MLB Trade Rumors: Latest on Kris Bryant, Blake Snell and Lance Lynn

The MLB hot stove is at a low simmer right now, with few notable transactions made to this point and the rumor mill just now kicking into gear.

Expect that to change next week when the annual winter meetings take place, but for now there are a handful of interesting rumor tidbits that have trickled out in recent days and are worth analyzing.

Starting pitching will be at a premium this offseason with a steep drop-off on the free-agent market behind NL Cy Young winner Trevor Bauer, so it's no surprise to hear Lance Lynn and Blake Snell both mentioned in early trade talks.

On the position-player side, the Chicago Cubs are set to embark on a busy offseason that could change the complexion of the team, and that will mean testing the waters on a Kris Bryant trade.

Ahead we've taken a deeper dive into the latest rumors surrounding those three big-name trade targets.

Chicago Cubs star third baseman Kris Bryant is expected to be one of the hottest names on the trade block in the coming weeks, and his market could start to ramp up now that it is clear he will not be non-tendered by the Cubs.

The Washington Nationals were believed to be one team that could pursue the 2016 NL MVP, but that no longer seems to be the case, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic:

"According to a source, Nationals general manager Mike Rizzo is scheduled to speak with team ownership on Tuesday. The discussion is expected to provide Rizzo with greater clarity on the club's payroll for 2021, but the Nats remain unlikely to be a major player for a big-ticket item such as Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant or free-agent infielder DJ LeMahieu, sources say."

Following the departure of Anthony Rendon in free agency last winter, Nationals third basemen hit .204/.325/.250 with two home runs in 2020. Top prospect Carter Kieboom failed to seize the everyday role as hoped, and the hot corner ended up being one of a number of positions on the roster that underperformed offensively.

For all that's been made of his struggles in recent years, Bryant is just a year removed from posting a 132 OPS+ with 31 home runs in a 3.7-WAR season while earning his third All-Star selection in 2019.

The 28-year-old will be a free agent next winter, so he's simply a one-year rental in terms of trade value.

In some of the least surprising news of the offseason, Lance Lynn is on the trade block.

According to Jon Heyman of MLB Network, the Texas Rangers ace is available via trade once again after he was shopped this past summer but ultimately stayed put.

The burly right-hander led the majors with 84 innings in 2020, posting a 3.32 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and an 89-to-25 strikeout-to-walk ratio to finish sixth in AL Cy Young balloting. That came on the heels of a fifth-place finish in the voting, and the three-year, $30 million contract he signed with the Texas Rangers has quickly become one of the best bargains in baseball.

He's owed $9.3 million in the final year of that deal in 2021, making him a low-cost option for teams looking to add a front-line veteran presence to their starting staff.

I touched on some potential landing spots and return packages in a separate article, and there's a great chance he'll start the 2021 season elsewhere as the Texas Rangers embark on a rebuild and look to trim payroll this offseason.

In the wake of losing prized deadline acquisition Mike Clevinger for the year to Tommy John surgery, the San Diego Padres will likely prioritize adding a top-tier starting pitcher this offseason.

Dinelson Lamet emerged as a front-line option in 2020, and both Zach Davies and Chris Paddack will also be back, but the final two spots on the staff are up in the air.

Joey Lucchesi, Adrian Morejon and top prospects Luis Patino and MacKenzie Gore are among the internal options to round out the staff, but a team with legitimate title hopes could prioritize a more proven option to slot alongside Lamet atop the staff.

According to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, the Padres have "spit-balled what it would take" to swing a trade for Tampa Bay Rays left-hander Blake Snell, along with showing interest in free agent Trevor Bauer and trade candidate Lance Lynn.

In an article published last week, I proposed a trade package of Patino, Francisco Mejia and Michel Baez to the Rays in exchange for Snell.

With three years and $40.8 million left on his contract, Snell is a controllable, low-cost rotation upgrade that will require a premium return package. Parting with Patino would be tough to swallow, but this is the kind of trade that could push San Diego over the top in 2021.

All stats courtesy of Baseball Reference.