Nobody really makes trades in May -- at least not big ones. But teams should make trades in May, or at least think about them. While it's too early for the Rangers to consider dealing Yu Darvish or for the Mariners to consider trading Nelson Cruz, here are five trade ideas that makes sense.
Kansas City Royals trade CF Lorenzo Cain to the Washington Nationals
This one's the easiest one on the board. With Adam Eaton likely out for the season with a torn ACL, Michael Taylor is the new center fielder. Taylor has more than 800 career plate appearances in the majors and has been the definition of a replacement-level player with minus-0.3 career WAR. There is some upside there with his power and OK defense, but do you want to bank on upside when you're trying to win a World Series?
Manager Dusty Baker voiced his opinion on moving Trea Turner or Bryce Harper to center -- "No, leave my team alone," he said last weekend -- when asked about either possibility. So we turn to Cain, a free agent after the season. Given that Cain is 31, the Royals are more likely to allocate their resources for fellow free agents Mike Moustakas or Eric Hosmer (gulp).
Cain should have similar value as a guy like Ben Zobrist, whom the Royals acquired for the World Series run in 2015, giving up a B-plus pitching prospect in Sean Manaea (while the A's also included some cash). Erick Fedde, the Nationals' No. 1 pick in 2014, is in Double-A, or the Royals could gamble on somebody like 18-year-old outfielder Juan Soto, who has some big potential at the plate.