The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to trade a number of their veterans to rebuild their roster. Outfielder Marlon Byrd appears to be the next one on the way out, but a recent deal involving him fell through.
Byrd was nearly on his way to Cincinnati before the deal between the Reds and Phillies "fell apart," according to Jon Morosi of FOX Sports. The Reds are in need of a corner outfielder and it's been speculated for quite some time that the 37-year-old could be a target of theirs. Byrd's power-hitting abilities (25 home runs and 85 RBIs in 2014) would fit well in the Reds' lineup and Morosi noted it's "still possible a trade could be reworked."
Byrd is currently entering the final season of a two-year, $16 million deal that also carries an $8 million vesting option for 2016 that kicks in if he makes 600 plate appearances in 2015 or a total of 1,100 between 2014 and 2015. Corey Seidman of CSN Philly gives us an idea of who the Phillies are looking to acquire in exchange for Byrd:
"The Reds don't have a strong farm system but have some young talent that could interest the Phillies. One player is young left-hander Tony Cingrani, a 25-year-old who has shown some serious swing-and-miss stuff in 173 major-league innings. The Reds will be reluctant to move Cingrani, and Byrd himself won't be enough to acquire him, but that is an example of the type of young, major-league ready player the Phils are likely eying."
But the Reds likely aren't limiting themselves to Byrd. There remains a multitude of outfielders available via trade across the league, including Allen Craig (BOS), Dexter Fowler (HOU), Seth Smith (SD), Carlos Quentin (SD), Will Venable (SD), Cameron Maybin (SD) and possibly Ben Zobrist (TB). Craig and all the outfielders on San Diego are garnering interest from a number of teams because the Red Sox and Padres have a surplus of outfielders they need to get rid of. Lance McAlister of 700 WLW provides more options for Cincinnati.
The Padres recently traded for Matt Kemp, Wil Myers and Justin Upton, who will complete their starting outfield, which now leaves a number of players with a limited role or no role at all. This would be the Reds' best trade partner because San Diego is looking to get ride of more than one of these players, and since some of them don't carry cheap annual salaries, they could perhaps be obtained at a bargain price.
Craig, Smith and Maybin have contracts that go beyond the 2015 season while the others can become free agents in 2016. We can deduce from this recent failed transaction that the Reds are looking for a successful power hitter, which could rule out many of these candidates.