The Diamondbacks are trying to move second baseman Aaron Hill, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.
MLB trade rumors: Diamondbacks shopping Aaron Hill, Mariners inquired on Drew Stubbs
Also, the Phillies are trying to get something -- anything -- in return for a rapidly declining former star.
Kent Horner
Hill, 32, is hitting just .251/.285/.381 this season after producing at a well-above-average rate during his first three seasons in Arizona. Hill, who was acquired by the D-Backs late in the 2011, posted a 137 OPS+ in 142 plate appearances for Arizona that year, and he has had consecutive campaigns with an OPS+ of 124 or better. His walk rate is down significantly in 2014, and Hill is on pace to surpass 100 strikeouts for the first time since 2007 and only the second time in his 10-year career.
Arizona wants to hold on to third baseman Martin Prado, as well as its core group of Paul Goldschmidt, Chris Owings, Miguel Montero and Wade Miley, per Heyman.
Rockies outfielder Drew Stubbs has drawn the interest of the Mariners, according to multiple reports.
Seattle made an offer to Colorado's brass for the 29-year-old Texan, per Nick Groke of the Denver Post. The Rockies aren't sure if they want to deal Stubbs, who is in the midst of a career year and has proven to be an extremely suitable platoon partner with Corey Dickerson, tweets FOX Sports' Jon Morosi.
The Mariners are 29th in baseball in sOPS+ against left-handed pitching. Adding a player like Stubbs, who is hitting southpaws at a .360/.417/.593 clip this season, seems like a logical choice. However, home/road splits always seem to be a concern with Rockies players, and Stubbs is no different with his .229/.277/.343 road line.
Phillies trying to unload Howard
Aging Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard is still owed $70 million, but that isn't stopping the team from trying to trade him, according to CBS Sports' Jon Heyman.
Philadelphia’s brass has had discussions about releasing the 34-year-old veteran after the season despite the large chunk of money owed to him, but it appears they’ve shifted their focus to trying to get something in return, even if it means eating most of that cash.
An American League team with a need for a designated hitter would be the best fit for Howard, opines Heyman. The aging slugger is hitting just .224/.305/.377, but he does have 15 home runs in 417 plate appearances.
No AL squad has received worse production from their DH spot than the Mariners, but they took a significant step toward correcting that with their acquisition of Kendrys Morales on Thursday. That leaves the Yankees, Athletics, Royals and Indians as possible options among contending teams, provided any of them are interested in seeing if they can recapture what made Howard one of the game's most feared sluggers from 2006 through 2011.
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