Team’s aren’t always fans of trading players before the season starts because it can send an early message to their fans that they are looking towards next season before the current season even ends.  With teams like the Brewers and Braves though it is obvious that they are not in a win now situation so it is best to trade some of their top talent now and get the most bang for their buck.  

If teams wait until the All-Star break and a player is in their contract year they have already cost themselves in terms of the value that they can get in return.  When teams wait too long the other teams know that they are desperate to trade the player and will have no choice but to accept less in return than what they would’ve gotten had they traded him before the trade deadline was approaching.  Below is a list of players that could be traded before the season starts.

1)Tyson Ross

Ross has been rumored to have been on the trade block for a couple years now.  After the Padres failed free agent splurge last season the Padres are officially in rebuild mode.  Many of the players they signed last year have already been traded, and with the constant interest in Ross it would make sense for the Padres to trade him.  Ross is a free agent after this season and seeing as he is going to turn 29 this year he is not a player that a team that is rebuilding will keep around, especially when that player can be trade for some young top prospects.

2.) Jonathan Papelbon

Sure the Nationals just traded for Papelbon last season, and have already traded Drew Storen, but they need to get rid of Papelbon.  Papelbon has been a cancer in the dugout, and got into a fight last year with one of baseball’s best players in Bryce Harper.  Harper is the face of the franchise, and you can’t have an aging closer choking him in the dugout.  It  won’t be easy to trade Papelbon with his big contract and character issues, but he still is a talented closer, and the Nationals need to rid themselves of him.

3.) Andrew Cashner

Cashner is another Padre starting pitcher that has been on the block the last couple of seasons but still finds himself in a Padres uniform.  Unfortunately for the Padres, Cashner is coming off of a bad season where he had a 4.34 ERA, a 1.44 WHIP, and a career high 9.7 H9.  TBIs is also the last year if Cashner’s contract meaning if the Padres are ever going to trade him it is going to be this year, because odds are he is not going to sign an extension with them.  It would be wise for the Padres to begin the rebuilding, and healing process now and trade Cashner while he is healthy, and can still get good value in return.

4.) Jay Bruce

The Reds are in a rebuilding phase, and they have already traded away one of their superstars in Todd Frazier.  The Reds are clearly willing to trade now rather than wait until the All-Star break.  Bruce will only bat around the .250 mark, but only once has a failed to reach the 20 home run plateau. Power hitting left handed bats are always a hot commodity, and a team that has already made some big moves to bolster their team for a win now season may be willing to pull the trigger early in a deal for Bruce. 

5.) Ryan Braun

Braun has not been the same player he once was, which can be largely attributed to the ton of injuries that he has sustained over the last three seasons.  For his career Braun is a .304 hitter who averages 34 home runs, 106 runs, 112 RBI, and 22 steals.  Obviously with his age getting up there his numbers are going to decline, but he is still a good player even with his steroid scandal staining his legacy.  If Braun can stay healthy he should be able to bat relatively close to .300 this season and hit 25-30 home runs.  The Brewers are a long way from coppering in their division with three great teams ahead of them in the Pirates, Cardinals, and Cubs.  This makes dealing Braun a smart move.  Despite the steroids he can still fetch a handful of top prospects, and he has a reasonable contract of 20 million a season.  It is tough to say that the Brewers will deal Braun before the deadline, but they just traded their young short stop Jean Segura so they may as well do their due diligence and put out some feelers.