It's a tough pill to swallow and none of us want to hear it but sooner or later we're going to have to start discussing who will be leaving Arizona come the end of July. Tim Dierkes of mlbtraderumors has jumpstarted the assumption that the D-Backs will be a selling team and has compiled a vague list as to who could be traded. It's not exactly the most informative but it does put things into perspective and makes you wonder what the odds are that any of these trades could occur.

Eric Byrnes, OF - $8.7MM remaining in '09, $11MM in '10, no-trade protection.  The 33 year-old outfielder is hitting .207/.257/.413 in 102 plate appearances on the season.  Most teams probably view this as a $20MM commitment to a fourth outfielder, so the D'Backs would have to accept another bad contract in return to move Byrnes.

Doug Davis, SP - $6.9MM remaining in '09.  If you're wondering what type of pitchers might be available in July, Davis is a great example.  The 33 year-old southpaw has a 3.25 ERA in 44.3 innings.  He's improved his control, but is fortunate to have a .263 batting average on balls in play.

Jon Garland, SP - $4.94MM remaining in '09, $10MM mutual option for '10 with a $2.5MM buyout if club declines or a $1MM buyout if Garland declines.  If Garland is traded, his new club cannot offer him arbitration if he's a Type A free agent.  The 29 year-old righty has a 5.18 ERA in 41.6 innings.  His walk and strikeout rates have surprisingly moved in the wrong directions upon switching to the NL.  He may be tougher to trade than Davis.

Felipe Lopez, 2B - $2.77MM remaining in '09.  Lopez picked up where he left off with the Cardinals - .328/.390/.504 in 146 plate appearances this year.  He's even been above average defensively, according to UZR.  Lopez is represented by Scott Boras and is only 29, so he's primed for a big free agent contract.  He could be a useful addition for the White Sox or Twins.

Chad Tracy, 1B - $3.75MM remaining in '09, $7MM option with a $1MM buyout for '10.  Tracy is off to a slow start at .207/.239/.366 in 88 plate appearances.

Scott Schoeneweis, RP - Mets paying $1.6MM of his $3.6MM '09 salary.  He's done his job, holding lefties to a .182/.217/.318 line.  He might make sense for the Cubs.

Jon Rauch, RP - $1.58MM remaining in '09, $2.9MM club option for '10.  Rauch has been terrible since joining the D'Backs last year - a 6.76 ERA in 37.3 innings.

Tom Gordon, RP - $500K salary plus incentives.  Flash, 41, is back on the DL with a hamstring injury.

Role players Tony Clark and Augie Ojeda could also be made available. 

 

- http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2009/05/diamondbacks-trade-candidates.html

The few notables that really sink in are Lopez and Davis. Tim also mentioned in a previous article that "Davis admitted that his contract situation "pretty much goes through my head every day." He's motivated by his contract year, and doesn't understand the team's anti-incentive policy." Eric Byrnes, Chad Tracy, and Chris Young have also been rumored but to a lesser extent. Brandon Webb is currently off the radar due to his injury and may be stuck with the D-Backs until the offseason.

So if the season continues with the current ongoing trend, who do you think will be traded? What trades would you like to see? Do you think it's too soon to consider?