7 outrageous trade proposals that make sense

Everyone loves a good blockbuster trade - even the ones that never happen.

Fantasy baseball intersected with real life at the winter meetings last year when executives pulled off a flurry of improbable trades involving several big-name players. Matt Kemp to the Padres, Yoenis Cespedes for Rick Porcello, and a seven-player deal involving Dee Gordon were just a few of the moves that stole headlines in San Diego last December.

With less than a week to go before executives reunite in Nashville for this year's winter bonanza, here are seven blockbuster trades that make sense, but are probably too fun to become reality.

Yankees trade Brett Gardner to Padres for Matt Kemp, Tyson Ross

Few teams can absorb salary like the Yankees, who would almost certainly need to take Kemp back in any deal that includes Ross, especially if they refuse to part with slugging prospect Aaron Judge. Kemp's owed $87 million over the next four seasons, though the Dodgers are paying $14 million of his contract. The deal gives the Yankees a talented controllable rotation piece for the next three years, saves A.J. Preller term and money, and upgrades the Padres' outfield with a solid defender and athlete in Gardner.

Rockies trade Carlos Gonzalez to Mariners for Taijuan Walker, Seth Smith

The Mariners signed Nori Aoki to improve their corner outfield, but the group is still underwhelming as a whole. Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz aren't getting any younger, and the pressure is on Jerry Dipoto to build a winner around Felix Hernandez before it's too late. With two years and $37 million left on his deal, CarGo's contract is hardly the albatross it was looking like a couple seasons ago. Giving up Walker wouldn't be easy, but missing the playoffs again would be much worse. If the Mariners can re-up with Hisashi Iwakuma, they might consider flipping Walker's high ceiling for a 40-homer slugger in his prime.

Braves trade Julio Teheran to Red Sox for Jackie Bradley, Brock Holt

The Red Sox are off to an incredible start this offseason, but $217 million won't fix one of the worst rotations in the American League. Dave Dombrowski's aggressive acquisitions of David Price and Craig Kimbrel will only be deemed a success with a return to the playoffs, and in order to do so, the Red Sox need to bolster the middle of their rotation. He could probably accomplish the task by packaging quality surplus in Holt and Bradley and sending them to Atlanta for Teheran and his five years of control. The Braves would save money, become more versatile, and, more importantly, have enough capable players to fill out a lineup card. Everyone wins.

Blue Jays trade Troy Tulowitzki, Drew Hutchison to Mets for Matt Harvey

These are supposed to be outrageous proposals, after all. Tulo for Harvey is as unlikely a blockbuster as there is, but it at least makes some semblance of sense. The Blue Jays are well positioned with Marcus Stroman at the top of their rotation, but pitchers like R.A. Dickey and J.A. Happ are better suited at the back. While Harvey is still under control for three more seasons, chances are slim he'll sign an extension before free agency. The Mets need help up the middle and Tulowitzki's been linked to them before. This one is less about Toronto's offense being good enough to lose Tulowitzki - because who doesn't need an All-Star at shortstop? - and more about Mark Shapiro shedding salary for a talented young arm. The bigger question is whether the Mets believe Tulowitzki's star (and most likely prospects, too) is big enough to give up a 26-year-old ace.

Indians trade Danny Salazar to Cubs for Kyle Schwarber

Anyone who watched Schwarber play left field in the NLCS knows he belongs at DH. And anyone who watched the Indians play last year knows they could use a little more pop. Salazar and Schwarber are on the cheap for several more years, and a straight-up swap would help both teams fill holes inexpensively. The Indians would be wise to aim higher - say, Jorge Soler, for example - but a hulking 22-year-old slugger who hit 16 homers in 69 games wouldn't be a bad fallback.

Dodgers trade Yasiel Puig to White Sox for Jose Quintana

Puig needs out of L.A., and the Dodgers need out of Puig. Why not pair him with fellow Cuban star Jose Abreu inside the launching pad that is U.S. Cellular Field? Quintana is a solid arm who the White Sox probably need more than Puig given Jeff Samardzija's expected departure, but a decent crop of pitchers in the prospect pipeline might help make the left-hander expendable. The salaries are similar and so is the control. If the White Sox are looking to make a big splash this offseason, this is probably the cheapest way to acquire someone with top-10 player potential.

Cubs trade Javier Baez to Braves for Shelby Miller

If Atlanta is indeed shopping Miller, it ought to consider doing business with the Cubs, who have several of the type of young controllable bats the Braves desperately need. Baez would be a nice fit for a Braves team in need of more players with star potential, particularly up the middle after shipping prized prospect Jose Peraza to the Dodgers last winter. Miller's too good, too young, and too cheap to be dealt to his third team in less than a year, but will the Braves be good enough to contend before he hits free agency in 2019? The Cubs can afford to move Baez with Starlin Castro and Addison Russell up the middle, and if they can do so for a solid mid-to-top rotation arm, it's a deal they have to make.