Trade Market

Next up in our second pass through the Trade Market: shortstops.

• Cristian Guzman, Nationals.  He’s having a fine year, hitting .313/.340/.424 in 424 plate appearances.  Extension talks with the Nationals have dragged.  The Nats might prefer to trade him, while Guzman might prefer to test the free agent market.
• Miguel Tejada, Astros.  The Astros have given no signs of kicking off a rebuilding effort, so a trade is unlikely.  Plus, Tejada hasn’t hit much since April.  He’s signed for ’09 at $13MM.
• Clint Barmes, Rockies.  The Rox might be able to spare him, but Barmes has never hit away from Coors and other teams know that.  He’ll be arbitration-eligible for the first time after this season.
• David Eckstein, Blue Jays.  Whether or not the Jays decide to sell this year, Eckstein is expendable.  The Orioles rumors have died down though.
• Jack Wilson, Pirates.  I think the Bucs would need to be blown away to move Wilson, since he’d be hard for them to replace.  The Dodgers are still in talks, last we’ve heard.  Wilson earns $7.25MM in ’09 with an $8.4MM club option for ’10.  He also has limited no-trade protection.
• Brent Lillibridge, Braves.  He didn’t raise his stock by hitting .212/.276/.288 in Triple A this year.
• Edgar Renteria, Tigers.  He’s been awful, and his ’09 option may be declined.  It’s for $11MM with a $3MM buyout.
• Khalil Greene, Padres.  Greene has also been terrible.  He’s signed for ’09 at $6.5MM.
• Chin-lung Hu, Dodgers.  He figures to either be the team’s shortstop of the future or a prime trade chip.
• Omar Vizquel, Giants.  He’s been a big negative with the bat this year; he might be finished.  The Red Sox are not interested.
• Juan Uribe, White Sox.  Uribe has been perilously close to a trade or release for months.  His hitting has continued to deteriorate, and he’s played very little shortstop this year.
• Ronny Cedeno, Cubs.  Cedeno is only 25, and he’s performed well at Triple A.  Lou Piniella has given him very little playing time this month; he could be a useful trade chip.

Let’s take another pass at the market for second basemen.

• Brian Roberts, Orioles.  After so many offseason Cubs rumors, there’s been no recent buzz around Roberts.  The O’s don’t look like contenders, so trading him still makes sense.
• Ray Durham, Giants.  The resurgent Durham sits at .293/.385/.414 in 304 plate appearances.  The Giants should be listening; there was a rumor the Brewers were interested.
• Mark Grudzielanek, Royals.  He wants to play two or three more years.  Should provide about the same value as Durham.
• Mark Ellis, Athletics.  He may not be available, as extension talks are expected.
• Jamey Carroll, Indians.  More of a utility guy, shouldn’t take much to acquire him.
• Tadahito Iguchi, Padres.  Might not return from a separated shoulder until August, but he could still be traded then.
• Ronny Cedeno, Cubs.  The team’s seldom-used backup shortstop.  Young, unproven, and source of way too much debate at MLBTR.
• Mark Loretta, Astros.  No real use for him now with Kaz Matsui back.
• Juan Uribe, White Sox.  We keep waiting for the Sox to jettison Uribe, but they haven’t done it.  Price can’t be too high.
• Esteban German, Royals.  If they’re not going to play him, they might as well trade him.  Showed OBP skills in 2006-07.
• Felipe Lopez, Nationals.  He’s rocking a .620 OPS.  The Orioles rumors have died down.

We’ve been updating our Trade Market series position by position, but today’s let’s jump ahead to the starting pitchers.  After all, pitching is always in high demand. By the way – not all of the pitchers below are available.  I just wanted to discuss them.

• Justin Duchscherer, Athletics.  Duke is leading all of baseball with a 1.78 ERA in 101 innings.  He is under team control for ’09, and Billy Beane wants to wait until after the season to talk extension.  He’d be a very interesting trade chip.
• Zack Greinke, Royals.  Despite interest, the Royals "remain decidedly uninterested in moving Greinke," according to Ken Rosenthal.
• Derek Lowe, Dodgers.  The Phillies are interested, but the Dodgers are tied for first place right now.  Trading Lowe makes no sense.
• Edwin Jackson, Rays.  Jackson is starting to put it together, with a 3.93 ERA in 110 innings.  Trading Jackson or Andy Sonnanstine to make room for rookie David Price seems unlikely.
• Daniel Cabrera, Orioles.  Cabrera is having his best year, averaging over 6.5 innings per start by sacrificing his strikeout rate.  The O’s control him through 2010, so they’ll probably opt to hold onto him.
• Odalis Perez, Nationals.  Perez has a surprising 3.66 ERA in 83.6 innings, making him a quality trade piece for Jim Bowden.  He did have shoulder tendinitis earlier this year though.
• Tim Redding, Nationals.  Redding has also been solid, posting a 4.06 ERA in 108.6 innings.  The 30 year-old is under team control through 2010.
• Randy Wolf, Padres.  Wolf may prefer to stay in San Diego.  Home ERA: 2.54.  Road ERA: 6.66.
• Greg Maddux, Padres.  The Professor shows a similar home/road split, and he has a complete no-trade clause.
• Erik Bedard, Mariners.  He’s currently on the DL with a stiff shoulder, but the Phillies could still pursue him.  He’s under team control through ’09, but the Mariners won’t get anything close to the package they gave up for him.
• Gil Meche, Royals.  Meche and the Royals have been very clear – he’s staying in Kansas City.
• Jason Marquis, Cubs.  Marquis is signed at almost $10MM for ’09, so the Cubs might have to eat salary to move him.
• Roy Oswalt, Astros.  The Astros’ ace has a full no-trade clause and is expected to stay.  He’s signed through 2011.  Oswalt has, however, been scouted by several clubs.
• Dave Bush, Brewers.  Bush or Seth McClung could be the odd man out when Jeff Suppan comes off the DL, unless Ned Yost opts for a pitching platoon.  Most likely, the Brewers will just enjoy the depth.
• Oliver Perez, Mets.  The Mets are only two games out, quieting the rumors for now.
• Claudio Vargas, Mets.  He quietly passed through waivers unclaimed after the Mets designated him for assignment.
• Joe Blanton, Athletics.  Trading Blanton as his ERA approaches 5.00 doesn’t seem wise.
• Jarrod Washburn, Mariners.  He’s been decent since June. That’s a nice development for Lee Pelekoudas, who might be able to unload the $10.35MM owed to Washburn in ’09.
• Kevin Millwood, Rangers.  His groin is bothering him again, plus the Rangers might not be willing to sell.
• Vicente Padilla, Rangers.  Padilla is on the DL with a neck strain, driving his value down further after a couple of rough starts.
• Anthony Reyes, Cardinals.  Reyes has a 3.02 ERA in nine starts at Triple A.  He needs a fresh start.  He just came off the DL after a right elbow strain, however.
• A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays.  You know the story with Burnett – enigmatic pitcher with a dangerous opt-out after the season.  Some team seems likely to gamble on him for two months.
• Jeff Niemann, Rays.  The 25 year-old has a 3.82 ERA in 14 Triple A starts.  He’s an interesting trade chip that the Rays won’t miss this year.
• Kei Igawa, Yankees.  New York’s favorite lefty has a 3.80 ERA in 16 Triple A starts.  He’s signed through 2011 at $4MM a year.  Seems that he’d prefer to be back in Japan.
• Brett Myers, Phillies.  Myers does not want to be traded, nor is a deal likely.
• Paul Byrd, Indians.  He’s been awful since the beginning of June, bringing his ERA to 5.47.  Can’t be much of a market for him.
• Homer Bailey, Reds.  His value is down, though the Reds will give him a spot start Sunday.  Wasn’t long ago that he was Baseball America’s #9 prospect in the game.
• Bronson Arroyo, Reds.  His ERA is near 6.00 after 19 starts.  It’d be closer to 4.50 if you take out a pair of one-inning thrashings, but is it fair to do that?  He’s signed through 2010, and the Phillies might be interested.
• Livan Hernandez, Twins.  Would an NL team take him on? Livan had a run of four solid starts until the recent Boston beating.  Could be a DFA candidate.
• Josh Fogg, Reds.  The Reds aren’t too keen on Fogg, keeping him in the minors even after he was healthy.  He could be had for a song.
• Mark Hendrickson, Marlins.  He wouldn’t be of much help to a contender.
• Miguel Batista, Mariners.  He’s dealing with a groin injury.  Beyond that, he has a 6.22 ERA and a $9MM salary next year.

Next up in our second pass through the Trade Market, first basemen.

• Mark Teixeira, Braves.  As Mark Bowman wrote yesterday, the Braves may need a few weeks to decide whether to sell or buy.  Teixeira is hitting .275/.381/.492.  Frank Wren might have a hard time finding a match for Teixeira.  He’s an upgrade on guys like Casey Kotchman, Carlos Delgado, and Chad Tracy, but is the improvement worth it?
• Rich Aurilia, Giants.  Aurilia could make sense as a platoon partner for Tracy in Arizona, if Brian Sabean doesn’t mind helping a team in his division.  Aurilia hit well in May and June.
• Dmitri Young, Nationals.  He’s hitting well, but keep in mind Jim Bowden couldn’t find a deal he liked last year when Young had a .900 OPS and wasn’t a contractual burden.
• Lyle Overbay, Blue Jays.  Overbay is owed $14MM over 2009-10, and he is slugging under .400.  Not a hot commodity.
• Kevin Millar, Orioles.  The O’s are 7.5 games out of the wild card, so their strategy is unknown.  Millar’s value seems to be mostly intangible.
• Adam LaRoche, Pirates.  Like clockwork, LaRoche is having a big July after a slow start.  Selling high on him might make sense, but the Bucs haven’t given any indication of that.  Extension talks fizzled in April.
• Frank Catalanotto, Rangers.  Useful player who can also handle left field.  However, he carries a commitment of $4MM for ’09 plus a $2MM buyout on his ’10 option.
• Aaron Boone, Nationals.  Respectable role player, but the Nationals might prefer to keep him around as a clubhouse leader.
• Richie Sexson, Mariners.  Looking for a silver lining…he’s having a nice year against lefties?
• Wes Helms, Marlins.  One positive: the Phillies are paying his salary.
• Kendry Morales, Angels.  The 25 year-old was hitting .324/.365/.505 in Triple A until hitting the DL with an oblique strain.
• Chris Duncan, Cardinals.  He is fairly expendable, though he’s had a rough year and has never hit lefties.
• Casey Blake, Indians.  He’s a versatile player with a decent chance of being moved.  Anthony Castrovince makes a good point – the Tribe might want to re-sign him to play third base next year.
• Matt Stairs, Blue Jays.  Last year’s power and respectable work against southpaws has disappeared.
• Scott Hatteberg.  He seems to have disappeared since being designated for assignment by the Reds in May.

It’s been over a month since we finished up our Trade Market series.  A lot has changed, so let’s take another look at each position.  Today we’ll look at catchers.  As always, I welcome suggestions in the comments.

• Gerald Laird, Rangers.  He’s currently on the DL with a hamstring strain.  He should be back this month.  However, the Rangers may be on the fence about selling and committing to Jarrod Saltalamacchia as the main catcher.
• Bengie Molina, Giants.  The Giants are only five games out, and GM Brian Sabean said he’s not thinking of trading Molina.
• Rob Barajas and Gregg Zaun, Blue Jays.  Both are free agents after the season, though Barajas has a $2.5MM club option.  The Jays are 14 games out.
• Miguel Olivo, Royals.  He has a $2.7MM club option for ’09.  Trey Hillman has managed to find playing time for both John Buck and Olivo.  Impressively, Olivo has thrown out 50% of would-be basestealers.
• David Ross and Paul Bako, Reds.  Neither seems worthy of a starting role, though the Marlins are said to be interested in Ross.
• Ramon Hernandez, Orioles.  At six games out of the wild card, the Orioles could go either direction.  Hernandez isn’t having a good year, but he did hit better in June.  Signed through ’09, his contract is a burden.
• Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies.  He wants to be traded, having lost the starting gig to Chris Iannetta.  The Marlins almost signed him last winter, but he’s not on their radar.  Torrealba is signed for ’09 at $3.5MM.
• Paul Lo Duca, Nationals.  He’s become Jesus Flores’ backup, and doesn’t bring anything to the table at this point.
• Ronny Paulino, Pirates.  Paulino was banished to Triple A in June.  He was raking there until he sprained his ankle about a month ago.
• Kenji Johjima, Mariners.  The three-year extension is looking really bad.  Johjima has been abysmal this year.
• Josh Bard, Padres.  BP’s John Perrotto says the Friars will shop Bard once he returns from his ankle injury, perhaps this weekend.  Bard is under team control for ’09.

Over the last few weeks, we’ve attempted to determine the players available for trade at each position.  Here are the links to each post:

C, 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, CF, RF, SP, RP

Be sure to read the comments of each post, because readers did a fine job filling in the gaps on players I missed.

Plenty of contenders are in the market for relievers.  Possibly needy clubs include the Tigers, Indians, Astros, Yankees, and Red Sox.  The following relievers may be available in the coming months.

• Huston Street, Alan Embree, Keith Foulke, A’s.  Street is under team control (but not contract) through 2010; he might require a large bounty.
• Jon Rauch, Nationals.  He’s racked up 12 saves in Chad Cordero’s absence and is signed cheaply through 2010.
• George Sherrill, Chad Bradford, Jamie Walker, Orioles.  Sherrill is second in the Majors with 19 saves; he is also second with 21 opportunities.  He’s under team control through 2010.
• Brian Fuentes, Kip Wells, Rockies.  You can’t go wrong with Fuentes as a two-month rental.
• Jamey Wright, Joaquin Benoit, Eddie Guardado, Frank Francisco, Rangers.  Jon Daniels has many trade chips this year.
• John Grabow, Damaso Marte, Tyler Yates, Pirates.  The Bucs hold two premiere southpaws in Grabow and Marte.
• Ron Mahay, Jimmy Gobble, Brett Tomko, Royals.  Mahay could be shopped around; the Yankees liked him last winter.
• Jeremy Affeldt, David Weathers, Reds.  Both are impending free agents.
• Vinnie Chulk, Tyler Walker, Giants.
• LaTroy Hawkins, Yankees.  Hawkins remains a DFA candidate.
• R.A. Dickey, Arthur Rhodes, Mariners.
• Mike MacDougal, White Sox.
• Derrick Turnbow, Brewers. The Brewers will probably just let him try to figure it out in the minors.  Trading him doesn’t make much sense.

Almost every team needs starting pitching.  Let’s take a look at who’s out there.

• Bronson Arroyo, Reds.  If Walt Jocketty starts selling off his veterans, he’ll have to listen on Arroyo.  The innings-eating 31 year-old is signed through 2010.
• Derek Lowe, Dodgers.  Lowe seems to have righted the ship after a five-start stumble.  He’ll be a free agent after the season, but I can’t see Ned Colletti moving Lowe unless the Dodgers fall out of contention.
• Joe Blanton, A’s.  Like Arroyo, a hittable innings eater.  Also like Arroyo, he’s under team control through 2010. 
• Livan Hernandez, Twins.  The Twins may want to keep Livan, since they are in the thick of the AL Central race.  You may recall they did not elect to trade Carlos Silva last year.
• A.J. Burnett, Blue Jays.  His name comes up in trade rumors because of an opt out clause.  If he thinks he can top a two-year, $24MM deal, Burnett will probably elect free agency after the season.  The Jays are currently a contender, so he shouldn’t be available.  Plus, he has a limited no-trade clause.
• Boof Bonser, Twins.  Recently demoted to the bullpen, Bonser may be expendable (and more desirable than Livan).
• Brad Penny, Dodgers.  The Dodgers hold an $8.75MM option for ’09 with a $2MM buyout.  Penny has a limited no-trade clause.  He’s pitched terribly lately.
• C.C. Sabathia, Indians.  Teams would be falling all over themselves to add a true ace, even for two months.  And maybe the acquiring team would try to lock him up.  The Indians are still contending, however.
• Daniel Cabrera, Orioles.  Has he turned the corner, or should the O’s sell high?  Cabrera is under team control through 2010.
• Gil Meche, Royals.  Meche is signed through 2011.  I think the Royals should at least shop him around.
• Greg Maddux, Padres.  Mad Dog has no-trade protection, so it’ll be his call as to whether he wants a trade.
• Jeremy Bonderman, Nate Robertson, Kenny Rogers, Tigers.  Some have suggested the Tigers will look to move a starter.  They’re not out of the AL Central race, in my opinion.
• Miguel Batista, Jarrod Washburn, Mariners.  Both vets are signed through ’09.  Both have been lousy.
• Odalis Perez, Nationals.  Allows too many baserunners, but may be attractive as an innings eater.  Should definitely be available.
• Randy Wolf, Padres.  If Wolf puts in another strong, healthy month he should be one of Kevin Towers’ more valuable trade chips.
• Kevin Millwood, Vicente Padilla, Sidney Ponson, Rangers.  The Rangers are only six games out, so don’t start the fire sale yet.  Padilla is signed through ’09, Millwood through ’10.
• Ben Sheets, Brewers.  The Brewers are only 3.5 games out of the wild card, so trading Sheets (an impending free agent) should not be considered for now.
• Paul Byrd, Jeremy Sowers, Indians.  Shopping these two made sense before the Jake Westbrook injury.  Pitching surpluses don’t exist!
• Zack Greinke, Royals.  To trade him, the Royals would probably need a very good, cheap, young MLB-ready hitter.
• Rich Harden, A’s.  I expect interested teams to see how Harden fares over the next month before getting serious.

The Mariners, A’s, and Cubs are some clubs that may be in the hunt for right field help.  The players below may be available this summer.

• Xavier Nady, Pirates.  Among right fielders, only Ryan Ludwick has been more productive than Nady this year.  He earns $3.35MM this year and won’t reach free agency until after the ’09 season.  It’d be tough for Pirates fans to watch their incredibly productive outfield be dismantled, but trading Nady and Jason Bay might serve the greater good.
• Brian Giles, Padres.  The 37 year-old sports a .313/.398/.496 line in 367 ABs away from PETCO since the beginning of last season.  He makes $9MM this year (plus another $2MM if traded) and his $9MM option for ’09 carries a $3MM buyout.  He can block trades to eight teams.
• Randy Winn, Giants.  He’s been decent at the plate this year.  He makes $8MM this year and $8.25MM in ’09.  Winn can block trades to ten teams.
• Eric Hinske, Rays.  Hinske’s been a useful role player, but he could become expendable if Gabe Gross keeps hitting.  The righty-mashing Hinske is making only $800K.
• J.D. Drew, Red Sox.  Drew has his uses, but he’s not a $14MM player.  He’ll be paid at that rate through 2011 and can block trades to two teams.  The Sox could consider trading the MLB-ready Brandon Moss instead; he’d command a high price.
• Ken Griffey Jr., Reds.  #600 will come any day now.  Hal McCoy expects him to remain with the Reds for the entire season.
• Mark Teahen, Royals.  The versatile Teahen had a nice half-season run in ’06, but otherwise his bat has been average or worse.  He is under team control through 2010.   

Any decent center fielders out there for trade?  It’s a thin market; let’s explore.

• Coco Crisp, Red Sox.  Believe it not, he’s the best-hitting CF available.  Crisp is signed through ’09.   Brandon Moss and Bobby Kielty are both on minor league rehab assignments.  When they’re healthy, Crisp trade talks may resume.
• Ryan Freel, Reds.  Freel is a strong candidate to be moved, if a team will take on his $4MM salary for ’09.  I’m sure Corey Patterson is available too.
• Willy Taveras, Rockies.  Once Matt Holliday and Brad Hawpe return, the Rockies could entertain offers for Taveras.  The Rox could also move Cory Sullivan.
• David DeJesus, Royals.  DeJesus isn’t hitting this month.  He’s locked up cheaply through 2010, which is probably a plus.