It feels like forever since last Thursday's trade deadline. All the action and speculation in the days leading up to July 31 yielded nonstop coverage. But we'll just have to be more patient during August's waiver trade period.
A number of teams were unable to fulfill their trade wishes last week, so it's only fair to speculate that those who missed out are looking to acquire a player via waivers. Some teams are looking to get rid of contracts (Phillies, Dodgers, Rays) and others are looking to fill roster holes (Giants, Yankees, Blue Jays).
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro failed to make a single trade before the deadline despite having a number of tradeable players that teams were interested in. Amaro made the mistake of refusing to negotiate, as it was reported he was demanding, for example, a team's top three prospects and a mid-tier prospect for starting pitcher Cole Hamels. He also wanted too much for Marlon Byrd, and teams weren't willing to pay.
But now Amaro is handicapped and looking to shed the team of over $80 million in salaries for next year, with Cole Hamels ($22.5 million), Cliff Lee ($25 million), Ryan Howard ($25 million), and Marlon Byrd ($8 million) all under contract until at least 2016. Although Cliff Lee is returning to the DL with an elbow injury, a number of teams could use Hamels, Howard, and Byrd in their lineup at the end of the year and for the postseason. Hamels is an ace, Howard can provide solid power numbers, and Byrd is consistently putting up numbers across the board.
Meanwhile, the Dodgers and Rays are looking to get rid of two contracts in Matt Kemp (owed over $100 million through 2019) and Ben Zobrist (owed $8.5 million in team option next year). Kemp may not have many suitors because of the money and his overall performance this season, but Zobrist was drawing much interest before the trade deadline. The San Francisco Giants and Seattle Mariners were said to have been immersed in talks about the Tampa Bay second baseman, but no deal ever went through. The Blue Jays were also in search of a second baseman, contacting Cleveland about Asdrubal Cabrera, so its possible Zobrist remains in the division.
Additionally, Hamels is not the only pitcher that could be traded. The New York Yankees and a number of others are looking for any type of pitching help, and there was a lot of such talk prior to the deadline. The San Diego Padres were looking to get rid of Jaoquin Benoit and were 50/50 on trading Ian Kennedy (both of whom were drawing interest from the Yankees.). The Yanks and others also spoke to the White Sox about John Danks and the Rockies about Jorge De La Rosa, but nothing came to fruition. The Orioles and Blue Jays are also looking for another starter, so we'll see how it plays out.
You can read more about potential waiver trade rumors on the ESPN MLB Rumors page.
