Every summer clubs make hundreds of phone calls and send thousands of text messages discussing potential deals, with each executive bargaining to get the best deal on the best possible talents. Some of those players will spend only a few contending months with the acquiring team, which means momentum is a key piece of the equation. In other words, the better the player is performing, the better the return.
There are a number of players that are currently performing at peak levels or carry quantifiable value that they may never again reach for a variety of reasons. That makes them candidates to be traded while their value sits at its zenith. Here are five of them:
Matt Kemp, CF -- Los Angeles Dodgers
Kemp has had one hiccup of a season en route to his All-Star status -- 2010 when he hit just .249, tallied 170 strikeouts and failed on 15 of his 34 attempts to steal. His other 556 career games, including the first 92 contests of 2011, have been played at a high level, but never higher than this season.
Blessed with every tool in the cabinet, Kemp has put it all together this season, entering the break batting .313 with the sixth-best on-base percentage in the National League and 43 extra-base hits, thrusting his trade value through the roof despite relatively poor reviews of his defense in center field.
The Dodgers' motivation for trading their best player starts with the 26-year-old's contract status. He's due to hit free agency after 2012 and will hit arbitration this coming winter after making $7 million this year. The Dodgers could draw interest from numerous clubs if Kemp is made available, and the haul could be plentiful. The Texas Rangers are one organization that may have the necessary young talent to land Kemp.
If the Dodgers wait, however, they risk losing the player without proper compensation after next season or getting far less in return if they deal him a year from now. And based on the Dodgers' ugly financial situation, their best course of action might be rebuilding with young, cheap talent.
Andre Ethier, RF -- Dodgers
Ethier is having another very solid season -- his fourth straight -- and like Kemp, he will be a free agent after next season and can only lose value going forward. Trading Ethier this summer gives the acquiring club a year and a half of control and the opportunity to rent the left-handed hitter for the stretch drive and flip him to another team over the winter rather than paying him upward of $10 million.
Ethier is merely adequate in right field and has experience in left, so clubs needing a corner bat would be getting just that, a bat, rather than a complete player. But he's consistent and posting career bests for batting average (.311) and on-base percentage (.383).
Alex Gordon, LF -- Kansas City Royals
Gordon was a busted No. 2 overall draft pick before breaking through this season and is on pace for career-high numbers in every positive offensive category. He'll hit arbitration for the second time over the offseason and the Royals have a chance to deal Gordon for help in other areas, such as pitching or catching, while he's performing as well as he ever has and before he gets expensive.
The Royals' timeframe for contention is nearing, and Gordon could be a part of the core of such a roster, but he's 27 years old and not many scouts are sold that he's more than passable in left field, nor trusted to continue to produce at this level. It's the first time he's hit for average and late bloomers have a tendency to have a short shelf life.
Hunter Pence, RF -- Houston Astros
Pence has already been a hot topic in the rumor mills, thanks to Houston's struggles and the new ownership. The Astros' best player is batting .323 with 11 homers and 24 doubles and plays a decent right field with a plus throwing arm that he showed off in Tuesday's All-Star Game, gunning down Toronto Blue Jays slugger Jose Bautista at the plate in the fourth inning.
Pence, 28, is enjoying a career year and by far his best since his rookie season in 2007 but isn't likely to sustain such performance. His BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is more than 60 points above his career norm, while his walk and strikeout rates are actually worse.
Pence's contract situation -- he'll be arbitration eligible for the third time after 2011 and is likely to warrant a substantial raise from the $6.9 million he's earning this season -- strongly suggests he's most valuable right now. Trading Pence this month jump-starts Houston's rebuilding task, especially considering the potential suitors, including Boston and Philadelphia.
Jair Jurrjens, RHP -- Atlanta Braves
Jurrjens has staved off the disabled list this season and has been worth 2.3 Wins Above Replacement in 16 starts. His success is almost impossible to explain, however. His stuff is solid yet unspectacular, and his league-leading ERA -- 1.87 at the break -- is more than run lower than his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching) and nearly two runs under his xFIP of 3.76. He doesn't induce a ton of ground balls -- 43.8 percent this season -- and his strikeout rate of 5.29 per nine innings pitched ranks No. 48 among qualified National League starters.
It's difficult to believe that his value can get any higher, despite the fact that scouts of rival clubs are not fooled by his smoke-and-mirrors success. Scouts need more reliable evidence that he is what the numbers say he is before they recommend their clubs pay the price to acquire him. All it takes is one, however, and there are those organizations that believe in the pitcher that simply finds a way to get the job done and is under club control through 2013.
The Braves may never be in a better position to get a bat for Jurrjens, with potential in-house replacements in the farm system and a struggling offense holding them back.
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