Five potential MLB trades that make too much sense

The 2016-17 season has already yielded a few MLB trades, but there are more to be made. Which ones make the most sense for all teams involved?

Where should All-Star pitchers like Sonny Gray and Chris Sale wind up? Can the Red Sox find a home for Pablo Sandoval? How can the champs improve? Would it make any sense for the Reds to trade Joey Votto? If so, where?

There’s a lot to be done in the offseason. But for now, we’ve come up with five potential MLB trades that make a ton of sense.

Chicago White Sox trade Chris Sale and Jameson Fisher to St. Louis Cardinals for Randall Grichuk, Alex Reyes, Carson Kelly, and Edmundo Sosa

of everyone on his team is obviously mad at what’s going on.

On top of all of that, 2016 was the fourth straight losing season for the South Siders. That’s certainly a sign that it is time to retool.

And for all of his quirks, Sale is a fantastic pitcher. A contending team would do well to add him.

That’s where the Cardinals enter the picture. St. Louis certainly doesn’t have the young talent that it’s had in the past. Adding Grichuk and Reyes would give the White Sox two stellar building blocks for the future.

Grichuk is 25 and in only 245 games has hit 41 home runs over the last two seasons. Reyes is 22 and in 46 Major League innings this past season dominated with a 1.57 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 52 strikeouts.

Realistically, the Cardinals need a starting pitching upgrade to rejoin the National League’s elite teams. St. Louis ranked only 13th in starter’s ERA in 2016.

The Cards would also represent a fresh start for Sale. Pitching for a perpetually sub-.500 team, it’s only natural to have some frustration. St. Louis is one of the best-run organizations in all of sports. Pitching with the Cardinals would certainly provide Sale the chance to pitch in the postseason.

This trade would be a blockbuster, but these two teams line up to make it happen.

Oakland Athletics trade Sonny Gray and Daulton Jefferies to Los Angeles Dodgers for Alex Verdugo, Walker Buehler, Will Smith and Jacob Rhame

We move from the Midwest to California and find two teams that line up very well for a trade. The Dodgers need pitching depth if they’re going to compete with the Cubs for the National League championship. Gray gives them that help.

Even with Clayton Kershaw, the Dodgers don’t have the starting pitching to hang with Chicago in a short series. If the San Francisco Giants fix their bullpen, Los Angeles will have a hard time competing for the National League West.

The acquisition of Gray would go a long way in changing that. He is certainly coming off of a down year, posting a 5.69 ERA/1.50 WHIP in 2016. But entering the season, Gray had a career ERA/WHIP of 2.88/1.13. On top of that, the right-handed Gray would provide balance in a lefty dominant rotation.

From the A’s perspective, it’s certainly never ideal to sell low on a player, but that should’t really be a concern here. Gray is only 27 and in 2015 made the All-Star team and finished third in American League Cy Young voting. If Oakland is making Gray available, which Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports has reported is the case, then he should have plenty of teams targeting him. So, while Gray is coming off of a down year, the number of interested suitors would negate the “sell low” fears.

Realistically, the A’s are not going to compete in 2017. They don’t have the Major League talent and the American League West is too strong. The 2018 season and beyond, however, is a different story. Moving a guy like Gray to the Dodgers would help Oakland get the young nucleus it needs to compete beyond 2017. Both sides have the trade pieces to make this one happen.

Chicago Cubs trade Jorge Soler to Houston Astros for Ken Giles

Not all trades need to be between a good team and a bad team.

Chicago has a surplus of outfielders. The once highly touted Soler has struggled to find at bats. In 2016, he totaled only 227. Given the postseason heroics of Javier Baez and the return of Kyle Schwarber, Ben Zobrist figures to see less time at the keystone and even more in the outfield. That will make at bats even harder to come by for Soler.

With that said, Soler has value for the Astros. He hit a solid 12 homers in those 227 at-bats. The powerful right-handed slugger has a swing made for the Crawford Boxes at Houston’s Minute Maid Park.

Even with the euphoria that comes with a World Series win, the postseason showed that the Cubs need some depth in the bullpen. Joe Maddon didn’t trust many members of his bullpen at the end of the World Series. One of those guys — Aroldis Chapman — is a free agent seeking $100 million.

Chicago can pay that, but it shouldn’t. Still, the need for a reliever is there.

These two teams certainly have the assets to help each other. The fact that they’re in opposing leagues only makes the trade more sensible.

Boston Red Sox trade Pablo Sandoval and Blake Swihart to Colorado Rockies for Adam Ottavino 

The Red Sox signed Sandoval to a huge contract in 2015, and Blake Swihart was once one of Boston’s highly touted prospects. As far as the Red Sox lineup goes, both men now find themselves on the outside looking in.

Ottavino certainly has a lot of talent but is an oft injured relief pitcher. He could flame out in Boston, but he could well become a valuable relief pitcher as well.

The same is true for Sandoval and Swihart in Colorado. Both guys have an abundance of talent, but they haven’t been able to make it work with the Red Sox. In each case, a change of environment could well be just what the doctor ordered. Sandoval would move across the diamond to first base. Despite Swihart’s issues at catcher, Boston is planning on using him behind the plate if he stays.

The same should apply in Colorado, or any other new home.

Sandoval’s contract is certainly a wild card here. Fortunately, that’s mitigated somewhat by the fact that Boston has plenty of money to spend. On top of that, the Red Sox would likely be far more willing to spend that money with Sandoval going to the opposite league.

Pieces may need to be added or subtracted if that changes. But for now, these three gentlemen combine for a deal that makes a lot of sense.

Cincinnati Reds trade Joey Votto to Pittsburgh Pirates for Josh Bell, Mitch Keller, Will Craig and Elias Diaz

Four of their top-10 prospects would be a steep price to pay for the Pirates, especially to a division rival. But for Votto, it would be worth it.

Of course, that begs a question for the Reds. Why would they give up such a player to a division rival?

While Votto is under contract through 2023 (with a club option for 2024), he’s 33 years old. The first baseman is a fantastic player now, but the Reds are a long way from competing. Sharing a division with baseball’s best team only makes the task more difficult.

By the time Cincinnati is ready to compete again, Votto’s prime will be just about over. Quite frankly, the Reds would be better off developing a foundation for a few years from now.

Pittsburgh has multiple prospects (including all four mentioned above) that can be serious impact players within a few years. From what we saw in 2016, Bell is ready to contribute now. At the Great American Ballpark, he can certainly be a 25-plus home run guy.

It’s certainly worth noting that Cincinnati is not looking to move Votto. Stances like that are often reversed, but in the case of a division rival a change of heart is far less likely.

But even if a trade between these two teams isn’t likely, it does make sense.