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Longtime Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Yovani Gallardo is drawing interest as the July 31 MLB trade deadline draws closer.

According to CBS Sports baseball insider Jon Heyman, the Cleveland Indians have discussed the possibility of acquiring the 27-year-old right-hander this summer:

The Indians seek a starting pitcher and have held discussions about Matt Garza and Yovani Gallardo.

It’s no surprise the Indians would like to add a starter. The twist is that they are limiting themselves to a top-of-the-rotation type.

…for now, Garza and Gallardo are the Indians’ main and only pitchers of interest.

Gallardo has made 19 starts for the Brewers in 2013 and boasts a 7-8 record. To say he’s struggled would be an understatement, however. The Mexican ace is sporting a career-worst 4.85 ERA through the first half of the year and has more hits allowed (116) than strikeouts (88) through his first 19 appearances on the mound for Milwaukee.

For his career, though, Gallardo is 76-51 with a 3.76 ERA. He’s also made four postseason starts for Milwaukee, sporting a 2.08 ERA in those appearances. 

Gallardo, who has never finished a season with a losing record in the majors, is batting .286 in 35 at-bats this season as well. He made the All-Star team and won a Silver Slugger Award three years ago in 2010.

Cleveland could certainly use his services during the second half of the season. Although the Indians rank fifth in runs this season and are right on the Detroit Tigers’ heels in the AL Central race, the team ranks 28th in the majors in team ERA (4.46). 

Only Minnesota and Houston have fared worse.

Gallardo has another season remaining on his contract and then a club option for the 2015 season; unlike Matt Garza and Joba Chamberlain, Gallardo won’t hit the free-agent market this coming fall, potentially making him a more attractive piece this July.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If the Boston Red Sox have the opportunity to upgrade at third base with Michael Young, general manager Ben Cherington needs to make that happen.

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t had the first half they were hoping for, as they’re currently 9.5 games behind the Atlanta Braves in the NL East and five games under .500. If the Phillies don’t get better soon, general manger Ruben Amaro could be forced to deal some of the organization’s top players.

While it’s still unclear if guys like Cliff Lee and Jonathan Papelbon will be on the trade block this summer, Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that one player who is likely to get dealt is Young. The shortstop-turned-third-baseman is currently in the final year of his contract with the Phillies.

If Young does become available, expect the Red Sox be making some calls to Amaro’s office. An industry source told George A. King III of the New York Post that, “They want him badly.” This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as Boston has been watching Will Middlebrooks fall on his face for most of the season.

In 53 games, Middlebrooks was hitting .192/.228/.389 with nine home runs, 25 RBI and a 27.8 percent strikeout rate. He was basically forcing Boston’s hand to send him down. After a brief stint on the disabled list, the Red Sox gave the third baseman a few more tries at bouncing back.

He failed.

Boston sent Middlebrooks down to the minors on June 25 and there is no indication as to when he’ll be back in the big leagues, if at all, this season. The main reason is because Jose Iglesias has done a fantastic job filling in. Iglesias is really a shortstop, but took the new opportunity in stride and has really succeeded.

Through 39 games, Iglesias is hitting .409/.455/.530 with one home run, nine RBI and 23 runs. But the best part about Iglesias is that he’s been phenomenal defensively. The guy had played third base, like, never before a few weeks ago. He makes plays in his sleep that Middlebrooks couldn’t make on his best day.

But if Boston is going to go after Young, Iglesias won’t be out of a job. Instead, Boston could start Iglesias at shortstop—his natural position—and have Stephen Drew, who’s signed to a one-year deal—come off the bench. Drew is basically only good for his defense anyways.

Drew is sporting a .233/.313/.409 slash line in 66 games with five homers and 31 RBI. No one expects him to hit for average in 2013. While Boston already has the best offense in baseball in terms of WAR, per FanGraphs, adding a better bat couldn’t hurt.

While Young hasn’t been too sharp at third base this year for the Phillies defensively, he has been a big part of the team’s offense. He’s hitting .287/.344/.409 with five home runs and 21 RBI. While that’s somewhat close to what Drew has done, I’d rather have the guy that gets more hits and is on base more often than the guy who won’t commit an error.

It wouldn’t be a costly expenditure for Boston either, as Philly shouldn‘t demand much in return. Young is owed $16 million this season and the Rangers are paying $10 million of it, according to Cot’s Contracts. That means that the Phillies only owe $6 million and since the year is halfway complete, only around $3 million is left to be paid Young’s way.

That’s chump change for the Red Sox.

The real person that Cherington will be keeping an eye on while monitoring Young’s availability is Middlebrooks. In 10 games with Triple-A Pawtucket, he’s hitting .289/.386/.605 with four home runs, 11 RBI and just six strikeouts. That’s certainly improvement, but it’s anyone’s guess how that’ll translate in Boston.

Right now, Middlebrooks has yet to prove that he can be an every day third baseman in the major leagues. He’s been horrible this year and hasn’t earned a second chance yet. It’s Iglesias‘s and Drew’s jobs to lose at the moment and, in my opinion, Middlebrooks’ minor league numbers shouldn’t threaten them.

The Red Sox need to put the best combination of players in the lineup in order to stay atop the AL East and try to make the postseason. That combination doesn’t include Middlebrooks. In the coming weeks, it might not even include Drew. Iglesias is the only one that is 100 percent keeping his job.

If Middlebrooks starts to slump in the minors or gets called up and starts striking out twice per game, expect a big move from the Red Sox. Acquiring Young would send a message to Middlebrooks that he must improve or he’s not going to have a job in the future. It’s very simple to understand.

For the time being, there’s no hurt in trading to acquire Young. At least he gives the Red Sox some leeway in case Drew or Iglesias gets injured in the second half. Consider him a $3 million insurance plan. He’s a good hitter who will help the Red Sox win games. That’s all that should matter to Cherington and Boston right now.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

I’ll take a wild guess and say that about 98.32 percent of rumored trades between now and July 31 won’t happen. In fact, a large percentage of those probably weren’t even seriously discussed by the teams mentioned.

So while we were all seriously discussing how those players would fit on their new teams and speculating on which prospects were going to be part of the trade package, the general managers involved in the rumored deal were probably working on a deal that was completely under wraps and then surprised the heck out of everybody once it was announced. 

And despite being completely fooled year after year, those discussions among fellow baseball fans are what makes this one of the best times of the year to be a baseball fan.

You can’t predict baseball on or off the field. Expect the unexpected. Just don’t expect these four rumored trades to happen.     

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Just like many fans and analysts anticipated, the 2013 Chicago Cubs are struggling to stay relevant. If they have indeed decided to start shopping veteran players, as ESPN Insider Buster Olney reports, we must wonder which potential contenders will pursue their expendable talent.

The Cubs entered June 21 at 29-42, tied with the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central cellar, 17 games out of first place. Surprisingly effective free-agent pickups, including Scott Feldman, Kevin Gregg and Nate Schierholtz, are the primary reasons why the team isn’t even further back.

On the other hand, expensive hold-overs from the 2012 roster have been disappointing. When peddling Matt Garza and Alfonso Soriano, president Theo Epstein will almost certainly need take responsibility for some of their remaining salaries.

Because the Cubs are amid the rebuilding process, their chief priority will be acquiring prospects with the potential to lead them to excellence later this decade.

Therefore, the most likely suitors for these five individuals include franchises with strong farm systems, but also those desperate to win immediately.

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Earlier today, I named seven players guaranteed to be traded by the July 31st deadline. Not surprisingly, all seven will be free agents after the season and play on teams that aren’t in playoff contention now and aren’t expected to be a month from now. 

On the flip side, there is an entire different group of players that might become available if their teams either fall out of the playoff race or fail to make a run to get back to within striking distance. Then there are the rebuilding teams, such as the Astros and Marlins, with valuable trade chips who are under team control for a few more seasons. Trading them could make sense if a particular organization feels that the return will help expedite the rebuilding process. 

Which teams will be left standing as playoff contenders in late July is still to be determined, but it’s likely that many of them will be asking about the availability of these six players in hopes of acquiring them for the stretch run and beyond. 

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Teams will normally assess where they are in the standings much closer to the trade deadline on July 31st before deciding if they will be “buyers” or “sellers”. Yet, here we are in June and there are a handful of teams that have to feel like they are heading in the wrong direction and it’s getting close to “do or die” time. 

Back in April, I made some arguments for why teams should consider making trades earlier in the season, if possible, with the few extra wins in the standings potentially being the difference between going to the playoffs or going home for the winter. 

In these June trade ideas, the goal is for a team to avoid dropping out of contention and into “seller” mode by the end of July or, in some cases, to just make a trade a month earlier to try and win a few extra games. The challenge is finding a non-contending team—Astros, Brewers, Cubs, Marlins, Mets are included in this group—that has an impact player that they’re willing to trade now. 

Here are three potential trades that should be made now.

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A lot of the names have remained the same. Scott Feldman, Matt Garza, Lucas Harrell, Ricky Nolasco and Bud Norris have been identified as trade candidates since the start of the season. Why? Because they’re pretty good starting pitchers on pretty bad teams. 

While those five remain strong candidates to be dealt by the July 31st deadline, there are sure to be some starters who will become trade targets because they are pitching better than expected and/or because their team’s aren’t in the playoff race.

Here are five of those pitchers who are likely to join Norris and co. on the trade block.  

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We’re still probably about six to eight weeks away from when the majority of in-season trades will go down. Aside from a few useful players who may have become expendable for some reason or another—the Atlanta Braves traded Juan Francisco to the Brewers on Monday after he was “DFA’d” a few days ago—don’t expect much trade activity in the month of June. 

There were two notable deals last June. The first happened on June 24 with Kevin Youkilis moving from the Boston Red Sox to the Chicago White Sox for utility man Brent Lillibridge and pitcher Zach Stewart.

At the time, Youkilis had just returned from a three-week stint on the disabled list and had been struggling at the plate earlier in the season. His replacement, rookie Will Middlebrooks, had burst onto the scene and was sporting a .949 OPS with nine homers and 34 RBIs in less than two months in the majors.

It turned out to be a great deal for Chicago, where Youkilis gave the team plenty of production with a .771 OPS and 15 homers in 80 games. Lillibridge was 2-for-16 in his short Red Sox career. Stewart, now back in the White Sox organization, allowed 14 earned runs in 5.2 innings over two starts. 

The second trade happened on June 27 when the Baltimore Orioles added veteran Jim Thome for two minor leaguers, catcher Gabriel Lino and pitcher Kyle Simon. While he didn’t make a huge impact on the field, mostly because of a neck injury that sidelined him for nearly two months, Thome did post a .744 OPS with three homers in 28 games and also had 15 postseason plate appearances.

I don’t know if we’ll have any impact trades in June, but there will be plenty of rumors and speculation. Here’s all of the latest.

No. 1 Player On Trade Market?

When Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe recently asked 12 executives, scouts and players who would be the top player on the trade market, the consensus pick was Philadelphia Phillies starter Cliff Lee.

The fact that Lee was the choice, even though the Phillies are still only 7.5 games out in the NL East, gives you an idea of what people around the league think of their chances to stay in the playoff race.

The 34-year-old lefty also expects to be dealt, according to this article by Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports. Lee can block trades to 20 teams, including the Orioles, Texas Rangers, Red Sox and New York Yankees. The Cardinals have been confirmed to not be on the no-trade list.

As for whether Lee would accept a deal, he seems open to the possibility (via Morosi).

I can’t sit here and come up with the what-ifs. If (a trade scenario) presents itself, I’ll have to look at the situation and figure it out. Right now, I’m a Phillie and I want to do everything I can to help this team win.

Don’t expect the Orioles to have interest, according to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports. They are on Lee’s no-trade list, but he is way out of their price range anyway. Second-tier options such Josh Johnson or Jason Vargas could make more sense. 

The O’s are 32-25 and have played well overall, but they’ve already used 11 starting pitchers and have had quality starts in just 44 percent of their 57 games. 

Some other “game-changers” who could be shopped for top prospects, according to one American League general manager (via Cafardo), are Jake Peavy and Alex Rios of the White Sox, Jose Bautista and Edwin Encarnacion of the Toronto Blue Jays and Justin Morneau of the Minnesota Twins.

Cafardo also thinks the Phillies would shop closer Jonathan Papelbon if they start selling off major pieces like Lee because they wouldn’t need a top closer in a rebuilding situation 

Peavy (pictured), who has a guaranteed $14.5 million salary for 2014 and a possible $15 million player option in 2015, could be the top starter available if the Sox decided to sell.

In this article by Chuck Garfien of CSN Chicago, the 32-year-old Peavy says he’d love to finish his career in Chicago, but is also open to the possibility of being traded to a contender that has a shot at a World Series.

After several injury-plagued seasons, the former NL Cy Young winner has a 3.43 ERA, 2.0 BB/9 and 8.2 K/9 in 42 starts since the start of the 2012 season. The White Sox are only 6.5 games out in the AL Central, but are 24-31 after seven consecutive losses. 

Brewers Players Could Be Popular Trade Targets

One team that might not be that far away from throwing in the towel and going into “seller” mode is the last-place Milwaukee Brewers. At 21-35 and 16.5 games out in the NL Central, they could look to shop free-agent-to-be Corey Hart when he comes of the disabled list in a few weeks as well as lefty reliever Mike Gonzalez. 

General manager Doug Melvin states in this article by Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he’d be searching for players who could help two to three years down the road. So if he’s looking that far ahead, he could be willing to trade ace Yovani Gallardo, who is only signed through 2014 with a $13 million club option in 2015.

The problem is that he’s not pitching anything like an ace in 2013. He has a 5.05 ERA with a 1.493 WHIP (walks and hits per innings pitched)—both would be career highs—and his 7.4 K/9 would be the lowest of his career, which had been pretty darn good coming into the season (3.63 ERA, 3.5 BB/9, 9.2 K/9 from 2007-2012).

Gallardo is only 27 years old, however, and the $11.85 million contract he’s guaranteed ($11.25 million in 2014 salary plus $600,000 buyout for 2015) for the remainder of his deal would be a bargain if he can bounce back. If the Brewers are willing to sell a bit low considering his current struggles, there could be several teams interested.

Another Milwuakee player certain to draw interest is veteran third baseman Aramis Ramirez (pictured), who told Jon Paul Morosi of Fox Sports that he is aware of this. The soon-to-be 35-year-old is having another terrific season (.877 OPS) despite battling knee issues that cost him a few weeks on the disabled list and several days off since returning.

Guaranteed $20 million through 2014—$16 million in 2014 salary plus a $4 million buyout if his $14 million mutual option isn’t exercised in 2015—Ramirez would seem like a risky acquisition considering his high salary, knee trouble and age.

A contending team desperate for some right-handed power in the middle of the lineup and a corner infielder or designated hitter could be willing to give up a prospect or two—just don’t expect an elite player in return. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

After an offseason in which they traded away several of their top prospects —catcher Travis d’Arnaud, center fielder Jake Marisnick and pitchers Justin Nicolino and Noah Syndergaard— in an effort to upgrade their 25-man roster for 2013, the Blue Jays aren’t going to give up on the season anytime soon despite a rough start. 

At 20-28 and dead last in the AL East, the Blue Jays are already 9.5 games behind the 1st place Yankees and 7.5 games out of a playoff spot. They’ve won 10 of 17, however, and shortstop Jose Reyes (15-for-38, 5 SB in 10 games before injury) could return from an ankle injury in late June. A lineup with Reyes in front of Jose Bautista (11 HR, 27 RBI) and Edwin Encarnacion (13 HR, 38 RBI) could be the spark that pushes the team back into contention. 

And if not? Well, that opens up a whole new set of fun and exciting trade possibilities we can discuss if the Jays go into “sell” mode. Not that I’d expect them to do what the Marlins did and get rid of every offseason acquisition, not to mention one of their longtime stars (Hanley Ramirez), because the team played poorly. But they have some serious trade chips on this team with none bigger than Bautista. 

The 32 year-old, who signed a five-year, $64 million contract extension (2011-2015, plus 2016 club option) before the 2011 season, has been one of the top sluggers in the game since his 54-homer season back in 2010. He’s posted a .989 OPS over his last 442 games so we’re well beyond the point of thinking that his breakout season at 29 years of age was a fluke. 

Two-and-a-half seasons of Bautista for roughly $35 million (plus a $14 million option for 2016) is a bargain in regards to dollars but acquiring him would cost a ton of young talent in return. Here are four teams that could have interest and what it would likely cost those teams to acquire Bautista. 

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It’s highly doubtful that any minor league player is going to have the type of impact Mike Trout had on the Los Angeles Angels when he joined the team in late April of last year and went to have one of the best rookie season’s ever (.326 BA, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 129 R, 49 SB). His team went 83-59 the rest of the way.

It’s also unlikely that any trade acquisition will have the same impact that Fred McGriff had on the 1993 Atlanta Braves when he came over from the Padres and played a huge part (.310 BA, 19 HR, 55 RBI in 68 games) in the team’s 51-17 finish and memorable late-season overtaking of the San Francisco Giants for the NL West title.  

Still, it’s worth trying to find that spark to get a team headed in the right direction. Here’s one quick-fix idea for six contenders.  

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