The MLB trade deadline is still six months away, but it’s never too early to start discussing who might be on the move, right?
So, let’s pull out the old crystal ball and come up with a trade candidate from each team. Even though most trades at the deadline involve minor leaguers on one side of the deal, for this exercise we’ll focus primarily on players on big league rosters who could be dealt based on teams’ biggest needs.
Let’s get right to it.
Most likely need: Bullpen
Trade candidate: Pavin Smith/Dominic Fletcher
I don’t love what Madison Bumgarner (4.88 ERA, 4.85 FIP in 2022) and Zach Davies (4.09 ERA, 4.83 FIP) will likely offer in 2023, so if the Diamondbacks sneak into playoff contention, it will likely be because a couple of the rookie starters — Ryne Nelson, Drey Jameson and Brandon Pfaadt — have stepped up. That leaves the bullpen, which the Diamondbacks curiously did little in the offseason to upgrade after finishing 25th in ERA. Scott McGough, who had 69 saves in Japan the past two seasons, might emerge as the closer. Even after trading Daulton Varsho, the Diamondbacks still have outfield depth to deal from, although Smith could factor into the DH at-bats. Fletcher hit .312/.378/.486 in the minors.
Most likely need: Left fielder
Trade candidate: Ian Anderson/Bryce Elder
For all the worries about replacing Dansby Swanson at shortstop, the Braves should be able to fill the position adequately with a combination of Vaughn Grissom and Orlando Arcia. GM Alex Anthopoulos keeps talking up Grissom’s ability to remain at shortstop, but Arcia is a reasonable backup plan and there is plenty of offense elsewhere in the lineup. The bigger hole might be left field, where the Braves will attempt some patchwork combination of Eddie Rosario, Jordan Luplow, Sam Hilliard and Eli White. A Rosario/Luplow platoon is the first option, while speedy White is a defensive whiz.
The Braves’ farm system has been thinned out the past couple of years with the Matt Olson and Sean Murphy trades, but if Mike Soroka can finally return — fingers crossed — that leaves Anderson and Elder sixth and seventh on the depth chart with prospect Jared Shuster behind them. If Atlanta does decide it wants one left fielder rather than four, it could deal from that rotation depth.
Most likely need: Starting pitching
Trade candidate: Anthony Santander
The Orioles played it disappointingly conservative this offseason, signing only Kyle Gibson and then trading for Cole Irvin to add to a rotation that was 21st in the majors in ERA. They’ll be adding top prospect Grayson Rodriguez — really, he should make their Opening Day rotation — but if they are contending in July, starting pitching is likely to be their area of need, not that the trade market will be super deep in options.
Santander, coming off an impressive 33-homer season, saw his name in trade rumors this offseason, so we’ll throw his name out there, especially if Colton Cowser, the No. 5 pick in 2021, hits in Triple-A and is ready for promotion. Baltimore is also deep in infield prospects, so it has the prospects to swing for a big deal if such a pitcher becomes available (think a Luis Castillo-type trade, like the Mariners made with the Reds last year).
Most likely need: Middle infield/center field
Trade candidate: Bobby Dalbec
It certainly looks like a lot will have to go right for the Red Sox to contend, especially in a loaded American League East, but, hey, maybe they’ll get close to 120 starts from Chris Sale, Corey Kluber, Garrett Whitlock and James Paxton. The departure of Xander Bogaerts and Trevor Story‘s injury mean the Red Sox are patching together the middle infield until the arrivals of Marcelo Mayer and Nick Yorke in 2024, and that could include moving Enrique Hernandez to shortstop, depending on Adalberto Mondesi‘s ability to stay healthy.
Trouble is, that means moving Hernandez out of center field, and I’m not exactly enamored with Jarren Duran or Adam Duvall as the other options. So wherever Hernandez isn’t playing could end up as a big hole. Dalbec, meanwhile, is now blocked by Triston Casas at first base and Justin Turner at DH. His swing-and-miss issues ultimately limit his offensive upside and he doesn’t have a lot of trade value, but you would think a rebuilding team with holes at first base or DH would take a look at a potential 30-homer bat.
Most likely need: Bullpen
Trade candidate: Ian Happ
Let’s say things work out. The rotation is effective. Seiya Suzuki is better in his second season. Cody Bellinger somehow finds his swing. Dansby Swanson matches his 2022 production. Eric Hosmer and Trey Mancini are fine. There is a road here to a competitive Cubs team. The bullpen is the obvious area for upgrade with no clear closer or top setup guy at this point. Some of the starter candidates will end up in relief as well. The Cubs will be on the prowl for relievers if they’re in contention. If they’re out of it, the trade candidates start with Happ, who is heading into free agency and coming off an All-Star season with a 119 OPS+ and Gold Glove.
Most likely need: Bullpen
Trade candidate: Lucas Giolito
The White Sox are perilously thin and will need better health than last season, when Luis Robert, Tim Anderson and Eloy Jimenez all played fewer than 100 games. Second base was a big problem last year, but rookie Lenyn Sosa is young and hit well in the minors (.315, 23 home runs) and should beat out veteran Leury Garcia.
The bullpen might be the bigger problem, ranking 19th in the majors in ERA. It will also be without closer Liam Hendriks, who has non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The farm system still rates among the worst in the majors, but relievers can always be acquired for low-level pitching arms. If Chicago falls out of contention, impending free agent Giolito could become one of the top starting pitchers to move.
Most likely need: Pitching prospects/outfielders
Trade candidate: Jonathan India
The Reds are absolutely stacked in infield prospects — Elly De La Cruz is the potential superstar here, but also Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo (both acquired in the Castillo trade) and 2021 first-round pick Matt McLain. And that’s just the shortstops. As that group approaches the majors, it perhaps makesIndia, the 2021 National League Rookie of the Year, expendable.
His OPS+ fell from 116 to 91 as a sophomore and his hard-hit rate dropped from the 36th percentile to the fifth. Injuries were a factor — he had two injured list stints with hamstring strains — and his defense was also an issue. If he gets off to a good start at the plate, maybe the Reds will look to make a deal to help fill other holes.
Most likely need: Power bat
Trade candidate: Young pitchers/young infielders
The Guardians did sign Josh Bell, and he’ll help out at first base or DH, but he hit just 17 home runs last season. Come July, I could still see them needing power, most likely in the outfield if Myles Straw posts another .221/.291/.273 line or Oscar Gonzalez regresses from his surprising .789 OPS as a rookie.
They’ve been reluctant so far to deal from their surplus of infielders, but Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Brayan Rocchio, Angel Martinez and Jose Tena are all on the 40-man roster, with Arias and Freeman already with major league service time. There isn’t room for all those guys, nor for the long list of starting pitchers knocking on the door: Daniel Espino and Gavin Williams are the headliners, but also Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee, Cody Morris, Konnor Pilkington, Hunter Gaddis and Xzavion Curry.
No team has this much upper-level potential rotation depth — with some scouts viewing Espino as the top pitching prospect in the minors (although injuries limited him to just 18 innings in Double-A last year). Amed Rosario is a free agent after 2023, so shortstop will open up, but the Guardians have to consider consolidating some of this prospect depth in a 3-for-1 type of deal. Or maybe they’ll even look to trade Rosario and slide Andres Gimenez back to shortstop (or play Freeman or Arias there). Of course, we need to mention: Shane Bieber is a free agent after 2024. I don’t see them trading their ace when they have a chance at another playoff season, but next offseason is a different situation.
Most likely need: Pitchers and hitters
Trade candidate: C.J. Cron
No team makes fewer trades than the Rockies, so even if they’re 20 games out on July 31 — which is distinctly possible — they might not do anything. Witness their unwillingness to deal away impending free agent Story in 2021.
Cron is entering the second year of a two-year contract. He’s been solid enough the past two seasons and there are enough teams with holes at first base and DH that he could have some trade value. With first basemen Michael Toglia and Grant Lavigne both making MLB.com’s recent list of the top 10 prospects at first base, the Rockies have replacements on hand for Cron — although, frankly, neither player exactly tore it up in the minors (which speaks to the sad state of first base in the minors).
Most likely need: Prospects
Trade candidate: Michael Lorenzen
Lorenzen is one of those guys you would love to see given a career do-over: He has shuffled back and forth between relieving and starting, has battled some injuries and has even dabbled in center field. The Tigers signed him to a one-year, $8.5 million contract and will give him a chance in the rotation, hoping he can build off his strong finish with the Angels in 2022, when he had a 2.36 ERA over his final five starts. He also missed two months with a right shoulder strain, but if he can remain healthy, he could have some trade value if the Tigers are — as expected — out of the playoff chase.
Most likely need: Outfield
Trade candidate: Yainer Diaz
It’s been a quiet offseason — other than signing Jose Abreu to replace Yuli Gurriel and re-signing Michael Brantley while losing Justin Verlander — but the Astros still project as the big favorite in what should be a tougher AL West.
Right now, they have Chas McCormick in center with Mauricio Dubon and Jake Meyers behind him, as well as Brantley and Yordan Alvarez sharing left field and DH duties. One scenario: Brantley’s shoulder doesn’t come around and Alvarez’s knees limit him to DH duties while none of the center fielders hit much. Given that the Astros are already punting offense at catcher with Martin Maldonado, that could push them to go after an outfield bat. Diaz is a catcher/first baseman, but he’s rough behind the plate and his best position is hitter (.306 with 25 home runs in the minors). He’s blocked by Abreu and Alvarez/Brantley at first and DH, so that makes him a trade candidate.
Most likely need: Pitching prospects
Trade candidate: Nick Pratto/Aroldis Chapman
The Royals have two first basemen in Vinnie Pasquantino and Pratto and two catchers in Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez. They can force Melendez into left field, as they did a little bit last year, but that was more desperate on-the-job training (he had played just two games in the outfield in the minors). He can hit, though, and so can Pasquantino, so Pratto looks like the odd man out even though he’s the better glove at first base and has 30-homer raw power (but struggles to make enough contact).
Maybe the Royals can flip Pratto for a pitching prospect. Aside from Pratto, Chapman is the likely sign-and-trade option. At least, that’s how the Royals view him, as he’ll apparently get a chance to close and rebuild his value after a rough season with the Yankees in 2022.
Most likely need: Pitching depth
Trade candidate: Shohei Ohtani
The Angels added significant reinforcements this offseason in Hunter Renfroe, Brandon Drury, Gio Urshela, Tyler Anderson and Carlos Estevez as they try to improve from last year’s 73 wins to a first postseason trip since 2014. On paper this is much more depth than they’ve had in a long time. And don’t overlook the rotation, which had the sixth-best ERA (3.67) in the majors thanks to Ohtani’s big season. That said, these types of second-tier signings never seem to work out for the Angels, and it took 86 wins to make the playoffs last season — and will likely take more in 2023, given the unbalanced nature of the league. Have they improved 15 wins?
Of course, Ohtani’s free agency hovers over all this. If the Angels are in the playoff picture, they’ll ride it out and attempt to re-sign him in the offseason, although most insiders view him returning to Anaheim as an unlikely scenario. If they’re out of it, they’ll get a massive return for him, even as a rental. Maybe owner Arte Moreno decided to stick it out for one last season to let all this play out.
Most likely need: Outfield
Trade candidate: Ryan Pepiot
Yes, shortstop is a concern, although Miguel Rojas is at least a solid defender. But the outfield, aside from the wonderful Mookie Betts, is a bigger concern:
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Trayce Thompson, acquired last year from the Tigers for cash, had no history of hitting at the major league level before 2022.
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Chris Taylor is coming off his worst season since joining the Dodgers with an 86 OPS+ and a sky-high 35% strikeout rate.
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James Outman is unproven and had a 27% strikeout rate in the minors.
There is certainly a scenario where they’re looking for help in left field and in center field.
The farm system remains strong, however, and even without injured Walker Buehler, there is rotation depth with prospects Bobby Miller, Gavin Stone and Pepiot (who made seven starts in 2022) all knocking on the door. Miller and Stone aren’t on the 40-man roster yet, and hard-throwing Miller has emerged as one of the top pitching prospects in the minors, so he’s not going anywhere. That leaves Pepiot as perhaps the most likely to be traded.
Most likely need: Bullpen
Trade candidate: Change-of-scenery guys (Jesus Sanchez, JJ Bleday, Sixto Sanchez)
Let’s see, they’re moving Jean Segura from second base to third base. They’re moving Jazz Chisholm Jr. from second base to center field. They’re going to play Luis Arraez at second base instead of first base. They signed Johnny Cueto, who at least is fun, and they apparently plan to play soon-to-be 33-year-old career utility guy Joey Wendle at shortstop, which might not be as silly as it seems, given his positive defensive metrics there the past couple of seasons.
They still have a bunch of outfielders who swing at anything between Miami and Mars. Will this work out? Nothing has worked in Miami for 20 years, so good luck. If the Marlins are surprise contenders, the rotation will be the reason — but the bullpen could still use some work.
Most likely need: Bullpen or DH/first base
Trade candidate: Luis Urias
The Brewers have one outstanding strength in the Corbin Burnes/Brandon Woodruff duo at the top of the rotation — but also no major weaknesses, at least if the young outfielders like Garrett Mitchell and Sal Frelick are ready as advertised. The bullpen is thin behind closer Devin Williams, however, and first base with Rowdy Tellez (0.9 WAR in 2022) and DH with trade acquisition Jesse Winker (minus-0.3 WAR) could be issues.
The Brewers just signed third baseman Brian Anderson, and rookie Brice Turang could be ready at second — and also projects well defensively and on the bases (34 steals in 36 attempts while hitting .287 at Triple-A). That could make Urias a trade option, especially since keeping him is starting to get more expensive.
Most likely need: Bullpen depth (of course, a legit No. 1 starter would be nice, too)
Trade candidate: Max Kepler
I liked the Pablo Lopez trade, although let’s be honest here: He’s had one full season of work, and his 3.75 ERA in 2022 with the Marlins was good for 108 ERA+. He’s a nice addition and the Twins will happily take the 180 innings he threw for the Marlins last season, but he’s a midrotation guy, not a No. 1 or 2 starter. The Twins do have more depth now in the rotation with Kenta Maeda returning and a full season of Tyler Mahle, plus semi-interesting prospects such as Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson.
We’ll see whether Jose Miranda ends up at first base or third base. The Twins also just added to their glut of outfielders with the acquisition of Michael A. Taylor as injury insurance for Byron Buxton (and remember, they signed Joey Gallo as well). That leaves Kepler, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff and Nick Gordon all fighting for playing time — and, like Gallo, they’re all left-handed hitters. Some have minor league options, but Kepler is the guy Minnesota has been rumored to be looking to trade. His big 36-homer season in 2019 now looks like a juiced-ball fluke, but he could bring back a reliever or a prospect.
Most likely need: Bullpen
Trade candidate: Carlos Carrasco
Even without Carlos Correa, the Mets have depth and options everywhere — even at third base they still have Eduardo Escobar and prospect Brett Baty. Tommy Pham is a solid fourth outfielder, and Jeff McNeil can move to the outfield as well. They have three catchers with rookie Francisco Alvarez and options at DH aside from Dan Vogelbach — including Baty and Alvarez. There’s certainly a scenario where Max Scherzer or Verlander gets injured and maybe Jose Quintana or Kodai Senga struggles and suddenly they need a starter, but more likely, as Buster Olney pointed out, they might eventually look to trade Carrasco and use David Peterson and Tylor Megill in that fifth spot.
Most likely need: Pitching depth
Trade candidate: Isiah Kiner-Falefa/Gleyber Torres
Yankees fans would probably prefer to see the words “Josh Donaldson” listed here, and he’s a trade possibility if the Yankees are willing to eat a large chunk of his salary. Some would also consider left field the team’s biggest need, but Aaron Hicks still has three years left on his contract, so exec Brian Cashman isn’t ready to kick him to the curb just yet. Plus, Oswaldo Cabrera needs somewhere to play and that could end up being left field.
As for pitching help, Frankie Montas is already expected to miss the first month because of shoulder inflammation. That pushes Domingo German into the rotation, and it starts getting thin after that, as former prospects Deivi Garcia and Luis Gil struggled in the minors last season. The bullpen looks good on paper, but several pitchers are returning from injury — remember how depleted the bullpen was by the postseason? Oswald Peraza is a better defensive option than Kiner-Falefa, and it’s not like Kiner-Falefa is Derek Jeter at the plate. Top prospect Anthony Volpe is marked for Triple-A to start the season, but if he hits his way to a call-up, that could open up a trade for Torres.
Most likely need: Offensive prospects
Trade candidate: Tony Kemp? Seth Brown? Trevor May?
The A’s have loaded up on midrotation and back-of-the-rotation prospect types and had enough depth there to just trade Cole Irvin to the Orioles. This isn’t very exciting, but check back in a couple of years and the starting pitching might be OK. The offense, on the other hand … the offense needs a complete overhaul. There isn’t much left here to trade when the A’s are inevitably out in July, but maybe Kemp or May — both free agents — could be a depth player for a contender.
Most likely need: Pitching depth
Trade candidate: Johan Rojas
By pitching depth, we could mean either rotation or bullpen. Once you get past the projected five-man rotation, with Bailey Falter as the No. 5, the starting pitcher options on the 40-man roster are questionable. That could leave prospect Andrew Painter next in line even though he doesn’t turn 20 until April and has only five starts above High-A. He might be ready anyway.
The bullpen added Craig Kimbrel, Gregory Soto and Matt Strahm to Jose Alvarado and Seranthony Dominguez. Kimbrel’s control has come and gone in recent seasons, while Soto has averaged 5.3 walks per nine in his career, so those two will cause a lot of nail-biting. And we’ll see if Alvarado and Dominguez can replicate their 2022 success. Rojas is a speedy center-field prospect who stole 62 bases last year in the minors but also hit .244 with .309 OBP. His floor is fourth outfielder, but the Phillies have Brandon Marsh in center and Rojas is exactly the kind of prospect president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski loves to cash in on before the luster wears off.
Most likely need: Prospects!
Trade candidate: Bryan Reynolds
Let’s face it, the Pirates face an unlikely path to playoff contention, although the projection systems do like them a little better than some of the other expected cellar dwellers. The Pirates have been asking for the farm and the two next to it for Reynolds, so while it looks like he’ll start the year in Pittsburgh, he’s still going to be a hot commodity in July.
There is also Rich Hill, who turns 43 in March, yet keeps spinning that big curveball and has remained effective, with a 4.04 ERA over the past two seasons. Obviously, he wouldn’t net a big return even if he’s pitching well, but he would give the Pirates a flier on some low-level prospect. You could throw Carlos Santana and Ji-Man Choi into this mix, as well as lefty reliever Jarlin Garcia, who signed a dirt-cheap $2.5 million contract with a 2024 club option.
Most likely need: Starting pitcher
Trade candidate: Dylan Lesko
For all the moves the Padres have made and the money they’ve spent, the San Diego rotation is still desperately thin — especially if Yu Darvish or Joe Musgrove get injured. Blake Snell isn’t exactly overworked, and then they’re counting on Nick Martinez and Seth Lugo, who have been better as relievers.
The problem is all the trades have torn apart the farm system depth. Top prospect Jackson Merrill is the one they want to keep, but pitcher Lesko, the team’s first-round pick in 2022, is an obvious trade candidate given his timeline is way down the road and the Padres are in win-now mode. To complicate matters, Darvish and Snell are free agents after 2023, so if the Padres do need a starter, they would like it to be one with team control into 2024.
Most likely need: Second base
Trade candidate: Joc Pederson
If the Giants do contend, it will be because the rotation bounces back — they’ve added Ross Stripling and Sean Manaea but lost Carlos Rodon — and free agent outfielders Mitch Haniger and Michael Conforto stay healthy and hit 60 home runs. It’s also an old team without any likely impact prospects for 2023 (maybe lefty starter Kyle Harrison in the second half).
If Haniger and Conforto do produce, perhaps that frees the Giants up to trade Pederson. They would still have other DH options and could use an upgrade at second base. Thairo Estrada was OK at the plate last year, but defense was a big problem (only the Reds had a lower total of defensive runs saved at second base) and Estrada’s lack of range will be further exposed with the new shift rules.
Most likely need: Bullpen/DH
Trade candidate: Jarred Kelenic
The Mariners’ bullpen has performed magic the past two seasons, including the sixth-best ERA in 2022, but that level is going to be difficult to maintain. Andres Munoz should be great and probably takes over as the closer, but can Paul Sewald and Penn Murfee (combined 2.84 ERA) be as effective again despite allowing 17 home runs between them? Diego Castillo is always a high-wire act. Matt Brash could be a huge threat but has to throw more strikes. The Teoscar Hernandez trade cost them Erik Swanson (1.68 ERA), and there is no proven left-hander.
The farm system has been thinned out with trades and graduation, but Kelenic might be a classic change-of-scenery guy. He’s hit .168/.251/.338 in 558 career plate appearances and is still just 23. He’ll get another chance, probably in a platoon role with AJ Pollock in left field. If he doesn’t hit in the first half, his time in Seattle might be at an end.
Most likely need: Starting pitcher
Trade candidate: Nolan Gorman
As always, the Cardinals don’t have any glaring holes, although the rotation is counting on 41-year-old Adam Wainwright and Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz being healthy.
What they do have is an excess of depth in their position players — particularly once Jordan Walker, perhaps the best hitting prospect in the minors, belts his way into the majors, which might be sooner rather than later. The Cardinals have forced Gorman to second base, but his lack of range is an issue, so Brendan Donovan is expected to start there. They also have DH covered with Juan Yepez, Alec Burleson and perhaps Walker. Gorman’s years of team control and power potential could bring a nice starter in return — if there’s one out there.
Most likely need: Outfield bat
Trade candidate: Brandon Lowe/Luis Patino
As always, the Rays are swimming in organizational depth. What they really need is a big bat or a catcher (Rays catchers had a .246 OBP in 2022), but those are the two hardest positions to fill. So let’s go to the outfield.
Jose Siri returns to center field after last season’s trade, but he hit .213 with a .268 OBP and is hardly a lock to hold the position. Manuel Margot and Josh Lowe figure into right field. Of course, Brandon Lowe could be the big bat they need; after all, he hit 39 home runs and drove in 99 runs in 2021 before playing just 65 games last year because of a bad back.
The Rays do have other options at second base, including Jonathan Aranda and Curtis Mead. Patino, a former top-100 prospect who has struggled to add a third pitch to his fastball/slider repertoire, now looks like a reliever, although is still young enough (23) to generate trade interest.
Most likely need: Outfielder
Trade candidate: Justin Foscue
Right now, Bubba Thompson and Leody Taveras would be getting a lot of the at-bats in left and center field, which likely means below-average offense from both positions. Free agent David Peralta would make a lot of sense here as a low-cost signing. Or maybe they can come up with some sort of challenge trade for another young outfielder with a little offensive polish.
Foscue, a first-round pick in 2020, had a solid season at Double-A, but Marcus Semien has him blocked at second base. There are also several young starting pitchers on the way in Jack Leiter, Owen White and Kumar Rocker, but the Rangers view those as long-term answers even after bringing in Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney in the offseason.
Most likely need: Outfield/DH
Trade candidate: Orelvis Martinez
With Kevin Gausman, Alek Manoah and Chris Bassitt, the Blue Jays project to have a top-10 rotation, plus they’re hoping Jose Berrios and Yusei Kikuchi bounce back from ERAs on the wrong side of 5.00 and Hyun-Jin Ryu meets his timetable and returns in July from Tommy John surgery.
The outfield makes me a little nervous, though. Kevin Kiermaier is coming off left hip labrum surgery that limited him to 63 games last year — and he’ll be 33 in April, with his value all defensive. Whit Merrifield has been below average at the plate the past two seasons (although he hit better in his 44 games with the Jays). If Brandon Belt struggles, George Springer might end up getting a lot of DH time.
Martinez was a big prospect after 2021 but hit .203 in Double-A — although with 30 home runs in his age-20 season, so there is light-tower power potential. Matt Chapman will be a free agent after the season, so maybe the Jays view Martinez as his replacement, but if the Jays need one addition for October, Martinez could go and they’ll look to re-sign Chapman.
Most likely need: Pitching prospects
Trade candidate: Corey Dickerson
After trading away Scherzer, Trea Turner, Juan Soto and Bell the past two seasons, there isn’t much left in the cupboard. Nobody wants Patrick Corbin, and the Nationals have had to fill their roster with other teams’ waiver-wire fodder. Dickerson is a fourth outfielder but could go to a contender as a bench bat. Or maybe Jeimer Candelario or Dominic Smith find their swings again and the Nats cash in. As for Dickerson, the Nationals are already his eighth team in 11 seasons; don’t be surprised if he makes it to nine.