Question: which CF's are available via trade?

Hello; a few more questions.  Thanks for all of your thoughtful answers the last time!

1.  I know the Cubs are looking for a free agent CF; they have made that quite obvious.  Also, many posters here seem to feel that our current options, i.e., Sam Fuld and Reed Johnson, would be pretty equivalent to what is available on the FA market.

My question is: are there any CF that may be available via trade?

My thought would be a CF on a team that is unlikely to be competitive and that would need to rebuild.  My first thought would be David DeJesus of the Royals. 

Here's a guy who is not in their long term future, who will become a FA after 2011 and during the next two years this team will have almost no chance of making the postseason.  They need SP badly.  We have plenty of young pitching that has the potential to develop into at least solid MOR pitchers (Marshall, Gorzelanny, and Wells), and if we keep Silva they won't all get the chance to start.

They also have plenty of bad contracts to try to dump on us to take him.

I realize he's not the best option in CF; neither is Byrd or Podsednik, or for that matter most of what teams are putting out there in CF.  I think it would be a reasonably solid option and it would seem that the Royals, who need to rebuild and who are not in our division or league, would be the natural choice.  If the Cubs are indeed thinking of contending this year (a big if), I would think they would strongly consider trading at least one top prospect for a player of this nature.  He is no star, but he is at least solid, will get on base, and do a better job of solving the CF dilemma for now without paying out an outrageous contract.

2.   Are there any teams out there that might have a remote interest in Silva?  I know it's a stretch but I am honestly wondering. Obviously, once again, there would have to be a trade of bad contracts.

As for the Royals, they are the only  team that might actually consider him.

They need a steady innings eater to protect their younger pitchers, need another starter, and have terrible contracts on two middle relievers they do not need (Juan Cruz and Kyle Farnsworth) or want.  I would think there would be potential to dump Silva + pay the difference in return for Farnsworth and Cruz.  The difference in what KC would have to pay would have to come out to zero.  In other words, KC would lose nothing except Farnsworth and Cruz and obtain Silva instead.

While Farnsworth and Cruz are not great options, we at least have a need for middle relievers, and they might play a role if they could bounce back.  We do NOT need another starter like Silva as we have plentiful BOR starter options.  KC on the other hand could really use another starter and could hope that Silva turns out to be reasonably solid.  It would be sending trash for trash, but at least each team would get something it might potentially need.

We have so far saved $9 mil off of Bradley's $21 mil contract.  This leaves Silva for two years, $16 mil.  These two relievers are set to make $7.75 mil for 2010 (4.5 for Farnsworth in 2010, 3.25 for Cruz in 2010) with club options for 2011 (0.5 mil buyouts each) which would certainly be decined (for a total of 1 million).   So these guys essentially cost $8.75 million.  Would Silva + 7.25 million be worth giving up for these two?  I would think, if KC would take it, that it would be worth the chance.  KC gets the chance that Silva could return to his Minnesota performance days and get a solid SP.  The Cubs would get two middle relievers they know at least one of whom might be able to provide something useful.  Wouldn't save any money except that we could stop worrying about signing Matt Capps and try to focus on making at least one of these two guys useful.

The big question is whether KC would take it or try to get us to take Jose Gullen in addition.  The only good thing about Guillen is that his contract ends after 2010.  I would actually consider it if somehow it would land us DeJesus.

Anyhow, I am sure that many of my thoughts make no sense, but would like to hear from all of you as to why.

3.  Why was Orlando Hudson not playing last year in September?  Was he hurt?  I remember at the beginning of last year, people were complaining that we did not get him when we had the chance and had signed Aaron Miles instead.  Then, I heard he was benched for Ronnie Belliard.  What happened?  Was he hurt or did he just start slumping? 

I would think he'd be a solid pickup only if he's sitting out of the dance with no one to ask him out at the end of the FA period and is willing to sign for cheap the way he did with LA last year.

4.  Has there been any consideration to putting in Blanco at SS and having Theriot play 2nd or be traded?  Theriot acutally has trade value, and our middle infield defense was poor; SS is more of a defensive position.  I honestly also thought Blanco's spproach to the plate was similar to Theriot's and that in a year or so he would essentially turn into a Theriot-like player.  I don't think we'd lose much in terms of production and could get a useful player in return to trade for the CF we need or for prospects for future trades.

Thanks again for your answers!