Dave Cokin’s Hardcore Baseball: AL sellers

I took a look at some likely AL buyers in yesterday’s column. Today, I’ll turn it around and examine teams more likely to be in sell mode as we hit the mid-season mark of the 2009 campaign.

The Baltimore Orioles are clearly getting better. They have a solid corps of offensive talent already on the big club, and the farm system has some outstanding pitching that’s not far away. This team could start making some real noise as early as next season.

But I would think the O’s might not mind stockpiling a little more young talent, so if they can find suitors for any of their more dispensable veterans, I think they’d jump at the opportunity. Baltimore doesn’t figure to do anything major, but they could move a veteran backup type to a contender for the right price.

The Cleveland Indians could be very busy, and in fact they should be looking to make as many deals as they can. There are very few precious commodities on this team right now, and the Tribe ought to try and move at least a couple of veterans for some pitching prospects.

I’d put Jhonny Peralta up for grabs, as he’s a guy they could score something decent for in return. Peralta is only 27, and while he’s clearly got his flaws, a SS with .270, 20 plus HR capability is a valuable commodity. I also believe there will be at least a few teams that believe they can get more production out of Peralta in a better system.

Kelly Shoppach is another potential trade piece. With Carlos Santana on the way, Shoppach is expendable, and decent defensive backstops with power are always in demand.

Basically, I’m of the belief that the Indians should entertain all offers at this juncture, as they’re looking more and more like a team that needs an overhaul. That could change if they suddenly get hot following an almost certain managerial change, but I’ve arrived at the conclusion this team has simply been overrated and they’re really not very good.

The Seattle Mariners started their rebuilding process in the offseason, and I expect them to try and make a few more moves toward the trade deadline. The Mariners need to keep building the system, which isn’t very strong right now.

The most attractive bait will be lefty Erik Bedard if he’s healthy, although I’m convinced Bedard won’t bring as much as they’d like in any deal. Let’s face it, while he’s got a ton of talent, Bedard is just not a real gamer and I don’t see any team overpaying for his services, even with the shortage of quality starting pitching on the market.

That brings me to the Oakland A’s. I expect them to be sellers, if for no other reason than that’s simply their way. But it also makes sense. The A’s have some tremendous young pitching and the idea now has to be to get some bats to help this team make a real push for the postseason in 2010 and/or 2011.

And the A’s have the guy to deal in Matt Holliday. While his numbers are down considerably from where they were in Colorado, it’s also important to note that Holliday is in an awful lineup in Oakland. Surround him with some guys that can protect him and there’s no doubt in my mind he’s good for .300 with 30 HR.

I’m sure several GM’s feel the same way, and given the thin pool of available big time talent this season, it sure seems likely that Billy Beane ought to be able to swing a sweet deal for Holliday sometime in the next handful of weeks.

I’ll take a look at potential NL buyers tomorrow.

Wednesday free play

The Indians finally won a game Tuesday night, although they tried their best to give it away at the finish line. Carl Pavano has been lit up in his last two starts and may not be 100 percent physically, so that pathetic Tribe bullpen figures to be involved here. The Pirates are on a losing streak, which certainly makes laying a price dicey. But Duke has been very strong at home and I expect the Bucs to even up the series with the win this evening.