Jays’ Barney among available second basemen?
Second base is rarely a hot spot of trade-deadline activity, but it seems even less likely to be an area of focus this time around.
Few possible contenders have clear needs at the position, while those that could stand stand to upgrade — say, the Angels and Royals — don’t appear to be likely to swing a major trade.
Of course, that situation could still change, or another organization could get creative.
Here are the players that could be available:
Rentals
Darwin Barney, Blue Jays $2.89M in 2017 Realistically, Barney is a possible utility candidate. But he has spent the bulk of his career at second base. The 31-year-old is off to a brutal .231/.277/.295 start to the 2017 season, though, so it’s tough to imagine a lot of interest.
Brandon Phillips, Braves
$1M in 2017 (Reds pay remainder of $14M salary)
Phillips could surely be had if there’s demand; while the Braves are in second place in the NL East, they face very long odds of reaching the post-season.
Still, the organization clearly likes the idea of keeping a competitive product on the field, so it may not dump Phillips for a marginal return. The 36-year-old has fallen back to a rather typical .280/.326/.411 batting line for the year. Also, Phillips can still block trades to a dozen teams and has been rather picky in the past. Howie Kendrick, Phillies $10M in 2017 Kendrick is nursing a hamstring injury, though he’d represent a plausible August trade chip even if he doesn’t make it back quickly. H’s hitting as well as ever right now at 34 years of age. While he has mostly appeared of late in left field, Kendrick has seen recent action at second and has drawn solidenough grades for his work there. Neil Walker, Mets $17.2M in 2017 The 31-year-old was playing at a very high level when he was lost to a significant hamstring injury. He’s starting toward a return, though the best-case timeline will likely see him made available in August rather than at the non-waiver deadline.
Walker has been a consistent source of both patience and power over the past two seasons and could be a rather impactful trade addition for the right organization.
Controllable Through 2018
Ian Kinsler, Tigers $11M in 2017; $10M club option ($5M buyout) in 2018
Kinsler seems eminently available and he welcome a chance to move to a contender.