Trade Market News & Rumors

Today let’s see which left fielders may be on the trade market in the coming months.  I’ll limit it to players who have actually played left this year.  The Indians, Mets, and Cardinals could be looking for help at the position.

• Pat Burrell, Phillies.  Maybe the Phils’ surging offense could spare Burrell once Jayson Werth returns from the DL.  They’re much more likely to hang on to Burrell though.
• Jason Bay, Pirates.  The resurgent Bay (.290/.410/.541) is one of the crown jewels of the trade market.  The Bucs were right to wait on trading him.  Since the acquiring team gets him for a season and a half, could he draw a Teixeira-like bounty?
• Matt Holliday, Rockies.  Ken Rosenthal suggested "almost certainly would consider" trading him.  Jayson Stark’s sources were more skeptical.  Like Bay, Holliday is signed through ’09.
• Adam Dunn, Reds.  Dunn has a full no-trade clause until June 15th; after that he can block trades to ten teams he’s specified.  According to Rosenthal, Dunn strategically selected high-revenue teams for these ten.  Walt Jocketty has to navigate through all that to find a team willing to give up players worth more than two draft picks in exchange for two months of Dunn.
• Raul Ibanez, Mariners.  At .263/.325/.444, he’s not tearing the cover off the ball. But Ibanez is a free agent after the season and the Mariners are the worst team baseball.  Ibanez might maintain Type A status, and I could see Bill Bavasi holding on to him.
• Frank Catalanotto, Rangers.  Fairly useful player who can also help at first base.
• Chris Duncan, Cardinals.  Trading him now would be selling low.
• Jay Payton, Orioles.  Doesn’t have any trade value.
• Dave Roberts, Giants.  Could be back in June but carries burden of $6.5MM ’09 salary.
• Matt Murton, Cubs.  Murton believes he has 20-30 HR potential and would seemingly welcome a trade.
• Juan Rivera, Angels.  He’s still buried behind Gary Matthews Jr. and Garret Anderson.
• Free agents: Barry Bonds, Kenny Lofton, Reggie Sanders.

Looking to fill a need at the hot corner?  Here is MLBTR’s rundown of the possibly available third basemen.

• Garrett Atkins, Rockies.  It seems that the Rockies will listen on Atkins, who will reach free agency after the 2010 season.  The Indians may have interest.
• Dallas McPherson, Marlins.  Jorge Cantu is getting the job done for the big club, while McPherson is hitting .283/.378/.604 with 15 home runs in Triple A.
• Joe Crede, White Sox.  Despite all the springtime rumors, it seems unlikely that the first-place Sox would trade Crede.  Josh Fields could be a valuable trade chip, though.
• Kevin Kouzmanoff, Padres.  Another lousy April for Kouz, but he’s doing a fine job this month.  He’s still cheap, so the Padres will probably keep him if they throw in the towel.
• Jose Castillo, Giants.  He’s played tolerably this year. 
• Willy Aybar, Rays. The Rays don’t seem to have a place for him.
• Chad Tracy, Diamondbacks.  It may make sense to keep him around to compete with Mark Reynolds.  Plus, teams would want to see Tracy prove his health.
• Brandon Inge, Tigers.  The respectable April did not hold up.  He may be available, but his contract runs through 2010.
• Bill Hall, Brewers.  He’s not happy about the Russell Branyan callup, and Hall still at least has the 30 HR pop.
• Casey Blake and Andy Marte, Indians.  Neither has hit this year. Blake is a free agent after the season and Marte is out of options.
• Melvin Mora, Orioles.  His bat continues to decline, and he’s signed through ’09 with a no-trade clause.

Many shortstops are having disappointing seasons, at least offensively.  What does the trade market offer at this position?

• Jack Wilson, Pirates.  He’s set to come off the DL tomorrow following a calf strain. Given the performance of his replacements, the Bucs may hang on to Wilson for the sake of respectability. Plus, they’re not out of contention.  Wilson is signed through ’09 and has a limited no-trade clause.
• Alex Gonzalez, Reds.  If Jeff Keppinger can return in late June and Gonzalez is ready in July, he could be dealt.  It’d be tough – he’s signed through ’09.
• Cristian Guzman, Nationals.  Impending free agent, hitting decently…good candidate for a trade.
• Bobby Crosby, Athletics.  The A’s always seem willing to listen, but they’d need to determine Crosby’s replacement.
• Edgar Renteria, Tigers.  At 6.5 games out, the Tigers aren’t ready to throw in the towel.  Renteria’s $11MM option for ’09 is not a lock, by the way.
• Julio Lugo, Red Sox.  He’s not exactly a hot commodity. 
• Omar Vizquel, Giants.  They may play the "let’s stay somewhat respectable at short" card and choose to keep him.
• David Eckstein, Blue Jays.  Perhaps if they fall out of contention and Eckstein returns successfully from a strained right hip flexor.
• Brent Lillibridge, Braves.  Could be one of the team’s best trade chips, though he’s not hitting in Triple A.
• Khalil Greene, Padres.  Off to a slow start offensively, and the Padres would need to acquire a replacement.  Signed through ’09.
• Ronny Cedeno, Cubs.  Could be a very valuable trade piece, but also may be the team’s shortstop of the future.

Is your team weak at second base?  Perhaps you’ve been suffering through Asdrubal Cabrera and his .506 OPS?  Take a gander at MLBTR’s list of available second basemen, and make a deal.  Are we missing anyone?

• Brian Roberts, Orioles.  There have been rumblings that Roberts may be off the market.  He should be available come July, though.  The asking price will be high.
• Ray Durham, Giants.  Sure, you can have him. The power’s gone, but he does have a .366 OBP.  Since Durham makes $7.5MM, this will just be a salary dump.
• Ronny Cedeno, Cubs.  Cedeno can handle short, too.  He seems to be progressing and could be a nice trade chip for the Cubs.  Mike Fontenot might be more expendable, though, since he can’t play short.
• Mark Grudzielanek, Royals. Same old Grudzielanek, hitting his standard .300.  He’s earning $4MM this year.
• Tadahito Iguchi, Padres.  Seemed rejuvenated by last year’s trade, maybe it’ll happen again.
• Mark Ellis, Athletics. Impending free agent, fine defense. He’s a borderline Type A free agent, so it’d take something decent to acquire him.
• Felipe Lopez and Ron Belliard, Nationals.  Neither is doing much with the bat.
• Mark Loretta, Astros.  He’s more expendable now that Kaz Matsui is back.  They might want to keep him around until Ty Wigginton settles in.
• Juan Uribe, White Sox.  He was placed on waivers in March, and was a rumored possible cut earlier this month.

Next up in the Trade Market series, first basemen.  Which ones might be available in the coming months?  Let me know in the comments if you have anyone to add.

• Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young, Nationals.  Johnson will be out for roughly a month with a torn wrist tendon, while Young just returned from the DL after a lower back strain.  It’ll be tough for Jim Bowden to move either of them.
• Rich Aurilia, Giants.  He’s heating up this month.  He’s being paid $4.5MM this year, and it wouldn’t take much.
• Kevin Millar, Orioles.  Millar seems to enjoy playing in Baltimore, and the O’s are only two games out of the wild card.  He’s not hitting much yet anyway.
• Richie Sexson, Mariners and Carlos Delgado, Mets.  Both seem more likely to be designated for assignment than traded.  Their salaries have kept them afloat so far.
• Paul Konerko, White Sox.  Logic says Konerko stays put.  A sore wrist has contributed to a slow start, he has 10 and 5 rights, and he earns $12MM annually through 2010.
• Adam LaRoche, Pirates.  Seems to have shaken off his typical slow start.  Extension talks fizzled.
• Scott Hatteberg, Reds.  He seems likely to go, and would probably prefer it.  Hatteberg may be the first order of business for Walt Jocketty. 
• Chris Duncan, Cardinals.  The Cards can probably get by in the outfield without him.  The 27 year-old has a career line of .271/.359/.512.
• Kendry Morales, Angels.  Morales, 25 in June, is hitting .298/.341/.470 in Triple A (nothing special).
• Chad Tracy, Diamondbacks.  With Mark Reynolds and Conor Jackson manning the corners in Arizona, Tracy isn’t needed.  He could return within a week, finishing a long recovery from microfracture knee surgery.

As we near June, trade rumors will start to pick up.  It’s always fun to try to find teams with matching needs.  With that in mind, I’m going to profile available players at each position on the diamond.  Today we’ll start with catchers.  Let me know in the comments if you have anyone to add.

• Ramon Hernandez, Orioles.  The O’s are playing surprisingly well, but Hernandez is not hitting.  He makes $7.5MM this year, $8MM in ’09, and has an $8.5MM option for ’10 with a $1MM buyout.  I imagine the Orioles would like to move that contract.
• Gerald Laird, Rangers.  The Rangers aren’t out of contention quite yet.  When they are, it’ll be time for Laird to step aside for Jarrod Saltalamacchia.  Laird, a Boras client, is under team control through 2010.  He’s having an improved year at the plate.
• Ronny Paulino, Pirates.  Once Ryan Doumit returns in June, the Bucs can at least consider moving Paulino. 
• Paul Lo Duca and Johnny Estrada, Nationals.  Couple of bad signings…if either veteran returns to health he could be traded for scraps.
• Paul Bako and Javier Valentin, Reds.  Bako had a nice April and is hitting well above his career norm.
• Yorvit Torrealba, Rockies.  With Chris Iannetta seemingly living up to his potential, Torrealba becomes a relatively pricey luxury.
• Bengie Molina, Giants.  He’s a solid bat and is signed for ’09 at $6MM.
• Michael Barrett, Padres.  Currently on a rehab assignment, Barrett could be one of several veterans purged by the Padres.