You Get What You Give

With the MLB non-waiver trade deadline a little less than 3 weeks away and the Bucs right in the thick of the NL Central race, let's discuss a few trade possibilities. Feel free to agree, disagree, modify, or add any perceived scenarios in the comments section:

Who I'd Like to See, But Probably Won't:
Carlos Pena- 1B- Cubs: Pena has excellent power, with 19 HR and 49 RBI at the break. His batting average is low at .225 but his OPS is a solid .801. He is 5h in the NL in K's with 88 but also 5th in BB with 49. He would have about  $5 Million remaining on his salary for the year and in order to not give up much more than mid-level prospect, the Bucs would likely have to take on the entire salary.

Carlos Beltran-OF- Mets- Beltran is a switch hitter with good power and run driving ability. He appears to perhaps be a bit fragile and certainly "enigmatic" but he can play the short RF at PNC and definitely has the middle of lineup, corner OF bat we are lacking. The catch is, he still has over $9 million remaining on his salary and in order take that entire amount on, I wouldn't want to give up anything more than a bucket of balls.

Hunter Pence- RF- Astros- Pence can hit for high average and certainly adds some middle of the lineup pop. He has 11 HR and 60 RBI with an .860 OPS. He can also play RF fairly well and has an above average throwing arm. He still has about $3.5 Million remaining for this season, which is almost a bargain. HOWEVER, to get Pence we would have to give up somebody like Starling Marte. Even if Marte is blocked by the plethora of speedy outfielders with good gap power already ahead of him in the system, I don't think he is worth a summer rental.

Guys I Don't Want To See and Definitely Won't:
Aramis Ramirez-3B- Cubs- Plain and simple, I don't like the guy. I'm not saying he isn't talented or that his power stick at 3B would be a nice addition. He has a no trade clause he probably won't even lift to come here and we would have to give up a big return to fetch him in the first place. His club option next year is $16 Million with a 2 million dollar buyout and he would have $7.2M remaining for 2011. Paying $9.2 M and giving up a high ceiling prospect doesn't make sense to me, even with someone else's money. 

Alfonso Soriano-LF-Cubs- Since the Cubs are down and out yet have some high priced talent they could be looking to shed, Sori is the 3rd Cubs player on this list. He can certainly hit the ball out of the park, but he can't play LF at PNC. Moving to right would be an option, but his arm is terrible. He would also cost $9M for the rest of this season and another $54 through 2014. He may hit some home runs down the stretch, but definitely not worth that cash.

Mark Reynolds-3B-Orioles- Reynolds is the definition of a hacker. He is not a good fielder and he strikes out a ton. With that being said, he has 20 HR and 49 RBI and 36 of his 65 hits are for extra bases. Despite having 96 K's, he also has 50 BB and his .227 average is somewhat offset by his .839 OPS. And he's only 27. He would cost $2.5M the rest of the way this year, $7.5M next year, and has an $11M club option with a $500K buyout for 2013. While he is affordable and can certainly crush the ball, due to his age and fair contract, the Orioles would likely ask for a large return. Although if Reynolds could play 1B, it might not be a terrible investment.

Guys Who Me Might Potentially See:
Josh Willingham- LF/1B-A's- Willingham hasn't played 1B since 2009 and is primarily a LF, but can play RF at PNC Park. He has 11 HR and 44 RBI at the break with a .241 average and a .736 OPS. He would cost $3M the rest of the way and has no contract for next season. He averages 25 HR and 84 RBI per 162 games played. Since his contract is expiring and his production is decent, he might be had for a fair price.

Jeff Francoeur-OF- Royals- Francoeur is hitting .265 with 12 HR and 56 RBI on a bad Royals squad. He is slugging .443 but his OBP is a measly .308, striking out 66 times to only 20 BB. He has a good arm in RF and has stolen 15 bases this season, a career high by far. He comes cheap: $1.25M the rest of the way in 2011 and a $4M mutual option for 2012. His career averages are .268 with 20 HR and 90 RBI per 162 games played and could be a nice addition for a decent price.

J.J. Hardy-SS-Orioles- Of course I was going to try to find somebody to take Suckdeno's spot. Ronny has improved, but I think he is still too inconsistent to be safe. Hardy is hitting .278 with 13 HR and 33 RBI and his OPS is at .836. He averages 21 HR and 74 RBI over a full season for his career and would cost less than $3 million for the remainder of this season with no obligation for 2012. The expiring contract makes him a possibility.

Others I have heard mentioned:
Jason Giambi- .267 with 9 HR and 22 RBI in only 100 PA. $425K for 2011 and a $1M mutual option for 2012 w/$150K buyout.

Melky Cabrera- .293 witth 11 HR and 51 RBI. .332 OBP is lower than I'd like. Would only cost $612K for 2011 and nothing for 2012

Michael Cuddyer- .298 with 13 HR and 43 RBI and an .843 OPS. $5.25M for the remainder of 2011 and no obligation for 2012. Could certainly help but would likely cost a big prospect and it is unlikely he would be here past this season. Another case of not wanting to give up a high ceiling guy for a summer rental.

So there you have some possibilities. These are based strictly on opinion and nothing else. We have discussed many of these guys over the past few weeks, but as we are approaching trading season, it's looking like the Bucs may be buyers this year!