default-cbs-image

In the MLB Top 10s, here's what we do: rank players according to criteria. Those criteria change depending upon week and whim, but the Top 10s will always be informed by some angle or another, painfully contrived or otherwise.

And that brings us to this week's guiding query: Who are the best players in 2015 who have been traded before? We're of course bound headlong toward the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline, and that has us thinking about, naturally enough, trades. What follows, then, are the best performers in 2015 who have been traded at some point in their careers. 

All that matters is total overall value. I don’t care about how good the teams in question will be, only how the player in question has fared in 2015. Past performance doesn't matter, and neither does future outlook. This is all about performance in 2015 to date. As for position players, defense and base-running matter. It’s not about the bat only. Did I mention that each player in the rankings must have been traded at some point? OK. Each player in the rankings must have been traded at some point. 

Painful omissions? It was tough -- a Frodo's burden, indeed -- to leave off traded-before names like Alex Rodriguez (A-Rod! A-Rod! A-Rod, A-Rod, A-Rod!), Yoenis Cespedes, Matt Holliday, Scott Kazmir, Jake Arrieta, and Corey Kluber. Are there others? Yeah, man, there are probably others. Like Troy Tulowitzki!

And now let us recite baseball names for the dual purposes of SEO and making you angry. Feel free to brandish your incorrect opinions and make idle threats in the comments section.

Weapons-grade complaints and spleen-venting? By all means, reach out to the author at his personal email address: hotmail@hotmail.jpg. He'd love to hear from you.

To the big board ... 

RANK COMMENT
1 Zack Greinke, Dodgers. This season, Greinke is running an absurd ERA of 1.37, and his 138 1/3 innings rank third in the NL. He's also of course coming off a streak that saw him work 45 2/3 straight scoreless innings. If that ERA holds up (unlikely, yes, but keep in mind we almost to August), then it'll be the lowest qualifying mark since Greinke's actually been traded twice: first in 2010 when he went from the Royals to the Brewers (see below for what the Royals got out of that one) and then at the deadline in 2012 from the Brewers to the Angels.  
2 Josh Donaldson, Blue Jays. Donaldson way back in 2008 was traded by the Cubs to the Athletics as a minor-leaguer. Then this past offseason, the A's of course sent him to Toronto, where he's emerged as an AL MVP candidate in 2015. He's on pace for 39 homers and 41 doubles while also characteristically providing excellent fielding at the hot corner.
3 Lorenzo Cain, Royals. Cain's a plus base-runner and one of the best defensive center fielders in the game today. And this season, he's coming up big at the plate: .313/.370/.501 in 370 plate appearances. That Royals' trade of Greinke mentioned above? It netted them Cain, Alcides Escobar, Jake Odorizzi, and Jeremy Jeffress. Not a bad return haul by KC.
4 Max Scherzer, Nationals. D.C.'s $210-million man is earning his paycheck thus far. He's given up 40 runs in an NL-leading 143 innings pitched, and he also boasts an MLB-best K/BB ratio of 10.38. Scherzer was originally a D-backs draftee (11th overall pick, 2006). In 2009, they sent him to the Tigers as part of a three-way blockbuster that, among other things, landed Curtis Granderson in the Bronx, Austin Jackson in Detroit and Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy in Arizona. 
5 David Price, Tigers. The free-agent-to-be is churning out another vintage Price season: 140 IP, 2.31 ERA, 4.96 K/BB ratio, 7.0 IP/start, quality start percentage of 75.0. As for the trade, it was last non-waiver deadline that the Rays sent Price to Detroit as part of the three-way swap with the Mariners that also involved Austin Jackson, Drew Smyly, and Nick Franklin, among others.
6 Shelby Miller, Braves. One of this past offseason's most compelling trades was this one, in which Miller and Tyrell Jenkins went from St. Louis to Atlanta in exchange for Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden. On the Braves' watch, he's eased back on the four-seamer in favor of more of a sinker-cutter approach, and the results have followed. Miller's always had ace upside, and now he seems to be realizing that potential.
7 Chris Archer, Rays. Owner of the one of the best sliders on the planet, Archer in 2015 has pitched to a 2.67 ERA through 21 starts, and along the way he's struck out a remarkable 30.3 percent of opposing hitters. He's on his third organization, as the Indians traded him to the Cubs in 2008, and then the Cubs sent him to the Rays in 2011 as part of the Matt Garza deal.
8 Miguel Cabrera, Tigers. Suffice it to say, if Miggy hadn't played in just 77 games because of his current calf injury, then he'd be higher on this list. This season, he's crushing the ball to the pace of 350/.456/.578 (185 OPS+) with 53 walks against just 55 strikeouts. The trade that landed him in Detroit was the 2007 blockbuster that sent, most notably, Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller to the Marlins. That one worked out OK for the Tigers. 
9 Adrian Gonzalez, Dodgers. A-Gon, at age 33, is putting up one of the best seasons of his career: 151 OPS+, 21 homers and 25 doubles in 98 games. As strong as his career has been, Gonzalez has actually been traded four times: from the Marlins to the Rangers in 2003, from the Ranges to the Padres in 2006, from the Padres to the Red Sox in 2010, and from the Red Sox to the Dodgers in 2012. 
10 Anthony Rizzo, Cubs. Rizzo, who's still just 25, has developed into one of the best hitters in the National League. In 2015, he's batting .282/.395/.499 with 16 homers and 25 doubles. And let's keep in mind that Wrigley's significantly less friendly to left-handed power hitters than it is to right-handed power hitters. Anyway, Rizzo has been dealt twice -- from the Red Sox to the Padres in 2010 (as part of the A-Gon deal mentioned above) and from the Padres to the Cubs in 2012. 

Until next week, suckers!