As the second half is fully underway, general managers and owners of teams across MLB must make the most critical decision of the season: buy or sell. Buying constitutes a belief that the team currently assembled can compete come October and need a few pieces to bolster their chances of doing so. On the other hand, when a team trades away talent for prospects or younger talent, they are selling away their hopes and dreams of contending for a championship this season and are instead preparing for 2017. Let’s now look at the 11 players most likely to change uniforms before the end of this month.
1. Julio Teheran
Teheran is one of the few movable pieces at the moment for an impoverished Braves roster. Atlanta is under a ginormous rebuild and is looking to fill their farm system with as many talented prospects as possible. Although Teheran is signed for a relatively team friendly deal through 2019, trading him now should bring in a large hull of prospects which will greatly speed up the rebuild process for a franchise noted for having a strong farm system.
2. Jay Bruce
Similar to Atlanta, Cincinnati is also mired in a rebuild of their own. Throughout the years, Bruce has consistently been a part of trade rumors, although nothing has ever matriculated into anything serious. Earlier in the year, there was a deal that would’ve sent Bruce to Toronto, however that deal was nullified after one of the players in the potential blockbuster trade received bad medical review from doctors. Considering the fact Bruce has bounced back spectacularly this season after two disappointing seasons in a row, now would be the right time to unload Bruce for prospects.
3. Josh Reddick
The A’s will continue their annual tradition of purging their roster of any talent that can net talent. Reddick was rumored to be in talks with Oakland management on a potential contract extension, however Reddick rebuffed their offer of three-years, $36 million and instead countered with $56 million over four. The A’s are not known for making large contract offers, so trading Reddick now before he walks in the off season is the most logical decision for Oakland’s front office.
4. Jonanthan Lucroy
For the past four seasons, Lucroy has been one of the elite catchers in baseball. Why hasn’t he garnered more recognition? Playing for terrible Milwaukee teams will often do the trick. Lucroy made in public in the off season that he wants to play for a winner, and the Brewers are once again dealing with a lost season. With no promise of contention in sight, Lucroy is all but certain to be traded away come July 31.
5. Carlos Gonzalez
If you watch the Rockies, you know Gonzalez can smash the ball, play solid defense and steal bases along the way. He is definitely one of the few multi-tooled players in the game. Colorado is unlikely to compete for the playoffs in the next few seasons, and with CarGo’s history of injures, unloading him now while he’s performing fully healthy will only benefit Colorado in the long run.
6. Aroldis Chapman
If the Yankees decide to become sellers, they have very few options to deal away. Chapman is still one of the most elite closers in the game, and with the Yankees floundering farther away for playoff contention nightly, having a high profiled closer makes no sense on a team not bound for a playoff spot. Chapman would instantly net a large hull of prospects to help alleviate an aging New York roster. Despite his off the field concerns this last off season, Chapman appears to have at least rectified his mistake and is on the right trajectory.
7. Carlos Beltran
Aforementioned a paragraph above, the Yankees are an aging roster crippling away right before our eyes. For the betterment of the franchise it would be better to trade away pieces this season and admit this is a lost season rather than compete for a wild card spot. Beltran can still hit in his late 30s, and would provide instant pop for any contending team in need of DH help.
8. Jeremy Hellickson
Hellickson was an under-the-radar acquisition last November by newly minted Phillies general manager Matt Klentak. Hellickson’s acquisition has paid off major dividend for the Phillies, as their pitching staff is more stable this season than last year’s rotation. However, the Phillies are not good enough to compete for the playoffs this season, and with several contenders in desperate need of pitching, trading Hellickson at the height of high demand with little supply on the trade market makes sense for the Phillies front office.
9. Rich Hill
Oakland quietly snatched Hill in the off season and felt confident in his ability to pitch at age 36. In essence, the A’s took a flier on Hill after he showed potential in reviving his career towards the end of the 2015 season with a few starts for an ailing Red Sox rotation. Hill currently sits with a shiny record of 9-3 and a 2.25 ERA. Hill could provide much needed rotation depth for several contending teams, and the A’s will surely have him traded prior to the deadline in two weeks.
10. Melvin Upton, Jr.
The Padres experiment from last off season utterly collapsed and turned into a dumpster fire by mid-season. General Manager A.J. Preller has rectified some of the mistakes made by already trading Craig Kimbrel, Joaquin Benoit and James Shields. Upton is having an awesome season for San Diego and with him performing at peak value for a player prone to strikeout a ton and hover around low batting averages, now is the time to trade Upton.
11. Andrew Cashner
Cashner is one of San Diego’s solid performers and is present their ace after trading away James Shields to the White Sox about a month ago. Cashner is in his final year with San Diego, and with the Padres appearing to be heading towards another inevitable rebuild, trading Cashner now when he is unlikely to resign with them makes total sense. Cashner is 29 and will likely seek out a large contract in the off season, so expect teams only to trade for him as a rental, which could lower San Diego’s total return of talent.
