Top 5 - AL Players Who May Be Trade Bait

Here are 5 AL players who are probably being shopped as you read this.

Matt Holliday - A's - $13.5 million 2009 contract - I think he definitely gets traded mostly for financial reasons. The A's just can't afford him. They should get a better haul back on Holliday than what they gave up for him. He would fit best with a NL team in need of a bat.

Aubrey Huff - Orioles - $8 million 2009 contract - Huff has a line of 10 HR / 52 RBI / .270 BA. He's an available 1B /DH for a team that needs a bat (especially a left-handed bat). I'm not a fan and I question how Huff would handle a big-city pennant race. Huff will probably be a Type A free agent so whatever a team gives up for him may come back to them with draft picks (assuming Huff does not accept arbitration which is a risk I wouldn't be willing to take on Huff - do you really want to take the risk of having to pay Huff $11 million in 2010?).

Cliff Lee - Indians - $5.75 million 2009 contract with a $9 million 2010 team option. If Lee is traded it will be because the Indians have too much money tied up in bad Kerry Woods, bad Jake Westbrook and bad Travis Hafner. If Cliff Lee is traded - Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge should both be shown the door. My guess is that Lee will not be traded though because it would be admitting to everyone that the Indians have failed on the field and on the budget front and that would lead to Shapiro and Wedge getting fired. It's a Catch 22 for the Indians.

Adam Kennedy - A's - $4 million 2009 contract - would be a good fit for a playoff contender with a need at 2nd base (the Mets and Tampa Bay are two potential landing spots).

Mark Teahen - Royals - $3.5 million 2009 contract - Teahen is arbitration eligible for 2 more seasons and he can play 3rd, OF or 2nd in a pinch. That makes him attractive trade bait. For whatever reasons the Royals have been down on Teahen (Alex Gordon being reason A Teahen has been shunted in KC). I'm not sure the Royals want to be paying Teahen $5 million next season. If Mike Lowell's hip is worse than thought - I'd look for the Red Sox to make a play for Teahen.

Baltimore Orioles Trade Possibilities

With the trade deadline coming up at the end of the month. I thought I would start looking at some of the teams who are bound to be "sellers" in the trade market. First up is the Baltimore Orioles.

The Orioles seem to have five main bargaining chips (six if you count the injured Miguel Tejada). Here are their "chips" in no particular order.

Chad Bradford – Orioles – signed for $3.5 million per year thru 2009 – decent 3.18 ERA and a pitcher who is very good vs. right-handed hitters. Bradford gets a $500,000 one-time bonus if traded so that may make Bradford pretty happy to get out of Baltimore. Almost every team in playoff contention is trying to add bullpen help – so there could wind up being a bidding war for a veteran like Bradford.

Steve Traschel - currently out with a pulled muscle in his ass but should return to action shortly. Traschel is a free agent at the end of the year (although there is a $4.75 million team option). He could make a nice innings eating 4th or 5th starter for an NL team that is hurting for starting pitching. My guess is he winds up in the NL East with the Braves, Mets or Phillies.

Aubrey Huff – he’s signed through 2009 at the rate of $8 million a year (but just $4 million this year). That means the Orioles have a financial incentive to deal him now. Huff has averaged 20+ HR the last 5 years but has just 6 so far in 2007. He can play 1st or OF but neither very well.

Kevin Millar – some teams may view Millar as a veteran presence that can help keep a playoff bound team both focused and loose at the same time. Others (like me) see Millar as a defensive liability who will turn cancerous if he’s not getting enough playing time. Millar has a contract clause that vests his 2008 option ($2.75 million) if he gets 475 plate appearances in 2007. So far Millar is at 266 – so getting those last 209 will be his priority. You also have to ask yourself if the Orioles really want Millar around next year or if they want to move in another direction.

Jay Payton – signed for $5 million for 2008. I would think that Payton is more trouble than he’s worth but some team who needs an outfielder may be willing to take a risk on Payton.

Miguel Tejada – still owed $30 million over the next two-years ($4 million deferred). Out with a broken wrist which means if he’s traded it will probably be during the off-season.

Orioles Fire Perlozzo

So Sam Perlozzo of the Orioles was the first manager fired in 2007. I feel bad for Perlozzo because he wasn't the guy who was buying the groceries but today he's the guy who had to pay the bill. When you look at the offseason moves by the Orioles front office - you come away - let's just say less than impressed.

Only the pitiful offense of the White Sox has scored fewer runs than the Orioles this year. Aubrey Huff was the big bat that was signed in the offseason for 3-years and $20 million. With just 4 HR and an OPS of exactly .700 - Huff is a black hole on the payroll and on the line-up. There are a number of teams trying to make the playoffs who need help at 3rd base. If the Orioles could dump Huff for just a player to be named later it would be worth it for the payroll relief that would come with moving the contract.

With the Orioles 12th out of 14 AL teams in attendance - let's face it - dumping payroll should be a priority for incoming Chief Operating Officer Andy McPhail.

Jay Payton was the other hired bat brought in this offseason. Payton was "only" signed for 2-years and $9.5 million but for that money he should have better than 1 HR and a measly OPS of .695.

Perlozzo didn't sign either of these guys but he paid the price for having to give them a combined 429 at bats this season. Is it any wonder that the Orioles didn't score any runs?

Just to emphasize the bad luck the Orioles are having - Baltimore also made a mistake in signing Danys Baez to a 3-year $19 million contract but on the first day Baez was eligible to be traded he instead landed on the 15-day DL with tendinitis in his pitching forearm.

The Orioles need to burn down this team and start from scratch. This means trading Huff, Payton and Baez if humanly possile. It also means finding Miguel Tejada a new home so that the Orioles can better use the $26 million due him (plus what's left from the $12 million due him in 2007). More importantly - trading Tejada allows McPhail to put a new "face" to the organization. McPhail should also jettison Mike Flanagan and Jim Duquette as soon as possible. The Orioles roster is a mess and there isn't much in the farm system either. That responsibility falls squarely on Flanagan's shoulders and he shouldn't be allowed to further screw up the organization.

Baltimore needs to pare down the payroll to about $50 million and then rebuild from there.