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While they aren’t the July trade deadline or the winter meetings, the final days of spring training are also a time for trade activity throughout the league, as teams put the finishing touches on their rosters.

This is not a time for superstar players to be on the move. However, those who are out of options and unlikely to make their respective roster or veterans who have been beaten out for a job are another story.

Here is a quick look at some players who have been rumored to be on the move as we wrap up spring training.

Ramon Hernandez, Catcher, Colorado Rockies

Last offseason, the Rockies signed veteran catcher Ramon Hernandez to a two-year, $6.4 million deal to help bridge the gap to prospect Wilin Rosario.

However, Rosario stepped forward sooner than expected and launched 28 home runs in 396 at-bats last season to finish fourth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.

Yorvit Torrealba appears to be the team’s choice to backup Rosario this season, and according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, that will make Hernandez a candidate to be traded or perhaps even released.

Ezequiel Carrera (Outfielder) and David Huff (Pitcher), Cleveland Indians

With the offseason additions of Drew Stubbs and Michael Bourn, and with non-roster invitees Scott Kazmir and Ryan Raburn slated to make the 25-man roster, Ezequiel Carrera is clearly the odd man out on the Indians bench.

On the pitching side, David Huff lost out on the No. 5 starter spot and a bullpen spot to Rich Hill, among others.

According to Paul Hoynes of The Plain Dealer, both Carrera and Huff have been informed that they won’t make the team and the Indians will look to trade them.

Carrera hit .272/.312/.395 with eight steals in 147 at-bats last season, while Huff has a 5.30 ERA over 55 career appearances (52 starts) and had a 5.82 ERA this spring.

Los Angeles Dodgers Pitchers

With their offseason signings of Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu, the Dodgers have an abundance of starting pitching. That depth doesn’t necessarily mean they have to trade someone, as they already need another arm with Zack Greinke battling elbow inflammation.

As it stands, Ted Lilly and Aaron Harang are slated to open the season in the bullpen with Chris Capuano filling in for Greinke in the bullpen.

According to Ken Gurnick of MLB.com, Harang, Capuano, Lilly and veteran reliever Matt Guerrier are all on the block and it seems likely that the team will move at least one pitcher before the season opens or shortly thereafter.

Other Names

The Tigers’ No. 5 starter job in Detroit was a solid battle this spring between Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly, and while it appears the team will go with Porcello in the rotation and Smyly as an insurance option, both pitchers would net a solid return (via Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com).

After the Angels found a way to move Vernon Wells to the Yankees, the possibility remains that Alfonso Soriano could be moved. The Cubs were willing to take on $26 of the $36 million remaining on his contract over the spring and they may be a key injury away from finding someone willing to pay that (via Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com).

Among other players out of options, Joey Novak of MLB.com lists Mariners outfielder Casper Wells, Rangers outfielder Julio Borbon, Blue Jays left-hander Brett Cecil, Orioles right-hander Tommy Hunter and Pirates outfielder Jose Tabata as guys who could potentially be on the move.

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It always seems like the trades that make the most sense from both teams’ perspectives are the ones that rarely happen. Team A has bullpen depth and is looking for a right-handed hitting fourth outfielder. Team B has some outfield depth and would like to shore up their bullpen. Simple enough from an outsider’s point of view, right?  

Yet, most major leaguer-for-major leaguer trades are hard to pull off because of contract status, salary, and, in many cases, one team is in win-now mode and the other is looking ahead at least one year and might prefer minor league talent in return. 

With that said, I’m going to take a stab at coming up with a few that might work. Here are four potential trades in which the players involved would end up on the acquiring team’s 25-man roster to start the season… 

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With just over two weeks to go until Opening Day, rosters are starting to take shape and teams are starting to take inventory of their positional depth. A few teams will find themselves extremely vulnerable at certain spots and in pretty good shape elsewhere. 

It’s true that you can never have too much depth because of the injuries that do occur regularly with baseball players. Position depth can disappear rather quickly, especially in the pitching department. Most teams can use up to seven or eight starting pitchers during the regular season, and that’s if they’re lucky.

But in many cases, you can’t stash certain players in the minors without exposing them to waivers first.  That’s why you’ll see a few trades go down during the last few days of Spring Training. Don’t expect anything big—Juan Francisco for J.J. Hoover was the most notable trade just before the 2012 season started—but expect a few major leaguers to land 25-man rosters spots with a new team after being traded. 

Here are a few players that could be changing teams in late March and some of the teams that could be potential landing spots…

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The Cleveland Indians should consider trading closer Chris Perez as soon as possible.

According to MLB.com, Perez suffered a subscapularis strain in his throwing shoulder this spring and will probably not return for the next three to four weeks.

During this time, manager Terry Francona should consider Vinnie Pestano as the closer of the staff and the Indians front office should seriously consider trading two-time All-Star Perez.  

“It’s really difficult to replace a closer like Chris,” Indians general manager Chris Antonetti said. “He means a lot to the team, and I’m hopeful we won’t need to. I’m hopeful he’ll be ready to start the season.”

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Giants and the Phillies were both interested in the closer this offseason.  

The Dodgers were also interested in him this winter as the Indians were trying to shop the closer due to his large salary and criticism from both team management and the fanbase.

Perez was in line to represent the United States this year in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, but due to this recent setback, this opportunity will no longer be an option.

Perez will now not be available for baseball activities until symptoms of his shoulder issue are behind him.

“The shorter he’s down,” Antonetti said, “the shorter the timeframe to get him back to game activity. If his symptoms linger for a longer period of time, that means it’s likely going to take longer on the other end.”

If Perez does return by the Tribe’s Opening Day game on April 2 against the Blue Jays, it will still be a situation where the Indians will be monitoring his every move and making sure he’s ready to fill the closer position.

One way or another, the Indians should consider trading the righty for prospects and let Pestano take over closer duties whether Perez comes back to full form or not.  

“The most important thing is to make sure that he puts the injury behind him, and once he comes back, he’s ready to go,” Antonetti said.

Regardless of the general manager’s comments, it would be a wiser decision to put Perez on the block and see what the Tribe can get in return.  

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Could a player such as Alfonso Soriano or Rick Porcello be dealt before the start of spring training?

That seems to be the question of the hour as teams gear up for the start of the spring season.

The 2013 MLB preseason schedule kicks off in earnest next month when teams report to their respective spring training homes in Florida and Arizona. Players such as Soriano and Porcello could be moved before the opening of camps.

Here are four players who could be dealt before the start of spring training.  

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Over the past few weeks, Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Rick Porcello has become one of the two hottest trade candidates in MLB (the other being Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Justin Upton). It appears that half of major league baseball is interested in him and rightfully so.

As I have stated many times before, the Tigers would be making a huge mistake trading a 24-year-old starting pitcher who hasn’t even hit his prime. Porcello could fill most team’s No. 4 or No. 5 pitching slot now with a chance to develop into a No. 2 pitcher if he can improve his secondary pitches, especially his slider.

Jon Paul Morosi from Fox Sports reported that the Baltimore Orioles wouldn’t trade Tigers trade target, shortstop J.J. Hardy, but they would consider trading their closer Jim Johnson.

The Baltimore Orioles aren’t interested in trading shortstop J.J. Hardy to Detroit for starter Rick Porcello.

They may be more willing to trade closer Jim Johnson.

Morosi goes on to detail all the reasons why the trade would work for Baltimore: strong infield defense, Porcello would be under team control longer, and cheap closer options on the free agent market.

All the reasons why it works for Baltimore are why this trade would be horrible from the Tigers point of view.

Sure Johnson, 29, had a good season last year collecting 51 saves to lead MLB but he only had 41 strikeouts and a 2.73 K/BB ratio. It is troubling that Johnson’s K/BB ratio has decreased over the past few years, which would put added stress on the Tigers defense since he’s not a strikeout pitcher.

Johnson could rely on the Orioles defense but may not be so lucky in Detroit.

I believe that a starting pitcher is a lot more valuable than a closer, and chances are Johnson won’t have the same success he had in 2012. With low-risk options like Brian Wilson on the market, I don’t know why the Tigers would trade Porcello for a closer who could have equal to lesser success. There are only a few reliable closers who are successful year after year that I would consider trading for, and Johnson is not in that category.

In my eyes, I see Jim Johnson as last year’s Jose Valverde. Great success the year before but not as lucky the following year. If the Tigers had traded Valverde before the 2012 season there would have been several teams interested in him, but this offseason he’s still looking for a team.

Also troubling to me is that in five games in the playoffs against the New York Yankees, Johnson had one loss, a blown save and a 8.44 ERA.  For a team like the Tigers that have World Series aspirations, this could make for a disaster in a repeat of last year’s closer by committee in the playoffs.

I’m coming to terms with the fact that Porcello will more than likely be traded before the season begins. But it would be an even bigger mistake if the Tigers trade him for only a closer who hasn’t proven to be elite.

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Earlier in the week, Mike Morse‘s name was added to the trading block.

The New York Yankees are one of about six or seven teams that have been confirmed to have interest in the Washington Nationals hitter.

Morse’s name immediately went on the block after the Nationals made two significant moves this winter—trading for Denard Span and re-signing Adam LaRoche.

By adding Span, Washington’s outfield became overcrowded with Bryce Harper, Jayson Werth and Span.

And by re-signing LaRoche, it knocked Morse out of a spot as well, which made him trade bait.

According to Jack Curry of the YES Network, the Nationals are not ready to talk a trade yet. However, they are expected to talk with the Yankees regarding Morse.

Yankees called the Nats about Morse after LaRoche signing, but Nats weren’t ready to talk trade yet. The two teams will eventually talk.

— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) January 11, 2013

I know that might seem like something to get excited over, but all that is saying is Nationals GM Mike Rizzo is willing to listen on an offer from the Yankees.

With a talented hitter like Morse, there is still the another six or seven teams who have interest in the 30-year-old, like the Boston Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays.

However, it does confirm that the Yankees are in full pursuit of a trade for Morse and will look to acquire him for 2013.

The Yankees are still looking for a right-handed bat that can potentially be a fourth outfielder and a part-time DH, which is what Morse be.

Morse would also fit into the Yankees budget with his salary at $6.75 million for 2013 and then he’ll be a free agent after the season.

In the original story on this site regarding the Yankees interest for Morse, it seemed like there was a lot of support in regards to the Yankees going after Morse.

As long as Rizzo isn’t looking for a farm-gutting return in a deal for Morse, I could see a deal being worked out with him and Yankees GM Brian Cashman.

But, will another team offer something better to the Nationals that trumps a Yankee offer?

Guess we’ll all find out soon enough once the Nationals start engaging in trade talks for Morse.

Stay tuned Yankees Universe.

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After months of trade rumors it’s looking more and more like Justin Upton will remain on the Arizona Diamondbacks’ 25-man roster.

Recent reports indicate that Upton vetoed a trade that would have sent the outfielder to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for a lucrative multi-player swap, according to CBS Sports’ Scott Miller.

Miller’s sources indicate that Upton still may not be in Arizona for long, although the difficulty in moving him is increasing as teams fill needs through other means.

“Something is going to happen somewhere with them,” Miller’s source said of the Diamondbacks’ Upton situation. “I just don’t know where or when.”

Seattle would have given up Charlie Furbush and Stephen Pryor, two relievers and Taijuan Walker, a top pitching prospect in the M’s system, in order to add a key bat to the middle of their lineup.

Shortstop prospect Nick Franklin was also thrown into the deal to sweeten it for Arizona.

Walker, 20, has vast potential and is a valuable trade chip. He was ranked as the 20th-best prospect in the minors by Baseball America prior to the 2012 season.

That sets the bar for the type of player and package Arizona is attempting to get in exchange for its top trade chip.

Upton’s refusal to go to Seattle is understandable, though, so where else might he end up?

Let’s take a look at where he is NOT going.

ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick tweeted Upton’s four-team no-trade list on Thursday:

#Mariners, #bluejays, #redsox and #cubs are the 4 teams on Upton’s no-trade list. This deal was never gonna work.

— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) January 11, 2013

Atlanta and Texas are starting to cool on the idea of giving up big packages in order to bring Upton to town.

The Braves seem content with what they’ve got heading into spring training, according to David O’Brien of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

O’Brien did note that the Braves would likely jump at the chance to unite the Upton brothers if the Diamondbacks were to lower the asking price.

Texas has reportedly dropped from the chase altogether.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported Arizona offered Upton to the Rangers prior to their deal with the Mariners, but that they weren’t willing to pay the steep price to get a deal done (via Twitter):

The #dbacks offered Upton to #rangers on Thu before proposed #mariners trade but price too steep

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 11, 2013

Upton, at this point, will most likely be an Arizona Diamondback when the 2013 season kicks off. All of the young outfielder’s top suitors are turned off by the idea of taking on his large contract and sacrificing a sizeable amount of talent in the process.

A deal could still get done, but it isn’t likely at this point. Unless, of course, Arizona is willing to cave on its demands in order to ship Upton.

The Diamondbacks have been trying to move the talented outfielder for a good amount of time. They may be willing to keep waiting for the right opportunity to come along before pulling the trigger.

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The offseason is hardly young, but MLB trade rumors continue to fly. The latest signings have only added fuel to the fire, with stars like Michael Morse getting serious buzz. 

Let’s take a look at the latest rumors to gain some steam.

Tigers, Cubs and Orioles Three-Way Deal

Roch Kubatko of masnsports.com reports that there is a potential three-way deal between the Tigers, Cubs and Orioles brewing. The trade would send the Tigers’ right-handed pitcher Rick Porcello to Chicago, the Orioles’ J.J. Hardy to Detroit and an unnamed Cub to the O’s. 

Kubatko rightfully recognizes how silly this trade is. The Orioles are interested in Porcello themselves: There is no reason to include the Cubs in this deal. Ultimately, this deal seems unlikely, since the O’s like Hardy and have no major incentive to move him.

The Cubs’ activity started this rumor, but it will be the O’s who end it.

National’s Michael Morse on the Trade Block

Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal tweets that Michael Morse is available to be had: 

Source: #Nationals speaking to 5-6 teams about Morse. Earning $7M this season, then eligible for free agency.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 8, 2013

The rumor comes on the heels of the Nationals’ latest move, which saw them re-sign Adam LaRoche to a two-year, $24 million deal.

With LaRoche back in Washington, Morse becomes available to the best bidder. 

Unfortunately, Rosenthal updates this report with the news the Morse is not keen on becoming a DH, as per foxsports.com. Morse would be a good fit at DH due to his mediocre fielding and lack of durability, so his unwillingness to fill that role could be key.

Regardless of those issues, Morse would be an upgrade for many teams with his excellent bat. The career .295 hitter has developed some power in the past three years, making him a big piece on the trade block.

Keep an eye on Morse, who will be moved one way or the other. Where he goes will likely hinge on what role he will play in 2013.

Latest in Justin Upton Trade Talks

Rosenthal offers a great recap of the latest in the rumors swirling around the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Justin Upton on foxsports.com.

The key teams to look for are the Rangers, the Padres and the Mariners.

The Padres might offer Chase Headley, who had a career year in 2012 with a .286 average and 31 home runs. Headley offers comparable power to Upton but is in no way an upgrade.

The Rangers have a longer list of players they don’t want to give up for Upton, including Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar. Until the Rangers start picking pieces to give up, don’t count on them.

Finally, the Mariners are on Upton’s no-trade list. Good luck with that.

Upton will eventually get moved, but there has been little progress here. Keep an eye out for new news.

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First, it was Scott Hairston.

Then, it was Vernon Wells and even Lance Berkman.

Now, there’s a new name that has entered the Hot Stove of rumors involving the New York Yankees.

With a little over a month to go until pitchers and catchers report, the Yankees’ search for a bat continues.

Wallace Matthews of ESPN has reported that the Bombers are interested in acquiring Michael Morse from the Washington Nationals.

 

Yankees interested in Nats‘ Morse, sources say espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/s…

— wallace matthews (@ESPNNYYankees) January 8, 2013

 

Morse became expendable after the team acquired Denard Span from the Minnesota Twins and re-signing Adam LaRoche to a two-year deal this week.

With Span, Bryce Harper and Jayson Werth, the Nationals’ outfield got overcrowded with Morse.

If the team didn’t re-sign LaRoche, the team could have transitioned him to first, but his re-signing took care of that, which put Morse on the trade block.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports also tweeted that there are several teams in on Morse, which also includes the Yankees.

 

Source: #Nationals speaking to 5-6 teams about Morse. Earning $7M this season, then eligible for free agency.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) January 8, 2013

 

Jim Bowden of ESPN said that the Nationals are looking for a left-handed reliever and/or prospects in any deal involving Morse.

 

Nationals looking for LH relief help and/or prospects to help replenish farm system in a Michael Morse swap according to #Nats source

— JIM BOWDEN (@JimBowdenESPNxm) January 8, 2013

 

In 102 games for the Nationals, Morse hit .291 with 18 home runs and 62 RBI while playing first base and both left and right field in 2012.

If the Yankees did get Morse, they could use him as a fourth outfielder and also as a DH since nobody is in that spot due to Raul Ibanez returning to the Seattle Mariners as a free agent.

If the Yankees have the chance to land Morse, they should make the move, as it would only add $6.75 million of salary for 2013.

However, with other teams vying for Morse as well, it’ll be interesting to see if the Yankees can land him or someone else beats them to the punch.

Stay tuned, Yankees Universe.

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