This week, my fellow Boston University alum Jerry Crasnick will be querying executives around the game on a number of Hot Stove questions while he attends the MLB GM meetings in Phoenix. I've been clued in on some of the questions he'll be asking and felt it'd be appropriate to weigh in on one of them: Who is more likely to be traded this offseason, Cole Hamels or Starlin Castro?
On the one hand, you have a left-handed starting pitcher who might just be the best pitcher available in trade this winter. On the other, you have a solid shortstop who could potentially lose his job when the next wave of Cubs prospects emerges. What makes this question especially interesting to me, though, is the fact that while neither player has to be traded, each will attract attention from more than half the teams in the game. Let's break down the case for trading each player, and what will go into the decisions.