Josh Johnson rumors: Red Sox, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Rangers

Despite the Miami Marlins saying otherwise, right-hander Josh Johnson will be trade bait this offseason, and teams such as the Baltimore Orioles, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Dodgers could show interest, reports Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:

Despite some talk out of Florida that the Marlins won’t deal Johnson, who can become a free agent after 2014, the 28-year-old will be trade bait.

Cafardo says the Marlins could get a "boatload" back from any of the aforementioned teams in exchange for Johnson. He adds that the Marlins figure to find themselves once again cleaning house, a sign that Johnson could be on the move this winter.

Given the Marlins constant state of flux and past practices of trading young stars approaching big paydays, Johnson has found himself in the midst of rumors for some time.

While he had a productive 2012 season, during which he maintained an ERA of 3.81 over 31 starts, it was a down year compared to the rest of his impressive career (48-23, 2.98 ERA). For this reason the Marlins may decide to hold onto the 28-year-old until the summer in hopes that he can increase his value.