Trades could be ahead for next year’s free agents

This offseason’s free agents are already beginning to find new homes, with players such as Bartolo Colon, Kendrys Morales and Josh Reddick signing deals in the early stages of the Hot Stove season.

Yet several of next offseason’s free agents figure to be on the move as well, since players with one year left on their contracts make for frequent trade chips. Acquiring such a player allows a team to bolster its roster for the coming season without getting bogged down with a long-term commitment. As long as the trade is completed before Opening Day, rather than during the season, it will fall under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement, which allows for the club to extend a qualifying offer a year from now. However, the CBA expires Dec. 1, meaning the qualifying-offer system could change, however.

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In the winter of 2014-15, pending free agents like Yoenis Cespedes, Jason Heyward, Jeff Samardzija and Justin Upton were all traded. At least 17 such players were dealt last offseason, including Aroldis Chapman, Jeremy Hellickson, Mark Trumbo and Neil Walker.

This offseason, potential 2017-18 free agents such as Howie Kendrick and Cameron Maybin have already gone down that path. Others (Jake Arrieta, Jonathan Lucroy and Carlos Santana, for example) are slated to play major roles for likely contenders and therefore figure to stay put.

But that still leaves many intriguing players who have one guaranteed year remaining on their contracts and could be involved in trades over the next few months. Here are 10 to watch, listed alphabetically:

Jay Bruce, RF, Mets New York, which acquired Bruce at the non-waiver Trade Deadline, exercised his $13 million club option after the season. For now, he remains part of the Mets’ 2017 plans, but if the club is able to re-sign Cespedes, Bruce could be the odd man out. Bruce’s bat went quiet following his trade from Cincinnati, but the left-handed hitter still finished with 33 homers, his sixth time in seven years reaching 25.

Zack Cozart, SS, Reds Coming off a 94-loss season, the Reds have Cozart and Brandon Phillips standing in the way of some young infield talent. Cozart, who was nearly traded to the Mariners at this year’s Deadline, would no longer make sense for Seattle in light of its acquisition of Jean Segura, though …

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