At Home Plate - The Future of Some Potential Trade Bait

Written by Daniel Paulling (Contact & Archive) on July 30, 2008

As the trade deadline looms, many contending teams are looking to improve. And there are enough sellers out there to make things interesting. This figures to be an interesting deadline, as many teams have big-time players who are potential free agents. Here is my best guess concerning the future of these players. (You can also look to the right of your screen, as MLBTradeRumors.com, through a special partnership with AtHomePlate.com, will keep you up to date on the latest news.)

SP AJ Burnett, Toronto Blue Jays – On Monday, general manager JP Ricciardi said the Blue Jays would not be dealing Burnett. That comes as quite a surprise, since they are not really in contention and Burnett could become a free agent after this season, if he so desires. My best guess is that Burnett won’t be moving, but Ricciardi has lied to the media before when it came to player injuries. He may be doing the same this year.

C Bengie Molina, San Francisco Giants – Considering Molina’s age and contract situation, the Giants would be sage to send him on his way. That has not been general manager Brian Sabean’s way, however, and the team may hold onto Molina, despite interest from the New York Yankees and (surprise) Florida Marlins. Call this one a push. It’s easy to see him elsewhere, but then again, he could be heading out a la Ray Durham.

SP Jarrod Washburn, Seattle Mariners – Speaking of dumb decision-makers, Seattle hasn’t moved Washburn just yet. He’s owed $10.35 million next season, along with the pro-rated share of $9.85 this year. The Yankees were clearly interested in taking this yoke off the Mariners’ back, but they have been stuck upon Melky Cabrera or Brett Gardner in return. Washburn has a good chance at staying with the club but could be moved before the August 31 waiver deadline.

OF Manny Ramirez, Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox can’t really deal Ramirez. It would be too hard for them to replace his production in the lineup, which means if they are aiming for the World Series, they have to keep him. That means they’re keeping him. Ramirez has $20 million options for the 2009 and 2010 seasons, and it’s likely the Red Sox will accept one of those. The Los Angeles Dodgers, Diamondbacks, and New York Mets were all rumored to be interested, but they couldn’t send an offensive player similar to Ramirez in return.

OF Randy Winn, San Francisco Giants – Ed Price of the Newark Star-Ledger reports the Yankees have been scouting Winn. He could be a replacement for Hideki Matsui, who could miss the remainder of the season due to his knee troubles. Winn will likely remain a Giant, however, because he’s owed quite a bundle of cash (the pro-rated amount of $8 million this season and $8.25 next year).

OF Jose Guillen, Kansas City Royals – ESPN reports that Guillen is unhappy in Kansas City and hopes to be traded. That’s quite interesting, as Guillen was more than happy to sign on the dotted line to become a Royal last offseason. Enrique Rojas, an ESPN writer, goes on to say that Guillen isn’t even on talking terms with manager Trey Hillman. Don’t expect to see Guillen in a new uniform despite his penchant for being a malcontent.

RP Ron Mahay, Kansas City Royals – Mahay is quite to commodity, considering his success this season with the Royals. As one of the team’s primary relievers, Mahay has posted a sparkling 1.81 ERA over 54-2/3 innings. His 1.19 WHIP suggests that first figure may be a little bit of a fluke, but whatever team obtains him should consider itself lucky. The Phillies and Red Sox are all over him, and it is very likely that he switches teams.

Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites