Once a year, every baseball fan gets to live out their wildest dreams.
The trade deadline is arguably the most exciting time of the season in the MLB, with rumors flying around like drunken pigeons. There's not really a direction to anything, and 95 percent of all trade talk winds up being whispers heard in the wind, shouted out by reporters and the most hardcore of fans on social media and message boards. It is exhausting, sure -- but also exhilarating. In sports, there's really nothing else quite like it.
So for all of you baseball fans who know exactly what I'm talking about, here are ten potential trades that could rock the very foundation of your MLB: The Show franchises:
1. David Price (Tampa Bay) for Shelby Miller, Kolten Wong, and Stephen Piscotty (St. Louis)
David Price probably isn't going to be dealt, but there's certainly something to be said for the low-budget Tampa Bay Rays to deal their biggest asset before he gets too expensive. If you're playing GM for either team, the deal makes a lot of sense. The Cardinals are always going to have a slew of talented, young arms. Why not turn one of them into one of the most elite names in the game, David Price? Even when considering dealing Piscotty (a great prospect in his own right), Cardinal's fans don't have to worry about outfield depth with the infamous Oscar Tavares waiting in the wings. Here, Tampa Bay gets a solid return of three future impact players, without having to worry about any of them bolting for free agency any time soon.
2. Troy Tulowitzki (Colorado) for Henry Owens, Allen Webster, and Blake Swihart (Boston)
Lets be honest: Troy Tulowitzki would command a king's ransom on the trade market. And given that most teams that could use him to help compete are either way out of the playoff race, or couldn't afford his contract, there's almost a 0 pecent chance that he is dealt. But the Red Sox have a really deep farm system with plenty of names to play with. Tulo would instantly turn them into AL East favorites for the foreseeable future, and may even be enough for them to turn it around this year. Of course, the Rockies are the ones would would probably be more stubborn about a potential deal, here. Trading Tulowitzki may sent a bad message to fans, especially because the Rockies haven't had a playoff berth in years.
3. Pablo Sandoval (San Fransisco) for Alex Wood and Chris Johnson (Atlanta)
There's a world where something like this makes sense, but you rarely see two competing teams swap players just to help fill holes. For Atlanta, The Panda would help solidify a dangerous but inconsistent lineup. He's only under contract for the remainder of the season, so he would be more of a rental than anything. The Giants could use more young pitching, and with the Dodger's looking like the powerhouse of the NL West, they may want to start thinking about the future. Wood is controllable, and should be a force when matched with Cain and Bumgarner. Chris Johnson would be an adequate fill-in for the remainder of the season.
5. Cole Hamels (Philadephia) for Taijuan Walker, DJ Peterson, and Chris Taylor (Seattle)
One team is looking to compete now, and the other desperately needs to begin rebuilding. With the recent news of Walker's slashed velocity, his value has been cut down a little bit. That doesn't mean that he wouldn't still be worth the risk for the Phillies, who need a young arm to help begin a rebuild. Peterson and Taylor instantly slot in as two of their best prospects as well. For Seattle, Hamels is under control for another four years and would make for a daunting 1-2-3 in Hernandez, Hamels, and Iwakuma.
6. Nick Castellanos (Detroit) for Steve Cisheck and Casey McGee (Miami)
Stanton won't like to admit it, but the Marlins probably aren't going anywhere again this year. They've had an absurd breakout player in McGee, who isn't likely to replicate in future years, and a highly valued closer who could bring in a big name like Castellanos, who has struggled a bit in his first year with the Tigers.
7. Zach Wheeler (New York Mets) for Javier Baez (Chicago Cubs)
Why don't we ever see something like this happen? A prospect swap may not be out of the question for these two smart organizations. The Mets desperately need an infielder of the future (and by all accounts, Baez projects to be an all-star level talent) and the Cubs don't have too much in the way of young arms to go with their wealth of young position players.
8. Ian Kennedy (San Diego) for Jorge Bonifacio (Kansas City)
At what point does Kansas City just go for gold? The time to strike may be now, as they have the roster to do it. Bonifacio isn't a world-class prospect, but he's still one of their best. Ian Kennedy has had sort of a second-coming with the Padres (a pitcher with better numbers in Petco? Please, contain your surprise), and may be a useful arm for the Royals, who can't seem to find consistency in the back-end of their rotation.
9. Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox) for Aaron Sanchez, Robert Osuna, and Daniel Norris (Toronto)
The White Sox almost certainly won't trade Chris Sale, but it would make a lot of sense to strike while the iron is hot. The Blue Jays are desperately close to landing themselves a playoff bid, and they have the prospects to land them a big fish like Sale. For the White Sox, it may be more important to get three solid young arms for the price of one.
10. Giancarlo Stanton and Casey McGee (Miami) for Manny Machado, Dylan Bundy, and Adam Jones (Baltimore)
I'll leave you all with this. Leave your own trades in the comments!