The 2017 MLB trade deadline is right around the corner. That means trade talks are set to heat up with the top contending teams attempting to address their weaknesses in order to put themselves in position to challenge for a World Series title. Those potential buyers will be looking to a handful of teams that should be sellers thanks to both their overall records and the fact that they actually have something to offer. Here is a look at the five most likely sellers at the 2017 MLB trade deadline.
Oakland Athletics
The Athletics might be the most likely sellers of the 30 teams in the majors. Sonny Gray’s name has been the constant subject of trade rumors in recent weeks. Jed Lowrie is another name that has been discussed a lot. Oakland already moved Stephen Vogt to the Milwaukee Brewers and Trevor Plouffe to the Tampa Bay Rays. Nobody will be surprised when the worst team in the American League West continues to strip apart its current roster with a couple more significant trades before the deadline.
Miami Marlins
Miami is another team that should be major sellers at the trade deadline. The Marlins have fewer wins than Oakland and plenty of holes to address moving forward. Christian Yelich has been mentioned a lot in trade rumors of late. Meanwhile, relief pitchers David Phelps and A.J. Ramos are even more likely to be moved. The latest out of Miami is that nobody on the roster is considered untradeable. While that might not be true, the Marlins figure to be major sellers at this year’s trade deadline.
New York Mets
With the exception of the Washington Nationals, it won’t be a surprise if every team in the National League East is on the seller list. The Mets certainly fall in that category as one of the most disappointing teams in the majors this season. First basemen Lucas Duda and outfielder Jay Bruce are expected to be on the move since they are both pending free agents this winter. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if New York moved a pitcher that is under contract through next season. The Mets might not be far away from turning things around so any advantage they can gain looking forward to next year should be explored.
Detroit Tigers
Another disappointing team that should be in the mix as a seller before the deadline is the Tigers. Detroit is 41-49 and in desperate need of shedding some veteran salaries before next season. Justin Verlander and the $78 million remaining on his contract should be on the move. Alex Avila, J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler are among the other veteran options that could be traded. Of the lot, it looks like Martinez is going to command the most interest. At least at this point, nobody wants Verlander and his big contract. He has a lot of money remaining on that deal and he has been nothing more than average to this point in the season.
The Tigers aren’t going to contend for a playoff spot this year so they should strongly consider accelerating their rebuild process by making some moves before the deadline. They have a team of veterans and need to get a youth infusion to hit the restart button.
Pittsburgh Pirates
The final team on this list will have some tough decisions to make at the trade deadline. Andrew McCutchen is 30-years-old and he has a $14.5 million club option or a $1 million buyout for next season so there is a good chance the Pirates should move him. However, there is no guarantee Pittsburgh will lower the price enough to find a buyer. The same can be said for starting pitcher Gerrit Cole and reliever Tony Watson. The Pirates have some intriguing pieces but they need to lower their price tags in order to find trade partners. Look for the management team in Pittsburgh to eventually bring down their prices and get some deals done before the deadline.
As of this writing, the Pirates are seven games back in the National League Central division.
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