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Windsor Standard
There has been quite a bit of news generated in Major League Baseball this week, making it hard to decide on a topic for this week’s column.  Sitting down to put “pen to paper”, I feel I should write something about Andre Dawson.  “The Hawk” was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame this past weekend.  Dawson was the only player among those individuals honored in Cooperstown on Sunday.  But Dawson’s column will have to wait.  Alex Rodriquez and his pursuit of his 600th home run and testing for HGH in the minor leagues will have to wait, too.

Why?  Well, realizing that the trade deadline is now less than a week away – midnight July 31st – I had better get in my two-cents about the National League buyers and sellers before the players are all bought and sold!

There are more teams in the National League that are in playoff contention than there are that are not.  The races are closer than I can remember them in quite some time.  No division leader is more than 5 games in front.  Four teams in the East are within 5.5 games of the Wild Card, while in the West four teams are within 3.5 games.  As a result, there are many more buyers in the league than there are sellers.

The Florida Marlins are only 5.5 games out in the Wild Card race but will be spending much of August on the road.  The Marlins have some good young pitching which will draw interest if they decide to sell.  They might also consider moving third baseman Jorge Cantu who will be a free agent after the season.  And they always seem to be considering trading second baseman Dan Uggla.

Several teams have contacted the Washington Nationals about first baseman Adam Dunn, another free agent at the end of the season.  The Nats would prefer to re-sign Dunn rather than trade him and have offered him a two-year deal. Dunn wants a four-year deal.  Josh Willingham has also generated some interest.  It would take a solid offer to pry him away though, as he is still a year away from free agency.  Closer Matt Capps could generate interest and he could find another home.  The Nats have Drew Storen waiting in the wings.

Most of the league’s sellers are in the Central Division.  The Cubs are listening to offers for pitcher Ted Lilly and first baseman Derek Lee.  Both will be free agents at the end of the season.  The Cubs would also love to unload the hefty contracts of outfielder Alfonso Soriano or third baseman Aramis Ramirez.

The Milwaukee Brewers were entertaining several offers for outfielder Cory Hart. The free-agent to be injured his wrist crashing into an outfield wall on Friday. Now teams may be leary of trading for Hart unless he comes back before the deadline.  First baseman Prince Fielder and second baseman Richie Weeks are also free agents that may land elsewhere.
The Houston Astros have the most coveted trade target on the market in pitcher Roy Oswalt.  Several teams are looking to add starting pitching and Oswalt is a true ace.  Oswalt has a year left on his contract with a team option for another. The rebuilding Astros would love to lose his salary.  The trouble is, he also has a no trade clause and is asking teams to guarantee the option year in order for him to accept a trade.  First baseman Lance Berkman and third baseman Pedro Feliz could also generate interest.

The Pittsburgh Pirates don’t have much to offer other teams.  Catcher Ryan Doumit and closer Octovio Dotel are two veterans that could help a contender.

Out west, the only sellers are the Arizona Diamondbacks but they have a lot to offer.  Starting pitcher Dan Haren has been targeted by many teams. He was traded to the Los  Angeles Angels on Sundayee.  First baseman Adam LaRoche and second baseman Kelly Johnson have also gotten attention but are less likely to move.  The D-backs would prefer to lose the contracts of catcher Chris Snyder or closer Chad Qualls.

The Atlanta Braves sit atop the Eastern Division.  They have no real weakness and are not likely to make a major move unless a big bat falls into their lap.  The New York Mets were looking for starting pitching.  However, if they do not snap out of their recent funk, the quest for pitching can wait until next year.

Like many other teams, the Philadelphia Phillies are also looking for pitching. They wanted to add a starter even before Jamie Moyer was hurt.  And, just like last year at this time, the team is looking to stabilize the bullpen.  They said they are ready to move someone from their starting team in the right trade if need be. If they do, I would expect them to trade an outfielder.  Domonic Brown is hitting well for AAA Lehigh Valley and is ready for the majors.

Both of the contenders in the Central Division, the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds, could use help in their bullpens.  Each would also like to add depth to their starting pitching.

At the start of the season, the San Diego Padres were expected to be also-rans. Teams were supposed to be lining up to make offers for the Pads’ star first baseman, Adrian Gonzales.  Instead, however unlikely it may be, the Padres find themselves buyers.  They are in desperate need of offense to support their talented young pitching staff.

The San Francisco Giants’ need is a familiar one for them – more hitting.  Buster Posey has helped improve the offense, but like the Padres the Giants are in desperate need of offense.

A healthy Colorado Rockies’ team will likely stand pat, though they have made some noise about acquiring another infielder.  It is as if the team just added three major pieces anyway as key players return from injury.  Closer Houston Street is pitching well after early injury problems and starting pitcher Jorge De LaRosa has just returned from a finger injury.  Shortstop Troy Tulowitzki is due to return soon.

The Dodgers are another team that is in need of starting pitching.  However, the front office is in chaos as team ownership is in the middle of a nasty divorce.

By this time next week, the first trade deadline will have passed and I will recap who went where.  Until then…


 
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