The Major League Baseball trade deadline is getting closer with every week and as teams try and decide whether to be buyers and sellers, some players have used the past few series to better themselves to get traded and two guys that have been hot lately and could enhance their value are Alex Rios and Marlon Byrd.
Rios has been having one of his best seasons in recent memory with the White Sox this year and this past week he showed why he once was a $100 million player, going six-for-six in a game on Tuesday that Chicago won 11-4 against the Tigers. Rios has been a solid outfielder for most of his career and after going through a couple rough seasons in Toronto, he looks like an excellent option for teams in need of a bat in the outfield, including for teams like the Yankees, Reds, Giants, Rangers and Athletics. Byrd is another player that looks like a potential target for teams, as he hit a grand slam this past week in a victory over the Giants and he would be valuable as a righthanded bat.
Rios is the first player to have six hits in a game in the American League since Ian Kinsler did it in 2009 in April and the last MLB player to do it was Adrian Gonzalez back when he was with the Padres. After the game Rios got his batting average up to a respectable .281 and while the White Sox like what he has done for the team this season, a recent slump and the mediocre play of the team has his name popping up in trade rumors.
Byrd hit his 14th home run of the year and has shown more signs of power this season and he now has five multi-hit games in the past month and is hitting .269 on the season and he has more dingers this season than he hit since 2009 when he had 20 home runs. Byrd is making just $700,000 this season while Rios is still playing on his seven-year, $69 million contract that owes him $20 million, so the Mets star may be easier to move.
The White Sox will likely take on some money if they trade Rios and what team they deal him to will likely determine how high that number is and how badly that second party needs the outfielder. Rios also has a small no-trade clause list of teams that he can't be traded to, including the Athletics, Royals, Diamondbacks, Astros, Rockies and Yankees, so count those out most likely. Either way, Byrd and Rios could be attractive to a number of teams, including the Cincinnati Reds and the Pittsburgh Pirates, who at one point had the best record in baseball.
The Reds could use some outfield depth after having to figure out how to replace Ryan Ludwick on the fly since Opening Day and they have had some issues from left field. Rios or Byrd could add to the outfield that includes Shin-Soo Choo and their bats would be an upgrade over Xavier Paul. The Pirates have been playing better than they have in years, but at times their offense can look lost and so far this season their right fielders have been hitting less than .240 combined. The Giants could use another outfielder that can play everyday and the Rangers need another bat after losing Lance Berkman. If Rios and Byrd keep playing well, they might end up on the move.
