There was a bit of a lull in the MLB offseason until big news hit that will surely influence more activity among teams with holes left to fill ahead of spring training.
Max Scherzer's megadeal with the Washington Nationals will have a ripple effect throughout the league. The market for James Shields should finally pick up, as will the markets for other lower-tier pitchers who have yet to find a new home.
The Chicago Cubs struck a deal for Dexter Fowler, as reported by 670thescore.com's Bruce Levine, which should push more teams to talk turkey about other options. The Texas Rangers got in on the action by acquiring Yovani Gallardo, according to Fox Sports' Ken Rosenthal.
Who will be the next man to move on the trade market? There are a few intriguing MLB trade rumors floating around in the wake of this recent activity. Check them out below.
Jordan Zimmermann is no longer the ace of the Nationals rotation. That title belongs to Scherzer. He's more like the co-co-ace, as Stephen Strasburg has shown flashes of pitching like a No. 1. Add in pitchers Gio Gonzalez, Doug Fister and Tanner Roark, and the Nats have six high-quality pitchers for five spots.
Naturally, somebody has to go. Having too much pitching is never an issue, but having this many valuable arms should signal a trade. Fox Sports' Jon Morosi tweeted about who could be on the move prior to the team signing Scherzer:
Now that the 30-year-old is officially in the fold, talks for Zimmermann should heat up.
Morosi writes that the Milwaukee Brewers would be an ideal fit after trading Gallardo, yet there is no shortage of teams that could use an ace-like starter who can deliver close to 200 innings and an ERA near 3.00 over 30-plus starts.
Still, the Nationals probably have to be blown away to trade someone of Zimmermann's caliber. He's worth a king's ransom, especially if Washington values him similarly to how they value Scherzer. As you can see, the two pitchers have similar numbers in a few categories over the past four seasons:
They don't have to trade him, though, and Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweets that the team might be leaning toward keeping him in the fold:
This doesn't mean that Morosi's initial report is wrong. The Nationals can have dozens of talks with teams about their star, but that doesn't mean they're actively looking to send him on his way.
It's a scary thought for the National League East and the rest of baseball, as a five-man rotation of Scherzer, Zimmermann, Strasburg, Gonzalez and Fister with Roark assuming long-man duties in the bullpen is easily World Series-caliber.
"They've got three or four guys now, at a minimum, that could be legitimate No. 1s," says ESPN's Curt Schilling, via Steve Schrader of the Detroit Free Press. That makes them NL favorites at this point.
Charlie Blackmon
Colby Rasmus is still a free agent, but teams have been reluctant to strike a deal with him before exploring other options. That's what led the Cubs to Fowler, and it's what might lead the Baltimore Orioles to Charlie Blackmon.
Via Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com: "From what I've gathered, the Orioles haven't engaged in talks with the Rockies concerning Blackmon, but they're doing their homework on him and could get involved."
In search of offense after losing Nick Markakis and Nelson Cruz to free agency, the Orioles could use someone like Blackmon atop the order to help create runs. He slashed .288/.335/.440 with 19 home runs, 72 RBI and 28 steals in his first-ever All-Star season for the Colorado Rockies, and the 28-year-old's ceiling appears to be high.
He hits both lefties and righties well as a left-handed stick (career splits of .292/.321/.420 and .289/.331/.433, respectively), so manager Buck Showalter wouldn't have to maneuver his way through an opponent's bullpen that much. That can't be understated, especially with the importance of left-handed specialists in today's game.
Kubatko notes that the Rockies seek pitching in return, and who can blame them? The Rockies finished 26th in baseball with a WAR of 10.1 among pitchers, per FanGraphs, with just two pitchers—Jorge de la Rosa and Tyler Matzek—earning marks higher than 2.0.
Dylan Bundy won't be on the move in a potential deal, so secondary prospects/talents like Hunter Harvey, Zach Davies or even Chris Tillman would likely be included in discussions.
This deal has the potential to work for both sides given each team's glaring need. There might not be two better trade partners than the Orioles and Rockies right now.
Follow Kenny DeJohn on Twitter: @kennydejohn
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments