Contenders generally buy at the trade deadline, but this year we could see some contenders selling some of their “depth” for young talent.
• Atlanta– The Braves have an excess of starting pitchers in the Majors and AAA even after dealing Rodrigo Lopez to the Cubs. Derek Lowe could be moved because of two contributing factors. His age- 38: Lowe is no spring chicken, but can probably make every team’s rotation. Age also might not help Lowe in the fact that the Braves have Julio Tehran and Mike Minor in AAA, both of whom are young and near the Majors. So, keeping Lowe could stunt their growth a bit or slow them down, if you will. He also has a 15-million-dollar price tag that I’m sure the Braves would like to get out of so they can put that money towards more players to help them win.
• Chicago– The White Sox currently have a six-man rotation with Mark Buehrle, Edwin Jackson, Jake Peavey, John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Phil Humber. Humber is the cheapest by far and is likely to stay, while Buerhle and Jackson are free agents after the season. Edwin Jackson seems the most likely to be moved, and while the White Sox probably won’t get a Daniel Hudson kind of player in return (what they gave up for Jackson),they could still get a decent return from a team who needs pitching like, say, the Red Sox or Reds.