It's been a busy day in baseball as we near the trade deadline as we've seen Roy Oswalt and Jorge Cantu traded to new teams, but with two days until that deadline, there are still plenty of moves to come. So far this afternoon, we've had a handful of new trades go down, which will all be covered in this piece.
Pending league approval, the first place San Diego Padres are set to acquire third baseman/shortstop Miguel Tejada from the Baltimore Orioles for a 24-year old power pitcher named Wynn Pelzer. Tejada, owner of a .269/.308/.362 slash line, has been hardly productive at the plate with 7 home runs and 40 RBI. Tejada will provide an upgrade over Everth Cabrera at short for the Padres and could occasionally spell Chase Headley at third base.
Tejada's offensive skills have long been in decline, and a move to cavernous Petco Park will not do any good for him. Given his struggles, he shouldn't be owned in many leagues to begin with, but if you are a Tejada owner, now is the time to drop him.
Also, in the wake of trading away ace Roy Oswalt, some baseball insiders are starting to believe that Lance Berkman could be next. Berkman's full no-trade clause could get in the way of a potential deal, but Berkman has been vocal in recent months about the possibility of going separate ways with the Astros as he reaches the twilight of his career.
After trading center fielder Anthony Gose, acquired today in the Roy Oswalt trade, to the Toronto Blue Jays for power-hitting first baseman Brett Wallace, a Berkman trade seems likely as the Astros seek to infuse their lineup with youth. Wallace, 23, has hit .301/.359/.509 with 18 home runs, 61 RBI, 24 doubles, and an .868 OPS at AAA.
While Wallace was originally a third baseman, he was moved over to first by the Blue Jays after acquiring him last winter. If Berkman is traded, Wallace certainly appears ready for a call-up so he can have a crack at the major league lineup.
While no specific teams are known to be interested in Berkman, a possible suitor could be the White Sox, who are in the market for a left-handed power hitter. Berkman's ability to switch hit could be even more useful, and he may be a potential trade target for the White Sox, who appear to be out on Adam Dunn.