One Current or Future Trade Candidate For Each Team in The National League

Every team, whether rebuilding or contending, always has either a surplus of players at one position or a complete hole at others and will want to make a transaction to address those areas. Whether you’re team is looking to cash in on any players they can to get prospects for the future or are looking for the final pieces to the puzzle for a World Series title, every team has at least one player that can be considered a trade candidate or an eventual trade candidate in the near future. Here we will pick one player from each team that could make sense as a current, or near future, trade candidate.

-RHP Julio Teheran(Atlanta Braves)

Teheran has been rumored in trades for the last few years now, however he has not been talked about much in the past year as the Braves have become contenders in the National League. Despite that, Atlanta would still like to deal the 27-year old due to his inconsistencies and the fact that the Braves have plenty of pitching depth as it is with more and more young prospects surfacing to the majors.

-C J.T. Realmuto(Miami Marlins)

This one was a no brainer. As of this writing Realmuto has not been dealt and that may not change anytime soon. Several suitors have had plenty of talks throughout the offseason with the Marlins but with Miami’s significantly high asking price, teams will be patient to wait for the Marlins to lower their demands. The Marlins long rebuild and Realmuto’s two remaining years of control should make the pressure on Miami in dealing him now high.

-LHP Noah Syndergaard(New York Mets)

The Mets will not deal Syndergaard this offseason. GM Brodie Van Waganen has made that clear as the Mets clearly have intentions on contending next season. But if New York falls out of the playoff race again then trade rumors around Thor could surface once again. The Padres were among teams that showed interest earlier in the offseason.

-3B Maikel Franco(Philadelphia Phillies)

Franco has been the subject of trade rumors around Philly for the last 2 years now, and the team would especially look to deal him if they are to land Manny Machado. Franco bounced back after a miserable 2017 season, but that hasn’t changed much regarding the 3rd baseman potentially getting traded at some point.

-OF Michael A. Taylor(Washington Nationals)

Taylor doesn’t really have much playing time ahead of him if the Nationals are going to give the starting nod to Victor Robles in 2019, and if the Nats are to re-sign Bryce Harper, Taylor wouldn’t seem to have a place at all to get at-bats. He’s struggled to hit and could use a change of scenery.

-SS Addison Russell(Chicago Cubs)

Russell is simply the most logical candidate to be traded by the Cubs due to his off-field issues. He was tendered a contract despite his suspension for domestic violence, and the Cubs will definitely want to see if there’s any value left in a player who carries those kind of issues with him.

-2B Scooter Gennett(Cincinnati Reds)

Gennett is a free agent after the 2019 season and the Reds have shopped him in the past. However, due to the fact that Cincinnati is intent on competing in the upcoming season, don’t expect Gennett to be moved. If the Reds fall out of the race though, he could be a hot commodity in the trade market.

-1B Eric Thames(Milwaukee Brewers)

With Jesus Aguilar’s bat emerging over the 2018 season, he has the inside track on the starting 1st base job for the 2019 season and with a full starting outfield for the Brewers, Thames is an expendable piece and will be shopped around by the brew crew. It isn’t a sure thing he gets traded however.

-C Francisco Cervelli(Pittsburgh Pirates)

Cervelli has been mentioned a lot in the offseason as one of the top catching options on the trade market and teams that find the Marlins asking price for J.T. Realmuto too high along with Yasmani Grandal’s high asking price in free agency, could definitely jump at trying to trade for Cervelli.

-1B Jose Martinez(St. Louis Cardinals)

The Cardinals have been shopping Martinez since they acquired Paul Goldschmidt from the D-Backs in the beginning of the offseason, but his horrid defense makes him a better option as a designated hitter in the American League. He looks like a high quality bench bat if St. Louis can’t deal him.

-RHP Zack Greinke(Arizona Diamondbacks)

The D-Backs would still love to find a taker for the majority of Greinke’s massive contract, but with his still above average pitching, Arizona isn’t just going to dump Greinke unless they get prospects along with paying down at least some of the right-handers contract.

-1B Ian Desmond(Colorado Rockies)

Unless the Rockies were to bizarrely change course and try to trade Nolan Arenado, then Desmond seems like the most logical trade candidate. It would be hard for Colorado to trade Desmond due to his sub par numbers and big contract, but they’d surely love to find a taker to get him off the books.

-OF Alex Verdugo(Los Angeles Dodgers)

Although he hasn’t had much time in the big leagues yet, Verdugo has been apart of just about every rumored trade package for players Los Angeles has been talking about acquiring. That doesn’t mean he does get traded though because after sending Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp to the Reds, the Dodgers may be smarter in keeping Verdugo apart of the mix.

-OF Wil Myers(San Diego Padres)

The Padres have a big surplus in their outfield and while Myers probably won’t be the one who gets traded out of the bunch, he has been apart of trade rumors in San Diego in the offseason. He’s owed a lot of money going forward and is coming off of a less-than stellar season, so San Diego would have a hard time trading Myers right now. Going forward though, with Eric Hosmer entrenched at 1st base and due to the aforementioned outfield logjam, Myers could very well pop back up in rumors if he can’t bounce back in the 2019 season.

-LHP Madison Bumgarner(San Francisco Giants)

He hasn’t been traded this offseason and that will most likely remain the same heading into spring training, but if the Giants aren’t contending for a playoff spot come July, trading Bumgarner would be a smart move, as he is a free agent following the 2019 season and San Francisco could benefit from adding talent to an underwhelming farm system that needs it.

Destination Speculation; Winter Meetings Edition

We are officially to the annual GM winter meetings, which means executives from every MLB organization will get together and is also a time where we usually see the most offseason activity amongst all 30 clubs around the league(it also includes the Rule 5 draft, which is held on the last day of the meetings).

With that being said, rumors will be all over the place pertaining to free agents and trade candidates alike. There’s always that move or two that will catch us all off guard, so it’s important to keep up with the latest news concerning each team around baseball, including the team you root for, because well, you never know. Here we will speculate on places we could see some oft-talked about players potentially going during the upcoming week. First we start with:

-Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer

The Cleveland Indians have been one of the most talked about teams thus far, due to their desire to shop starters Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, and Carlos Carrasco. Carrasco was just signed to an extension which makes him less likely to be traded, but that still leaves Kluber and Bauer. Both would fetch potentially huge returns in trades and Cleveland will not settle for anything less than a large return. Teams we’ve heard discussing the Indians’ starters so far have been the Mets and Dodgers. Other speculative fits could also be the Braves, Padres, Reds, Phillies, and Astros. Perhaps Houston namely, could include Kyle Tucker in a deal for Kluber or Bauer due to the Indians’ desire to acquire some outfielders.

-Noah Syndergaard Trade?

Rumors have swirled around Syndergaard thus far, to the point where multiple teams have discussed players with the Mets however no deal has come to fruition. Since then, Mets GM Brodie Van Wagenen has made it known he doesn’t intend on dealing the Mets No.2 ace unless a massive offer comes along. Could he get dealt? The Padres have been the most aggressive team on Syndergaard yet Mets brass has insisted San Diego include one of Fernando Tatis Jr or Mackenzie Gore as part of a trade package that, unsurprisingly, the Padres don’t want to offer. The same teams listed above in the Kluber/Bauer section could be in on Syndergaard, but the Mets surely wouldn’t deal “Thor” to the Braves or Phillies. Don’t be surprised if he gets dealt despite Mets management saying they are unlikely to deal him.

-Does Dipoto Continue Dealing?

Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto has been wheeling and dealing over the past several weeks, both building up the farm system and adding young, MLB ready talent. While Seattle has already dealt most of its top trade chips, could Dipoto still surprise us by biting on an offer for star outfielder Mitch Haniger or perhaps starter Marco Gonzales? We will find out this week. Jay Bruce, Carlos Santana, and other high priced veterans recently acquired have been talked about already too. Don’t underestimate dealin Dipoto, he always has something up his sleeve.

-Bryce Harper and Manny Machado Sweepstakes:

It’s not entirely known if Bryce Harper and/or Manny Machado will sign at the winter meetings but if they do, expect record contracts like we’ve all predicted. It will surely be fascinating to see who will end up with one of these two(or even both).

-Yusei Kukuchi

He’s been posted by his home team in Japan, and while it’s unlikely he signs during the meetings, whoever wins the bidding for his services will surely be adding a quality, young starter who can slot in well in any big league rotation. Expect west coast teams to have the most interest.

There will be A LOT more moves this week, including plenty of free agent signings(at least we hope due to last year’s free agent freeze), and trades will flow in with notable players such as Zack Greinke, J.T. Realmuto, and Madison Bumgarner potentially being dealt this week. It will make for another fascinating week this hot stove season so stay tuned and feel free to continue the discussion with your comments below!

Sonny Gray Drawing Widespread Interest

The Brewers and Padres are the two latest teams with interest in Yankees starter Sonny Gray.

Gray has become one of the most oft-mentioned trade candidates early on in the offseason, as the Yankees are looking to deal the struggling 29-year old on the heels of a down 2018 season that saw the right-hander post a 4.90 ERA in 130.1 IP. Despite those numbers, he was a far better pitcher on the road than he was in New York’s home ballpark, which helps him have some trade value and explains why so many teams are eyeing a bounce back for Gray.

The Braves, Rangers, and several other teams have also been linked to Gray recently, so expect Gray to be dealt sooner than later.

MLB Top Prospects; 2019’s Rookie Class Looks Impressive

The 2018 season saw the debuts of several top prospects around the league, including AL Rookie of the year and two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani and NL Rookie of the year Ronald Acuna Jr. Both phenoms have plenty of years of elite seasons ahead and no doubt will be entertaining to watch as they continue to grow as major leaguers.

They weren’t the only two to debut in impressive fashion either. Dodgers starter Walker Buehler and Cardinals starter Jack Flaherty both had strong rookie years as well, along with the arrivals of Yankees top prospects Gleyber Torres and Miguel Andujar, who made strong first year impressions as well. And let’s not forget Nationals star outfielder Juan Soto, who burst onto the scene at just 18 years of age and crushed major league pitching. Plenty of other future talent made brief debuts as well.

So with that being said, what does 2019 look like in regards to top prospect arrivals? Needless to say, nothing short of impressive. It could look even stronger than the 2018 season we just saw. In fact, most of the top 10 prospects over at MLB.com and other outlets may or will make their debuts, including uber prospects Vladimir Guerrero Jr and Fernando Tatis Jr.

It may take longer for some than others, both due to service time considerations and/or teams feeling like their respective players aren’t quite ready to jump to the major league level early in 2019. Regardless, we will see plenty of top talent make it to the show and those players include the aforementioned Guerrero Jr and Tatis Jr, White Sox Top prospect Eloy Jimenez, Astros right-hander Forrest Whitley, Reds infielder Nick Senzel, Rockies top prospect Brendan Rodgers, and more.

There are others who have already made brief debuts in 2018 but still hold their rookie status such as Victor Robles and Kyle Tucker. Those two could very well be in the bigs to stay if they can deliver results for their respective teams(especially if the Nationals lose Bryce Harper in Robles’ case).

The end of the 2018 season left us in awe as we watched some exciting young talent ascend to the majors in a big way and 2019 could see, or will see in the case of some teams, more top talent emerge from the minor league ranks. We will all be here to watch, so get excited. So, What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments!(In case I missed anything as well)