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          The GM's Office

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          Upcoming hitter FAs who could be traded

          Chris Davis, center, and Matt Wieters, right, are both candidates to be traded in 2015. AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
          • Jim Bowden, ESPN Baseball AnalystDec 3, 2014, 10:59 AM ET
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            • Senior baseball analyst for ESPN Insider
            • Former GM of the Reds and Nationals
            • Author of "The GM's Office" blog
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          Much of the talk these days is about the current crop of free agents, but what about next year's crop? Those players could be in demand via trade between now and the July 31 trade deadline. On Tuesday, we looked at top-10 pitchers set to be free agents after the 2015 season who could be traded, and here are the top 10 hitters set to be free agents 11 months from now who could be traded in the coming months.

          lastname1. Justin Upton, OF, Atlanta Braves

          Braves general manager John Hart told me on my SiriusXM radio show Sunday that he hasn't made a single phone call about trading Upton and doesn't plan to. However, he also said he would listen like he does on all players. I can't imagine what the Braves would look like without Upton in the middle of their lineup, but if they can't extend him, they might have to trade him, just as they did with Jason Heyward: for a package of major league players they can control past this year and set them up for the opening of their new stadium in 2017.

          lastname2. Jason Heyward, RF, St. Louis Cardinals

          Speaking of Heyward, the Cardinals plan on doing everything they can to sign him to a long-term deal after trading four years of control of Shelby Miller to the Braves.