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A busy day in baseball saw another trade go down on Tuesday, as the Oakland Athletics shipped starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the Chicago White Sox for a number of prospects, including Chris Bassitt and Rangel Ravelo.      

The A’s official Twitter account has the details:

The 25-year-old Bassitt made six appearances and five starts for the Chicago White Sox this past season, going 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA, 1.58 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 29.2 innings pitched. He also pitched 13 innings in the Arizona Fall League this offseason, finishing with a 0.69 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 22 strikeouts.

John Manuel of Baseball America broke down his stuff:

And CJ Wittmann from Baseball Prospectus passed along this note from a scout:

The 22-year-old Ravelo, meanwhile, spent last season in AA ball. Jesse Spector of Sporting News has more on his production this past season:

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports adds:

In the end, the four prospects in this trade will always be compared and contrasted to prospects Addison Russell, Billy McKinney and Dan Straily, the players Oakland traded to the Chicago Cubs this past season to land Samardzija and Jason Hammel.    

Russell is considered one of the top prospects in all of baseball, so Bassitt, Ravelo and company have big shoes to fill.

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The MLB trade market figures to heat up when the annual winter meetings begin on Sunday in San Diego.

After two offseasons worth of rumors, the Seattle Mariners finally agreed to a four-year deal with Nelson Cruz worth $58 million on Monday, as reported by Bob Dutton of The (Tacoma) News Tribune. That clearly changes their strategy at the winter meetings, but the Mariners likely aren’t done yet.

Dutton adds that Seattle’s next priority will be to add a right fielder. The Mariners apparently believe Michael Saunders is not the answer, making him expendable and opening up a hole in the outfield.

Melky Cabrera and Torii Hunter are the best two free-agent fits remaining. However, that would force the Mariners to play one of them or Cruz on defense, which is far from ideal.

Instead, the Mariners may have to make a trade to get outfield help, which could very well happen at the upcoming meetings. But the deals general manager Jack Zduriencik avoids making will be just as important as the trades he makes.

Earlier in the offseason, Jon Morosi of Fox Sports reported that the Mariners had interest in Yoenis Cespedes and that the Boston Red Sox liked Hisashi Iwakuma, setting up the framework of a potential trade.

However, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times believes a straight one-for-one swap is unlikely and with good reason.

Cespedes may be a little overrated, but he is still a solid player with a .263/.316/.464 career line. He was worth 3.4 WAR a year ago and would presumably be somewhat of an upgrade over Dustin Ackley in left field.

Iwakuma put up 3.2 WAR last season, and there would be a substantial drop-off to whoever would replace him. Seattle would just be moving holes around with such a trade.

Justin Upton and Matt Kemp are potentially available, but the need is less after the Cruz addition. The Mariners are now going to be hesitant to trade six years of Taijuan Walker for one year of Upton or the $107 million remaining on Kemp’s contract.

Seattle’s roster could likely compete for a playoff spot as it stands. Still, there’s a sense of urgency to win now, and the Mariners might look to make a couple other moves to upgrade the outfield or add depth to the starting rotation.

Shop a relief pitcher

One of Seattle’s main strengths in 2014 was the bullpen, which led the majors with a 2.59 ERA. The Mariners don’t want to break that up too much, but relievers can be volatile year to year, and Seattle is deep at the position.

Fernando Rodney isn’t likely to be traded while the club is contending. Still, someone at peak value like Brandon Maurer or Tom Wilhelmsen could be a piece in a potential deal.

Seattle won’t get a big name at the cost of just a relief pitcher alone. But at the very least, the Mariners could grab a fourth outfielder who could platoon or fill in for Saunders should he be traded or miss time with injury.

Players like Justin Ruggiano and Marlon Byrd are among possible candidates. If Zduriencik can find a deal in the same vein as the Carter Capps for Logan Morrison trade of last winter, he should pull the trigger.

See what Chris Taylor or Brad Miller could bring back

It’s possible for Miller and Taylor to coexist on Seattle’s roster in 2015. Still, it would be better to get some value back rather than have one of them sit on the bench or in Triple-A.

Choosing between Taylor and Miller won’t be easy, however. 

Miller has posted roughly league-average numbers at the plate through the first 200 games of his career despite a horrible slump early last season and will likely improve.

Taylor hasn’t shown an ability to hit for any power whatsoever but brings value defensively and on the bases.

If the Mariners firmly decide on a starter, the backup could return a starting pitcher or outfield help. A package of a shortstop and a reliever lines up with the Los Angeles Dodgers‘ needs, but they would likely want more in exchange for Kemp unless the Mariners pick up a significant chunk of salary.

All stats via FanGraphs.com unless otherwise noted.

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The Seattle Mariners have reportedly signed Nelson Cruz. Yancen Pujols of the Dominican newspaper El Caribe reported the news, which was confirmed by ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick.

The former Rangers slugger will make his return to the American League West after a one-year hiatus in Baltimore, where he mashed 40 home runs and drove in 108 runs.

Cruz gives the Mariners a three-headed monster in the middle of the order that also features Robinson Cano and Kyle Seager. For manager Lloyd McClendon, it’s a poor man’s version of the trio (Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez) he coached in Detroit.

While not as fearsome as Detroit’s grouping, Seattle’s trio finally gives the M’s the complete set of sluggers they have been searching for.

The middle of the Mariners lineup is complete, but the batting order is far from it.

In terms of OPS, Seattle received below-average production from every position except second and third base—positions where Seager and Cano receive the lion’s share of at-bats. These low numbers should change in 2015.

First base and center field will be greatly improved with Logan Morrison and Austin Jackson, respectively, playing full seasons, while Cruz will solidify the designated hitter position. In addition, catcher and shortstop should see continued improvements from youngsters Mike Zunino and Chris Taylor.

That leaves the corner outfield spots as the only positions susceptible to change.

Seattle’s right fielders (namely Michael Saunders, Endy Chavez and Stefen Romero) ranked 17th in OPS in the league. Dustin Ackley received the majority of the at-bats in left field. Ackley and the Mariners’ other left fielders ranked 21st in OPS.  

It’s entirely possible that none of the previously mentioned four hitters will be in the Opening Day lineup in 2015.

According to Crasnick, the Mariners have reportedly shopped Saunders. In addition, Chavez is 36, and Romero hit .192 in 177 plate appearances.

At 26 years old, Ackley hasn’t lived up to the potential that made him the second overall pick. That, combined with Ackley’s ability to play multiple positions, makes him better suited as a utility player.

An outfielder like Yoenis Cespedes or Justin Upton would be an outstanding addition. But at this point, with a middle-of-the-order trio in place, Cespedes or Upton would be a costly luxury that would likely mean the loss of Taijuan Walker or James Paxton.

Seattle should be going after complementary bats in the mold of Jackson or Morrison—players who can fill out the top of the lineup card and, more importantly, the sixth through ninth spots in the order.

Cano, Cruz and Seager are fantastic, but someone has to hit between them and Zunino (who’ll likely hit toward the bottom of the lineup).

Players like Marlon Byrd, Alex Rios, Torii Hunter and Alejandro De Aza are all attainable, as is old friend Ichiro Suzuki. Melky Cabrera is another name to watch.

Cabrera finished 2014 with an .808 OPS, good for 33rd in all of baseball. His OPS was higher than potential teammate Seager, as well as established stars like Albert Pujols, Josh Donaldson, Adam Jones and Ryan Braun.

Hunter—who is looking at Seattle along with a handful of other teams, according to Mark Whicker of OCRegister.com—wasn’t far behind Cabrera with a .765 OPS. Byrd posted a .757 OPS.  

The moral of the story here is that there are options out there for the M’s.

Signing Cruz is a start, but the Mariners need more hitters to fill out the lineup. Whether they accomplish the feat by trade (Byrd or potentially De Aza) or free agency (Hunter, Cabrera, et al.), the team will have plenty of attractive options.

Once this happens, the M’s offense will no longer be second fiddle to the team’s outstanding pitching. Once this happens, the M’s will finally experience October baseball.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

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General manager Jack Zduriencik and the Seattle Mariners aren’t bashful. We’ll give ’em that.

For the second winter in a row, the M’s have reportedly made a major splash in free agency. And for the second winter in a row, they’ve done so by doling out a contract that presents major risk and potentially horrid value at the back half.

Last year, it was a 10-year deal to Robinson Cano, who will make $24 million when he’s 40 years old. Now, it’s reportedly a four-year contract worth $57 million to 34-year-old Nelson Cruz.

Although the deal isn’t yet official, El Caribe, a Dominican Republic newspaper, originally reported the news, and it has been confirmed by several other sources, including Fox Sports’ Jon Morosi:

Not surprisingly, opinions of Seattle’s newest acquisition are about as contrasting as it gets.

Chris Carlin of SNY.tv applauded the deal, while FanGraphs‘ David Cameron lambasted it:

Cameron essentially pointed toward the length of the contract, arguing that Cruz isn’t “expected to produce any value in his age-37 season.” That means he’ll likely have to justify the $57 million in a span of three—or potentially two—years. For a player who is expected to spend most of his time at DH, that’s a decidedly difficult task.

Nevertheless, risky deal or not, the M’s couldn’t afford to sit back and wait. Already boasting a fantastic pitching staff (Felix Hernandez, Hisashi Iwakuma, James Paxton, Roenis Elias, Taijuan Walker, Danny Hultzen) and a stable of talented lefty hitters (Cano, Kyle Seager, Dustin Ackley), Seattle is right on the cusp of contention.

Taking the next step requires adding a right-handed power hitter.

Last year, the Mariners had three left-handed hitters with at least 300 plate appearances and a .400 slugging percentage, while Ackley (542 PA, .398 SLG) and Michael Saunders (263 PA, .450 SLG) were both close.

The amount of right-handed hitters to hit those plateaus? One—Mike Zunino, who finished with a .199 batting average.

Many are expecting a regression from Cruz, who hit 40 home runs with the Baltimore Orioles after averaging 27 per season in the previous five years with the Texas Rangers. Even if he does fall back to earth, though, he’s a career .289/.364/.522 hitter against lefties (.261/.316/.493 against righties), representing an obvious upgrade for the M’s.

Moreover, as ESPN Stats & Info illustrated, he’ll do so at the team’s worst position:

Cruz presents risk, sure. But also, his name is not Kendrys Morales or Corey Hart, so he has that going for him.

The Mariners, in an attempt to stop wasting the prime seasons of Hernandez and Cano, are in obvious win-now mode, and inserting Cruz into the middle of the lineup immediately increases their chances of ending a 13-year playoff drought.

Should that happen, it may not matter what he does—or what his paychecks say—in 2017 or ’18.

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The Seattle Mariners are betting big that Nelson Cruz, whose 40 home runs led all of Major League Baseball in 2014, can help get them to the playoffs for the first time in a long time. Like, 13 years long.

The Mariners went 87-75 last year—their first winning season since 2009—and missed out on the postseason by a single, solitary game. On the final day, they actually had a chance at a Game 163 if the Oakland Athletics had lost.

Instead, the A’s won to advance to the Wild Card Game, while the M’s still haven’t played October baseball since 2001.

That’s a long, long time to wait, which is why Seattle reportedly has spent a lot of money over a lot of years—$57 million over four, to be exact, according to Yancen Pujols of Dominican newspaper El Caribe—to bring aboard Cruz, thus filling the club’s primary need for a power hitter from the right side.

ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick confirmed later Monday that Cruz and Seattle have an agreement in place, pending a physical.

That’s the big-money, multi-year contract Cruz was seeking this time a year ago, when his market was undercut by being attached to draft-pick compensation and having been suspended 50 games at the end of the 2013 season as part of the Biogenesis investigation.

Cruz wound up having to wait until late February—after pitchers and catchers had reported—to sign with the Baltimore Orioles, settling for a mere $8 million over one season.

It might seem odd that Cruz would see his value shoot up so much in the span of nine months, but two factors are at play.

One, the 34-year-old put together his most productive season, hitting .271/.333/.525 with 40 homers and 108 RBI, both career highs.

And two, Seattle had a major need for a big right-handed bat to team with perennial MVP candidate Robinson Cano and underrated new $100 million man Kyle Seager, both of whom hit in the middle of the Mariners’ lineup and swing from the left side.

After all, in their desperation to fill that void and push toward the playoffs, the Mariners had been mentioned as suitors for everyone from no-longer free agent Hanley Ramirez, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today, to trade targets Justin Upton, Yoenis Cespedes and Matt Kemp, according to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman.

The fact that Seattle didn’t have to trade any of its pitchers, including veteran Hisashi Iwakuma or top young arms righty Taijuan Walker or lefty James Paxton, allows the team to keep its dominant staff intact, with Cy Young runner-up Felix Hernandez leading the way.

That’s only going to help the M’s in their quest to end this 13-year postseason drought.

Seattle’s team ERA last season was 3.17, ranking second-best in baseball, behind only the Washington Nationals (3.03).

Offense, on the other hand, has long been a problem. The Mariners scored 634 runs in 2014, the 12th-lowest total in the sport. That was the club’s highest finish since it placed 12th back in 2007.

In the six years in between, Seattle ranked no higher than 22nd in runs and had a bottom-five total in five seasons.

One of Seattle’s biggest problem spots in 2014, in particular, was designated hitter, a position that Cruz fills, as Mike Axisa of CBS Sports points out:

Of course, that doesn’t mean Cruz comes without warts.

As Axisa alluded to, he is no longer a reasonable option to play defense, especially at his advancing age and with his injury history.

Then there’s the concern over Cruz’s drop-off in the second half last year. Following a first half in which he hit .287/.353/.570 with 28 homers in 93 games, Cruz batted just .249/.306/.463 with 12 home runs in 66 contests after the break.

The slugger also hasn’t fared all that well at Seattle’s pitcher-friendly Safeco Field, which is notoriously tough on right-handed hitters, per Stat Corner. In 204 career plate appearances at his new home field, Cruz owns a .234/.309/.440 line with nine home runs.

The Mariners also forfeit their first-round selection in June by virtue of inking Cruz, who rejected the $15.3 million qualifying offer from the Orioles last month.

Even still, this is a move Seattle almost had to make given all that’s at stake for this franchise in the wake of Cano’s $240 million contract, Seager’s extension and Hernandez being in the prime of his career.

The Mariners and Cruz were the right fit all along, as Paul Casella writes for Sports on Earth: “Cruz is coming off hitting a career-best and major league-leading 40 home runs this past season. The Mariners, meanwhile, hit fewer home runs against left-handed pitchers than any team in the [AL].”

And as competitive as the AL West was in 2014, it also appears to be a division in flux this winter, which is a good thing for Seattle.

The Los Angeles Angels finished with the best record in baseball (98-64), and their offense remains dangerous, but the pitching staff is much less so. Young righty Garrett Richards is still recovering from knee surgery, and southpaw Tyler Skaggs will miss all of 2015 after Tommy John surgery.

The Athletics have had an odd offseason so far, signing Billy Butler but then trading away Josh Donaldson, their best player, on Friday. There’s also speculation that right-hander Jeff Samardzija could be on his way out too, according to Heyman.

The Texas Rangers, meanwhile, seem to be stuck in neutral this winter after making major moves, like trading for Prince Fielder and signing Shin-Soo Choo, last offseason. Thanks to injuries to those two and many others, they finished with the third-worst record in baseball at 67-95.

The Houston Astros, coming off a fourth consecutive 90-plus-loss campaign, aren’t sniffing the playoffs any time soon.

A four-year pact worth nearly $60 million for a player like Cruz, who will turn 35 on July 1, has a performance-enhancing-drug suspension in his recent past and also has significant limitations—both defensively and health-wise—is certainly a risk.

Players with profiles similar to Cruz do tend to go south quickly, so the M’s are hoping that they’ll get one or two healthy, productive years out of this contract before it takes a turn for the worse.

The good news is if Cruz can hit anywhere near the level he did in 2014, there’s a good chance this deal will be worth it for Seattle, no matter what happens in the later years.

That’s the power of simply making it back to October for the first time since 2001.

Statistics are accurate through the 2014 season and courtesy of MLB.com, Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11.

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The Oakland Athletics might not be done selling off their most prized assets, as according to Jim Benson of The Pantagraph in Bloomington, Illinois, the A’s could be on the verge of sending starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija to the Chicago White Sox.

Saturday, Nov. 29

Oakland Targeting Alexei Ramirez, Tim Anderson

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle has the latest on Samardzija:

As I reported yesterday, the White Sox are among the teams with interest in Oakland starter Jeff Samardzija, and while many outlets today are reporting that shortstop Alexei Ramirez is the A’s target, I’m hearing that minor-league shortstop Tim Anderson is also a player Oakland likes a lot.

Anderson, a first-round pick in 2013, played 10 games at Double-A last year, so he’s not quite big-league ready, but he’s a name to keep in mind. He’s ranked the White Sox’s No. 2 overall prospect, though, so he’d be a tough get. Would the White Sox move him for one year of Samardzija? Maybe, if they had some assurance Samardzija would sign a contract extension.

Samardzija on the Trading Block

Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier in the night that Oakland was considering trading Samardzija:

The White Sox were among the teams Slusser mentioned as a possibility:

The A’s already sent Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie and prospects:

Trading both Donaldson and Samardzija would further signal that Oakland’s beginning to rebuild.

The 29-year-old made 16 starts for Oakland last year after moving midseason from the Chicago Cubs. He went 5-6 with a 3.14 earned run average in 111.2 innings pitched.

Since the right-hander has only one more year left on his deal, whatever the A’s could get in return is unlikely to match what they received in the Donaldson deal.

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The Oakland Athletics have dealt Josh Donaldson to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brett Lawrie and three players you’ve never heard of, per the team’s Twitter account.

#Athletics trade Josh Donaldson to Toronto for Brett Lawrie, Sean Nolin, Kendall Graveman and Franklin Barreto

— Oakland Athletics (@Athletics) November 29, 2014

The central question here is not whether general manager Billy Beane got a fair return in the trade, but why the American League West club would trade Donaldson at all. 

The third baseman is affordably priced and ridiculously productive. 

MLBTradeRumors.com projects that the 28-year-old will make $4.5 million via arbitration in 2015, and he can’t become a free agent until after the 2018 season. Donaldson ranked No. 6 in WAR in all of baseball last season (per FanGraphs), finished as the runner-up for the AL Gold Glove at third base and clubbed 53 home runs at the cavernous O.co Coliseum over the past two seasons. 

What’s not to like about that?

One response is that the team is simply rebuilding. But if that’s the case, why did Beane bother to dish out a three-year, $30 million deal to designated hitter/first baseman Billy Butler earlier this month?

Another response is that Beane‘s not done—not even close.

Next up on the trade block could be Josh Reddick. The right fielder shared his thoughts on the decision to jettison Donaldson via Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. 

Josh Reddick tells me he is shocked by Donaldson trade. “This doesn’t make sense to me. We just traded our best player the last 2 years.”

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 29, 2014

Josh Reddick says it’s clear to him and other #Athletics players that team is now in rebuilding mode.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) November 29, 2014

Regardless of your line of work, it’s never a good idea to publicly question your boss. After all, it was just a couple of weeks ago that Donaldson fired a shot at the club’s brain trust on Twitter. 

Should have never sent this tweet: pic.twitter.com/PeJmWVvu2x

— Karl Buscheck (@KarlBuscheck) November 29, 2014

In the wake of the trade, Beane said that he had never even heard about that tweet.

A’s GM Billy Beane said he wasn’t aware of Josh Donaldson’s recent twitter comments about A’s finances, so no they didn’t play a role.

— Athletics Farm (@AthleticsFarm) November 29, 2014

Still, not everyone is buying that line. 

Billy said he had no clue Donaldson called the organization cheap on Twitter last week, bout as believable as me turning down 2nds yesterday

— John Middlekauff (@JohnMiddlekauff) November 29, 2014

Even if Reddick‘s comments don’t lead to his departure, Oakland has much bigger chips to deal than the 2012 AL Gold Glove winner. 

Outfielder/first baseman Brandon Moss knows he could be on the clock with the Athletics. 

“The whole world noticed,” said Moss, via Slusser, after the team added Butler and Ike Davis in rapid succession. Like Moss, both are capable of playing first. “You never know; the front office likes to mix [it] up. I’m trying not to let anything surprise me, because I don’t want to be blindsided.”

Jeff Samardzija is another high-profile player who has no excuse to be blindsided if he gets a text from his agent in the next couple of weeks. The right-handed starter is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2015 season, and Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports wrote in the beginning of November that Oakland would take calls on Samardzija. 

According to John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group, the team could part with the 29-year-old in order to land a big-time bat.

#Athletics talking with #Braves about Justin Upton, Evan Gattis sources say. Jeff Samardzija may be the bait.

— John Hickey (@JHickey3) November 29, 2014

Rosenthal also tabbed Scott Kazmir as another Athletic who could be on his way out of town. Like Samardzija, the lefty starter will become a free agent at the end of next season. 

Reddick, Moss, Samardzija and Kazmir are some of the names at the top of the list, but really anybody on the roster could be moved between now and spring training. 

That’s just how Beane does it. 

Now, the only questions are who’s next and whether Beane can once again, inexplicably, build a contender in 2015.

If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.

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The 2014 season was a success for the Seattle Mariners. The team improved by 16 wins, transforming a 71-win team into an 87-win team.

The 2014 season was also one of change. Seattle brought in a new manager, Lloyd McClendon, and a player, Robinson Cano, who immediately became the co-face of the franchise along with Felix Hernandez.

In addition to Cano, the team brought in a bevy of new players who paid dividends. Included in the group was American League Comeback Player of the Year Chris Young, who posted 12 wins and a 3.65 ERA in 30 starts.

In addition, the team brought in ace reliever Joe Beimel and closer Fernando Rodney to solidify its bullpen. Beimel posted a 2.20 ERA, while Rodney led the league with 48 saves. Lastly, first baseman Logan Morrison provided the team with an injection of offense. Morrison posted an OPS of .735 in 2014—higher than that of Ian Kinsler, Joe Mauer, Evan Longoria and Dustin Pedroia.

Despite those changes, the team just missed the playoffs. With a solid pitching staff already in place, the Mariners should look to improve their offense in 2015.

Seattle was reportedly interested in Hanley Ramirez and Victor Martinez but missed out on both. Either would have filled the need for a cleanup hitter.

If the M’s want to contend in 2015, they’ll need to improve their offense. If the offense improves, changes will be necessary thanks to last season’s woefully underperforming unit. Here are three Mariners who could be with different clubs next season.  

Begin Slideshow

The Seattle Mariners need a cleanup hitter. What position that hitter plays remains to be seen. The club was reportedly interested in shortstop Hanley Ramirez, but it lost out on the former Dodger when he signed with the Red Sox.

With Pablo Sandoval and Yasmany Tomas also off the board, the number of chairs is dwindling. The music isn’t close to ending, but the M’s list of potential targets is shrinking.

Seattle’s need for a middle-of-the-order bat happily coincides with the team’s need for a corner outfielder. The corner outfield spots are generally regarded as traditional power positions (and luckily for the M’s there are numerous possibilities).

Matt Kemp’s name has been trade-rumor fodder for months—if not the last year—due to a hefty contract, a slight decline in play and an overcrowded Dodger outfield.

Another trade option is Atlanta outfielder Justin Upton. The former Diamondback reportedly removed the M’s from his no-trade list, and Atlanta could be open to trading its star outfielder after sending Jason Heyward to St. Louis.

Seattle previously attempted to acquire Upton while he was in Arizona, but the outfielder vetoed a deal that would have involved Taijuan Walker and Nick Franklin (among others), per Larry Stone of The Seattle Times.

Like Kemp, Boston outfielder Yoenis Cespedes is part of an overcrowded outfield and could conceivably be dealt.

Should one of those three (or another trade target of their ilk) be acquired, he won’t come cheap. Each one of the three previously mentioned players comes from a team with specific needs.

Matt Kemp

Any trade conversation between the M’s and Dodgers must start with Los Angeles eating a majority of Kemp’s salary. While still a productive player, Kemp is not the player he was in 2011 when he finished runner-up in the MVP voting. The outfielder hit a good-but-not-great .287 last season.

As mentioned, the Dodgers lost Hanley Ramirez to Boston and thus are without a shortstop. The Mariners have two of these in youngsters Brad Miller and Chris Taylor. It’s unclear if Los Angeles would be interested in either. Surely it has a need at the position, but the two have only played in a combined 246 games. That kind of experience at a crucial position isn’t ideal for a team with major championship aspirations.

Los Angeles’ other glaring need is that of a starting pitcher. Former Colorado swing-man Juan Nicasio is slated to be the fifth starter in a rotation that features, among others, Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke. Nicasio posted a 5.38 ERA in 33 appearances (14 of which were starts) for Colorado in 2014. His career ERA is a smidgen smaller at 5.03.

Unless Nicasio posts improved numbers, the team will need better quality and pitching.

Seattle has plenty of intriguing prospects in its system, such as Tyler Pike and Danny Hultzen. However, with the Dodgers in need of pitching now, Roenis Elias could be in play. The rookie starter made the jump to the majors in 2014 and put up 10 wins and a 3.85 in 29 starts.

A package of Miller and Elias for Kemp and a lower-level prospect could get the deal done. The Dodgers will have to eat a good portion of Kemp’s salary in the swap, but the acquisition of two young players like Miller and Elias would probably mean the inclusion of a minor prospect on Los Angles’ part to even things out.

Justin Upton

While similar in terms of what they could provide the Mariners with, Upton and Kemp are very different in other areas—mainly age and salary. Upton is 27 to Kemp’s 30. In addition, Upton’s contract expires after 2015, while Kemp’s runs through 2019.

Judging by Upton’s comparatively favorable numbers—and the high price the Cardinals paid to acquire Jason Heyward—it certainly wouldn’t be surprising if the M’s had to pay a high price for Upton.

While not the same player he was when the M’s attempted to acquire him previously, Upton is still a player who can provide 30 home runs, 100 runs driven in and passable defense in the outfield.

Upton vetoed a previous deal to Seattle in which the Mariners would have parted with Nick Franklin, Charlie Furbush, Stephen Pryor and one of Taijuan Walker, James Paxton or Danny Hultzen.

The Mariners won’t have to give up nearly as much to acquire Upton this time around, but they’ll likely have to part with something of value.

The Braves, like the Dodgers, could use starting pitching. Even after acquiring Shelby Miller in the Heyward swap, the team could use extra starters. Aaron Harang and Ervin Santana could leave in free agency (and Kris Medlen and Brandon Beachy are recovering from Tommy John surgery).

To acquire Upton, one of either James Paxton or Taijuan Walker is likely forfeit. Losing either of the two would hurt, but given the strength of the M’s pitching and dire need of a cleanup hitter, they could weather the loss.

Atlanta will also be in the market for a new outfielder if the team deals Upton, especially after dealing fellow outfielder Heyward for two pitchers. The M’s could offer Dustin Ackley or Michael Saunders in return. Saunders is rumored to be on the trade block.

In addition, Brad Miller could be used as additional trade bait. Atlanta could play him at second—until top prospect Jose Peraza is ready—and then slide Miller to third base long-term to take over for the aging Chris Johnson.

Upton will hit free agency after 2015, but the fact that he took the Mariners off of his trade list (which was the catching point in the 2013 deal not coming to fruition) suggests he’d be willing to play for the team. Should the M’s make the playoffs and/or make a deep run in 2015, Upton may be more inclined to stay than bolt when his contract expires.

Yoenis Cespedes

Thanks to a bevy of roster moves, Cespedes finds himself in an overcrowded Red Sox outfield that also features Rusney Castillo, Mookie Betts, Jackie Bradley Jr., Brock Holt, Daniel Nava, Allen Craig and Shane Victorino.

The same quality depth cannot be found in the Red Sox’s rotation. Clay Buchholz is the veteran presence and ace. Meanwhile, spots two through five will be filled by some combination of Joe Kelly, Rubby De La Rosa, Allen Webster, Anthony Ranaudo and Brandon Workman.

Because of this, one of Seattle’s starting pitchers will surely be involved in any potential trade. A straight swap of Walker or Paxton for Cespedes is plausible, but Cespedes has his warts and, like Upton, is a free agent after 2015.

Cespedes can hit for power—that much is certain—but he is far less of a complete player than someone like Upton or even Kemp. In any deal, Seattle’s brass has to accept the fact that Cespedes has warts—Cespedes’ OPS in 2014 was .751, just above Logan Morrison’s .735 number.

The former Athletics slugger’s numbers don’t suggest he is a player who commands a massive return, but given Boston’s depth in the outfield and its need of starting pitching, the Red Sox won’t just give him away. They’ll want the max return for their power-hitting outfielder.

He may not be the most hand-in-glove fit for the M’s, but Cespedes would cost one of Walker, Paxton or Hisashi Iwakuma. Losing any of the three would be a massive loss for Seattle, but that would likely be the cost of trading.

Whether it is Matt Kemp, Justin Upton or Yoenis Cespedes, the Mariners will be losing some valuable assets via trade. It’s the sad reality of the situation, but another reality is that if the M’s want to make a run in the playoffs in 2015, they’ll need a cleanup hitter.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Seattle Mariners‘ list of free-agent targets is quickly shrinking.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal and ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick, Seattle was interested in Victor Martinez recently and Billy Butler leading up to the trade deadline, but those two players signed in the early weeks of free agency. Confirmed on Tuesday, Hanley Ramirez also agreed to a deal with the Boston Red Sox after Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the Mariners were “aggressively pursuing” Ramirez two weeks ago.

It appears that Seattle will have to turn to the trade market to address its needs in the outfield or DH. Still, the Mariners must avoid making any desperate decisions, as there are still a few free agents available who could help the team.

Nelson Cruz is the most likely free-agent addition, while others have longer odds to come to Seattle.

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