CLEVELAND INDIANS

This is not a particularly hard one to figure out – the Indians would do well by trading 2007 AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia and recouping value before he hits free agency in 2009. Sabathia, his awful start to the season aside, is expected to earn a ransom when teams bid for his ace starter production and it’s unlikely he’ll be an Indian in 2009. He’s only owed $9 million this season, though, so the Indians can send Sabathia and about $3 million to another team in need of a starting pitcher. Obviously, they don’t want to send Sabathia to a division rival, but the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are in desperate need of starting pitching, as John Lackey and his injured triceps aren’t expected to return until mid-May and it could take even longer to return to his high level of pitching. Kelvim Escobar may not be back at all this season, and it might be late July at the earliest as he recovers from a tear in his right labrum.

Angels GM Bill Stoneman is known for being stingy in trades, but the Angels do have the prospects to be able to barter for such a good pitcher. The Angels’ #1, 2, and 3 prospects are Brandon Wood, Nick Adenhart, and Erick Aybar. The Indians could probably squeeze two of the three and Jon Garland (to offset salary) from the Angels.

The New York Mets could be suitors for Sabathia but after the Johan Santana trade with the Minnesota Twins, the Mets don’t have the prospects available, and shortstop Jose Reyes would likely be demanded to be included in any deal.

The Chicago Cubs, too, could vie for Sabathia’s services assuming they don’t trade for Brian Roberts. Like the Roberts deal, however, Rich Hill and Felix Pie would be demanded, and the Cubs would be hesitant part with both.

DETROIT TIGERS

Despite their start to the 2008 season, the Tigers’ offense is expected to be top-notch. As such, they have an expendable piece In the name of Gary Sheffield.  Despite his age, he’s still productive and thus still has value to a lot of AL teams like the Mariners and Athletics – teams in need of a decent hitter. The Tigers’ biggest need is in the bullpen, and that was the Mariners’ strength last season.

Sean Green, a right-hander, and Ryan Rowland-Smith, a lefty, were two productive relievers in ’07 and are likely available. Both have decent strikeout rates, but Green’s walk rate is a bit high. Sheffield is owed $14 million in both ’08 and ’09, so it would require the Tigers paying a portion of his salary if they are to acquire bullpen pieces from the Mariners. Brandon Morrow is another reliever the Tigers could discuss acquiring, though his walk rate last season is ugly: 50 walks in 63 and one-third innings. He did strike out 66 batters, however.

Trading Sheffield would allow the Tigers to move Miguel Cabrera to the DH slot and Brandon Inge back to third base since he’d be out of a regular role when Curtis Granderson returns from the disabled list.

MINNESOTA TWINS

The Twins don’t have many pieces that are either desired or available in a trade, but Michael Cuddyer is one who jumps out at you. He may be perceived as more valuable than he actually is based on his 2006 season. His slugging percentage in 2004 and ’05 was .440 and .422, respectively, then it jumped to .504 in ’06, and back down to .433 last season. Cuddyer did have a sharp increase in walks, drawing 41 of them in ’05 then 62 in ’06 and 64 in ’07. He has some value, but is most likely overvalued.

The San Diego Padres are a team in need of a decent left fielder. Cuddyer has been playing a lot of right field the last two seasons but he could make the transition. With Kevin Kouzmanoff at third base, the Padres have been thinking about using Chase Headley in the outfield, but they could solve the dilemma by trading Kouzmanoff to the Twins, who are in need of – you guessed it – a third baseman. It’s not a complicated deal, as it could be a one-for-one swap with the Twins paying a portion of Cuddyer’s salary over the next three seasons. He gets progressively more expensive as the years go along, from $5 million this season to $6.75 in ’09 and $8.5 in’10 with a $10.5 million club option in ’11.

The Padres give a boost to their lackluster offense and the Twins add a decent third baseman to their roster who could stick around for a long time.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX

He was mentioned in some off-season rumors, and the White Sox could finally make them come to fruition if they decide to trade third baseman Joe Crede at the trading deadline. The offense has looked incredible, but the pitching, unfortunately, has not. The San Francisco Giants were most interested in Crede in the off-season, and that likely hasn’t changed given how mediocre Jose Castillo has looked so far.

Crede is an excellent defender at third base, and he’ll put up some gaudy HR and RBI numbers despite his ugly OBP.

Noah Lowry could be available, as he is set to return from forearm surgery some time towards the end of April if there are no setbacks. If Lowry can string together a couple months of decent starting pitching, the Giants might be desperate enough to upgrade their putrid offense (which could be one of the worst ever) at the cost of a young left-handed starting pitcher.

Lowry is signed through ’09 with a club option for ’10, but it’s a cheap deal, as he’ll only earn $2.25 million this season, $4.5 in ’09, and $6.25 if his option is picked up. Crede is a free agent after the season, and it would benefit the White Sox to get some return value on him.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS

With a potentially good outfield consisting of Mark Teahen, Joey Gathright, and Jose Guillen, and Billy Butler at DH, David DeJesus may be the odd man out as he recovers from an ankle injury. DeJesus isn’t an offensive stud, but he is an excellent defensive center fielder and definitely has some value, especially to a team like the Washington Nationals, who are currently using a career shortstop in left field. Should the Nationals be interested in DeJesus, that would obviously mean that Lopez is the odd man out in the outfield, and hey, the Royals are looking for an upgrade over shortstop Tony Pena.

However, Lopez is a free agent after the season, and if the Royals are interested in having him for more than a half-season, they need to work out an extension. DeJesus has a contract through 2010 with an option for ’11, but it’s relatively cheap: $2.5 million this season, $3.6 in ’09, $4.7 in ’10, and the option is worth $6 million with a $500,000 buyout.

The aforementioned San Diego Padres may also be a potential suitor for DeJesus depending on how they want to handle the Chase Headley situation.

The Los Angeles Dodgers, if they’re not committed to keeping the suddenly ineffective Andruw Jones in center field, may want to upgrade from outside the organization instead of using Juan Pierre on an everyday basis. If the Blue Crew can swing a trade involving Jones, DeJesus could be on their radar.