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Dennis Lin of the San Diego Union-Tribune reported on Nov. 7 that San Diego Padres general manager A.J. Preller was willing to move anything not tied down. As a result, closer Craig Kimbrel could be traded for the second time in as many seasons.  

Continue for updates.

Kimbrel One of Many Closers Potentially on the Move This Offseason

Tuesday, Nov. 10

CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reported Tuesday the Padres’ aim in trading Kimbrel wouldn’t necessarily be in starting from the ground up with a full rebuild but rather crafting their roster “around a nucleus they like.”

MLB.com’s Corey Brock speculated earlier in November the team’s decision to pick up Joaquin Benoit’s option for 2016 was an insurance policy for the event Kimbrel is no longer on the team.

San Diego’s timing in trying to trade its All-Star closer couldn’t be much worse since it will be a buyer’s market this winter. Heyman mentioned no fewer than seven late-inning relievers whose current teams are either trying to deal them or are fielding calls from other clubs for their services.

Despite moving to the spacious Petco Park, Kimbrel had his worst season to date in MLB in 2015. His 39 saves were a career low outside of his rookie year, while his 2.58 earned run average was also a career high. His 0.91 home runs allowed per nine innings were also nearly double his career average (0.47).

Combine that with the $24 million guaranteed to Kimbrel over the next two years—he has a $1 million buyout in 2018—and the Padres might be forced to take a loss in any trade.

They dealt Matt Wisler and Jordan Paroubeck to the Atlanta Braves in order to acquire Kimbrel, and receiving similar value in return for the flamethrower will in all likelihood be impossible with all of the factors at play.

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Mark Melancon was the top closer in the National League this season for the Pittsburgh Pirates, but in a weak market for closers in free agency, he’s expected to garner some interest from teams looking to bolster their bullpens in a trade.  

Continue for updates.

Melancon Reportedly on the Trade Market

Tuesday, Nov. 10

On Tuesday, Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com reported that, “According to two rival GMs, the Pirates’ Mark Melancon, the top closer in the National League this year and winner of the Trevor Hoffman award, is also out there for the taking.”

“Everyone’s closer is available,” one unnamed general manager told Heyman. “People, especially the young GMs, have no fear of trading their closer.”

Melancon, 30, went 3-2 in 2015 with a 2.23 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, 62 strikeouts and 51 saves in 53 save opportunities. He’s turned himself into one of the game’s finest closers for the Pirates over the past two years, with a combined total of 84 saves in that time.

The fact that Melancon is reportedly on the trade block is somewhat surprising. He’s become a reliable stopper for the Pirates in the ninth inning and has played a huge part in the team reaching the postseason the past three seasons. 

But if teams clamoring for help at the back-end of the bullpen are willing to overpay to land a player like Melancon, the Pirates certainly have to at least entertain the notion of dealing him. 

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Andrew Miller just finished his first year as the New York Yankees’ closer in 2015. It could also end up being the left-hander’s only season in the Bronx, if the trade price is right.   

Continue for updates. 

Yankees Will Take Offers for Miller

Tuesday, Nov. 10

According to Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com, the Yankees will not shut the door on any potential trade discussions involving Miller: “The Yankees are willing to entertain trade ideas regarding their excellent reliever Andrew Miller, as was reported Monday on CBSSports.com.”

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and other personnel are in Boca Raton, Florida, along with representatives from all 30 teams for the annual general manager meetings, so this is when trade discussions will begin.

However, the wording Heyman used in the report is key. It doesn’t say the Yankees are actively shopping Miller, but they will listen. This doesn’t mean anything is imminent, especially because the report lists seven other closers who are available to some degree. 

One anonymous general manager told Heyman that “everyone’s closer is available,” so the Yankees don’t have a lot of leverage in their negotiations if they were to actively pursue moving Miller. 

Miller signed a four-year deal with the Yankees last winter, posting a 1.90 ERA and 36 saves with 100 strikeouts in 61.2 innings. He’s a key piece of New York’s late-inning relief stable that includes Dellin Betances and Justin Wilson that was so crucial to the team securing a wild-card spot. 

It seems unlikely the Yankees would deal Miller, but Cashman knows he has a strong crop of arms to plug into the ninth inning if he finds an offer to his liking. 

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Injuries have prevented Texas Rangers second baseman Jurickson Profar from reaching his potential thus far, and at least one team is hoping his durability issues have made him an expendable commodity.  

Continue for updates.

Report: Yankees Interested in Acquiring Profar

Tuesday, Nov. 10

The Yankees have struggled to find an answer at second base since Robinson Cano signed with the Seattle Mariners, but a new report suggests they are willing to take a chance on Profar to fill those big shoes.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, the Yanks have already inquired about Profar, while the New York Mets and the San Diego Padres are also potential suitors with an eye toward using Profar as a shortstop.

Per Sherman, however, the Rangers aren’t likely to trade him without allowing him to regain some of the value he lost from being on the shelf so often. That is a notion Rangers general manager Jon Daniels essentially confirmed: “We are not looking to trade him. We held onto him this long. We are pretty optimistic his shoulder is fit. The mindset is to wait and see where he is. We believe he will get back to his value, which was one of the best young players out there.”

Shoulder injuries kept Profar out of action for the entire 2014 and 2015 seasons after he showed some promise as a rookie in 2013 by hitting six home runs and 26 RBI in 85 games.

Profar recently returned to action as a designated hitter in the Arizona Fall League, and as seen in this video, courtesy of MLB.com’s Mike Rosenbaum, he seems to be unencumbered:

The 22-year-old native of Curacao was considered to be among the premier prospects in baseball before injuries cut him down, so it is easy to understand why the Rangers aren’t jumping at the chance to part ways with him.

He has an opportunity to be an extremely special player if he can stay off of the disabled list, and there simply isn’t any incentive for Texas to deal him right now unless the Yankees or another team come up with an out-of-this-world offer.

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Free agency is hogging most MLB headlines with players eligible to sign with teams as early as Friday, but there is still plenty of buzz on potential trades that could contribute to the personnel shifts among the baseball landscape.

Here is a glance at the latest names rumored on the trade market in the young offseason.

Brewers Eyeing Rebuild Through Trades

The Milwaukee Brewers finished 26 games under .500 a year removed from a September meltdown that cost them the National League Central after leading the division for 159 days.

They are reportedly in a rebuild mode and have been linked to trade talks surrounding first baseman Adam Lind, catcher Jonathan Lucroy and closer Francisco Rodriguez, per Buster Olney of ESPN The Magazine:

Lucroy is a career .282/.340/.430 hitter and is considered one of the best defensive backstops in the game with a .992 fielding percentage in six seasons. He spent time on the disabled list with a fractured toe in 2015 but has played an average of 118.3 games per year and was fourth in the NL MVP voting in 2014.

Despite speculation, general manager David Sterns indicated last week Lucroy should be back next year, per Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Rodriguez tied for seventh in the majors with 38 saves in 2015 despite the Brewers’ overall struggles. His velocity has steadily decreased from 94.4 miles per hour to 89.7 between 2007 and 2015, per FanGraphs, but he proved he’s still a threat in critical situations with only seven blown saves in parts of three seasons with Milwaukee. 

He’s scheduled to make $11.5 million the next two seasons, per Spotrac, for a team that had the 10th lowest payroll. If the Brewers aren’t winning many games, it may not be practical to keep that kind of financial commitment. 

On Adam Lind, the Brewers exercised the one-year, $8 million option on the first baseman Tuesday, though the team’s RBI leader could be a trade chip, as Olney noted. The Brewers tried moving Lind near the trade deadline last year, according to Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, though talks eventually fell through with the St. Louis Cardinals.

General manager David Stearns hinted the team will be much younger in the coming years, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com, though how it does so remains to be seen:

I think we recognize that we’re going to have a young roster, whether that’s this year, next year, the year after. We’re going to have a young group of core players for the foreseeable future, and we want to make sure that we surrounded them with members of a staff who are used to and comfortable with working with younger players.

Baseball America ranked the Brewers farm system 19th, which could prompt Stearns to deal a few veterans to free up cash and build a younger foundation to compete in the rugged NL Central, which featured three playoff teams in 2015.

Cubs Shopping Starlin Castro

With a crowded infield full of young and productive talent, the Chicago Cubs‘ Starlin Castro has been linked to trade talks as far back as the 2014 deadline.

A deal never manifested this past year due to Castro’s midseason struggles—he was benched for rookie Addison Russell at shortstop in early August, then became the team’s starting second baseman a week later and through the postseason. But given Castro’s strong finish to the regular season, the NLCS bridesmaids are reportedly shopping the infielder again, per Julie DiCaro of 670 The Score:

Castro hit .353/.373/.588 with six home runs, 23 RBI and just 18 strikeouts after his benching, and the Cubs went 30-17 in that span. His upward trend to finish the season should make him more marketable this offseason. 

Castro is also just 25, a three-time All-Star and has played in at least 150 games in four of the past five seasons. He’d be a valuable asset to most. 

The Cubs can fill Castro’s void with Javier Baez at second and could lean on Tommy La Stella as a backup utility infielder.  

Baez was also rumored in talks—with the San Diego Padres in July, per Jon Heyman of CBS Sports—but he wouldn’t return as much as Castro and is locked up through 2020 at a convenient price, per Rotoworld. 

A realistic way Castro stays is if the Cubs are unable to re-sign outfielder Dexter Fowler, who became a free agent this week. Chicago could then move the versatile Baez to the outfield and keep Castro at second. But Jesse Rogers of ESPNChicago.com noted that’s unlikely:

Fowler had a big second half, getting on-base about 39 percent of the time, leading to speculation he’ll get a long-term contract after earning $9.5 million last season. The Cubs have stated their offseason goals are to land more pitching, which might not leave room in the budget for Fowler’s return.

The Cubs are the early favorites to win it all in 2016, per Odds Shark, and they may start their hopeful run by dealing Castro to bulk up their roster in more needing areas.

Clay Buchholz Could Be Red Sox Trade Bait

The Boston Red Sox this week picked up the $13 million option on starting pitcher Clay Buchholz, but like the Brewers’ Lind, the move may have been executed to trade the veteran right-hander, per Ian Browne of MLB.com:

Buchholz would be a costly add given his limited return potential. He’s never made 30 starts or reached 200 innings in his nine-year career and has exceeded a 4.50 ERA in two of the last four seasons. 

But Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe wrote some teams have already expressed interest in Buchholz behind closed doors:

Buchholz’s name is already rolling off the lips of some mid- to small-market teams who believe they could trade for him if the Red Sox have bigger fish to fry in pursuit of a true ace who can stay healthy.

The Red Sox are reportedly in the market to add an ace via trade or free agency this offseason, per Ricky Doyle of NESN.com, which could slide Buchholz to the back of the rotation and shadow what could be more limited contributions. 

Buchholz went 7-7 in 18 starts last year with a 3.26 ERA, 1.209 WHIP and 8.5 K/9 before being placed on the 15-, then 60-day disabled list in July, which he never returned from. 

One AL GM told Cafardo that when healthy, Buchholz is “as good as anyone out there.”

New president Dave Dombrowski will be as busy as any executive this offseason, and Buchholz may be a chip used to rid a sizable bill from the payroll while yielding a few younger players to build around. 

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The MLB trade market may not really heat up until the big names in free agency are signed, sealed and delivered, but there are still rumors already making the rounds about several players.

Let’s break down some of the juicier buzz. 

Clay Buchholz, SP, Boston Red Sox

Clay Buchholz is an interesting case study. On one hand, he has the intellect and the stuff to be an ace for the Boston Red Sox. But the 31-year-old’s long injury history has prevented him from reaching that status.

And that has teams around baseball wondering if Buchholz could be had for the right price.

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, “Buchholz’s name is already rolling off the lips of some mid- to small-market teams who believe they could trade for him if the Red Sox have bigger fish to fry in pursuit of a true ace who can stay healthy.”

An unnamed American League general manager broke down the conundrum of bringing aboard Buchholz, via Cafardo:

Everyone is aware of his history, and the potential that he won’t make 80 percent of his starts, but for the price, a lot of teams will make inquiries to Boston about him.

Everyone knows the frustration level he brings, but we all know how good he can be also. He’s reaching that age where he’s learned how to pitch. Sometimes a player or pitcher gets a lot of injuries in the first half of their careers because they haven’t figured out what they need to do to stay healthy. There’s always the hope that Buchholz figures that all out.

If he can, he’s as good as anyone out there.

Buchholz went 7-7 with a 3.26 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 107 strikeouts in 113.1 innings pitched and 18 starts. The two-time All-Star has pitched 170 or more innings just three times in his career. 

The Red Sox don’t need to trade him, of course. After picking up his $13 million option on Tuesday, according to the Associated Press (via ESPN), the team could look to pick up a more reliable ace on the market like David Price or Zack Greinke and keep Buchholz to build a top-tier pitching staff.

Money might become an issue in that case, however, and moving Buchholz could free up funds and bring the Sox a nice young player or two in the process. 

Starlin Castro, 2B, Chicago Cubs

Starlin Castro has the very unfortunate case of being a good player who simply may not have a future in Chicago. The Cubs appear to have the middle of the infield locked down for years to come with Addison Russell and Javier Baez, making Castro the team’s best trade chip.

And, once again, they may look to cash in on it, according to Julie DiCaro of 670 The Score:

Of course, the Cubs have options. One particular option they’ve reportedly discussed, to make room for the trio of Castro, Russell and Baez is to move the young Baez to the outfield, according to Tony Andracki of CSN Chicago.

“The overriding policy is the more versatility, the better,” president of baseball operations Theo Epstein told Andracki, and manager Joe Maddon has never been accused of conventional thinking, so a move to the outfield for Baez seems possible.

Plus, he played all four infield positions during the regular season for the team, so he certainly seems to have the versatility and athleticism to make the move.

In that case, Castro would likely have a place—at least in the short term—at second base. He played well for the team this season, hitting .265 with 11 home runs and 69 RBI, giving the Cubs a nice bat to go along with the big boppers, Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant.

On the other hand, the Cubs have a wealth of young talent in the outfield, too, so the wise choice might be to simply move a player like Castro and upgrade a bigger need, like adding more quality arms to the rotation. 

Regardless, the team has options. And one of the most likely options still seems to be moving Castro in a trade.

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For fans of a select few MLB squads, playoff baseball represents the most exciting time of the year. Supporters of eliminated teams, however, must helplessly watch others live and die on every heart-pounding pitch as their minds wander to the offseason.

Nobody can complete any trades during the postseason, but everyone out of the action is already assembling an offseason plan. While 2015’s wounds still sting, general managers will reflect on their misfires and identify holes in need of remedies.

On the heels of losing campaigns, both Ohio franchises are already looking to parlay power pitchers into help across the board. The playoffs are far from over, but let’s take a brief reprieve from the games with a look at two early rumors. 

Indians Saying “So Long” to Danny Salazar?

Many analysts predicted the Cleveland Indians to represent the American League Central in October. Instead, they needed a late surge and a postponed game never made up to squeak over .500 at 81-80. 

Cleveland’s pitching didn’t lead it into the postseason as anticipated, but the unit collectively led the American League with a 23.8 strikeout percentage, while its starting staff sported an AL-best 3.73 fielding independent pitching (FIP). 

Although anyone looking solely at ERA won’t think so, Corey Kluber, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar give the Indians one of baseball’s finest rotation trios. Each of them struck out over a batter per inning, and while Salazar led the group in ERA, the other two amassed FIPs below 3.00. 

According to Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe, the Indians are looking to break up this trio to ascertain offense, as Salazar is the likely odd man out.

“There’s no question the Indians are going to deal a starting pitcher for a hitter this offseason,” Cafardo wrote. “As the year went on the Indians seemed more content to deal Salazar than Carlos Carrasco, who they made available at the trading deadline. Word is they’ll continue that way this offseason.”

This comes days after Salazar expressed his excitement for another year in Cleveland:

Either hurler should fetch a considerable haul on the open market. Salazar, 25, has another season under team control before hitting the first of three arbitration years. The 28-year-old Carrasco is signed to a team-friendly deal. According to Cot’s Contracts, he’ll earn $19 million over the next three seasons with club options for $9 million in 2019 and $9.5 million in 2020. 

Teams don’t typically try to trade young, affordable stars, especially not starting pitchers with Cy Young upside. While the offense has room for improvement, it’s certainly not hopeless. With help from rookie sensation Francisco Lindor, Cleveland finished No. 12 with a .315 weighted on-base average (wOBA). 

Most teams would kill for its young, cheap nucleus of Kluber, Carrasco, Salazar, Lindor, Michael Brantley and Jason Kipnis. Unless someone offers a young, affordable slugger, the Indians should instead build around those guys with a mid-level free-agent bat or two. 

Reds Ready to Deal Aroldis Chapman

While the Cincinnati Reds didn’t harbor postseason aspirations, they weren’t supposed to be this bad. At 64-98, they finished one game shy of the Philadelphia Phillies for the No. 1 overall amateur draft pick. 

They cleared house before the trade deadline, moving starters Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake. They were willing to gut the rotation and use five rookies over the last two months, but they didn’t jettison flame-throwing closer Aroldis Chapman.

According to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that will likely change this winter. “Chapman will probably bring a package of prospects,” Fay wrote. “The Reds have to do that. I think they will. In fact, an insider told me they will ‘probably’ trade Chapman.”

Chapman, who concluded 2015 with a 1.63 ERA and 15.74 strikeouts per nine innings, is a major weapon out of the bullpen. An Associated Press report credited him with throwing the season’s 62 fastest pitches, no surprise from someone who scorched an average fastball velocity of 99.5 mph.  

Yet the Reds need starting pitching. Some younger hitters wouldn’t hurt, either. They’re a rebuilding franchise in need of young talent, so a dominant reliever is simply a luxury they can’t afford.

The Atlanta Braves arrived at this realization earlier this year, shipping Craig Kimbrel to the San Diego Padres right before Opening Day. Along with receiving a solid starting center fielder in Cameron Maybin, they netted top pitching prospect Matt Wisler from the exchange. 

Fay also noted that the ship has sailed on converting the 27-year-old southpaw into a starter.

If the Reds had stuck to the plan to make Chapman a starter, they may be looking at a different set of circumstances right now. If Chapman had developed into an ace – a big if given his temperament and bouts with command problems – the Reds might not be rebuilding right now.

But that ship sailed a long time ago. Chapman is a hard guy to read, given the language barrier. But when my old boss, Angel Rodriguez, interviewed Chapman in Spanish at Redsfest in 2013, Chapman made it clear – very clear – that he didn’t want to deal with the talk about starting anymore.

Even as a reliever, Chapman will gross some substantial assets, preferably of the prospect variety. While the Reds will lose their most popular attraction, they’ll gain pieces necessary to reconstruct the fleeting organization.

Note: All advanced statistics courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted. 

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The New York Yankees have had trouble finding consistency at second base all season.

There have been small sparks of offensive production and defensive flair from both Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan here and there, but overall, second base has been the biggest flaw in New York’s starting lineup this year.

While an infield upgrade would be nice for the Yankees, bringing in Chase Utley in 2015 is not the answer.

It’s been quite the whirlwind month for the Yankees. These games are finally beginning to really matter.

The Bombers woke up on July 29 with a seven-game lead over the Toronto Blue Jays in the American League East. By Wednesday, Aug. 12, they were a half-game back.

That lead has since been rectified after the Yankees beat the Jays 4-3 on Friday night in what could only be described as a playoff-atmosphere game being played in August.

The 11-game winning streak that Toronto put together since signing David Price and Troy Tulowitzki led to some fans wondering why the Yankees remained mostly dormant during the trade deadline. New York’s only acquisition was reeling in Dustin Ackley, who played in just two games before landing on the disabled list.

With glaring holes in the starting rotation and trouble finding consistency at second base, it was a little surprising to some that the Yankees remained quiet. However, there’s still a little time to bring in a player or two.

General manager Brian Cashman helped out the pitching situation by calling up Luis Severino from Triple-A and stating that the 21-year-old has no innings limit to Ryan Hatch of NJ.com. Severino has had two solid starts so far in the big leagues against the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians, in which he gave up one and two earned runs, respectively.

However, second base still remains a problem.

Stephen Drew belted a home run and scored a career-high four times in an 8-6 win against Cleveland on Thursday, but is still batting just .195 with a .263 OBP in 97 games this season.

He does have 15 home runs, which is more than the likes of Evan Longoria, Matt Kemp and the last superstar to play second base in New York, Robinson Cano. However, production has been lacking in between each home run.

Brendan Ryan hasn’t fared much better, batting .237 in his last 12 games.

So, by name alone, you would think Chase Utley would be a great pickup to help bring some life back to New York’s middle infield. And you wouldn’t be wrong—if it were seven years ago.

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, Utley hit .292 that season with 104 RBI. He didn’t slow down the following year, belting more than 30 home runs for the third time in four seasons and leading Philly back to the Fall Classic.

Oh, he had five home runs in that World Series defeat against the Yankees, though Utley is just 6-for-24 at Yankee Stadium during the regular season.

If New York were going to get that Utley, there would be no question to try to bring him in. Of course, that Utley most likely would be staying in Philadelphia.

Instead, the current Utley is a shell of his former self, hitting just .196 in 70 games before Friday. He had more home runs in that ’09 World Series than he does now and is looking at career lows in just about every category since his rookie season.

Utley is and will forever be a beloved player in Philadelphia. His number will be retired and a street will probably be named after him. However, the Yankees have had their fair share of nostalgia while dealing with players from the past several years—they need production now.

Because of Utley’s past, the Phillies might try to bring in a big-name prospect in return for him, but New York has stood firm when it comes to its younger players.

Philly could certainly try to improve its case for a decent return after Utley went 4-for-5 on Friday night to push his average over .200. He now has 11 hits in 22 at-bats since returning from the disabled list last Friday. Funny how that can happen when a player is on the trading block.

Before being traded, Utley has the final say of which team he can be dealt to because of his 10-5 no-trade rights, which come after playing 10 years in the big leagues and five straight years with the same club.

The 36-year-old has also made it clear that he only wants to play for teams who will guarantee him playing time, as ESPN’s Buster Olney noted:

But as far as playing time is concerned, Cashman made it clear that he’s all-in on Drew at second base. Since he would remain on the team, there would be no place for Utley, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch:

Because of that, the Yankees’ best option appears to be in riding things out, much as they did during the trade deadline. Once the roster expands in September, New York can call back second base prospect Rob Refsnyder, who’s batting .275 in Triple-A.

As for Utley, the Los Angeles Angels, Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants seem to be the top three suitors. According to the San Francisco Chronicle‘s Bruce Jenkins, the Giants have even made an offer:

But according to USA Today‘s Bob Nightengale, Utley has narrowed his choices down to two:

It can be argued that Utley was one of the best second basemen of his generation. Now, the argument is if he has anything left in the tank to help out a ball club. For the Yankees, the answer is no.

All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.

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MLB‘s non-waiver trade deadline came and went on July 31 with plenty of action across the league, but teams are far from done when it comes to attempting to improve for the playoff push.

Organizations are still able to strike deals for the remainder of the season, but the deadline for a traded player being able to take part in the playoffs is Aug. 31. Any player traded between now and the remainder of the 2015 campaign must first pass through waivers.

That complicates things to some degree, but veterans with big contracts can often be had under such circumstances since most teams aren’t necessarily willing to commit significant amounts of money.

As teams contemplate making a last-ditch effort in their drive toward the postseason, here is a look at the latest trade rumors surrounding Major League Baseball.

Chase Utley

Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Chase Utley is arguably one of the greatest players ever at his position and a borderline Hall of Famer. Although he has certainly declined in recent years, he is a definite candidate to move via a waiver trade.

According to Andy Martino of the New York Daily News, the Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have all shown some level of interest in acquiring the 36-year-old veteran.

While Utley is a Philly sports icon, he can become a free agent at the end of the 2015 season, which gives the Phils plenty of incentive to make a trade.

Matt Lombardo of NJ.com sees no reason why Philadelphia shouldn’t ship him out of town regardless of what type of return it can get:

Both the Cubs and Dodgers could use a veteran player of Utley’s ilk, but ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick sees the Yanks as the best fit:

Utley would have a chance to start in the Bronx since the combination of Stephen Drew and Brendan Ryan leaves plenty to be desired. Although Utley is having an awful year with a .179 batting average, four home runs and 25 RBI, he has been hampered by an ankle injury that he is just now returning from.

He is a six-time All-Star who enjoyed solid production just one year ago when he hit .270 with 11 homers and 78 RBI. He is also a left-handed hitter with three seasons of 30 home runs to his credit, which makes Yankee Stadium the perfect ballpark for him.

He has played in 46 postseason games, gone to the World Series twice and won a championship. He is the type of competitor every contending team would love to have in some capacity, and he’ll be an asset regardless of where he lands.

Justin Upton

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the non-waiver trade deadline related to deals that weren’t made was the San Diego Padres. Despite having several players who would have been attractive to contending teams, San Diego decided to stand pat.

That included outfielder Justin Upton, who can walk this offseason with only a compensatory first-round pick coming back in return. One can only assume the Padres received interest in the 27-year-old All-Star, and according to baseball journalist Peter Gammons, they did.

The New York Mets reportedly offered the Padres pitching prospect Michael Fullmer in exchange for Upton, but they declined, which resulted in Fullmer being sent to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Yoenis Cespedes instead.

After opting against making any big moves ahead of the deadline, Padres general manager A.J. Preller explained his line of thinking, per Bernie Wilson of the Associated Press (h/t the San Jose Mercury News):

We’ve got a lot of players that are attractive to clubs and we were working through all different scenarios to add to the club and other scenarios. Teams were asking about our guys, but ultimately we didn’t feel like we got to the value that we needed to get to. If we got to those values I think we probably would have made other trades, but I think the fact that the team has played better, that made it a little easier to kind of stay pat and add a guy and go from there.

Upton is hitting just .248 this season, but with 18 home runs and 57 RBI, he is the type of run producer who could make a big difference in the middle of a contender’s lineup.

The Padres still have an opportunity to make a deal involving Upton; however, it could be difficult with the waiver element since multiple teams figure to have interest in him.

San Diego seems at peace with losing Upton for a first-round pick, but his name will continue to be worth watching until Aug. 31 comes and goes.

Kyle Lohse

Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Kyle Lohse entered the 2015 season having strung together four solid campaigns in a row, but he has struggled mightily this year.

The 36-year-old veteran is 5-13 with a bloated 6.31 ERA for the Brew Crew, which prompted Milwaukee to move him to the bullpen. He was also placed on waivers in hopes of a team claiming him, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Assuming nobody does, Lohse seems to believe the Brewers will attempt to trade him, per MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy:

Lohse signed with the Brewers after posting a career-best season with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2012 that saw him go 16-3 with a 2.86 ERA. He followed that up with a 3.35 ERA and 3.54 ERA in 2013 and 2014, respectively, but he has suddenly fallen off the proverbial cliff after proving himself to be a strong, middle-of-the-rotation starter.

It is possible that Lohse has reached the end of the line at 36 years of age, but it is important to remember he had a 6.55 ERA in 2010 before bouncing back to have four excellent seasons in a row.

Since Lohse will be a free agent after this season, a team won’t have to make a sizable or long-term financial commitment to him if it decides to strike a deal.

Even so, considering how poorly Lohse has been pitching this year, it is tough to imagine an organization making a move to acquire him.

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The trade deadline has passed, but players will still be dealt throughout the month of August due to the waiver system.

Teams who wrongly decided to bet that they would get hot and reach a second wild card spot will now have a second chance to unload some dead weight that won’t help them moving forward. This is good news for contenders who are still searching for that one extra piece that can get them over the hump.

There are certainly some high profile names on this list, which has been assembled due to the likelihood that each respective player is dealt. Certain factors, such as team position, player salary and player value are all taken into account. 

It would be interesting to see whether the fans would want their respective teams to trade for these players, so be sure to chime in with some comments. 

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