As the calendar turns from June to July and more teams find themselves out of playoff contention, the trade market starts to heat up. Two shortstops that could be moved are Alexei Ramirez and Jimmy Rollins. The two players are both north of 30, but both could help out a contending team. Furthermore, they are unlikely to break the bank in terms of salary or the return they would command in a trade.
Ramirez has been the everyday shortstop for the Chicago White Sox since 2008. Now 32, he’s in the midst of his best offensive season since his debut campaign back in 2008. Alexei got off to a roaring start in the first month of the season, batting .351/.375/.535 with four home runs and a 150 wRC+. May was solid as well, as Ramirez knocked three home runs and produced a 111 wRC+. Through the first two months of the season he surpassed his home run total from the prior year.
June has been less kind to Ramirez, but he still owns a solid .298/.329/.426 batting line for a 107 wRC+. His defense might be declining a little with age, but he can hold down the position. He’s under contract for this year and the next for $19.5 million and there’s a $10 million team option for 2015 with a $1 million buyout.
Rollins has spent his whole career with the Philadelphia Phillies, serving as their shortstop since 2001. After drilling 23 home runs and amassing 4.7 fWAR in 2012, the 35 year old Rollins dropped to six home runs and just 1.6 fWAR last season. He’s under contract for $11 million this season with a $11 million option for 2015 that is very likely to vest. Also, by virtue of his more than ten years of major league service, of which all have been with the Phillies, Rollins has a limited no-trade clause.
The Phillies shortstop has been solid in 2015. Though his average is down, he’s drawn more walks which has resulted in a respectable .332 on-base percentage which is slightly higher than his career average. He still plays a good shortstop and has stolen 14 bases. Overall he has 1.7 fWAR, and like Ramirez he projects to add a little more than +1 fWAR the rest of the way. At 36-46, the Phillies have been out of the hunt for some time and should look towards restocking a farm system that is short on talent.
Several teams could be in the mix for a shortstop. The Cincinnati Reds have been making a push and they could certainly use an upgrade on Zack Cozart. The Oakland Athletics are in prime position in the AL West, but acquiring a shortstop and moving Jed Lowrie to second would be a nice move.
Eugenio Suarez has had a nice impact for the Detroit Tigers since being called up, but the Tigers might not feel comfortable gambling on his continued success. The Pittsburgh Pirates and Milwaukee Brewers have also received very lackluster production from the shortstop position and could be in the market for an upgrade. In any case, plenty of teams will be inquiring about Ramirez and Rollins.
