Carlos Beltran is gone. Colby Rasmus is gone. Kosuke Fukudome is gone. Hunter Pence seems unattainable. B.J. Upton is something of an unknown. A lot of contending teams are looking for help in the outfield, but the pool of available outfielders is thinner than it was, which brings us to the following Ryan Ludwick rumor, from Jon Heyman:
#phillies, #reds, #braves, #indians pursuing ludwick, a solid defender and good rbi man.
It makes perfect sense. The teams that were interested in higher-profile players have joined smaller-market teams in turning their attention now to something a little lower that won't cost nearly as much. Ludwick fits the bill.
Ludwick is a virtual lock to be moved, as he's a veteran in the last year of his contract, playing for a lousy team. His OPS is a disappointing .675, but he was an above-average hitter the previous two seasons and an excellent hitter in 2008, and he can hold his own in the field. In other words, there's both upside and limited commitment. Ludwick could be had for a fairly low price, and he could be of considerable help down the stretch.
Or he could suck. Who knows? It's two months. Never bet on baseball.