Reese Kaplan - Major League Shortstops to Target

Last week we considered what prospects the team could target during the off season to fill the voids at SS and the OF.  This week let's take a look at potential trading partners and what they have on their major league rosters who could improve the NY ballclub:

Asdrubal Cabrera – CLE

Three seasons back Cabrera had a huge year, slugging 25 HRs, driving in 92 and swiping 17 bases.  His contract was an escalator type with $10 million due for next season with declining production.  Since the Indians have Francisco Lindor nearly ready to assume that position for them, they might even kick in some cash to get Cabrera a new home.  Consider him one of the bargain pickups.

Everth Cabrera – SD
The first of the PED abusers, when he came up he was regarded as a strong defender with good baserunning ability but not much else. How much came from a syringe is anyone’s guess, but when he was flagged he was hitting .283 with 37 steals – not bad for someone only making $1.275 million. He’s arbitration eligible for 2014.

Billy Hamilton – CIN
Just for grins, Sandy Alderson ought to call up Walt Jocketty in Cincinnati and see what it would take to steal (pun intended) Billy Hamilton from the Reds. Anyone who hasn’t been comatose for the past few years knows that Hamilton has smashed the existing stolen base records in the minor leagues, including an incredible 155 during the 2012 season. If they re-sign Choo to play the outfield, they don’t have a position for Hamilton and could possibly be enticed to trade him to fill another need such as starting pitching. It's possible Zack Cozart could be the odd-man-out in Cincy while keeping Hamilton, but they may be reluctant to tamper with the chemistry they've built into a winner.  It’s not likely to happen, but with unlimited minutes on your cell phone, it doesn’t cost anything extra to find out.

J.J. Hardy – BAL
Baltimore has rehabilitated itself into contention the past few years. While most of the attention has been on Chris Davis’ record setting home run barrage, quietly in the background Hardy has posted another very strong season with 25 HRs and 74 RBIs to go with a .262 AVG. It would probably take more than the Mets are willing to give to pry him loose but it’s worth a phone call to find out. He’s currently set to earn $7 million in the final year of his contract.

Jed Lowrie – OAK
Playing in relative obscurity in Oakland, Jed Lowrie is about to get center stage with the A’s heading to the post season. The 29 year old switch hitter is having a great year heading into his first arbitration eligible negotiation. He’s got 15 HRs, 74 RBIs and is batting .290. This year he’s only making $2.4 million. Next year he would be a bargain at twice that price. However, the A’s do have a guy in the minors knocking on the door, so it’s possible he could be move for the right (high) price.

Eduardo Nuñez – NYY
With an increasingly brittle Derek Jeter still slated to play SS for the next few years, the Yankees might take a call about his backup – Eduardo Nuñez. He’s versatile enough to play several positions on the infield and in the outfield while providing good baserunning speed – 29 SBs per season averaged over 162 games. Then again, due to Jeter’s age catching up to him, they might be reluctant to deal someone who could be very busy filling in for him when he’s out again with injuries.

Tyler Pastornicky – ATL
With Andrelton Simmons solidifying his grip on the SS position for Atlanta, the Braves might be inclined to do a rare in-division trade of his backup, Pastornicky. While he hasn’t set the world on fire in his brief ML trial, he’s a career .280 hitter in the minors who has stolen as many as 57 bases in a single season. It shouldn’t cost much to pry him away from Turner Field.

Jhonny Peralta – FA

Another PED user who has posted some nice numbers, Peralta may be out of a job in Detroit as they acquired the BoSox second best SS prospect in Jose Iglesias. If the Tigers let him bolt and take his steroids with him, then the Mets might want to consider him in a “redeem yourself” type of contract much as they did with Marlon Byrd. He most recently earned $6 million in his age 31 season and produced 11 HRs and 54 RBIs while batting over .300 before being told to take a 50 game break at Club Selig.

Alexei Ramirez – CWS
Coming off a season in which he hit just 5 HRs and drove in 42 while posting a respectable .280 AVG, the White Sox might be interested in moving him rather than paying him $9.5 and $10 million for each of the next two years. His stolen base numbers are way up – 30 so far this season – but in producing runs he’s far behind his career single season marks of 21 and 77 as he did in his rookie year.

Ben Zobrist – TBR
My dark horse candidate to target, Zobrist plays all over the diamond including quite a bit at shortstop. The Mets could insert him there and hope he produces to the tune of 18 HRs and 81 RBIs as he’s averaged per 162 games. At age 32 the big switch hitter has team options of $7 and $7.5 million for each of the next two years. Since he was most recently penciled in every day at 2B, the Mets have a plethora of options to include as replacements including one of Murphy, Flores, Young and Valdespin as part of a package to land him.

Sound off in the comments below to let everyone know who is your favorite on this list or if I missed anyone.