One waiver trade deadline deal every MLB team should make

A buyer at the non-waiver trade deadline, the Baltimore Orioles added outfielders Gerardo Parra and Junior Lake from the Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago Cubs, respectively. Those moves could mean the O’s would not add another outfielder in August, though it’s still a distinct possibility because Lake isn’t likely to be the answer to the team’s needs in right field. But who is?

There aren’t a ton of everyday-type players available, but the first name that comes to mind is Philadelphia right fielder Jeff Francoeur, who has posted a modest .276/.304/.474 slash (though oddly his splits are much better against right-handed pitching than versus lefties) with ten home runs through 83 games. Francoeur isn’t a regular starter in Philadelphia, which means he probably wouldn’t crack the everyday lineup for the contending Orioles either, but he still has some power and a strong arm.

A slightly sexier name (maybe?) would be Ichiro Suzuki, though neither he or Francoeur are likely to excite Orioles fans very much. Finally, Oakland’s Coco Crisp could be an intriguing option that would allow Baltimore to move Parra to right field and add a little speed to the lineup – but he’s due $11 million in 2016, which is off-putting. Teammate Josh Reddick would be preferable, but his salary is low enough ($4.1 million total in 2015) that he would probably never make it through waivers. 

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