MLB Trade Deadline

First off, screw you Ryan Braun.  I hope your balls fall off.  Braun tried so hard to tell us all he was innocent, but of course he wasn't.  Meanwhile, children in Milwaukee are sad and Braun goes right back to his $100MM contract next season.  At least it happened to Wisconsin.  If someone deserves this, it's them.  I enjoy that MLBers like Skip Schumaker and Jesse Crain are getting sick of the cheaters and are coming out and speaking against it.

It seems like there are a lot of veterans that are on the block this year as we approach the trade deadline.  The increase in potential activity is probably due to some close races in divisions as well as the addition of the second wild-card.  Here are some dudes that might be on the move.

@mike_olt

Matt Garza - Well, I was so lazy writing this that Garza already got traded to the Rangers.  The Cubs receive Mike Olt, Justin Grimm and CJ Edwards as well as 1 or 2 players to be named later.  It's only 1 if they choose Neil Ramirez.  Mike Olt was the #22 prospect at the beginning of the year according to Baseball America.  He's 24 and has struggled at AAA after mashing AA the year prior.  He was dealing with some weird eye thing which could have contributed to the suck.  He's a solid defender at 3B.  Grimm is a starter that's been poor in 17 starts for the Rangers, but was a top 10 prospect for them and has mid rotation potential.  Edwards is 21 and is ripping up class A ball with a 1.83 ERA over 93 IP. 

Alfonso Soriano - It sounds like if I don't type fast enough today Soriano will be a Yankee by the time I post.  A deal requires Soriano to waive a no-trade clause.  Also, the Cubs will be paying quite a bit of the remaining $24.9MM owed to him.  The Yankees would be sending a minor league relief prospect like Chase Whitley and/or Tommy Kahnle.  Soriano is hitting .256 with a .286 OBP, but does have 17 homers.  He has a 1.2 WAR so far this year.  Vernon Wells, the player he would likely replace, has a 0.0 WAR. 

Jake Peavy - With Garza gone, Peavy is the next mostly heavily talked about pitcher available.  The 32 year old just returned from a stint on the DL due to a rib injury.  He has a 4.19 ERA, but advanced stats show he's had a bit of bad luck out there.  (xFIP 3.65)  He's still striking out 8.5/9 and walking just 1.85/9.  The Red Sox seems to be the hottest after Peavy and they could definitely use him.    Peavy is due $29MM over the next two years.  The Giants, Rockies and D-Backs have also shown some interest.  Peavy should garner a Garza-esque package.  Especially since he's under control for two years, where Garza is a free agent after this season.

Justin Morneau - Jon Heyman wrote that teams are "soft" on the idea of trading for Morneau.  The Pirates and Yankees were the most rumored over the last week.  You would think Morneau could see a spike of production in a new environment that isn't Target Field, but his home/road splits show that he's actually worlds better at home.  He hits 320/368/521 with 6 of his 7 homers at home; he's a miserable 222/294/284 hitter on the road.  Maybe teams have cooled because they googled some Morneau splits and don't want to pay the last $6MM of Morneau's 6yr/80MM deal for that type of production.

While there has been a lot of speculation about Justin Morneau and other Twins, rivals haven’t sensed a big push from MIN to make deals.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 21, 2013

Aramis Ramirez - Aramis is on the DL, but teams are still showing interest.  In fact, he probably won't even be off the DL before the deadline.  However, his $16MM price tag this year means that he would likely clear waivers and could be moved in August when he returns.  Both the Red Sox and Yankees have a need at 3B that might make Ramirez a good fit.

Michael Young - The Phillies aren't sure whether they should be buyers or sellers.  They're just 7.0 games behind the Braves despite being a game under .500 and they've won 6 of 10 recently.  They actually have a better record than the pre-season darling Washington Nationals.  For now, they're saying Young isn't available -- again, the Yankees and Red Sox have interest.  This is a case where the two wildcard system is likely keeping someone from selling.

Yovani Gallardo - Let's face it, the Brewers might as well punt now that Braun is out for the year and Gallardo is another name that is drawing some interest.  Gallardo isn't doing the Brewers any favors though by pitching like crap.

Not sensing a lot of enthusiasm over Yovani Gallardo despite 6.1 shutout IP last night. Two execs who were there called him a "4-5 starter"
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) July 21, 2013

Francisco Rodriguez - Lots of teams are after K-Rod, notably the Tigers, Red Sox and Dodgers.  The Tigers would possibly plug him in at closer.  He stills throws it at 93-94mph and has that sick slider.  His contract is a palatable $2.25 with some games played incentives.  Huston Street is a name that has come up for reliever-seekers as well. Althought a lot of Tigers fans seem to not want him:

Tigers interested in Huston Street. Because they lay up at night wondering how to screw up their bullpen."How can we waste Benoit again?"
— Patrick DiCaprio (@pdicaprioFP911) July 22, 2013

Jason Kubel - There are mild rumors out there about Kubel being moved; he's another guy that has played poorly this year and is hurting his trade value.  Unlike Morneau, he sucks equally both at home and away.  He might be a cheaper trade alternative to Alex Rios or god forgive me, Nate Schierholtz.  A mid-level reliever might get it done as AZ has stated they're looking for pitching.  The guy did hit 30 homers just a year ago.  Plus this:

Jason Kubel looks like Cheddar Bob from 8 mile
— Tyler Brown (@TBro323) July 20, 2013