MLB: Mark Trumbo to Baltimore Orioles, Houston Astros Shopping Chris Carter
After a few days of speculations, the Seattle Mariners have finally traded first baseman Mark Trumbo to the Baltimore Orioles, per ESPN. The Houston Astros, on the other hand, are also shopping another slugging first baseman in Chris Carter as reported by NBC Sports before the MLB Non-Tender Deadline on Wednesday at 11:59 p.m.
The Mariners sent Trumbo to the Orioles for catcher Steve Clevenger and are now looking to replace him with Marcell Ozuna of the Miami Marlins and free agent Nori Aoki. This past season, the 2012 All-Star hit 22 home runs and 64 RBIs while batting .262 for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Seattle Mariners, per Baseball Reference.
ESPN notes that Baltimore might be preparing for the departure of Chris Davis by trading for Trumbo. According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports, the Orioles are still in play for Davis but expect that he will leave Baltimore to sign a huge contract.
His agent Scott Boras is reportedly looking for a possible deal worth $180 million for eight years, much like Mark Teixeira's contract with the New York Yankees in 2009, per Forbes. If the Orioles lose Davis, it will be the second straight season where the MLB leader in home runs leaves Baltimore after losing Nelson Cruz last year to the Mariners.
Orioles general manager Dan Duquette is not finished dealing as his wish list includes a first baseman, a designated hitter and a couple of outfielders. There are rumors that Baltimore are trying to acquire Hanley Ramirez from the Boston Red Sox, as reported by the Boston Globe. Duquette originally signed Ramirez to the Red Sox back in 2000 and is still a fan of the player.
Another option for the Orioles is Chris Carter of the Astros, who is being shopped in the trade market. Houston have a surplus of power bats and they want to avoid paying Carter $6 million via arbitration. He is a poor hitter in terms of average and plays little defense even at first base.
NBC Sports notes that it's probably the best to play the 28-year-old as a DH because of his defensive shortcomings. His main calling card has been his power, hitting 90 home runs in his three seasons with the Astros, per Baseball Reference.
No teams are currently linked with Carter, but Houston have already made a trade last week, sending Jed Lowrie to the Oakland Athletics for a pitching prospect. The Astros are also reportedly listening to offers for outfielder Jake Marisnick, per Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.
* This is a contributed article and this content does not necessarily represent the views of latinpost.com