Shane Victorino drawing trade interest, Orioles a possible suitor

The Red Sox might yet find a trade partner for Shane Victorino, with Jon Heyman saying there's interest in the veteran outfielder, citing Baltimore as a possible landing spot.

At this point, the Red Sox will take what they can get when it comes to a player like Victorino. For a brief period in time back in May, he actually did look like his old self and then some, hitting .450/.522/.650 in eight games after coming off the disabled list. That left him one of the most productive players in a Red Sox lineup that was at its lowest point, but Victorino quickly found himself back on the DL. This time it would take him more than a month to return, and in the 12 games he's played in July since coming back, Victorino is hitting just .237/.237/.237.

It's still understandable why some teams would want Victorino. He still has a .896 OPS on the year against left-handed pitchers, and he's still capable of playing a strong outfield. Not a bad combination for teams looking to cram as much value as possible into the 25 spots available to them on the roster. And if you give him any credit for the player he used to be, you can always hope to luck into the Shane Victorino who was one of the best players on the 2013 World Series team.

That being said, just because someone might want Victorino doesn't mean the Red Sox can expect any real return. At this point the Sox would be better off without Victorino on their roster, as it would free up space for the likes of Jackie Bradley Jr. or Rusney Castillo. At best, they can probably expect to come away shedding a small portion of Victorino's remaining salary and getting a fringe-at-best prospect back more as a matter of form than anything else. Even if the Orioles are involved (and given that they're considering selling, it's not clear that they will be), this won't come anywhere close to the Eduardo Rodriguez - Andrew Miller trade of 2014.

There's something to be said, though, for avoiding the unpleasantness of designating an old favorite in Victorino for assignment, and if the Sox can find a contender to take him in, then all the better.

Rosenthal also mentions that both Junichi Tazawa and Koji Uehara are drawing interest, but that should come as no surprise with the trade market never at a lack for contenders in need of bullpen help.