Three Trades That Should Happen

We are closing in on that time of the summer where teams determine if they are buyers or sellers. Whether you are a fan of a team like the Royals or Nationals, who are locks for the playoffs, or a fan of a team such as the Brewers who have been out of the race for some time now - your team might get in on some action come late July. Here are three deals that I would love to see happen at this year's deadline:

Red Sox receive: Cole Hamels SP
Phillies receive: Blake Swihart C, Matt Barnes SP/RP, Deven Marrero MI

Normally a team several games beneath .500 does not trade away three of their top 10 prospects for a pitcher on the wrong side of 30. The Red Sox are an unique case, though. They have a reasonable chance to take the division if things continue to go their way. Cole Hamels could provide actual stability to a rotation that has been a heart-attack on an almost nightly-basis. With Clay Buchholz shelved for an unknown amount of time and the rest of the staff made up of underachievers and rookies, Hamels would supply World Series experience and a true ace to the staff.

Most fans would balk at the thought of trading away Blake Swihart, but as I mentioned in my pre-season post, I am a huge believer in Christian Vazquez. There is no room for both players and both are MLB-ready. Swihart definitely has more value after Vazquez went down for Tommy John surgery, and he would probably be a must in this deal for the Phillies to jump at it. Ryan Hannigan and Sandy Leon have proved to be a solid defensive duo for this season and Vazquez may be the better catcher to pair with a staff that anticipates having young arms on it in 2016.

There will be a bidding-war for Hamels, and this package might not be enough to land him. Should the Red Sox get the opportunity to secure Hamels, though, they must pounce. Even if it means including a name like Bradley Jr. or Owens in place of Marrero or Barnes.

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Mets receive: Troy Tulowitzki SS
Rockies receive: Noah Syndergaard SP

The Mets offense has been putrid this season, very similar to recent seasons. They have some of the best pitching in baseball but haven't been able to get enough offensive production to warrant playoff consideration.  Syndergaard is coming off his best career start and he has immense value all while still on his rookie contract. Why should the Mets deal him then? Well next season, if you take away Syndergaard, the Mets rotation would look like this: Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler, Steven Matz, and Jon Niese. That is still one of the best staffs in all of baseball. Meanwhile, the shortstop position for the Mets has been a problem for years now and projects to be going forward.

An option for the Mets to take if they wanted to keep Syndergaard would be to sign some offensive free agents. The problem is, though, if they whiff on Justin Upton in free agency then their next best options are Chris Davis, Ian Desmond, and Yoenis Cespedes. None of those would provide the impact Tulowitzki could.

Tulo is under contract until 2020, securing the Mets a middle-of-the-order bat for years to come. For the Rockies this deal is a no-brainer. They have more than enough offense and have already said they are open to moving Tulo. Combining Syndergaard with Rockies' prospect Jon Gray could give them a pair of pitchers far superior to any talent they have had on their staff in a long time. If the Mets don't like the injury history or price tag on Tulo, the same deal but for Yasiel Puig of the Los Angeles Dodgers would be of great benefit to both squads.

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Blue Jays receive: Tyler Clippard RP, Scott Kazmir SP
Athletics receive: Aaron Sanchez SP, Kevin Pillar OF

Kevin Pillar may be an integral piece of the current Blue Jays, but their closer is an unproven rookie and their pitching has given up the 6th most home runs of all staffs in baseball. Clippard and Kazmir could work miracles for the Blue Jays. Bautista, Encarnacion, and Reyes are not getting any younger and the window of opportunity for the Jays to win with that core is closing. Bringing in these two arms could propel them into the post-season and beyond. GM Alex Anthopoulos is believed to be on the hot seat, which would make him very inclined to make a deal that helps the team now instead of later. As a center-field replacement, Dalton Pompey looks like he has figured out his issues in AA, smoking 45 hits in 30 games. It is a risky move to hand over the CF job to a young player that has struggled mightily at the major league level but at this rate, Toronto must make some pitching changes.

Oakland lands a great young player in Pillar. He is an excellent fielder with a huge arm and has come on strong with the bat this season. They could use any offensive help at this point. The A's have the worst record in the American League. While they have overachieved offensively, they have played 7 different players at left-field this season. Pillar would provide stability at the position with excellent defense and a solid bat. Sanchez would be a bit of a project for Oakland but the A's organization is notorious for producing quality arms. He was actually decently productive this season before landing on the disabled list, posting a 3.55 ERA through 11 starts. The problem has been his control. He gave up 37 walks in 66 innings, giving him a horrendous WHIP of 1.40. If those control problems could be fixed, Sanchez would produce greatly in Oakland.

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