Surprising blockbuster trades have become a big part of the Major League Baseball offseason over the last couple years. For clubs with payroll restrictions or weak win-loss records, pursuing trades is the best viable option over spending money on free agents.
Teams such as the San Diego Padres and the Oakland Athletics made headlines last winter with their aggressive trades. With the 2015-16 hot stove season now underway, there are plenty of teams that would benefit from getting active in a similar fashion.
Big trades have already happened, such as the Andrelton Simmons acquisition by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim or the Craig Kimbrel trade to the Boston Red Sox. On top of that, plenty of rumors have been going around involving teams that may be looking at a rebuild.
For this list, we’ll look at certain teams’ biggest areas of need given their trade histories as well as various trade likelihoods for the 2015-16 offseason.
With the winter meetings still three weeks away, there is plenty of time for teams to lay the groundwork for potential deals.