MLB Trade Deadline: Pitchers
Will Jon Garland, Jose Contreras, Javier Vazquez & Matt Morris Move?
The July 31 Major League Baseball trade deadline is looming and some pitchers may be on the move.
While there is a wide array of bats that could be available for contenders, the pool of available pitchers – particularly starters, is a lot thinner. While the odds of a true impact pitcher being traded, (such as Randy Johnson in 1998) is unlikely, there are some arms available that should help teams in need of reinforcements.
White Sox losing Contreras?
The starting pitcher whose name has been most prominently mentioned is Jose Contreras of the White Sox. Any acquisition of Contreras comes with risk though. The 35-year-old right-hander has struggled terribly of late. In his last 10 starts, Contreras is 1-8 with 7.56 ERA. There’s a chance that Contreras could revert to the form that made him an ace two years ago, but it’s an expensive gamble. Contreras has two years remaining on his contract.
Teammates Jon Garland and Javier Vazquez might be available, but the prices for these two are a lot higher than it is for Contreras. There has been speculation about a potential deal centered around Garland for Atlanta shortstop Edgar Renteria. It appears unlikely that White Sox general manager Ken Williams will deal Garland or Vazquez.
Way Out West
From the NL West, San Francisco’s Matt Morris and Arizona’s Livan Hernandez are available on the market. There are questions about how much these two veterans have left as both have struggled in recent weeks. Hernandez has a 7.14 ERA over his past seven starts and Morris an 8.35 ERA over his past six starts. Hernadez is a free agent after the season, Morris has one year left on his contract.
The idea that Oakland’s Joe Kennedy and Cincinnati’s Kyle Lohse are reportedly in high demand is an indication of the lack of quality starting pitching that is available. Both have been plagued by inconsistent pitching, but are young and neither are making a lot of money. There are plenty of teams who hope that Kennedy or Lohse could do for them what Shawn Chacon did for the Yankees in 2005.
Other starting pitchers that believed to be available include Baltimore’s Steve Trachsel, Houston’s Jason Jennings and Kansas City’s duo of Odalis Perez and Scott Elarton.
Roy Oswalt, Dontrelle Willis and Bronson Arroyo are three pitchers who would generate plenty of interest from other teams, but it looks like they are staying with their current teams. Of the trio, Arroyo seems the most likely to be moved.
The Mariners, Phillies, Braves, Mets and Dodgers appear to be the teams most actively seeking starting pitching help.
