Not all of these pitchers are officially being shopped by their respective teams. In fact, it isn’t likely that all or even most of these pitchers will be traded.
The Mets went into the offseason looking for a starting pitcher to add to their rotation, but after they whiffed at signing John Lackey and Joel Pineiro , they played it off like it was because they were comfortable with the five guys they had.
Now two months into the season, only two of the Mets five original starters, Johan Santana and Mike Pelfrey , are still in the rotation. Hisanori Takahashi seems like a viable option as a replacement, but R.A. Dickey and Raul Valdes are clearly not long term solutions.
So here is a list of the top six starting pitchers available on the free agent market:
LHP Cliff Lee (2-2, 3.44), Mariners
2010 Salary : $9 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: Type-A free agent
Age as of June 1, 2010: 31
The Mariners traded for Lee expecting that they would be able to become the force in the AL West. The problem is that so far that hasn’t happened.
My guess is that because of Lee’s Type-A status, they won’t feel pressured to deal the lefty especially if they are even close to competing for a playoff spot. Being the best pitcher on this list with a reasonable price tag would make him highly sought after.
RHP Roy Oswalt (2-6, 2.66), Astros
2010 Salary: $15 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: $16 million in 2011, $16 million club option in 2012 ($2 million buyout)
Age as of June 1, 2010: 32
Oswalt has requested a trade out of Houston, but because of his no-trade clause, he has laid out the stipulation that it must be to a contender.
This could eliminate the Mets. They would have to convince Oswalt that they are serious about winning.
His high salary should lessen the package needed to land him unless the Astros eat some salary.
LHP Wandy Rodriguez (2-6, 4.33), Astros
2010 Salary: $5 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: arbitration eligible in 2011
Age as of June 1, 2010: 31
Rodriguez is not yet on the trading block exactly, but if the Astros decide to go the rebuilding route, Wandy could be a very attractive chip. His reasonable salary and the fact that he is a couple of years away from free agency makes him an expensive piece.
RHP Fausto Carmona (4-2, 3.45), Indians
2010 Salary: $4.9 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: $6.1 million in 2011, $7 million club option in 2012, $9 million club option
Age as of June 1, 2010: 26
Carmona has rebounded nicely this season and could even nab a Comeback Player of the Year award.
Teams are going to start calling Cleveland about him and it will be hard for them to resist trading him. Because of his age and his reasonable contract options, Carmona could be the most attractive pitcher on this list after Lee if he has put it back together.
RHP Jake Westbrook (2-2, 4.56), Indians
2010 Salary: $11 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: free agent
Age as of June 1, 2010: 32
After missing most of 2008 and all of 2009, Westbrook is back and is likely to get traded. The return will be based on how many teams are interested. His salary might scare some teams away, but not everyone.
RHP Kevin Millwood (0-4, 3.71), Orioles
2010 Salary: $12 million (Rangers paying $3 million)
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: Type-B free agent
Age as of June 1, 2010: 35
The Orioles are bad and Millwood’s veteran presence will be attractive to potential pennant chasers. Everyone looking to add pitching will call the Orioles about him.
RHP Jeremy Guthrie (2-4, 3.86), Orioles
2010 Salary: $3 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: arbitration eligible through 2012
Age as of June 1, 2010: 31
Jeremy Guthrie has been inconsistent and is getting closer to free agency which will drive up his value in up coming years.
The Orioles probably won’t feel pressured to trade him, but if he continues to pitch decently they could decide to sell high. He won’t be around by the time they are contenders anyways.
RHP Ben Sheets (2-3, 5.04), Althetics
2010 Salary: $10 million base salary, performance bonus upto $2 million based on innings
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: free agent, cannot be offered arbitration if Type-A eligible
Age as of June 1, 2010: 31
Sheets has been inconsistent this year and has especially struggled with his location.
But he has shown signs of improvement this year and because of that and his high price tag, the Athletics might be inclined to deal him. The cost of him depends on how he pitches over June and July.
RHP Gil Mech e (0-4, 6.75), Royals
2010 Salary: $12 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: $12 million in 2011
Age as of June 1, 2010: 31
Because he is struggling this season, is on the wrong side of 30, and has $24 million owed to him this year and next, Meche is probably the worst name on this list.
That means he could come cheaply to a desperate team. A change of scenery may do him a world of good too.
RHP Brian Bannister (3-3, 4.72), Royals
2010 Salary: $2.3 million
Owed in 2011 and Beyond: arbitration eligible through 2012
Age as of June 1, 2010: 29
The Royals will get a lot of calls about Bannister from teams looking for starting pitchers without a big price tag.
To be honest Bannister might not really be in the top 10 pitchers on the trading block, but I had to pick somebody. White Sox pitcher RHP Freddy Garcia , the Mariners RHP Ian Snell , and Brewers RHP’s Doug Davis and Jeff Suppan could potentially be here as well.
Remember, just because these players may be available for trade doesn’t necessarily mean that they will be traded. Salary also matters a lot in these deals. Many fans would like to see the Mets trade Oliver Perez and Luis Castillo , but most of the teams with players on this list have no desire to take on those kinds of contracts.
That means the Mets are going to have to include players in deals for these pitchers that could hurt. While they may be able to protect top prospects Jenrry Mejia and Ike Davis , players like OF Fernando Martinez , IF Wilmer Flores , and even RHP Brad Holt might have to be included to get a deal done.
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