1 player from each AL East team that will be traded after the lockout

More imagining! It’s all we can do! The MLB lockout has continued to drag on with no progress. Spring Training approaches with a “start date” but everybody knows it’s going to be delayed for over a month.

Anyway, whenever the New York Yankees and the rest of the league can get back to conducting business, expect a mad dash in free agency and on the trade market as teams try to add and clear roster spots in frantic fashion since there will be little time to work with.

Though all of the Red Sox, Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays made more impactful pre-lockout moves than the Yankees, all five teams have plenty of heavy lifting to conduct once a new CBA is stamped and made official.

Let’s look at a quick rundown of what transactions were made prior to Dec. 2;

• Orioles: signed Rougned Odor
• Blue Jays: signed Kevin Gausman and Yimi Garcia
• Rays: signed Corey Kluber and traded Joey Wendle and Jordan Luplow
• Red Sox: traded Hunter Renfroe for prospects and Jackie Bradley Jr., signed Rich Hill, Michael Wacha, James Paxton and Michael Feliz
• Yankees: re-signed Joely Rodriguez

And we can expect more trades with all of these teams undergoing some sort of transformation, whether major or minor. So, with all the unfinished work still stuck in limbo, let’s take a look at who could be on the move in the comings weeks/months.

1 trade candidate from each AL East team following the lockout

5. Orioles: John Means

Though many, at first, thought it was egregious that the Orioles were listening to offers on John Means and Cedric Mullins (well, that one was definitely egregious), after we’ve had some time to sit on it, moving Means might actually be a smart decision.

Entering his age-29 season, the left-hander has three more years of club control, which is arguably the highest his value will be with the O’s. Additionally, Means’ second-half regression in 2021 made it clear there are still lumps in his game and he may not be the true top-of-the-rotation starter of the future for Baltimore.

From July 20 until the end of the year, Means’ ERA went from 2.72 to 3.62. His end-of-season 4.62 FIP posed a concern as well since it was a full point higher than his ERA. Some other underlying metrics, such as expected slugging percentage, barrel percentage and curveball spin, see him in the bottom percentile of the league, too.

All we’re trying to say is that Means is likely better fit to be a mid-rotation arm on a contender rather than an “ace” on a bottom feeder. Teams will see value in his abilities and the O’s can really expedite their rebuild by acquiring a few more assets and spending a bit in free agency.

4. Blue Jays: Randal Grichuk

There’s been some unfounded speculation that the Blue Jays might consider trading outfielder Randal Grichuk, and it’s certainly not out of the question. With George Springer in the fold, Toronto has a full, capable outfield with Lourdes Gurriel Jr. and Teoscar Hernandez, both of whom are under control through 2023. Cavan Biggio might be the fourth outfielder, too, if the Jays opt to upgrade at either second or third base.

So why pay Grichuk, who’s essentially the fourth outfielder at the moment, nearly $21 million total over the next two seasons to serve as a depth option? He has the ability to start despite a down campaign in 2021 (career-worst .703 OPS and 89 OPS+) and plenty of teams need outfield help for a reasonable AAV (cheaper than Aaron Hicks!).

Small market teams such as the Guardians could use the help and big market behemoths like the Dodgers would stand to benefit from adding a guy like Grichuk to their outfield rotation. The suitors will be aplenty. Yankees fans will especially love to see him go since he’s clobbered 17 homers against the Bombers (the second most against ANY team in his career) since arriving in Toronto back in 2018.

The Jays have $136 million committed to the 2022 payroll and could stand to increase their flexibility by getting Grichuk’s $10.33 million salary off the books in 2022 and 2023 (that year, the payroll hikes up to nearly $150 million). Expect movement here and more additions from Toronto.

2. Red Sox: Bobby Dalbec

What is going on with the Red Sox first base situation? Is Kyle Schwarber coming back? Does Boston want to expedite Triston Casas’ MLB debut after he reached Triple-A in 2021 and then had a great showing in the Arizona Fall League?

All of those factors have played a role in the Bobby Dalbec trade speculation, which honestly seems a bit crazy. The 26-year-old hit 25 homers and batted in 78 runs while maintaining a 105 OPS+ in his first full season in 2021. Though his 156 strikeouts were a bit of an issue, there’s still a lot of room for improvement. He also dominates left-handed pitching, which is an asset.

However, Dalbec was deemphasized in the postseason, receiving only 12 at-bats during Boston’s run to the ALCS, indicating that manager Alex Cora preferred Kyle Schwarber, who isn’t even a first baseman, to log the more important at-bats.

Trading Dalbec is dependent on the Sox bringing in another first baseman, because it’d be irresponsible to trust that Casas will be an immediate success in need of no insurance. You can’t put anything past general manager Chaim Bloom, either, who was already wheeling and dealing before the lockout and has plenty of experience making these types of deals during his days in Tampa.

He’ll figure out a way to get value for a 26-year-old slugging first baseman and convince a suitor that Dalbec is going to be a capable starter for the next five years if he chooses that route. If Schwarber returns or the Sox bring in another veteran first base option, don’t be surprised if Dalbec is quickly offloaded.

1. Yankees: Luke Voit

The (obvious) moment you’ve all been waiting for. Luke Voit wants to remain a Yankee, but it’s hard to envision that being the reality in 2022 after what happened last year. Couple that with all the Freddie Freeman, Matt Olson and Anthony Rizzo rumors, and, even though it could all be one giant smokescreen, it’s not boding well for Voit’s future.

The slugger, who still possesses a ton of value despite his lengthy injury history, is under club control for three more seasons and will make ~$5.5 million in 2022. The Yankees won’t be paying that to a backup and it’s hard to believe Voit will accept a lesser role in these prime years for him to earn significant raises through arbitration.

And with the universal DH expected to be enacted, Voit’s trade suitors just doubled now that the NL can employ somebody at the position. Concerned about his injury history? Very well then. Take him off his feet at first base and you’ll be able to minimize the injury potential while having him rake in the middle of the lineup.

Though Brian Cashman won’t want to trade Voit for pennies on the dollar, he might not have much of a choice. The penny-pinching Bombers might be more concerned about offloading his salary (especially if they’re adding more money via free agency). Hell, they traded an asset in Luis Cessa at the July deadline to save $1 million by dumping Justin Wilson’s contract.

Voit staying wouldn’t exactly shock the world, but it’d be a notable surprise based on what happened down the stretch last year and the discourse that has continued since.

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