As trade season for the MLB quickly approaches, it is time to look ahead and try to predict some trades for contenders to get even better. We will look at the teams that are less than 5 games ahead for their division, or less than five games back, as of July 4th. You will see a lot of these teams are missing the same thing, and I will try to use a different trade option for them. Keep in mind that any trade target can be used for the other teams with the same need as well.
Miami Marlins – Starting Pitching
Yes, the Marlins still have Jose Fernandez and he is still pretty good this year, with an ERA of 2.69 and allowing his opponents a batting average of .202. What is really bad about this Marlins team is that the rest of their rotation has a collective ERA of 4.69. This is a big hole that needs to be filled if this Marlins team wants to get into the playoffs this year and be contenders down the road. One trade idea is to get Chris Archer from the Rays. The Rays have publicly made all of their pitchers available, and Archer has a chance to rebound from his down year, but he needs more of an offense behind him to pitch comfortably. Another option is to trade for Jimmy Nelson of the Brewers, as he would bring in a ERA of 3.56 and is still young as he is 27, so he can help this team for more than just this year.
Chicago Cubs – Bullpen
We have been seeing the Cubs trying to get Andrew Miller and/or Aroldis Chapman from the Yankees, but what good would they do? Miller has a career 4.40 ERA, but that is because he was a starter at the beginning of his career and he has over 590 innings. Miller is also on the wrong side of 30, barely, but may be on a decline as he is in his prime right now. Who knows how long Miller can keep doing this, he may not be as good next year as he is currently. Chapman, on the other hand, is younger at age 28, but he is also an upcoming free agent next year. Do these “win-now Cubs” really want to put their eggs into this year’s basket and try to get another top reliever next year? Also what if the Yankees do not want to deal either for potential prospects, who would this Cubs team give up to get this deal done? They have a lot of good young potential prospects and even somewhat proven ones, like Kyle Schwarber, but would they give up so much of their future for one year of Chapman or maybe a few years of Miller? They could also go for Zach Duke of the Chicago White Sox if they want a cheaper option, but he would not have as much an impact as the other two.
Seattle Mariners – Catcher or Outfield
One of the most talked about pieces on the move for a contender at the catcher position is Jonathan Lucroy of the Brewers. He is hitting .300 and is an elite defensive catcher with a .990 fielding percentage and a 39% caught stealing percentage, with a Major League high of 26 runners caught stealing. He will provide a huge upgrade over Chris Iannetta, who is hitting .227 and only throwing out 27% of potential base stealers. In the outfield, the Mariners can add Kole Calhoun from the Angels, who is hitting .283 with 10 homers and a OPS of .795. Another option for these Mariners would be Carlos Gonzalez of the Rockies, who is having another great season so far, hitting .321 for the Rockies this year and is being just like himself on defense. The last option for outfield would be Jay Bruce. Of course, Bruce has been linked to many other teams because he has a proven track record of solid play. If Bruce can get hot like he did last year on a contending team, he might lead them to the promised land.
Kansas City Royals – Starting Pitching
See the Marlins above for first few options. The Royals have thrived on having no pitching depth or a lot of talent in their last two runs to the World Series. However, they can not go on forever without having a legit ace. Yordano Ventura has shown the ability to be an ace, but not consistently. Another choice, assuming Miami starts to flop again, is Adam Conley, who is the second best starter on the Marlins with a 3.65 ERA. Not a great ERA, but it would be one of the best on the Royals and he most likely turn into the ace of the team. The Royals have more than just one option as they can go and grab Rich Hill from the Athletics, who would be an upgrade for one or two years and has a ERA of 2.31. The only catch is who would they have to give up for Hill?
Los Angeles Dodgers – Starting Pitching
Yes, the Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw, who is other-worldly again with his 1.71 ERA, and Kenta Maeda, who has an ERA of 2.82. Those are the only two starting pitchers as the rest of the rotation has an ERA of over 3.99, and only four pitchers have made more than 10 starts. For some of the other options look above, but these Dodgers have more than just those choices as they have a lot of assets that can be moved, from prospects to Yasiel Puig. The one question is do they just bring up more prospects to fill holes or trade for hole pluggers? Some trade options would be Garrett Richards of the Angels, who has a 2.34 ERA and would be a great improvement over who they have now. They also could look to the Padres and try to get Drew Pomeranz, who has a ballpark-deflated 2.65 ERA. Looking outside of the Golden State, the Dodgers can grab Julio Teheran from the Braves relatively cheap. Any of these players would be a huge upgrade for this Dodgers team.