We’ve been focusing of late on the upper echelon of the summer trade market with our Top Trade Candidate Series — which weighs both availability and value in ranking the top players who might be available. But contenders aren’t only looking for impact; they’re also hunting for reasonably-priced depth pieces that can help shore up areas of need and provide roster flexibility.
As teams comb over the rosters of likely sellers for useful players, these are some under-the-radar names they could consider pursuing:
Pitchers
Brandon Kintzler, RP, Twins — Moving into the closer’s role has raised Kintzler’s profile somewhat, but he still isn’t a name you hear much. But perhaps that should change. He is not and never has been a high-K pitcher, but his impeccable control (0.8 BB/9 this year) and worm-burning tendencies (65.3% groundball rate in 2016) explain why he has managed a 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings. Thing is, this isn’t totally out of the blue: Kintzler owns a 3.25 ERA in over 200 big league frames. He’s dirt cheap and comes with another year of control.
Marc Rzepczynski, RP, Athletics — Scrabble is a pending free agent who should be quite available. He has dominated lefties throughout his career — they own a .223/.289/.300 batting line against him — though this year he has actually been somewhat better against righties, who generally knock him around. That improvement against opposite-handed hitters has helped drive a 2.96 ERA, though Rzepczynski is also coughing up 5.3 free passes per nine to go with his 9.2 K/9 strikeout rate. More importantly, though, he’s still delivering the same velo and nearly the same swinging-strike rate as he has in recent years.
Carlos Torres, RP, Brewers — Torres has been a sturdy reliever in the past, but pitched beneath his peripherals last year for the Mets. He’s now doing something of the opposite, with ERA estimators lagging his 3.29 ERA, but Torres is punching out more than a batter an inning with a career-best 12.0% swinging-strike rate. Organizations looking to add depth to a bullpen will certainly consider the 33-year-old.
Jorge De La Rosa, SP, Rockies — The veteran Colorado lefty was off to an abysmal start and is owed a hefty $12.5MM before hitting the open market. But he has been quite effective since returning to the rotation in mid June: over his last five outings, including a four-inning relief appearance, De La Rosa has allowed just six earned runs on 19 hits over 28 frames. He has surrendered 13 free passes against only 19 punch-outs, but De La Rosa has drawn plenty of trade interest in the past and the Rox may be ready to move on. Teams in need of rotation depth could take a look.
Brad Hand, RP/SP, Padres — After functioning in a swingman role for the Marlins, Hand has been a pure reliever in San Diego, where he’s now running up double-digit K/9 tallies and swinging strike rates (10.8%) for the first time in his career. He’s also walking nearly five batters per nine, but the southpaw is getting solid results (3.38 ERA) with estimators generally viewing him a sturdy option. He’s not going to draw any kind of huge return, but could be a useful piece for the right team, particularly given his background in a multi-inning role.
Position Players
Eduardo Nunez, INF, Twins — The 29-year-old had never really lived up to his former billing, but he’s carrying a .305/.338/.464 batting line over his last 510 plate appearances in Minnesota dating to the start of 2015. Nunez has hit 15 long balls and added 27 stolen bases in that span. Even after accounting for some ball-in-play luck, both in terms of BABIP (.339 this year) and perhaps HR/FB (12.9%), that’s quite a useful offensive profile for a player who can line up all over the infield and even the corner outfield. With another year of arb eligibility remaining, he’s an interesting target for contenders to mull.
Coco Crisp, OF, Athletics — Now 36 years of age, Crisp is finally healthy and has been putting up league-average offensive numbers. Teams could consider him as a fourth outfielder who is at least plenty experienced in center field, even if he really shouldn’t spend much time there at this stage. Crisp hasn’t been as dynamic on the bases as he once was, so there are some real limits to his function, but he’s the kind of veteran presence that many organizations like to plug in for a stretch run. And in a reduced role, there’d be no concern that he’d trigger a vesting option for next season.
Peter Bourjos, OF, Phillies — As bad as he was in the first two months of the year, Bourjos has been on fire of late — running at about a 1.000 OPS clip for June and early July. The truth, as ever, is somewhere in between, but Bourjos could be a useful bench piece down the stretch given his history of good glovework and wheels on the bases. Plus, he’s playing on an affordable $2MM salary this year and is a pure rental — meaning that the Phils should be plenty motivated to deal.
Yangervis Solarte, IF, Padres — Though he isn’t the kind of utility option that Hernandez is, Solarte is capable of manning second or third and brings more with the bat. He has missed a good bit of time, but owns an excellent .301/.387/.483 batting line over 163 plate appearances and has been a consistently above-average hitter as a big leaguer. He only has two years of control on his ticker, so there’s no rush for San Diego to deal, but this might represent an opportune time to get some value with other trade pieces sidelined by injury.
Robbie Grossman, OF, Twins — The switch-hitting, 26-year-old outfielder has been a breakout, feel-good story for the scuffling Twins after previously failing to make good on his prospect billing. Over 170 trips to the plate, he’s putting up a monster .279/.406/.479 batting line while recording 30 walks against 38 strikeouts. With just over one year of service time entering the year, Grossman could be kept for next to nothing if Minnesota prefers. But he could be an interesting target for teams in need of a patient hitter with a bit of pop who can be held into the future.
De La Rosa is more than just “rotation depth’. When he’s on he’s a solid middle of the rotation pitcher, and he’s been on lately. He’s a rental, but unless guys like Teheran and Gray and the Rays starting five are really available (doubtful) he may be just about the best out there.
You’d have to imagine that with how well he’s been doing for a team like the Rockies that he’d do even better with a change of scenery to team that’s actually in the playoff discussion
He’s actually kind of weird in that his numbers in Coors are much better than his road numbers. In theory, he is a much pitcher for the Rockies than he would be elsewhere. Of course baseball is not played via theory, so who knows.
Career 4.61 ERA. Last 2 seasons he has put up a 4.66 ERA. Played in the prime of his career for a team in an extreme pitchers park and put up ERAs over 5.50. I just don’t see where that equates to anything but rotation depth. A few good starts this year don’t change that prognosis. Doesn’t mean some contender with a rotation in distress won’t trade for him.
Well take him, most of the ppl that come to the Red Sox struggle anyway so it might as well be someone with a smaller risk
His ERA+ since joined Colorado in 2008 has been over 100 in all but two seasons, including this one.
This season is marred by the month of April. He was SO bad in April and early May that even though he returned to his normal self in June, the season numbers look a lot worse than he is pitching now. The other “season” under 100 was just a couple of September starts after returning from TJ surgery. If he is traded, I don’t expect a great prospect, but I don’t want him given away either. An average farm system’s #5-10 prospect in a one for one deal or a pair of prospects in the #11-20 range seems fair. Of course those ranges would change depending on the strength of the farm as well. Anything less that that and I’d rather we just keep him and let him continue building his team pitching records.
The prime of his career was in Colorado, or are you speaking about his year and a half with the Royals at age 25-26? His troubles have always been injuries and control. He’s a pitcher anyone can slot into the 5th spot and run with.
Waiving Brad Hand was another of the wild moves the Fish FO made which made no sense. The guy was then, as is now as servicable 5th starter and middle reliever who sits 92-94 with a power slider. Many teams right now could stick him back into their rotation who have bucholz types imitating starters.
Ryan Buchter? 2.76 fip, 3.89 xfip 13.00 k/9 4.75 BB/9 and hes 29. Rather the padres sell high on buchter than trade hand who theyll need to replace buchter.
People have talked about miller chapman rodney betances but nobody seems to talk about buchter, probably cause of his emergence this year, but he’s having a great year and wont cost as much as miller betances chapman and comes with more team control.
He probably has more value to the Padres org than he could bring back in a trade. He is controllable through 2021 and with his lack of a track record I don’t think teams are lining to trade blue chip prospects for him.
He needs saves to increase his value. Let him close the rest of the year then talk in the winter.
What about buddy boshers or Christian Friedrich?
I was hoping that Bourjos would make the list!
How in the world can you say Nunez “never lived up to the hype”? He never got a CHANCE before. He came up with the Yankees and hit a ton, but only played sparingly. Remember a guy by the name of Derek Jeter that played short at that time. Remember a guy named Arod that was still n his prime at third base? Where was Nunez supposed to play? Would you have sat Arod or Jeter? ha ha ha ha. The Yankees ALWAYS called Nunez a great hitter! In fact, he was so good they kept trying to find a place for him.. He now finally get’s a chance to prove himself and you say he “never lived up to the hype”! Oh well, everybody makes a fool out of themselves once in awhile. You guys are usually really good on your info and I’d be lost without it! Keep up the (usually) good work.
Eduardo Nuñez jugó un montón de juegos con los Yankees pero su defensiva fue desatroza, se le dió muchas oportunidades de juego y no mejoró su juego.
He didn’t exactly “hit a ton” with the Yankees. Nunez ran an 88 OPS+ over 4 years, without a single year over 100. It’s really only been the last two years (and mostly this season) that he’s developed any power, and he’s very likely to see his BA regress some. He’s got a solid bat for a middle infielder or a utility guy, but he’s not exactly setting the world on fire even now.
Bourjos did make the list
Rzep back to the Jays makes plenty of sense, right? Jays aren’t in a position to deal for the elite relievers, but as long as they’re trying to win now they might as well add a decent lefty arm to the pen. Cecil and Loup are back, but Loup hasn’t been the same for a couple years and Cecil doesn’t really dominate lefties.
The line about service time for Solarte may be a bit unclear. He started the season with exactly two years of service time, so he’s in his third year of service and has three full seasons (plus remainder of this) of control remaining.
His should be one of the more interesting arbitration projections to see just because his track record is of good but unspectacular production at the plate (despite being the worst baserunner this side of someone wearing a Chico’s Bail Bonds uniform).
+1 awesome
please trade Peter Bourjos. …now is the time b4 he gets back to the 150 batter that hr is…or this could his “breakout” year.
Coco isnt going anywhere with that no trade clause in his contract
Really guys u suck
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