Under-the-Radar Trading Names
There are a lot of names that people aren't talking about when it comes to the trade deadline. You hear a lot of names like Cole Hamels, Johnny Cueto, and David Price, but there are players that could help out lots of teams, but aren't seen as the best in the show.
Let's start with the Oakland Athletics. They have a couple of players left on the trading block and those are Tyler Clippard, the struggling closer, and Ben Zobrist. The Mets have come out and said that they are interested in Clippard, which is a very possible landing spot for him considering the Mets currently have Jenrry Mejia, a relief pitcher who was suspended for 80 games at the start of the season making him ineligible for the postseason. This straight up Relief pitcher for relief pitcher makes sense for both teams. Clippard would help the Mets in the postseason if they can scrap their way into it, and Mejia can become the closer he once was in Oakland. As for Ben Zobrist, the middle infielder/outfielder can go to almost any team, making him one of the hottest commodities in the trading market. The A's could use him to beef up that starting rotation, bullpen, or most importantly a shortstop that won't finish the year with over 50 errors. So many teams could trade for Zobrist but the main ones would be the Pirates, Royals, Angels, Yankees, Cubs. If you're trying to win a bar bet, I can guarantee you that Zobrist will be traded by the end of the month.
Next is Tyson Ross of the San Diego Padres. We all know the Padres need to make a move, and Tyson Ross is their key player to do it with. They're not going to trade James Shield so if any team needs a starting pitcher, which many do, then Ross needs to be someone they consider because he has to potential to really take off in his career. An ideal landing spot for Ross should be in the National League Central, with the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs need another solid starting pitcher to help out Jon Lester, and the Padres are in desperate need of a catcher. With the call of Kyle Schwarber, the Cubs might look into trading Miguel Montero for the RHP starting pitcher. Other teams that could use a pitcher like Ross would be the Jays, Dodgers, Astros, and Rangers.
The Brewers have been one of, if not the, worst team in Major League Baseball this year. Some might think of Braun, Lucroy, Gomez, and I'm even a fan of Jean Segura, but the Brewers need to use Francisco Rodriguez, also known as K-Rod, as their main trading piece. Lots of teams need a closer, including the Oakland A's as stated earlier in the article, especially if the trade away Clippard. Look for a team like Mets to go for K-Rod as well if they're not able to land Clippard. Other teams that would be in the closer race would be the Nationals and Yankees.