The Top 5 MLB Players Who Teams Wish They Could Trade To Asia
KNBR.com
The Giants are shopping the first base/outfield slugger to clubs in Asia, according to two sources, after they designated Austin for assignment Friday. According to one source, Austin approached the Giants with the idea, having bounced around from the Yankees to the Twins to the Giants in his short major league career without finding consistent playing time.
Alright so apparently we’re trying to trade MLB players to Asia now. Now this isn’t exactly the Giants putting Tyler Austin on the trade block and shipping him off to Asia. Austin came up to the Giants after being DFA’d and brought up the idea. This got me thinking, who are the top 5 guys MLB teams wish they could trade to Asia. Not just to get rid of, but also as a punishment for how little they’ve given to their teams.
5. Chris Sale
Kind of a sleeper candidate here, but the Red Sox just signed a 30 year old power pitcher to a 5 year $145 million deal with a full no trade clause. We haven’t even gotten to year 1 of that deal yet and you can already see where this is headed. His fastball velo is down, he’s getting rocked left and right, calling himself an embarrassment. It’s not good. I’m sure he’ll rebound at some point to a respectable level, but can you imagine what year 3 is going to look like of this deal in 2022. Yikes. If Asia came calling, the Sox may want to listen.
4. Chris Davis
Kind of obvious here, but Chris Davis is one of the worst players in baseball. Earlier this year he set an MLB record of 49 consecutive at bats without a hit. All while being paid $17 million. There are still three more years left on his deal with Baltimore and he just gets worse and worse. Last night he tried fighting his own manager. He’ll go down as one of the worst contracts in baseball history when it’s all said and done. If the O’s could convince anyone, they’d send him off to another continent in a heart beat.
3. Jacoby Ellsbury
There’s a real chance Ellsbury isn’t alive at this point. We legit haven’t heard or seen him in two years. He may have just succumbed to his injuries finally. In a realistic sense, he’s likely on the couch in Arizona with his feet up as he just watches his bank account sky rocket. Ellsbury only has one more year left on his deal for $21 million and most of the money is being recouped by New York with insurance, but for how awful of a performance he gave us with this 7 year deal, he deserves to spend a year in Asia.
2. Greg Bird
If I could send Greg Bird to the sun I would. Asia seems like a more reasonable destination. He doesn’t cost the Yankees any money, but he does take up a 40 man roster spot. I despise his existence on this planet. He just smiles, drops balls at first, and tells the media he still has 5,000 more chances to do something productive on the field. When he’s not sucking on the field, he’s getting hurt. He’s the definition of useless, and what’s even worse are the Greg Bird apologists who love to tell you he hit that one home run against the Indians in 1967 and it’s his year. Every year in during Spring he hits .450 and tricks everyone. Just the WORST. He tried to take Luke Voit’s job this year, which was maybe the most offensive thing he’s ever done. Son of a bitch. Send him to Asia STAT.
1. Robinson Cano
I love Robbie, but he has to be number one on this list. The guy is a washed up 36 year old second baseman and is owed another $96 million over 4 years. The Mets are stuck with him. He’s one of the more untrade-able contracts in baseball. He’s a great teammate I’m sure, but goddamn is he a gigantic waste of space. It’s mind bottling that the Yankees second baseman of the future is 22 year old phenom Gleyber Torres who won’t be a free agent until 2025. Meanwhile the Mets have 36 year old Cano absolutely robbing them of money. Incredible.
(Honorable Mentions: Miguel Cabrera, Giancarlo Stanton, Jordan Zimmermann)