In the MLB, you always have to expect that the unexpected will happen. This can be with anything, such as teams drastically transitioning their records, trades that no one expects to happen, or crazy free agent deals. It’s why people are interested in the league, it’s very interesting. And who doesn’t love looking at some outside-the-box trades to make fun of or agree with the people who think of them. In this article, I am subjecting myself to this with some of these trades. So sit back, relax, and grab some food as I present some outside-the-box trades.

Justin Bour to the Rox

Bour wouldn’t be a record-changing pickup for the Rockies, but he would certainly help if they still want to compete. Bour has had a pretty solid year for the Marlins so far, hitting a .240 AVG, 13 HR, 37 RBI, .366 OBP, .427 SLG, and a .793 OPS. The reason he would be a good fit in Colorado would be who he would be replacing. He would likely be replacing Ian Desmond, who has a .215 AVG, 16 HR, 46 RBI, .295 OBP, .438 SLG, and a .733 OPS. Bour’s average may not make him a good replacement, but his on-base percentage would, as a near-.370 OBP in 263 at-bats. His OBP would give him the second on the Rockies, behind Nolan Arenado, who is one of the best hitters in the MLB.

Bour’s stats make him a good fit on Colorado. His average shouldn’t be a big issue, as the Rockies rank 9th in the MLB for that with a .251. They do have an alright team on-base percentage though, as they rank 13th with a .318, tied with the Nationals, Pirates, and Angels, so Bour would definitely help this. Bour’s slugging percentage would also be a good addition to the Rockies team .421, which ranks 8th in the MLB, tied with the Mariners. Keep in mind there are hitters who do much better in Colorado than if they were on any other team, so if Bour joins these hitters, he could be a force. He also is under contract until 2021, so if the Rockies got him they wouldn’t need to worry about his contract for awhile.

Curtis Granderson to the Brew Crew

Granderson to Milwaukee would actually be a pretty solid trade if you look past initial reactions. So far this year, he has a .251 AVG, 9 HR, 26 RBI, .361 OBP, .465 SLG, and a .826 OPS. If he went to Milwaukee, he would likely replace Ryan Braun due to Eric Thames’ incredible start to the year. The Brewers’ outfield is having a bit of a rough patch right now due to injury, as they lost Lorenzo Cain. Right now, their outfield is Braun in left, Christian Yelich in center, and Thames in right. That’s a good outfield, but Granderson would make it even better, especially since Braun has regressed, hitting a .245 AVG, 9 HR, 33 RBI, .297 OBP, .443 SLG, and a .740 OPS.

Since this is shaping up to be a big year for Milwaukee, getting Granderson could really help. Shockingly to me, Milwaukee ranks 18th in the MLB for on-base percentage with a .316. Granderson’s .361 should help them out, as it’ll rank 4th on their team, helping their power bats out. The Brewers’ team slugging percentage is good, as it ranks 13th in the MLB with a .413, but it could use some work. Granderson has always been a big slugger at the dish, so he could shape up to be a versatile man to get on base and get some dingers. Another thing about Granderson is that he’s only under contract for the rest of the season, meaning a trade for him wouldn’t cost Milwaukee much.

Matt Duffy to the Redbirds

Duffy to the Cardinals would be a very interesting trade if it unfolded, but I think it could really work out in St. Louis’ favor if it happened. Duffy has been a very solid player for the Rays so far this year, hitting a solid .315 AVG, 4 HR, 23 RBI, .361 OBP, .428 SLG, and a .789 OPS. If he were to go to the Cards, he would replace Matt Carpenter at third and Carpenter would play second. That would make their infield look something like José Martínez at first, Carpenter at second, Paul DeJong/Yairo Muñoz at short, and Duffy at third. It would definitely improve their hitting, as Kolten Wong would leave the starting infield. Wong has been hitting a .191 AVG, 6 HR, 16 RBI, .295 OBP, .324 SLG, and a .619 OPS. He would also be improvements over Jedd Gyorko, who has a .678 OPS, and Greg Garcia, who has a .697 OPS.

Duffy would also help the Cardinals’ team stats with his good ones. Although he is having somewhat of a career year, he would definitely improve their low team batting average, which is .241 and ranks 17th, tied with the Dodgers. He would also help improve their team on-base percentage, which ranks 19th at .313, tied with the Athletics. Although his slugging percentage isn’t great, it could definitely help the Cards very below-average .396 team slugging percentage, which ranks 20th, tied with the Twins and D-Backs. His low amount of homers shouldn’t be a problem either, as the Cards have a solid 102 team homers, ranking 11th. Another potential plus with getting Duffy is that he’s under contract until 2021, so they won’t be getting a rental.

Possibly another bonus if the Cards attempt to persue him, would be improving their infield even more if they sign Manny Machado in the offseason. This would make the infield something like Carpenter at first, Duffy at second, DeJong at short, and Machado at third. That would make their infield very stacked, although you may be wondering what happens with Martínez. I think he could play an outfield role, improving the spot that was once Dexter Fowler’s. They could make Duffy to play less though if they want Martínez to play at first so Harrison Bader can play the outfield for them more. Another possibility would be that the Cards would allow Duffy to play at third consistently and Martínez in a right field spot so they could make Bader a big trade piece for a potential future starter. This possiblity is unlikely, but it’s still possible because of the Cards’ payroll.

James Shields to the Northside

This is a trade that literally seems insane on the outside, but looking into it it wouldn’t be as bad as everyone would think it is. Big Game James, now 36, has gone pretty much off the baseball grid since going to the Sox, posting an ERA consistently getting into the 5 range. This year however, he has greatly improved, posting a 3-9 record, 4.29 ERA, 1.24 WHIP, 73 strikeouts, 41 walks, and a .228 BAA in 107 innings pitched and 17 games started/18 games. Not bad for a 36 year old in my opinion, and the Cubs right now need some rotation help. Yu Darvish has been injured for a majority of the season, so getting Shields could help replace him for a bit so Mike Montgomery returns to the bullpen, putting a minor leaguer like Luke Farrell, who has a 4.76 ERA, back in the minors.

The Cubs do have a great team ERA, which is at 3.46 and ranks at 5th in the MLB. Their current rotation’s ERA is or is around 3.6, and seperately their current pitchers’ ERA in their rotation are as follows: Jon Lester has a 2.18, Kyle Hendricks has a 4.21, José Quintana has a 4.31, Montgomery has a 3.55, and Tyler Chatwood has a 3.95. Like I said, getting Shields would likely send Farrell to the minors, so the Cubs would have two options. One would be putting Shields in the rotation, putting Montgomery in the pen. Another would be the opposite, putting Shields in the pen and keeping Montgomery in the rotation. Concerning finances, Shields is getting paid $10 million by the Sox this year, so I think the Cubs would likely take half of his contract while the Sox take the other half. He also is a free agent after this year, so the pieces the Cubs would trade would be very little.

Shin-Soo Choo to the Bay Area

Choo has been having a career year for the Rangers so far this year. So far this year, he has a .286 AVG, 15 HR, 39 RBI, .396 OBP, .489 SLG, and a .884 OPS. Choo is literally a perfect fit for the Giants for multiple reasons. One would be the fact that the Giants have an incomplete outfield. I thought that they should’ve persued Adam Jones to complete the outfield, but Choo is probably a better fit. Right now, their outfield consists of Hunter Pence/Austin Slater in left, Gorkys Hernández in center, and Andrew McCutchen in right. Pretty good, but Pence’s .204 AVG and .489 OPS could be improved. They also have Austin Jackson, but his OPS is .603, so not very good either. Choo in that spot would give the Giants a pretty solid outfield.

Another few reasons why Choo would be a great fit for the Giants would be their team stats as a whole. A big black hole for them that has been there for the last few years are their power numbers and they’re still not good, as the Giants rank 21st in the MLB with home runs, tied with the Mets and White Sox. Choo’s 15 homers could help that, as it would already rank higher than anyone on the team. The Giants’ team OPS is also .724, which is 15th in the MLB. It’s not bad, in fact it’s quite average, but Choo’s near-.900 OPS could really help that. Finally, the Giants’ team walks are 253, which ranks 23rd in the MLB. Their team leader for walks is Cutch, who only has 38! Choo has a pretty solid 53 and his eye isn’t bad as well, as he only has 82 strikeouts. Choo is also under contract until 2021, so if the Giants decide to pass on resigning Cutch to resign some of their pitchers, it won’t hurt as much.

The biggest problem with this trade is that it would launch the Giants even farther over the luxury tax, because they already are over it. Choo is owed about $52.86 million for the remainder of his contract, and $21 million for the next 2 years. They would have to work out a trade where the Rangers take Choo’s salary for the rest of the season ($10.86 million), but only pay I’d say about $6 million for the next two years. This would make the Rangers pay a grand total of $22.86 million for the final 3 years of Choo’s contract ($7.62 million each year), while the Giants pay $30 million for the final two years. This would give the Giants $24.045 million of breathing room from the tax, assuming all the arbitration deals they have are similar to what they are now and they don’t resign Cutch. They obviously can though, and still have a good amount of money to improve the bullpen if they want, or wait to resign Madison Bumgarner. This deal would be risky for the Giants if they wish to keep under the luxury tax, but it would be rewarding come the playoffs, if they make it.