steep given the team’s needs and desire to stay below the luxury tax line.

Murphy came to Los Angeles at the trade deadline, as did fellow veteran outfielders Shane Victorino and David DeJesus. But Murphy saw more action than the others.

He ultimately slashed .283/.318/.421 in 391 plate appearances on the year, with ten home runs, but put up better numbers in the first half with the Indians. Murphy saw virtually no action against lefties last year and has rather severe career platoon splits.

Now that he’s set to return to the open market, Murphy will join a group of other left-handed-hitting, non-premium outfielders that includes Gerardo Parra and Alejandro De Aza. Los Angeles could still utilize some form of platoon arrangement in left, as it did down the stretch, but will surely be interested in testing the top of the market first. Indeed, it cleared the way for that possibility by passing on Murphy’s option.

MLB Trade Rumors Turns 10

By | at

Back in June 2005, I worked at a search engine marketing company in Chicago.  It was about the coolest job a kid fresh out of college could hope to have.  I remember being impressed that it was normal to be on the Internet all day at work, and that people communicated with each other using AOL Instant Messenger.  I had been at the company for about a year and it was a fun and interesting job.  I became friends with a consultant named Jeff, and naturally we chatted about baseball.  I had a lot of ideas, and he suggested I start a blog.  I barely knew what that was, but he had one.

So I fired up a free blog using Blogger.  The next day, I registered my own domain, rotoauthority.com, and soon moved to a more serious platform, TypePad.  RotoAuthority would be where I would write a bunch of fantasy baseball posts.  I was all over the forums promoting my blog, and I remember my future wife waiting patiently as I chalked the name of it all over the quad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign when we visited our alma mater.  I also had the novel idea of mailing out packages of Big League Chew to baseball reporters I liked, to get RotoAuthority on their radar.  I sent out a bunch of them, to Peter Gammons, Jerry Crasnick, Rob Neyer, and the like.  Years later, Rob told me he chewed the gum immediately.

I mentioned to Jeff that I was thinking about naming my new company The Roto Authority, and he told me I should think bigger, I may want to start a second site at some point.  The 2005 MLB season was over, and I found myself writing a bunch of stuff on RotoAuthority that had only a loose connection to fantasy baseball, including my first-ever Top 50 Free Agents list.

I still thought RotoAuthority was my meal ticket to becoming self-employed, as I used it as a vehicle to sell self-created projection spreadsheets for $9.99.  I was also making a few bucks writing the Waiver Wired column for RotoWorld.  Nonetheless, I was drawn to all the rumors and deals of the 2005-06 MLB offseason, and wanted to write about Bobby Abreu, Billy Wagner, and Juan Pierre without the constraints of fantasy baseball.  So, so many posts about Juan Pierre.  So, ten years ago on this date, I registered a new site, mlbtraderumors.com, and wrote this post about the Yankees potentially pursuing Torii Hunter.  The site’s design looked like this.  Raise your hand if you remember it!

mlbtr-v1

MLB Trade Rumors quickly passed up RotoAuthority in traffic, and started to take up more of my time.  During busy times like the July trade deadline or the Winter Meetings, our posts went viral in an old school way, with links on forums and perhaps carrier pigeons.  It certainly wasn’t succeeding because of my journalistic integrity.  In the early years of MLBTR I was completely naive about the hard work and years of trust-building that goes into getting most baseball scoops.  So, if someone emailed about having the same barber as Octavio Dotel and therefore knowing where he might sign, I believed it and printed it.

A major turning point came during the 2007 Winter Meetings.  Someone pretended to be a Mets beat reporter (one I knew of but had not interacted with) and sent me a whopper of a trade rumor.  He was happy to let me write an exclusive post on MLBTR about the potential three-team deal sending Johan Santana and Bobby Crosby to the Mets, Jose Reyes and Kevin Mulvey to the A’s, and Dan Haren to the Twins.  I was not present at those Winter Meetings, but this bogus rumor spread like wildfire after I posted it, and of course was shot down.

Shot down is an understatement, actually.  Here are the choice quotes from A’s GM Billy Beane:

“There’s a better chance of me breeding unicorns than there is of that deal happening.” – ESPN

“It’s ridiculous.  All-time most ridiculous. Of all the trade rumors the whole time I’ve been coming here, because of the genesis and how quickly it went around, that was the finest, or the worst, whatever you like.” – San Francisco Chronicle

“I’m on the bike, and (Zaidi) is on the treadmill, and he figures out a way to get on the Internet, and he says, ’Hey look at this.’  Of all the trade rumors in all my career, that one’s the furthest from the truth.” – Contra Costa Times

I was mortified at what I’d done and that it was on Beane’s radar to that degree.  I finally realized that I had to take sourcing much more seriously, and also stop worrying about trying to break stories.

Soon after, I quit my job to focus on MLBTR full-time.  A parade of great writers and friends joined me on our team and helped make the site better each year.  The core of what we do hasn’t really changed since 2008.  We collect, organize, and analyze everything related to MLB transactions in a timely manner, filtering out anything lacking in credibility.  The format and means of sharing the information have changed, but the idea remains the same.

Thank you for indulging my trip down memory lane.  I am forever grateful for the opportunity to run MLBTR for a living, and I don’t intend to stop anytime soon.  I would like to express my gratitude to our many contributors over the years, and to the journalists on the beat.  And of course, thanks to our readers, whether you were here for the black background days or you just discovered the site this week.  Here’s to the next ten years!

Braves Likely To Transition Hector Olivera To Outfield

By | at

The Braves appear to be in the process of shifting Hector Olivera from third base to the outfield. We had heard recently that Olivera would spend some time in left in winter ball, though indications were that it was not intended as any kind of permanent move.

Now, it appears, Atlanta is set to embark upon a more dedicated transition process, as ESPN.com’s Buster Olney tweets. The Braves do indeed “seem ready to shift” Olivera to the grass after intensive internal discussion, David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution adds (Twitter links). He says that Olivera will still spend some time at third in Puerto Rico, but will be playing there “just in case.”

Needless to say, it probably wasn’t the club’s first choice to be considering this kind of move so soon after adding Olivera. Atlanta plugged him in at third after acquiring him over the summer from the Dodgers. The hope had been that Olivera would represent a solid hitter and reasonable-enough defender who could hold down the hot corner at a low price point ($32.5MM over the next five years).

That’s not to say that Olivera can’t still deliver value. The team has consistently expressed confidence that he’ll come around with the bat, and he put up a roughly league-average .253/.310/.405 batting line in his first 87 plate appearances in the majors. If the 30-year-old can settle in at the dish, he might well turn into a solid regular.

That still leaves the team with the somewhat difficult task of filling in at third base, if in fact Olivera will end up in left field. The Braves can utilize Adonis Garcia, as the 30-year-old rookie did have a nice (albeit unlikely to be repeated) campaign last year, but he hardly seems an everyday player. Atlanta does have some notable prospects at the position in Rio Ruiz, 21, who reached (but did not master) Double-A last year, and the younger Austin Riley. But there’s no chance that they’ll represent an option this spring, and their developmental timelines remain uncertain. This year’s free agent market is rather weak, with players like Daniel Murphy (if he’s considered there, rather than at second), David Freese, and Juan Uribe representing the best options.

As I wrote yesterday in breaking down the Braves’ offseason, the Braves have more options — both internal and external — for the outfield. It’s also worth noting that some may now end up being pushed out. Nick Swisher could be a prime candidate — and I’d guess the team would part with him before Michael Bourn, given that the latter can play center — though he clearly has negative trade value.

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

Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information

hide arrows scroll to top