With the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline quickly approaching teams have wasted no time shuffling their cards. Jose Quintana has gone from the Chicago White Sox to the Chicago Cubs and Todd Frazier was sent from the White Sox to the New York Yankees where he will handle third base duties.
But the action won’t stop there, there are plenty of names that could see a change of scenery before the music stops at the end of the month. A lot of negotiating is still going on and it could result in other players swapping uniforms. Here are three names that are will most likely get traded:
Sonny Gray – Oakland Athetics
Those looking for a pitching ace to strengthen their rotation have to look no further than 27-year-old Sonny Gray. The A’s RHP has the quality, experience and kind of friendly contract that should be attractive to teams such as the Yankees, Cubs, Houston Astros and L.A Dodgers.
Gray was an All-Star pitcher in 2015, year in which he ended in third place in A.L Cy Young Award voting. This year he has a 5-4 record, a 3.45 ERA and 82 strikeouts.
Justin Verlander – Detroit Tigers
The experienced pitcher is a serious candidate to change teams as several organizations have shown interest in the righty, but none have decided to make the move yet.
His postseason experience and his highly decorated career (six-time All-Star and 2011 A.L MVP) will prove valuable to many teams looking for someone to help them win now.
After finishing second in A.L Cy Young Award voting last year, Verlander has been rather inconsistent this season putting up a 5-6 record, with a 4.66 ERA and 103 strikeouts. Although he is struggling several teams would most likely welcome the 2011 A.L Cy Young winner with open arms.
Giancarlo Stanton – Miami Marlins
There is not much that you need to say about Stanton. The Marlins outfielder has awesome power which propelled him to win the 2016 Home Run Derby and this year he already he’s batting .275, with 29 homers and 63 RBIs. His new organizations will undoubtedly from his All-Star pedigree.
His new team will benefit from his bat on the field and by the economic push he’ll provide helping with the sales of game tickets and jerseys with his name and number.
The catch to get his services however is his massive contract ($325 million over the next 13 seasons) which just a handful of teams could absorb.
