MLB Trade Rumors 2019: Top 25 assets

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 20: San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner (40) throws a pitch during a MLB game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 20, 2019 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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SAN FRANCISCO, CA – JUNE 16: Pablo Sandoval #48 of the San Francisco Giants is congratulated by teammates after he scored against the Milwaukee Brewers in the bottom of the fifth inning of a Major League Baseball game at Oracle Park on June 16, 2019 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

22. Pablo Sandoval

Don’t look now, but Pablo Sandoval is actually having a pretty darn good season for the San Francisco Giants. Once the butt of many jokes, Kung Fu Panda is hitting a very respectable .282/.321/.551 with nine home runs and 26 RBI in 168 plate appearances this season. The Giants are using Sandoval in a limited role, but he has produced when called upon.

A contender won’t have to give up much to take a chance on Sandoval, and his postseason track record is already well established. He is having most of his success this season hitting from the left side, putting up a .294/.331/.595 line with nine home runs and 22 RBI in 136 plate appearances. Sandoval has also been successful as a pinch hitter, with 12 hits in 35 at-bats, five doubles and two home runs.

It’s hard to predict how Sandoval might react to being traded away from San Francisco, but he is in a much better place than when he was unceremoniously dumped by the Boston Red Sox. The 32-year-old still has a few more useful seasons in his bat and could produce a big hit or two for a contender in a pinch.

There are a few other notable veteran bats who could end up on the trade market and be had for a low price like Howie Kendrick of the Washington Nationals, Todd Frazier of the New York Mets, Jay Bruce (who might get flipped for a second time this season if the Philadelphia Phillies keep slumping) and Melky Cabrera of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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