Four MLB stars that must be traded in 2016

While the MLB trade deadline is still months away, it’s never too early to start thinking about guys that should be dealt. And this year, there are a few stars in need of relocation.

Usually, veteran players on bad teams best fit this description. Even though the season is still very early, we can pretty confidently put a few squads in that “bad team” group.

Because of this, they should be sellers and deal some of their best players who surely want to play for a contending team.

One quick note before we begin, while the Boston Red Sox are a good team (thus far) and it’s a stretch to call Pablo Sandoval a “star,” he should be traded. Still, while he’s injured, a trade is just not realistic. Boston will likely have to keep the Panda around until at least the offseason.

With that out of the way, who are the four MLB stars that most need to be traded during the 2016 season?

Ryan Braun, outfielder, Milwaukee Brewers

Ryan Braun is 32 and has had an increasingly hard time staying healthy over the last few seasons. His window to be a big part of a championship contender is getting smaller by the year — probably about 2-3 years long now.

That does very little good for the Brewers, who at sit at 10-15 and are firmly in rebuilding mode in a strong National League Central. More importantly, it’s not likely that they will be competing for a postseason spot for at least a few seasons.

With five home runs and a .372/.443/.605 slash line, Braun is off to a torrid star in 2016, so there should be no shortage of teams show interest in him.

The slight trick here is that Braun has a no-trade clause in his contract, but he’s pre-approved moves to a handful of teams.

Obviously that limits the possibility of a trade, especially if Braun is not willing to budge from that list.

If the San Diego Padres or Miami Marlins are going to make a move for him, it would have to be fast. The Padres are reasonably close in a thus far mediocre NL West, but they don’t have the team to compete in that division, even if it ends up being won with an 85-77 record. The Marlins have the talent to win 85 games but will need to be much better as they compete with the Washington Nationals and New York Mets.

Still, even if we’re just focusing on the remaining teams on that list, a trade isn’t exactly a bad idea. He’d help the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers, but the San Franciso Giants and Los Angeles Angels could both really use a slugging outfielder like Braun.

Braun has been a keystone player for the Brewers for nearly a decade now. While his PED suspension is an unfortunate black mark, he’s also brought the franchise many winning moments. At this point, though, his peak window and Milwaukee’s rebuilding window look to be incredibly similar.

The best thing the Brewers could do for Braun would be to trade him to a team that can win. Similarly, the best thing Braun could do for the Brewers would be to help their rebuilding project by getting traded for some quality prospects.

Freddie Freeman, first baseman, Atlanta Braves

Some of the stats may not show it, but Freddie Freeman is having himself a nice season.

He has only three home runs, a .250 batting average, and a .398 slugging percentage. None of those look that good for a player known for his power.

Unfortunately, his three home runs are more than the rest of his team combined. As their recent 15-game homerless streak would attest to, teams have absolutely no reason to pitch to Freeman. In a lineup devoid of other imposing hitters,, Freeman rarely gets a pitch that can be hit hard. Freeman’s .364 OBP and 13 walks are both solid totals.

Like the Brewers, the Braves are going nowhere for a while. They’re probably baseball’s worst team in 2016, and quite frankly, 2017’s outlook doesn’t look much brighter. arsezaeFreeman is only 26, so there’s at least a decent chance that he’ll still be an All-Star caliber player when Atlanta is ready to compete again, but that also likely means a bigger trade haul for him.

The Washington Nationals would be a good fit for Freeman, but trades within the division are rare.

If that can’t happen, then teams like the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and possibly Houston Astros could all make great use of the Atlanta first baseman.

Matt Kemp, outfielder, San Diego Padres

Imagine being a manager or pitching coach heading into a series with the Padres. Before the series when you’re going over their lineup, who are you really worried about? Realistically, that list starts and finishes with Matt Kemp.

On the Major League roster, the Padres have very little depth. Worse than that, San Diego has one of the worst farm systems in all of baseball, highlighting the fact that the team has not made the playoffs since 2006 or had a winning season since 2010.

Trading Kemp, who not only has a good power bat, but is also a strong outfielder, would unquestionably help the Padres fix one or both of those problems.

Like Braun, injuries have been a relatively big part of Kemp’s story. As Kemp is 31, it’s unrealistic to think that his prime consists of much more than a few more remaining seasons. It’s also unrealistic to think that San Diego will be winning much in the next few seasons.

Kemp would fit in great with a lot of teams, but the Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles jump right off of the page.

Kemp does very little good on Padres now. They can do him a favor by trading him to a contender, but could also make their organization better in the process. It really is a win-win.

Carlos Gomez, outfielder, Houston Astros

Things have just not gone right for the Astros this year.

It would be unfair (and false) to blame Gomez for all of his team’s struggles, but his .213/.241/.275 slash line with zero home runs isn’t exactly helping matters.

In general, things have not gone well for Gomez since coming to Houston at 2015’s trade deadline. If we include the 2015 postseason, he has played 68 games for Houston, hitting only six home runs in that time while slashing at .234/.271/.365.

If we’re talking about a youngster, 68 games is not even close to an adequate sample size. But for a veteran and two-time All-Star like Gomez, it’s fair to think that a change might be in order.

Gomez has talent. Over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, he slashed at .284/.347/.491, hit 47 home runs, and stole 74 bags for the Brewers. Those seasons are recent enough to say that Gomez should still possess plenty of trade value. Outfielders are in pretty high demand. Really, any of the teams that worked for Braun or Kemp would also work for Gomez.

Given how poorly he’s played for the Astros, how bad they’ve struggled and how many teams could use an outfielder, a trade makes an awful lot of sense.