1. Carlos Lee
Potential landing spots: Yankees, Mariners, Angels, Indians
You got it folks. He's the one that the club has been looking to deal for awhile, but the burdensome contract that he carries is a major deterrent for a lot of clubs, not to mention his severely diminishing power numbers and a defensive value of less than zero. This makes him interesting to AL clubs only, as he'd most likely fill in as a DH somewhere. You can never rule out the Yanks from signing a big bat to boost their postseason chances in a tough AL East, but I see them as an unlikely trade partner, simply because they already have Jorge Posada at DH and a plethora of other aging veterans to take care of. The M's and Angels look to be in the thick of the wide open AL West race, and since neither team has a bona fide slugger in their lineup, they could be looking to add a potential power threat come July. Both teams also have a good amount of money to blow, so picking up part of Lee's contract shouldn't be too much of a problem. The Indians are the most intriguing of the bunch, as they will most certainly need to add a little pop to their lineup to stay competitive, and with a decent farm system, they could have something interesting to offer the Astros.
2. Wandy Rodriguez
Potential landing spots: Rockies, Marlins, Tigers, Blue Jays
No, the prospect of trading the team's best pitcher doesn't look very attractive to me either, but it's an option that the Astros would certainly have to consider. W-Rod has been looking incredibly sharp lately, with a 3.41 ERA that is seemingly headed on the way down. The little lefty with the knee-buckling curve is surely starting to look more attractive to clubs with sparse starting pitching, and as he's only earning $7.5 mill this year, he could be gotten at a bargain price. A team like the Rockies could be a good suitor, as their ace, Ubaldo Jimenez, has not performed well this year, and the rotation behind him won't be able to hold up against the likes of the Giants' in the NL West. The Marlins will be looking to add pitching to their thin rotation headed by the now injured Josh Johnson to compete with Philadelphia. In the AL, the Tigers could make a Big Three of their own if they were able to land Rodriguez, slotting him in as the #3 guy behind Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. If the Jays are still riding on Jose Bautista's bat to stay close in the AL East come July, they could be interested in Wandy as well to be a veteran presence in a rotation full of young guns.
3. Hunter Pence
Potential landing spots: Phillies, Yankees, Mets
Shocking, I know. However, Pence's name is the one that I've been hearing the most in trade rumors of late. While he is a fan favorite in Houston and is said to be the poster boy of the franchise, management has to be disappointed that he hasn't really reached superstar level yet, not to mention the fact that he's starting to become more expensive to keep in the lineup. Pence is 28, and there's no guarantee that the level he's playing at right now isn't going to be the peak of his career. It's no secret that the Phils have not had a stellar offense this season, and because they need a right-handed bat desperately, they're probably the most likely place for Hunter to end up. If Nick Swisher continues his horrid season though, the Yanks could get in on this deal as well. And if the Mets want to save face by the potential upcoming trades of Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, they could choose to acquire Pence, though with their cash-strapped situation, that seems a bit unlikely. All in all, due to the nature of Pence's popularity, I could only see him being dealt for a blue chip prospect like Domonic Brown or Manny Banuelos.
4. Brett Myers
Potential landing spots: ??
This one is the least likely to happen, as the Astros rather stupidly signed Myers to a long-term deal last winter after his superb debut season in Houston. The problem is, Myers is getting up there in age, and the likelihood of 2010 being a fluke year for the veteran is rather high. Whether it was the high workload of last season or a nagging injury, Myers has not pitched well this year, and that could scare potential trade partners away rather easily. I was an advocate of dealing Myers last year before the deadline, as the club could have landed a number of prospects equal to or greater than the value of the ones received in the Roy Oswalt deal. However, Astros brass chose to stick with him as the staff ace, and that decision hasn't seemed to pay off so far. If Myers can get healthy and start pitching well again, another club just might be desperate enough to eat a lot of payroll and add him to their roster to make a playoff push.
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