MLB Trade Rumors: Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner Could Be Moved In 2019, Corey Kluber Available Now

A few of MLB’s best starting pitchers have been at the center of trade rumors over the past few weeks. The likes of Zack Greinke, Madison Bumgarner, Corey Kluber and Trevor Bauer are all reportedly available at the right price.

Despite all of the discussions, no frontline starters have been moved during the 2018 Winter Meetings. Will these pitchers change teams anytime soon?

For Greinke and Bumgarner, the answer might be no.

That doesn’t mean the pitchers will finish the 2019 MLB season with their respective teams. Both players have a good chance to be dealt at some point in the summer before the trade deadline. Opposing teams might increase their offers if they decide they need to improve their rotation for a playoff push.

The Arizona Diamondbacks are reportedly motivated to trade Greinke and his lucrative contract. The team has already sent Paul Goldschmidt to the St. Louis Cardinals. They lost Patrick Corbin to the Washington Nationals in free agency, and A.J. Pollock is expected to sign with another team, as well.

There’s little reason for Arizona to keep paying Greinke the highest yearly salary in the sport while they rebuild. The veteran might be easier to trade during the season when the Diamondbacks have already paid close to half of his $31.5 million base salary.

The San Francisco Giants will have an easier time trading Bumgarner, who is only owed $12 million in 2019 before he becomes a free agent. The New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Milwaukee Brewers and Atlanta Braves are potential landing spots for the former World Series MVP.

The Giants could receive better offers for Bumgarner if he puts up good numbers to start the year after he missed large portions of both the 2017 and 2018 seasons with injuries. San Francisco might also be more willing to deal their ace if they don’t exceed expectations in 2019. The Giants aren't expected to be among the best teams in the NL.

The Cleveland Indians aren’t looking to wait until during the season to move one of their starters. The team is expected to move either Kluber or Bauer so they can trim payroll.

Trade talks with teams like the Yankees, New York Mets and Los Angeles Dodgers haven’t produced a deal. Cleveland is exploring potential three-way trades in which they would attach another player like Edwin Encarnacion or Yonder Alonso, according to Cleveland.com.

Including another high-priced player would help the Indians shed even more salary, though it would lessen what they would get in return for one of their Cy Young contenders. Carlos Carrasco was available before he signed a contract extension with Cleveland last week.

The Seattle Mariners did trade James Paxton to the Yankees, but that trade happened earlier in the offseason. The Nationals traded Tanner Roark and his 4.34 ERA to the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday.